The Past Reinforces the Future

In the words of William Graham Sumner, “The “right” way is the way which the ancestors used and which has been handed down. The tradition is its own warrant. It is not held subject to verification by experience. The notion of right is in the folkways. It is not outside of them, of independent origin and brought to test them. In the folkways, whatever is, is right. This is because they are traditional, and therefore contain in themselves the authority of the ancestral ghosts. When we come to the folkways we are at the end of our analysis.  

This quote is exemplified by Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo bases all his beliefs on his tradition and ancestry. The tribe does certain things because in the past it has always been done that way. The tribe kills twins finding them evil and beats still-birth babies to rid them of evil spirits so their wives can birth healthy children the next time. All this is seen as moral behavior to them.  Okonkwo and the men in his tribe gain status by being strong and raising good yams because that is how status was always established by. Okonkwo on various occasions supports his behavior and urge to fight on what the ancestors would have wanted and done. When the Christians start bringing in their ways to the tribe, he disagrees with their actions viewing them as “wrong”. The Christians have the same view of the tribe viewing their actions as immoral. Both feel that one another’s beliefs are wrong. The white men want to make the Indians do what is “right” by God, but the Indians think they are already doing right by their traditions and ancestors.

I agree with the fact that many of our notions of what is right come from establishments that those before us have already laid down as foundation. But I believe that there are choices within our morality that people can still make themselves. Today, choices of faith and how to abide by it, is something that people differ in, but still respect others for those differences.

Truly a Romance?

Truly a Romance?

Bronte in Wuthering Heights sets up the plot of her story as a romance between Heathcliffe and Catherine. They are a pair that in life never got the chance to share that love, but in death walked hand-in-hand in spirit. The story itself was deemed one of the greatest romances in literature. In my opinion, this wouldn't even be categorized into a romance genre. The relationship between the two characters is far from that of what many girls would dream up in their minds about an ideal romance.

                I feel that today we are surrounded by movies and book plots that play out the “ideal” of a fantasy love story that we want for ourselves. Full of cheesy words and lame, we see two people fall in love in the cutest of ways. Wuthering Heights sets up a love that is bitter and revengeful at times, filled with arguments and hurt. Although we acknowledge that the two love each other, we never see this love in their actions toward one another. We never see Heathcliffe dance in an empty parking lot with Catherine or bring her red rose and a card. I guess the relationships I conjure up in my own mind are more built on friendship and happiness. I feel that the expectation for our relationships have changed since the times when Wuthering Heights was written. We want more from a relationship.

                For example in other stories written today such as the Notebook by Nicholas Sparks, the main characters Noah and Allie share more of the typical “storybook” romance, one that develops instantaneously and is filled with passion and happiness. We don’t see this kind of progression or inclination in the relationship between Heathcliffe and Catherine. Also in all the stories about love, we enjoy the characters to be together throughout their lives, and until death the two are never truly together. This takes the satisfaction away that a reader normally feels when reading a romance.

                 

“Behavior that’s admired is the path to power among people everywhere.”

This quote exemplifies the control that Beowulf had in his life, because he was so admired by the people of his society. Beowulf held traits that many people thought highly of. His strength, heroism, and fearless actions put him on a pedestal.  Although he never demanded power for himself, the people around him granted it because of his actions that benefitted them. If Beowulf did not defeat Grendel and save his people from the destruction the monster brought, then he would not have become King of the Geats. The society in this time lived by the high values of heroism and because Beowulf followed these values he was highly esteemed for them. He boasts of his warrior status and follows through.  He is thus commemorated and received. The direct response from this bravery and heroic action was the future power he would achieve later becoming King. On the other side of the idea was Unferth who did not step up to fight Grendel. His actions were not admired by his people thus he did not gain any power in his society. Behavior is the most important aspect of gaining respect and support, and because Unferth failed to show admirable behavior, he gained no power.

 To admire someone is to regard them with respect or warm approval.  This is the first step in gaining power from those around you. A person does not attain voice and direction in this world without first being liked. Admiration is part of the initial satisfactory a person has with another person. When a person behaves in a way that grabs positive attention from others, he or she is in turn noticed for their efforts and as a result gains power. For example the President of the United States is not voted in to be the leader of our country without first displaying behavior that a number of people admire. If a person running for office displays negative or noted “bad” behavior then their chances of being accepted and respected by other people is slim. This results in them losing the election, thus not gaining any power at all. For example, when Barack Obama was first elected he was seen as an upstanding citizen who displayed all the right attributes of behavior, but Sarah Palin on the other hand, was involved in scandals which lead to people not liking her behavior thus resulting in a reason that she lost the election. Admired behavior is key to the establishment of power for a person.

A Stand For Yourself

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Childish: of like or pertaining to a child; silly or immature.  In a discussion pertaining to Question 92 of The Fountainhead, many students shared the fact that Howard Roark destroying his Cortlandt homes was just this.  If you remember, Howard Roark always wanted the buildings he erected to be exactly as he drew them.  When Roark gave Peter Keating his drawings for the homes, he agreed that Keating could use them as long as he didn't alter any part of them.  He didn't care who constructed the buildings as long as the design was erected as he drew it.  The Cortlandt homes that was built, was much different from Roark's original plan.  So Roark, self-proclaimed in who he was and what he stood for, destroyed them.  I believe that this act was not childish at all, for many children have difficulty standing up for themselves when other people are pushing them down.  This is the one time in the book when Roark shows in his actions that he wouldn't stand to let his vision be compromised.  His building was a reflection of who he was, and he wouldn't let others opinions of it change what it stood for.  Some may ask was this stand even necessary?  My answer would be yes.  Roark needed to destroy Cortlandt homes for the sake of not letting others walk all over him again.  It was standing up for the individual he stood for and justifying to himself that he could have pride in his work and the person he was. Just because he was different didn't mean that his ways were wrong.

In today's society, although people are encouraged to stand up for themselves, many times they fail to, in fear of what others will think or say.  Bullying can be the strongest reflection of this fact.  When someone is being bullied they are frequently unable to stand up for themselves.  In the novel, Roark was in a sense “bullied” by his society.   His action of destroying Cortlandt was his way of publicly showing his “bully” that their opinions did matter for once, but he wasn’t going to change his ways as a result of those opinions. As people grow into adults they discover what they truly stand for and are able to stay standing in their beliefs even when others continue to knock them down. Roark shows that he has already found his identity, and he is going to do whatever is necessary--in this case making a point to society that they can't have any of his ideas if they don't use all of them. Therefore, his actions can not be characterized as childish, only as a reflection of the man he is.