Senior Quote!!

"Life is like a coin. You can spend it any way you choose, but you can only spend it once".
~Lillian Dickson

Art

To me, art is a creation that normally includes emotion, experiences, thoughts, and/or lessons that the artist has exhibited. This is because there had to have been some reason as to why the individual took the time to construct the piece. To me, art should be unique; that is what sets itself apart. Yet I still find that art is based on opinion--for some individuals the object may be art, while others disagree. A person's view of art may change over time, making their definition change as well. Therefore, I believe that art tends to be something personal.

Worldview in "She Unnames Them"

1. God & the universe:
"You and your father lent me this--gave it to me,
actually."
~ Belief in God is viewed as relative, meaning He
is true for some people, and not for others. There
is very little objective truth (if any).

2. Humanity & identity:
"They seemed far closer than when their names had
stood between myself and them like a clear barrier."
"not one of them had the least objection to parting
with the lower case"
~ The "self" doesn't exist; our identity is based upon
our culture and experiences.

3. Conflict & suffering:
"It is hard to give back a gift without sounding
peevish or ungrateful, and I did not want to leave
him with that impression of me."
"The councils of the elderly females finally agreed
that though the name might be useful to others,
it was so redundant from the yak point of view that
they never spoke it themselves"
~ Humans make mistakes and are not perfect; yet we
can still make good/wise decisions. We usually care
about what others think of us, which is why we often
do the things we do.

4. Hope & redemption:
"...their agreement was reached and the designation
'yak' was returned to the donor."
~ This shows humans taking matters into their own
hands, signifying that us as humans are in control
rather than God.

5. Values & relationships:
"Most of them accepted namelessness with the
perfect indifference with which they had so long
accepted and ignored their names."
~ Identity is based upon culture and personal
preferences.

6. Truth & reality:
"They seemed far closer than when their names had
stood between myself and them like a clear barrier"
~ Everything is relative; reality is made by people
that are powerful.

I believe "She Unnames Them" carries a Postmodern view in the way
that identity/the self is not important.

Worldview in "American Pie"

1. God & the universe-
"the father, son, and the holy ghost"
"and do you have faith in God above"

2. Humanity & identity-
"the marching band refused to yield"

3. Conflict & suffering-
"this'll be the day that I die"
"but I knew that I was out of luck
the day the music died"

4. Hope & redemption-
"can music save your mortal soul"

5. Values & relationships-
"I went down to the sacred store
where I'd heard the music years before,
but the man there said the music wouldn't play"

6. Truth & Reality-
"do you have faith in God above,
if the Bible tells you so?"

At first I thought "American Pie" contained a Christian worldview because of the terminology the writer used, such as "the father, son, and holy ghost", as well as the reference to the Bible. However, I now believe that it holds a Secular Humanist worldview. One reason for this is because the text states:
"And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they'd be happy for a while"

Secular Humanism puts emphasis on living a happy life, which is what "American Pie" seems to portray.

Worldview traits ~ Paradise Lost

In Paradise Lost, humanity is viewed as sinful and imperfect; just as the Christian worldview describes humanity. For instance, the text tells of Adam and Eve's temptation in Eden:
"Of mans first disobedience, and the fruit
of that forbidden tree, whose mortal tast
brought death into the world, and all our woe."

Milton goes on to say that,
"With loss of Eden, till one greater Man <--- (Jesus)
restore us, and regain the blissful seat"

As humans, we do not have the power to "save ourselves"...we need to give our lives to God.

Worldview of 'The Wizard of Oz'

I believe 'The Wizard of Oz' contains a Postmodernist worldview.
Postmodernism is the belief that no one religion is true, and that all religions should be accepted. Additionally, the Postmodernist believes all religions contain truth; just in different ways. It is also important to know that the Postmodernist thinks what is good for himself may not be good for the next person. In other words, ‘truth’ is a matter of personal opinion...there is no absolute truth.

Although its been years since I have seen the movie, one concept stood out to me. It was the theory that things are not always what they appear to be. This is portrayed in the scene where the wizard is revealed as an ordinary man; not the great, supernatural being he was thought to be.

Worldviews in Literature

Question: What do we need to look for to help us identify worldview in literature?

Since a worldview is the way an individual interprets the world and reality, it is the way you determine what is right and wrong, as well as what you choose to believe in. Every person has their own worldview, whether they have come to realize it or not. By identifying the attitude or tone the author uses in the literature will help detect their worldview. Specific "Christian" terminology, such as the Trinity or the act of being saved, may not always be an indication of what worldview that individual holds. This is because other groups of people use the same expressions that Christians do; only they take on entirely different meanings.