Carter Gates -- The Call to a Journey

 December 8, 2022 

    In "Following the Uncharted Way: Aesthetic Journeys on Land, Sea, and Within," Dr. Redick talks about the effect and influence pieces of literature can have on a journey. I think this is interesting because I never thought too much about it before. Pondering the idea now, I agree with Dr. Redick. A beautiful speech can empower one to go on a journey to find God and seek peace with Him in His paradise. There are many different ideas of God that people believe, and I think that, in one way or another, we all believe in this divine being and that our souls seek out some kind of relationship with this being. As a Catholic, I believe in God and that He has a plan for me that I am being called to. Others might believe in a different kind of god, but they are still being called. I believe that all of our souls are seeking a journey of fulfillment through a higher power, one that leads us on a journey inward. This inward journey allows us to reflect not just on experiences we have had, but the value and purpose of these experiences and the fulfillment they bring us. People find fulfillment in many different ways, and no one way is correct, just like no one way is wrong. Just because something works for someone, does not mean it is going to work for someone else. This inward journey is not something that you can just be told to do, you have to be willing to take the time to reflect, and different readings and ideals can be very helpful with this. Some of the Platonic ideals specifically can be used, which Dr. Redick discusses. An example is the aesthetic journey "at the foot of Plato's ladder of ascent, where Eros the philosopher and pilgrim, called by the beauty of a singular body, responded by moving ever closer to the terminus, loving the Good and contemplating the beautiful itself," (Redick). This is interesting to think about because it requires you to look inward into your soul and makes you wonder why he felt called in the first place and what made him move closer. For me, I think that he felt called because his soul was missing something, and that he believed the best way to find that missing piece was to go on a journey to find it. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gone Girl

Gone Girl Abhirami Sankaran 2/3/2023 Gone girl is a film about a dysfunctional couple. It follows Nick and Amy. The story begins with Amy's disappearance. All signs point to Nick. There is blood in the house, Amy’s journal detailing abuse, a slew of toys Nick bought, financial problems, a pregnancy, and a life insurance policy that would make Nick a millionaire in the event of Amy’s death. Then, halfway through the film, it is revealed that Amy staged this death. She is alive, though she intends to kill herself to complete the performance, and she plotted all this because Nick betrayed her. They’re whole marriage is based on performance and he dropped his part, and also cheated. This was her idea of revenge. As she states it he took her life and now she would take his.  Gone Girl was a very popular and lauded film (and book). It clearly spoke to something within the cultural consciousness. So I wonder if it has some symbolic value? Some analyses I have watched suggest that the film...
Read more

Carter Gates -- In Baghdad, Dreaming of Cairo

  December 8, 2022  The poem, " In Baghdad, Dreaming of Cairo " was very interesting to read for me, and I enjoyed the discussion we had about it. While I was reading it, I started to relate to the message of the poem. The way I understood it, the main character in Rumi's poem did not realize that what he was looking for was right in front of him, and he ended up going down a dif ferent path just to find it. He went on this journey to Cairo to find some meaning to his life that will satisfy, and at the end, he realizes "there was a treasure for me in Baghdad, ... What I’m longing for lived in my house in Baghdad!" (Rumi). This is a common phenomena that many people have happen to them unintentionally. People nowadays get so caught up in living their lives for other people and according to society's standards, instead of doing what makes them happy. Many people get this feeling that they need something more that they don't have, but don't exactly know...
Read more