Ragnarok

"The gods decided to tie up the wolf.  The words men used to describe the gods were the words they used for fetters or bonds, things which held the world together, within bounds, preventing the breakout of chaos and disorder." (52)

I chose this passage because the word choice stood out to me.  The denotation of "fetters" is a chain used to restrain a prisoner.  Its connotation is heavily on the negative end.  This is part of the reason that this passage was so intriguing to me.  While my perception of gods is a far more enlightening, awe-inspring one, it appears as though men in this time thought differently.  I had always believed that in ancient Greek times, men and women both heavily revered the gods, relied upon them, and worshipped them.  The repetition of the image of tying or restricting mortals in this passage implies that the God's powers serve to limit, protect, and inhibit the people.  "Fetters" elicits the image of chains, an overbearing, uncomfortable, heavy object that entraps criminals.  I had never imagined the Gods as the glue that holds the world together, and I found that comparison very interesting in this passage.  Are humans wild beasts that need to be tamed?  In Ragnarok, I repeatedly noticed the notion of the elements holding far more power than humans do.  For instance, the skinny child merely watches, observes, and glimpses at the ever-changing, fascinating things surrounding her.  What does this say about human agency?  If the Gods have so much power, like this passage implies, how do they control us?  To what extent do we have free will?  Are we just pawns in their game as they manipulate and strategize?

Ragnarok

"What was there in the beginning in the Asgard stories?

In the first age

There was nothing 

Nor sand nor sea

Nor cold waves;

There was no earth,

No sky on high

The gulf gaped

And grass grew nowhere"

This passage is on page 23, and is the second part of the explanation of how the world was created. The "thin child" was wondering how the world came to be and how everything inside it was created. Two stories were promoted: the religious story regarding a "grandfatherly figure who had spent six delectable days making things" (along with the idea of the snake and the concept of temptation with the apple) and the one in the Asgard stories. I think this passage has a lot of relevance with society today because the concept and question "how did the Earth come to be?" is asked by scientists and religious scholars alike and it has been the center of cause of much debate between two conflicting spectrums. Based of what the passage before this one said, the thin child found the second story much more interesting. I thought this passage was important because it revealed a lot about the main character - the thin child. It showed the thin child's curiosity and desire to learn. I was debating choosing this passage and another one discussing how the child would use a hidden light or the light underneath the bedroom door in order to read different stories. Both of these passages demonstrate the child's thirst for knowledge and allow the reader to develop a strong understanding of the child's character. This passage demonstrates how the child uses the book of Asgard and the Gods to make sense of the new world that she has been thrown into. This passage regarding the creation of life and the world is almost like a guide for her as she too has been put into an environment that is completely different from the one that she was used to. Another reason I really liked this passage is because it is almost like the "calm before the storm" as it says that in the first age there was nothing. It is almost foreshadowing the idea that something big is going to be created and it is going to explode out of nowhere. 

10/29/2014 Ian Crowley

"She was a logical child, as children go. She did not understand how such a nice, kind, good God as the one they prayed to, could condemn the whole earth for sinfulness and flood it, or condemn his only Son to a disgusting death on behalf of everyone. This death did not seem to have done much good. There was a war on. Possibly there would always be a war on. The fighters on the other side were bad and not saved, or possibly were human and hurt" (Byatt 11).

I picked this passage because it brings up an argument that we have recently been discussing in class. The little girl asks the same question that has been asked so many times in our discussions: if there is a god, why would he allow so many bad things to happen in the world? To me this is a very interesting question because it can never truly be answered. People can only speculate why God would let war, natural disasters, and so much unwarranted death to occur. Why would God not step in and prevent terrible events like these from happening? Is he trying to teach the human race a lesson so they can learn from their mistakes? As for me, I have to side with  the little girl. Although her innocence and naivety are apparent in other selections, she makes a valid point about God. I don't understand how someone who is supposed to support and love all could allow such horrible things to happen.