Playing God (Analogy) - Novel Blog 7 (Slaughterhouse-Five)

"Billy cried very little, though he often saw things worth crying about, and in that respect, at least, he resembled the Christ of the carol: The cattle are lowing, The Baby awakes. But the little Lord Jesus No crying he makes."

~ Slaughterhouse-Five, page 197

There are a lot of religious references and symbols in this book. Billy is often compared to Jesus, like in this passage. He witnesses a lot of sin and bad in the world, and he carries that on his shoulders throughout his life, a little like Jesus bearing the sins of humanity to save us. Both Jesus and Billy knew how they would die and accepted it gracefully. The only thing I can't connect is purpose - Jesus died to save our sins, and the whole Catholic religion is based on that act and trying to be a better person to attain salvation, however, Billy represents the exact opposite of that - he is just drifting through life with seemingly no purpose whatsoever but to be.

The other religious analogy I found was in Kilgore Trout's novel The Big Board. The aliens on the planet, the people in the zoo, and the plot are obviously based on Billy's life and his abduction, but I think the aliens also represent God in the story. They control all the conditions under which the humans live and can manipulate their moods and pretty much anything about their lives. It gets to the point where the humans actually pray to the aliens - they play God throughout the book. Because The Big Board represents Billy's alien experience, I think that the Tralfamadorians also are analogous to God; Billy adapts their ideals and perspectives on life, and he is subject to their care while he lives on their planet with Montana. I'm not saying 100 percent that they control his time-traveling, but obviously he is connected to them in a special way since no one but Billy and the Tralfamadorians can experience life out of chronological order. I kind of have a theory that the Tralfamadorians are controlling Billy's sporadic time travel; they play God in that sense. They also have an omniscience, especially because they can view the universe in four dimensions and understand much more about, well, everything.

My Generation - Drama Blog 1 (A Raisin in the Sun)

"Now - you say after me, in my mother's house there is still God."

~ A Raisin in the Sun, page 51

It's natural for people to mature when they age and then become out of touch with younger generations - the things they used to care about seem insignificant compared to their present values, and this is consistent with most everyone in general. There are several different examples you can pull from A Raisin in the Sun.

One is between Mama and Beneatha. One of the fights they had revolved around religion. Spirituality is definitely an ongoing struggle and personal journey for each individual person. It seems that with age, people in general become more devout and religious. Beneatha renounces the existence of God, but Mama will not have it in her house. I think that when people are younger, they doubt and they want to explore and learn new things about the world. Beneatha's denial of God isn't necessarily lasting - she will probably recognize those values as she ages.

Another is between Mama and Walter. They both want to invest the money into something that will help the whole family, but there are definitely different motives for each one. Mama wants to buy a new house - the house will give all of them space to live and feel more liberated than in their tiny apartment; ultimately, it would benefit the whole family and improve the family dynamic. Walter wants to invest the money in a liquor store. While this would give the family more opportunities, Walter considers the fastest, easiest way to get what he wants (instant gratification), and the main goal is more money. Mama values hard work and a reward that would be helpful to everyone; this shows how family-oriented older generations are.

Approaching Death / Symbolism - Poetry Blog 4 (Crossing the Bar)

"Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar When I put out to sea."

The poem Crossing the Bar by Alfred, Lord Tennyson uses a lot of symbolism throughout. During the poem, he is talking about what he wants to happen at his imminent death. He doesn't want anyone to mourn for him; his death should be quiet and peaceful. He says this several times when he states "And may there be no moaning of the bar When I put out to sea," and "And may there be no sadness of farewell When I embark." The sea is used as a symbol for death, and as he crosses the sandbar into the sea, he is dying. The poem brings about the idea of the "circle of life" as a never-ending cycle when Tennyson says "But such a tide moving seems asleep, Too full for sound and foam, When that which drew from out the boundless deep Turns again home." God is also represented in the poem as the Pilot when Tennyson expresses his desire to see God when he dies.