Great Works at 10.20am Spring 2015

Paradise lost is considered the greatest epic poem in English literature. It is a narrative from which many have speculated of who actually is the heroic figure. The story is introduced as Satan surfacing from a boiling lake of lava in Hell; he had recently fallen from heaven, and has woken up in a miserable place. He rallies the fallen angels and soon begins to devise a plan against Adam and Eve in order to spite God. Satan volunteers to be the rebel of the clan and leaves hell to seek Adam and Eve.  Through numerous attempts of destruction Milton was able to reflect on Satan character. Although he has negative intentions, Satan believed it was for a better cause. He held a grudge against god and will forever be unable to comprehend why he was exiled from heaven.

As the poem begins, we are led to believe that Satan the heroic figure because he is overwhelmed with uncertainty of his flaws and weaknesses he has towards his goal to corrupt human kind. Satan is far from being a hero, since all he seeks in pain and suffering for whomever follows the belief of God.  He slowly come to accepting that he is deemed to be evil but lacks the understanding of redemption and salvation. Through book one to five, we begin to feel empathy for him because he is conscious of his wrong doings therefore believing his intentions are said to be good.  To an understanding, the true heroic figures are Adam and Eve because they initiate humankind and all its great desires.

In book one Satan and his rivals have gathered for war and were defeated.  The quote below demonstrates how prideful Satan is and how he underestimated the power of God. He is baffled by his loss and it determine to battle once more. Consult

“How much united force of gods, how such

As stood like these, could know repulse?

For who can yet believe, though after loss;

that all these pussient  legions, whose exile

Hath emptied Heav’n, shall fail to reascend

Self-raised, and repossess their native seat? (I,629-34)”

In book four, Satan has admitted that Gods giving’s have only brough pain and suffering. For this, he must repay God with the same form as he did to him.

“What could be less than to afford him praise,

The easiest recompense, and pay him thanks,

How due! Yet all his good proved ill in me

And wrought but malic.                 Lifted up so high,

I’sdained subjection, and though one step higher

Would set me highest, and in a moment quit

The debt Immense of endless gratitude” (IV,46-52).

In book four, Satan reflects on his own character and begins to have a sense of understanding of who he has become. He sees the “right path” as a form of weakness and refuses to submit to anyone but himself.  Why be a slave in Heaven when you can be a king in hell.

“Me miserable! Which way shall I fly

Infinite wrath and infinite despair?

Which way I fly; myself am Hell

And in the lowest deep a lower deep

Still threatening to devour me opens wide,

To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heaven

O then at last I relent! Is there no place

Left for repentance, none for pardon left

None left but my submission; and that word

Disdain forbids me, and my dread of shame: (IV,73-83).

Paradise lost is an intuiting poem because of the heroism we unconsciously feel for Satan. Milton begins to write from the perspective of Satan, then from the role of God.  We already begin to be sympathize with Satan making it difficult for readers to feel for Adam, Eve, or God. Although Satan is not the hero of the story, he is not entirely a bad person. He often side with wrongdoings and lacks the understanding of his actions. He comes out as being an egotistical jerk who seeks out vengeance and retribution for being casted out of Heaven.

Neli Llangari

NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI THE PRINCE                                             ANTHONY BOWEN-ALLEN

Deception, warfare, or morality? Can a Prince be moral, and still be effective. What makes a perfect Prince? And can anyone obtain the kingdom, according to Machiavelli?

In the world of power, and politics, success by any means necessary seems to be the prevailing ideal. Especially in books like the Prince, by Machavelli. Where deception, violence, and cunning trump. These tactics can prove to be effective when looking to obtain, and maintain power. Manipulation, fear, and deception can be necessary tools. “From that resulted the rebellion of Urbino, the insurrections in Romagna, and countless dangers for the Duke, all of which he overcame, with the aid of the French. Thus having got back his reputation, but not trusting France, or other outside forces, in order not to have to put them to a test, he turned to trickery. And he knew so well how to falsify his purpose that the Orsini themselves, by means of Lord Paulo, were reconciled with him so completely that their folly took them to Sinigaglia into his hands. Pg. 185. However, a Prince can be moral, and effective. A Prince can be benevolent and righteous. Balance and harmony, is an essential element of life. Too much of anything can be dangerous to any cause.

Not just anyone can become a Prince. Princes are born, not made. Although Lady Fortune has no favorites, and acts impartially to nature, the ability to be a prince is an innate talent. A Prince is a gift from the heavens. “So Italy remains without life and awaits the man, whoever he may be, who is to heal her wounds, put and end to the plunder of Lombardy and the tribute laid on Tuscany and the kingdom of Naples, and cure her of those sores that have long been suppurating. She may be seen praying God send to send someone to redeem her from these cruel and barbarous insults”. Pg.189                                                                                                                                         Of course this talent needs to be harnessed. Which is why readings like the prince exist. Power, and knowledge in the wrong hands will only be destructive, and short lived. Destructive not only to the individual in control, but also those whom he comes across.

Warfare, violence, and the use of fear have been used since the beginning of time to obtain power. It has been made clear that a Prince must be known for his virtues. “And I know that everybody will admit that it would be very praiseworthy for a prince to possess all of the above-mentioned qualities that are considered good. But since he is not able to have them or to observe them completely, prudent because human conditions do not allow him to, it is necessary that he be prudent enough to understand how to avoid getting a bad name……”

I have chosen to do my creative paper on Antigone. In today’s world Antigone is a rebellious young lady who lives in patriarchal society. In this society the males are the ones who decide what is best to do and females have no say in the matter because they view females as inferior to men. My creative paper will go through the struggle she face with society as she try to speak up for herself as a female.

Her twitter account will be superior_female and she will use hashtags like #FemalesMatterToo #WhyNotFemales? #FemalesAreAwesome #MaleAndFemaleEquality.

She will have a blog post called What is Like Being A Female. Her blog will cover various topics such as:

1. Why Females are Superior – which she will talk about the qualities of females and how it makes them stronger in opposition to what males think.

2. Males and Females are the Same – which she will compare both males and females and pinpoint qualities which are the same in both to try make men understand that females are their equal.

3. How Females Think – this will be about how the female mind works and what some think about being controlled by men.

4. Women are Actually Stronger Than You Think – which she will speak about strong females who stood out and are amazing role models in their own way.

My topic is

P1. In The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, a guide to long term power is given, through the medium of history itself.

“As I say above, he who does not lay his foundations beforehand can perhaps through great wisdom and energy lay them afterword, though he does so with trouble for the architect and danger to the building”

P2. History has proven to repeat itself, one example of which Niccolo describes is Duke Valentino’s story.

P3. History is the unfolding of events that can be used as a guide to understand the flow of power that Machiavelli is discussing.

“Hence, if a prince wishes to maintain himself, he must learn how to be not good, and to use that ability or not as is required”

Counter: “If everyone were good and contributed to one another, we could maintain a growing civilization with a kind and honest prince that would share resources fairly and create a powerful history”

P4. [Rebuttal] True freedom is synonymous with chaos, because to be truly free, you can’t be controlled, and Machiavelli shows through history how this can never be the case.

“After this, he waited for a good chance to wipe out the Orsini leaders, having scattered those of the Colonna family; such a chance came to him well and he used it better”

P5. Human History contains thousands of years of information, and if you construct a story under the right context you can essentially explain anything using it as a medium or channel.

My topic will be based on Thousand and One nights and Ramanya. This would be option 2.  I would like to discuss how the approach of Sita and Sharazard to enlightening their male counter part.  Both are presented as well informed and intelligent women.  They both used a passive aggressive ways to provide information or to convince the dominant male figure in the book. Women in both books are initially described as following their primal urges and not thinking with a higher level of thought.   Just like the men in these reading some women may make mistakes or think on a lower level but there are those can think at the same if not higher level than their male partners.  The approached used by these two women actually show that this non aggressive yet persuasive approach to things more easily expands ideas and can help the understanding of others more easily than the direct and aggressive male approach; something many may saw as a detriment it is actually a benefit.

Kareem Wright

Modern day Antigone works for Trump Luxury Real Estate in NYC. Donald Trump mandates that every employee must dress like a man (Business pant-suit), no matter their gender. Antigone refuses to obey these new guidelines and continues to dress like a business woman. Trump calls her into his office and threatens to fire her. Antigone stands her ground no matter the consequences. Trump settles on firing Antigone. After a few days he realizes that he was wrong for making all employees dress in male attire and asks Antigone to return. Upon speaking to her he realizes she found a new job and doesn’t plan on returning to Trump Luxury Real Estate.

Twitter account: GirlPowerxo

Hashtags: #GirlPower #LikeAGirl #WomensRights #Hillary4President

Blog Post Name: Women Are Better Than Men

Topics:

1. “Women for Manager” Antigone will discuss why women are better managers than men based on information from a Forbes magazine article. http://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2015/04/16/are-women-really-as-this-major-research-says-better-managers-than-men/2/
2. “I Can Do Better than You” She will also discuss things women do better than men. Such as higher IQ’s, better at handling stress, and better with finance. http://www.thehealthsite.com/fitness/6-things-women-can-do-better-than-men/
3. “Team Jolie” Antigone will evaluate why Angelina Jolie is her ideal woman. Elaborating on Jolie’s humanitarian work, overcoming a double mastectomy, and her role as a mother to her biological and adopted children.
4. “Success and attire” Antigone will focus on how wearing makeup, skirts, and heels leads to success. https://www.dailyworth.com/posts/3021-rethinking-gender-and-fashion-in-the-workplace/2

I will also be including the “Like a Girl” YouTube video into Twitter/Facebook https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs, and ecards connecting to Antigone and Creon.

Topic: Is Satan the hero in Paradise Lost?

Proposal: Satan is not the hero in Paradise Lost

Argument #1: Satan chooses to rebel, acting for his own personal desires; a true hero rebels to injustice in order to help the less fortunate.

Argument #2: Satan “heroic” qualities regresses and his followers doubt him.

Counterargument: Some would argue that Satan could be viewed as the epic hero in Paradise Lost.

Rebuttal: Satan has negative ideals and his only purpose is to cause pain to God; these are not qualities of a hero.

Argument #3: Satan falls in the category of tragedy.

Conclusion: This topic and my argument are important to consider, because many of us are beginning to sway towards morally bad characters and see them as heroes.

Aiying Chen He

The Enlightment of Daodejing

I choose this topic because of its richness.

Beginning: Daodejing is the oldest and most important source of Taoism, which can be translated to The Book of the Way and Virtue.

Argument 1: The concept of the Way conducts us the ultimate natural law that existed in this universe and its greatness.

Argument 2: The Virtual is the effect of the Way. By know the idea of the Virtual, people can follow the rule of the nature and predict the development of things.

*There will be a lot of quotations when talking about way and virtual.

Counterargument: People found defects in Daodejing that Laozi advocate obscurantism in Chapter 3.

“Therefore, in governing the people, the sage empties their minds but fills their bellies weakens their wills but strengthens their bones. He always keeps them innocent of knowledge and free from desire, and ensures that the clever never dare to act.”

Rebuttal: The main point of Chapter 3 is the way to keep people from the evil side of the human intelligence, not obscurantism.

Conclusion: Daodejing is considered as one of the richest and most popular works of philosophy and literature.