I love it. Neil deGrasse Tyson says we are made of star matter. He also says we are made of light.
Here is the video:
http://vimeo.com/38101676
On we go...
MJD
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
John Milton, "Comus," and Light
Today's entry focuses on the English poet, John Milton. Milton was born on in London on December 9, 1608 and died on November 8, 1674. He was famous for writing Paradise Lost, which he dictated to assistants while blind.
His poem, "Comus," is a masque, which is a poem presented at court, for entertainment. Typically, a masque involved music, singing, dancing, and acting, similar to the play presented by the folk actors in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, by Tom Stoppard.
The dominant theme of "Comus" is chastity, driven by the notion that a human being is able to resist temptation through sheer force of will. The plot revolves around two brothers and a sister who become lost on a journey through the woods. The sister becomes fatigued, so the brothers go in search of food, leaving their sister alone.
Soon, Comus, the god of mockery, comes along disguised as a villager. He lures the woman to his palace and tempts her with his magical cup, which represents sexual pleasure. She repeatedly refuses, which illustrates the power of personal freedom, rationality, and self-control. She is soul; Comus is body. She is reason; Comus is libido. She is virtuous; Comus is sinful. Her only error is that she was deceived by sophistry disguised as wisdom.
Meanwhile, her brothers, who have been searching for her, have come across an angel, disguised as a shepherd. The brothers, with the help of the angel, defeat Comus and the lady is rescued. At the end, brothers and sister are united with their parents, which signifies the sublime happiness that awaits those who prevail over the temptations of life.
The excerpt below, which includes a reference to light, reflects the dominant motif of the poem.
John Milton "Comus: A Masque Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634" (an excerpt)
He that has light within his own clear breast
May sit i' the centre, and enjoy bright day:
But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts
Benighted walks under the mid-day sun;
Himself his own dungeon
His poem, "Comus," is a masque, which is a poem presented at court, for entertainment. Typically, a masque involved music, singing, dancing, and acting, similar to the play presented by the folk actors in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, by Tom Stoppard.
The dominant theme of "Comus" is chastity, driven by the notion that a human being is able to resist temptation through sheer force of will. The plot revolves around two brothers and a sister who become lost on a journey through the woods. The sister becomes fatigued, so the brothers go in search of food, leaving their sister alone.
Soon, Comus, the god of mockery, comes along disguised as a villager. He lures the woman to his palace and tempts her with his magical cup, which represents sexual pleasure. She repeatedly refuses, which illustrates the power of personal freedom, rationality, and self-control. She is soul; Comus is body. She is reason; Comus is libido. She is virtuous; Comus is sinful. Her only error is that she was deceived by sophistry disguised as wisdom.
Meanwhile, her brothers, who have been searching for her, have come across an angel, disguised as a shepherd. The brothers, with the help of the angel, defeat Comus and the lady is rescued. At the end, brothers and sister are united with their parents, which signifies the sublime happiness that awaits those who prevail over the temptations of life.
The excerpt below, which includes a reference to light, reflects the dominant motif of the poem.
John Milton "Comus: A Masque Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634" (an excerpt)
He that has light within his own clear breast
May sit i' the centre, and enjoy bright day:
But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts
Benighted walks under the mid-day sun;
Himself his own dungeon
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