(Our)Self in Society

A major recurring theme I’ve noticed throughout my recent blog posts deals with the self and the surrounding conditions and contexts that one uses to define themselves against society. These boundaries and dichotomies are most easily observed through the weeks of discussion regarding Shelley’s Frankenstein. Additionally, The Beggar’s Opera offered some insights about self-image in terms of how as individuals we define ourselves in terms of morality.

Beginning with Frankenstein, the voyeuristic learning by the creature gives the first hints of a socialized constructed “self” that is manifested in Safie when she reveals her socialized upbringing of gender roles and class distinctions. Similarly, the unapologetic nature of the characters within  The Beggar’s Opera are indicative of the inner wickedness that lies within corrupt politicians and the difference between Peachum and say, Robert Walpole, is that one is praised for it and one is condemned. Here, morality is questioned to be not something essential to a character but rather, a matter of usefulness. What I mean by this, is the fact that these characters like Peachum, have no use for morality in their endeavors; it would only be a hindrance to his business. The significance of image and morality lies in the fact they’re tied into society. Essentially, it comes down to the overarching hegemony of the state or system one lives in that dictates the guidelines of morality. How one fits into these rules or doesn’t fit (Creature, Peachum), decides how they are perceived. Beyond the Enlightenment, the system of power we navigate through and grow up with is a key factor in the development in the self and how we define ourselves as a human being. Are we moral? Ethical? Good? Evil? All these questions are implicitly answered through the consumption of media, through the experience of binaries, and through perpetuated stereotypes that influence the self from the moment of birth. How we define ourselves has come back to the self-image we uphold in society and if one deviates from the perception of “goodness,” one is an outcast.

-Daniel Corral

Learning Language

While looking through my blog posts, I realized that I mentioned the impact of language, in several forms, substantially. Whether it be in John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, or most recently Percy Shelley’s The Triumph of Life, language is a driving force that is meticulously used by these writers. The way they shape their words gives life to the products of their pen, which have proven to withstand the test of time. John Gay uses language in order to spread his message of satire, specifically through the beauty of his airs that transmit controversial messages, in an artistic form. For Mary Shelley’s novel, the monster is fascinated with the intellectual culture of humans and obsesses over learning as much of it, beginning with language of course. The creature relies heavily on the assumption that if he is able to speak like a human, perhaps his differences might be overshadowed by his presumed cognition. And of course Percy Shelley is able to conjure emotion from his readers due to the intensity of his poetry. Language can be seen an art form that, when used properly, is a powerful tool capable of changing another’s mind. Based on what we have learned in this course, it is safe to say that eighteenth century thinkers understood the importance of language, like Samuel Johnson and his seemingly desperate attempt at officiating the English language. He realized that language evolves and he feared it would deteriorate in quality, leaving the masses in control of new dialects. This shows the importance language had during the enlightenment era and continues to do so today.

 

-Diego Ortiz

Enlightenment and Morality

My previous posts have discussed ideas similar to Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The central idea of his philosophy is that “human beings are basically good by nature, but were corrupted by the complexities of society.” This is especially true in my post about Frankenstein and his monster. Frankenstein was originally a model citizen yet once the creature was created, Frankenstein became cold and distant. Unable to discuss the complexities of his life without fear of anyone shunning him, Frankenstein submits to a pattern of life dissociated from the rest of the world. He becomes fixated on the destruction of that which he has created and strays away from his innate goodness. The creature represents both directly and indirectly this quality while representing Shelley’s version of Rousseau’s philosophy as well. The creature represents Frankenstein’s innate goodness and in a broader sense, humanity’s innate goodness. The creature comes into the world and the reader begins to feel for the creature. He shows compassion, empathy, and sympathy when he recollects his time learning what he can from the family he watches. Yet, by the end of the novel, society has corrupted him to the point of being a murderer. These parallels of Rousseau in my posts illustrate an idea that enlightenment is not only the quest for knowledge and understanding but also a quest for morality. The path of enlightenment requires a maintenance of the innate goodness seen in all humanity. My post about The Beggar’s Opera shows that a path of corruption in society will lead humanity astray from its innate goodness. Corruption is used to exemplify the manipulation by those of both the high society depicted by Gay and the corruption seen in England at the time from Robert Walpole. The knowledge leading toward enlightenment are without virtue if society does not also strive for morality. Over the course of this semester, my definition of enlightenment has changed several times. As it currently stands, enlightenment is the quest for knowledge, understanding, and morality that is to be shared with the rest of society. Since the quest for enlightenment is never over, I have no doubt that my definition of enlightenment will continue to change over the course of my life.

-Brandon Montoya

Society and Enlightenment

While looking back at my blogs I could not help but notice how a constant theme of society and its affects kept popping up. Every novel we have read has a society that affects individuals one way or another, whether it was good or bad. Society plays a very important role in the enlightenment of others. Every experience whether they like it or not, affected each character’s life in some sort of way. These experiences shaped the characters to become who they were, and affected their choices. I feel like in every blog society is so important because the people in your life, the people you surround yourself with, are the people that rub off on you and have an effect on you for the rest of your life.

In The Beggars Opera, we have characters who back stab one another in order to get what they want. There was a lot of back stabbing and betrayal that went on. This all was a result of the society. Humans have their natural motives and humans are what makes up a society. On the other hand, for Equiano, it was hard to tell whether he was for or against having slaves. It seemed as Equiano he went back and forth with his opinion on whether he was for slavery or against it. I believe that Equiano had such a hard time making up his mind because he was persuaded by society so much. In my blog for Equiano week, I called out Thomas Jefferson because he was claiming, “All men are created equal” yet he had a slave and had children with her. It seems as if Jefferson was against having slaves because he had children with one, and even wrote that everyone is equal. However, the people he was associated with may have influenced him to have slaves. I see society as a very important factor when it comes to enlightenment. Society can either help you reach your way to enlightenment or conclude it.

-Sandy Rodriguez

Which Woman is Worth More Gold?

Air 5. Of all the simple things we do, etc.

A maid is like the golden oar,

Which hath guineas intrinsical in’t,

Whose worth is never known, before

It is tried and imprest in the Mint.

A wife’s like a guinea in gold.,

Stamped with the name of her spouse;

Now here, now there; is bought, or is sold.;

And current in every house

Comparing women to gold is a good comparison for the value of people, especially women, at the time. In saying that a maid is “like the golden oar…whose worth is never known, before it is tried and imprest in the Mint” makes it clear that a woman unattached to any man is far more valuable than a woman who is attached to man. This idea is constantly reinforced by Peachum and Mrs Peachum when they discuss Polly’s marriage to Macheath.  They try to convince Polly of how much more she was worth before she tied herself down to Macheath and then once it becomes clear that Polly has ruined herself they change their tune from one of ruination to one of new hope.

Macheath also sees Polly’s value as a woman being lessened now that she’s his wife because it doesn’t stop him from meeting with other women. The hold that money has over him is far superior to his affections for Polly even though he reassures her otherwise of this. Like the other women around him Polly is something he bought with his affections and now her value belongs to him which falls in line with “a wife’s like a guinea in gold, stamped with the name of her spouse.” Polly’s monetary value is now Macheath’s and no longer her own so she is no longer worth as much as she used to be when she was a single woman.

By Diana Lara

I’m Like a Lawyer

Air 24. When once I lay with another man’s wife, etc.

The gamesters and lawyers are jugglers alike,

If they meddle your all is in danger.

Like gypsies, if once they can finger a souse,

Your pockets they pick, and they pilfer your house,

And give your estate to a stranger.

 

This is a pretty clear jab at lawyers who receive a major amount of ridicule throughout the opera. The first line is comparing lawyers with gamesters who were known for gambling money and cheating. The imagery described then relates a lawyer to a thief or pickpocket stating that basically if you give them an inch, they will take a mile. Once they get any little piece of evidence against you, they will take this and twist it until they take everything you own including your land. And the worst part is, once they take your land they will give it to someone who probably doesn’t deserve it, a complete stranger. A major theme of the opera is a making dirty money by gambling, stealing, thieving, prostitution, and peaching. What this air is doing is saying lawyers are essentially doing the same thing as these people, making dirty money.

~Mikayla Degn

We’re All Players in the Game of Life

Air #1

 

Through all the employments of life

Each neighbor abuses his brother;

Whore and rogue they call husband and wife:

All professions be-rougue one another.

The priest calls the lawyer a cheat,

The lawyer be-knaves the divine;

And the stateman, because he’s so great,

Thinks his trade as honest as mine.

The first air sets the atmoshphere of satire for the entire play. This air pretty much sets up each theme of irony that the play goes through in detail in later airs and dialogue. Gay, in his first line states, that ALL employments are guilty of trickery, then goes on to emphasize that EACH person does harm to even the closest of people. This means that there are no exceptions to any person who is not a trickster: not gender, not class, not employment, not marital status, etc. He even goes on to discuss that not even priest are exempt. All human beings are the same. They are conniving thieves and will put the blame on others before giving themselves up to dishonest endeavors. But of all people, the one is the most corrupt, he says, is the stateman. The stateman, claims his trade is honest, when really it is not. Air 1 prepares the reader for the irony that is to be set up for everyone to laugh at and understand because we are all guilty of committing abuses against one’s neighbor and brother. 

 

By: Santana Juache

One Sole Purpose?

Air 6

“Virgins are like the fair flower in its luster/ Which in the garden enamels the ground/ Near is the bees in play flutter and cluster/ And gaudy butterflies frolic around/ But, when once plucked, ‘tis no longer alluring/ To Covent Garden ‘tis sent (as yet sweet)/ There fades, and shrinks, and grows past all enduring/ Rots, stinks, and dies, and is trod under feet.”

There is no doubt that this play contains more misogyny than any other play. This air starts off by stating the wonders of a woman (when she is virgin) and how she can be something magical that even bees are around her. However, once that virginity is gone she is then set to rot. This is the case for many women for decades and maybe centuries. Some men expect women to be virgins when they first are married to them and it gives men the satisfaction of knowing they were the “first to claim” them. They then want to complain that after losing what she once had, she is no longer able to serve well. This air then made more sense to me after Tuesday’s lecture where women are better off being part of brothels than they are to be married off to men. Summing up the theme this opera has for women, women have nothing better to offer than their virginity, rendering them useless afterwards.

Entry by: Norma Briseno

From Woman to Hussie

Air 2

’Tis woman that seduces all mankind,

By her we first were taught the wheedling arts:

Her eyes can cheat; when most she’s kind,

She tricks us of our money with our hearts.

For her, like wolves by night we roam for prey,

And practice every fraud to bribe her charms;

For suits of love, like law, are won by pay,

And beauty must be fee’d into our arms.

John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera encompasses the vigor that good satire can truly bring to a society of so many different kinds of people. Whether it is poking fun at the aristocrats or the common man, it is the juxtaposing of otherwise unrelated bodies that make this play so great. I chose this air because I feel that for it being so near the beginning, it already includes a lot of major themes that are going to be seen through the characters. The first two lines set the tone for how women are portrayed throughout the play, as seductresses but at the same time as sources of power and wisdom. It then goes on to warn about the dangers a woman possesses as well, especially the threat she poses to a man who is faint of heart. Of course it wouldn’t be complete without the poke at the law and lawyers, comparing them to the conquest of a woman, reducing it to a matter of money. Women, law, and money are recurring themes throughout the play an this air is an excellent representation of what is to come.

 

-Diego Ortiz

The Contradictory Elite

In the introduction, Gay utilizes the Beggar to tell the audience this story will be of the same standard of the popular, Italian opera of the time. The beggar is unashamed of his socioeconomic position which challenges the elitist theater society by defending his low class as a virtue.

“Through all the employments of life/Each neighbour abuses his brother;/Whore and rogue they call husband and wife:/All professions be-rogue one another./The priest calls the lawyer a cheat,/The lawyer be-knaves the divine;/And the statesman, because he’s so great,/Thinks his trade as honest as mine.” (pg. 2721)

This passage sets up the levels of irony for the entire play. The characters are depicted as low and immoral, but Gay refuses to judge them for it because the corruption is seen as the norm in this world he has created. By bringing the street into the art, Gay suggests that everyone is susceptible to the hypocrisy relating to it. The statesman is then criticized for both his ego and corruption which is to criticize the most powerful statesman in England at the time; Prime Minister Robert Walpole. Walpole is criticized for using his position of power to acquire wealth by taking bribes which blatantly resembles the corruption and manipulation seen by Peachum. Both of these figures use morality as a tool for manipulation which suggests morality may only be of use to those of the elite society.

Brandon Montoya