Behind The Beautiful Forevers Chapter 10-11 and AP Prep

HW: Read ch 12 , Nine Nights of Dance 177-189

Quiz tomorrow on Chapter 11-12 (10 questions for 20 points)

Is It Like Today

by World Party 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhBmXKKYq1E (full song, all of the stanzas)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oYD7F-LzaU (good video, but missing the third “Greek” stanza

World history according to World Party

What do you feel World Party’s primary purpose is in this song, and how do they employ rhetorical elements/strategies to convey their ideas?

Many years ago, he looked out through a glassless window
All that he could see was Babylon
Beautiful green fields and dreams and learn to measure the stars
But there was a worry in his heart

He said, "How could it come to this?
I'm really worried about living
How could it come to this?
Yeah, I really want to know about this"

Is it like today? Ah, ah
Then there came a day, moved out across the Mediterranean
Came to western isles and the Greek young men
And with their silver beards they laughed at the unknown of the universe
They could sit and guess God's name

But they said, "How could it come to this?
We're really worried about living
How could it come to this?
Yeah, we really want to know about this"

Is it like today? Ah, ah
Then there followed days of kings, empires and revolution
Blood just looks the same when you open the veins
But sometimes it was faith, power or reason as the cornerstone
But the furrowed brow has never left his face

He said, "How could it come to this?
We’re living in a landslide
How could it come to this?
Yeah, we really want to know about this"

Is it like today? Ah, ah
Then there came a day, man packed up flew off from the planet
He went to the moon, to the moon

Now he's out in space, hey, fixing all the problems
He comes face to face with God

He says, "How could it come to this?
I'm really worried about my creation
How did it comes to this?
You're really killing me, you know"

It isn't just today? Ah, ah
Is it like today? Ah, ah
Is it like today? Ah, bang
Ooh, aah, ooh

Image credit: The Sacificial Lamb (detail), by Josefa de Óbidos (1630-1684), Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland.

The Other as Scapegoat

Written by Richard Rohr

(Edited/altered slightly by Mr. Wesley)

Avoiding Transformation
Tuesday, May 2, 2017

It seems we always find some way to avoid the transformation of our pain. There’s the common way of fight. Fighters are looking for the evildoer, the sinner, the unjust one, the oppressor, the bad person “over there.” He or she “righteously” attacks, hates, or even kills the wrong-doer, while feeling heroic for doing so (see John 16:2). We are all tempted to project our problem on someone or something else rather than dealing with it in ourselves.

The zealot—and we’ve all been one at different times—is actually relieved by having someone to hate, because it takes away our inner shame and anxiety and provides a false sense of innocence. As long as the evil is “over there” and we can keep our focus on changing or expelling someone else (as the contaminating element), then we feel at peace. But this is not the peace of Christ, which “the world cannot give” (see John 14:27).

Playing the victim is another way to deal with pain indirectly. You blame someone else, and your pain becomes your personal ticket to power because it gives you a false sense of moral superiority and outrage. You don’t have to grow up, let go, forgive, or surrender—you just have to accuse someone else of being worse than you are. And sadly, that becomes your very fragile identity, which always needs more reinforcement.

The other common way to avoid the path of transformation is the way of flight or denial. It can take many forms. Those with the instinct to flee will often deny or ignore pain by naively dividing the world up through purity codes and worthiness systems. They keep the problem on the level of words, ideas, and absolute laws separating good and evil. They refuse to live in the real world of shadow and paradox. They divide the world into total good guys and complete bad guys, a comfortable but untrue worldview of black and white. This approach comprises most fundamentalist and early stage religion. It refuses to carry the cross of imperfection, failure, and sin in itself. It is always others who must be excluded so I can be pure and holy. Denial is an understandable—but false—way of coping and surviving. Yet it is often the only way that many people can deal with the complexity of their human situation.

All of these patterns perpetuate pain and violence rather than bringing true healing. Jesus took the more difficult path: to know the depths of suffering and sin and yet to forgive reality for being what it is. That is the Third Way, beyond fight and flight, and yet in a subtle sense including both of them. Only the Spirit can teach us the paradox of … death and resurrection, the pattern of all growth, change, and transformation. It is equally hard to trust both sides—the dying itself and the promised new state.

BBF Chapter 10, "Parrots, Bought and Sold" quiz

Creep by Radiohead 

Write an essay in which you discuss what Radiohead’s primary purpose in this song might be, and how they use verbal and musical elements/strategies to achieve those purposes?

When you were here before
Couldn't look you in the eye
You're just like an angel
Your skin makes me cry

You float like a feather
In a beautiful world
I wish I was special
You're so fuckin' special

But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here.

I don't care if it hurts
I wanna have control
I wanna a perfect body
I wanna a perfect soul

I want you to notice
When I'm not around
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special

But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here.

She's running out again,
She's running out
She's run run run run

Whatever makes you happy
Whatever you want
You're so fuckin' special
I wish I was special

But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here
I don't belong here

HW: 

Choose one of the following and write either a six to ten line poem or a haiku which conveys the term or the tone words

Poem - Title it "Parallelism" 

How would you express parallelism as a poem?

Poem - Title it "Antithesis"

How would you express antithesis as a poem?

Poem - Title it "Sardonic" or "Lugubrious" or "Didactic"

How would you express antithesis as a poem?

Read Chapter 11: "Proper Sleep" 166-174