The quote, "interpret you all my deeds and sayings in the perfectest sense...," to me means that Rabelais as the author of this piece does not want his words to be misconstrued or used in any way, and that us readers must interpret and take away the same intentions and message the author wants the readers to acknowledge. Going so far as to use the word "reverence" in his proclamation of this idea. The excerpt ends with the idea that he wants the readers to always view him as simply a happy person no matter how they read the story.

This sentiment seems to be a contradiction to the idea of Roland Barthes' idea of "the Death of the Author." The idea explained in an academic article regarding the topic contains many different elements, but the one I would like to focus on is the idea of pushing back against the existence of an "Author-God", and that all literary text should put the importance of the reader's interpretation first over the intended interpretation of the author.

With Rabelais flying directly in the face of such theory, I argue that he wants to be seen as something akin to an Author-God. That he only wants his story to be interpreted as a fun tale that should last generations and nothing more. Also, that he the author be remembered as just a happy person trying to bring humor to the reader.

Still, since Rabelais is such a enigmatic writer with a very complex sense of humor, he may also simply be satirizing the idea of absolute interpretation of artistic writing by exaggeratingly demanding that from his readers.

Works Cited: Jati, Ariya. “The Role and the Significance of the Reader and the Act of Reading in Roland Barthes’s ‘The Death of the Author.’” E3S web of conferences 202 (2020): 7079-. Web.

It is without a doubt that food plays an important role in the countless cultures that are present within our plan. This also rings true for European cultures such as the French culture and way of life that is depicted within this story created by Rbalais. They key feature I would like within this excerpt is the use of the word "celestial" to describe the quintessential items needed for a French breakfast. "Celestial" being a word used to relate to things in the sky which in turn connotes to something being positive and close to heaven. This shows that they treat their food with a level of sanctity and that that aspect of their lives is very important to this culture.

Another large signifier of food's importance in a culture that is displayed in this story is that the major events and conflicts that occurs in this story is related to sustenance. In the academic article titled "Food as a cultural symbol: The case study of François Rabelais’s Gargantua and Pantagruel and its Ukrainian translations" by Taras Shmiher and Yuliia Naniak, they state that it is of interest that the such a key conflict involving the bakers of Lerne and their opposers occur at the result of arguments regarding food (129). Following this logic we can also make connections to how much food is emphasized in the story when major things are occurring. For example: the descriptions of Gargantua's vast meals as a baby, the offer to allow Gargantua's horse being allowed to graze in their lands as being a symbolic gesture of welcome, and the shenanigans with the monks in Gargantua's salad are all examples of how food and consumption plays an important role in the story.

Works Cited: Shmiher, T., & Naniak, Y. (2023). Food as a cultural symbol: The case study of François Rabelais’s Gargantua and Pantagruel and its Ukrainian translations. Romanica Cracoviensia, 23(2), 127-134. https://doi.org/10.4467/20843917RC.23.013.18399

It is not the two main characters who gets the final word in this text, it is actually the third-person narrator who introduced the story who gets that honor; and, he does so by lauding praises upon the hero and the god who spent time to belay the fighter's doubts.

The way Sanjaya lauds the two heroes is not dissimilar to how some modern individuals do with Arjuna and Krishna too. In fact, the story of the Bhagavad Gita and its heroes have been used in recent times for political agendas and a symbol of national identities for India. Described in Chapter 4 in Richard H. Davis' book about the religious text is how the Bhagavad Gita has been used by Indian nationalists to motivate their countrymen to stand up against colonialism and fight for independence. Activists leaders such as Tilak argue that the whole story itself is Krishna encouraging Arjuna to fight despite mental turmoil it can present which is very apt to the Indian populace living under the reign of a foreign power (Davis, 132). This view contrasts strongly to the way Gandhi justified his actions using the text. Gandhi was motivated by the text to maintain his peaceful methods of fighting for independence (143).

I find it interesting how two individuals reading the same text and fighting for the same goal can come to such different methods on how to reach the destination they both want to achieve.

Work Cited Davis, Richard H. The Bhagavad Gita: A Biography. Core Textbook ed. Princeton University Press, 2014. Project MUSE, https://muse.jhu.edu/book/36539.

"BRAHMA" according to The Columbia Encyclopedia, is a god which is usually credited, as "the creator". Interestingly, this god is said to be his own identity and is considered one in a trio of supreme gods in the Hindu religion alongside Vishnu and Shiva.

I find it interesting that Krishna here is calling himself Brahma and therefore taking credit of creation itself. This is clearly an instance of Krishna boasting his powers in a play to increase his own credibility in his lecture to Arjuna. But, I feel it could be interpreted as Krishna, the new god, is taking credit for the powers and deeds of beings that preceded him.

Work Cited: "Brahma." The Columbia Encyclopedia, by Paul Lagasse and Columbia University, 8th ed., Columbia University Press, 2018. Credo Reference, https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6NjEzNTEz?aid=150523.