Themes of Religion One of the themes that can be found in Out of the Silent Planet as well as many other of Lewis’s works is that of religion, and more specifically the ideas of Christianity. Since Lewis was a devout Christian who believed the faith is something that can be beneficial to anyone to understand, believer or not, he often used his stories as symbols for key aspects of the scripture. Though there are no direct mentions of any earthly religion, there are direct connections that can be drawn between the beliefs and practices of the natives of Malacandra and those of the Christian faith, as well as between the characters of the story and the figures of Christianity. The first and main correlation between the two is the representation …show more content…
On Malacandra, Ransom learns of Maleldil the Elder and Maleldil the Younger who rule over all of the solar system and the creatures that live within it, of the many Oyarsa that govern of each of the planets and acts as the carriers of Maleldil’s will, and the many eldil that act as servants of the Oyarsa. He also learns of the Oyarsa that rules over Earth, who the Oyarsa of Malacandra calls “the Bent One”, due to his rebellion against Maleldil and descent into darkness. Lewis structured these characters in specifically this way so that they would directly relate to the characters of Christianity. Maleldil the Elder and Maleldil the Younger are meant to be the Father and the Son of the Holy Trinity, representing divine authority in its highest form. The Oyarsa as a result become similar to arch-angels as they are the next level of authority below the highest measure and the eldil become the angels, servants of the greater beings (Downing). These characters are the embodiments of good and moral action and govern the inhabitants of their world toward a understanding of a higher purpose of life. Lastly, there is the Oyarsa of Earth, whose separation from the other divine beings and motives of malice connect it to the
Many of the character have the same characteristics in the Odyssey and O brother. An examples of this is found between Odysseus and Everett. The main goal for both of these characters throughout the story is returning to their family, but there is many incidents before their goal is achieved. Both protagonists believe that they are the greatest and that they don’t need any help from the Gods. This is shown because Odysseus does not sacrifice
Gilgamesh and Odysseus are similar not only in their physical appearances but also in the way the two of them deal with life's dilemmas. Although Gilgamesh and Odysseus possess great strength and sharp minds, their own flaws blind them similarly, which does not aid in their quest for what they desire. As part of their heroic character, the gods must guide them in order to reach their goals. In every epic from antiquity, the greatest challenge a hero must overcome is not a monster or an evil tyrant but themselves. They wish to have glory, honor, and a place in history forever. Doing something that no one else could ever do again is what a hero desires to do. From Gilgamesh to The Odyssey, epic heroes constantly have to reinvent themselves to overcome their own weaknesses and shortcomings. Each has to learn from their previous mistakes, using the gods? help, so they can fulfill their dreams. In doing this, Odysseus and Gilgamesh will reach their goals.
Odysseus is an epic hero but at the same time he is also human. For example, he is cunning and heroic but he gives into temptation and is overly curious which gets him into trouble. Odysseus remained emotionally to Penelope so he needs a partner that is also faithful. Odysseus gives into the temptation of revenge when he rids of the suitors that were in his home.
History is flush with examples of men who not only avoided evil, but did good; there are no famous examples of men who simply avoided the evil. The latter men will not try to do evil things, or great things, they won’t kill or save, they won’t try to please the Devil or give glory to God. Often this type inaction will be a worse sin that acting with sinful intent. “Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop.” Being virtuous requires striving for moral excellence and a desire to be Christ-like, as Christ is the most virtuous man to ever live. Thus the definition for virtue is two-fold, requiring an avoidance of doing evil, and a dedication to doing good. The Character Ransom in “Out of the Silent Planet” has the first quality, but struggles with
In Books 5-8 of the Odyssey there is a central theme involving importance of the reason and how it pertains to judgment and moral behavior and the essence of someone’s character. The theme is shown in every action of the characters, especially Odysseus.
Aristotle once quoted “the ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” The subject of life and its value sparks much controversy and many base their beliefs regarding this issue on personal opinion. In the book, Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis, three characters land on an extraterrestrial planet, Malacandra, to find its population consists of rational human-like beings that still resemble familiar animal life on Earth. While on this planet, Devine, Weston, and Ransom all show how they value life.
Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S Lewis, is an exciting tale of one man’s unintentional adventures in space. A philologist by the name of Dr. Elwin Ransom accidentally interrupts the plans of two scientists, Professor Weston and his partner Devine, and as a result is kidnapped and taken to Mars. The criminal pair intend to offer Ransom as a sacrifice, unbeknownst to their victim, but Ransom eventually discovers their evil plans and is determined to fight for his life. Ransom manages to escape from his captors once they land on the planet, but then finds himself alone on a strange planet that he knows nothing about. Ransom’s honor, curiosity, and bravery aid him throughout his journey in a terrifying but fantastic new world, leading him to discover
...lusion, Odysseus makes ethical decisions to benefit others, overcomes adversity with vast amounts of courage, and illustrates humility by relinquishing his hubris to rightfully earn the title of hero. Whether Odysseus has to be unfaithful to his lover or saving lives by stuffing ears with wax, he never forgets that others’ lives are at stake and sparing them are of paramount importance. Also, the hero expresses a radiant sense of confidence that reflect in others whether physically, mentally, or spiritually. Finally, the hero abandons his bravado in order to find his role in the universe, under the power of the gods. Though he has made several mistakes in the past dealing with his cosmic hubris, he has apologized for his mistakes by showing piety in the gods that tower over him. Overall, Odysseus, through his many actions, has rightfully earned the title hero.
The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer, has many characters, but the main character is Odysseus, king of Ithaca and hero of the Trojan War. Odysseus is a strong character and is protected by the Greek goddess, Athena. The Odyssey is the story of Odysseus, great journey home from the Trojan Was, but he makes many decisions that many people today consider unjust or unethical.(Encyclopedia Britannica) He makes these decisions all in the effort to get home, and in self defense. That is why Odysseus’ actions make him a primarily moral and ethical driven character, rather than a political and power driven character.
gods, each given a personality and purpose. And was the subject of many myths and legends that would be told for many generations to come. They were to become the basis for a religion that would last for hundreds of years and would yield thousands of followers to believe in the made stories of these enchanted people or gods as they were called.
Every seven minutes a child is bullied. On average, 68 percent of students say that “other kids pick on them, make fun of them or bully them” (“Statistics”). This causes students to turn to violence. bullied or made fun of which cause them to become violent. How much longer are schools going to sit back and do nothing about bullies? Without punishing bullies, students’ will continue to harm themselves to massive extents. Schools are not doing enough to stop or prevent bullying, as demonstrated by the creation of the group Stand for the Silent.
During his early life, Clive Staples Lewis was raised in church (Stewart 1). However, as modernism continued to gain influence, Lewis started to create his own, new perspective. Individualized, unique perspectives were one of the major aspects of modernism. Modernists of that time also rejected religion and instead chose to see it as a myth. They appreciated religion, but as an interesting story instead of a belief system (Matterson 1). That is just what C.S. Lewis came to believe; that Jesus' life was no more than an embellished story of an ordinary man. He put aside his Christian roots and became enthralled with Pagan myth. Lewis' writings reflected his atheist beliefs, until the early 1930s when he- after many talks with devoted Catholic J.R.R. Tolkien- rededicated his life to Christ (Gopnik 13).
There is a copious amount of major characters in the story. Some of them include Odysseus, the main character, who is a soldier and returns home after a twenty-year absence. Some of his family includes Laertes, his father, Penelope, his wife, and Telemachus, his son. There are many gods that Odysseus must battle on his journey home, including Zeus, who is said to be father of all gods, and Poseidon, the god of the ocean who punishes Odysseus and his crew by giving them a very difficult trip home after they blind his son, Polyphemus, or the Cyclops by blinding him after stabbing him in the eye. Another major character is Calypso, a sea goddess who is in love with Odysseus.
C.S. Lewis was the 20th century’s most popular proponent of faith based on reason. As a child, he created an imaginary world where personified animals came to life, and later, he wrote the book, Chronicles of Narnia. How did he transform from a boy fascinated with anthropomorphic animals into a man of immense faith? His transformation to the Christian religion happened as his fame began to flourish. People wrote him, asking him about his claims about the truth of Christianity (Belmonte, Kevin). As I attended the drama of Freud’s Last Session, I was engrossed into the plot of the play and was constantly thinking about how it pertained to the objectives of the World Literature class. I not only connected the content of the play to its context, but I also reached out to apply the context to a discussion on a broader scale. I then discovered why the context of literature is imperative for true understanding of the w...
Through the use of Christian symbolism, conflicts, and imagery, C. S. Lewis implements his religious background into his literary works.