Summary Conference of the Birds - Lecture notes PDF

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Karlierae Lipsit 201490888 May 16th 2016 GNED – 1201 – 002 Bassem Hafez BIRD PARLIAMENT – Farid ud-Din Attar; Translated by Edward Fitzgerald

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Is the author religious or spiritual? What is the background behind the religious aspects of the story? Do birds have a personal significance to the author that inspired him to write this poetic story and to base it around the life of a group of different bird species? Why are certain words capitalized in the middle of sentences in each stanza – what is their significance?

Repetitive Ideas - Heaven, angels, religion, god, purity - Spiritual and majestic - Worship - Leadership - Power - Euphoria - Importance and the meaning to life o Life vs. Death Main Argument Often we must simply look within ourselves, both through flaws and perfections in order to find the leadership and answers we are searching for. Multiple Choice Questions 1. The peacock in the poem was referred to as the _________ of all birds a. Gabriel b. Tajidar c. Sultan d. Shah Mahmud 2. What is the parrot searching for when he is first mentioned in the poem? a. A prophecy b. A guide c. Fountain of Youth

Oedipus the King

Lecture May 9th 2016

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Oedipus Complex o Creon is alienated when accused of overthrowing Oedipus o Jocasta committed suicide over fear of alienation o Tieresias is experiencing physical alienation due to his blindness  Knows the truth that no one else knows o Oedipus is alienated in many aspects – birth, separation from his original family.  Raised in a country not his own  Going back to home country as a foreigner  Doesn’t belong anywhere  Has own burdens  “Swollen foot” can’t escape his fate  Theme: Sight/ blindness, “blind to the world, but you are blind to the truth” (willing to ignore the truth) o Oedipus’ children are a product of incest o The people/ Priest  Suffering/ alienated because of Oedipus crimes/ actions o Messenger  He asked to be alienated/ sent away o Jocasta  Learned the truth, didn’t want to confront, isolated herself, suicide  Giving up her child/ not able to be a mother  Living with guilt Common theme in pink Floyd – the wall with the theory of hating your father and loving your mother - Sexual fantasies Alienation & Religion - Alientation as a product of modernity - Conceptualization of early alienation o Hegel  Religion as source of alienation o Marx  Religion as product of alienation - Oedipus reality the blind prophet o Alienation from fellow men o Oedipus and Gods  What did Oedipus do to deserve this fate?  Free will vs. Fate  Sigmond Freud  Similarities/ symbolism - Delphi – know thyself Marx - Consciousness - Social Institutions

- Ideals - Consolidated Alienation Hegel - God o Infinite o Stranger - Man vs. God o Dependence o Dis – junction with  Nature  Sell  Others - Source: o People will isolate themselves due to alienation against their religion o The people look to the gods for answers rather than figuring it out for themselves o All decisions were made based off prophecies o Oedipus was cast out based on a prophecy his father heard o Oedipus left Corinth based on a prophecy o Relying on prophecies led to the fall of Oedipus - Had the oracles not been heard at all none of this would have happened -

Product: o Alienation creates religion  In relation to Oedipus, dependent from the gods  If you are all equal than you are alienated  Acts such as being unable to have a child, and/or Oedipus not knowing his real parents forced them to turn to religious figures to explain or validate  Went to religious because of their insecurities

Karlierae Lipsit 201490888 May 9th 2016 GNED – 1201 – 002 Bassem Hafez OEDIPUS THE KING – Sophocles -

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Why must Teiresias feel the need to speak in riddles to Oedipus – what is the significance behind this? I do not understand how the riddle of the Sphinx comes into play that Oedipus successfully answers when he arrives in Thebes Oedipus in the beginning seems to be the ideal king for the people of Thebes as he expresses his grievances for his people and takes a genuine interest into the death of the previous king. The beginning leads off with the people of Thebes surrounding the king’s palace expressing their need for help, which shows their dependency and trust towards the king Is there significance to Teiresias being blind? Is there a connection between Teiresias being blind and Oedipus blinding himself at the end? What is the significance of the Gods in the story; what is the importance of Jocasta bringing a gift to Apollo Is there a significance of the three crossroads where Laius was murdered? Does Jocasta feel the need to commit suicide because she fears alienation from her family and the people of Thebes now that everyone knows she gave up her baby to die? By Oedipus requesting to be banned from Thebes it proves his loyalty to his people and to his word as he stated even if it were someone close to him who murdered Laius, they would receive the same punishment as anyone else. Is he too afraid of alienation after finding out the truth about who he is and what he is done? So much so that he feels the need to be banned. Why is it only when Oedipus starts to question things that there is more talk of the death of Laius? Why was it not looked into when it happened?

Repetitive Ideas: - Riddles - Exile, the idea of alienating a guilty individual which is almost portrayed as a punishment worse than death - Oracles, the ability to foretell - Blindness and Blood - Power – power of king, of queen, of gods, of knowledge, of truth, etc. - Loyalty Argumentation

Multiple Choice Questions 1. What did Oedipus decide should be the punishment for the murderer of Laius? 2. What did the oracle state that encouraged Oedipus to flee from his home in Corinth, away from his mother and father?

Pink Floyd – The Wall 1. In the Flesh - Baby being born o Entering/ beginning of life o Born an orphan because father was in the war - Life story presented as a theatric show - Airplane, baby crying - Look past exterior to find story - Wall represents separation between us 2. Thin Ice - Baby crying again - Mom warns him of thin ice/ dangers of life o Alienating place, ugly world o Carrying mother preparing him for realities of life  Struggle o Preparation to him of life, to us for story - Him building wall between him and outside world - No such thing as alienating yourself. You can isolate yourself because of alienation o Alienation is an external force 3. -

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Another Brick in the Wall – PART 1 Sounds from afar Fading reverb – memory or experience is from afar – trying to remember Helicopter o Song gets loud again o Feeling of being watched and judged; no freedom  Represents another brick in his wall Dad flown across ocean leaving only a memory o Dad fought in war and died Remembering childhood and how loss of dad has affected him, leaving a feeling of separation

4. Another Brick in the Wall – PART 2 5. Another Brick in the Wall – PART 3 -

Being hurt by teacher who was a figure of authority that replaced dad o Alienation can happen to forces that alienate you o Teacher doesn’t allow child to be unique – only teaches him to socialize to follow orders 6. Mother - Innocent questioning o The bricks in the wall o Chorus

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Nightmarish mom  Mother will you help build the wall  Still dependent, sense of belonging Mom enabling his insecurities Mom a big contributor to formation of wall Mom promises to help him build the wall

7. Goodbye Blue Sky - Peaceful music/ horrible war scenes/ memories - Contradictions o Shelters – hope of brave new world o Lives gone – pain lingers on - Flux between innate being and normal human condition - Still needs to ask mom for assurance 8. Empty Spaces - Hammering/ echoing - Empty spaces completing the wall - Pushing out everyone 9. Young Lust - New boy – stranger - Searching for a partner “dirty girl” - Phone call – hesitation 10. One of my turns - Nothing is much fun – tantrum - Would you like to watch TV - Call the cops – explosions - Why are you running away? o He is not aware of his craziness 11. Don’t Leave Me Now - Asking for help but wont take help - Cheated on 12. Goodbye Cruel World - Decides to continue the show being the wall 13. Is there anybody out there? - Loneliness 14. Nobody home 15. Vera 16. Bring the boys back home 17.

Pink Floyd- The Wall Name: Karlierae Lipsit - 201490888

1- Write down questions that you would ask to the author (or the main Character) if you met him/her. - What sort of relationship did he have with his father before he went off to war? If any? - What was his relationship like with his mother growing up? Were they close or was it distant? - Was his mother the most influential individual in his life? 2-

Write down any ideas that you see the text/author revolving around or repeating. Sadness Loneliness, feeling of rejection then leading to his act of rejecting, everyone and everything Self-pity Fatherly abandonment Fear of feeling; love Misery, no effort to help himself A rollercoaster of sounds throughout the album, and a roller coaster of emotions; sadness, anger, disappointment, power

3- Write down the main argument that you see in just 25 words. -

Allowing yourself to contribute to your own alienation from the outside world will only create more loneliness, absurdity and depression in the end

4- Write down a couple of Multiple Choice Questions that you would expect me to have on your final exam 1. In the song, Thin Ice, his mother is warning him of what? a. Dangers of life * b. His future c. The war his father is in d. Abandonment 2. In the song, Mother, his mother is enabling his what? a. Alienation b. Insecurities * c. Anger d. Violence

Preparation for the New Text Weekly Exercise

1- Do a superficial read (read it without stopping). Try to ascertain the general scope. Do not feel bad if you understand nothing during the first read. 2- Read it actively (maybe the following day) - interrupt your reading often - ask yourself questions - focus on small portions of the text that interest you - Maybe pause from time to time and ask yourself what you're getting out of it - Maybe paraphrase a paragraph that you find particularly difficult.

Present to the Instructor the following: 1234-

Write down questions that you would ask to the author [or main Character(s)] if you met him/her. Write down any ideas that you see the text/author revolving around or repeating. Write down the main argument that you see in just 25 words. Write down a couple of Multiple Choice Questions that you would expect me to have on your final exam

The Metamorphosis Name: Karlierae Lipsit 201490888 May 30th 2016 1- Write down questions that you would ask to the author (or the main Character) if you met him/her. - Where did the idea of a man morphing into a verminous bug, originate from? - How does the author personally relate with this story? - What is the family situation of the author like? And how similar is it to Gregor’s family situation? - How alike are the author and Gregor? 2-

Write down any ideas that you see the text/author revolving around or repeating. Tiredness, weakness, anxiety Disorganization Paranoia Constant attempt to remain calm Gregor does not seem too concerned with his situation rather more concerned with smallscale problems

3- Write down the main argument that you see in just 25 words. Isolation from the outside world may seem as a relief, but it can lead to a dark and depressing way of life with an inevitable, almost desired death. 4- Write down a couple of Multiple Choice Questions that you would expect me to have on your final exam 1. What was Gregor’s favorite drink that his sister left on his bedside for him? a. Milk b. Tea c. Water d. Juice 2. Why does Gregor stay at a job he dislikes? a. He owes his parents money b. His parents owe his manager money c. He is trying to please his parents and sister d. He is trying to feed his family with his income 3. What is Gregor’s career? a. Accountant b. Office manager c. Travelling Salesman d. Antique Salesman 4. Where does Gregor Hide when his sister eagerly enters the room? a. Under the sofa b. Under the bed c. In the bed d. Behind the door...