Final Ideal Society

My society really did not change that much. I only traded Lara Croft for Pink. I traded Lara Croft because I did not feel I really needed someone like her. I just added her in because she was a female, and my society needed to procreate, plus I thought she had some interesting qualities that might help a society. But when I found out some of the other omen in other societies, I liked them better. The only extras I found Lara to have was proficiency in weaponry and combat, and a lot of money. Gabriel, though, can create anything from thin air, like money, and both Gabriel and Beast know how to fight. So instead, I received Pink, whom in my opinion is a great musician and singer. She is not afraid to voice her own opinions and won't just roll over when something doesn't go her way. Also, since Apollo is the God of Music, having a musician in the society would make a good pair.

When I think of flaws in my society, I feel I can rule out any issues regarding supplies. Not only is Demeter Goddess of Agriculture to grow food, but Gabriel can literally create anything out of nothing: food, money, even other people, and he can create them to be as real as you or me. Stability, however, may be an issue. I feel as though in my society Gabriel and Demeter would lead it. Gabriel can create anything, and he is an Archangel. Demeter is one of the oldest gods in Greek Mythology. She has enough power to make Zeus, King of the Gods, cower before her if she wants, through control of the earth and the seasons. Apollo does not strike me as the kind of god to seek power, in all the myths I know of, he is only concerned with love or when someone underestimates his own power...although that might be a problem as well.

The thing with Greek Gods is that they are very proud. If they are in any way disgraced or underestimated, they turn vengeful very quickly. Having two gods in my society probably is not a smart move, along with Gabriel. Gabriel, when he fled to earth, disguised himself as the Norse God Loki, the Trickster God. For centuries, he targeted the high and mighty and brought them down a peg, often with a sense of humor. Thanks to him, many would get their "just desserts". So having Gabriel in a society with other Gods may not work out, although, in one episode of Supernatural, it did show him actually acknowledging and behaving around other gods, so it could go either way, depending on how you look at it.

Supposing Gabriel and the Greek Gods get along, however, I feel my society will work. They never have to worry about going hungry or dying off, because Demeter can grow food, and Gabriel can create other people. Apollo is the God of Healing and Medicine, and can keep the people healthy. Then, all that matters is the Arts, of which Apollo is the God of, Intelligence, of which Beast is very profound, and Good Times, of which Pink can surely facilitate.

Ideal Society

For my ideal society, I chose Apollo, Gabriel the Archangel, Dr. Hank McCoy (Beast), Lara Croft, and Demeter.

Apollo is the God of the Sun, Prophecy, Medicine and Healing, Music, Poetry, and the Arts, etc. I chose him because he is a god, and there are perks to being a god, such as immortality. He is one of my favorite Greek Gods because he has a wide sphere of power. Not only he is patron of the arts, so he can provide the society with music, literature, artistry, and all that, but he is also the god of healing and can heal the society, keeping them healthy.

Gabriel The Archangel, as portrayed in Supernatural, is, in my opinion, one of the best Archangels on the show. He fled from heaven and hid himself as the Norse God Loki, the Trickster God. He has a jester sense of humor and can entertain the society. He can also warp and manipulate reality, as well as create things from thin air, which is how he plays his tricks on people. As an Angel, he is also trained as a warrior of the Lord and can fight to defend the society. "Archangels are heaven's fiercest weapons."

Dr. Henry "Hank" McCoy is the X-Man known as Beast. He is incredibly intelligent in most arts and sciences, but specifically world-renowned in the fields of biochemistry and genetics. He is a teacher at the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, and can teach the society on whatever it needs to be taught. His intelligence, paired with Gabriel's ability to create, allow are the proper advancement society needs.

Lara Croft, tomb raider: she is very athletic and skilled with weaponry and combat. She is also very wealthy, and can provide the society with any wealth in might need and store it like a banker. She can also procreate.

Demeter is the Goddess of Earth and Agriculture. She can farm the earth for food, as well as control the seasons and weather if need be. She is very motherly, and as a result is the matriarch of the society, its leader. She is a goddess of Justice, meaning she can lead and keep order amongst the society. She can also hold her own in battle, as her rage was strong enough once to force Zeus, Lord of the Sky and King of the Gods, to do her bidding.

My Society focuses and the Arts and Stability. We need to be able to survive and grow, but also be able to occupy and entertain ourselves once we do.

Code of Courtly Love

-Attraction to the other person.

-Know that you are now secondary. Their needs come before your own.

-Lovesick, can't get them out of your mind? A good sign you love them.

-Friendship and camaraderie. Have fun with them, and make sure they have fun with you.

-Be sure that they are the object of your devotion, nothing less. Do not engage with false feelings, and do not lead them on. Never lie to them.

-When ready, confess your feelings. Pray that they reciprocate.

-If they do not reciprocate your feelings, respect their wishes, even if it's not what you want. If you truly cared, what you want would not matter. They should be all that matters.

-Be theirs, because they are not yours. Exist for them, because they do not exist for you. Cherish every moment.

-Make them happy, by whatever means necessary. If they frown, be the one to turn it upside down. Make every day better for them than the last.

-Look in their eyes like they're your favorite tv show, hold their hand, hug them like a life preserver. Make sure they know how much you love them, and never let them forget it every day you're with them.

Essential Question #4

In Hrothgar's final farewell to Beowulf,the leader of the Danes offers Beowulf two pieces of advice. The first is to always remember and thank God, the second to never succumb to pride. Hrothgar offers an anecdote of a man who comes to power through the glory of God. God makes this man the ruler of a country which he is able to rule prosperously. Nothing bad ever happens to the man, until he starts to get pompous. Arrogance consumes him and he forgets about God, instead focusing on himself, his wealth, and his achievements. Ambition grows, and what made him happy before is now insufficient. He greedily craves more. The man then dies, another man taking up the throne in his place. Hrothgar sums his story up with these words to Beowulf: "Arm yourself, dear Beowulf, best of men, against such diseased thinking; always swallow pride; remember renowned warrior, what is more worthwhile--gain everlasting. Today and tomorrow you will be in your prime; but soon you will die, [...] all too soon, O warrior, death will destroy you" (Lines 742-752). Hrothgar's message to Beowulf is simple: "Do not let all of this fame and power go to your head. Instead, make a name for yourself so that your name can live forever. Remember that even with your strength, you are still mortal, and that some day you will die. Remember God and thank Him for all that he has done, and do not stake your faith in earthly possessions." Man is finite; his time on earth is short, and that time must be spent doing the right thing and serving God, the only thing that is infinite. I think that Beowulf will get caught up in his power and forget Hrothgar's word. In the end, Beowulf will forget about God and rely on his own strength, which will in turn insure his end.

Essential Question #3

In the poem, Wealhtheow is Hrothgar's queen, playing hostess to all the men of Heorot. We see her as as "adorned with gold"(606). First, she offers the mead-cup to the King, then to all others of the hall until she comes to Beowulf, to whom she hands the cup and praises God that he has come, and that she "might depend on some warrior for help against such attacks" (619). Since she is the only "good" female in the poem (the only other female being Grendel's mother, whom we can assume is a villainess), and a queen as well, we can assume that she is meant to portray the ideal Anglo-Saxon woman. It is interesting to note the meaning of her name. In the footnote concerning her name, it is said that "Wealhtheow" means "foreign slave". Wealhtheow may be British or Celtic as well, explaining the foreign part. In the poem, it also describes her as "mindful of ceremonial" (605) and "excellent in mind" (615) This shows that her actions are the proper, ceremonial mannerisms to be exhibited by Anglo-Saxon women, and she is mindful of her place. Anglo-Saxon women, therefore, are expected to be inferior to Anglo-Saxon men, somewhat of a "slave" to them, mindful of their place in society, and dependent on stronger men. Anglo-Saxon women, as Wealhtheow, appear to be the common "damsel-in-distress" type.

Essential Question Numero Dos

To understand the social obligations of a hero, I think you first need to settle on your definition of hero. I do not know about most people, but when I hear the word 'hero', I think of masks, capes, and technicolor spandex, with witty catchphrases and crime-fighting gadgets. Comic books, no matter how nerdy they are, help to discern the heroes from the plain old good guys. Fighting the villain, setting an example for society, and saving the day--these are all thing heroes should do, but I don't think they are absolutely necessary to be a good hero. In fact, not all of them have to be 'good'. Batman was a vigilante: He didn't fight for good, nor evil, but he fought for Gotham City. Batman fought for what was right,and right is not necessarily 'good'. Sometimes you have to break the rules to truly do the right thing. That is the obligation of a hero--to fight for what's right, even if it's not thought of as good. A Hero can be the epitome of virtue or a poster child for vice--all that matters is that they endeavor to do whatever it takes for the right reasons.

Ess? Part B

I believe that Shakespeare is rather progressive in his portrayal of Lady Macbeth because she is not like we would expect women of that time to be. In Macbeth's time, I doubt it would be suitable for a woman to speak out of turn let alone plot to kill the current King of Scotland, and succeed in doing so. She exhibits a level of cunning and mastery that rivals the other men of the play, including her own husband. Macbeth was apprehensive of murdering the King, but Lady Macbeth was in fact the one who stepped up and told him to put on his big boy pants and kill the guy. She took charge when her own husband could not. Compare her to another Shakespearean leading ladies--Juliet Capulet and Desdemona. Both are the typical archetype of a woman in Shakespeare's time: inferior to the men in their lives, be it Juliet with her father or Desdemona with Othello. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, ordered her husband around and stood up as a progressive woman of her time. Even if she was a villain, that only proves how progressive Shakespeare has written her character. It shows that she was cunning and calculating enough to become a villain in the first place, where most other women of her time probably would not have had the gall to even do that.