The Prince

The Prince was a very peculiar piece of literature. I enjoyed reading it because it was very powerful. I see why Machiavelli is looked at as such a leader. He literally breaks down every aspect of power and maintaining power during trying times in a land. I took this as a very equipped tool to use for being a leader in today's society in every aspect. It taught me that I can face challenges and overcome them based off understanding from preserving freedom to facing new groups of people and adapting to their way of life so that they can begin to hear me out of changes I want to see made to their norm. It is up to the leader ultimately to gear the people (followers and sometimes disciples) to a place where both parties are comfortable. On one hand the leader is comfortable in decisions and choices made and the followers and/or disciples are happy and feel protected knowing that they have a dependable leader. It is ironic that most times when people thinking of themselves as a leader, they only think of what they want out of it but never seeking to consider what they people they are leading will ultimately gain from their leadership. It is of importance that the person in leadership take themselves out of the equation and focus more on the overall value. So many questions arose as I read because I begin to think of things I could've done differently as a leader in the past that could've helped me today and this is one collection of excerpts I plan on never deleted or loosing.

Jhory Buskey

The Prince

After reading "The Prince", I found it to be interesting, not because it explains how to take control of other lands and how to control them,but because it gives advice that often disregards all moral and ethical rules. Macchiavelli states that:

 "Because how one ought to live is so far removed from how one lives that he who lets go of what is done for that which one ought to do sooner learns ruin than his own preservation: because a man who might want to make a show of goodness in all things necessarily comes to ruin among so many who are not good. Because of this it is necessary for a prince, wanting to maintain himself, to learn how to be able to be not good and to use this and not use it according to necessity."

 To me, this isn't the normal advice on how to take control of other lands and how to control them. This sort of advice wouldn't be used for mayors, senates, world leaders, etc. This is the type of advice that we, as ordinary people, can use everyday. It's something that we can live by. I think it also means that only we can control how we live out our own lives and to determine the path we will go on as the journey continues.

-Blair Thomas

Book of the City of Ladies

Book of the City of Ladies was an interesting read. In this story, the author, Christine de Pizan tells how women are being depicted from male philosphers. She's disturbed by what is being said about women as whole and she goes into thoughts of negativity. She is visited by three ladies, who are sisters, prophisize about her building a city for ladies. At first, Christine doesn't believe what she's hearing, but as the story goes on, her perspective starts to change. One of the sisters, Lady Reason, tells her the history of some famous women. She tells Christine about the Amazons and how they held entire civilization on their own, due to the fact that the entire race of men were killed. The only thing that they decided upon for the sake of their race was to mate with men of neighboring countries. Lady Reason also answers questions Christine has presented her with such as why men slander women. The more I read this story, the more I realized that not all women fall or "fit" into certain categories and/or stereotypes. In today's society, women are doing it for themselves. They are bread winners. They are the head of their household. They are politicians, world leaders, governors, mayor of a city. Hell! Women are everywhere and there is no escaping our species. Reading this literary work made me realize that we sometimes don't know or value our worth. We have strengths and weaknesses, but I think majority of the time we're just as strong as men.

Blair Thomas

Huarochiri Manuscript

The Huarochirí manuscript is a religious tradition of the Andes in an Andean language. It talks about an age when cannibal deities preyed on immortal humans. It unfolds the splendor of ceremonies that prehispanic priests devoted to a landscape alive with the diverse sacred beings called huacas. It talks about memories of Inca rule and of how unknown invaders brought new Gods to displace the children of Paria Caca and of Chaupi Ñamca. The manuscript is a complex composite testimony of these changes as well as a compendium of ancient memories.





Jade Cobb

Bartholome Las Casas

In his documentation of the Spanish conquest Bartholome Las Casas states that he believes that Africans are more "constitutionally fit" to be slaves than any other race. I believe that this contributed to establishing a hegemony were the rest of the world began to believe that Africans main reason to be alive was for slave labor. This then lead to the world not looking at Africans as human but property. It is just amazes me that opinions of very few people and their actions could influence so many nations and lead to the enslavement of a particular race of people for 100 years or more. It also sad to know that people like that and felt that they had the audacity over others.

-Amanda Johnson

Successful African Americans Woman in Todays Society

Often in todays society woman are depicted horribly at times and many of the views that people have for woman are incorrect, particularly when it comes to African American Woman. In movies African American women are seen as single mothers often work two jobs to support their kids all while nagging their "baby daddy" for child support who wants to have nothing to do with them. However what movies often fail to mention is that many African Woman are successful and make more money than men in some cases, and have a well put together family in a two parent household. A prime example of a successful black woman in Oprah Winfrey she happens to be one of the richest woman in the world, therefore disproving this notion that all African American Women are struggling. Another Woman who proves that African American Woman are successful happens to be our First Lady Michelle Obama, she is an educated woman who also runs a functional household while assisting to run a country.

-Amanda Johnson

The Huarochiri Manuscript

    I chose to write about the Huarochiri Manuscript because I related to chapter 23 of the manuscript. In this chapter the son of Paria Caca; Maca Uisa issues a summons from the Incas to the Huacas people. He ask for help in order to conquer the people of Marca, he felt since he had been there to supply the with gold, silver, llamas, and many other things they needed that they would at least offer some sort of assistance, that wasn't the case. When he issued his speech to them they all remained silent except for one, and that individuals response was he would fight against the others however he would have to kill Maca Uisa as well. I relate to this because this has happen to me several times with former friendships of mine. I had offered so much assistance to them as a friend should but when I needed that same support from them they were no where to be found.


-Amanda Johnson

Queen Sheba vs. Book of Ladies

Queen Sheba was a woman of integrity and intelligence. She came into the relationship with Solomon being the queen of Ethiopia and having her own land. Although Solomon is accustomed to getting women at his pleasure, Sheba was different. In order for them to have intercourse, Solomon signed over half of his possessions. Queen Sheba was well respected over the land she ruled.
In comparison to The Book of the city of ladies, Sheba represented the three women visited by Christine- The Lady of Reason, Rectitude, and Justice. The Lady of reason speaks of strength and support, Rectitude speaks of women that are good wives and mothers and the woman of Justice speaks of a holy woman. Queen Sheba being a ruler needed to speak well in order to control her people. She needed to stand her ground because she was the ruler and a leader of many followers. Sheba was a good mother. She provided care for her son Menalik, in stepping in as both her mother and father. As times passed, Menalik was interested in finding out who his father was. Lastly, Sheba was respected as a religious ruler as well.
Throughout the text Sheba presented herself as a respected and intellectual woman of power. This text compared to The Book of the City of Ladies overall demonstrated that women can to be dominant, assertive, respectful and in leadership.

-DeLesia, Jasmine,Michael, Alexia,

The Book of the City of Ladies

The Book of the City of Ladies

This story is trying to redefine what male authors think of women.  The female author Christine starts of expressing her thoughts about the comment, "women makes men live's difficult".  This comment alone is a bad representation for women period.  Christine builds the city of ladies which is a collective group of fenominal women who in the past have done things that according to Christine is what makes a woman a woman.  The three virtues are there to help Christine build the city and give her insight on what to do next.  In the end Christine makes men look bad by telling the city of ladies to be careful not to fall in the trap of the lies of men.

-Kierha Baker


The Book of the City of Ladies is about women being stereotype by society. Christine de Pizan's is not pleased about the reading she have read about women. Christine de Pizian's feels that she have to do something about it. She comes up with an idea that she should build the city of ladies and populate it with women that is known. I think the author intention is to defend women and to provide examples of the unquestionable virtue of her sex. Also the author is trying to prove society wrong about the negative opinions about women. My overview of this story is that women should not be stereotype; because you cannot go around  judging a book by its cover. This story also makes me think do individuals stereotype me or what do men say about me.This story encourage me to be heard more because I am an strong African American women and to stand up for my sex.

-Amine Harris

This story discusses the negative perception of women. The author and narrator, Christine de Pizan reads in a book about the way her society looks at women. The book she reads bashes women and portrays them in a negative light. After reading this, she becomes upset and three goddesses appear to her. They come to her and ask her to build a city with strong, powerful, women. They want her to realize that what society thinks women are is wrong. By building the city, they want to show everyone how strong and important women truly are. This story opened up a topic that is rarely discussed. I think that in some societies women are still thought of negatively. Some base their perception of women by stereotypes. Some think that women are weak, dependent, and in some cases not knowledgeable or intelligent. I do not agree with that. I feel that women are very smart, strong, and can be independent. Not all women should be categorized by this criteria because every woman is different.

-Jeannine Jackson

Christine de Pizan's "The Book of the City of Ladies" explores the stereotypes that society has about women. Christine is frustrated with the reading selections that depict women in a negative manner. She feels compelled to do something about it and contemplates on a dream of building a city that would shine a new and positive light on women in society. This story is unlike any other I have read before. It empowers me to be more influential and to stand up against things I don't agree with. Christine shows courage by trying to create a better image of women and femininity. The goddesses that appear to her also give her empowerment to stand up against society's beliefs. This is a very present and common factor in our society today, and I agree that women should not be stereotyped into these negative characteristics.

-Jennifer Jackson

"Gangster" Code???

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by The Pearl Poet, is a story about temptation, power, and devotion to one's covenant. The main plot of this literary work was that the mysterious Green Knight's enticement towards the lords of the round table. He provoked the "strongest, fearless" knights to engage into a "game of the courts." This game included a wager, that he would allow the most courageous knight to take one strike at him, only if in one year and a day he could return the blow. Throughout this time, Sir Gawain was faced many tribulations on his journey to find the Green Chapel. He was tested three times by "The Lady," in which she was once a bare maiden. This increased the temptress efforts on provoking a physical connection despite her legal union and his verbal covenant. During their exchanges, she bestowed the gift of a green girdle to Sir Gawain in order to protect his life but only if he agreed not to tell anyone she had given it to him. Sir Gawain has plenty of opportunity to not to hold up his end of the covenant. instead, Sir Gawain remained true to his word and allowed the Green Knight to return the blow. It was later revealed that Sir Gawain's loyalty and honor was being tested the entire time. For the most part, Gawain passed his trials and his life was sparred, with a minor nick to his neck for not being honest about the green girdle. In the end, the green girdle became a symbol and a constant reminder for him and everyone else to always remain honest and truthful.


     Collectively we all feel like our favorite character of this story is Sir Gawain, and for obvious reasons. One reason would be because, although Gawain chose to participate in the "game" initiated by the Green Knight he also chose to keep his word. This is a lesson we all can take away and apply to our own individual lives; you should always take full responsibility for your actions.Owning your own consequences for your actions may lead you to a place you may not want to be, but in the end you are sure to be a better person because of it. We feel that if more individuals in today's society would respect this chivalrous act, there would be far less crime and confusion among the people as a whole. Overall, the main theme is "you live by a code, you die by code." Meaning loyalty is all that you have in this world. you can either have loyalty to something and be better than a wanderer in life with no cause to call your own.We feel that Gawain exhibited this loyalty to the cove, despite all the trials he faced.

10/31- Group 3--Nix, Bettis, James, Joseph, Williams

The Bhagavad Gita

The blind King Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya to recount to him what happened when his family the Kauravas  gathered to fight the Pandavas for control of Hastinapura. His family isn't the rightful heir to the kingdom, but they have assumed control, and Dhritarashtra is trying to preserve it for his son Duryodhana. Sanjaya tells of Arjuna, who has come as leader of the Pandavas to take back his kingdom, with Sri Krishna as his charioteer. The Gita is the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna leading up to the battle.

Jade Cobb

Words of Wisdom

The Bhagavad Gita is a poem from the Mahabarata. It is quite interesting to me because in it, Vishnu (the god of preservation) enlightens Arjuna (a favored mortal) about how to live according to duty (dharma) no matter the circumstances. Arjuna is a well-known and admired warrior who, for once, stops and questions Vishnu about why he should go into this particular battle. He feels as though he would reap no good consequence if he killed his opponents in this battle because they were his own family. Vishnu informs Arjuna that wrong is wrong, no matter who the wrong-doer is and that he should act without attachments.  Afterwards, Vishnu tells Arjuna exactly how to reach a steady state of mind so that he can stay calm, in control of his feelings, and, ultimately, stay true to his duty. One of my favorite pieces of advice from Vishnu is when Vishnu tells Arjuna,
                             "When he renounces all desires
                               entering his mind, Arjuna,
                               and his self rests within the Self
                               then his wisdom is called steady."    (line 55).
I like this quote the most because when I think in such a manner, referring to putting away my desires, I find that I can think clearly and also because I have accomplished many of my short-term goals. The words of Vishnu are not only advice for Arjuna, but also advice for me.

The Family Feud

The Family Feud

I chose this story to blog about because I really liked it and found it interesting. I am a family oriented person, so it captured my attention because Arjuna is stuck in between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the battle between his two familes. That can always be a hard decision to make because no one wants to go against anyone in their family. However, when it comes to making a choice, the question is what decision do you make. Do you choose a side or do you try to settle the peace among everyone, even if a certain side of the family may feel as if you betrayed them? In this case, this is what Arjuna had to decide between. This story made me actually invision myself in this situation. I would have chosen the decision of being the peace maker, rather than fighting against my own family. Overall, I loved the story and it exemplifies something that happens in everyday life which is family feuds (regardless of what the issue might be over).


-Sha'kayla Nunez

Setne Khamwas & Naneferkaptah
Manon Green
Blog Entry #2:


The story of Setne Khamwas was written in the Ptolemaic Period (332–30 B.C.E. ). It tells the story of the struggle between Setne Khamwas and the magician Nneferkaptah for possession of a book of magic written by the god Thoth. Naneferkaptah had taken the book with him to his grave. Setne Khamwas in desperation stole the book from Setne tomb. The story elaborates the fact that man had access to magic, but however only the gods know the secrets of life. Although Setne was warned before his attempt to gain more knowledge through magic about the afterlife, he then suffered the consequence of his children dying. This was a punishment from the god in consequence of him trying to know what should not be known to mankind. Because Setne was exploring a book said to be written by Thoth, it connects with Greek ideas that Egyptian magic stems from the god they believed was Thoth’s equivalent in their own culture, Hermes Trismegistus. Greek writer’s regularly misinterpreted Egyptian stories to create a philosophy called Hermeticism that they believed was Egyptian, but in fact was a Greek misinterpretation of Egyptian culture. What confused me a little is the powerful man that Setne had been why he found it necessary to be more rich and powerful than he already was. In conclusion the incidents in the story that occurred only reflects to me as consequence of greed.

Sappho
Manon Green
Entry #1 :

Born on the Island of Lesbos; Which the word lesbian is later derived from. Sappho is a Greek poet who wrote poetry mostly describing her love for women. Although her work was later destroyed, fragments of her work still remain today. Because of her popularity during this time period writings about her had also been preserved as well. I found it a bit unclear whether Sappho was truly in love with a woman or the women was either a good friend who she missed dearly. The time period also takes place during the Trojan War. I have come to the Conclusion that during this period woman became very close due to the fact that men were fighting at war. Sappho may have used poetry as an outlet releasing that loving and having peace during this time brought more comfort to her rather than war.

Genesis

Genesis is the first book of the Jewish Torah and it is also the first book of the Christian Bible. This first   chapter talks about the creation of the world and every thing in it. Its starts off with God (The supreme being) creating the heaven and earth and ends with him saying that every thing was good. The creation of the world took six days.

This is one out of many story of how the world was created. The creation of the world is a mystery to us all. No one really has ever had factual evidence of the beginning of creation all we hear is stories that have been changed over time. I chose this story to write about because I have alway had a question about the creation of the world. If today there are 1000s of creation stories, then there is a possibility that all of these story are fragments from one major story.




By:Kentrell Roberts

The Bhagavad Gita

By Cali Cao

The Bhagavad Gita, if I’m not wrong, is based on Hinduism and it took place in ancient India. That is where Buddhism also started from too. I think I somewhat understand this story because some of its principles are similar to Buddhism. In Buddhism we believe in Dharma, karma, and yoga too, except in Buddhism these concepts—well, mostly the last one—has a different name: Zen—I think that is what it’s called. It’s a state where one sits and mediates and thinks of everything but that everything is nothing once peace is achieved. (Don’t quote me on this, I only visit temples on New Year for good luck.) Karma is just another word for “what goes around comes back around” by Justin Timberlake, isn’t it so? As for Dharma, I guess I can say that it’s very similar to hand reading and Tarrot cards. My mom told me that your destiny is in your palms, so let the wise monk read them and tell you what God/the above have got in store for you because every line on every palm is a different destiny. I don’t remember which palm of yours is your destiny and which palm of yours is your future spouse’s destiny. As for Tarrot cards, it’s the card you choose that tells where you’re going—like fortune reading we can find in the streets of New Orleans within the French Quarter area. Also, Buddhism believes in reincarnation too, except if you kill another human you will be reborn as animal or pay off your crime in one of the 18 levels of hell before you can return to becoming a human again to continue until you’ve finally achieved the absolute status of purity that will allow you to be with the beings above, so I fully understand the reincarnation ordeal.

When I saw some of the pictures of Krishna/Vishnu in class, I thought I saw Buddha because Buddha has many forms and some of his forms have many arms too. And the yellow—and light colors—totally gave me a sense of familiarity.

What surprised me was when I read the introduction to the story and it said that Arjuna shared his wife with his siblings. Although I did come across a story where 2 brothers in India shared one wife because they didn’t want their ancestor’s land to be divided, I—having been told by my Jesus loving Grandma that Eve came from Adam and so one female is assigned to one male–still find such a story odd. I guess it is because my family is from the east side of Asia where in ancient time only high status men can have multiple wives (but not anymore—it’s illegal now) instead of the west side of Asia where it’s the opposite thing (and apparently it’s still going on now).

The whole conflict happened because of greed. I understand that, but what baffles me is that if the leader of the Kauravas is granted a holy vision of see the battle, why didn’t any one above grant the old guy the divine vision to see his wrong doing? Arjuna can pause a fight because of the guilt in his heart, then why didn’t the Kauravas stop too because of guilt? I heard that no one is all evil or all bad, but why did the Kauravas seem to have no empathy towards their own relatives? Is this what have to happen in teaching stories to make everyone learn something?

What I like about this story is that it isn’t quite that hard to understand—and the part where Krisna taught Arjuna yoga. What I didn’t like is that Arjuna can’t accept Krisna’s true form. To me it seems that Arjuna is shallow, only cares about the prettiness that he can see. I mean Krisna is still holy no matter what he looks like, so why be “scared” of what is true? He should have felt honored (and stared at it some more) to have seen that form of Krisna because not even the other holy beings get to see it.

The Woman Who Fell From the Sky

The Woman Who Fell From the Sky is a traditional story that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Iroquois tribe. The Iroquois Indians can be predominantly found in Quebec, Ontario Canada, New York and in the central part of America. Oneida, Onandaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Tuscarorra, and Mohawk are the 6 nations that make up the Iroquois tribe. They have a matrillineal society which is when a woman had owned property and she got married then the property would remain solely in her control and not to both her and her husband. A person's social status is inherited through their mother and her family's line.
       The setting of this story is in the land of the gods and the woman represents mother nature and the beginning of life on earth. In a dream  that the woman has, her deceased father instructs her to go marry a man that she has never met. After she meets the man and finds out that he is a magician she proposes to him. He puts her through a series of tests and realizes how strong she is mentally and physically and agrees to marry her. Outside of their home was a tree of light that the woman had become extremely fond of, and after awhile she becomes impregnated by it. Soon after the magician become ill and was guided to uproot the tree and persuade his wife to jump down the hole and replant the tree. He is successful in convincing her to jump down the tree and after she does so, life on earth had begun. I enjoyed this story because it offers an interesting perspective on how life on earth was started. This story also shows how men feel intimidated and threatened by a strong female and feel the need to remove her in order to keep males dominant.



Posted By: Onome Okeh

The Woman Who Fell From The Sky

The Woman Who Fell From The Sky is a creation story that is passed down through the Iroquois ( Mohawk) tribe. Iroquois tribes lived in central & upstate New York, as well as, parts of Canada. There society was matrillineal, meaning women were the heads of the families. Women owned property which remained in her control once she was married. The husband moved with his wife's family after marriage. Also, social status was inherited through the mother's family. The story takes place in the realm of the gods. The woman is symbolic to mother nature or the start of creation on earth. She's directed by her deceased father, in a dream, to marry a man without consulting her mother. The man puts her through several tests of endurance before marrying her. After some time, she is impregnated by a tree of light. He becomes ill and is advised to uproot the tree of light and convince her to jump down the hole and replant the tree. He does so. She jumps down into the hole and into a whole new world.
I enjoyed this piece because it gives a glimpse into the Iroquois' society while giving an explanation to creation of life on earth. The series of events happened because she listened to her father and not her mother. This story could have been used as a way to scare other Iroquois girls into heeding their mother's instructions more than fathers. Also this hole she jumps in symbolizes the sky. At the time of her jumping she was pregnant. This explains how the human race gets to earth. It is interesting how people so long ago rationalized our existence.

Taelor Young

The Woman Who Fell From The Sky

The Woman Who Fell From The Sky was an Iroquois (Mowhawk Traditional) based on a woman who was advised by her deceased father to go out and marry a stranger. The woman followed her father's orders and went to go find this strange man whom she would soon marry. When the woman arrived at the destination of the man she was to marry, she found that he was a magician. The man viewed her as being very young and naive. He took her proposal very lightly. The magician decided to put her through a test; if she passed his test he would then accept her marriage proposal. Low and behold she passed his test and they got married. However, there was a tree of light outside of the couple's lodge that the wife adored. She would lay with the tree and become one with it. The power between the woman and the tree was so strong that it one day impregnated her. Shortly after this her husband fell ill. The husband was advised to uproot the tree and to inveigle his wife to jump in the hole. He was then ordered to replace the tree and that is exactly what he did. His wife dove into the hole and vanished. The story portrayed the strength of courage, obedience and self-assertion. The woman fell from the sky onto Earth. The title used metaphorical wording to depict a distinction from between heaven and Earth. I felt that even though this story was very fictional it was still extremely entertaining and creative. The story allowed me to use my imagination to unveil the deeper meaning behind the title.

When Life Gives You Lemon's Make Lemonade!!!

When Life Gives You Lemon's Make Lemonade!!!

The Woman Who Fell From the Sky is an extraordinary tale passed down from generation to generation told by the Iroquois (Spiderwoman's granddaughter). The Iroquois Indians could mainly be found in the central part of the America near New York, Quebec, and Ontario Canada. In addition these people were mainly farmers, hunters, and fisherman who in away allowed for sustainability as well as productivity among the land which they maintained. In addition to the fact that the story is derived from the Iroquois community it contains key features of a matrilineal society, meaning that the women were allowed to own property and the men were supposed to align with the family of the wife.

The overall purpose of the story was to explain how earth and key features such as Mother Nature came to be. As the story proceeds the reader can clearly identify with the emotional and moral characteristics of the characters in the story. In the begging of the story the women was told by her deceased father to go and pursue a stranger. As a result of her pursuit she was extremely emotionally as well as morally tested by the man and over a period of time the man found her faithful and married her. However as the story continues the man’s health begins to fail and he begins to seek outside help on the presumptuous reasoning’s of his illness. Ironically the outside presumptions all point to this sweet, meek, and humble women. As a result of these presumptions the man convinces the women to jump out of heaven into a world that is not known to her.

In my opinion this tale is quite fascinating because it provides a very exquisite look at the beginning of creation as well as the causes and effects of the everyday moral characteristics. Overall my favorite character in this story would have to be the woman because as meek, humble, and as tolerant as she was she endured a lot of unnecessary pain and suffering, however she stayed strong. My favorite part of the plot would have to be when she endures the suffering because it showed that when life throws out challenges that it’s not right to run from them but to face them head on making the best out of a bad situation. Today that overall concept remains due to the fact that in life so many situations can injure the overall character of a person if the said person will choose to let it. In life just like the story it’s important to face each individual problems with a clear head and a strong face because than it’s possible to conquer the world. It’s important to understand that to be a strong individual first an individual must conquer the whirl winds that comes there way.

Posted By: Joy Semien

(When life gives you lemons make lemonade!!)

Introduction: Readings in World Literature to 1650

Welcome to Go Back and Fetch It. This is a class blog we have created at Dillard University in our World Literature to 1650 course. We will share with you our thoughts and reactions to the ancient literature that we willbe reading over the course of the semester. We are covering myths, and epics, and poems from cultures around the world. We are reading material from the Ancient Indigenous kingdoms of the Americas to those in Western Africa. We hope you enjoy the journey!