One last thing...

Think back to all the poems, parables, scenes, and stories we read this semester. Select two of them - from different books - that have significant parallels or similarities that aren't obvious at first glance. In other words, I'm not looking for two stories that have nearly the same plot line (e.g. both feature a woman who couldn't have children and then TA DA she had a baby). I'm looking for something that's deeper, more creative, and more unexpected. If you're thoughtful and analytical, you can find links between opposite characters, distinct events, and other surprising things. As always, include specific details, beings sure to note book/chapter/verse where needed.

DUE by 11:59 on Wednesday, December 12th.
WORTH 25 extra credit points.

Have you considered...?

Look through your notes from the recent round of Oral Papers.

Engage with ONE of the oral papers in one of the following ways:

1. Present a disagreeing rebuttal to the thesis, providing at least TWO items of textual evidence that support your rebuttal. (Provide chapter and verse for your rebutting evidence.)

2. Present a supportive response to the these, providing at least TWO additional items of textual evidence that bolster your support. (Provide chapter and verse for your supporting evidence.)

Please note: disagreeing with someone's thesis does not mean you thought their oral paper was weak or insufficient. It simply means you see things another way. In truth, a good thesis is one that a rational person can reasonably disagree with. So you needn't fret about hurting anyone's feelings.

Simply state your case - whether you disagree or agree and why (based on strong textual evidence).

Ready: go. DUE by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5th

I am a poet, but I didn't know it.

The basic rhyming unit of Hebrew poetry is a complete thought. That "rhyme" isn't one of sound, but rather one of thought, for example:

I am weary to the bone.
Indeed, I am tired unto death.

Rhyming ideas isn't necessarily easier than rhyming words. In fact, it might be more difficult because it requires a certain finesse of phrasing and style.

For this post, you will compose a Hebrew-styled lyric. The basic structure will be as follows:

Part A (rhyming ideas about a certain topic/emotion/reality/etc.)
Pivot ("But....")
Part B (rhyming ideas that oppose/respond to/clarify/correct the content of Part A)

For example:
Several idea-rhymed couplets about how much school is breaking your spirit.
BUT several idea-rhymed couplets about what a privilege and gift it is to attend university.

Your poem can be serious, reflective, or onion-like sarcastic -- just be sure to follow the template above.

Parts A and B must each have at least 4 sets of rhyming couplets (i.e. 8 lines), so your final pome must be at least 16 lines long.

Ready - write!

Due by 11:59 on Monday, November 19th.

May I approach the bench, your honor?

Look through your notes from the recent round of Oral Papers.

Engage with ONE of the oral papers in one of the following ways:
1. Present a disagreeing rebuttal to the thesis, providing at least TWO items of textual evidence that support your rebuttal.
2. Present a supportive response to the these, providing at least TWO additional items of textual evidence that bolster your support.
As part of your response, you may draw parallels between two of the oral papers in substantive and interesting ways.

Please note: disagreeing with someone's thesis does not mean you thought their oral paper was weak or insufficient. It simply means you see things another way. So don't be afraid or worried about presenting an opposing view. In truth, a good thesis is one that a rational person can reasonably disagree with. So you needn't fret about hurting anyone's feelings.

If you take an opposing view, do it with respect and clarity.

If you take a bolstering view, do it without being overly "bravo awesome."

Simply state your case - whether you disagree or agree and why (based on strong textual evidence).

Ready: go. DUE by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, November 19th.

Yes? No? Maybe?

Look through your notes from the recent round of Oral Papers.

Engage with ONE of the oral papers in one of the following ways:
1. Present a disagreeing rebuttal to the thesis, providing at least TWO items of textual evidence that support your rebuttal.
2. Present a supportive response to the these, providing at least TWO additional items of textual evidence that bolster your support.
As part of your response, you may draw parallels between two of the oral papers in substantive and interesting ways.

Please note: disagreeing with someone's thesis does not mean you thought their oral paper was weak or insufficient. It simply means you see things another way. So don't be afraid or worried about presenting an opposing view. In truth, a good thesis is one that a rational person can reasonably disagree with. So you needn't fret about hurting anyone's feelings.

If you take an opposing view, do it with respect and clarity.

If you take a bolstering view, do it without being overly "bravo awesome."

Simply state your case - whether you disagree or agree and why (based on strong textual evidence).

Ready: go. DUE by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27th.

Agree/Disagree

Look through your notes from the recent round of Oral Papers. Engage with ONE of the oral papers in one of the following ways:
1. Present a disagreeing rebuttal to the thesis, providing at least TWO items of textual evidence that support your rebuttal.
2. Present a supportive response to the these, providing at least TWO additional items of textual evidence that bolster your support.

Please note: disagreeing with someone's thesis does not mean you thought their oral paper was weak or insufficient. It simply means you see things another way. So don't be afraid or worried about presenting an opposing view. In truth, a good thesis is one that a rational person can reasonably disagree with. So you needn't fret about hurting anyone's feelings.

If you take an opposing view, do it with respect and clarity.

If you take a bolstering view, do it without being overly "bravo awesome."

Simply state your case - whether you disagree or agree and why (based on strong textual evidence).

Ready: go. DUE by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, October 4th.

Genesis (re)considered

"In the beginning" is a phrase most people recognize. The words that follow may or may not be equally familiar.

If the full book of Genesis was a new text to you before this class, 1) what expectations did you have for it (and what were those expectations based on), and 2) how were those expectations surprised? In others words, how was Genesis not what you thought it would be? Provide at least one specific example (include verse and chapter as needed) and briefly comment on your changed perspective.

If the book of Genesis was a familiar text to you before this class, 1) what was your perception of it before this most recent read-through (and what were those perceptions based on), and 2) how was that perception surprised after reading and discussing it? In other words, how is Genesis something new or different or more than it was previously? Provide at least one specific example (include verse and chapter as needed) and briefly comment on your changed perspective.

NOTE: don't waste any words on an intro statement, needless blather, or fancy tangled sentences. Say what you want to say with confidence, clarity, concision, and cohesion. Be thoughtful. Write something of substance. Use however many words you need to make your brilliant observation, and not a single word more. At the same time, don't use one word less than you need to fully and completely make your brilliant observation.

You can do this. Don't fret. Think about it. Mull it over. Dance through it a few times in your head. Then write it down, type it up, check for spelling errors (do. not. skip. this. step.), get rid of stray commas, post it, and enjoy a snack.

Posts are due by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday Sept. 12.

Carry on.

Noah re:mix

Enjoy this retelling of the Noah story, envisioned as postcards from sea-life - who understandably have a contextualized perception of reality. (Brown whale - brilliant.)

Note the color-coded palistrophic structure, the creatively envisioned heavenly organizations (e.g. "Travel Division of the Aquatic Subdepartment"), the PA (post angel) box numbers, and postal codes (which reference the Genesis passage, so "71740" alludes to Genesis 7:17 and 40 days/nights).

Bonus: postcard first and last are from creatures that can exist on both land and in water. Nice touch.

All creative pairings and written content belongs to Rachel Babiak.

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Who Is This Man? (Blog post 9)

Jesus (by Kaichou Angel 

Luke 8:22-25 tells the story of Jesus calming the storm. You know the narrative - Jesus and his friends plus a boat; very bad storm; danger danger; boat filling with water; friends freak out; friends wake up Jesus (probably because they need more help bailing the boat); Jesus doesn't bail the boat; Jesus tells the wind and the waves to STOP; they stop; his friends (who've known him for awhile now) are terrified and amazed.

"Who is this man?" they ask each other.

That is the million dollar question.

Who is this man?

Luke's gospel gives us more details about Jesus' life than similar texts. And yet even this carefully organized and thoughtful account of his life is replete with unspoken backstory - or "fraught with background" as we discussed early in the semester.

Still, all we have to go on is what Luke (and the other gospel authors) actually wrote. It is much and little, all at the same time.

Choose two accounts/narratives in Luke's gospel and discuss how they illuminate the character of Jesus. You can focus on something Jesus said (or didn't say), something he did (or didn't do), or something someone else said or did in response to him.

Analyze the two accounts and offer an answer to the question "who is this man?" Your answer can be practical, literary, descriptive, relational, theological, philosophical - anything goes, as long as you craft a substantive and thoughtful response based on what Luke wrote.

Be sure to include references.

DUE: Friday, Dec. 1 before MIDNIGHT

The Jury is Out (Blog post 8)

John Cleese as a British judge - you're welcome.

(If you don't know who John Cleese is, shame on you. Look it up. Then watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Many times. And also the Dead Parrot skit. And the Ministry of Silly Walks sketch. Over and over and over again.

Respond to one of the recent oral papers on Samuel, Psalms, and/or Job with either a thumbs up (agree with the thesis) or thumbs down (disagree with the thesis - but not rendering judgment on the presenter or the paper itself; they were both likely quite awesome).

You must provide THREE supporting pieces of evidence for your viewpoint. In other words, offer three additional textual observations in support of the thesis OR three textual observations in opposition to the thesis (they can be entirely new pieces of evidence or new observations of evidence already submitted for consideration).

As always (ho hum - you've heard it before) be concise, articulate, and substantive. There is no room in a blog post for meandering, yammering, wandering, or ummming/ermmmming.

No need to wear a British judge wig while writing - but bravo if you attempt it.

POSTS ARE DUE WEDNESDAY 8 NOVEMBER BY MIDNIGHT. (Put in on your calendar. Set an alarm. Write yourself a note.)

Psalm 23 re:mix (Blog post 7 & Quiz 7)

Psalm 23 is perhaps the most quoted, memorized, and well-known passage of the Hebrew psalter. It presents a strongly developed metaphor that makes clear this fact: much of the Bible is literary, imaginative, poetic, and not literal.

God is not actually a shepherd. He is spirit. But he is like a shepherd in certain ways. Not all ways, of course. God, as shepherd, does not as a general rule slaughter his beloved sheep. In other words, though a metaphor may have unlimited resonance, it can still have limits of scope.

David understood shepherds and sheep. Most of us do not. So, as powerful as this metaphor is, it may fail to fully engage and enrapture us with its deeper meanings and nuances.

Your task is to rewrite Psalm 23 from your own perspective, using imagery that expresses specific characteristics of God described in the Bible (his comfort, care, power, correction, guidance, presence, forgiveness, kindness, justice, mercy, etc.). Whether or not this is your personal view of God does not matter for this task. You will write as though you are David (or another psalmist) living in the 21st-century.

You must write three remixes: one about a person, one about a place, and one about a thing. Place and thing are somewhat related, so don't fret about technicalities. For example, "front porch" could be both a place and a thing. Fine. Just be sure to do 3 different remixes.

Your format must be as follows:
"The Lord is my ___________________, I have everything I need.

• He...
• He...
• He...
• He...
• He...

You must have at least 5 bullet points for each remix. The bullets do not need to start with "He" - but that's the easiest rubric to follow. 

Here are a few examples to stir your creative juices (some of these are shorter than your requirements):

_______

The LORD is my high-ropes course harness, I have everything I need.

• He holds me tight and doesn't let go.
• He is the foundation of my safety.
• He gives me the confidence to do things I never thought I could.

The LORD is my recipe, I have everything I need.

• He tells me exactly what I need.
• He describes the steps I must take.
• He leads me to fulfillment and satisfaction so I will be full.

The LORD is my orange spray, I have everything I need.

• He has a sweet aroma.
• He gently cleans away all the grease and grime.
• He gives every surface a fresh start.
• He makes things new, clean and inviting.
• He is both strong and safe.

The LORD is my Disney World, I have everything I need.

• He creates a world of wonder and awe.
• He invites celebration, laughter, and adventure.
• He is a place where I can play and laugh and rest with friends and family.
• He invites me to be childlike and trusting.

The LORD is my Texas, I have everything I need.

• He is bigger and better than anything else.
• He is always there and will never leave.
• He loves me even if I leave and always welcomes me back.
• He is so much bigger and more than I can imagine.
• He will forever be my home.

The LORD is my coffee, I have everything I need.

• He greets me with a sweet aroma each morning.
• He warms my soul.
• He brings things into clear focus.
• He gives me energy to meet the day.
• He is a perfect reason to gather with friends for conversation.

POSTS ARE DUE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31 by midnight. (Do it before Halloweening.)

"In the end, the students created..." (Blog Post 6)

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters." (Gen. 1:1-2, NLT)

Then God started planning, sorting, organizing, shaping the raw materials, and giving specific functions to the various elements of the cosmos.

Thus will you proceed with your final creative projects: you will plan, sort, organize, shape raw literary materials, and give specific function to the various elements of texts you've read.

You have numerous options: create a board game; create original artwork, build a model; develop a story-board; write poetry; envision settings and characters; write a personalized protagonist journal; narrate a relationship between secondary characters; build something; sew something.

For this post, write a preliminary proposal for your final project. You must describe the end-product (what form will it take? what will it include? what steps will you take to create and complete it?) AND must explain how you will engage with and analyze the text(s) throughout the creative process.

This proposal MUST be posted by Wednesday, Oct. 25 at midnight. You will also need to meet with me in person the week of Oct. 30th to finalize all details.

Speech and Character (Blog Post 5)

The books of Samuel are filled with lively dialogue and fully developed characters, something that's rather new in our reading up to this point.

What a person says and how a person speaks are deeply revealing about how a person feels, what a person intends, and who a person is.

Find a brief section of dialogue in 1 or 2 Samuel and dissect how those particular words develop a character (i.e. how does the language function in terms of narrative value and purpose) and what those particular words reveal about the character (i.e.  what do we know/understand/perceive about the character as a result of the dialogue that we didn't know before).

Your dialogue selection can be as small as a single statement or can include back and forth between characters. Choose your piece of dialogue thoughtfully and carefully. Not every segment of dialogue reveals characterization. You must look intently at the context to determine whether a specific piece of dialogue is worthy of analysis - and then you must proceed to actually analyze it in whatever manner seems most pertinent (by considering the words themselves, the implied tone, the contextual setting, the relationship between speakers, et al.).

Be sure to include references. Be sure to write something interesting, fresh, substantive, thoughtful, and engaging. Be sure to think and consider before writing. Be sure to submit this post on time.

Posts are due by WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18 at MIDNIGHT.

The Evolution of Women in the Bible (Blog Post 4)

"Judith with the head of Holofernes" (Cristofano Allori, 1613)

Think back to the first female characters you encountered in the Bible: Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Dinah, Potiphar's wife, and more.

Then think about the recent female characters we've discussed: Deborah, Ruth, Esther, Judith, and others.

Do you see a shift in the view of women? The representations of women? The interactions of women with men? With other women?

Compare one of the earlier female characters with one of the more recent characters. Using textual evidence (book, chapter, verse), create a strong statement for how you see the characterizations either remaining static or changing as the texts progress over time.

You can compare whatever narrative details are most pertinent to your observations and argument.

Posts are due by Friday, Oct 6 at midnight.

The Jury is Out (Blog Post 3)

Think back on the three oral papers we heard this week. Choose one: do you agree with the thesis? Disagree? Choose a position and offer additional textual evidence for your position, i.e. evidence that either supports the thesis or evidence that undercuts the thesis. Consider yourself a jury member who must support either the defense or the prosecution and must have good reason for doing so.

Posts are due Wednesday, September 27th at 9:00 a.m.

The Character of God (Blog Post 2)

Detail of the Creation of Adam, by Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel
(c. 1508-1512)

How can a human being characterize God?

Michelangelo's paintings of a powerful old man with wavy grey hair and beard are one well-known attempt.

God is powerful. God is old. God is grey. God is surrounded by cherubs.

Some people view God as stern, cranky, impatient, petty, vindictive, vengeful, and other pejorative things.

Some view him as distant and disinterested.

Others view him as a hands-off onlooker of human destiny.

Still others view him as personal, patient, and present in human history.

But how does our text, Genesis, actually describe God?

Using the scenes and words of Genesis, develop a portrait of God's character that considers more than simply the surface level evidence. You don't have room to write a book here; you have only several paragraphs to flesh out a rounded description of this major character in our readings. If you focus on only a single characteristic, you will present us with a flat character. Flat characters are not worth our time and effort, beyond saying, "He or she is a flat character. The End."

God is anything but that.

On the other hand, you don't have space to flesh out God's character in all its fullness. Instead, focus your discussion on perhaps two or three characteristics of God, using textual evidence to bolster your discussion. Use simple parenthetical citations noting both chapter and verse, e.g. (45:9). Paint for us a portrait of God that goes beyond both Michelangelo's grey-haired old man and the various popular notions of God that are too often based on cultural imaginings rather than the written text.

Posts must be thoughtful, substantive, referenced, and articulate. Due: midnight 13 September.

The Bible Is Lit (Blog Post 1)

Detail of Noah's Ark - from MS Additional 18850 (Beford Hours) folio 16v.
(British Library)

What is it like to read the Bible as literature? How do you experience the text? How do you analyze the text? How do you interpret the text? How do you make sense of the words-as-poetry and words-as-narrative on the page?

Questions like that are impossible to answer - they are vast and vague and very *yawn* ho-hum.

Better is this question:
What is it like to read the BIBLE as literature, as opposed to reading other texts as literature? Is it different? How? Why?

Or this question:
What is it like to read the Bible as LITERATURE, as opposed to reading it as a religious book? What adjustments (if any) must you make in your reading/annotating/analytic processes?

Choose just ONE of the these topics (BIBLE as literature / Bible as LITERATURE) to respond to, being sure that you are juxtaposing your answer in a proper manner (Bible vs. other literary texts for option one; Bible as primarily a religious text vs. Bible as primarily a literary text for option two).

To help focus your answer to option one, you might choose one or two other literary texts you've read and are familiar with as your comparative foil. To help focus your answer to option two, you might pick a specific section of Biblical text we've covered and outline the possible differences between a religious and a literary reading.

Posts should be long enough to say what needs to be said without rambling, repeating, or using any foo-foo meaningless filler. You don't need to start by repeating the prompt - just jump right into the discussion. Don't write a paper. Papers are d-r-e-a-d-f-u-l. Write a post - a pithy, engaging, brilliant, clever, insightful, fun post. You do not (and cannot) exhaust the topic. There will be more to say than you have room or time for. Choose a few insightful and interesting points to make. Ready: go.
(Responses must be posted by Monday 28 August at midnight.)

Is it real? (9)

"Is it real?"

That's the question children ask when they read or hear a story.

For grown-ups (which is not necessarily a better or richer stage of life than childhood) the question becomes, "Is it true?"

We all know that Smaug isn't real (or do we...?), but could he possibly by true? That is, is Smaug a dragon as dragons should be, a monster with meaning, an enemy that must be carefully considered?

Some readers - including me - would argue that The Hobbit is TRUE even if it is not REAL. One thing that makes The Hobbit true for me is the scene between Gandalf and Beorn. Gandalf's clever manipulation of the dwarves' entry, his ability to string Beorn along with a stop-start-stop-start narrative, his wit in choosing just the right word to spin things his way - these are all things that I've seen in "real" life. The strategy, tone, and style are all familiar in their own way.

Is The Hobbit true for you? Why or why not? Please steer clear of simplistic generalizations: "I just really love it, you know?" Provide a clear example and explanation for your judgment. And avoid using broad examples that can't be pinned down. Pick a specific character, scene, conversation, setting, or description, and then break down for us how that example = true.

Comments are due by MIDNIGHT, MONDAY 3 DECEMBER.

Read vs See (8)

In his essay "On Fairy Stories," Tolkien argues that a fantasy subcreation - a Secondary World - is best experienced as text. That is, it should be read, not viewed.

So then books beat out dramas and movies. For fantasy, at least. In a visual world such as ours, that's a strong stance to maintain.

Do you agree? Do you disagree? (It's totally fair to disagree. Tolkien was a genius in many ways. That doesn't mean he was right about everything.)

Tell us why you think Tolkien is right or wrong  about fantasy in written form versus fantasy in visual form. Provide a concrete example. Don't fall back on "I just like movies better" or "books are the best." Such statements say nothing at all of substance. (We've had enough of that in this election year, don't you think?)

Your example need not be of a fantasy that exists in both written and visual form. Many fantasy books haven't been adapted for the screen, and many cinematic fantasies did not start as written stories. Whatever your example - movie, book, or both - give us some specific reasons for how it influences and supports your opinion of Tolkien's thesis.

Comments are due by MIDNIGHT, THIS FRIDAY 16 November

Tombs in Context (7)

The Tombs of Atuan is hard to pin down. What exactly is it? What is it doing? What is it saying? Where is it going?

All of those questions defy simplistic answers, which perhaps explains in part why the book is beloved by so many readers and esteemed by so many critics.

One way of beginning to answer these questions is to consider Tombs alongside others texts. Sometimes we can only see what something is and what it's doing in light of something else.

Identify a parallel between Tombs and one of our previous novel-length texts (A Wrinkle In Time, Out of the Silent Planet, The Silver Chair). These can range from a character to a plot element to a motif to a specific scene to a phrase to any other textual or authorial detail. Briefly summarize the comparison (providing page references for each) and then talk about how the similar elements shed light on Tombs (and perhaps the other text, too), either by clarifying, narrowing, or enriching your understanding of and engagement with the story (or stories).

Comments are due by noon on MONDAY, OCTOBER 22nd.