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<livejournal>
<entry>
<itemid>12892</itemid>
<eventtime>2006-02-01 13:25:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2006-02-01 18:56:21</logtime>
<subject>Dreams, Poetry and Prophesy</subject>
<event>
Fiction means a lot more than we think it does. <lj-cut> One of the four main pillars of our educational structure, English, largely consists of English Professors sitting around trying to analyze the subconscious themes in literature, what aspects of an author's life influenced them to include certain elements in a book, and how that book influenced society as a whole. There are literally thousands of people dedicated to this task across the country. While I do not have the statistics in front of me, I would easily believe that the number of English Professors exceeds that of all the Professors of Science combined. Many argue that English is a useless degree, since English majors sometimes find a great deal of trouble finding a job outside of college, aside from teaching English. The most common method to combat this argument is the fact that English is a discipline that is extremely useful in other fields, such as law and business. The reason colleges keep it on their curriculum is the primarily two fold; the Renascence tradition that a broad thinking mind is a more intelligent mind (this is true) and that the communications skills taught in English classes are extremely valuable to function into today's service economy. And yet, I argue that the greatest value of these English departments lies in what they have actually been doing for centuries. This analysis of fiction is more than an excuse to obtain a publication or a professorship. It offers more than a mere understanding of an author and how it reflects in their fiction. It studies the bridge between the animal part of our brain and our conscious minds. Fiction and Poetry touch a part of us that is more than logical analysis of a situation. The greater themes that are represented in these works linger in the minds of those who truly try to understand them for days. Fiction can have profound impacts on the way a society views itself; from "Uncle Tom's Cabin" to "The Satanic Verses." Properly written fiction is an incredibly complex formula. Merely studying the primary elements and regurgitating them into a duplicate form is widely regarded as 'crap' by the populace at large. The appeal of a thing is often independent of itself. The debate between nature vs nurture is old; extremely old. With modern studies in genetics we now understand that many behaviors are in fact genetically hardwired into us; at least our predisposition to do them. There are also several studies that indicate that our environmental experiences (ie what we see and hear) heavily affect us as well; specifically I point to the educational performances of children that have their parents spend time with them contrasted with parents that don't give a flip. If academic performance were simply genetic, then these studies would be irrelevant. It stands to reason then that a balance of these two forces (as is usual) is the actual model that should be followed. Thus, it is my belief that by studying the fictional portrayal of prophesy, we can understand in a greater light how it is applied in the real world and how it can reflect our own internal behaviors. What do I mean? Let me summarize. Prophesy in the fantasy novel (or as an even better example), in greek tragedy such as <i>Oedipus Rex</i> is vague, mysterious and often not understood until the actual event has taken place. Yet Prophesy often fulfills itself. That is to say that those involved in the prophesy seek to ensure that a specific outcome takes place (the dark lord does not want the hero to succeed) but in the very act of doing so, sets in motion a chain of events that ultimately causes that prophesy to come to pass. It is impossible in such a discussion to entirely divorce oneself from ones origins. Thus, I must clarify that my own belief of actual prophesy (and I do believe in it) is that functionally prophesy is really only useful as a 'sign post' to show what has come before. Without spiritual confirmation, you won't even see the signpost, and attempting to live your life based on 'what will be' is only an exercise in frustration, since the symbolic imagery involved often occurs more than once. I will admit that this belief has influenced my analysis of how this applies to analysis in fiction however. Specifically, the understanding that in fiction, prophets are mad. They are in that dreamlike state between the irrationality of our sleeping world, and the pure understanding of the daytime rational reality we deal with when we go to work in the morning. People believe in prophesies. They follow them. There is more to prophesy than simple random words because people pay attention to them. Thus, even the most casual and objective observe must note that they have SOME effect, even if the only aspect of that effect is what people choose to put in them. Is Superman real? Yes and No. I rather doubt there is a Clark Kent walking among us, but the comics, movies and television shows produced based on the myth are a very real thing. Ask AOL Time Warner, since the franchise is worth literally billions to them. Fiction mirrors reality, but it also affects reality. The two are intertwined. The meeting point of that affectation is in the dreamer, the artist or the prophet who receives that vision from the otherworldly portion of the mind and translates into a forum that the rest of us can at least try to grasp at and view for a fleeting moment. There are two competing prophesies in the world right now (well there are thousands, but broadly speaking), Islamic Tradition and Christian Tradition. There as many interpretations of these prophesies as there are members of either respective religion but broadly speaking, the Christians believe that the Israelis will return to Israel in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. Thus, they need to ensure the success of Israel until this occurs. The Islamic prophesy states that the twelfth Imam will return and establish a perfect caliphate, at which point Jesus Christ will return and paradise will be instituted. There are radical factions on both sides that believe that these prophesies must be made to come to pass by taking action on it themselves. Thus, the very existence of the prophesy is slowly making it start to come to pass. Memetics largely focuses on the study of an individual idea working in a viral fashion. English teachers have been analyzing the effects of ideas on the mass conscious of society for hundreds of years. What value to English Departments have? Only helping us to understand who we are and how ideas recycle among us and affect us. By having understanding of this, we can make choices based on that understanding and strive to become better people. Keep funding English Departments. </lj-cut>
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</entry>
<entry>
<itemid>13114</itemid>
<eventtime>2006-02-21 21:41:00</eventtime>
<logtime>2006-02-22 02:49:22</logtime>
<subject>The Ides of Mr. Mask</subject>
<event>
I know a man named Mr. Mask Who has a thousand faces He's worn so many many different ones In half a million places That even he don't know who he is That 'I' has now escaped him Its now the royal 'we' that lives And takes from all around him. "Let me borrow" or "I'll return it soon" Are his beckon call and creed But while he'll take, he doesn't give The epitome of greed. He'll charm you, wine you, dine you, dance you Spin you, bend you, right to the monkey grind. "Pardon me, for a puff outside" he goes And leaves the bill behind. He isn't evil, in so many words. He's just an empty shell How can you be good when You don't know who you are from hell? I'm a jerk so who am I to judge? I've made my share of sin I do my best with what I have. My feet don't dance on head of pin. I write this not to criticize; But simply all to warn, If you lose the know how of who and what you are, Mr. Mask YOUR face will soon adorn.
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