Ramayana-Rama a Superhero?

            I think the story of Ramayana is very similar to a fairytale. Like we discussed in class, there are many attributes that are similar to the plot of a fairytale. There is a prince and his princess and like many Disney movies the prince has to go off to save the damsel in distress. There is an evil stepmother, Kaikeyi who works with an evil hunchback to remove Rama from being crowned prince. And if you analyzed it closely, Rama has step brothers who aren’t necessarily bad but it reminds me of Disney’s Cinderella in ways.  And when Rama is exiled it reminded me of the fairytale Snow White because Snow White is sent off in the forest to be killed because she is standing in the Queen’s way of being the fairest of them all. While Rama is being exiled because he is standing in the way of Kaikeyi and Manthara’s way of being in a higher place in the royal family. Kaikeyi and Manthara are looking out for their selves by insisting that Bharata be crowned prince so they will be taken care of.

To me Rama is a superhero. He may not have a costume or magical powers but to me he has other qualities that make him a superhero.  He has a love interest (his wife Sita) and he has values. Rama wants to obey his parents which is why he went freely when being exiled. His values are his Dharma and Karma.  He is publicly known for being the prince of the kingdom and he is brave and has courage because he took on a demon and won. Which many people would not be able to do, that alone shows his strength. In class we said that since Rama doesn’t have super powers and no costume he isn’t a superhero.  But he is similar to Batman; Batman doesn’t have super powers he is just got good at using gadgets. Batman is basically an average man who fights crime he has a costume yes but if he didn’t I think he would still be able to fight crime.  Another issue there was with assigning Rama as a superhero was the fact that he went to save Sita but then instead of believing that she remained faithful to him, he puts her through several tests so she can prove her fidelity.  I don’t think he had the right to do that but still I don’t think that alone can rule him out as a superhero. If I was Sita, I wouldn’t do any of the tests and if he doesn’t believe me then that’s his problem. I think it was unfair for her to have to go through something so traumatic and have her husband question her about her fidelity.

Word Count: 463

The Epic of Gilgamesh, Sex, and the Fear of Death

             The Epic Gilgamesh is based on Mesopotamian culture. The first known author wrote the epic of Gilgamesh which is pretty cool his name was Shin-Eqi-Unninni. The story is about the transformation of an awful king into a wonderful king who leaves behind his legacy- the walls of Uruk. Gilgamesh is sleeping with and raping the women of his kingdom and isn’t respected by his people. Gilgamesh is abusing his power as king. He is sleeping with men’s wives right after they get married so instead of the married couple enjoying their first night together Gilgamesh is coming in and consummating the marriage himself.  But then he goes on to have a complete change of heart and become a better king that others admire. Gilgamesh’s sidekick Enkidu first starts out as a wild man and then after having sex with a temple prostitute he becomes a civilized man. The thought of sex civilizing a man was kind of funny to me. I don’t really see sex as a way to civilize a man but hey that’s just my opinion.  I think once a guy finally has sex he is constantly trying to do it again and when a man hasn’t had sex yet he is continuously trying to find someone to have sex with. Or maybe this is just guys now days but any ways I see sex as something that frequently has a man’s attention and something that has a never ending cycle. Don’t take it the wrong way I am not trying in any way to talk badly about men. J

Gilgamesh is afraid of death he goes to great lengths to escape and avoid death especially after his sidekick Enkidu’s dies. I’m sure for most of us after someone we know has passed, think more and more about death and it freaks us out even more.  It is understandable to fear death. It is scary to think about not being here. No one really knows what happens when you die and that leaves an uneasy feeling in people.  Maybe it is the simple fact that once you die that’s it there is no coming back and you do not know what to expect from the afterlife.  People have to accept the fact that life comes with death.  Death is inescapable and inevitable. I think most people fear dying without finishing their lifetime goals and dreams. We want to live as long as we can so we can experience all that life has to offer, I know I do.  But once we accept death as something that is going to happen no matter what it might be easier to deal with.          

Word Count: 442

The Iliad and Achilleus

                I actually like reading the first book of the Iliad maybe because it reminded me of the movie Troy. This was a very good movie and it kind of made it easier to understand what was happening in the book. Book 18 was mainly about Achilleus and his Armor which was kind of dull but anyways.  In class, we discussed whether or not Achilleus is a superhero.  Just about everyone agreed that he wasn’t.  Achilleus is in a sense indestructible and he is a very excellent solider which could possibly be like his super power. When Achilleus’ mother Thetis dipped him into a river or lake he became indestructible all but his heel.  Achilleus has many attributes that would make him a superhero.  He is publicly known to the Greeks, he kind of has a love interest with Briseis and he has a back story.  But Achilleus still doesn’t seem to be a superhero to me. When Agamemnon tell Achilles that he will take his prize (Briseis) Achilleus doesn’t take it lightly.  He seems very selfish when he goes to his mother and asks for his comrades to lose the war against the Trojans. Whether it was for love or not that isn’t very superhero like! Achilleus only thought about himself and he didn’t think of how his wishes could affect his people.

                When Achilleus asked his mom to punish the Achaians I believe that was a direct cause of Patroklos’s death.  When Patroklos went out to battle the Trojans wearing Achilleus’s armor to fight Hecktor, Patroklos was not victorious because Achilleus wished for his comrades to lose the war. But despite Achilleus’s selfishness I still think he is an honorable guy. His mother tells him that his death will come soon.  And Achilleus accepts his fate but says he wants to save Briseis and to avenge Patroklos’s death first.  I’d like to believe that Achilleus wanted to get Briseis back in the name of love and if that was the case then it kind of makes everything bad he did a little less awful. But still there is no evidence that Achilleus was in love with Briseis he might have just thought of Briseis as property.

                In Book 18, it shows the importance of Armor to the Greeks.  Armor was important for the obvious fact that it protects the soldiers. But I also believe Greek Armor to be a symbol of the soldiers honor and pride.  Maybe when Hecktor stripped Patroklos of Achilleus’s armor I think it was a way of stripping him of his honor. And to the Greeks honor is very important. It is acceptable to put honor above all else.  The emphasis on the Armor Hephaistos made for Achilleus shows how the Greeks cared for their armor.  

Word Count: 463

Oedipus the King

                It is clear that Oedipus is not a superhero.  He is king of the Thebes and a victim of Greek fate.  In the play, Oedipus kills his father and sleeps with his mother.  There is so much dramatic irony in this play.  When Oedipus sends Creon to Apollo to investigate the cause of his kingdom’s suffering he returns and tells Oedipus that everyone is suffering because someone murdered the previous king.  Oedipus goes on to tell the people of his kingdom that anyone who aides the murderer will be punished. He curses the murderer not knowing until he talks to Teiresias that he is the murderer. Then he becomes more suspicious when Jocasta tells him of the prophecy Laius received. So this whole time he was cursing and speaking badly of himself.

                This play deals a lot with Greek fate. To the Greeks fate is something you cannot escape and when you to try to fight this fate it happens no matter what.  Oedipus’s fate was that he would kill his father and marry his mother.  I’m sure if most of us heard this about ourselves we would do everything in our power to fight it also. But when Laius tries to fight his fate as well he ends up twisting things and making it so it does happen.  When he pierces Oedipus’s ankles and leaves him on the hillside a man comes and saves Oedipus’s life and raises him as his own. Oedipus grows up to also heard the same prophecy as his parents and trying to fight this fate also he runs away from his adopted parents to run into his real father along the crossroads and kills him. He then goes on to marry his mother just like the prophecy foretold.

                 I looked more into the Oedipus Complex and I have to say it really is a disturbing way of thinking. Sigmund Freud came up with the idea that all men secretly want to kill their father and have sexual relations with their mother. Then on Wikipedia it said that even women fall into this way of thinking. I don’t know how true this is since Wikipedia isn’t a very reliable source but never the less he may have thought this.  Freud supposedly said that even women have a homosexual crush on their mother.  I’m sure most of us love our mother very much but I wouldn’t go as far to say that we would ever want to have sexual relations with our mom. That is obviously sick and wrong! I have no problem saying Freud is a crazy guy for thinking the way he did. Who would ever think this way without being crazy themselves?

Word Count: 449

Beowulf a Superhero?

In World Literature we are discussing the topic of superheroes. What are superheroes? And can your average person who does a great deed be considered a superhero? There is clearly a difference between a hero and a superhero.  A superhero is a hero that goes above and beyond what is required of him or her.  To be considered a superhero a superhero needs some kind of “super” power, they have to be courageous and have an antagonist.  Super heroes are typically well known and defend the weak in the name of justice.

What makes a superhero a superhero?

·         Super Power

·         Courage/ Brave

·         Beats Adversity

·         Defends the weak/Justice

·         Has values

·         Cause

·         Back story

·         A weakness/ Kryptonite

·         Publicly Known

In the poem Beowulf, the protagonist Beowulf seems to be a superhero but there is a lot of skepticism over whether or not he is. I believe Beowulf is a hero because he has most of the traits that a superhero consists of. Beowulf is courageous he shows no fear when he agrees to fight Grendel with no weapons.  Super strength is Beowulf’s “super” power he manages to rip off Grendel’s arm with his bare hands. No average man could do that. He has more power or strength than a normal man who could be considered a hero. Beowulf beats adversity by succeeding in getting rid of Grendel like he promised. He was doubted by Unferth but in the end he proved himself. After defeating Grendel Beowulf’s story was told by many throughout the land.  Beowulf doesn’t seem to have a weakness so far in the poem. He is very cocky and proud but for the most part he has a reason to be. Beowulf has defeated Grendel, his mother and a dragon. He like many other superheroes has to defeat a number of villains which makes them more publicly known and admired.To the Danes and maybe even the Geats Beowulf really is a superhero. He has done what the Danes and so many other people from other lands have tried to do for years in one single night. To the people of Heorot Beowulf has brought them justice and happiness.

A little off topic but after reading the first part of the poem it wasn’t clear to me if Beow and Beowulf was the same person. On page 1566 in our book the caption said that the person who wrote the poem jumped to the protagonist I’m guessing they made a mistake.  I’m pretty sure they aren’t the same person because Hrothgar was old by that time and his grandfather Beow would be dead or pretty old by then.  However when I compared the version in our book to another version online when they talked about Hrothgar’s grandfather his name was Beowulf. This just confused me.

Word Count: 474