This paper examines the motif of sacrifice in PedroCalderondelaBarca's "Life's a Dream", Euripides' "Iphigeneia at Aulis" and Toni Morrison's" Beloved".
Abstract This paper explains that the motif of sacrifice, especially the sacrifice of one's offspring, in PedroCalderondelaBarca's "Life's a Dream", Euripides' "Iphigeneia at Aulis" and Toni Morrison's" Beloved" is contrasted starkly in each story with respect to the moral codes of their times. The author points out that, unlike the moral paradox in the story of Abraham and Isaac, there is no such paradox in these stories because the individuals within these novels are elementally human and not morally infallible. The paper relates that the sacrifice, in all of three stories, is performed with insufficient information and not wholly from a rational point of view; however, all three authors tend to suggest that the judgment of right or wrong is inconsequential because all that matters are the emotions people feel pulling them in one direction or another.
From the Paper "Iphigeneia at Aulis" holds true to this theme in that, unlike the Iliad, it depicts entirely ordinary humanity collaboratively bringing about its own destruction. Agamemnon is no divine hero; he is a mortal man who finds himself in an impossible situation. Kalchas assures him, Odysseus and Menelaos that the sacrifice of his daughter, Iphigeneia, will permit their safe passage to Troy. The obvious forces in opposition to one another are Agamemnon's responsibilities to his people and the alliance, and his responsibilities as a father. The legitimacy of the prophecy is not truly in question, only Agamemnon's individual obligations. Although he calls for his daughter, he immediately admits, "What I have done is wrong and I want to undo it." (Euripides, 143-4)."
Abstract The paper examines three noteworthy plays and points out how fate and especially human character are often paradoxical entities. It focuses on Sophocles' "Oedipus the King", John Skot's "Everyman" and CalderondelaBarca's "Life is a Dream". The paper emphasizes how the noble qualities of King Oedipus' character, when taken to excess, lead him to ruin. It also reviews how it is the virtue of Good Deeds, a "companion" forsaken by every man throughout his life, which paradoxically allows every man to find his salvation."
Abstract Visions of evil operating in this world serve as the subject matter for the dramatist, especially in an era when good and evil were seen more clearly as battling for the human soul directly, often personified as angel and devil. The paper shows that in the Elizabethan era, William Shakespeare in "Macbeth" and Christopher Marlowe in "Doctor Faustus" (both in England) explored these issues in different ways, though each saw evil as manifest and physical as well as sometimes supernatural. It shows that in Spain, Calderan delaBarca a few years later similarly expressed the palpable nature of evil in human life in his "El Magico Prodigioso". The paper examines how the Marlowe and Calderan works are both based on the Faust legend, while Shakespeare's play is based on a historical individual reported. The three plays are related in that in all three cases, the protagonist is guided to success in this life by supernatural forces, imperiling his soul in the process. By comparing the three plays, the paper illuminates the character of Dr. Faustus as depicted in the Marlowe play and suggests how Marlowe used the legend to create a sense of tragedy in terms of a character who has clearly over-reached himself.
From the Paper "The character of Doctor Faustus reflects the view of the historical figure and the image that would be continued in other versions of the legend. He is a learned scholar and theologian, but his ambition for knowledge goes beyond what man is meant to know. He sells his soul for knowledge and power, which are linked, and though he is immediately and continuously faced with a sense of remorse for his fate, he cannot be said to be repentant. His nature in the beginning is more over-reaching than wicked, but that character worsens as time passes and as he exercises the power he has been given. He becomes more cruel and even asks that an old man who tries to save his soul be tortured for this act. The one action he takes that shows his former self is to send his friends away when he knows the devil is coming for him, thus protecting them."
Abstract This paper reviews the life of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, born 1547 in Alcala de Henares, Spain and how he used his experiences to write the book 'Don Quijote dela Mancha'. According to the paper, while the old fashioned ideals of chivalry, romance and aristocratic justice were steadily becoming hackneyed in burgeoning renaissance Spain, Cervantes took out his pen and wrote the relished story of 'Don Quixotes', the vivacious man from La Mancha whose imagination was as wild as the embraced socio-cultural history of the nation.
From the Paper "This lackluster punctuation of daily duty was of no surprise to Cervantes, whose own personal histories were none too different. After the publication of his first literary work, "Serenisima Reina En Quien Se Halla," dedicated to the birth of Phillip II's second daughter, Cervantes spent his young years under the tutelage of Diego de Urbina aboard the royal Marquesa. In 1571, Cervantes was ill with malaria when his ship was attacked, and imbued with the same raptured infatuation for antiquarian ideals of nobility, he stood valiantly strong with his shipmates. "Cervantes is stricken with malaria but, in spite of high fevers, fights heroically from the bow of the ship, in the 'greatest moment that past centuries have seen and which those to come have no hope of seeing." At the battle of Lepanto, the event was less colorful; he was an injured, low-ranking shipman with little hope for career advancement and the ideals of a hero less applicable in the reality of a fighter struggling for one side in a bloody role for national cultural definition."
Tags:La, Galatea, Persiles, y, Segismundo, tale, knight, battle
Abstract This paper looks at the book El Arbol dela Ciencia: The Tree of Knowledge and discusses key themes within it. Themes such as the idea of science being knowledge and against the idea of God. Furthermore looking at the tree in the garden of Eden and how Eve brought upon the sins of man through seeking knowledge and as such have lost sight of God.
Abstract This paper offers a brief biographical account of the life of Mexican nun, feminist, teacher, writer, and philosopher, Sor Juana Indes dela Cruz. Her early education, her time spent in the convent, her writings, and feminist philosophy are all touched upon in this paper. The paper also briefly highlights the causes she defended and the reason for her downfall in Mexican society.
From the Paper "Sor Juana Indes de la Cruz was variously known as a Mexican nun, feminist, teacher, prodigy, writer, philosopher, and an intellectual (Oregon no date). She lived in the Baroque era. Multiple accounts state that she was baptized December 2, 1648 and registered on the church rolls as a "daughter of the Church" due to her illegitimate birth (Dartmouth 2003)(Oregon no date). At 3, she learned how to read by persuading her sister's teacher to let her to attend the local primary school (Alonzo 1997). (She said her mother sent her.) (Alonzo 1997). Even at such an early age, she had a insatiable desire for knowledge and education."
Tags: intellectual, prodigy, daught, of, the, church, illegitimate, university, of, mexico, city, female, intellectual, hispanic, society, seventeenth, century
Abstract This paper discusses the history, life and works of the poet Sor Juana Ines dela Cruz. It discusses her defiance of Catholic Order and her learning, including her large library of books and musical and scientific instruments. The paper then discusses her expression of her feminism and her argument, in her best known work, that women need to be educated. The paper discusses the symbolism of some of her poetry.
Table of Contents:
Juana's Defiance of Catholic Order and Her Learning
Her Feminism
From the Paper "Much of Sor Juana Ines' poetry centers on the old chestnut of the Golden Age, which is the role of art in breaching the boundaries between illusion and reality and between dream and waking (Kantaris 1992). In her famous Poem 152, "Verde Embeleso de la Vida Humana," she describes life as a waking dream of twists and turns, and in Poem 102, "Decimas que Acompanaron un Retrato Enviado a Una Persona," she brings out the feelings of the "original" woman who sent her. In it, Sor Juana Ines questions the primary of the original over the copy, of reality over art, of the empty presence of the body over the entire world of art, imagination and the intellect. Her clever use of pronouns clouds the gender of the sender and of the recipient (Kantaris)."
Abstract The paper examines "Bartolome delas Casas: Great Prophet of the Americas" that describes the story of Bartolome delas Casas, an advocate for Native-Americans and reform in 16th century Spain. The paper looks at how the author portrays a man that stood by his convictions and fought for the rights of others for most of his life. The paper recommends this fascinating book to those interested in early Spanish history, the Catholic Church, and the history of exploration and discovery. The paper posits that though the author may be a little too close to his subject for real objectivity, he definitely paints a compelling portrait of this early humanitarian.
From the Paper "The author's purpose in writing this book is simple, he wanted to share the story of Bartolome de las Casas, an advocate for Native Americans and reform in 16th century Spain. He writes his thesis early in the book: "This work examines the historical setting and specific events leading up to the spiritual awakening that transformed Las Casas's life, and interprets this experience in light of his future message" (Vickery, 2006, p. 2). The author wants to illustrate why Las Casas is important, especially to those who might not be familiar with his work, and he wants to show how he worked for justice and against oppression of the Amerindians, as the author calls them. He views Las Casas as a prophet in the form of those prophets in the Old Testament, and uses this book about his life to make these points clear."
From the Paper "One of the philosophical plays of Calder"n de la Barca is Life Is a Dream, a play that mixes several different themes in a complex fashion shaped around the basic plot and interaction of the characters. Calder"n expresses these themes in terms of imagery evoked either by the words of the characters or by the staging of the play itself. The essential conflict in the play is political--how can a ruler know that his successor is worthy and what can he do to assure a continuity of rule that will be of benefit to the kingdom? Patterns of imagery in the play contribute to this theme and to the other themes of import in the play--free will versus determinism, issues of deception, and the underlying concept that life is a dream. The basic contrast in the play that serves these different themes is that between..."
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to discuss the theme of free will and predestination in two plays: Racine's Phaedra and Calderon's Life Is a Dream. A comparison and contrast will be made of the conflict between free will and predestination in the two plays.
Predestination is usually viewed in a negative way in drama, regarded as an unfortunate destiny that leads to doom because of predestined events. Racine's Phaedra is a classic example of this. Free will is the ability to choose freely, insinuating that an individual's choices can be made freely without external constraints, or fate determining the outcome. Calderon's Life Is a Dream is an example of how free will can alter predestination.
Honor in Life Is a Dream acts the same way passion does in Phaedra. Calderon's concept of honor and Racine's concept of (...)"
From the Paper "Visions of evil operating in this world serve as the subject mater for the dramatist, especially in an era when good and evil were seen more clearly as battling for the human soul directly, often personified as angel and devil. In the Elizabethan era, William Shakespeare in Macbeth and Christopher Marlowe in Doctor Faustus in England explored these issues in different ways, though each saw evil as manifest and physical as well as sometimes supernatural. In Spain, Calder"n de la Barca a few years later similarly expressed the palpable nature of evil in human life in his El m"gico prodigioso. The Marlowe and Calder?n works are both based on the Faust legend, while Shakespeare's play is based on a historical individual reported in Raphael Holinshed's Chronicles, though Shakespeare took many liberties with history as Holinshed presented it. The historical Macbeth.."
Abstract Discusses views of evil as the subject of 3 plays. Compares Shakespeare's MACBETH, Crhistopher Marlowe's DOCTOR FAUSTUS & CalderondeLaBarca's EL MAGICO PRODIGIOSO, a Spanish play based on the Faust legend. Role of supernatural forces in life & actions of the protagonists of each play. The power of evil.
From the Paper "Visions of evil operating in this world serve as the subject matter for the dramatist, especially in an era when good and evil were seen more clearly as battling for the human soul directly, often personified as angel and devil. In the Elizabethan era, William Shakespeare in Macbeth and Christopher Marlowe in Doctor Faustus in England explored these issues in different ways, though each saw evil as manifest and physical as well as sometimes supernatural. In Spain, Calder"n de la Barca a few years later similarly expressed the palpable nature of evil in human life in his El m"gico prodigioso. The Marlowe and Calder?n works are both based on the Faust legend, while Shakespeare's play is based on a historical individual reported. The three plays are related in that in all three cases, the protagonist is guided to success in this life by supernatural..."
A paper which discusses the Mexican women who became lovers to the Spaniards during Spain's conquest of Mexico, and how they are portrayed in Mexico's cultural history.
Abstract Using as a background Bernal Diaz del Castillo's book "Historia de Conquista dela Nueva Espa?a", written about the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the sixteenth century, the paper discusses the Indian women who were lovers to these Spaniards, the most famous being La Malinche, lover to Hernan Cortes himself. The paper uses the character of Maria - lover of one of Cortes' officers - to show the history of these women and what drove them to so-call betray their people by 'sleeping with the enemy'. The paper shows how La Malinche (and others) have been portrayed in Mexican cultural history as mothers of the mestizo - children of mixed Spanish and Indian race. The paper discusses too how public opinion of La Malinche has changed during recent years, mostly due to the influence of feminist movements, who see her as a symbol of the endurance of the Mexican people.
From the Paper "But there is another element to the original and long-enduring disregard and even hatred that has been cast upon La Malinche, and the other women who (like the Maria of our story) shared similar structural positions. Women who produced Mexican ? mestizo ? children have been hated by many Mexicans until the most recent generation not because of their betrayal of the Aztecs but because of their engendering of the entire race of Mexicans. It is because Mexicans have for so long hated themselves, hated their own mixed heritage, that they hate La Malinche and other women like her. It is only when Mexicans come to peace with their own mestizo heritage that they can possibly come to terms with La Malinche and revere her as the founder of the race. It seems fairly certain that she was indeed Cortes's lover ? but also that she was faithful to him. This should hardly brand her as a whore."
Tags: Tabasco, Aztecs, Martin, de, Hernandez, y, Gomez, Tlaxcala, South, American, history
This paper compares a quote taken from Paul Valery's "Introduction dela Methode de Leonard de Vinci" and to Salman Rushdie's "Haroun and the Sea of Stories".
Abstract This paper reviews the specific pieces by Valery and Rushdie and other pertinent supportive material. The paper concludes that Valery was a man of words who often felt that those who used them didn't know their power. The author feels that Valery knew the power of words but often felt the "gift" to write was not empowering.
From the Paper "His quote, "Beauty is a way of death. The novelty, the intensity, the strangeness, in a word, all the values of shock supplant it", can be likened to the hunter who loves the hunt more than the eventual catch. So it is with words for Valery. It is the process, the thinking, the effort that fascinates him?not the work itself. Perhaps that is because he left the world of literature for the analytical and precise world of science."
Abstract This paper uses first hand accounts to explore the treatment of slaves in America. It reviews the autobiographical book "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Gustavius Vassa", by Olaudah Equiano by giving a synopsis of Equiano's story. It begins with his kidnapping and journey on a slave ship and explores some of the harsh treatments of and difficult experiences for the slaves. The paper then turns to look at the Spaniards? treatment of the Indian slaves in the West Indies, with reference to the historical work "Apologetic History of the Indies", by Bartolome delas Casas.
From the Paper "Olaudah Equiano, in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Gustavius Vassa, describes this about himself and the other atrocities, after being kidnapped that fateful day, which had happened to him and other slaves. Not long after he and his sister were kidnapped, he was separated from his sister and forced to endure life as a slave alone. Gustavius Vassa and Olaudah Equiano were one in the same person. Gustavius Vassa was a slave name given to him by one of his owners. Individuality was not an option that a slave had and the names of the blacks were not important to the white world. Slaves had to live with the names that they were given. However, this is not the worst that they had to endure according to Equiano."
