read and CPB on this and write a reflective blog post about what connections you see, what struck you, and what you predict might be important moving forward/things you want to continue to watch out for and wonder about.
Reflection on Ovid lines 1-605:
A common theme that I noticed while reading Ovid lines 1 through 605 was transformation, especially in relation to nature. For example, lines 320 to 330 describes the transformation of a man into a wolf. This animalistic transformation also relates to punishment and the vengeance of the gods in response to human immorality, which was another theme that I picked up on while reading. The final themes which stuck out to me were creation and development. The beginning lines (6-125) describes the creation of the earth and the stages which the earth goes through as it becomes whole. These stages include the creation of the land and sea, the presence of chaos, and a period of harmony and peace. Considering the name ‘metamorphosis’, I predict that these themes of creation, destruction, and transformation will persist throughout the text.
Reflection on Lucretius:
Similar to the excerpt from Ovid, Lucretius had a common theme of creation, specifically that of nature on Earth. To me, this excerpt had the feeling of an origin story and went into detail about the creation of the Earth and the systems of nature which allows life to inhabit the planet such as the sun and moon and the water and earth. Another connection that I found between Ovid and Lucretius was the importance of each facet of nature as they contribute to the whole. There seemed to be an emphasis on how all beings on earth are interconnected and it was made clear that without any one element, the earth would be unbalanced and fall into chaos. Finally, the last page explains the relationship between nature and human beings and how the systems of nature resemble the spirit and build of the human mind and body. This was rather striking to me as I have never considered how the systems of the human mind and body could resemble the systems of nature. I am excited to explore more of this connection and gain a deeper understanding of how nature and mother Earth influence the human spirit.
Reflection on Genesis:
Genesis touched on the shared themes of creation, the development of nature and beauty, and the formation of man. The themes of punishment and recreation were especially prominent throughout chapter three when Adam and Eve were punished for eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and chapter six in which God sent a flood to destroy all flesh on earth save for Noah, his wife, and Noah’s sons and their wives. The usage of water to destroy the earth was rather striking to me, as the same method of destruction was by the Gods in Ovid to destroy the earth in response to human immorality. A common theme that I have noticed thus far is the wrongdoing of man and God’s response to this wrongdoing. Additionally, these chapters from Genesis highlighted the role of the family and the importance of marriage and reproduction in order to re-populate God’s Earth. I predict that the theme of destruction and recreation in response to immorality will continue throughout the reading, as it has been prominent in all of the texts I have read over break so far.
Reflection on Metamorphoses by Dryden, Pope, Addison, and Congreve
This story, although very similar to the original lines from metamorphosis plot-wise, was very descriptive and poetic. Unlike the original metamorphosis, this version felt to me more melodic and story-like and was very enjoyable to read. Although I did not entirely understand the meaning of the excerpt, I appreciated the flow of the lines and the wonderfully descriptive language that was used to paint an image for the reader. The themes of nature, creation, and transformation were apparent in the text once again.
Reflection on Paradise Lost
The lines selected from paradise lost were definitely the most difficult for me to read, and I often caught myself getting stuck in the language and getting caught up trying to decipher a deeper meaning in the text. To counter this, I decided to set a timer for each book in order to read faster and stay on the surface level of the text. By using this technique I was better able to highlight the themes of the text without getting caught up in the difficult details and unfamiliar language. The themes that I could decipher from the first and second books were the roll of evil, hell, and sin and how these played a roll in the corruption of humans. I am assuming that this corruption is what caused God to bring the flood in Ovid and Genesis in response to human immorality. This also plays into the themes of disobedience and obedience within the human race which are common throughout Ovid and Genesis. Additionally, Paradise Lost explores what could have been if Adam and Eve had never disobeyed God, which struck me as especially interesting. The other excerpts – although they discussed humans disobeying God and punishment that they received – did not explore the possible future of the human race if Adam and Eve had listened to God and not eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
A common theme that I noticed while reading Ovid lines 1 through 605 was transformation, especially in relation to nature. For example, lines 320 to 330 describes the transformation of a man into a wolf. This animalistic transformation also relates to punishment and the vengeance of the gods in response to human immorality, which was another theme that I picked up on while reading. The final themes which stuck out to me were creation and development. The beginning lines (6-125) describes the creation of the earth and the stages which the earth goes through as it becomes whole. These stages include the creation of the land and sea, the presence of chaos, and a period of harmony and peace. Considering the name ‘metamorphosis’, I predict that these themes of creation, destruction, and transformation will persist throughout the text.
Reflection on Lucretius:
Similar to the excerpt from Ovid, Lucretius had a common theme of creation, specifically that of nature on Earth. To me, this excerpt had the feeling of an origin story and went into detail about the creation of the Earth and the systems of nature which allows life to inhabit the planet such as the sun and moon and the water and earth. Another connection that I found between Ovid and Lucretius was the importance of each facet of nature as they contribute to the whole. There seemed to be an emphasis on how all beings on earth are interconnected and it was made clear that without any one element, the earth would be unbalanced and fall into chaos. Finally, the last page explains the relationship between nature and human beings and how the systems of nature resemble the spirit and build of the human mind and body. This was rather striking to me as I have never considered how the systems of the human mind and body could resemble the systems of nature. I am excited to explore more of this connection and gain a deeper understanding of how nature and mother Earth influence the human spirit.
Reflection on Genesis:
Genesis touched on the shared themes of creation, the development of nature and beauty, and the formation of man. The themes of punishment and recreation were especially prominent throughout chapter three when Adam and Eve were punished for eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and chapter six in which God sent a flood to destroy all flesh on earth save for Noah, his wife, and Noah’s sons and their wives. The usage of water to destroy the earth was rather striking to me, as the same method of destruction was by the Gods in Ovid to destroy the earth in response to human immorality. A common theme that I have noticed thus far is the wrongdoing of man and God’s response to this wrongdoing. Additionally, these chapters from Genesis highlighted the role of the family and the importance of marriage and reproduction in order to re-populate God’s Earth. I predict that the theme of destruction and recreation in response to immorality will continue throughout the reading, as it has been prominent in all of the texts I have read over break so far.
Reflection on Metamorphoses by Dryden, Pope, Addison, and Congreve
This story, although very similar to the original lines from metamorphosis plot-wise, was very descriptive and poetic. Unlike the original metamorphosis, this version felt to me more melodic and story-like and was very enjoyable to read. Although I did not entirely understand the meaning of the excerpt, I appreciated the flow of the lines and the wonderfully descriptive language that was used to paint an image for the reader. The themes of nature, creation, and transformation were apparent in the text once again.
Reflection on Paradise Lost
The lines selected from paradise lost were definitely the most difficult for me to read, and I often caught myself getting stuck in the language and getting caught up trying to decipher a deeper meaning in the text. To counter this, I decided to set a timer for each book in order to read faster and stay on the surface level of the text. By using this technique I was better able to highlight the themes of the text without getting caught up in the difficult details and unfamiliar language. The themes that I could decipher from the first and second books were the roll of evil, hell, and sin and how these played a roll in the corruption of humans. I am assuming that this corruption is what caused God to bring the flood in Ovid and Genesis in response to human immorality. This also plays into the themes of disobedience and obedience within the human race which are common throughout Ovid and Genesis. Additionally, Paradise Lost explores what could have been if Adam and Eve had never disobeyed God, which struck me as especially interesting. The other excerpts – although they discussed humans disobeying God and punishment that they received – did not explore the possible future of the human race if Adam and Eve had listened to God and not eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.