X-Men and William Blake

image from current.com

Select ONE of the following prompts and compose a MINIMUM 500-word response sometime prior to our exam period. As always, be sure to refer to specific evidence from the texts studied to support your own ideas. During the exam, you will read all of the entries and post a second response--a minimum of 400 words--to extend and deepen the conversation.

A) The X-Men comics contain fictional characters that deal with real social relationships and problems. William Blake also created characters from his imagination to explain the realities of life as he saw them. What parallels are evident between the X-Men comics and Blake’s cast of characters? Are there ways in which these imaginary worlds resemble our real world? (Use specific details from the texts and research.)

B) Looking at the exploits of the X-Men, we see the eternal conflict between good and evil. Some humans in the Marvel universe believe that all super beings, good and evil, must be annihilated because they are different—this is the only way there can be peace. Noting the similarities between the X-Men and Blake’s characters, consider what Blake would have thought of the views of these humans, and add your own reasons why they are right or wrong. (Use specific details from the texts and research.)

William Blake

picture from www.stormfront.org

--Without Contraries is no Progression. Attraction and
Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are
necessary to Human existence.
From these contraries spring what the religious call
Good and Evil. Good is the passive that obeys Reason.
Evil is the active springing from Energy.
Good is Heaven. Evil is Hell.

--If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is: Infinite. 

William Blake
from "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell"

In a thorough response, explain what one or both passages above
mean to you.  As always, be sure to refer to specific words
and ideas from the quote itself and other texts to support your own ideas. After everyone has posted a comment, read all of the entries and post another comment to extend and deepen the conversation. 

“Strychnine in the Gut”

In his essay titled, “Strychnine in the Gut,” Stephen Bottoms discusses many of the ideas and images that permeate the first two of Sam Shepard’s “family” plays, Curse of the Starving Class and Buried Child. Select a passage from the essay that you find interesting or significant—a direct quote of two or three sentences, along with a page citation—and discuss your reasons for choosing it. After everyone has posted a comment, read all of the entries and post another comment to extend and deepen the conversation.  Make a connection to human nature! 

Human Nature in Departures and the Dunes

Several themes have emerged from reading and responding to The Woman in the Dunes: some of you have noted that Niki's plight resembles an existential struggle; others have discussed the theme of  freedom versus responsibility through Niki's first rejecting, and then ultimately accepting his predicament; several have also remarked that the novel evokes a strong idea about the meaning of work. 

Here's the prompt: What theme (or themes) are evident in Yojiro Takita's film, Departures. Compare the plights of Daigo Kobayashi and Niki Jumpei. How are they similar? How are they different? What does this suggest about human nature?

Human Nature and Heritage

 Human nature is defined as “the typical character that all human beings share.” One definition of heritage is “the status, conditions, or character acquired by being born into a particular family or social class,” and another is “something such as a way of life or traditional culture that passes from one generation to the next in a social group.” Is there a connection between human nature and heritage? Explore this through both your own experience and in “Everyday Use.” Use evidence (short quotes and/or details) from the text to support your ideas.

What is Human Nature?

Many people have many different ideas about what Human Nature means. What does it mean to you? Write as much--or as little--as needed to fully explain your initial ideas about Human Nature.