G Block Freshmen: Shakespeare and Predestination
As we study William Shakespeare and read Romeo and Juliet in class, consider the following prompt: The concept of predestination is reflected in the work of Shakespeare. The lives of men and women are "mapped out in the stars," and attempts to transcend or disrupt this order, or chain of being, only lead to tragedy. Does belief in predestination exist in some form today? Do we subscribe to a similar or different philosophy? How does predestination relate to, or conflict with, the "American Dream"? How might you categorize the belief systems of our world today? Do you believe that your destiny is mapped out for you, or do you think that you control your own fate?
20 comments:
The belief of predestination does exist of some form today. People can be born into slavery and poverty, or be born into royalty and fame. Some people subscribe to the belief that your life has already been chosen for you before you were born. I personally don’t think that’s true because I think if you work hard enough you can achieve anything, unless you are born in a terrible time and place, like being born into slavery in the 1800’s. The American dream is a worldwide known idea that if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything.
Predestination relates to the American dream because if you are born in America, you are a part of the American dream. There is a diverted belief system in the world today. Different countries and places have mixed cultures, traditions, etc. I don’t believe that destiny has already chosen your life. I believe that you live only once, and that you can choose your own destiny.
Predestination exists in a sense in today’s society. If you are born into a rich family it’s kind of like being born into greatness. If you are born into a poor family then it’s going to be a lot harder to live your life successfully. Today we really focus on money and power, and before it really mattered if what you did in life made you happy and you are falling in love. The world has become a lot more focused on automation and not living life, Predestination conflicts with the "American dream" because it takes away from the chance of succeeding. It is still possible to work against your fate but its hard and life changing. The belief system is really based around that wealth makes you successful, and gives you a good family. The only thing that can make you successful is love and happiness. If you put your focus on something you really love and put time into it, it will look so much better than if you were to pay strangers to do it. I think people control their fate half and half. One half is growing up, which is out of our control and matters how our family raised us. The other half is the freedom of being an adult and being to make our own choices in life. Predestination doesn't exist, it’s just we believe it does because we can't make our own decisions.
Todd Kefor
hez sweg.
Hunter Campagna
Block G
Response
Romeo And Juliet Response
In Shakespeare's writing, the fate of each of his characters is predetermined from the beginning. The idea of predestination during that period in time was that before a child’s birth, a higher being had already determined their fate. Today, the beliefs on this concept are mixed. My personal view on the topic is it is not so. We all control our own fates, each action we make, each decision we make leads us down our own path. This path, may it be good or bad, will ultimately lead to one’s death, whether it is a healthy death due to old age, a tragic death based a decision made or an accident, or even, a gorey demise by another’s hand, or even the taking of one’s own life. Others may disagree, basing their lives on philosophies such as divine intervention, the concept of karma, or the will of fate, which is not necessarily a bad thing, people have their opinions, I have mine, simply because they’re different doesn’t make either opinion wrong. “The American Dream” is a belief in which if one is kind-hearted, one may rise to the top, though they were formerly at the bottom. Many believe it has to do with concepts such as fate or luck. My outlook on it is that to rise to the top, it requires no luck. It has nothing to do with luck, it can only be achieved through hard work, talent, connections you may have, a personality that will catch people’s attention (something they’ll remember you for), and as terrible as it sounds, popularity above others. Some children have had their lives made up for them, they were born into a certain family, or they have family friends who can help them rise to the top. Many believe that these children have all they need, and fate was kind to them, when they were simply born and then live off their family, without that family, they would have it as difficult as anyone else. Predestination is a philosophy that may or may not exist, it is all a view or opinion, based on one’s belief.
Now a days in America it’s different than back then. Then you had arraigned marriage now a days you can chose who you love and who you marry. I believe we do have some predestination but you can decide whether or not to take I would categorize the belief today as you can believe what you want. I do believe that your destiny is mapped out when you are born but I also think you can change it if you work hard enough. Some people follow their mapped out fates but I think you should make your own, color outside the lines. There are some things today that are the same as Shakespeare but the strictness on marriage has defiantly died down. In my opinion it is much better now than in the time of Shakespeare, you have more freedoms. Some people may think it was better back then because they like being in control and deciding who gets to marry their child but they aren’t as liberal as we are today. ~Jennifer murphy
People in our society today don’t believe in predestination, because most people think if you work hard and are a good person good things will happen to you. That’s pretty much the American dream. If you have your mind set on changing, then you can change and be who you want to be.
In shakespeare's time, people would say that if you were born poor/wealthy then you stayed that way your entire life. Today people who are born poor have a chance to become wealthy, and people born wealthy can become poor. It is a pretty bad world but fate will deside what you become in life.
We do subscibe to similar philosophys in our world today. In the US I'm very sure that we don't have the same philosophys at all from Shakespeare's time, but other places around the world might. The things that they said about life back in Shakespeare's time don't really come into consideration now a days beacuase we think differently and more modern. I say that people now a days bealieve that it is a very crule world and you need to work very hard to become wealthy.
I bealieve that the only thing that controls my fate is myself beacuase I'm the only person who controls my fate. My actions are what deside my fate. That is why I try to make the right choices every single day.
Dan Munger
11/7/13
English G
Shakespeare and Predestination
In Shakespeare’s plays and writings, he makes notes of predestination, which is true. We believe that fates chooses your relations and that you have no control over it, only destiny has a say over it. It is still thought to exist at this time because people are not smart enough to be able to pick their wives or husbands because we already choose our friends, if we could do the same with our spouse, then we could marry the wrong person. That philosophy is still believed in today without change because then, some believed in it and some did not, now it is similar. “The American Dream” is associated with it somewhat because you want to marry someone who is greatly attractive, but you do not get who is greatly attractive mostly, you get someone who is only a little good-looking. The belief system is probably young people not experiencing relationships and thinking that you can pick who you are to spend the rest of your life with, but older people can realize that, thats not true. Fate is definitely in my favor for who I will marry because fate is always the cause of one’s relations. I cannot control my own fate. Shakespeare makes real life messages about predestination.
David Skiendiel
David Skiendiel
No, predestination doesn't exist today because people make their own destiny by living their own life and by doing their own thing. We subscribe to a different philosophy because we write our own destinies. The predestination conflicts with the "American Dream" because predestination means once you're born your life is already planned out while the "American Dream" is what you as an individual make of your life. The belief systems in our world today are if you have money you will end up being happy. I think that I control my own fate because the decisions I make will impact my life in the long run, or in the short run. Relating back to the "American Dream", the main idea is what I said before but in a more general way most people think of the "American Dream" being a good thing because they get to control their own lives. For instance, people in foreign countries lives are controlled by someone of authority, or power which is kinda like predestination because that authority already plans out what that person will do in their life, so people in foreign countries find going to America as an escape from all that non-sense. That's where we get the term of the "American Dream" because the people from the foreign countries want to control their own lives and do their own things in the world instead of being bossed around.
People don’t believe that predestination exists in some from today. People don’t agree in the terms of having a life planned out at birth. Our society is used to growing up making changes, decisions, and bending the rules. Today’s generation grows up not knowing how their future will be like. On the other hand, people in Shakespeare time believe their life is planned. Our society today, don’t not believe that predestination exists in some form today.
The “American Dream” isn’t the dream that people today obtain. The “American Dream” starts at birth. Then, growing up, going to college, getting married, and having kids. In other words, it’s describing the “perfect” life. Predestination is related to the “American Dream” because your life is planned out in both topics. In both topics, your life is planned out accordingly and to be perfect. Unfortunately, people make mistakes and life isn’t perfect.
Our society today believes their life goes day by day. No one knows what will happen next or tomorrow. People might plan their life but opportunities happen and plans change. In Shakespeare’s time, people believe in predestination because they don’t think they could make their own decisions. People don’t believe that there are some forms of predestination today.
I belive that predestination does not exist. I think this because we as humans have our own minds. We say and do what we want and make our own choices and dont like to be told what to do. Humans react to different things going on in the world. For xample if were hungry we want to eat. That doesnt neccesarly mean it was planned out exactly because it was going to happen no matter what even if it was planned out. I also think that I determine my own fate. If i were to go into war or something im choosing my own fate. I coould have the potential of makeing it out or getting wounded therefor im makeing my own choice. No ones planning anything out for me. So thats my thought on Predestination. I do belive in god but i dont belive he planned out our lives for us exactly.
Chris Smith mine above
Abby Meyer
If you read Shakespeare, you will see predestination reflects it. However, nowadays society is different. People can do mostly anything they want in their lives today. Nothing in life is mapped out for you. You can make your own choices.
To begin with, in this generation predestination doesn’t exist. We also subscribe to a different philosophy because our parents don’t choose what our lives will be like. We do what we want with our lives and no one can control that but ourselves. To sum up, predestination doesn’t exist today.
In Addition, predestination conflicts with the “American Dream”. The “American Dream” is the life society thinks everyone’s life should be. For example, men grow up, work and provide for their family. Women grow up, go to school, go to college, fall in love, get married and take care of the house and cook. That’s how everyone thought it should be. Nowadays, it doesn’t have to be that way. You can do whatever you want in life.
In conclusion, I don’t believe my destiny is all mapped out for me, I control my own fate. My parents don’t tell me what I’m going to do in my life, they tell me to do what I want and what I’ll be most happy doing.
In today’s time people do not believe in predestination. They do not think that their life is mapped out for them at birth. People today believe that they can do anything that they put their mind to. In Shakespeare’s day everyone believed that their life was planned out for them. They believed this because they could not really make their own decisions. The people of today do not believe in predestination because they have the opportunity to do whatever makes them happy. All they have to do is try their hardest and they can achieve anything.
The “American dream” is the theory that states you have more opportunities in the United States then most of the other places within the world. This is because in America you can do anything that u try to do. Although the “American dream” is sort of planned like predestination you can always change it. In both theories, your life is supposed to be planned out perfectly. Sadly, life doesn’t always plan out to be perfect.
In conclusion, our society today doesn’t believe there is some form of predestination that exists today. People today don’t plan their lives accordingly like people from Shakespeare do. In Shakespeare’s time, people didn’t know right from wrong. They couldn’t make their own decisions, and they counted on predestination to control their life. People today do not believe that predestination exists in some form.
- Jayson Poirier
Madeline Murphy
November 9, 2013
Block G
PREDESTINATION
If you were to read Shakespeare’s, Romeo and Juliet, you would see that predestination was a big part of people’s lives back then. Now a day predestination is not a very common thing, most people now find their husband or wife b themselves, when back in Shakespeare’s day your parents would pick the person you would spend the rest of your life with, this is known as predestination.
First, predestination does not exist today, except in some rare occasions. Predestination is when your parents map out who you will marry and make a family with from the day you are born. This doesn’t really happen that often now a day because most people find their loved one in high school, college, at work, or even just out and about. We don’t use this philosophy because we find our own husband or wife, out parents don’t do it for us.
Also predestination relates and conflicts with the “American Dream”. It relates to it because some people some people did live the perfect life and made a nice family together and lived happy ever after, even though their parents picked out there husband or wife. It conflicts with the “American Dream” because some people don’t end up loving the person their parents picked to spend their whole life with, so they don’t buy a house, or have children, and live a happy life together. I would categorized our belief system by saying that we take it day by day to find our loved one instead of it being planned out since you were very young.
Lastly I believe that everybody in this day and age control their own fate. I believe this because your parents might want you to marry someone but they don’t have the final say in who you marry. Also you are in control of your own life and you can date, talk, or marry anyone you choose to. By being in control of who you talk to or who you like, then I believe you are in control of you fate.
In conclusion predestination is very uncommon now a day. Also we do not subscribe to the same philosophy as the people did back in Shakespeare’s day. Predestination also relates and conflicts with the “American Dream”. Another thing is that I would categorize the belief system as taking it day by day. Lastly I believe that we control our own fate.
Predestination exists in some form today, kind of like fate. I believe a form of predestination is if you get born into a secure wealthy family rather than a broken down home with a unstrict, poor family then you have a better chance at being successful in life. Being successful in like is all society really cares about. This means getting a good paying job, having nice things like a good car and home, and to have power. Before society was selfish, people really focused on falling in love, creating a family, and whatever makes them happy in life. The world has become more and more focused on their image and not living life. Predestination conflicts with the "American Dream" because it removes the opportunity of achieving your goals and becoming successful. The thing that truly makes you successful is finding love and happiness. The system of beliefs is based around wealth making you successful. If you focus on achieving a goal, you're better off doing t alone rather than pay someone else to do it. If you really set your mind to it, you can control your fate and become successful, but if you don't try to achieve that goal, you will have a hard time becoming successful. Predestination doesn't necessarily exist, it's just we believe so because we can't choose our own destiny in life.
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