Hawthorne's "The Minister's Black Veil" is one of the most enigmatic stories I've ever read. Therefore, before I begin my actual topic of discussion, I think I need to provide some proof for my arguments. The first question we must ask is, "Why is Hooper veiled?" Obviously he believes it is a tangible symbol for his 'secret sin,' but it is our job to find out what that sin is. I remembered, back from my days at Athens Christian, a book in the New Testament that talked a lot about veils, and I found what I was looking for in II Corinthians. II Corinthians 4:3 says, "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost," however, in II Corinthians 3: 16 we see that, "Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away." According to these two verses, the gospel is veiled to sinners (the lost), but it can be lifted when one turns to the Lord. Spiritually, a Christian turns to the Lord by asking for salvation, but, according to Christianity, a Christian tangibly turns to the Lord when he dies. Therefore, one would think that Hooper would have lifted his veil upon his death, as a symbol that his human sin will finally be shed and he will turn to the Lord. When he refuses to lift his veil, one can only guess that he has committed a sin so vulgar, that he does not believe he will receive salvation upon his death. If we look earlier in the story, we find that the only person to see behind his veil is the dead girl whose funeral Hawthorne presides over. I believe this symbolizes some close relationship between the two, as does the fact that 2 people say they saw Hooper holding hands with the girl's spirit. These clues suggest that this girl was the root of Hooper's sin. Perhaps he was the cause of her death, or perhaps he sinned against her, sexually or otherwise, but whatever he did must have been so vulgar, that he believed it would always shroud his spirit in sin.
With this in mind, I can now guess what Hawthorne was trying to say about Puritan society. Hooper seems to be a metaphor for Jesus. Hooper, like Jesus, becomes famous once he publicly garbs himself in sin (Jesus is considered a Savior because he garbed himself in the sin of the whole world). This would explain why Hooper becomes so prolific after donning the veil, because experience and sin is what brings true knowledge (Jesus's power came from his experiences with the world's sin). Like Jesus, Hooper is looked to as a powerful, yet frightening and dangerous religious leader. I think through this comparison with Jesus, Hawthorne is trying to show how Puritan society relied on scapegoats who would publicly accept their sins (Jesus and Hooper), so they could cast their own sins onto those scapegoats. They purposely isolated these scapegoats and praised them so that they could ignore their own sins and troubles. They are a superficial society which relies on a facade of religious fervor and piety to preserve their own self-image. While, in reality, they are simply trying to ignore or hide their own problems.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
My greed comes with a bow on top
"Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members. Society is a joint-stock company in which the members agree, for the better securing of his bread to each share-holder, to surrender the liberty and culture of the eater."
I see greed every day, as do we all, in its various forms. However, the greed which has enthralled our society is as disgusting as it is frightening. It is not a greed for success and happiness, for that is man's highest ambition. Instead, it is a greed which disguises itself in the semblance of altruism, and seeks, consciously or not, to place man in a state of mediocrity and strife.
This greed has found its home in the collective, those masses of men who wish to hide their own inferiority by attacking the virtues of those around them. The collective celebrates altruism, calling itself a gift to the weak and the poor. It claims that, by moderating the powerful and the successful, it has provided equality for all mankind, but it uses this equality as a mask for its true motives. The collective is full of fear, fear that an individual will rise up and prove a more capable entity, and will, through hard work, take the collective's power. In response, the collective rises as one, as wolves band together to kill their prey, and subdues this individual through a combination of physical and verbal abuses. The collective uses the destruction of the individual's power to ensure its own, hiding the injustice behind banners of fraternity and utilitarianism. In this way, the "gift" of equality has become a source of the most despicable form of greed.
Even more frightening is the emergence of the "anti-individual". Often times, a person finds himself leading the assault on individuality, and, upon this discovery, takes up the mantle of "savior of the masses" or "defender of the proletariat" (i.e. Lenin, Stalin, Hitler). This man is no individual, but its polar opposite. He uses his sway over the collective to destroy the individual. In this corrupt system, the man who is best at destruction, the man who epitomizes mediocrity and stagnation, is the man who is most highly praised.
These broad generalities should not distract us from the collectives which we allow to form, neigh, which we are a part of, in our everyday lives. Emerson wants us to realize that our fear of others' superiority is not only present in broad political terms, but it invades the classrooms, the playing fields, and even our relationships. We see it in the rich kid who is made fun of simply for being born to an affluent family. We see it in the intelligent child who does not raise his hand in class for fear of being made fun of. We see it in the shame a student has upon receiving a high grade and "ruining the curve." We see it when a teenage boy reveals his emotions to his friends, only to have his emotions turned into a joke. We see it in every facet of our lives, and, unless one is perfect, we partake in this practice ourselves.
It is this greed which Emerson warns us against. However, he not only gives us a warning, but provides us with a means to fight the collective. Self-reliance allows us to ignore the masses, and to accept other individuals for who they are. Self-reliance not only creates self respect, but it infers a sense of, if not respect, at least indifference towards others. Thus, it is self reliance which will ultimately allow us to progress past our pernicious greed, and towards our individual pursuit of happiness.
I see greed every day, as do we all, in its various forms. However, the greed which has enthralled our society is as disgusting as it is frightening. It is not a greed for success and happiness, for that is man's highest ambition. Instead, it is a greed which disguises itself in the semblance of altruism, and seeks, consciously or not, to place man in a state of mediocrity and strife.
This greed has found its home in the collective, those masses of men who wish to hide their own inferiority by attacking the virtues of those around them. The collective celebrates altruism, calling itself a gift to the weak and the poor. It claims that, by moderating the powerful and the successful, it has provided equality for all mankind, but it uses this equality as a mask for its true motives. The collective is full of fear, fear that an individual will rise up and prove a more capable entity, and will, through hard work, take the collective's power. In response, the collective rises as one, as wolves band together to kill their prey, and subdues this individual through a combination of physical and verbal abuses. The collective uses the destruction of the individual's power to ensure its own, hiding the injustice behind banners of fraternity and utilitarianism. In this way, the "gift" of equality has become a source of the most despicable form of greed.
Even more frightening is the emergence of the "anti-individual". Often times, a person finds himself leading the assault on individuality, and, upon this discovery, takes up the mantle of "savior of the masses" or "defender of the proletariat" (i.e. Lenin, Stalin, Hitler). This man is no individual, but its polar opposite. He uses his sway over the collective to destroy the individual. In this corrupt system, the man who is best at destruction, the man who epitomizes mediocrity and stagnation, is the man who is most highly praised.
These broad generalities should not distract us from the collectives which we allow to form, neigh, which we are a part of, in our everyday lives. Emerson wants us to realize that our fear of others' superiority is not only present in broad political terms, but it invades the classrooms, the playing fields, and even our relationships. We see it in the rich kid who is made fun of simply for being born to an affluent family. We see it in the intelligent child who does not raise his hand in class for fear of being made fun of. We see it in the shame a student has upon receiving a high grade and "ruining the curve." We see it when a teenage boy reveals his emotions to his friends, only to have his emotions turned into a joke. We see it in every facet of our lives, and, unless one is perfect, we partake in this practice ourselves.
It is this greed which Emerson warns us against. However, he not only gives us a warning, but provides us with a means to fight the collective. Self-reliance allows us to ignore the masses, and to accept other individuals for who they are. Self-reliance not only creates self respect, but it infers a sense of, if not respect, at least indifference towards others. Thus, it is self reliance which will ultimately allow us to progress past our pernicious greed, and towards our individual pursuit of happiness.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Intellectual's Realization
Hello, this is not a request or an apology, neither is it a demand, for why should I demand the rights which are given to all by the mere fact of their existence. My name is Atlas. I am the man who has given you life, who has provided you the means for your own happiness, yet I am denied the very privileges which I bestow. You force me to produce, force me to become stronger and stronger, yet you sap my strength without a second's thought. You weigh me down with your multiplying numbers, you build sky scrapers which tear my back and leave me bloody, you wage war upon my shoulders and tramp upon my neck. However, I have born my burden for thousands of years without complaint.
You have claimed that I owe you because I am more powerful than you, that I must put my own joy and ambitions behind me for the good of mankind. "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need!" you say. You claim that I must put the group above my individuality, that I must sacrifice my life for yours. I must toil so you can relax, work so you can play, bleed so you can thrive, cry so you can laugh. You tell me it is honorable to sacrifice, that my spirit of brotherhood will bring me happiness.
Yet herein lies the problem. I see no brotherhood here. In your one hand you would use the promise of fraternity and equality as a streaming banner leading the way towards a brighter future, and in the other hand you would use them as a sword with which to subdue those who pursue their individuality. This brotherhood is nothing more than a tool which allows the weak to subdue the strong, the lazy to reign in the productive, the evil to control the good.
But you have failed. I know now that without me, you cannot function. It is my sanction, the sanction of the victim, which gives you strength. But this victim will sanction your oppression no longer. Never again will I support the people who deny me my life, for you have no right to put your life above mine. I will finally pursue my own happiness and leave you to your own pursuit. I will embrace the freedom that was granted me by my very existence. I will end my suffering. I will not shoulder this burden anymore.
I will shrug.
You have claimed that I owe you because I am more powerful than you, that I must put my own joy and ambitions behind me for the good of mankind. "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need!" you say. You claim that I must put the group above my individuality, that I must sacrifice my life for yours. I must toil so you can relax, work so you can play, bleed so you can thrive, cry so you can laugh. You tell me it is honorable to sacrifice, that my spirit of brotherhood will bring me happiness.
Yet herein lies the problem. I see no brotherhood here. In your one hand you would use the promise of fraternity and equality as a streaming banner leading the way towards a brighter future, and in the other hand you would use them as a sword with which to subdue those who pursue their individuality. This brotherhood is nothing more than a tool which allows the weak to subdue the strong, the lazy to reign in the productive, the evil to control the good.
But you have failed. I know now that without me, you cannot function. It is my sanction, the sanction of the victim, which gives you strength. But this victim will sanction your oppression no longer. Never again will I support the people who deny me my life, for you have no right to put your life above mine. I will finally pursue my own happiness and leave you to your own pursuit. I will embrace the freedom that was granted me by my very existence. I will end my suffering. I will not shoulder this burden anymore.
I will shrug.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Rush: 1968-2112
Rush, a Canadian rock group formed in 1968, is the complete band. From lyrics that can only be described as epic, to 5 minute long guitar riffs ranging from soft melodious tunes to insane blowouts, to a singer whose voice sounds like an instrument in itself, Rush creates the complete rock experience.
Their greatest songs range from social commentaries like "Tom Sawyer" to musical works of fiction like "2112". It is this range of musical and lyrical talent which makes Rush one of the greatest rock bands to ever set finger to guitar string.
Their greatest songs range from social commentaries like "Tom Sawyer" to musical works of fiction like "2112". It is this range of musical and lyrical talent which makes Rush one of the greatest rock bands to ever set finger to guitar string.
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