Answer TWO of the
following:
Q1: In the
penultimate chapter, the princess observes that “the choice of life is become
less important; I hope hereafter to think only on the choice of eternity”
(111). Do you think the book ultimately offers a spiritual message at the end?
Is the only right choice the one that ignores earthly pleasures and pursuits
altogether? Or is this merely a case of wishful thinking?
Q2: Imlac informs
the astronomer (and the reader) that, “keep this thought always prevalent, that
you are only one atom of the mass of humanity, and have neither such virtue nor
vice as that you should be singled out for supernatural favours or afflictions”
(105). Does this mean that everyone is too significant to matter in the grand
scheme of things? That no one can do anything sufficiently just or degrading to
merit punishment or pain? Or is he merely talking to the astronomer in
particular?
Q3: Chapter XLIV,
titled, “The dangerous prevalence of imagination” seems to be directly geared
to novel readers. According to Imlac/Johnson, what is the chief danger
of the imagination? How might too much novel reading affect the minds of his
readers and lead them, like the astrologer, to “dreams of rapture or anguish”?
Q4: The novel is set
in the East and sometimes seems influenced by Eastern philosophies—Hinduism,
Buddhism, etc. This is distinctly possible, as many works such as the Bhagavad
Gita were translated and made available in English in the 17th and 18th
centuries. One of the chief tenets of Hinduism is the danger of attachment: if
you bind yourself to the pleasures of the senses, and become too attached to
human relationships, you will never escape the wheel of rebirth. Do you think
Johnson subscribes to these ideas in his book? Is he trying to “translate” the
East to the West in Rasselas? An example of this?
Answer to Q1) I think depending on who you are may depend more on whether you read this as a “sermon” of sorts or maybe a life lesson. While there is very little mention of God in the text, the characters don’t seem very religious. I think towards the end it may get a little preachy. The book appears to point at eternal life is more important and has more to offer than the current life. I think he is ultimately saying you can want for things all you want on earth, but only eternal life is what essentially brings peace and happiness.
ReplyDeleteAnswer to Q4) I think Johnson is using The History of Rasselas as an example of making sure you do not get too attached to things of the world. I believe that he is trying to show the spiritual aspect of it, like in question one, because he shows how Rasselas tries to want for many things in the world, but try as he might, he never receives true happiness. I also think that Johnson is using this as a way to show how a person can’t grow and make something of themselves if there are always looking at wanting bigger and better material possessions. I think he wants to readers to take away from the work that as much as you want to try and be happy on earth and look for fulfillment, eternal life is ultimately where to look for happiness.
Q2: I don't think he wants to say that everyone is too insignificant to matter, but I feel like he's too logical and reasonable of a man to allow himself to believe that anyone could have supernatural or special abilities. He looks at us as all being the same in the end, because, like he said, we're only one atom of the mass of humanity.
ReplyDeleteQ4: I think he definitely is pushing for not being attached to the wrong things. In general he believes the novel is a message, and you can't fully see the message if you're too attached the the things pointing to the message, which is a very eastern idea. I see the situation where Imlac tells Nakyah not to mourn Pekuah so much as an example of this. He thinks she was too attached to the wrong things in life. He believes that there are plenty of other people and concerns out there.
Q3) I believe that that Imlac/Johnson is saying that when one gets too attached to the imagination they lose sight of reality. Too much novel reading can make one get too into their own head and cause them to imagine things might be or already are what they could never be. Intelligence is good, but too much of anything is bad.
ReplyDeleteQ4) I think this concept is similar to a lot of others we have come across in or readings this semester, everything on this earth is lent to us and nothing is permanent. We can’t become too attached or engrained into one idea, person, or hobby because we tend to lose sight of all else. Variety is what our minds need, a little bit of everything. Rasselas admires the astronomer at first until he discovered that the mans interest in the earth had gotten to the point where he believed things that were not true. This man had gotten too much solitude, if you are willing to give up a life or your mind to engulf yourself into something it isn’t worth it.