Throwing Poe and His Heart into a Volcano

"The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it, while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come." C.S. Lewis We traveled and had holidays this week, but I actually accomplished my goal. I'm not being conceited but am simply very happy to take one step towards reaching this goal.

Next Week's GGB, GBWW, and Bible reading list. 

1.  Genesis 10-12
2. The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (GBWW Vol. 24, pp. 199-228)
3. “Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen” (1789) (GGB Vol. 6, pp. 412-414)
4. “Sketch of Abraham Lincoln” by Nathaniel Hawthorne (GGB Vol. 6, pp. 168-171; this passage is from Hawthorne’s essay “Chiefly About War Matters”; begin reading at the paragraph beginning “Of course, there was one other personage . . .” and stop at the end of paragraph that begins “Good heavens!”)
5. “The Discovery of Radium” by Eve Curie (GGB Vol. 8, pp. 32-42; Chapter XII of Madame Curie)
6. The Life of Gnaeus Julius Agricola by Cornelius Tacitus (GGB Vol. 6, pp. 274-298)
7. On Friendship by Cicero (GGB Vol. 10, pp. 286-316)

Sum up of last week's readings.

1.  Genesis 7-9-The flood symbolized baptism by immersion. The earth was cleansed from sin. The next step is baptism "by fire and the Holy Ghost, and by-and-by [the earth] will be prepared for the faithful to dwell upon” (Brigham Young, in Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:20 "And surely, blood shall not be shed, only for meat, to save your lives; and the blood of every beast will I require at your hands" Genesis 9:3 is especially interesting to me because of my lifestyle. People aren't forbidden to eat meat but are only to eat it in emergency starvation times. This is echoed in Doctrine and Covenants 49:21 “And wo be unto man that sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh and hath no need.”
2. “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe (GGB Vol. 2, pp. 273-277) I started re-reading this again, but only got partway down the first page. One author I refuse to read is Poe. I don't like his dark writing or strange unsettling conclusions. One reading of The Tell-Tale Heart was more than enough for me.
3. “The Lantern-bearers” by Robert Louis Stevenson (GGB Vol. 7, pp. 112-121) This was a delightful painting of child life in times gone by. RLS has a wonderful writing style.
4. Meno by Plato (GBWW Vol. 6, pp. 174-190) I know Socrates was great, but I get frustrated by the Socratic method. My son and I debate back and forth this way all the time. When he was young, it was lots of fun-he asking questions-me answering-then switching. But now that he is an all-knowing young adult plus much much more intelligent and logical than me, it is anything but fun. Perhaps that is the main reason the Athenians had Socrates put to death. It doesn't feel nice to be put in one's place like this.
5. “New Names for Old” by Edward Kasner and James R. Newman (GGB Vol. 9, pp. 121-136; from Mathematics and the Imagination) This is delightful. I wish I had entered the fairy-land of mathematics as a young girl. My oldest daughter went to Montessori school, where she was made aware of binomial and nominal squares at age 3 or 4. She loved higher math in school and does very well thinking logically. Sadly and mathematically, Montessori school nor its beautiful didactic apparatus are usually affordable for families with several children. Another daughter and a son somehow discovered this land as well. However, the girl's journey was cut short, and the son immigrated to the land of Creative Writing at an early age. I have attempted to travel to the math fairyland and hope to finally discover the entrance.
6. “The Land of Montezuma” by William H. Prescott (GGB Vol. 6, pp. 231-243; Book III, Chapter 8 of History of the Conquest of Mexico) Prescott's writing is superb. Yes, Cortez climbing the volcano was exciting. Unfortunately, Prescott's idea that this hike to massacre and rob the people of Mexico was Christian, was a fallacy in many ways. Jesus taught us not to kill or steal. Cortez did both in his greed. He also enslaved the survivors and brought terrible plagues that wiped out most of the population of the continent. While we can't judge the people of the past by today's measuring stick, I still am appalled at Imperialistic conquests of native peoples around the world. Although so many point their fingers and say it was an European problem, we see it today in Africa, South America, the Middle East, and so on with or without the support of the West.
7. “Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson (GGB Vol. 10, pp.525-545) The idea of self-reliance is compelling to me. In my life, I've embraced home birth, home school, chickens and bees in a suburban backyard, and now would like to realize home production of all my food. My children are embarrassed and say I thrive on controversy and disdain tradition. But that's not it. I am simply not a conformist or a joiner. I march to the beat of my own drummer. Although I espouse LDS-Christian religious beliefs, I don't just take another person's word for it. I study and learn and seek guidance from the Holy Spirit and synthesize and apply. But we're talking about Emerson here. Even with stoicism and authority issues, Emerson's message is mostly good and right. Just look at what our traditions and greed have done to our planet. Just look at what the entitlement crowd have done to economies around the world. A little self reliance might not be a bad idea. Anyway, Emerson let his light shine, while trying to build his little corner of society.