But then high school and Mr. Rhym’s class came along, and for the first time, I actually had to work to do well. I don’t know about you guys, but I found the sight of Mr. Rhym pacing around the room and pounding Tickler on the floor to be pretty good motivation to listen, take notes, and study. But on the other hand, while I certainly learned a lot about writing correctly, I don’t think I learned as much about writing creatively, or about enjoying literature as a whole. The concept of studying books in context in order to learn and apply meaning to your own life was really just one more thing to memorize.

Then sophomore year rolled around, and though I have to admit that I was initially quite frightened by the “death glares” we would receive walking down the hall, I found that English class was actually going to be something I could enjoy again. But most importantly, I think I’ve grasped the true meaning of Mr. Rhym’s talk of “books in context” and “applying meaning”. Every book, no matter how old, has some truth in it that can be applied to our own modern lives, though you may, like Siddhartha, have to search for that truth. The messages in books can help you find guidance and meaning in your own life- because contrary to Mersault’s existential existence in The Stranger, the way in which you live your life does matter. There will always be consequences to your actions, and those consequences don’t affect only you. And no one- not doctors or scientists or engineers- should live their life without reflecting about the relation of their own life to those of others. To put it simply, books teach us how to live. So in the words of Liesel Meminger from The Book Thief, “I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right” (Zusak, 528).

“Wisdom is not expressible. Wisdom, when a wise man tries to teach it, always sounds like foolishness… One can discover it, one can live it, one can be borne along by it, one can do miracles with it, but one can not express and teach it. That is what I already sensed as a youth, what drove me away from teachers.” ~

This passage illustrates one of the most important themes in Siddhartha: external versus internal teaching and learning. Throughout his life, Siddhartha had an insatiable thirst for wisdom. But even as a youth, though his “father and his other teachers… had already shared with him the better part of their wisdom… his mind was not satisfied” (p. 5). Siddhartha was disturbed by the fact that no one was able to teach him the path to enlightenment, which led him to acquire a certain distrust of all teachers, believing that he would have to seek enlightenment on his own. As he points out on pages 27-28, even the Buddha’s supreme achievement of liberation from death had “come as a result of his own seeking on his own path…It did not come through a teaching!” 

However, though Siddhartha turns away from his spiritual external leaders, he still seeks out instruction in the material world of the city. When he meets Kamala, he asks to be her student and “learn the joys of love” from her (p. 44). Then, the merchant Kamaswami teaches Siddhartha all about business- from writing contracts to purchasing merchandise. Still, though Siddhartha is a rapid learner, this knowledge of the material world brings him no closer to enlightenment than the teachings of the sages of the spiritual world. He becomes a prisoner of all the vices he had formerly despised- “pleasure, greed, and indifference, and finally… craving for possessions” (p. 62). Finally, disgusted with himself, Siddhartha leaves the city, never to return.

 It is once Siddhartha leaves the city that he finds his best “teacher” of all, though ironically, this teacher did the least formal “teaching”. Vasudeva the ferryman was “no friend of words” (p. 83); he merely directed Siddhartha to listen to the river, saying that “the river knows everything; everything can be learned from it” (p. 82). Indeed, it is through listening to the voices of the river that Siddhartha achieves enlightenment of the supreme unity of all things. There is no past or future, for these are merely aspects of the present. And it is all the selves of all the people of all the world that form the droplets of the ever-constant, ever-changing river that is life. We are all one. It is when Siddhartha comes to this conclusion on his own, merely through listening to the river, that he achieves peace.

As if to highlight this point, Siddhartha has one last encounter with his old companion Govinda. Govinda, who clung first to the knowledge of Siddhartha, and then to the knowledge of the Buddha, has not achieved any real wisdom. He has not achieved enlightenment- Nirvana. Siddhartha suggests that perhaps the reason Govinda has not achieved enlightenment is that he has been so caught up in the words, the ideas of “liberation” and “nirvana” that he has been unable to find the true meaning behind them. For “words do no justice to the hidden meaning. Everything immediately becomes slightly different when it is expressed in words, a little distorted, a little foolish” (p. 112).

Synonyms: divine, sublime, superb

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

~Declaration of Independence

These are the words on which the United States were founded, so you would logically deduce that these beliefs- that “all men are created equal and are endowed with certain unalienable rights- still stand firm today. But, alas, it is not so. The problems of our country today range from inadequate health care to substandard education, from insufficient paychecks to no paychecks at all. The gap between rich and poor is ever widening as the middle and lower class are squeezed for taxes while the wealthy pay hardly any at all. And while most outwardly obvious signs of racial and sexual discrimination have vanished, white males statistically earn more per year than white females, black males and females, or members of any other minority- for the very same jobs.

All of this is not to say that the core values of this Declaration have diminished; we have simply failed to live up to them. So we will create a new society: a celestial culture where all are equal and the values of justice, respect, courage, and honor are instilled in all who enter. We will call this society… Celestia.

 Rules and Regulations

1. In Celestia, there are no personal cars. There is an efficient public transportation system, and everyone may have a bike, but to improve both personal health and our “eco-footprint,” no one may own a car.

2. All children must attend all levels of education. There will be no tuition for any levels- not even for college. This is so that everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed in the outside world, should they ever decide to leave Celestia.

3. All decisions will be made in weekly community meetings at the town hall, which must be attended by all citizens above the age of 18. Everyone will receive one vote in these decisions. There are no representatives, this is a direct democracy. In this manner, you can be absolutely sure that your voice is being heard.

4. Everyone is required to maintain a job within the community, and everyone will earn at least the baseline wage of $50,000 per year. However, bonuses may be granted on the basis of merit. For example, suppose there are two third-grade teachers: Ms. Shannon and Ms. Sara. Ms. Shannon’s students consistently perform significantly better on standardized tests than the students of Ms. Sara. Ms. Shannon has proved herself to be an exceptional teacher and will thus be paid more. No one will earn more than $60,000 per year. An equal baseline pay will reduce jealousy, while merit-based bonuses will encourage hard and complete work.

5. School and work start at 9:00AM and end at 4:00PM. Teenagers especially tend to stay up late; going to school at 9:00AM instead of 8:00AM will help to ensure that they get enough sleep.

6. No one will work on the weekends, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, or Easter, and everyone will receive a week off in the spring, in addition to various long weekends (3 or 4 days instead of the regular 2) spread throughout the year. Students will not attend school and adult workdays will be shortened in the summer. We value hard work, but those who work hard deserve to play hard.

7. Everyone must maintain a small plot in the community garden in the summer. You may grow fruits, vegetables, or simply flowers, but all that is grown must be shared with the community. This will teach everyone, particularly children, to truly value their food and all the work that went into growing it. Also, homegrown fruits and vegetables are far more healthy than pre-packaged foods.

8. Everyone must contribute at least one day each month to the general upkeep of the town parks and greenways. Entry to these areas is free, so that they can be shared by all. By having to spend time cleaning these areas, people will become less inclined to litter or damage them in the future.

9. There are to be no firearms within Celestia. They are not needed for personal protection, as we have a large and efficient police force and crime is practically nonexistent. Nor is hunting allowed, not even using traps, arrows, or any other non-firearm weapons. These weapons can cause accidents just as easily as firearms.

10. Everyone must pay a monthly tax that goes to the upkeep of the gym/recreation centre, library, theatre, etc. We must work together to maintain the facilities we all use.

11. There is also a small, monthly tax that goes into a special fund at the hospital. When you are ill, your expenses will be paid out of this fund rather than out-of-pocket. There are no exceptions to this rule. Whether you need chemotherapy or Sudafed for the common cold, your expenses will be paid out of this fund.

12. The final tax which must be paid by citizens of Celestia goes towards education. If everyone pays just a small amount in taxes, no additional tuition will have to be charged.

13. Anyone caught stealing or vandalizing public property will be evicted from Celestia. There is no room in our society, which was founded on the virtues of loyalty, respect, and justice, for these crimes to exist.

When everyone follows these rules, everyone leads a healthier, happier life. To demonstrate this, we are posting a daily itinerary of a person within Celestia: Mr. Smith.

 Itinerary (Monday):

 7:00AM: Wakes up, gets dressed, and goes for a jog in the park with the dog, Butch.

7:45AM: Returns from jog. Has breakfast, takes a shower, and gets dressed for work. Gets the kids ready for school.

8:30AM: Takes the kids to the bus stop and see them safely on the bus. Then catches another bus to a downtown office, where he works.

8:50AM: Arrives at office. Just enough time to grab another cup of coffee in the staff lounge!

9:00AM: Begins work. Just a few blocks away, Mr. Smith’s children are beginning their day at school.

11:30AM-12:25PM: Lunch break! Mr. Smith meets his wife for a picnic lunch in the greenway near his office.

12:30PM:Arrives back at the office and begins work again.

2:30-2:45PM: Coffee break!

4:00PM: Mr. Smith gets off work and catches a bus back to his house.

4:15PM: Reaches home. Prepares a snack for the kids and then takes them and Butch back to the park to play. Dogs are allowed off-leash in the park so long as owners continue to clean up after them.

5:15PM: Returns home just in time to help his wife put away groceries that she bought on her way home.

5:30-6:30PM: Helps his wife cook dinner while keeping an eye on the kids as they do their homework.

6:30-7:15PM: Has dinner with the family and washes dishes afterwards.

7:20PM: Walks to the Town Hall with his wife for the weekly town meeting. The kids stay at home with Butch, they’ll be perfectly safe!

7:30-8:30 PM: Town meeting.

8:40PM:Arrives home again, makes sure the kids take their showers, brush their teeth, and have finished their homework.

9:00PM: Bedtime for the kids. Mr. Smith and his wife watch a movie together before heading off to bed themselves.

10:30: Lights out!

 Of course, Mr. Smith’s activities may vary hugely on a day-to-day basis. On Wednesday, for example, there is no town meeting, so he may go to the theatre instead. And in the summer, Mr. Smith would leave the office at 3:00PM instead of 4:00PM, and from there would perhaps go to work in his plot in the community garden or meet his kids at the recreation centre pool. But nevertheless, Mr. Smith’s participation in the town meeting on this average, non-summer day brings up an important topic: government.

As you know from rule number 3, all decisions in Celestia are made during the weekly town meetings, in the style of a direct democracy. While there are no representatives and everyone aged 18 or older may vote, there are certain committees of five or more who organize finances and other important matters. Instead of the traditional the traditional team of a president, treasurer, secretary, etc., there are five treasurers and five secretaries. This ensures that no single person gains too much power, helping to prevent corruption. Also, there is no single president, king, prime minister, etc. Citizens are expected to call themselves to order and be ready to work at the meetings. When there is a need for a single person to meet with leaders of other communities, nominations are made and a “diplomat” will be chosen by popular vote.

So for a society that is beautiful and just, move to Celestia, “towards better things.”

Though Voltaire’s Candide has many and various examples of satire packed into its thirty chapters, a particularly good example can be found at the end of chapter 13. Candide, Cunégonde, and the old woman have just reached Buenos Aires, where they meet the governor, Don Fernando d’Ibaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza. This man’s outlandishly long name satirizes the Spanish practice of taking many names from both parents, but more importantly, it satirizes the fact that with multiple names comes a great deal of prestige- even if you don’t really deserve it.  Don Fernando d’Ibaraa y Figueora y Mascarenes y Lampourdos y Souza (whew!) is  described  as having all “the pride befitting a person who bore so many names,” (ch. 13, p. 32) when he is actually a quite despicable person. He “adored women to the point of mania” and, taking a fancy to Cunégonde, sends Candide away so that he can attempt to persuade her to marry him, even though Candide had just said that Cunégonde had promised to marry him (Candide). This passage demonstrates that even if a person bears many names (or has some other characteristic normally associated with high status), you cannot automatically assume that they are, in fact, high class. Because why on earth would you ever respect this governor who “adopted so superior a tone… that all who met him were sorely tempted to thrash him?”

SPLAT! A large drop of drool dribbled off his gray muzzle and onto my upturned face. “Ugh!” I gasped, and frantically wiped the slobber from my forehead. “Go away!” I shoved him gently- he was too old for me to be truly upset with him- but he happily ignored me, and gave me a great lick up the face. As I sputtered and wiped off the dog drool for the second time, he tottered off and flopped down just a few yards from me.  Shaking my head, I returned to my book. “What a doofus,” I muttered.

Ten pages later, he was back, this time with a tennis ball in tow. He dropped the slimy sphere by my hand, begging me to play. “Rudi,” I said exasperatedly, “You can’t even see anymore. How do you expect to play fetch?” He turned his now-blind eyes towards me at the sound of his name. Even covered in scar tissue, I swear they looked hopeful. I sighed again. “Not now, Rude-Dude,” I said. “What’s the point?”  Looking relatively unabashed, Rudi returned to his spot in the sun. Once again, I returned to my book.

Ten pages later, he was back again, this time with… a stick. He accidentally stepped on my hand as he dropped the stick on my book, but whether this was a pointed plea to throw it for him or a mark of his blindness I will never know. Nonetheless, with an annoyed groan, I picked up the stick and threw it. Rudi stayed by my side, not even knowing the stick had been thrown. It wasn’t until he heard the soft thud of the stick hitting the ground that he took off after it… and missed. I winced as he ran head-long into the electric cattle fence, his yowls of pain filling the air.  But when I opened my eyes again, Rudi was back at my feet, panting happily, stick in mouth, begging for me to throw it again. “You stupid dog!” I exploded. “Any other dog in the whole, wide world would have learned his lesson. Why on earth do you want me to thrown that stick  again when you know you’re just going to miss and run into the fence?”

Rudi dropped the stick on my foot and licked my knee contentedly. That was Rudi. With a 99 to 1 percent chance of striking out (more like wiping out), he’d be back for more every time. With the worst of odds, he’d still be convinced he could come out on top.

Working with Aristotle’s definition as a foundation, maybe we can create the following definition for the tragedy of Macbeth: a literary work in which an initially good protagonist is brought to moral/emotional ruin and even death as a result of misinterpretation, gullibility, and overconfidence towards an omen or prophecy he receives.

Proof for this definition can be found throughout the play. First, Macbeth is initially a good person, described not only as “valor’s minion,” but “noble Macbeth,” and is so trusted by King Duncan that he is even appointed Thane of Cawdor (1.2.19 and 1.2.68). Soon after, Macbeth hears from the three Weird Sisters (witches) that he  “shalt be king hereafter” (1.3.51). Once Macbeth learns from a messenger that he has indeed been appointed Thane of Cawdor (which was also predicted by the witches),  he begins to trust their prophecies, and allows a combination of advice from his wife and his own ambition to persuade him to kill King Duncan so that the prophecy will be fulfilled. Macbeth feels guilty for killing the king, who was “so clear in his great office,” but his own “Vaulting Ambition o’erleaps” all else. He is already on his way to moral ruin.

As the play progresses, Macbeth continues his descent into evil, ordering the murders of both Banquo and Macduff’s family. He also receives more prophecies from the witches, saying should beware “none of woman born” (4.1.80-81), and “shall never vanquished be” (4.1.92-94) until Birnam Wood itself comes against him. Assuming that there is no one who is not of woman born, Macbeth waltzes carelessly onto the battlefield, only to be killed by Macduff, who was, in fact, born through some sort of crude C-section. And before he died, Macbeth had come to moral and emotional ruin, concluding that life was no more than “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” (5.6.27-29).

Also, though some would say that the fact that Oedipus fulfilled the prophecy of  killing his father and marrying his mother justifies his fate of blindness in exile, Oedipus  did not know that the stranger he married at thecrossroads was his father, or that his wife the queen of Thebes was his mother. The very reason Oedipus fled Corinth for Thebes was that he believed the king  and queen of Corinth were his true parents and did not want the prophecy to come to pass!

Finally, when Oedipus blinds and exiles himself, he feels that he is taking responsiblility and somehow making up for “crimes too huge for hanging” (p. 320, line 1503). Oedipus’ wisdom, love for his people, and willingness to take responsiblility for his actions show that he deserves far better than blind exile, and Thebes should “count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last” (p. 327, line 1684).

Oedipus and Jocasta

Unlike many of the Thebians, Jocasta is highly skeptical of the prophets and their prophecies. This is probably because of the fact that, as far as she knows, the prophecy that her husband would be killed by his own son has not come true. In fact, she doesn’t even know that her son is alive! Jocasta even offers the story of this prophecy as comfort to Oedipus, saying “Listen to me and learn some peace of mind: no skill in the world, nothing human can penetrate the future. Here is proof, quick and to the point” (p. 293, lines 780-783). And even though Oedipus only grows more alarmed upon hearing this story (realizing that he could actually be the one who killed King Laius), Jocasta cannot understand his concern and only scoffs “So much for prophecy. It’s neither here nor there” (p. 299, lines 948-949).

Question #2, Page 283:

How does the chorus feel about Oedipus at this point in the play?

At this point in the play, though the chorus (townspeople) seem to be somewhat confused by Tiresias’s prediction that Oedipus himself is the murderer, they still have a good deal of trust in their king. They say of Tiresias that they “can’t accept him, can’t deny him, don’t know what to say” (p. 282, line 552), yet they are worried, and feel “the wings of dark foreboding beating.” Though the townspeople  are frightened at what may come, they “know of nothing, not in the past and not now” that gives them any good reason not to trust their king, and in the end they say, “Never will I convict my king, never in my heart.”  

Oedipus’ Tragic Flaws

Even at this  point in the play, Oedipus has already shown two faults which could become his tragic flaws. First, as we discussed in class, he is excessively cocky and proud, as he demonstrated when he said, “You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers” (p. 272, line 245). It is because of his own overconfidence that he has already cursed himself twice, saying “if by any chance he (the murderer) proves to be an intimate of our house… may the curse I just called down on him strike me!” (p. 273, lines 284-287)

Secondly, Oedipus is easily angered, and when angry, tends to speak before he thinks. This can be seen in his conversation with Tiresias, who is hesitant to reveal who the murderer really is.  Oedipus becomes so frustrated that he accuses Tiresias of “hatching the plot, doing the work short of killing him (King Laius) with his own hands!” (p. 276-278, lines 393-397). This, of course, only provokes Tiresias to anger, too, and soon Tiresias accuses Oedipus himself of being “the curse, the corruption of the land” (p. 278, line 401). These two faults- overconfidence and a tendency to become angry and speak before he thinks- may become the tragic flaws that eventually lead to Oedipus’ demise.