Yayin Ruan 2/26/20 Period 2 - Blog #2

2/26/20 Yayin Ruan Pd 2 Blog #2

Modern Mythology 2020

Aim: How are philosophies of religion and government constructed by the characters in Grendel

Write now: Find hypocrisies in chapter 8, discuss and add in your own opinion. We then shared out loud what we wrote 

Symbolism of red horse

Henry stated that the red symbolises communism and horse is a reference to Animal Farm which represents the workers. I mentioned that the Red Horse is also a reference to the four horsemen of the apocalypse in the bible. It symbolises war and division which goes hand in hand with Horthulf’s want for revolution. Ben took the time period this book written into context. This book was written in the 1960’s and this can represent Gardner’s perspective on the Vietnam War.

Red Horse is also a reference to the Native American Red Horse who fought against Custer in the battle of little bighorn. He was opposing the American government’s westward expansion and coercive forces against Native Americans. Red Horse represents the opposition to the government. 

Red Horse quote: “public force is the life and soul of every state: not merely army and police but prisons, judges, tax collectors, every trick of coercive repression. The state is an organization of violence, a monopoly in what it is pleased to call legitimate violence” 

Discussion “ legitimate” violence as “coercive repression”... page 114 the bread thief example

The bread thief in this quote has the same meaning as Jean Valjean in the book “Les Miserables.” 

Ben started off by criticizing how if a state deems an act of violence is legitimate it is justified, even if it is not. For example, Germany believed that the holocaust was ok and deemed it as “legitatimate violence.” But at the same time people are getting punished for small crimes such as having long jail sentences for possession of even the smallest amount of marijuana. Gautaman talked about how some people choose to give up a certain freedom or aspects of life to the government in pursuit of comfort and security. I brought the conversation back to the Jean Valjean reference, in “Les Miserables” the reason Jean Valjean stole the bread was to save his starving nephew, which was a necessary and legitimate reason to him. However, he was jailed for 20 years. How is his reason for his crime any less legitimate and necessary?

Article of Harlem Redlining: 

Redlining-African American neighborhoods were deemed by the Government as too risky for mortgages.  Banks refused to give mortgages or invest in these neighborhoods. With banks and government abandoning these neighborhoods, many neighborhoods degraded and its people were facing income equality.

On the other hand, Robert Moses designed the southern state parkway to have a small weight capacity so buses can’t drive on it. Since only lower income people took buses, this kept the poor people from Long Island. 

Reflection: This lesson focuses on the criticism of the government. The government can be oppressive and sometimes what the government deem as morally correct may not be true. This is reflective of real life with Harlem Redlining of the past. The government believed it was reasonable to put neighborhoods and a community of people in financially disadvantaged positions was correct. Even if it happened in the past, we still see the consequences and impact it has on the same neighborhoods and the African American community to this day. This also enriches my understanding of the communist revolution in Russia. The Tsar’s wish to join World War I was justified under his rule, but the serfs were already suffering. The people were tired of his oppression  and they overthrew the government. From this lesson, the takeaway is you should not blindlessly put your faith in the government, and criticize the government when it’s needed before it gets too far.