Blog #4

Blog #4

This week we focused on the Bible story of Abraham. Essentially this tells the story of a man named Abraham who was married to an older woman named Sarah, by the time both of them were very old Sarah was infertile and Abraham had no heir to follow him. One day God blessed Abraham and his wife Sarah with a miracle baby, Abraham named him Isaac. Abraham and Sarah loved Isaac very much because he was so valuable and precious to them. One day God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac in honor of God. Abraham knew what a huge sacrifice this was but his faith in God was strong and so he went up the mountain with his son in order to complete the deed. When Abraham had his knife poised to sacrifice his one and only son, an angel spoke to him and told him to halt the sacrifice. Abraham was relieved that he did not have to sacrifice his only son, and his faith in God was ensured. This story is present in many popular novels and movies that we see today. For example, in Memoirs of a Geisha the main character, Sayuri, sacrifices her father and home in order to show the faith that she has to Mr. Tanaka. She leaves her sickly father as well as the house that she has lived in all her life just to follow the man who she considers to be her savior figure. Sayuri makes continual sacrifices throughout the novel in order to please the saviors in her life. Near the middle of her story Sayuri sacrifices all of her time and money that she had when working as a maid only to start the grueling work of becoming an apprentice Geisha and eventually a Geisha. She also sacrifices the friendship she has with Nobu in order to ensure her successfulness as a full-time Geisha. This book is only one of the many popular novels and movies that have been created in the past hundreds of years. It is useful to know the background Biblical stories in order to fully analyze the meaning behind the stories. 

Blog #3

Blog #3

This week’s allusion presentation of David and Goliath really opened my eyes to the underlying context in the majority of media surrounding us today. When you think about popular books and movies, in essence they all have a theme of “good guy verses bad guy” or “underdog versus the favorite”, which is basically the foundation of the famous Bible story. For example, one of my favorite movies of all time is Top Gun. This movie exemplifies how the story of David and Goliath is integrated into modern (well in this situation all-most-modern because it was filmed in the eighties) cinema. Some background for this movie is that there are two main characters, a pilot named Maverick and his GIB (Guy In Back) who’s call-sign is Goose. These two men are stationed somewhere over the Indian Ocean and after an unexpected turn of events, are allowed to attend the most prestigious flight school in the United States. Due to the fact that Maverick and Goose were not supposed to attend this flight school in the first place, puts them at an automatic disadvantage to the other pilots. This is the major element that creates the “David” effect upon these two men. Much like the Biblical story, there is a prominent character in this movie that asserts immediate dominance over these underdogs. This character, Ice Man, essentially portrays the “Goliath” of this movie. Throughout the movie there are certain flight scenes, sports scenes, and dialogue scenes that show Ice Man’s superiority to Maverick and Goose. However in the very end scenario, Maverick in a sense “defeats” the stereotype of the underdog by saving Ice Man from being shot down by enemy plane. Upon landing his plane and returning to the aircraft carrier, Maverick is greeted by masses of celebrating soldiers. This reflects the acceptance and celebration that David receives when he returns to camp after he killed Goliath. I find it interesting that many popular cultural icons such as the movie Top Gun are centered on Biblical allusions. The majority of Top Gun scenes are not considered “religiously appropriate”. There are multiple killing scenes, curse words, and sexual references. However, the story is still based on a direct reference to the Bible. This oxymoronic connection is interesting when related to our society as a whole. It reflects the common societal aspect of having one religious preference while exhibiting the actions that completely go against that. In my immediate society, there are males and females who claim to be avid Christians however they break the majority of the Ten Commandments in one weekend. I am not judging these people, I am merely questioning whether movies and situations like that of Top Gun influence society, or if rather society has influenced the making of such oxymoronic movies like Top Gun. 

Frankenstein

Blog #2

Upon reflection of this week’s allusion presentation I began to see references of Adam and Eve in almost every aspect of pop culture. The most prominent correlation that I was enlightened of was that of the deeper context in one of my favorite books, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I have always been familiar with the story of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis and how the act of disobedience against God led to the eventual fall of man. However I have never gone so far as to connect that particular story with any relevant source of entertainment. It never occurred to me that my favorite movies, books, and songs could potentially contain some deeper context in reference to the Bible itself. What eventually made the connection between the story in the Bible and the connection to Frankenstein was the word “creator”. In the book of Genesis God speaks of how he created Adam out of the dust of the ground and put him to work, and later he created Eve from the rib of Adam. The Bible states that God, “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being”. This recounting of the creation of a living being out of nothing but dirt triggered a neuron in my brain that made the connection between this biblical reference and my favorite book. Not only did Dr. Frankenstein create his monster out of nothing but old body parts, he soon gave the creature life. Dr. Frankenstein essentially is the representation of a Christ figure because he created life out of a previously inanimate object. In this novel, Dr. Frankenstein is so disgusted and appalled by his hideous creature that he flees from it and never wants to see it again. This display of disappointment and disgust mimics that of God’s reaction to the actions of Adam and Eve. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God and listened to the serpent, they directly went against God’s word, and after God found out about this misdeed he banished them from the Garden of Eden and placed many trials upon their life. Much like how Dr. Frankenstein banished his creation from any aspect of his life. Essentially the second parallel of the story of Adam and Eve to the book Frankenstein is the essential creation of a second “being” from a God figure. In the Bible God creates Eve from the ribs of Adam after he had put Adam into a deep sleep. God breathed the breath of life into Eve just as He had Adam and so there were two of man in the Garden of Eden. Much like the Bible, in the book Frankenstein, Dr. Frankenstein is forced to make another creature to keep his original monster company, as quite a coincidence, a female monster. So as a recap, God created Adam and Eve out of nothing and then banished them for bad behavior. In the book written by Mary Shelley, a doctor creates a man and a woman monster out of nothing, and then banishes them for bad behavior. Seems a bit coincidental for me!