DWC 102 (Quotes)

“I am also the fiery life of the essence of divinity—I flame above the beauty of the fields and I shine in the waters and I burn in the sun, the moon, and the stars. With the airy wind I rouse to life all things with some invisible life, which sustains all things...Therefore I, the fiery force, lie hidden in these things, and they burn because of me, just as breath continually moves a human being and a flickering flame exists within the fire.”

a) Speaker

b) Interpretation

c) Broader significance

a) Speaker: Image (Hildegard of Bingen packet)

b) Interpretation;

• God is a fiery, life-giving present in all creation

• "Fiery life" = God's vital and ever-present energy in nature

• Divine force = powerful and gentle (hidden but vital) like a soul in the body or flame in the fire

• Reflects a spiritual understanding of life as being infused with divine vitality

c) Broader significance;

• Explores connection between God and nature through Hildegard’s spiritual perspective

• Rare female perspective on God’s nature and women’s role in religious life

• Highlights need for balance of the body and spirit

“Know and be certain in your heart, my most abandoned son, that I am the EverVirgin, Holy Mary, Mother of the God of great truth, Téotl, Mother of the one through whom we live, the Creator of persons, the Lord and of heaven and earth.”

a) Speaker

b) Interpretation

c) Broader significance

a) Speaker: The Virgin (Nican Mopohua)

b) Interpretation;

• Virgin is powerful and maternally compassionate

• Calls herself “the EverVirgin, Holy Mary” + connects with Téotl, blending Catholic and Indigenous beliefs (love for marginalized during colonization)

• “My most abandoned son” = language such as this shows empathy of a divine figure and naturing mother who has a deep love for the oppressed

c) Broader significance;

• Blends Catholic and Indigenous beliefs = importance of cultural identity

• Virgin reflects Indigenous spirituality and cultural resistance

• Aligns with liberation theology —> faith is used to fight for justice and freedom

• Challenges male-dominated religion with the presence of a strong'/compassionate female figure

“The lady was remorseful that her vain pride had made her reject Teresa for being black. She envied the nuns in La Penitencia for their fortune and good sense, as she explained repeatedly.”

a) Speaker

b) Interpretation

c) Broader significance

a) Speaker: Narrator

b) Interpretation;

• Describes a woman who initially rejected Teresa because of her race but later regrets her decision

• Envy of the nuns = desire for a more virtuous life but holds racist beliefs

• Statement about the house not being founded for blacks = racism in society

c) Broader significance;

• Themes: racism, repentance, and human nature

• Society’s biases shape people, growth is possible!

• Forgiveness can heal and build a more just society

“Many say, Who is there to show us good works?”

a) Speaker

b) Interpretation

c) Broader significance

a) Speaker: Psalmist (AQ on natural law)

b) Interpretation

• Essentially asks: Who can show us what’s right?

  • Answer: "The light of your face, O Lord, is imprinted upon us"

• God has given us the ability to tell what is good and evil through natural reason

• Natural law allows humans to partake in God’s wisdom and make moral decisions

c) Broader significance;

• Morality comes from both God’s will and human reason

• Natural law theory = we can discover right/wrong by thinking and observing the world

• Human reason helps us understand and follow God’s will

• Morality is universal, not just based on personal or cultural views

“But, for your conscience?” “Ay, sir, where lies that?

a) Speaker

b) Interpretation

c) Broader significance

a) Speaker: Sebastian and Antonio (Tempest)

b) Interpretation;

• Moral confusion + conflict of personal ambition vs moral integrity

• Nature of conscience is challenged (troubling acceptance of immorality for power)

• Lack of moral compass and willingness to act unethically without regret

c) Broader significance;

• Looks at morality, ambition, and human capacity for good and evil

• Looks at conscience, why people act immorally, and consequences of ignoring ethics

• Ambition corrupts, importance of moral responsibility, and conflict of good and evil in human nature

• Dangers of moral relativism + importance of upholding ethical standards

“My charms I’ll break, their senses I’ll restore,/ And they shall be themselves.”

a) Speaker

b) Interpretation

c) Broader significance

a) Speaker: Prospero (Tempest)

b) Interpretation;

• Prospero plans on giving up his magic and restoring balance to those he’s manipulated

• Chooses forgiveness over revenge and control (personal transformation and liberation)

c) Broader significance;

• Themes: forgiveness

• Revenge is destructive, forgiveness offers freedom

• Power can corrupt; responsibility of authority

• Self-discovery and balancing opposing forces

• Challenges of creating an equitable/just society

“That is what I was saying,” replied he, “that there is no room for philosophy in the courts of princes.” 

“Yes, there is,” said I, “but not for this speculative philosophy, that makes everything to be alike fitting at all times; but there is another philosophy that is more pliable, that knows its proper scene, accommodates itself to it, and teaches a man with propriety and decency to act that part which has fallen to his share.... For you spoil and corrupt the play that is in hand when you mix with it things of an opposite nature, even though they are much better. Therefore go through with the play that is acting the best you can, and do not confound it because another that is pleasanter comes into your thoughts. 

“It is even so in a commonwealth and in the councils of princes; if ill opinions cannot be quite rooted out, and you cannot cure some received vice according to your wishes, you must not, therefore, abandon the commonwealth, for the same reasons as you should not forsake the ship in a storm because you cannot command the winds.”

a) Speaker

b) Interpretation

c) Broader significance

a) Speaker: Raphael Hythloday (Utopia Book 1)

b) Interpretation;

• Compares 2 types of philosophy: theoretical and practical

• More criticizes theoretical philosophy as unsuitable for politics (role of philosophers in governance?

• Supports a flexible philosophy that adapts to context

• Play and ship in a storm analogies = importance of gradual change in governance instead of radical change

c) Broader significance; 

• Tension between idealism and practicality in politics

• Role of intellectuals is questioned, abstract ideas need to be balanced with real-world politics

• Conflict between utopian ideals and practical politics (favors compromise and gradual change)

• Ethical concerns about leadership, leaders must balance personal ideals with the needs of their people