David Lurie's worshipping of Eros keeps him from recognizing the guilt of his actions and he uses his beliefs to justify his bad behavior throughout Disgrace. His beliefs help him to defend his approach to attaining personal satisfaction, sexual release, autonomy and passion. Lurie is very condescending of women and sees them as a way to "solve the problem of sex" rather than as an equal. He shows a prejudice towards women who do not attempt to make themselves look appealing and he sees himself as a "predator" of the women of which he is intimate. He is extremely passionate about poetry but shows no enthusiasm while teaching, especially when he is forced to teach introductory communication courses. Lurie decides to resign from teaching at the university in Cape Town, rather than to admit he has made a mistake. He is very independent and is saddened to realize he can no longer protect his daughter, Lucy, or himself. He sees himself inferior to other races, to other species and to the other gender. Lurie's feeling of superiority to other races is seen as a result of the Apartheid. Lurie's character is paralleled with the character Byron that Lurie talks about in his romantic poetry class. Like the character Byron, Lurie acts on his own impulses and he too has "a mad heart." Lurie uses his worshipping of Eros and his beliefs to justify his mistakes and to resolve himself of any bad behavior towards others, particularly his affair with Melanie. Throughout the novel, Lurie refers to his idealizing belief of Eros. Eros is the Greek god of love and sexual desire. Early legend states that Eros was responsible for the union of the earth and the sky. He is said to be one of the oldest gods, although he did not appear in Greek mytholo... ... middle of paper ... ...one that he has made a mistake, not even to himself. His unwillingness to admit his wrong doings even causes him to lose his job as a professor at the university in Cape Town. His beliefs serve his own purpose, which consists of attaining personal satisfaction, sexual release, autonomy and passion. Coetzee, J.M. Disgrace. London: Vistage, 2000. Louw, P.Eric. The Rise, Fall and Legacy of Apartheid. Westport, conn.: Praeger, 2004. Kerry Fried. "Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee." Reviews. April 19, 2002. March 23, 2006. http://www.bonster.com/disgrace.html Ravitch, Michael. "Fiction in Review." Yale Review 89.1 (January 2001): 144-153. Ron Leadbetter. "Eros." Encyclopedia Mythica. March 03, 1997. March 23, 2006. http://www.pantheon.org/articles/e/eros.html
life, and acting upon his responsibilities in order to follow with his heart, instead of with
...n who obviously showed no signs of knowing it themselves. Moreover, this was perhaps his primary purpose.
The story is concerned with the conflict between his conception of himself and the reality.
From the very start we see Apuleius using references to Roman myths as similes to everyday occurrences. When Fotis, the slave, enters his bedroom to make love to him, he remarks that "she stood, transformed into a living statue: the Love-goddess rising from the sea. The flushed hand with which she pretended to screen her mount of Venus showed that she was well aware of the resemblance; certainly it was not held there from modesty." He describes a slave girl trying to seduce him as Venus rising out of the sea. Some of this description may be a hyperbole for Lucius' love of Fotis. However, Apuleius goes beyond this by linking Fotis directly to Venus. Thus, the most beautiful goddess in the Pantheon is easily seen in a slave girl. Similarly, Thelyphron, when telling the story how members of a household attacked him, describes himself as feeling "like Adonis mauled by the wild boar, or Orpheus torn in pieces by the Thracian women." This...
Leading ladies in Greek mythology heroes make a significant contribution to their quests, both positively and negatively. In the story “Perseus”, his leading lady Andromeda delays his completion of his quest to bring Medusa’s head back to Polydectes. However, through this, Perseus finds his true love. Next, Hercules has a life full of trouble all because of Hera’s hatred towards him, leading him to his well-known twelve labours. Finally, when Theseus’s quest of killing the Minotaur presents itself, Ariadne aids him with his essential tool, a ball of string, but creates trouble for Theseus later. These stories prove that the heroes in Greek mythology have contributions made to their quest by their leading ladies.
Peter Shaffer’s play “Equus” reads like a true tragedy blending religion and adolescence while questioning society’s “civilized norms”. Although Alan Strang seemingly suffers the most throughout the story, the true tragic figure in the play is Dysart, Alan’s psychiatrist. Dysart is forced to question everything that he previously accepted and his whole life is thrown out the window upon meeting Alan. Both Arthur Miller’s definition of a tragic figure and the traditional definition provided by Aristotle apply to Dysart.
In many instances, this “protectress of dewy youth” is equated with other goddesses named Phoebe, Selene, or Luna (Hamilton 32). By any name, however, it is most important to realize the goddesses’ representation of the sky and woodlands. The character or Lysander makes direct reference to the relevance of this goddess in Act I,
David Lurie was one of the most contrasting characters I’ve ever read about. He’s been through so many rough obstacles in his life. In the novel, “Disgrace”, by J.M Coetzee, Lurie goes from prostitutes to sexual charges to nearly dying and finding out his daughter's been raped. It's safe to say he has been through hell and back. He experiences drastic changes when adjusting to different environments throughout the novel. Does this mean he changes as a person? I do believe David Lurie does change when it comes to his personal character. By looking at quotations from the novel, you can get an idea of the change of character that occurred to Lurie.
In the Aeneid, love is depicted as an uncontrollable emotion. Venus and Juno promote the romance between Dido and Aeneas. Dido, the queen of Carthage, begins to fall in love with Aeneas, even though she has vowed to her late husband that she would set her “face against marriage” (Virgil 975). Aeneas falls in love with Dido and remains with her in Carthage, even though he knows that he must continue his travel to Rome. Love is a passion which consumes the soul in spite of its will. It is an “inward fire” (Virgil 976). Juno arranges it so that Dido and Aeneas consummate their love in a cave during a storm. Again, mortals have little or no control over their loves. The gods are the ones who cause people to fall in love.
STUDENT - A tragic hero finds his psychological mistakes himself. He goes discovering his mistakes – what is the problem with him
Reading the story of John Woolman helped in driving home Parker Palmer’s concept of the tragic gap. Parker Palmer states this gap exists “between what is and what could be” (Palmer, 2009). Upon reflection, I realized that I have stood within this gap and most likely, will do it again in the future. This course has provided the opportunity for self-reflection and analysis of my ethical beliefs and actions in both a personal and professional setting. The various readings and teachings throughout this course have brought comfort to my beliefs. Previous to taking this course, I was feeling like maybe my stance on certain issues and beliefs might be wrong because they clashed drastically with many of those closest to me. However, I’ve come to the realization that I have to be true to myself and respond to my critics in that same manner. I am who I am. I cannot appease others at the cost of living a divided life myself. The price is too high. Therefore, I recommit to authenticity of self. I aim to
...s own, and enveloping and forming these new found attributes in to a an identity which best suits his "deformed conscience."
self- doubted person, which had led him into making the inaccurate decisions and taking the
Many critics consider David to be an oppressor “He is a predator, an exploiter: an attitude and behavior seen most clearly in his relationship with Melanie, one of his students.” (Sarvan).David is an oppressor he sleeps with women who are smaller, younger, timid and passive. His sexual relationship with Soraya, she is described as quiet and docile even though he is intense but not passionate. One can imply that his sexual desire is a way of him to show dominance and him imposing his dominance towards his preference “exotic”(8) would suggest that he is showing that he is the superior race. Lurie’s relationship with Melanie is interpreted many ways too, he forces himself upon her, yet he says she did not resist, but every time he would force himself on her she would avert herself in a way as if “she would die within herself for the duration”(25). David should get one good vote though, after the truth has spread about his relationship with one of his students he isn’t ashamed he stands up for what he did. He pleads guilty to the charges that Melanie Isaacs has stated, yet he won’t subdue to say that he feels guilty for sleeping with a student, not even to save his job and his benefits. David Lurie adds new disgraces to his name, but stays true to
David begins his journey though life without a father, and mother who is more like a doll than a parent. The person who really influences and inspires him at this time in his life is his nurse Peggotty. Because she is such a good and honest being, and because David's mother is such an innocent, he learns gentility early on. It has been proven that a child is most receptive to learning in the first five years of his life, and in David's case this was entirely a good happenstance, as he was brought up by gentlewomen who had nothing but love for him and his best interests at heart. It is in his best interests that his mother remarries. His mother was obviously ashamed, or at least embarrassed of their union, as she married the man behind David's back as he and Peggotty were visiting some of Peggotty's family in Yarmouth. Mr. Murdstone, the man who seduces her into marrying him, is a demon of a man who wants nothing more than Clara Copperfield's money and property.