Astronomical Exploration in the World of Blood Meridian Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian presents a story that follows characters throughout a violent journey in the “Wild West”. The novel itself has more depth than initially may be initially thought. These characters experience things that seem plausible for that late 1800s time period. The world that they exist in may not be as simple as a recollection of historical possibilities in our real universe. The world that is Blood Meridian may be something more deceptive, with layers that the characters themselves might not understand. The astronomical themes that continue to appear in the novel are one way of trying to grapple with this confusion. The infamous character of the judge starts …show more content…
Right before the judge speaks on page 256 there is an instance of the paraselene, a natural phenomenon where there appears to be three moons in the sky. In Blood Meridian, however, there are only two described moons. The characters are questioning how there could possibly be two moons, not commenting on the fact that there should be three for this to be reality. This misstep by McCarthy suggests that the world in this novel is not completely accurate. It may be off kilter and untruthful. This astronomy of the moon lets the reader understand that he or she has been tricked and must be wary of the information presented in this …show more content…
He believes that “Blood Meridian's universe is a natural one, even when its landscapes are simultaneously earthly and unearthly.”(Phillips). There is defiantly more going on here. The kid and judge come together towards the end of the novel to provide strong evidence for this. The kid is in an ether induced dream-like state prior to having surgery to remove an arrowhead from his leg. The judge visits the kid during this time. It is not clear if this is really the judge in the flesh, or a figment of the kids “fevered dream” that the judge refers to on page 256. This event is so complex because it gives off a supernatural feel that connects to the possibility of the physical world and the type of world that exists in an unconscious
Being such a narrative, when I was reading about the details of Kate’s attacks I was actually scared. It gave a sense of spookiness to the book that I hoped for. I remember visiting the city of Salem, and the same chills I had walking through the town was relived while reading the book. However one difference about this book compared to the historical teachings of Salem was that in Kate’s trail it was less of a he said she said event and more on the cold hard facts. In GodBeer testimony, he examines much of what Jonathan Selleck notes on how to determine a witch is guilty because he knew how serious of an offense it truly was. I sometimes found myself wondering if this was a fictional story because of how elaborate it was or however, when he used experts from documents such as the petition for Elizabeth Clawson. The last two chapters is much about the trial process than I expected, which helped me to understand this book as a narrative with much historical
10. After reading this book, you will have a very different outlook on Judges. Justice Wargrave had a very interesting outlook on justice, and was a very deceitful man. You would think he would be a very honest and truthful man, because hes a judge. He believes in the “right prevailing” (pg.184), he's in law, he's got a “strong sense of justice” (pg.184), and he seems like an overall normal judge. However, if you look into the other side of Wargrave, youve got a man who loves causing death to the guilty, and daydreams about “ingenious ways to carry out murder” (pg. 185). Killing people who committed crimes unpunishable under the law satisfied both his desire to murder and his desire to carry out justice for wrong doing. It helps you to understand justice to him is seeing the guilty suffer, and the right prevail.
The ending of the Blood Meridian is both abstruse and compelling. The setting when the kid first walks into town (pp.324) seems almost too familiar. This town could be any number of different towns located throughout the Midwest, but it seems strangely related to the town of Nacogdoches. The Kid, once thought to be on some sort of migratory movement to the West, has now completed a full circle and has returned to the place of his birth. Birth not in the physical sense of being delivered from his mother’s womb, but rather the Kid experienced a rebirth in the form of one of the judge’s “great clay voodoo dolls (pp.13).';
This event in his personal life was dramatically influencing his decision in the jury room, but he was able to overcome his personal prejudice from the efforts of juror 8 “it’s hard to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this, and no matter where you run into it, prejudice obscures the truth” This quote shows juror 8’s understanding towards juror 3 in particular, and in turn allows him to overcome his personal prejudice. The young boy’s social status and childhood upbringing also influenced many of the juror’s perspective on him. The men came with pre conceived ideas about boy, just because he grew up in a slum, and allowed this reason and possibly their own personal reason to obscure their view on the
Campion, N. "Prophecy, Cosmology And The new Age Movement: The Extent and Nature of Contemporary Belief In Astrology".(PhD Thesis, Bath Spa University College 2004)
Juror eight opened the minds of the others by telling them how the boy”had been kicked around his whole, life. You know living in a slum. His mother dead since he was nine. That’s not very good head start. He’s a tough, angry kid. You know why kids get that way? Because we knock them over their head once a day, every day. I think maybe we owe him a few words.” juror eight goes on to explain how this boy had a hard life and if he did commit this crime he might have done it with reason. Now a hard life did not constitute the boy to kill his father but it may have given him motive to kill his father. We know that he was charged with first degree murder. Simply because he had bought his pocket knife days before the murder. “But as we the jury have talked about it many people own the kind of pocket knife yesterday. Why yes one of our very own jurors happens to own the same knife.” Juror eight is able to prove to everyone that we should not to so quick to judge. As all the facts were placed on the table it showed how by further looking into and embracing new ideas of what could have happen the opend the case to have a birds eye view. To be able to see more than just a poor boy who killed his fathr for
The basic astrological assumptions are not hard to grasp. For if astronomy is the study of the movements of the heavenly bodies, then astrology is the study of the effects of those movements. The astronomers of the ancient world assumed a division of the universe whereby the superior, immutable bodies of the celestial worlds ruled over the terrestrial or sublunary sphere, where all was mortality and change. It was assumed that the stars had special qualities and influences which were transmitted downwards upon the passive earth, and which varied in their effect, according to the changing relationship of the heavenly bodies to each other. They were led to postulate a single system in which the seven moving stars or planet shifted their position in relation to the earth and each other, against a fixed backcloth of the twelve signs of the zodiac.
"To hear the judge who put procedure over innocence could be moving to a higher court is very upsetting to me" (Jeffrey Deskovic). This means when the court judge that has guilty, but didn't listen to him and the truth that he says make him more angry and feel upset about this. While Deskovic and the court fight and got him in jail, Deskovic still find the research for his justice and the court finding the truth of which side are lying or something not really find out.
Fear and confusion plays a huge part in the criminal justice system because of the huge number of cases and facilities unable to handle them. The building is condemned and they have new judge had begun his position as the new supervising judge. His name is Roosevelt Dorn. Beckstrand is excited to be working on Duncan's. His case is a well known infamous one and Beckstrand almost hated the kid. Offenders in this case are used to a substantial number of setbacks in the system and and finding her main witness is becoming trouble for Beckstrand. Ronald, along with the other young delinquents, doesn't seem to care about anything.
“No man may longer doubt the powers of the village. There is too much evidence now to deny it.” (Miller, 495; Act 2). He supports this accusation with explanations that in today’s world we would consider crazy. Things like spectral evidence, when Abigail Williams is attacked by Elizabeth Proctor with a needle and a poppet, he thinks this as evidence that is stone cold. He also sees suspicion when people go against the gospel which can be seen when Elizabeth denies the existence of witches. In which he tells her, “You surely do not fly against the Gospel, the Gospel-“(Miller, 498; Act 2). This shows us his trust in his faith, and also things like the Gospel and God. But, later on in the play one of the “bewitched” girls named Mary Warren comes to the court and admits to all the girls lying about the dark magic that has been going on. This eventually leads to his downfall of his faith and determination and makes his leave Salem because he begins to realize Mary is telling the truth and he is behind the hangings of innocent people. “There is blood on my head!” (Miller, 532; Act 2). This is explaining his guilt that he has and his recognition that he has caused hearts to stop for unjust reasons. Due to him leaving and saying there was blood on his head, it is evident by the end of the play, that Hale goes from a Reverend that is here to help Salem with the power of religion. To a Reverend that is going against his Godly duty and has lost all ounce of will that he once had because he has the mark of death now upon
Cosmological myths serve the purpose of explaining existence, particularly to less scientifically advanced cultures. These myths, or stories, were created as a way of dealing with the questions regarding the universe which could not be answered concretely. Cosmic myths include creation myths, flood myths, apocalyptic myths, and afterlife myths. Examples of all of these aspects of the cosmological life cycle are present in D.H. Lawrence’s “The Horse-Dealer’s Daughter”.
“The sky, without a speck, was a benign immensity of unstained light” (Conrad 2). By using wording such as “benign” and “unstained”, it paints a picture in one’s mind of a kindly, pure environment. Since the story begins here, it seems as though the tale has begun in the light, and accordingly, honesty, and as the day progresses will descend into darkness and thus falsehood. As Marlow begins to speak, he contemplates the history of the land around him. “Light came out of this river since-you say knights? Yes; but it is like a running blaze on a plain, like a flash of lightning in the clouds. We live in the flicker-may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling! But darkness was here yesterday” (Conrad 3). He speaks of our world as a “flicker”, a twinkle in the “darkness” that was present before our civilization arose. T...
Astronomy is the study of the sun, moon, stars, planets, comets, gas, galaxies and other non-Earthly bodies and phenomena. Since the beginning of time, people have been interested in the sky. Everywhere from the mountains of South America to the deserts of the Middle East, there has been an interest in astronomy.
Outer space has always intrigued the human mind. Ever since humans inhabited the Earth, they have always looked to the heavens. Ptolemy, who lived over two thousand years ago, dreamed of being with the stars. He said, “I know that I am mortal by nature, and ephemeral; but when I trace at my pleasure the windings to and fro of the heavenly bodies I no longer touch the earth with my feet: I stand in the presence of Zeus himself and take my fill of ambrosia” (Tyson). At that time, reaching the “final frontier” was not even remotely possible.
Achenback, Joel., Heide, Schultz. “Signs From Earth: The Heat Is On.” National Geographic. National Geographic Society. n. d. n. pag. Web. 28 November 2015.