While I initially doubted my ability to work through the assigned reading, I found that I was able to steadily progress throughout the material, grapple with the concepts presented, and identify overarching themes that connect to previous texts. I began by creating a list of concepts that we've worked with throughout the semester such as autonomy, agency, and the overall theory that our identity is constantly being influenced by outside factors.
As I worked through the readings it became increasingly apparent that they all reflected the self- fashioning process to an extent. In Metamorphoses, Ovid explains two theories regarding man's creation; the first being that the creator of the world crafted humans out of himself and the second being that Prometheus created man in the shape of the gods out of earth and water. Both of these theories reflect Foucault’s argument in Renaissance Self-Fashioning that identity is "called into being and shaped by the institution that [claims] only to police [it]." Ovid continues to explain that "even though all other animals lean forward and look down toward the ground, he gave to man a face that is uplifted, and ordered him to stand erect and look directly up into the vaulted heavens and turn his countenance to meet the stars" (8). I believe that humans looking up reflects that they are constantly being influenced by the gods, while the animals beneath them show that they have agency without autonomy. This theme of agency without autonomy continued as I moved into On the Nature of Things by Titus Lucretius, where he explains that humans are similar to the sun because "[they] can move some of [their] bodily members while the rest remain in quietude." Furthermore, I think that this theory that humans still maintain control connects to Greenblatt's claim that we still have agency and should view the process of self-fashioning as hopeful and optimistic as opposed to something that leaves us feeling powerless. As I continued reading On the Nature of Things I was reminded of Geertz's claim that "there is is no such thing as human nature independent of culture" and the overall idea that everything is connected. Lucretius explains that the earth is an integral part of the universe and relates it to how we view our limbs and organs. He says that "When the earth shutters at cataclysm the atmosphere above is also shaken, and this could not ensue unless the earth were somehow fastened and bound to air and sky. They are joined, they cling together by common roots, they have always been so joined and so united… of our bodies, however heavy they may be, they have always been so joined and united." Lucretius ends by questioning if "our own mind joined with our physical natures." I found this to be strikingly similar to Greenblatt's thought process regarding "the extent to which [his] identity and the words [he] utter[s] coincide." I then transitioned to Paradise Lost, where it became obvious that the relationship between God and Satan mirrors the relationship between the authority and alien. While I experienced a significant amount of confusion throughout the reading, I believe that Satan's self-doubt in Book 4 shows that he is the distorted image of God and that while it may seem that Satan is ruining humans, Raphael's discussion with Adam makes it clear that Satan's eventual destruction will lead to the strengthening of humankind. While I feel somewhat comfortable with the reading, I know that I'll continue to extend these speculations in class and certainly progress in my understanding. I predict that we'll continue to extend the same themes that have been apparent throughout the year, while also introducing new ones. I'm excited to go through the rewarding process of grappling with the text as a class and am confident that this foundation has prepared me well.
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AuthorHi, my name is Perrin Kendall and I'm a senior at The Galloway School. This is my AP Lit blog where I will be conceptualizing, synthesizing, and sharing my own thoughts about various readings. Archives
December 2019
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