!@#$%^&*! MIDTERMS!

                Last week I went to a coffee shop and tried to study for my interdisciplinary essays.  Up until last week I had not really stressed very much about the interdisciplinary essays, because throughout my college career I have not made lower than an A on in class essays. I also felt extra confident knowing that we were pretty much given the prompt beforehand and that we would have almost a month to prepare for these essays. However, as soon I as I sat down to outline these particular essays I realized that this was not going to be as easy of a task as I had initially thought it would be. The concept of relating one of three themes with two or more concepts with a piece of literature, music, and art work, on top of writing an essay that cohesively flowed, began to seem like an overwhelmingly impossible task. I began to have a freak out moment. I am not someone who handles stress well at all. At that particular time I convinced myself that I already have too much stress in my life, and then I began to think about dropping the class. (Ridiculous, I know.)  Whenever I begin to feel like I am going to fail at something I start to shut down.  So on this day I just had to shut my laptop and leave the coffee shop.

                Today has been a little different. I approached studying in a more organized fashion by sitting down and simply outlining each culture then relating it to a topic. Within two hours I had managed to come up with two very nice outlines to base my essays off of. All I can say is that it really wasn’t hard. In the right frame of mind (and with two midterm portfolios out of the way) I was able to affectively study for my interdisciplinary essays. I am no longer stressed out about tomorrow, and I have confidence that I will do well.

….as long as I don’t freak out right before the exam. J

Words: 344

Visiting the Synagogue

           Upon entering the synagogue I immediately noticed that this place of worship was very modestly decorated. The color scheme of the room was very monochromatic and bland; however I was pleased to a set of very ornate doors of some sort.  They were made of bronze and copper and they had Hebrew letters on them. Later in the session we learned that the letters on these doors represented the Ten Commandments, and that behind the doors was the torah scrolls. The Rabi was a small kind looking man who informed us that this place of worship is not church. The Congregation of the Children of Israel is either referred to as a synagogue or a temple.  According to the Rabi, calling it a temple is not a very traditional thing to, but many people who live in Augusta refer to it as a temple.  The Congregation of the Children of Israel is a place for Reform Jews to worship; if it were a place for Orthodox Jews it would never be called a temple. Orthodox Jews believe that the only temple is the Temple of Solomon, and they hope that it will one day be rebuilt; therefore they cannot call any other place of worship a temple.

                Overall I really enjoyed my visit to the temple. The Jewish religion is very interesting to me. I appreciate that believe that there is a place for all good people of any religion, or no religion at all, in heaven. They put more emphasis on this life and living it to the best of their ability. They do not worry with the afterlife too much, because it is unknown to them.  To me Jewish people seem very relaxed. They do not try to convert other people to their religion, but they are more than happy to help someone convert.  The overall impression I got was that Jewish people seem to be very accepting of all people.
Words: 323

Canon = Rule or Measure

In 450 BCE Polykelitos, the best known theorist of Classical Greece developed a set of rules for constructing the ideal human body. He documented these rules in a treatise called “The Canon.”  According to his canon, the proportions of the human body can be calculated using a module, or small body part such as the nose or finger. He not only studied the ratios of the proportions of the entire human body, but he also analyzed the distribution of weight in the arms and legs of a relaxed figure.   Polykleitos demonstrated this by constructing a larger than life bronze statue of a man known as The Spear Carrier.  Unfortunately, neither the treatise nor the statue survived; so the statue that I will be analyzing is actually a Roman copy that is made of marble. 

This sculpture depicts a nude, upright man, who would have been carrying a spear during the time in which this statue was created. The position of his body, also referred to as contrapposto, is illustrating the movement of walking and coming to a standstill. Unlike the statues of Archaic Greece, such as the Kouros, this statue is conveying a sort of narrative. The viewer can imaging that the man depicted was once walking and is now stopping.  In many cases the viewer can visualize what the statue would look like once the man came to a standstill. This difference sense of time also projects a different sense of self. 

As opposed to the Archaic Greeks who had not yet developed a unified sense of self, the Classical Greeks began to view themselves as a more continuous and unified being.  During the Classical period, many people began to investigate the world with a more rational approach, and a good example of this would be Polykleitos’ Spear Carrier.  The idea of "beauty" emerged through the philosophy of Plato, who believed that beauty did not necessarily mean attractive, but was more of a way to define something as closer to the good. Mathematics, as used in Polykleitos’ sculpture, is something of a higher order which cannot be grasped using the senses alone. Mathematics alone is what makes the Spear Carrier, in some sense, good. 
Overall I feel that this was a pretty good analysis; however after rereading it, I feel that it sounds a little disjointed. My weakest and probably most irrelevant paragraph would have to be my last. It's obvious that I do not fully grasp the concept of mathematics as related to the good. I tried to incorporate some information from Art History I to make it sound a little better, but I don't think that it helped. As Socrates would say, I am displaying my ignorance on the subject by trying to act like I am actually wise. I admit that I am not wise, and that my analysis is not perfect. 

Words: 476

WHAT?!...Interdisciplinary Essays?!

To be honest, when I read the blog prompt I felt a little intimidated, and before attending class on Friday I had no idea what to write about. I was especially intimidated by the idea of writing two interdisciplinary essays for our midterm. However, I feel that I now have better grasp on what is expect. So in order to discuss the themes of obligation, suffering, and judgment, I am going to related theme to the cultures we have studied thus far.

Obligation is theme that I feel is very prominent in Hinduism. It relates directly to their idea of dharma, or duty.  In order to break the cycle of samsara, and overcome human ignorance, you must become aware of your dharma.  Becoming aware of your dharma, and essentially yourself is not a necessarily an easy task.  However, when one discovers their dharma they must fulfill it in order to better their karma and better serve Brahma.  In Hinduism, having good karma is the key to escaping samsara, the cycle of rebirth and suffering.

When it comes to Archaic Greece I believe that the theme of suffering was a very notable aspect of their culture.  The thing that was most desired by Greek men was honor, or timê.  In order to gain honor men would have to defend and fight for their community, which would most likely involve a lot of suffering.  Achilles and Odysseus both suffered a great deal during and after the Trojan War; however this suffering, although it may have caused them a great deal of pain, paid off in the end because it resulted in honor.

Judgment is an important theme in both Hinduism and Ancient Greece.  As previously stated, in order to break the cycle of samsara Hindus must have good karma, and if their karma is bad they are forced back into the cycle.  In Archaic Greece the afterlife is the same for everyone, which means that unlike the Hindus, they are exclusively judged while they are on earth. 

Word count: 335

Ancient India...The Movie

                Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the class visit to the Hindu temple. I instead had to resort to the second best option, watching a movie titled Ancient India.  I have a feeling that in many cases the perplexing title of the movie may have lead some students to wonder, “Now just what is this Ancient India movie about?” That was not the case for me. Being the bright young lady that I am, I gathered that, although the title seemed a little ambiguous, the movie was going to be about ancient India.  I was right.

                Ancient India was a relatively interesting movie that traced India’s history all the way back to the earliest excavated Indian city Harappan, which dates back to 3,500 BCE.  Like many cultures, Indian culture has evolved substantially over time due to a variety of reasons. I find it fascinating how ancient Indian traditions have been maintained for over 5,000 years.  Footage of the ruins of ancient civilizations such as Harappan and Mojenjo Daro helped to better display the longevity of Indian culture.  Almost all of the religious imagery that the modern world relates with Hinduism can be found amongst these ancient ruins.

                This movie, along with what we have been studying in class has really heightened my interest in Hinduism.   I find the emphasis on sexuality in Hinduism very intriguing.  I like the fact that unlike many religions that shun sexuality, the Hindus embrace it, and they especially embrace female sexuality.  I feel that sexuality with love is a part of life that should be celebrated and not scored.  The Hindus take this to another level by believing that sexuality amongst a married man and woman can actually bring them closer to Brahma. 

                I do not consider myself a religious person; however I also do not consider myself an atheist. For many years I have struggled with Christianity.  I believe that there is a higher power in the cosmos, but I do not believe that it is necessarily the Christian God.  I feel like there is a force that is greater than man, like an energy that is all around us.  I was pleased to learn that this is how the Hindus describe Brahma. Believing that Brahma is everything makes a lot more sense to me than saying that God is the creator that sits up in the heavens and watches over us.

                Overall, I feel that I have gained a lot from studying India and Hinduism.

Word count: 432