Month: December 2018

11:00 – 12:41

“He tore, he raved, he roared like some monster of the wood, calling on the loved name of Imoinda. A thousand times he turned the fatal knife that did the deed toward his own heart, with a resolution to go immediately after her; but dire revenge, which was now a thousand times more fierce in his soul than before, prevents him.”

— Chapter 5, Oroonoko’s Revenge

Love is a constant force and the will that support Oroonoko to disobey his unjust grandfather and society’s tradition to disobey the fate of being a slave forever for the rest of the life without resistance. He is an existence who obtained noble, pure love. Powerful revenge derived from hatred, but Oroonoko is a man revenge for his love and family. Therefore, when he kills his wife to prevent her and their unborn child from living a horrible life without dignity, his will to revenge and to live is gone. Oroonoko is a man who lives by honor codes, despite the overturning fate from noble to a slave, his ethics and values, autonomy, efficient perception of reality and resistance to enslaver show that he is self-actualized person who fulfills the purpose of life, sacrifice for love and esteem. Therefore, his end is more glorified than those who died without a life purpose.

The section of the video I selected delivered summary of the Oroonoko story with narrator’s emotion and understanding of the novel. Overall, I very much enjoy reading this great literature by Aphra Behn, who presented languages in aesthetic sensationalism, the words create the vivid scene within the minds of readers. The strong feelings of compassion and brutality are incite by the imaginary scenes.

The video I selected started from the quote read by a forensic psychotherapist, Dr. Gwen Adshead. “I have murdered the lovely and the helpless; I have strangled the innocent as they slept and grasped to death his throat who never injured me or any other living thing.” Her interpretation of this great literature from a psychological standpoint presents a very interesting view, the cruelty in each of us and not the monster himself.

 

As animals, the human has a unique defense mechanism, the monster in Mary Shelley’s book presented three types of defense mechanism; projection, displacement, and rationalization. The monster displays all three of defense mechanism and brings the aggression to the most radical form. He brings the distress and hatred out on other people, and there, we can’t say we aren’t like the monster. When we experience the constant rejection and disappointment by the “real society” which perceived to be different from the “ideal” ones, the unspeakable pain arose from the unconscious mind but pressed down by the conscious understandings of love and hope. Children rejected by the creator who is hostile and irresponsible grow up in the environment of hostility and fears are going to become the monster itself because there is no love, understanding, and appreciation.

 

The whole purpose of the literature is humanity and its meaning. Although Frankenstein, the scientist, is an intelligent creator his acts and irresponsible acts are criticized for being inhuman. The monster, despite his hideously ugly appearance and unforgivable, murderous actions, his desire to be accepted and loved is just as normal as ordinary human beings.

In the short story, “New Year’s Sacrifice,” Lu Xun reflected upon feudal oppression on lower class women, the cruelty of landowner due to traditional ethics and rites. Supposedly, the New Year’s sacrifice is to bring good fortune and blessing to people alive, all the people in the village or family will come together and prepare for this rite, however, it becomes sarcasm as used in the title.

I found similarity between this short story and U.S slavery history, Hsiang Lin’s Wife is the slave, and her mother-in-law is the slave dealer, selling her for money and treating her as a tool. As I look deeper into the story, I understand that all people besides the narrator are the slaves of feudalistic thoughts and opinions. The murder of Hsiang Lin’s Wife is the isolation and rejection from the aunt’s family because of her misfortune experience brings the “disgrace to sacrifice” in the feudal beliefs. Being able to help during New Year’s sacrifice means the acceptance to become a part of the family, no matter in what kind of position they are, the warmth could be felt. The abandonment of the Narrator’s uncle family blows off the living hope and warmth, and the society mentally and verbally oppresses a misfortunate woman to the end of life.

“Wrapped in this medley of sound, relaxed and at ease, the doubt which had preyed on me from dawn to early night was swept clean away by the atmosphere of celebration, and I felt only that the saints of heaven and earth had accepted the sacrifice and incense and were all reeling with intoxication in the sky, preparing to give the people of Luchen boundless good fortune.”

— “New Year’s Sacrifice”  by Lu Xun 

In this short story, the author, Lu Xun criticizes the traditional, feudal ideas, they are like the “intoxication” reel the people and becloud the humanity in the society. The “boundless good fortune” is sarcasm, people rather believe the unreal and abstract concept than caring about a real person, they start to forget a meaningful purpose of sacrifice, “unity” of family and Luzhen, a community.