Blog #11 Till we have faces

Blogging Assignment

 

This is a role playing exercise.  You are one of the gods who sits in judgment as Orual submits her complaint.  You will introduce yourself to Orual (give some brief background about yourself and how you have been witnessing her progress in life; this is your chance to wax creative) and then twist her accusation around so that it is she who is guilty.  

In demonstrating that she has wronged Psyche, and whoever else you want to accuse her of wronging, you will include something about the role of myth.  That is, in discussing the role of myth, say something about the story of Psyche the goddess, the one Orual learned from the temple priest in Essur, and justify the spinning of the tale as being different from the true story that Orual knows.  

You do not have to limit your accusation to this role of myth.  In the end of your essay, pass some kind of judgment on Orual: you may extend mercy, condemn her to a life of toil, or whatever you please. 

Favorite line to set this all up the inspiration if you will: “"Now Psyche goes out in exile. Now she must hunger and thirst and tread hard roads. Those against whom I cannot fight must do their will upon her. You, woman, shall know yourself and your work. You also shall be Psyche." (84)

I am the goddess of love. I seek loving hearts. I watch over those who see the beauty in life and in others. I seek people with souls of pure intentions. I seek hearts who are open and willing to lend a hand to those in need and those silently hurting. Since I am the god of love I seek to understand why people act out of hate and jealousy. I understand that that exists in the world and oftentimes worldly jealousy occurs out of relationships with others. It is hard to see good in people while not wanting it yourself. The first part of wanting to seek the good in people is beautiful but when we want to take that good for ourselves that is no longer love. We should seek the good in people simply to admire them and the people they are. I have been watching Orual for a long while and have found it alarming how little concern she has for others and the way her life os effecting those around her. She walks through seemingly unbothered by the pain she inflicts on others. The reason I am concerned about this is because of the way it affects the hearts of others. Walking through life without love as the first proactive only hurts your soul and the souls around you. You will simply be bringing all those around you down for no gain of your own. I understand making mistakes we all do that. I do not understand ill will toward another. We must walk with love as our lighthouse. I have placed myself here to be a reminder. The reminder I want to spread is to love God, love people, and love yourself. Love is a heart posture that needs to be exercised. While it is easier to be bitter in the moment, being bitter and jealous never gets you anywhere in life. People will not want to draw near  if they feel you will drag them down. While often I have watched Orual try and love she misses the point. Love is not a race or a capture. You cannot simply take love and rip it apart; you have to be tender with the heart you touch. You must take ego out of the equation to be able to give authentic love out. 

"Daughter, it doesn't matter a straw," said the Fox. "The divine nature is without jealousy. Those gods — the sort of gods you are always thinking about — are all folly and lies of poets. We have discussed this a hundred times."  (13)

 

The role of myth is so profound in this writing because the hidden symbols within it are more hidden than another of CS Lewis’s works such as Narnia. Since Narnia is for children it is easier to disguise these themes in a more obvious way because children are naïve and have been less exposed to these ideas prior. What I find so interesting is the way that CS Lewis is able to hide the themes even from adults in the Smiths to bring them closer to a desire for a divine. His art a full craft and creating characters that are relatable yet strong in theme and will is amazing. The book is almost like a self help myth. The book begins with Orual being told she is ugly by her father which sets her up for a life of self loathing and hatred toward herself and others. 

 The theme I found most profound was the imagery of the veil. The veil is used by Orwell to hide her ugliness at the beginning at the wedding. The veil comes back towards the end when she is trying to hide her face. She’s trying to hide her face to not show emotion towards her half sister's Psyche.  The veil makes people in the town sit in wonder at her and wonder what kind of power she has. What humasn ar unable to see they fill in with preconceived imainagtary almost mythical ideas. We fill in these holes with things often greater or more wonderful than they really are. The other horrible side effect if you will is the way the veil blinds her from the horrible things she is doing and the way they affect people.