Monday, November 21, 2016

Nine Gates

Satan is hitchhiking through the time and space continuum. He is swimming through black waves. He is walking on hot coals. He is traveling through evil. It is easier for him to travel at the beginning of the trip. The evil was friendly and kind. It captured his heart and made him melt. This is his kingdom. He sees all the nightmares that humans have. He sees all the things that frighten animals. He has his big backpack full of supplies as if he is a college student asking for a ride a couple miles on his trip across America. He has his staff or walking stick and he stops for a breather to eat some trail mix. He stops in front of the first big gate that looked like it was an entrance to a Hollywood mansion. The gate is made of solid gold. It is not very strong gold because it is solid gold. There is a sharp edge on the doors of the gate which point towards heaven. It would be very painful to climb over the gate so no one would dare climb the gate. Satan was not about to return to a youthful day like he was some hooligan trespassing on private property. It is just one thing after another with this whole trip business. He sees a woman standing on the other side of the gate. He is thinking that he does not want anything to do with this tracking at all now. Rather, he just wants to get it over with. He does not care about the outcome. He just does whatever it takes to get through this gate.
            He decides that he would like to recognize this woman as his daughter. She was spawned from his head. She is also his lover who gave birth to his son. He is standing there as a see-through black and grey shadow with his crown and staff. His lover is a woman with a beautiful upper body and a lower half of tentacles that made her look like a monster or Medusa from the waist down. He loves her yet he does not love her at this moment. This signifies greater evilness. This is the evil in a human relationship. Satan is abusing and does whatever he can to have power in their relationship. He ignores her feelings and does not treat her well. He does not even see this as a relationship. He probably sleeps around on her and she is kind enough to never notice or show she is distraught. He had his 100 virgins like he is a Muslim extremist who is waiting for the day he dies. She probably would know to say, “It’s ok dad.” She probably is not a strong person and just goes with every scheme he plots up. He says. “Open up this gate and you will have whatever you want from me when we get to earth.” She just goes with it thinking that he loves her and she loves him and there is some strong bond between them. This is much like sin where people choose to behave the way that they behave and often regret the outcome and often tempted to sin. This woman has a dog that runs around her in a circle from her stomach. He has given her the gate and she has been told to guard it. The dog look like the Hounds of Baskerville. They are black with pointed ears and sharp teeth. She has given birth to his child of death. He asks for the key to the gate and she lets him have it and he opens the gate and lets himself through. He sees nine arched gates and goes through the gate. He finds a precipitous edge where he thinks about what he wants to do and jumps with his wings. He falls and gets carried by a gust of wind. He travels with this wind until he comes across earth which is chained with a small chain to heaven.
            Satan meets Eve who is happy go lucky and never gets into trouble. She is helped by the whole forest. Adam is a very intelligent man who does all his good deeds on his own. Satan comes to this woman as a snake and feeds her an apple. Satan releases sin. Death eventually takes over and God’s last resort was let loose on earth. Jesus Gods only saves earth. The snake is eighteen feet long and it is a black serpent. The snake was sweet talking Eve into eating a bright red apple. Satan is the kind of guy you could meet at the bar. He is a smooth-talking man that sits at the bar with his beer talking to a pretty girl.
http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Kaa
 https://in.pinterest.com/pin/251709066648296215/
I affirm that I “have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this paper”
Alex Cooper
Alexander Stephen Cooper                                                                                              11/18/2016




Blind Devil

There is earth. There is space. Space goes down, down, and down. It goes down into darkness. The light from earth radiating from heaven eventually stops passing through the abyss of black space. Space gets deeper and deeper into the dead of black. It looks like the darkest night when all the night owls are out and roaming the street. They walk around smoking their cigarettes like zombies. There is the black that travels and floats above hell. Hell, is made of rock that is red and orange. The rock is sulfuric and gassy. There is a sizzling sound. Flames shoot out from the ground. There are lakes that have acid as water with a flaming atop. The devils have had a secret meeting. They are plotting and planning, holding a parliament like meeting to figure out what to do with the king. The devils know full well that the king can come to Hell whenever he feels like it and massacre all of them. The devils are only in Hell for one reason; they have been cast out of heaven for not preforming their duties for God. They wanted to do whatever they wanted to do. The devils wanted it all for themselves and never got on the good side of God, but rather they wanted what they wanted and got cast out for bad deeds. Were they all angels or was Satan or Lucifer the only angel cast out? Where did the other angels come from? Some people have said they were all angels. Angels were the only other creation while the Garden of Eden was in the making.

Satan the king was sitting on his throne. Does he have the throne? Was he standing there watching and looking on? It is possible that all this man had was fire and brimstone. He is watching over their studies. They are all standing wearing black robes and wigs. They have their horns. Their horns are red. Maybe, they have white wings and an orb of light over their head with halos of gold. The first Devil began to talk. He was speaking plainly. The first devil voted for all-out war and rebellion like the Americans had done during the Revolutionary War. He took out a piece of paper and wrote down, “I want war.” He then signed it. All the devils agreed, they wanted war and were scheming like politicians. They spoke politically mentioning law and were trying to tempt themselves into action. They got around the fear of war, and plotted to get away with murder like common criminals. They also spoke like businessmen who were running a large corporation. They had lots of money. The devils wore suits with red ties. They had brief cases and knew how the stock market worked. They hated their jobs and resorted to bribery and often went to court to get out of charges they picked up through business and pleasure. They were illegal to the bone until life sentences caught up with them. They were doctors who killed people. They have massive doses of medications and experiment on people. The law protected them. They wore white lab coats and had stethoscopes. They were liars. They were the worst possible jewelers. They raised the price of gold and precious gems. They stole them, horde them, and get away with it.

Eventually, they come up with a plan. Satan, they king is going to do his duty to his kingdom and country. He is going to track throughout black until he reaches earth because he can. He wants the power to never pass. He wants the spirit to be evil because he can. He wanted to do things because he could. He called upon his wit and strength to make his trip. One devil spoke up, he wanted to make hell home. He wanted to make hell a place where they can live without the black, torture and death surrounding them. They wanted to get rid of the cold atmosphere. They wanted to no longer suffer every second. They wanted to get out of constantly being in blood. They no longer wanted to die every day where they are tied down and giving punishment. One devil spoke up he wanted to mine hell for its gold and gems. On earth mining is one of the most dangerous jobs where people die from suffocation and mine collapses. Miners are also exposed to dirt, and lung disease. Often miners have a very short life. The devils want to build a castle of gold and eventually turn hell into heaven. Hell, should be more powerful than heaven. Mammon wants his riches. Beelzebub wanted war. There should be a playing field in heaven. They must to take it to God. Belial wanted open war. Maloch wanted open war. Satan took the lead and is ready to fight by himself with honor and prestige. He faces certain death.

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-12-17/news/69119340_1_simultaneous-polls-simultaneous-elections-assemblies
http://www.angelfire.com/empire/serpentis666/Satan.html http://content.time.com/time/today-in-pictures/0,31511,2002664,00.html
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/christianpiatt/2013/02/satan-and-hell-a-brief-history-part-1-of-2/

I affirm that I “have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this paper”
Alex Cooper
Alexander Stephen Cooper 11/18/2016

PTSD

Death has had a massive impact on Macbeth. He is grieving from the shock of blood, violence and death. It does not matter that Macbeth was the slaughterer. It does not matter that Macbeth killed his kingdom’s enemies. What does matter is the fact that Macbeth was involved in extreme violence and bloody battlefield trauma which ended in death for many of his compatriots and enemies. Some of his fellow soldiers were very young men or really mere children. Macbeth was initiated as a soldier as soon as he was old enough to fight for Scotland which was at a very young age. In his first fight, he was probably wide-eyed and proud to be initiated as a warrior. In his second battle, he might have been keen to learn more still somewhat unaffected by the trauma of war. However, war changes everyone and with incremental exposure to violence and death, Macbeth was changing. My proposition is that this Macbeth was affected from the first time he engaged in battle and witnessed death or killed an adversary.

In battle, Macbeth killed like a psychopath, committing murder over and over. In battle, Macbeth has also suffered brain damage from attacking and being attacked. He started losing focus of what was right, not like a mass murdering psychopath but rather like he had taken a gateway drug to murder and began to kill without a cause which is sometimes the case for a soldier. Soldiers are closer to committing murder after a war than before the war. They also often enjoy the kill and are drawn into enjoy killing. Ahh, that is victory.

Macbeth likes to kill because he likes victory and the glory that brings to him and his kingdom. He is a career soldier. PTSD has affected Macbeth. He is awake around the clock on guard, then quite frankly falls asleep and does not care. He seems to develop mental illness. I don’t know what other kind of illnesses, but the actual act of killing someone in cold blood and not thinking about the feelings of a human being off the battlefield brings mental disease. Then Macbeth goes further into madness by killing a family. It was very cold thinking when Macbeth was assigning his soldier to track down and kill this family, a mother, all her children and their servants, all the members of the household. Today, this would probably be a war crime where a leader would be charged and arrested for being cruel and inhumane by the United Nations. Macbeth was also a part of the deaths every step of the way. He murdered Duncan the king, even though no one knows for sure he has done this, it was a very serious allegation. Macbeth’s weapon of choice seems to be a knife which is very up close and personal and vicious. He could have killed with poison. Macbeth was following his wife’s instructions before and after which obviously involves Lady Macbeth in the murder of Duncan. Had Macbeth chosen to put arsenic in Duncan’s mouth then held him down until he swallowed, rather than stabbing Duncan to death, it might have been less traumatic. Stabbing Duncan to death was a crime of passion.

PTSD effects modern soldiers who have killed or wounded enemy soldiers during the war in Afghanistan and the Middle East, World War One and Two during which it was known as shell shock. Being away from their jobs, home and family adds to the stress. It can also create this double life where when they come home they feel as though their lot or place in life is no longer the same. Often, soldiers off the battlefield, begin to stop following rules particularly rules of law and begin to act out. They could act like soldier or like children that have not had parents. If you could think of Neverland. They lose control and do whatever they want which means they are more likely to get into legal trouble such as being charged for murder. They could also steal things and get arrested. They could also begin using hard drug because none of it matters. Believe it or not, sexual trauma is also a large issue in the military for those who have returned home from their time serving in the military. I don’t particularly know how this could have impacted Macbeth but his relationship with his wife is Bonnie and Clyde like. They made for a twisted couple. His wife was a black widow who wanted to murder the king for political gain. However, I don’t think she had an issue with her husband; she wanted him to rise in the political ranks rather than to decimate his soul. She loved him and wanted the best for him. He was not good enough ever for his wife though, and was often trying to receive a few more brain cells to keep up with his wife. He gave her access to a war machine and she plotted murder. I don’t believe the relationship was as twisted as I originally thought it was because Lady Macbeth wanted to come to power. Her husband was making everything worse. She probably still wanted children and a white picket fence life. PTSD has had an impact on Macbeth’s mental illness. He was suffering a little every day. This is only stipulation or the creation of a little story of its own.

"PTSD: National Center for PTSD." Mental Health Effects of Serving in Afghanistan and Iraq - PTSD: National Center for PTSD. US Department of Veteran Affairs, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016. http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/485522/A-Scottish-salute-to-our-heroes
https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/bonnie-and-clyde http://www.healthination.com/kitchen-tips/cooking-tips/easy-cooking-tip/



I affirm that I “have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this paper”
Alex Cooper
Alexander Stephen Cooper 11/17/2016

Oronooko and the Never-Ending Sentences

I really couldn't come up with a good name for this post so, yeah, I just kinda slapped my main qualm onto it.

The main thing I wanted to discuss about Oronooko is that it is really hard to read, at least for me. These sentences go on and on and on way longer than necessary, and the paragraphs are big and written in a tiny font size. Honestly, it made it REALLY hard to focus on what I was reading and it was making it hard to draw me in, because the sentences kept running instead of moving on and the story takes so long to actually get going.

Honestly, when someone starts a story with 'Before I tell you the story, let me tell you this other thing' and goes on for like two or three paragraphs about it, you know you're in for a long ride. I mean, I'm sure it's probably important information, but I'm a busy man and I want to get down to business.

Anyway, onto the actual story.

One of the first things that struck me was the way the narrator describes Oronooko... By which I mean, it's kinda racist.

Admittedly though, it is the week where have to deal with
uncomfortable racism at the dinner table. So, fitting.


I mean, the narrator basically goes on about how Oronooko is an imposing, beautiful man and isn't like the 'rest' of his nation, for example- "his mouth the finest shape that could be seen, far from those great turned lips that are so natural to the rest of the Negroes." Like, whoa, calm down there grandma, keep your racist mutterings to yourself please. I mean, I get that we're trying to describe Oronooko as an ideal, probably almost godlike example of his people, but does that really mean we need to once again dive into that offensive territory of describing African people in a derogatory way?

The answer is always no.

But regardless- I'm about to take this in a very different direction, now that I'm done complaining. So, after reading, it occurs to me that Oronooko is a Prince. "Well duh, Sean," You might say, "We all read the text, we know that." To which I respond, yes, I'm sure you know, I'm not done talking yet so sit down and shut up Captain Sassypants.

The thing is, Oronooko is a Prince of a place called Coramantien. Now, I'm no expert on African geography, but I'm fairly certain there's no country in this day and age called that. I even looked it up. No results. Sounds like it's either an old kingdom that got renamed later, or just never existed.

Or maybe it did and I didn't look hard enough for information. You can't prove anything.

Anyway, where I'm going with this is to say: Oronooko is a Prince, specifically prince of a possibly fictional African country. Maybe he doesn't pull off any majorly heroic feats in this tale- at least, none that I saw- but this situation does sound mildly familiar...


You thought I was done with superhero jokes after the Wife of Bath? Think again.

Yes, ladies and germs, obviously Oronooko is secretly T'Challa, the man who would become King of Wakanda, and the superhero Black Panther. It all makes sense! Or, well, maybe he's T'Challa's ancestor. Or maybe Stan Lee read Oronooko. I mean, there's a few possibilities, right? I'm not crazy.

Anyway, there you have it. My complaints, and my obligatory goofball humor for today. Join us next week on Self & Society for the obligatory Beach Episode.

Put on your imperial-colored glasses...

…because that’s how we are gonna see this story.

Imperial-colored glasses give me a bit of a headache, sort of similar to the headaches that 3D glasses give some people. It’s just the way they saw things back then, Miranda. They don’t realize how stupid they sound right now for idealizing the natives in such ways. I find it especially interesting that the text praises the natives’ morals over the systems familiar to the Europeans:

  • On the Surinam natives: “And these people represented to me an absolute idea of the first state of innocence, before man knew how to sin. . . . Religion would here but destroy the tranquility they possess by ignorance, and laws would teach ‘em to know offense, of which now they have no notion” (Behn 2184-2185).
  • On West Africa: “. . . and especially in that country, where men take to themselves as many as they can maintain, and where the only crime and sin with woman is to turn her off, to abandon her to want, shame, and misery. Such ill morals are only practiced in Christian countries, where they prefer the bare name of religion, and, without virtue or morality, think that’s sufficient” (Behn 2188).

Frankly, I’m surprised. I would have thought that any European narrator would have dismissed and belittled every non-Christian culture.


No, White Person, you are a credit to your race.

Now, the several pages dedicated to describing the natives of Surinam, only to jump settings across the Atlantic and describe two people there, seem excessive at best and unnecessary at worst. Is it not enough to say that the story will arrive at Surinam, but begins in West Africa? Will the native cultures of Surinam become relevant later in the story?

Speaking of West Africa, I think I will look into whether any of the names are real, or if Behn just made up some names that sounded “vaguely African.” I actually kind of hope that the former is true.

Side note: I’m going to guess that we will not see Imoinda for the rest of this story. It would be way too convenient to have Oroonoko somehow encounter her again in slavery, when there are so many different faraway places they might have sent her. I get the impression this is not the kind of story in which those kinds of ridiculous coincidences happen. What do you think?

I pledge that I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this assignment.

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Orooknoko

I did not really like the start of this because I feel like telling the reader the things you will and will not do during a story is pointless and putting yourself into a fiction story is pointless also...?
I think my difficulties with this lie with in the fact that I cant really tell if the author is also the speaker of the story. 

I do however, enjoy the description of this colony, and the beauty of it even though the underlying meaning isn't, 

I think it is kind of messed up how Oroonko's 100 year old Grandfather stole his girl lol. It isnt something that really seems okay to me, considering the fact that he is 100 years old, and she just went along with it? Eventually they find their way back to eachother though and that really brings it home for me.

I think what surprises me the most about this story is the fact that i kind of expeceted it to be some sort of fairy tale, but the ideals of slavery and such are very realistic.  (I guess the names are what made me believe that it would be some sort of fairy tale) 

Oroonoko and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day



           Oroonoko starts out with a disclaimer of sorts with the writer explaining that she isn't going to pretend to entertain the reader “…with the adventures of a feigned hero” and that most of what is said, she has witnessed herself. I think the writer does this to lend more credibility to her story although I’m not exactly sure why she needs it since it’s a work of fiction in the first place. Also, I’m not sure whether the narrator is Behn herself or if it’s a completely different person.

          When Oroonoko meets Imoinda, it is love at first sight. They decide to get married and are happily in love. That is until Oroonoko’s creepy King Grandpa sets his eyes on her and turns her into one of his concubines. What kind of grandpa does that to his own grandson? Then when Oroonoko sneaks in to meet Imoinda, the King finds out and sells her into slavery! Whoever said that with age comes wisdom was wrong because that clearly doesn’t apply to everyone. Instead of just being a man and telling Oroonoko what he did, the King decides to lie and say that he killed Imoinda. I feel so bad for Oroonoko, first he meets the love of his life and then his grandpa steals her away and “kills” her. He must have felt horrible that he couldn't do anything to stop the King from taking her away from him and that he couldn't protect her. It can’t get any worse for Oroonoko right? Wrong! Then he gets kidnapped into slavery after being nothing but hospitable to this English captain. Poor Oroonoko…