In chapter 20, Sancho Panza seems to have become the voice of reason. It is odd that as he becomes more and more wrapped up in Don Quixote's fantasy he also becomes more logical and useful. He begins to show his value by contributing rather than constantly complaining (though he still does plenty of that as well) He points out to Don Quixote that the lush grass indicates there is water nearby, demonstrating that he is not entirely stupid and has his own sort of rustic-farmer wisdom. He even shows some cunning in his fooling Don Quixote by hobbling Rocinante instead of simply trying to talk Don Quixote out of wandering into a potentially "dangerous" situation. He appeals to his master in a way that he knows he will understand and accept, by blaming the horse's immobility to the wicked sage who fouls so many of Don Quixote's plans. Sancho Panza's character grows and changes as the story proceeds where as Don Quixote is more of a static character who shows little maturation.
When Don Quixote encounters the chain-gang in chapter 22, it occurred to me that he and the prisoners are some what alike in the sense of how they view their transgressions. As he asks the convicts what they are being punished for, the first replies "for being in love", the second for being a "canary-bird" or a musician originally presenting themselves as completely innocent and wrongly persecuted but as it turns out they were all true criminals, whether for petty theft or treason. Just as Don Quixote does not view his mistakes and wrongful attacking of innocent bystanders as a crime, but rather act of necessity as a knight, so too do the convicts see their "mistakes" as being natural to their lifestyle. However they all accept their prison sentence to the "tubs" most nobly and rely on God to save them.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Don Quixote X-XIX
I thought the story of Marcela and Grisostomo was interesting because I found it to be similar to Don Quixote's own story. Don Quixote dresses himself as a knight and conducts his life accordingly because to him, this life is more beautiful and more real than his past life had been, though he does not consciously think of it that way. I came to the conclusion that the mock shepherds both chose to follow this life style for the same reasons Don Quixote chose his. Or at least Marcela did. She was a well respected and sought after woman and had the opportunity to be very wealthy by choosing one of her many suitors but chose instead a "free and easy life, with little privacy or rather none at all" (pg 93) as Pedro described it. I assume that to her this life seemed more appealing because it allowed her freedom to roam with out being shielded by her well-intentioned uncle. It was a simple life and most people of her rank and status would look down upon it with contempt, but to her the simplicity and honesty of it is what made it beautiful. " I was born free, and to live free I chose the solitude of the countryside." (109) Grisostomo really only followed suit in his attempt to court her but perhaps he also saw the attraction of the life style even though he had gone to a university and was also had a privileged life.
The scene of the night at the inn was very funny because of all the misunderstandings and fighting but I thought that several of the characters were acting in their own form of chivalry. Don Quixote was mistaken in thinking the Asturian wench was the inn keepers beautiful daughter but maintained that he would not betray his love Dulcinea, and acted as any proper knight would. The muleteer attempted to defend the girl against Don Quixote and began the fighting and the peace-keeper was trying to stop the fighting between the men and the girl and wanted to help Don Quixote but due to more misunderstandings was offended and attacked Don Quixote again. Though the scene was entertaining, most of the men were trying to do what they believed to be the right and noble thing, though they all failed miserably.
The scene of the night at the inn was very funny because of all the misunderstandings and fighting but I thought that several of the characters were acting in their own form of chivalry. Don Quixote was mistaken in thinking the Asturian wench was the inn keepers beautiful daughter but maintained that he would not betray his love Dulcinea, and acted as any proper knight would. The muleteer attempted to defend the girl against Don Quixote and began the fighting and the peace-keeper was trying to stop the fighting between the men and the girl and wanted to help Don Quixote but due to more misunderstandings was offended and attacked Don Quixote again. Though the scene was entertaining, most of the men were trying to do what they believed to be the right and noble thing, though they all failed miserably.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Don Quixote 1-9
Quixotic: foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals; especially : marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action
This word inspired by the character of Don Quixote describes him perfectly, especially the "rash lofty romantic ideas" part. I think romantic is the word of most importance here. All those who Don Quixote encounters call him a madman and while it is true that he is not of completely sound mind, it is because he has this romanticized view of the world which he acquired through his reading. In a way it is sad that simply because he wants to believe in something pure and just and based off love, he is considered to be crazy. I think this can be seen as a commentary on how humans have lost any sense of true romance and honor. Don Quixote wants to be chivalrous and tries to engage others in his quest but though they play along, secretly they mock him because they have lost the sense of chivalry which Don Quixote has regained.
I don't think he is particularly radical but only seen as such because everyone he encounters is so unused to people with good intentions. Granted, his are extreme and comical but still they come from the right place and should be respected. What I think is interesting is that so many humor him and play along with his routine even though they think he's insane. In some cases it is because they think it will be to their benefit (such as the young shepard being flogged) but more often than not it is because they are trying to pacify him because they see him as a threat due to his mental instability. The innkeeper adheres to him at first because he is flattered by Don Quixote but later as a means of stopping the knight from harming any more people who come near his armor.
side note: I was caught off guard by Cervantes' note on Islam snuck in when he's talking about Don Quixote trying to get up and thinking of stories he'd read: "...a tale known to every little boy, not unfamiliar to youths, celebrated and even believed by old men, yet with no more truth in it than the miracles of Muhammad." (pg 48)
This word inspired by the character of Don Quixote describes him perfectly, especially the "rash lofty romantic ideas" part. I think romantic is the word of most importance here. All those who Don Quixote encounters call him a madman and while it is true that he is not of completely sound mind, it is because he has this romanticized view of the world which he acquired through his reading. In a way it is sad that simply because he wants to believe in something pure and just and based off love, he is considered to be crazy. I think this can be seen as a commentary on how humans have lost any sense of true romance and honor. Don Quixote wants to be chivalrous and tries to engage others in his quest but though they play along, secretly they mock him because they have lost the sense of chivalry which Don Quixote has regained.
I don't think he is particularly radical but only seen as such because everyone he encounters is so unused to people with good intentions. Granted, his are extreme and comical but still they come from the right place and should be respected. What I think is interesting is that so many humor him and play along with his routine even though they think he's insane. In some cases it is because they think it will be to their benefit (such as the young shepard being flogged) but more often than not it is because they are trying to pacify him because they see him as a threat due to his mental instability. The innkeeper adheres to him at first because he is flattered by Don Quixote but later as a means of stopping the knight from harming any more people who come near his armor.
side note: I was caught off guard by Cervantes' note on Islam snuck in when he's talking about Don Quixote trying to get up and thinking of stories he'd read: "...a tale known to every little boy, not unfamiliar to youths, celebrated and even believed by old men, yet with no more truth in it than the miracles of Muhammad." (pg 48)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Canti 28-34
The Inferno is especially interesting to read is because though it is a work of fiction, Dante incorporates aspects of his own life as well as history and mythology spanning over hundreds of years before his own era. As we have seen in previous canti, Dante uses people from his own life to predict the "future". Up until Canto 29 Dante encounters several acquaintances in Hell most of which he feels deserve to be there and a few whom he feels compassion for but when he reaches the ninth Bolgia and searches for a family member, he lingers though Virgil is hurrying him along. His guide chastises him:
" What are you waiting for? Why do you stare
as if you could not tear your eyes away
from the mutilated shadows passing there?
You did not act so in the other pits."
Dante reveals to us that this is because his relative had been murdered and had not yet been avenged by his family members. So it is guilt that causes Dante to hesitate when it is most important that he move through Hell quickly. I think this is also because this circle of Hell seemed to be the most horrific with the dismembered bodies staring up at him. Their punishment as ever equal to their sin (sowing of discord) they are constantly being brutally torn apart and healing only to be destroyed again.
I found the frozen lake Cocytus to be surprising and ironic considering Hell is always portrayed as being hot and in flames. According to Dante it was the beating of Satan's wings which froze the lake. This adds to the unexpected nature of Satan. His bizarre appearance and surroundings makes him something of a fool.
" What are you waiting for? Why do you stare
as if you could not tear your eyes away
from the mutilated shadows passing there?
You did not act so in the other pits."
Dante reveals to us that this is because his relative had been murdered and had not yet been avenged by his family members. So it is guilt that causes Dante to hesitate when it is most important that he move through Hell quickly. I think this is also because this circle of Hell seemed to be the most horrific with the dismembered bodies staring up at him. Their punishment as ever equal to their sin (sowing of discord) they are constantly being brutally torn apart and healing only to be destroyed again.
I found the frozen lake Cocytus to be surprising and ironic considering Hell is always portrayed as being hot and in flames. According to Dante it was the beating of Satan's wings which froze the lake. This adds to the unexpected nature of Satan. His bizarre appearance and surroundings makes him something of a fool.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Canti 21-27
1. Given that we have now almost completed the Inferno, do you feel the text is "character driven"? (Meaning, are Dante and Virgil propelling the story along?) If not, then what? Why do you think Dante chooses to write the epic in this manner?
I think that the Inferno was very much a character driven plot due to the numerous references Dante makes through out the poem to politics in his home town of Florence and personal qualms he had with the souls he meets in Hell. As the writer, Dante has complete control over the out turn of the story so he has the ability to place in Hell who ever he chooses. Those real life people who he had had disagreements with (to say the least) before he had been exiled ended up in Hell in his poem. He sent them to deeper and deeper rings of Hell depending on how deeply he disliked them when they were alive. Dante was writing this when he had been exiled from Florence, the city he loved and so was particularly embittered and took it out on the people responsible through the story.
This in a way makes the poem even more strong because as he encounters these souls which he recognizes (though he does not hate all of them) they give him personal accounts of the horrors which they must endure in Hell. Dante could have done this with completely fictional characters but the fact that they were once real historical people gives it more credibility.
All this being said, most writers incorporate aspects of their personal lives into their work, though usually not as blatantly as Dante did in his Inferno. Characters generally have different names or different backgrounds than the people they represent in real life, but often in their overall nature their are the same.
from Canto 23 when virgil is protecting dante from the Fiends:
"Seizing me instantly in his arms, my Guide-
like a mother wakened by a midnight noise
to find a wall of flame at her bedside
(who takes her child and runs, and more concerned
for him than for herself, does not pause even
to throw a wrap about her) raised me, turned,
and down the rugged bank from the high summit
flung himself down supine onto the slope
which walls the upper side of the next pit.
I think this passage accurately portrays Virgil and Dante's relationship. We have been speculating in class about both Virgil and Dante's possible homosexuality but I think this depiction of Virgil as a caretaker or a defensive mother is more accurate. Because he is already dead and has been condemned to Hell, he has little to fear for himself but because Dante is alive and he can be harmed by the obstacles they encounter, he goes to extra lengths to protect him. I think there is some meaning behind the fact that Dante describes him as a mother considering he is a man but I'm not entirely sure what that means. Unless it is just to further stress the tenderness and love he shows Dante.
I think that the Inferno was very much a character driven plot due to the numerous references Dante makes through out the poem to politics in his home town of Florence and personal qualms he had with the souls he meets in Hell. As the writer, Dante has complete control over the out turn of the story so he has the ability to place in Hell who ever he chooses. Those real life people who he had had disagreements with (to say the least) before he had been exiled ended up in Hell in his poem. He sent them to deeper and deeper rings of Hell depending on how deeply he disliked them when they were alive. Dante was writing this when he had been exiled from Florence, the city he loved and so was particularly embittered and took it out on the people responsible through the story.
This in a way makes the poem even more strong because as he encounters these souls which he recognizes (though he does not hate all of them) they give him personal accounts of the horrors which they must endure in Hell. Dante could have done this with completely fictional characters but the fact that they were once real historical people gives it more credibility.
All this being said, most writers incorporate aspects of their personal lives into their work, though usually not as blatantly as Dante did in his Inferno. Characters generally have different names or different backgrounds than the people they represent in real life, but often in their overall nature their are the same.
from Canto 23 when virgil is protecting dante from the Fiends:
"Seizing me instantly in his arms, my Guide-
like a mother wakened by a midnight noise
to find a wall of flame at her bedside
(who takes her child and runs, and more concerned
for him than for herself, does not pause even
to throw a wrap about her) raised me, turned,
and down the rugged bank from the high summit
flung himself down supine onto the slope
which walls the upper side of the next pit.
I think this passage accurately portrays Virgil and Dante's relationship. We have been speculating in class about both Virgil and Dante's possible homosexuality but I think this depiction of Virgil as a caretaker or a defensive mother is more accurate. Because he is already dead and has been condemned to Hell, he has little to fear for himself but because Dante is alive and he can be harmed by the obstacles they encounter, he goes to extra lengths to protect him. I think there is some meaning behind the fact that Dante describes him as a mother considering he is a man but I'm not entirely sure what that means. Unless it is just to further stress the tenderness and love he shows Dante.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Canti 14-20
3. The description of the Geryon in Canto 17. How do you interpret this fantastical creature that signifies fraud? Why do you think the notion of fraud is important for Dante (especially given the fact that he is a writer -- what do writers do? What is the nature of fictional literature?) Do you see any other meanings in this creature?
The Geryon is fitting to represent Fraud because it in it's very physical nature it is conflicted. Half reptile and half hairy beast it confuses the beholder into believing it is trust worthy because as Dante notes "his face was innocent of every guile, benign and just in feature and expression." This face is what makes him more dangerous. His fraudulence is what lures his victims closer to him. As a writer, Dante is well accustomed to fraud because that is essentially the job of a story teller, to make his audience believe something that isn't true. A good writer can convince the reader of anything. And Dante fancies himself to be an excellent writer.
The Geryon is fitting to represent Fraud because it in it's very physical nature it is conflicted. Half reptile and half hairy beast it confuses the beholder into believing it is trust worthy because as Dante notes "his face was innocent of every guile, benign and just in feature and expression." This face is what makes him more dangerous. His fraudulence is what lures his victims closer to him. As a writer, Dante is well accustomed to fraud because that is essentially the job of a story teller, to make his audience believe something that isn't true. A good writer can convince the reader of anything. And Dante fancies himself to be an excellent writer.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Canti VII-XIII
We see asquint, like those whose twisted sight
can make out only the far-off" he said
"for the King of All still grants us that much light."
These are the words of Farinata Degli Uberti, an enemy of Dante's who explains to him why it is the damned can foresee the future but don't have any knowledge of what is happening in the present in the living world. This is further punishment for them because it means that when Judgement Day arrives, and there is no more "future" their knowledge will be useless.
Farinata is one of the Heretics who denied God's existence and did not believe in immortality. the Heretics are similar to the Pagans in Limbo because they both are blind to God's light. It is ironic therefore that they have this ability to see the future. The reason that the Pagans are in Limbo and the Heretics are in "lower Hell" is that the Pagans were never given a chance to believe because they came before Christ. The Heretics and Farinata however lived when Christianity had already spread over much of the world and chose to not believe in God even though they were taught and warned against the dangers of doing so. As Dante sympathized with the souls of the great poets in Limbo, so he sympathizes with Farinata who, though he was an enemy of Florence redeemed himself in Dante's eyes by defending Florence against being destroyed at the Diet of Empoli.
"Briefly is the answer given: when
Out of the flesh from which it tore itself,
The violent spirit comes to punishment,
Minos assigns it to the seventh shelf.
It falls into the wood, and landing there,
Wherever fortune flings it, it strikes root,
And there it sprouts lusty as any tare,
Shoots up a sapling, and becomes a tree.
The Harpies, feeding on its leaves then, give it
Pain and pain's outlet simultaneously.
Canto XIII (100)
This is the punishment for those souls which committed violence against themselves in the form of suicide and self destruction. I found the end of this quote to be most interesting because they are punished by being encased in trees, and can only express themselves when they bleed as they Harpies wound them. As all the other souls are tormented in a way that is similar to their sins, the souls violent against themselves are punished by being repeatedly wounded. Because in life they felt their only means of expression was to destroy themselves, this belief is made a reality in Hell.
can make out only the far-off" he said
"for the King of All still grants us that much light."
These are the words of Farinata Degli Uberti, an enemy of Dante's who explains to him why it is the damned can foresee the future but don't have any knowledge of what is happening in the present in the living world. This is further punishment for them because it means that when Judgement Day arrives, and there is no more "future" their knowledge will be useless.
Farinata is one of the Heretics who denied God's existence and did not believe in immortality. the Heretics are similar to the Pagans in Limbo because they both are blind to God's light. It is ironic therefore that they have this ability to see the future. The reason that the Pagans are in Limbo and the Heretics are in "lower Hell" is that the Pagans were never given a chance to believe because they came before Christ. The Heretics and Farinata however lived when Christianity had already spread over much of the world and chose to not believe in God even though they were taught and warned against the dangers of doing so. As Dante sympathized with the souls of the great poets in Limbo, so he sympathizes with Farinata who, though he was an enemy of Florence redeemed himself in Dante's eyes by defending Florence against being destroyed at the Diet of Empoli.
"Briefly is the answer given: when
Out of the flesh from which it tore itself,
The violent spirit comes to punishment,
Minos assigns it to the seventh shelf.
It falls into the wood, and landing there,
Wherever fortune flings it, it strikes root,
And there it sprouts lusty as any tare,
Shoots up a sapling, and becomes a tree.
The Harpies, feeding on its leaves then, give it
Pain and pain's outlet simultaneously.
Canto XIII (100)
This is the punishment for those souls which committed violence against themselves in the form of suicide and self destruction. I found the end of this quote to be most interesting because they are punished by being encased in trees, and can only express themselves when they bleed as they Harpies wound them. As all the other souls are tormented in a way that is similar to their sins, the souls violent against themselves are punished by being repeatedly wounded. Because in life they felt their only means of expression was to destroy themselves, this belief is made a reality in Hell.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Dante's Inferno: Canti 1-6
1. Canto 1: How does Dante 'set up' the journey here? What themes / ideas does he bring forth to accomplish this? What kind of journey is this? What is the pilgrim's state of mind at this time? Why?
Dante's is in search of redemption and his journey presents many obstacles along the way which which makes the path to redemption all the more difficult. Having gone "astray from the straight road" he must suffer before he can be redeemed. He has accepted that he has sinned and understands that he cannot easily be forgiven and must endure several trials and tribulations. The three beasts he first encounters (The Leopard of Malice and Fraud, The Lion of Violence and Ambition, and the She-wolf of Incontinence) possibly represent his past sins and he must face them as he begins his journey. He is tempted to "turn back to the wood" because he is afraid of these beasts and cannot get past them but the arrival of Virgil (reason) gives him strength to move forward. Though he is wretched and afraid, he has a certain faith in "God's grace" and this carries him through his journey.
2. In the other canti that you read for this day, choose one canto which particularly strikes / interests you. What reading / interpretation of this canto can you bring to the discussion on Tuesday?
I thought the third Canti "The Vestibule of Hell : The Opportunists" was interesting because they are not technically part of Hell. Because they chose to not choose sides during the rebellion of angels, they are said to have sinned. "As they sinned so are they punished." They chase an "ever shifting banner" and are stung by wasps etc for eternity. This seems a pretty terrible fate for not having truly sinned. Even though they are not in Hell, they are tortured. This does not seem particularly fair (to me) because they were not actively going against God as the rebellious angels did and yet they are being punished.
I thought the third Canti "The Vestibule of Hell : The Opportunists" was interesting because they are not technically part of Hell. Because they chose to not choose sides during the rebellion of angels, they are said to have sinned. "As they sinned so are they punished." They chase an "ever shifting banner" and are stung by wasps etc for eternity. This seems a pretty terrible fate for not having truly sinned. Even though they are not in Hell, they are tortured. This does not seem particularly fair (to me) because they were not actively going against God as the rebellious angels did and yet they are being punished.
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