In volume 1 of our course textbook, Davis, Harrison, Johnson, Smith, and Crawford (the editors of the textbook) point out that the ancient Roman stories in Ovid’s Metamorphoses make us aware of “the violence of natural and historical processes of change and the fragility of life” (Davis et al. 1268-69). Then, in volume 2 of our course textbook, the editors introduce St. Augustine—a key figure in Western history—whose life and writings have been viewed as a bridge between ancient Roman culture and medieval Christian culture. For St. Augustine, the fragility of life is grasped through an awareness that we need to be saved from our own violent selves by calling upon not a Roman god, but the one Christian god. After reading the assigned excerpts from Ovid’s Metamorphoses and The Confessions by St. Augustine, focus on the need to make violence powerless as you respond to both of the following prompts:
• First, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, focus on one story that is provided after “The Flood” excerpt. So, you can choose “Apollo and Daphne” or “The Story of Orpheus and Eurydice,” or “The Story of Pygmalion.” In your chosen story, focus on a character you are frightened for—that is, a character you are afraid will fall into ruin or destruction if he or she pursues the violent, destructive desires of his or her heart. Then, write post composed of four (4) complete sentences where you use your most persuasive voice to shout out warnings to your chosen character—making sure to express your fears and anxieties about your chosen character’s imminent destruction. Don’t forget to refer to and cite a specific idea from the assigned reading from our textbook from Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
• Second, in The Confessions by St. Augustine, locate “The Stolen Fruit” chapter where St. Augustine tells us that when he was sixteen years old, he “loved to go down to death,” and he “loved [his] fault itself” (St. Augustine 79). After that, read the preceding section where he talks about how his father felt about him as an immoral, unprincipled young man. Then, write a post composed of four (4) sentences where you use your most persuasive voice to shout out warnings to St. Augustine before he takes off with his friends to the pear orchard—making sure to express your fears and anxieties about what will happen to St. Augustine’s soul if he pursues the course of continuing to love fault itself and to love the path to death. You can pretend, if you like, to be the good father St. Augustine never had. Don’t forget to refer to a specific idea from the assigned reading from our textbook from St. Augustine’s work, The Confessions.