Don Quixote Rough Draft

Danielle Corbo

World Literature 1

Don Quixote Paper

 

            As we continue to grow as a society we are faced with the question of whether it is easier for us to find our own identity and risk not fitting in with the rest of the crowd, or if conformity is just the easier route to go for said reason. A big part as to whether an individual will choose to blossom into their own self-found identity or decide to conform to the crowd comes from their personal environment and social circle. The literary work “Don Quixote”, which is written during the Renaissance period by Miguel de Cervantes tackles the idea of forming one’s own identity and refusing to fall in line to the masses by conforming to what they think the norm is. The novel takes two volumes to get through the story of Don Quixote’s journey and was written from 1605- 1615.

            We can see many different themes throughout “Don Quixote”, those being ones of chivalry, as well as an older man trying to create his own fate and follow what he believe should be his identity as a knight who tries to right the wrongs of the commoners he is surrounded by. The main character Don Quixote, also known as Alonso Quixano, has become overly interested in reading books of knights tales, which include chivalry, and romance. Don Quixote however was not born to knighthood, and felt it was what his calling should be as a grown man, so he decided to take it upon himself to reinvent himself and train to become a knight by what he knew literature’s standards were. Antonio Molina makesa point that many of literatures great heroes were simply born to the title, “The hero is meant to accomplish a foretold identity: Achilles was already himself in the cradle, and Ulysses could not help being smart and cunning. The same can be said about some beloved characters in popular fiction.” (Molina, ) Don Quixote can be considered one of the first known self-made heroes within popular fiction. The plot, and themes throughout Quixote’s journeys tend to magnify the subject at hand as to whether it is more beneficial to create your own destiny and forge a path of your own self-identity or whether conformity is the key to living a successful and happy life. The way that I interpreted “Don Quixote”, was that Don himself was determined to create his own self- identity but there was also an air of conformity throughout as well.

            The first rumblings of Don Quixote came about when the main character who was formally known as Alonso Quixano, decided to change his name and identity to Don Quixote. Many of the people who surrounded him at the time said he did this as a result of going mad from no communication with the outside, and being left to read endless amount of books that told him tales of knights and their adventures and doings. “Having thus lost his understanding, he unluckily stumbled upon the oddest fancy that ever entered into a madman's brain; for now he thought it convenient and necessary, as well for the increase of his own honor, as the service of the public, to turn knight-errant.” (1.1.1.8) With Don Quixote taking on his new identity, he set his sights to travel through the different cities and take it upon himself to perform the knightly duties he believed to be true of the occupation. Most of the onlookers believed that because Don Quixote spent so much time involved in his books prior to his transformation that he simply went mad, and his brains were rotted out into the mush that held the idea in his head that he was a knight. The only person who seemed to have full confidence in the transformation of Don Quixote, was Sancho Panca, who in his own right was a simple-minded man, but his faithful, and blind following of Don led to him becoming Don’s appointed squire. “All the rest of the company gave great attention to this discourse; and even the very goatherds and shepherds were now fully convinced that Don Quixote's brains were turned topsy-turvy. But Sancho Panca believed every word that dropped from his master's mouth to be truth, as having known him from his cradle to be a man of sincerity.” (Cervantes, 1) This sudden change with in Quixote’s life can very easily be related to the public by the idea of changing career paths throughout your lifetime, as it is said that the average adult changes careers 3-7 times throughout their life. (McKay, )  This is very much relatable to Don Quixote as he was a man bored with the life and career he had, and decided to take it upon himself to switch into a new “occupation” so to speak.

 

Works Cited

McKay, Dawn Rosenberg. “How Often Do People Change Careers?” The Balance Careers, The Balance, 28 Jan. 2019, www.thebalancecareers.com/how-often-do-people-change-careers-3969407.

 

Muñoz Molina, Antonio. The Hudson Review, hudsonreview.com/2015/10/don-quixote-or-the-art-of-becoming/#.XNNqxuSouM8.

 

Williamson, Edwin, and John J. Allen. The Modern Language Review, Jan. 1981, web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&sid=dc338711-97dd-4029-951c-e3946e869371%40sdc-v-sessmgr01.

Cook, James Wyatt. “Don Quixote.” Encyclopedia of Renaissance Literature, Second Edition, Facts On File, 2014. Bloom's Literature, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=17443&itemid=WE54&articleId=37520.

 

 

 

Don Quixote and Self Identity vs. Conformity

Don Quixote is a story that we can closely follow when it comes to the theories of self identity versus conformity. Don Quixote is based around a man who is middle-aged and decides to reinvent himself based off of the many pieces of literature he has read that features the good doings of knights. The feature of Alonzo Quixano deciding to reinvent himself into Don Quixote, and taking on Sancho Panza as his squire is a prime example of self-indentity in this text. Alonzo becomes bored with his own life, and feels it is somewhat plain, taking fate into his own hands to reinvent himself into a brave knight that rights the wrong among the people around him.

Although it seems as though Don Quixote is discovering his own self-identity by changing his identity to the public being that of a knight, like the ones he read about throughout his many books, it seems as though he is conforming to the characteristics that he has read about. while conforming to this new identity he has made along with his new name, he seems to have a warped perception of what knights truly do, and just how chivalrous they could be. “In short, our gentleman became so caught up in reading that he spent his nights reading from dusk till dawn and his days reading from sunrise to sunset, and so with too little sleep and too much reading his brains dried up, causing him to lose his mind.”  (Don Quixote)

The plot seems to show that although Don Quixote was a man obsessed with reinventing himself into a modern knight to do good throughout his travels, that this same man had a diluted idea of what kind of character he truly was due to the amount of stories he had saturated himself in about people of the knight stature. Although some might believe this was just a man trying to chase his dreams of becoming a knight, most believed this was a man driven mad to the point of him deciding to recreate himself in his literature's images. “One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world will be better for this.” (Don Quixote)

This is a perfect piece of literature to truly examine the ideas of self-identity versus conformity, because although Don Quixote was chasing his own self-identity, he still had some sort of conformity to the ideals that were delivered through the texts he read based on what a knight should be. Some of the people who surrounded him believed he was simply a man chasing a dream and fulfilling it, and others believed this was a man who was driven into madness based on the extreme ordinariness of his own life that he decided to reinvent himself into a conformed version of a knight.

Journey to the West - Redemption

Journey to the West is another story deep in the topic of redemption. Ask I spoke about in my journey entry, I believe that redemption is known as a sacrifice made by one individual such as in my case of the beliefs I was raised with was Jesus sacrificing himself so that those who choose to follow him can  live a peaceful eternal life. Journey to the West, is a book filled with journals and folktales that follows different disciples throughout their journies.

Throughout the chapters we read in Journey to the West, we see many examples of redemption within a character, the Monkey.  The Monkey is seen in several different situations throughout the texts seeking redemption. One of the most memorable parts of how the Monkey seeks redemption, is when Monkey begged on his knees for foregiveness. "When I wrecked the Heavenly Palace," he said, "I put myself in a very dangerous position, and the Buddha crashed me under the Double Boundary Mountain.” (Wu Ch’eng-en, Journey to the West)


Another source of redemption for the Monkey is when he feels guilt and remorse for murdering a young woman for food. He finds himself feeling remorse and asking for forgivesness, “I never will," said Monkey, "never again." He helped his master mount the horse and led the way forward.” (Wu Ch’eng-en, Journey to the West) He promised to never do such a thing again in an act of remorse and the need for redemption. “A team of horses cannot overtake a word that has left the mouth.”  (Wu Ch'eng-en, Journey to the West)

The chapters read throughout this story have shown. Character asking for redemption and forgiveness more than once, much like how we as Christians or religious followers find ourselves constantly falling short of what our religious leaders we follow are. Much like the character we follow throughout his journies we find ourselves giving into temptations that are forbidden by our religions, yet asking for forgiveness in order to still be accepted by the higher power when all is said and done.

Dantes Inferno And Definitions of Hell

Dante's Inferno is a very good relatable source to use when speaking about the definitions of hell. While reading Dante's Inferno, I was reminding of similar themes of why individuals are said to go to hell through my experience in Sunday school as a Roman Catholic. The different levels of hell I feel represent the different definitions of sinning that lands souls in hell to begin with. It seems as though the different levels of hell represent a certain type of punishment for certain types of souls.

Each circle of hell has various different pockets and depths that indentify the appropriate punishment for each type of sinner. Throughout the story we see sinners of different degrees, from blasphemers all the way to the biggest sinners in Lucifer's eyes within the book being those who betrayed Jesus and Julius Ceasar. In the beginning of the journey Dante reads a quote before entering the different levels of hell, "through me you enter the city of woes, through me you enter eternal pain. Through me you enter the population of loss. Abandon all hope those who enter here." (Dante) This was the foreshadowing of what was to come of the disparity these souls felt on each level of hell Dante entered.

Dante's Inferno is a very accurate representation of how the definition of hell is really in the eye of the beholder. Although it interprets the idea of hell based off of a classic definition of what the Roman Catholics and Christians believe hell to be, each level of hell seems to take a form of punishment based of the sin the soul has committed. Much like I discussed in my journal statement, everyone has a different idea of what their hell would be like. In the Ante-inferno, the souls who never committed to good nor evil, and continued to lead a life that they felt best suited themselves. "These are angels who were neither for God nor Satan, but only for themselves." (Dante) these souls were forced to chased a banner around in a circle naked while enduring the pain of the stinging and biting of wasps and hornets. This is my interpretation that sine thee individuals never chose God nor Satan, are now forced to recklessly chase something for all eternity that is not tangible.

Beowulf

Beowulf is an ancient piece of literature that follows the journey of a man named Beowulf, and his many feuds throughout his history. Beowulf is a man with many dudes with his motive behind each and every one being revenge. As I discussed in my journal entry, I always felt that feuds were with people closer to the heart and personal life of the other person involved. Beowulf took to feuds with Grendel based on his own personal beliefs for revenge. One of Beowulf's main reasons for his battle with Grendel was the countless lives that Grendel took as a warrior. "He is delighted when he sees several Geats sleeping in the hall. Beowulf lies awake, watching, as Grendel kills and eats one of the warriors. Then he reaches for his second kill, Beowulf. The Geat champion grabs hold of Grendel's claw with the strength of 30 men and won't let go. Grendel cannot escape, and a vicious match ensues, ending when Beowulf rips Grendel's arm from its shoulder socket." (Anonymous) This gave reason for Beowulf to continue his feud with Grendel.


Grendel was a more tactful warrior, and more rugged when it came to his feuds and kills. Grendel was held to a higher respect than Beofwulf as a warrior, and this could have been the reason for the feud between the two of them. When Grendel was slain by the hands of Beowulf is was said that, "it took for to carry his head." (Anonymous) Beowulf was seen as tactful and had motives for every part of his feud, where Grendel was more respectfed because of how he approached his feuds s a true warrior in their publics eyes.

Medea Rough Draft

When people think about Ancient Greek Literature, they tend to think about the odd tragedies that were written throughout their time. Much like the play of Medea, which is considered an taboo Greek tragedy to this day within our modern society. Medea is play mostly fixated on betrayal and the plot of what she thought would be adequate justice for the betrayal she endured from Jason, her husband. Betrayal is a funny subject when discussing it, because many people experience this distrust at least once in their lives. When analyzing it, Brian Lush discusses the psyche of a woman who is scorned, and how she feels the proper reaction to betrayal is. The reaction of an individual is key on how the betrayal is interpreted. Someone with the same mindset as Medea could experience betrayal and let vengeance consume them like she did throughout the play, or one can experience betrayal and take it as a learning experience and move on with their lives for the better. This play does not experience the ladder situation. Medea is an intimate, yet timely look at the act of betrayal and how a scorned woman reacts to it, while shattering the stereotypes that women held through the ra of Ancient Greek times.

Medea is a classic Ancient Greek tragedy in which the mother of two children, becomes a somewhat single parent when her husband leaves her to marry the daughter of Creon in order to gain power and land. This was originally seen as a play for gain of power for himself and his family, but then Medea saw it as a betrayal, and became ridden with the thought of how to seek the ultimate revenge so that Jason would suffer. Medea herself was outcast in the land she resided prior due to her own betrayal of her family, but was salvaged the banishment when she became wedd to Jason, and they bore two children together. Once Jason announced to Medea that he would be living her to travel to another land to marry the daughter of the King Creon to gain multiple advancements in his future, Medea took that as betrayal and started to lose her mind in grief over it. This ultimate betrayal lead Medea going through extreme mood swings, as well as traveling to a foreign land to seek Jason and attempt revenge. When she finally faced Jason, she realized that he had no remorse for what he had done, but still had a piece of his heart reserved for his children. This led to her internal struggle as a mother, but also as a woman ho wanted to set an example for all the other women who had felt scorned by their loved ones. She contemplated arranging the deaths of her own children to spite her own husband at the time. This shows how a woman is capable of anything, and should not be looked down upon simply because she is a woman. The play ends with the final decision of Medea taking the final step to kill her only two children in order to make sure Jason endures the most extreme amount of pain he could feel in life in order for her version of justice and revenge.

The play starts off with Jason venturing off to find the daughter of Creon to marry her and gain more power. This leaves Medea feeling upset and betrayed, and although she takes to her bed for awhile, she the lets the grief of the betrayal start to fester, and starts to turn her sights to the idea of revenge. "You are lucky, old watchdog of Jason's boys. I envy you, you do not see her. This evil is not declining, it is just at its dawn, I dread the lion-eyed glare of its noon." (Medea, 6) This is the scene where the nurse is describing the fury that Medea is feeling by her betrayal and explaining that her vengeance is only at its lowest peak it what she will find in revenge as a scorned woman. This was a follow up to Jason feeling like he had fallen out of love with Medea and yearned for more out of s marriage, therefore perusing his relationship with the daughter of Creon. "Now all is changed; all is black hatred. For Jason has turned from her; he calls the old bond a barbarian mating, not a Greek marriage; he has cast her off." (Medea, 4) This is a prime example of a marriage and mating gone wrong, and slowly seeing its demise, before Jason decides to flee to another marriage. Medea takes to her bed following this betrayal, and eventually merged consumed with the thought of revenge, and makes a speech plotting her voyage to make sure that she lives out the promise to herself.

Jeffers, Robinson. Medea. New York, 1946.

The Odessy Hospitality to Stranger s

There seems to be some reoccurring themes throughout Ancient Greek literature, one of them being hospitality to strangers. The Odessy gives us many different examples of this concept throughout the different books. Throughout his journey Odyseuss was presented with many forms of hospitality from strangers in different lands. "Since you have come to our country, you shall not lack clothing, nor anything needed by a sore-tried suppliant who presents himself. I will show you where the city is." (Homer, 90) This was said by Princess Nausicca, after Odyseuss found himself on the land of the Phaeacians. 

There is another journey that Odyseuss takes that makes us take a further look into hospitality is his relationship he developed with Calypso. " With wine that ran black, another large one With water, and tucked into a duffel A generous supply of hearty provisions." (Homer, 77) The relationship he formed with Calypso was a close one, with her caring for Odyseuss and making sure he was provided with everything needed while staying with her from food, to shelter, to clothing, and supplies. 

Both of these examples relate directly to my last journal entry in that I proceeded to state that hospitality to strangers is something of importance, and that we should strive to remain hospitable when meeting new people. All these individuals who helped Odyseuss, did it in order to maintain good relations with him, and try to alieviate the burdens he would encounter during his journey. This relates back to never fully knowing what someone is going through, and how by showing them the slightest bit of hospitality can go a long way.