Week 15 - Caleb Williams

I think the most telling scene of Caleb Williams is the one between him and Falkland regarding Alexander the Great. This conversation, as was Caleb's I intention, reveals much about Falkland's character. For one, he seems to have a rather quick temper, as he quickly grows agitated by the subject matter. It's common to try and defend those whose faults mirror our own because we want others to disregard those flaws in ourselves. Falkland, however, is a little overzealous and thus obvious in his attempts to justify Alexander's actions. This too is telling because he draws a comparison to himself with a man many have viewed as, well, great throughout history. That's a rather high opinion Falkland seems to have of himself and appears to assume that he sees his act of murder as now. A truly good person would arguably to be able to commit such an egregious act unless absolutely forced to. As Alexander was a ruler his pressure to murder and otherwise unacceptable acts could be assumed to be immense. Falkland, however, did not encounter the same circumstances. His act happened  after Emily Mellville was already dead, Tyrell's nurse was simply vindication, justified by revenge. Falkland knows this, I believe, as shown by how ardently he argues in Alexander's defense. Only someone suffering from guilt would argue ao passionately to echo seats a crime so similar to his own.

Week 14 - On Crimes and Punishments

As I spoke about in class I found Beccaria's views on punishment to be particularly insightful. He seemed to feel that punishment, especially extreme forms such as physical or capital punishment, was not only unnecessary but pointless. Much like Foucault, he spoke of reforming the mind. This seems far more rational to my modern sensibility, seeing as this type of reform is far more prevalent in our society. In order to make a person truly change, you have to change their way of thinking. Small things can be stopped with physical deferments, which is why spanking persists as a common form of punishment, but is often only a temporary solution. Physical punishment just teaches someone to be smarter in the future, to commit the same crime better as to not get caught. However, to alter one's mind is far more permanent. To change someone's mind completely alters them as a person. It makes them, it successful, understand what they have done wrong, to understand the a weird of their dies as to prevent them from committing the crime in the future. Prisons try to do this, but often fail. Unfortunately although to alter ones mind to avoid future crimes would most likely prove infinitely more successful it is also far more difficult to achieve. Physical punishment is easy, simple and widely achievable. As with a great many things, the theory is far better than the practice.

Jonathan Wild - Week 13

Greatness is a term widely ascribed to many things and often people with varying degrees of sincerity. However, if that title is to have any lasting effect it must be ascribed by someone other than the one gaining the recognition. This sentiment is mirrored in Fielding's Jonathan Wild. Wild himself is a social creature and much of his actions are done in order to gather the attention of others, whether he is conscious of this fact or not. Wild comes to the harsh reality of his need for confirmation or his identity and subsequent 'greatness' when he is faced with isolation. After attempting to rape Mrs. Heartfree Wild is cast astray, left in a small boat to fend for himself and presumably die at sea. Wild throws a tantrum, but is quickly soothed when he realizes there is no one to hear his rant. He needs affirmation from others and without them he loses that part of himself. Jonathan Wild is defined by what others think of him, any 'greatness' he possesses is assigned to him by others' opinions. On his own he is just Jonathan Wild, no audience to give him a sense of meaning or being. Wild, a celebrity of his own time is similar to celebrities of modern time, many of whom are defined only by how much publicity they receive, by how many people are watching their next outrageous move. Like Wild they thrive on this attention and without it they are "no one" just another ordinary person lacking greatness.

Week 12- The London Merchant

I found the scene between Barnwell and his uncle to be the most intriguing and confusing of the play. I am not a parent myself, nor have I done anything remotely close to raising someone else, so Lenape I'm at a disadvantage but I cannot understand the idea of completely unconditional log. At least not in the all encompassing, all forgiving way that Barnwell's uncle shows. Many parents claim this love for their children, but I have a hard time believing if the occasion arose they would use their last breath to forgive their child of murdering them, if only because the sense of betrayal would be too great. Lillo seems to have included in Barnwell's uncle the innate sense of foreboding, causing him perhaps to be more aware of and therefore more prepared for his own death, but even so it's almost laughably unbelievable. For as much as I love my parents and my brother, if one of them were to stab me my last act and words would certainly be an expression of indignant betrayal. Perhaps if asked for my forgiveness I may grant it, but I certainly wouldn't it up willingly and unprompted. I understand this play is a work on morality, but this borders on Pamela-esque goodness. Something to strive towards perhaps, but certainly unlikely to attain such a level of pure moral excellence.

Week Nine- Beggar's Opera

I think one of my favorite scenes in the opera is the one in which Mrs Peachum describes the romanticism of men going off to the gallows to their death. That is a sentiment that has persisted throughout the ages and remains heavily associated with men rather than women. A modern day equivalent is men going to war. For some reason, any man joining the military become infinitely more attractive to a large number of women. It does not matter if he was at the bottom of his class or enlisted because he had no other option and viewed the military as an easy path in life (an unfortunately common occurs ce) he is still viewed as a hero. That's not to diminish the sacrifices of a soldier, but the moment they don the uniform they also assume an air of honor even if it is yet undeserved. Oddly enough, female soldiers are not often viewed in such a desirable light. Furthermore, the death itself is romanticized. To die for a cause, no matter the worthiness of that cause, is almost always viewed in a positive light. Women will fawn over these men and seem to have to years. Romanticism for criminals is also still alive, many women write to those on death row and even marry men in jail. It's interesting that this is a persisting view, seemingly without any true substance. Ironically though, that a woman devotes herself to a man that most certainly will die, because there's to be no positive outcome. Also, this infatuation disappears if the threat of death disappears, evident in the many failed military marriages (much higher than the national average for those married shortly after enlistment) and certainly if a man were to be cleared of all charge women would lose interest soon after.

Week 7- Gulliver's Travels

For all of Swift's political commentary, some of this strongest views seem to be on women and not in a positive light. Beginning with the Brobdingnagians, who upon close inspection are disgusting. Any feature that would have been seemed sexual by a man of a similar size was turned vile in the magnified state that Gulliver saw them in. And the women were overly sexual in nature, using Gulliver as little more than a play thing (and a rather graphic one at that). This seems odd because men are often thought of as more sexual than women in a general sense, but the only two major mentions of women by Swift include this quality. The wife an official was also unable to control herself, giving into an affair with another man. This depiction is even worse, because the man she chose is a horrible, abusive partner, leaving the reader to pity her husband for his wayward wife and think her a fool, deserving of her unfortunate circumstances because of her unfaithfulness. It makes me wonder if swift was wronged by a woman in his past, as these passages come off as increasingly bitter. Its also interesting to note that at the end, Gulliver is utterly repulsed by his wife, though not for her sexual appetite. Nevertheless  it still adds to the theme on women. As far as I can tell, Swift had a few paramours, relationships biographers view as ambiguous, leaving the door open for Swift to be scorned or passed over for another and thus inserting his personal feelings of women into his already commentary filled novel.

Week 4- Oroonoko

When reading Oroonoko, I couldn't help but notice the obvious racism in Aphra Behn's description of Oroonoko. Considering its a 'traveling narrative' to be read almost exclusively by Europeans, it makes some sense that Behn would describe Oroonoko in more European terms for their understanding, but the superior undertone of her writing is still there. In particular, when she speaks of his coloring (which is not "brown rust black" as the rest of his nation tend to possess, nor is his nose flat or his lips great and turned) she does so in a way that makes it superior from the rest of the his country. This sets him apart in a way to make him seem more noble, but also in a way that makes him more pleasing to Behn's audience. Instead of African, he has fine roman features, making him attractive and thus insinuating that those lacking his features lack his attractiveness as well. She also makes a clear point to mention every feature that she designates as attractive or fine are contrary to the rest of the African population. It just seems to show the casualty in which prejudice permeated throughout the society, weaved into simple written works. It speaks to this sentiment as being commonplace, although it does seem to lack any real malice. The prejudice is there, but it doesn't seem to hold more than a distasteful feeling rather than a true feeling of supremacy.