The Flesh and the Spirit Essay Example for Free

The Flesh and the Spirit Essay Anne Bradstreet’s poem â€Å"The Flesh and the Spirit† shows us the duality of man that her audience was having to deal with at the spiritual level. While this poem was written back in 1643 it still shows us as Christians what we have come from and how easy it would be to go back to a life of the â€Å"flesh†. This poem also goes about giving us details about what we should be striving for and what we have to look forward to if we strive toward the real or ultimate goals or rather possessions. The poem is written in two different parts starting with the ways and things of the flesh, that being material possessions that are for our enjoyment here on earth. The second part consists of more spiritual based â€Å"possessions† and also chastises the sister living among the earthly treasures she has laid up for herself. The poem is written in iambic tetrameter meaning that each line has a total of eight syllables. Bradstreet writes this poem full of metaphors and is very illustrative with the language that she wrote it in. Bradstreet was a Puritan and this poem is filled with religious symbolism and references that would be apparent to her readers. At the start of the poem the first sister is called â€Å"Flesh† and while this sister is very materialistic she wants her sister to enjoy some of the pleasures that she enjoys. The part of Flesh is from lines 10-37 to which she is going on about the wonders that this world has to offer. Lines like â€Å"Hast treasures there laid up in store† (16) and â€Å"Art fancy sick, or turn a sot† (18) show us that Flesh is interested in things such as the treasures and art this world has to offer. Flesh tells us that there is more gold, silver and pearls than anyone can imagine here on earth and she basically is insisting that her sister take up some of the riches that are around. The way that Flesh talks to her sister is similar to the way that Satan talked to Jesus in the wilderness. Flesh is telling Spirit all the wonderful things of this earth and tells her sister that she will be happy if she acquires some of these indulgences. This was also the case when Satan showed Jesus all the things of earth that he could have if Jesus would worship him. There are even some apparent sins that Flesh tries to temp Spirit with such as in line â€Å"And trophies to thy name erect† (27).This line in the poem is basically the temptation to worship idols. This notion is backed up by the previous line â€Å"As some of their immortal fame† (26) suggests that people are worshiping these trophies. Flesh’s final statement â€Å"For things unknown, only in mind† is almost a taunt to her sister because she knows what her sister has or is working towards is for her heavenly life. That line basically tells Spirit that she has nothing to show for her life and what she claims to have is all imaginary. This is something that Jesus was faced with throughout his time here on earth from the time that he was in the desert to the cross Jesus had to have faith in what he was doing was going to get Him and us a heavenly life with nothing to show for it here on earth. The second part of this poem is what Spirit has to say to her sister about the things she was told to get and what she has been working for all her life. Much like Jesus in the wilderness telling Satan to get away from him, Spirit tells flesh to leave her alone and not tempt her with these worldly things, â€Å"Disturb no more my settled heart† (38). In lines 55-65 Spirit is telling Flesh that the things that Flesh finds appealing are things that Spirit hates. Spirit is not tempted with riches or honors. She is not looking for pleasure in people worshiping her or even the gold, silver and pearls. In fact, Spirits says â€Å"My crown not diamonds, pearls, and gold/ But such as angels’ heads infold† (ll.83-84). Spirit continues rebuking Flesh about how vanity is not what is to be sought after. Spirit may not have silk garments here on earth but in heaven she will have royal robes â€Å"More glorious than the glist’ring sun† (82). Spirit tells us the difference between the places in which she and her sister are trying to accumulate their possessions for and tells us the importance of choosing the correct destination. â€Å"The city where I hope to dwell† (85) is talking about Spirits desire to live in God’s holy city and that this city, â€Å"There’s none on earth can parallel† (86), is absolutely better that the best places here on earth. Lines 87-104 is the description of the city and how the most precious gems and metals that we have here on earth are the basic building blocks for the city and its landscape. It continues telling us that there is no night and day which alludes to time no longer being a factor. Spirit also describes there being no sickness and with that no more death. This part ends with â€Å"But beauty shall be bright and clear† (104) which goes back to what Flesh trying to get Spirit to get nicer cloths and jewelry so that people would see her as attracti ve. Although Spirit and Flesh are sisters, they are very different in every aspect of life and are basic mirrors of each other showing the duality that man has with God. In lines 40-54 Spirit is describing her relationship with her sister. While they are sisters Spirit considers Flesh to be her enemy which she is constantly fighting. She continues to say that even though they are twins they don’t have the same father (figuratively). Flesh is born from old Adam, which implies that she is worldly and is looking for the things to make her time here on earth more pleasant, such as Adam did when he disobeyed God to be with Eve. Spirit says that her Father is above, giving reference that God is her father and that is why she will stay away from the things of Flesh so that she will be able to be with her Father. This poem does end on a solemn note, while Spirit has just described this amazing place where she is going to be with her Father she tells Flesh that she is not going to be there because nothing that makes Flesh happy will be there. This is a reflection of how the Puritans and even many Christians that being of this world will end up costing you the chance to see the city referenced in the poem. The poem â€Å"The Flesh and the Spirit† is indeed a poem that describes the human condition of materialism and how it can consume and impact not only the mortal lives but also the eternal lives of the human race. Humanity must decide whether or not the city that is described in the poem is worth the sacrifice of material possessions in order to gain spiritual wealth. It must decide if it want to be in a place unaffected by time, death, and disease or if it simply wants to cover up its impurities with a faà §ade that will only last a short while.

Fahrenheit 9/11 :: essays research papers

Fair?enheit 9/11   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was a typical Saturday at Florida State University. The Noles has defeated, pretty decisively, UNC and the people were conducting normal activities. However, this Saturday was different in the fact that Academy Award winner Michael Moore was to speak to students at the Ruby Diamond auditorium about the upcoming 2004 presidential election. I had received my ticket from the College Democrats, who had arranged for their group to have block seating. During the event itself, which included an introduction by Andrew Gillium, a local Tallahassee politician, Michael Moore talked about his various complaints about President Bush’s policies and told young voters to vote for the Kerry/Edwards ticket. He also showed some extra clips from his movie Fahrenheit 9/11. This movie, which is a â€Å"documentary†, grossed over 110 million dollars in the U.S (Kopel 2). The budget for the film itself was only 6 million dollars. Michael Moore had won the Oscar for Bowli ng for Columbine the year before for Best Documentary, and so this film was very much anticipated by both sides of the political aisle. To add to this expectation, Moore was an outspoken opponent of the Bush administration and had used his 2003 acceptance speech at the Oscars to blast Bush’s war on Iraq. This film, at least from my perspective, was the result of great passion and zeal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The film itself, in the words of many commentators, a â€Å"two hour hate letter to Bush†, and in my opinion it was. This film was coming out on the heels of Mel Gibson’s hit success, The Passion, and the same type of intense controversy was surrounding Fahrenheit 9/11. The movie premiered in June, and according to a friend of mine the opening night was jammed pack in Tallahassee itself, which was showing the film only at the Miracle 5 Theater. All across the nation, Moore’s film was number 1, grossing huge amounts of money. It was expected to generate huge profits all across the globe, for it was a film many who oppose President Bush were waiting to see. I was amazed at how this film was treated as if it were Moses handing down the law, and with all the hype I decided that it was time for me to see it I did not think I would get to see this movie. My beliefs about the war and terrorism could be thought of as Pro-Bush, and I highly distrusted anything Moore had to say after seeing Bowling for Columbine, which I believed contained distortions.

Plato s Views On Death And The Afterlife - 1815 Words

One of the most ancient mystery yet unsolved is the question pertaining to death and the afterlife. This mystery is one of the fundamental studies in both field of philosophy and religion. Comparing those who believe in a god-existing religion against those who don’t, we often see many differences in the answers relating to death. In the contrary, the similar answers to theist and atheist are evident strongly in two great thinkers and their works. The focus will be on Socrates’ speech in the Apology by Plato setting in 399 BCE and De Rerum Natura by Titus Lucretius 300 years later. Titus Lucretius, an atheist or agnostic Roman poet and philosopher inspired by the works of Epicurus. Lucretius believed in the theory of atomism which lead to materialistic thinking and how atomism affects how one should view the purpose of life especially at the end of one’s life. Lucretius has written his thoughts on death at Book III of De Rerum Natura – the translation used is by Rolfe Humphries which translates the title as The Way Things Are. In The Way Things Are, Lucretius makes three main arguments; there is no need for the fear of death, the fear itself is the source of human evil, and the living life is far worse than death. These arguments are towards the general public of Romans especially those who are religious (both Roman and Greek mythical and religious influences). 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