A very funky story. This seems to me to be the only fiction or fantasy piece we have read and it does not disappoint on the crazy factor. Honestly, I would not be surprised to find out the author wrote this based on a crazy dream or drug induced hallucination. However, the story was plain enough to enjoy and understand. The creativity was praiseworthy. I find the lack of desire to be with his family (compared to the desire to adventure, sail, and make money) saddening. But, at least the ending satisfied this.

Yes, we form our ideas of qualities based on relativity. What is large to an ant is small to a human, what is large to a human wight be tiny to a giant. What is hot to a Londoner might be cold to a Texan (just to throw in some current events).

I find it interesting that the author chooses to use "shift" in stead of "turn" or "took at turn."

also known as a sickle.

He is showing his terror of the giants with verbiage such as "monster." He is not necessarily meaning an evil, vicious creature, but something deformed or abnormal, scary.

Sounds like someone should really invest in a good lawn mower or a landscaping service.

Was he abandoned

about 3 miles

Maluku islands (spice islands). A group of islands of eastern Indonesia between Sulawesi and New Guinea. Inhabited by various Malay and Papuan peoples, the islands were colonized first by the Portuguese in the 1500s and later fell to the Dutch in the 1600s. The Moluccas, long known as the "Spice Islands," have historically provided much of the world's cloves, nutmeg, and mace.

malaria or some other illness involving fever and shivering.

spend the winter in a particular place.

This is located on the coast of southern Africa, though not the southern tip of Africa.

Strong wind, probably carrying the sail and in turn the boat, speeding travel.

Again, is he a captain or commander? Or maybe both?

All I can say thus far is it is very strange. It started quite tame with a description of a normal life but that quickly departed. Interested to see where this goes.

I find this way of saying he left his him interesting and clear in showing his priorities. He did not leave his family or his home, rather he left his native country. Obviously his focus is on travel, not on comfort or family.

This is reminding me of the tiny Roman figurines in The Night at the Museum.

A little personification here, giving the eyes the ability to be offended.

(of something perceived as hostile, threatening, or negative) become less intense or widespread. https://www.google.com/search?q=abated&oq=abated&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.1567j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Three nautical leagues is about ten miles.

The seasons are flipped on the southern hemisphere. December is mid-summer and August mid-winter.

A common European name for Tasmania (a part of Australia) before 1856.

A district of Eastern London This is an image of Wapping, though it probably did not look like this at the time of publication.

Though smart, obviously a man driven and motivated by money and little else.

Obviously a smart man. A surgeon, reader, and easily understands or learns new languages.

How hard it must be to spend six years away from your husband or wife.

It is not what you know, it is who you know.

This is either a county in Illinois (probably not) or Leiden, a city in Holland (more likely). Or, of course, this could be another fictional location.

So is he a Captain or Commander?

A fictional place.

Wow. Great read. Our first real novel type story with many twists. I never saw selling Imoinda coming or the violent ending. Who smokes a pipe while their nose is removed from their face? Anyway, very interesting, engaging, and easy to read.

Their marriage had not yet been consummated.

a loose sleeveless cloak or shawl, worn especially by women

distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated.

In this case, I believe this to mean unease or hesitation, even shame.

Interesting vows, much more explicit in its idea of beauty. It also presents the idea that beauty (and the beauty of youth) does not only reside in the body or tightness of skin, rather it is a soul or heart that is beautiful and remains "young."

a tract of open uncultivated upland.

The battle field, again referring to the Roman god of war, Mars.

Yeah, don't offend or mistreat those that can do serious harm to you. Common sense

Nature is always more clever, inventive, dangerous, and powerful than man.

Referring to the Fall of Man, when Adam and Eve defied God and ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The shame brought upon Adam and Eve after this defiance is what brought them to cover their bodies.

60

Like a museum for antiques; a collection.

Peace or friendly nature.

At a crossroads. There are many paths to chose and the right or best might not be clear, but the choice must be made.

This was beautiful and easy to read and understand. The author is definitely skilled in imagery. I felt as though I could see and hear and feel what Urania saw, heard, and felt. The poems were also beautiful and seamless. I felt as though it wasn't squished into poem form, rather the poem was a happy accident, as Bob Ross would say, that just made the writing that much better. Also, the story itself was excellent, though you should never leave your sheep alone!

Does one complain about a sacrifice when they made the sacrifice willingly?

Does this mean his senses were damaged, such as blind and deaf, or does it simply mean he was unconscious? Because of the next bit, I am inclined to presume the latter, but the wording seems strange still.

She feared he was dead.

A secret door leading to a secret room!!

It sounds to me like she is mourning her potential, her choices, and her lack of freedom.

a type of tree

Abandoning her sheep, her responsibility to their safety... Not the smartest thing to do.

A woman in charge of taking care of a flock of sheep.

There are many bits of philosophy and wisdom in many different contexts here so it was very enjoyable to me, a philosophy buff. Many of his points still ring true today while others like remaining single and childless to contribute to society would not sit well with many people.

It was very clear English, easy to understand and enjoy.

In order to progress knowledge, you first have to assume there is something you don't know yet. Thus, playing by the rules you do know doesn't let you find the ones you don't.

In order to progress knowledge, you first have to assume there is something you don't know yet. Thus, playing by the rules you do know doesn't let you find the ones you don't.

Face-to-face always pays off. Most people find it easier to turn someone down when they don't have to look them in the eye as they do it.

Only or especially those without the distraction of family, a wife or child, can contribute greatly to society and knowledge. This is because these single, childless men have chosen the service of the public instead of the service of his family.

This is a common thought of the 1500-1600s, especially in religious groups as we have seen in previous readings. Many religious leaders advocate for solitude and abstinence as a way of freeing the mind from earthly distractions, allowing him to focus on the Lord.

Truth is only found when looking from afar as a bird sees or one sees from Heaven.

The truth can be dull without a lie to compliment it.

The truth is beautiful in certain lights or situations but not all. The truth is not a versatile or flexible as a lie which is why lies are so easy to find and so hard to expose as false.

Referring to the Greek schools of philosophy where philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle studied and taught.

Where did we go?

Though the people that focused their lives on answering these questions, philosophers, are gone, we still desire to know the answers, though not as strongly.

This is the first obviously feminist reading so far in this course. But, the feminist view shared her is a bit different than the modern feminist view. The feminist here is basically advocating for the same human rights rather than smaller things like equal pay and abortion rights. Again, I find the Biblical focus and references very intriguing. It is not something common in the modern day and not something I assumed to be quite as common as it was. The reading itself was probably midway between easy and hard to understand compared to our past readings. I found a few lines, paragraphs, and spellings a bit hard to read/understand, but over all, the story was clear enough.

Majesty

This is an interesting way to refer to God. We often refer to him as King or King of kings, but never as a monarch. I think monarch implies a sort of birth-right and lineage of the throne which is not part of God's Kingness. An interesting thought provoker though.

give

Does anyone have any insight as to why there is random capitalization throughout this? I have been trying but can't find a reason to justify it other than personal preference.

The Passion of the Christ (or Christ's Passion) was a poem written by Aemilia Lanyar and is considered one of the first feminist writings as it is written from a primarily female view.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/aemilia-lanyer

I enjoyed the philosophical ideas brought into this poetry, specifically in The Flea. It brings up some metaphysical questions as to our innate match or soul mate as our blood is held and mixed together within a flea. This wasn't the easiest poetry to understand though. There were several poems that I did not understand at all and some that I thought to be contradictory of a prior poem. However, it is totally possible that I just misunderstood one or the other. I do have a great respect for poets though. Making the syllable count match and rhyming the ending word is very difficult.

What harm is done by my love? None are injured, ships don't sink, tears don't flood grounds, (something that makes me think of groundhog day), blood is not blocked (no heart attacks or strokes), wars are still fought, men still become criminals even though we love.

He can love all types of women: emotional, cold, any and all.

like a pedant: a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning.

https://www.google.com/search?ei=my0pXYr7BLqO9PwPhK-kkAQ&q=pedant&oq=pedant&gs_l=psy-ab.3..35i39j0l9.32946.33041..33472...0.0..0.84.152.2......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i71.z4oUaWAlNVc

To paraphrase: if you see good in a woman and chose to lover her, you are both brave and probably a fool. Good luck!

to paraphrase: if you find a good and honest woman, let me know. But, by the time you tell me, she will be untrue.

The author obviously does not have a high opinion of women. I am curious if he was wronged in his personal life.

That is a beautiful way of saying "to go grey."

I am assuming this means that he had the equivalent of a Ph. D. Doctor like professor, not medical doctor.

Upon further reading, this last statement appears to be false: he is in fact a physician.

Being my second time to edit this post, I am no longer sure what doctor he is.

I really enjoyed this story. It reminded me of Everyman in its character list and content, but is almost the complete opposite in plot until the final hour. I like that this story brings up the question of predestination. Was Faustus tempted to do wrong because he was destined to hell or was he destined to hell because he did wrong? According to the old man, it was the latter, but Faustus was not beyond saving if only her repented. But, not all Christian faiths or denominations agree with this. Calvinists, for example, believe that everyone is either born predestined to hell or heaven and nothing they do can change that. So, great philosophy questions, great religion questions.

Repent of your sin and return to God.

A wise old man.

There are two versions of this text. The "A" version, which is this, that came out in 1604, and the "B" version that came out in 1616. The main difference between the two versions has to do with Faustus's decision to sell his soul or if he was tricked into it.

Perhaps, probably. 'Why, then, do we so commonly sin or is it so probable that we sin, and consequently die.'

Scholarship, as in study not the money.

"The wages of sin is death"

Having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others.

A fair question about medicine and its capabilities. Can medicine ever be advanced enough to achieve immortality? We now have the knowledge of how to "raise people from the dead" if you count CPR, so how far can this go?

Is this referring to Aristotle's list of virtues?

Faustus put too much value in the pursuit of knowledge, even meddling in necromancy. As a result of this, his "wings melted" like Icarus, the "heavens conspired to overthrow" him.

Cause someone to desire no more of something as a result of having consumed or done it to excess. Like fed-up.

Low rank or class.

Applause

A strong, fast horse often used as a war horse.

Satan or the Devil.

A lover. Most commonly a lover outside of a marriage.

Main Characters:

I am rather disappointed with this. From what I understand through outside resources, the story is amazing and full of deeper meanings, allegories. However, in reading it myself, I really could not understand it due to the spellings, strange syntax, and incredibly obscure, at times, allegories. I was hoping to enjoy reading this as much as some of the other readings, but it was just impossible.

I tried Googling this word for a definition and all I could find was a word unscrambler...

Benumbed: deprive of physical or emotional feeling.

I am assuming this is referring to the rive Styx. If so, how does a river fly?

Egyptian? It would make sense. I just dont know why the spelling is so strange.

... What? I have never heard of this diet before... Do you have to remove the eyes from the frogs and toads or are you supposed to find ones already missing eyes? Honestly, I am so lost. I have no idea what is going on, and finally a line I do understand and it makes no sense.

Uncouth. It means something along the lines of unkept, unclean, or disorganized.

I am noticing that a lot of the "u"'s in this are replaced with "v"'s and I am not sure why.

like a regret.

Is this understood?

To display proudly and prominently.

Courage, Temperance, Liberality, Magnificence, Pride, Honor, Good Temper, Friendliness, Truthfulness, Wit, Friendship, and Justice

An allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

I want him as my teacher. It is not only brilliant that he is thinking, philosophizing about teaching styles, but he does so with the goal of how to help students best learn, not how to make the job the easiest or most efficient for the teacher. I also really like some of his ideas and teaching methods, letting the student take an active role in his or her learning, not asking him or her to sit for hours listening to what the teacher thinks is important or how s/he best understands it.

A standardized or common gathering or collection of books. Typically referring to Biblical or religious texts.

Humorously coarse; lewd or risqué

Unrestrainedly excessive, extravagant, luxuriant, overabundant.

Vanity is the opposite of goodness... Interesting. Goodness on the inside vs beauty on the outside.

You are what you eat, but in stead, you think what you do?

Learn through practice and application, not through memorization of rules.

truancy: The neglect of work or duty

This is actually an excellent way to learn language. Also a great method to check google translate is to make it translate from English then back into English. You catch a lot of mistakes with this.

This is what is used to sharpen knives.

A free ebook: https://books.google.com/books/about/On_Oratory_Orators.html?id=pZ1fAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button#v=onepage&q&f=false

This is definitely my favorite read, perhaps of all time. It made me emotional and made me really reflect on myself. I find it terrifying to think that people, even myself, might be caught by death and are not ready to face him. Then being sure that others will come with him, for him to rely on and be supported by, but be left alone, except for Good-Deeds, at the end. On a literary note, this author was very easy to understand and used some excellent analogies and examples to illustrate his words. Really well done. Well thought out and well executed.

commend my spirit

Into your hands

Everyman not only did not give Good-Deeds anything to grow upon, but left her in sickness, deprived of her basic necessities.

I am literally tearing up.

A state of sadness or distress.

Best excuse ever.

Is this German? If so, it means deliver.

This is interesting. Eve was the first to sin and coerced Adam to do the same. I mean, they bought brought about the fall of man though.

Wonderful analogy here. There are just somethings that man cannot control.

Death is a faithful servant because he takes part in no worldly riches to be distracted by.

What is ironic about this is that he is asking Death to defy God because he will no longer do so himself.

I can understand this, for a creator, to be the worst disappointment. Giving your creation the ability to chose to do what is right and seeing them not only chose wrong, but to chose wrong consistently.

This is describing the crucifixion of Christ, which is both the son of God and God himself.

Here God is expressing his disappointment with his creation and their decisions to pursue worldly pleasures rather than secure infinite riches in Heaven.

Everyman must be judged by God and answer for his sins.

Earthly riches and pleasures have no real meaning after death.

I believe this is referring to burial, clay being a type of dirt... maybe?

You must answer for your worldly actions upon your death.

As a philosophy student, I loved this reading. Government, religion, and ethics are commonly explored topics in philosophy, and the example of Utopia is often referred to, so it was great to get to read the text for myself. I think there is great wisdom in much of Utopia's society, along with some naive ideas that work well in theory, but collapse in practice. Communal property is one of these ideas that simply has been shown in many different situations to not work after time, though excellent in its intentions. However, I think it is always good to bring up these ideas to challenge the mind.

A digging and grubbing tool with features of an adze and an ax or pick.

Insultingly contemptuous in speech or conduct.

See above lol

This line of thought is leading towards trying to fix the reason people are led to steal as a way of preventing them from stealing. Helping provide them with necessities like shelter, food, and clothing to keep them from trying to take it from others. This way of thinking is making theft a symptom, not an illness.

No kidding.

Gallows.

Having a sullen and gloomy disposition.

He is happy with the freedom to think as he wishes and to think of whatever he wishes, not tied to, or enslaved by, the needs of another.

I am noticing a pattern of double negatives. I am actually having trouble reading it because my brain just skips over the second.

The quality or state of being imprudent: not prudent : lacking discretion, wisdom, or good judgment.

A piece of magnetite or other naturally and permanently magnetized mineral, able to be used as a magnet.

Immediate friendship.

More commonly known to us as Amerigo Vespucci, the man for which the Americas were named.

More commonly known to us as Amerigo Vespucci, the man for which the Americas were named.

The philosophy that we learn and often refer to came from Greek philosophers. Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and Pythagorus were all influential Greek philosophers.

Very or particularly.

A traveller, not motivated by exploring lands, but exploring thier philosophies, religion, and government.

Clever or cunning devices, especially as used to deceive others. In this case, he is not a deceitful or manipulative man.

From what I understand, this is the visions of Julian of Norwich while she was deathly ill. Throughout the description of the vision(s), it seems to me that the main focus was on defining God and His many characteristics (with a strong focus on the maternal characteristics) and the sides of the Trinity. Based on both my understanding and the chapter numbers, this skipped quite a bit of material and, with that, left me a bit confused as to what the whole picture is. However, the descriptions were incredibly vivid and thorough; they honestly didn't leave a lot of room for annotations! This vivacity would also be questionable if she were not able to recall with incredibly accurate detail the extent of her illness, proving that she was still mentally capable, not hallucinating. Lastly, I think this last line really shows the purpose of this writing: showing who God is and what He is like.

concerning or about

He is our superior and equal.

Given the traditional view of parental role, this means that God is both the discipliner and the teacher as well as the nurturer and caretaker.

This reminds me of a little kid keeping rocks or marbles in his/her pockets. To the child, that's his/her most important thing in the world.

All of creation, the entire universe sits in His hand as the size of a hazelnut. Incredible to think about.

Very medically accurate here. Good observation on her part.

This is so sad to me. I have a very strong connection with many blind kids, and I know what it's like to lose your sight. It's very scary and isolating. I find it so beautiful that she was able to see the Cross again (as the last thing).

I believe this is saying that the illness paralyzed her from the waist down.

I really enjoyed the content of this story, though it seemed eerily familiar to me at parts through some of my own readings. However, the language was probably one of the most difficult to understand; much of it sounded and read like Master Yoda wrote it. I did really enjoy the characters, especially Conscience and Reason. It mirrored the duality yet twin-likeness of the devil and angel on your shoulders. They weren't polar opposites, but they contested one another. I think this story was very creative, so for that I enjoyed it.

Roughly translates to "you/none are alone."

Be better than your enemy. "An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind."

"God helps those who help themselves."

to approach and speak to (someone) in an often challenging or aggressive way

Mount. Sinai is where Moses received the Ten Commandments, carved into two stone tablets, from God.

What I like a lot about these readings is that they can be centuries, even millennia old, yet they are still so true and relatable in their dilemmas. This one struck me especially. Often, Christians are criticized by not "acting Christian," but this is no new problem. It is easy to hold grudges or to wish ill of another person, but Christians are asked to do the opposite. Just seeing this here really added value to this reading for me.

Just another way of saying "Bible."

All these examples are of people who were tempted and gave into the temptations of worldly riches: knowledge, power, and money.

James and John, two brothers, were fisherman before becoming two of Jesus's 12 disciples. James was also the first disciple to be martyred for his faith and affiliation with Jesus.

a tricky deceitful fellow

This is reminding me a bit of Alice in Wonderland. I wonder if there was any inspiration from this for Alice's story.

These stories all seem to happen in the month of May. It makes me think that there might be some cultural significance to the month: either it was a time of vacation, traveling, or holiday.

what is easy to understand is more likely to be thought right than what is more difficult to understand, though it is more right.

Alright, this was enjoyable, especially at the end. I'm not sure what the moral of the story was or if there was even supposed to be one. It seems to me that nothing too bad happened to any party. The carpenter was thought to be insane by the end, and Nicholas burned his butt, but in neither scenario am I able to draw a meaningful conclusion. Anyhow, this reading was more enjoyable than the last and quite hilarious.

Never have I ever laughed so hard!

This also contradicts with Noah's story. God did not warn Noah off telling others of the impending doom. In fact, he found it his duty to tell, yet none believed. Here, they are creeping around, not telling a soul. I can see why Nicholas has set his story up this way, but I do not understand how everyone isn't seeing through his story.

A very discount ark.

to feel penitence, remorse, or regret for

This is quite interesting to me that Nicholas is claiming God will flood the earth again, as he did in Noah's time, but with even more water. I think this is particularly odd and difficult to believe for the believer of God and Christ as after Noah's flood, God promised to never flood the earth again and symbolized this with a rainbow. So, Nicholas claiming there is another flood to come, as told to him by Christ, makes no sense.

Sickness

I don't think many people, let alone women, would enjoy being compared to a weasel.

I did not enjoy this story as much passed the first few hundred lines. I really enjoyed how she called attention to possible hypocrisies, though I think they are quite weak and ill-informed, but it made me think for a second, which is something I always enjoy in a story. After all, isn't the point of a story to share knowledge. What better way to do that than to question what you think you know. However, after that, the story progressed very slowly and just didn't have much to it.

intensely angry

arousing or deserving hatred or repugnance

to express opinions

the condition of belonging to the gentry: upper or ruling class

showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care

lover

to be on the go without a specific aim or purpose

also