The Myth and Ritual of Coffee in Mario Puzo’s The Fortunate Pilgrim
When I arrived in Italy in May 1998, my first order of business was to sample some Italian coffee. Being an avid coffee drinker, and having heard that Italians brew the best in the world, I was quite eager to find a little bar that would cheerfully quench my craving. I was not disappointed. The cappuccino that I sipped that day was a two-layer affair, a mountain of rich foamy milk atop a modest amount of strong, hot espresso.
It was heavenly. As I swirled the thick steaming layers together, I was fascinated by the lively Italian being spoken in the bar, the laughter, and the peace and ease in the bartender’s face. I felt honored to be privy to the rituals that were taking place before my eyes.
Coffee is a truly a mythological treasure. It serves the dual functions of waking one up and providing one with relaxation. It is both acid and base, bitter and sweet, caustic and comforting. It is used for an array of purposes: to soothe, to give energy, to lend fortitude, to bring people together. Sometimes it is ascribed almost supernatural healing properties. In Mario Puzo’s The Fortunate Pilgrim, coffee takes these roles and more: the drinking of coffee is an immensely important ritual that serves a myriad of social functions and responds to a wide range of human emotions.
Wine, arguably the only other substance surrounded by so much myth and ritual, also plays a part in Puzo’s novel, but it is coffee that is the drink of choice and ritual for Lucia Santa. Early in the novel, the beverage is aptly described as “ceremonial”: “Lucia Santa served the ceremonial coffee, then said, ‘Zia Louche, I am going to see the little one. Care for the girl and Lorenzo. Do me this favor.’” (Puzo 36) Coffee is the focal point of the meeting, a warming beverage to represent the warmth between two people. It is this warmth, this caring human connection, that enables Lucia Santa to ask her friend for a favor. At the same time, the hot coffee lends fire to her courage and conviction, giving her the requisite strength to confront Filomena. (37)
Interestingly, coffee becomes a pacifier, a salve, when Lucia Santa returns from Filomena’s house shaken and distraught with her baby Vincenzo in her arms.
When the Founding Fathers got together at Philadelphia to draft the Constitution, they had many different views and opinions as to how to govern our country. At the convention, the founders fought over the issues of slavery, representation and the Congress’s powers. Their personal lives had influenced their ideas and some of the compromises made at the Constitutional Convention. The founders’ different personal experiences, economic backgrounds, and coming from states of different sizes, economy and needs, led to the creation of the Three-Fifths Compromise, The Great Compromise, and the Slave Trade Compromise.
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object as she slowly takes a sip. In a later scene, Mrs. Sebastian pours the
Every year, the statue of the Infant King “is carried into the cell of every Carmelite on Christmas.” A decree of the National Assembly confiscated all church goods, including the crown and the scepter of the Infant King. Regardless, the Carmelites carried on the tradition. The statue came to Blanche’s room, and she was moved to tears as she saw the poor Infant King, clad only in a handmade cape. She held the statue and said, “Oh so small and so weak”, Sister Marie corrected her saying, “No, so small and so powerful.” Blanche’s misconception was that the Infant King was only powerful if he was wearing his crown, and as she bent over to kiss it, she noticed his crown was missing. At the same moment, she heard Carmogle being sung in the streets. She immediately dropped the statue and its head broke off. She cried, “Oh, the Infant King of Glory is dead!” From that moment on, Blanche’s demeanor changed, as her hope was shattered, like the Infant King. She now realizes that the good Infant King was not protected from suffering. In fact he embraced suffering to sacrifice for the good of others. She began to accept her condition. Mother Teresa asked Blanche if she still hoped to overcome her weakness, and Blanche replied, “No Reverend Mother… Consider the secret of my name.” Blanche was referring to her religious name bestowed on her by the bishop: “Jesus in the
Only six states sent delegates to this meeting, so no changes could be made. A year later delegates met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles, but instead wrote The Constitution that we still use today. Under this new type of government the delegates had decided that there would be Executive, Judicial, and Legislative branches. The new government wanted to have a balance between the power of the government and the power of the people. The delegates also had many arguments about how much representation each state would get. The larger states believed the representation should be based on a state’s population. Of course, the smaller states did not agree with this. Out of this came the Great Compromise. It stated that there would be two houses in this government. The houses would be The House of Representatives and a Senate. The House of Representatives based its representation on population and the Senate called for two representatives per state. After these were created there was arguments about who should be counted as population. States that had slaves wanted slaves to count towards their population because they made up most of their population. The Three-fifths Compromise was the law that was created out of this. This stated that slaves only contributed three-fifths to the population. Because the government didn’t want tyranny to be started they created two principles. These
Pecola starts off this passage with a sick feeling as she relaxes and stops feigning sleep during her parents' argument. It seems that these arguments happen a lot, for while "she had tried to prevent [the sick feeling] by holding in her stomach, [the sick feeling] came quickly in spite of her precaution" (Morris...
At the Constitutional Congress of 1787, The Delegates frequently used compromise to resolve controversial issues such as, Representation in the Government, Slavery in the new country, and Also the Morality of the Slave Trade. If it wasn’t for the ability of the Founders of our country to compromise, Who knows that the United States of America would have existed at all. The constitution that they wrote over two hundred years ago, still is the basis of our government today, with only few changes. The creators were smart enough to allow room for change and growth, they knew that the document would have to change for future problems, and changes. They were aware that with time the government and the people under that government would have new demands and be faced with many new situations.
Caffeine and coffee are a daily part of life for most people in modern society. The discovery of the coffee bean is said to have been in Ethiopia, when a sleepy eyed goat herder noticed his goats eating red berries, he then noticed the effect it had on them as they jumped and danced around him. He then tasted the berries and his eyes opened wide, he took them to the local village who also liked it and in particular the monks who used the berries to keep them awake during meditation.
Coffee is much more than the hot, black liquid that millions of us drink every morning; it is a worldwide commodity that has been keeping us awake for hundreds of years. It seems that a coffee shop can be seen on every shopping center and a coffee pot in every work break room. Our lives today revolve around coffee, regardless if we drink it or not, and ironically it not only stimulates of senses but also our economy. We wouldn’t be able to imagine Bill Gates not with his cup of coffee making Microsoft in his garage, or Henry Ford waking up early to perfect the auto industry and the assembly line. The economics of coffee may not be a simple one to study, but it is one you will be kept up all night learning about.
There is no surprise that food is important in all aspects of our lives—it is shared amongst families, celebrated as a major part of our culture, and crucial to our daily routine that keeps us fit, healthy, and active. Today’s western culture glorifies a skewed perspective on how food is supposed to fit into our lives. Somehow this perception has led us to believe we no longer have the time or money it takes to prepare a wholesome, healthy meal that is shared at the dinner table with family. Instead, we are trained to want a meal that is fast, cheap, and easy. This meal is usually highly processed and filled with sugars and fats. This has led us to a problem of epidemic proportions characterized by the rapid increase in obesity and diabetes.
Starbucks is a company in which purchases and roasts high quality whole bean coffees and sells them along with fresh, rich-brewed, Italian style espresso beverages, a variety of pastries and confections, and coffee-related accessories and equipment (starbucks.com). During my environmental scan in which took place at the Starbucks on the corner of Fair and Newport across the street from vanguard, I noticed many things in which where never brought to my attention in prior stays and visits at Starbucks; such as the many social groups in which choose to have their meetings at Starbucks. Thus in this essay we will discuss things in which many people do not really notice when going to Starbucks.
Coffee is the first thing that people associate with instant energy on a groggy morning. “In the U.S., coffee is king of beverages” (Reinke) Research has been done that has named coffee as an addiction to the people who consume large quantities of it. Coffee was named the top source of antioxidants. This is partly because of the amount consumed each day. Some of the antioxidants that coffee has are quinines and chlorogenic acid. It also contains trigonelline, an antibacterial compound. This is where coffee acquires its delicious aroma. Now let’s step back for a minute and just think about how much caffeine people consume. In an 8oz cup of coffee it has about 85 milligrams of caffeine. This is about double the amount that tea contains. Studies have shown that caffeine stimulates the brain and nervous system. This is where you get that energized feeling. After about the third cup, knees start to bounce, pens are clicking and people start running laps around the office. Caffeine can become addicting if you drink too much. Coffee can become that addictive habit people are unable to shake.