Superman

Raskolnikov's theory was illustrated through his work, Crime and Punishment, which we read during this unit.  One of the primary concepts of his Superman Theory is that the superman has the right to break laws as he sees fit.  As I read this I tried to think of people in our society who are supermen.  The first thought that came to my mind was government officials.  When there is a law in their way, they have the ability to change or shape that law for their own use.  The difference between the supermen of our society and the main character of Crime and Punishment is that we the people elect our officials, whereas Raskolnikov appointed himself.  The second group of people that came to mind were the infamous villains of our age, such as Hitler and Stalin.  They believed that they were in the right, and that they had the god given right to do as they saw fit.  These supermen were of course evil.  Then I thought of other government officials who broke the law as they saw fit, and immediately thought of Abraham Lincoln, who suspended Habeas Corpus during the Civil War so that the United States would be able to arrest those in the Union suspected of supporting the Confederacy.  This is an example of a superman who is considered to be one of the greatest presidents in our nation's history.  A character in literature who had the right to break (unjust) laws as he saw fit was Robin Hood.  Of course he got away with his crimes unlike the character of Crime and Punishment.  So I have to ask.....supermen...good or evil?

An Admirable Stranger

"For if there is a sin against life, it consists perhaps not so much as despairing in life as in hoping for another life and eluding the implacable grandeur of this life."- Albert Camus
Before this class, I had never heard of existentialism, but had always agreed with the concept of making your own way in life.  When I was born, I had no purpose.  Now I have made a purpose for myself and set goals.  I live for myself and for what matters to me, not to please a god and be "saved."  Why did I struggle through years of school just to go to a good college?  Because I made becoming a vet my purpose in life.  I find happiness in the struggle to get where I want to be.  Meursault did not show emotions throughout his life, because he saw no point in it.   He felt no need to fulfill the norms of society and cry for his mother.  He was different from those he encountered in the book, and this is what doomed him in the end.  Though some may find it strange that he had no tears to shed for his mother and he felt no remorse for shooting the Arab, many respect Meursault for his honesty.  What would the world be like if we were all a little more like Meursault?  Would there be lies? Probably not.  Would there be as many wars? Definitely not.  Think of all that life could be if people realized that there is no purpose, except when we make one ourselves.

Pride in Suicide?

"To make yourself less than something you can be-that too is a form of suicide."- Benjamin Lichtenberg.  Throughout this unit we have encountered numerous suicides.  The first was that of Edna Pontellier, who could not bear to live in a world where she is only granted freedom that could be snatched away at her husband's discretion.  The second was that of the imaginary character Judith Shakespeare, who could not survive in a world where she could not demonstrate her genius.  The third was the author of A Room of One's Own Virginia Woolf, who suffered greatly as a woman writer.  A fourth suicide could be considered, the fate of Mariam in A Thousand Splendid Suns.  In killing Rasheed, Mariam faced certain death and she knew this.  However this suicide is quite different from those of the other women mentioned.  Before reading of the deaths of these women, I always considered suicide an act of cowardice and surrender.  It seemed to me a permanent solution to a temporary problem.  Artists like Shakespeare' sister and Virginia Woolf committing suicide seemed almost cliche to me.  As Kurt Vonnegut said, "Suicide is the punctuation mark at the end of many artistic careers."  However these women brought me to question, can suicide be honorable?  The first quote I mentioned made me think, perhaps living in a world where they could not be free, simply because of their sex was the same as death for them.  By opting not to exist in this world, they made a decision that no one else could make for them.  This did show strength, not weakness as I originally thought.  Indeed, choosing to end their lives rather than lower themselves to fit in societies definition of what a woman should be could be considered honorable.  The woman whose suicide was most disconcerting to me was that of Edna Pontellier, who claimed that she loved her children but then took her own life instead of returning to them.  Then I really thought about it, and realized that mothers of the time were not the doting caregivers of today.  Edna's relationship with her children was never that of my mothers with her children, so to me her abandonment of her family is excusable.
Before I became familiar with these women I thought that suicide was only for the weak.  Now I realize that these women were strong beyond belief in choosing their paths.  For them, living as women during their time periods was a fate worse than death.

ATSS Blog

While reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, I of course was revolted at the brutality aimed towards the physically weaker sex.  I, like many others, was aware that women were treated inhumanely in other parts of the world however I had never been taken into the life of an Afghan woman like I was in this novel.  While I was reading of Rasheed's beating on Mariam when he pounded her flesh like a piece of meat I felt almost physically ill.  Like Laila, I could not believe that a body could withstand so much beating and still function.  Of course I thought to myself, "How could some men believe that this was perfectly acceptable behavior?" and then it dawned on me that these men in their minds had formed an excellent excuse: religion.  In Afghanistan at the time of Mariam and Laila, the Taliban was attempting to bring the country back to it's traditional ways, while using the world of God as an excuse for their savage behavior.  So, I decided to learn a little about Islam myself.  I already knew that Muslims worship the same diety as Christians and Jews, but I wanted to learn more.  I attempted to look up "Islam" on the computer that I have been working on at the resort I am staying at, however interestingly enough I was flagged for searching this religion and so had to take my search elsewhere.  Unbelievable right?  Well I finally was able to read about the faith, and it's five pillars.  These include worshipping God and believing in Muhammad, giving alms, pilgrimage to Mecca, ritual prayer, and fasting during Ramadan.  I did not read anywhere that men must wear bears or be punished, or that women must be completely covered and may not work.  However, to keep women in the houses with the children, some very powerful men in Afghanistan have decided to cripple all females in the country.  They have done this by making them the property of their husbands, keeping them from educations, and forbiding them from working.  Even women who have been widowed and left with children may not seek an occupation.  The Taliban has said that this is God's creed, and many men of the country have whole heartedly accepted this.  I am aware that not long ago in U.S. history women were treated as the lesser sex, but I am appalled that Afghanistan has yet to move forward.  Indeed, they seem to be taking two steps forward and then three steps back.  The Taliban threaten and kill many girls who have begun to return to school in Afghanistan.  Domestic violence in Afghanistan is up 54%, and 60% of all marriages are forced.  Almost no laws protecting women are ever enforced.  This article was published in 2009 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/14/afghanistan-womens-rights-rape.  It is amazing that men in Afghanistan use their religion that calls for peace, as an excuse for violence.  This same scenario has been repeated throughout history involving the crusades, slavery, and the holocaust.  It is my sincere hope that the women of Afghanistan will find their feet, like Laila and Mariam, and fight back.