The Horror! The Horror!

What is the meaning of Evil?  How do you define it? What makes for an evil character? What is its source? Are we all evil, and is this . . . expected . . . normal? Is it as simple as selfish, self-centered pride, as grandiose as genocide?
What was God getting at when he told Cain that Sin (e.g., Evil) crouches outside his door and desires him, but that Man must master it? Is British poet W. H. Auden in agreement when he wrote, "Evil is . . . always human and shares our bed and eats at our own table"?

I'm not a Monster, I'm just a Hero on the wrong side of History

Satan takes a central role in Paradise Lost.  In delving further into this much-maligned character, this monumental work boldly goes where others had not, presenting a fictionalized backstory that offers a motive for Satan's abandonment of God.  And the story can be compelling, striking a chord with many who identify with Lucifer's pain as a child scorned.
Considering this "new history," address the idea that Satan is a sympathetic character in Paradise Lost.  Is he the Hero of the story?  Is this Milton's purpose? What is this story all about? Is this the Divine / Heavenly version of the Garden of Eden story, with Satan playing the role of Adam?  If there are parallels, what is the striking difference between Satan and Adam?

ME ! ME ! ME ! Pick ME ! I have something more to say !!!

Here is the open-ended prompt you may use to start your own thread. Feel free to post an original observation, question, or elaboration from an earlier class discussion.  You may also respond to other students' comments here.  Every relevant, thoughtful, and original comment here garners points towards your discussion grade.

In the Beginning . . . .

Read Genesis 1:1 to 9:17, stopping frequently to make notes about your observations and questions.  Post your notes here in one entry.
What surprises you about this ancient text?  What doesn't seem to be here that you had thought was part of this story? What confuses you? What are you noticing about the use of language in this text, about the subtle patterns that emerge?

"I love the old questions, the old answers . . . ."

Develop your own question about Endgame.  This should be a debatable question that cannot be easily answered in just 1-2 sentences. (Try to create an original and insightful WHY question.)

Hope springs eternal?

What, according to Beckett, is the hope for Mankind? Where might we find purpose and meaning?

How many surrealists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Answer: Dove moisturizing cream

How is this play the epitome of Absurdist Theatre?  How else is this a “Modern” classic?  Identify a few of your favorite MOTIFS and articulate a THEME that develops from these forceful images/ideas/symbols.

You choose -- answer fully any ONE prompt below . . .

1)  Any worthwhile story has a source of tension that propels the characters, and usually a central protagonist who must confront the problem en route to a discovery of self or other.  Endgame is a classic drama – but one which avoids some of the trappings and traditions of pre-twentieth-century literature.  What is the tension at play in this work?  Who is the protangonist and what is his/her discovery, if anything?  How does this tension contribute to the larger meaning of the work?

2) Why does Endgame open the way it does? Why does it end in a similar manner?  Where are they?  What happened to them that got them here and made them this way?  Why on earth are Nell and Nagg living in trash bins?

3) How is Modern Man like Hamm and Clov? Where do we see ourselves and our world in this dark episode?  What does Hamm want? What does Clov want? What’s their history? Why doesn’t Clov leave?

4) An odd title, Endgame.  What do you make of it?  What do you fathom Beckett was suggesting with this enigmatic wordplay?

5) Is this ALL just dark and depressing, as some have claimed, or is there some jocularity?  What purpose might the humor serve? (Hint: NOT just to offer comic relief.)

6) Beckett infuses this play with a range of Biblical and classical ALLUSIONS. What are some of your favorites?  To what end (significance) do these references speak?

7) Endgame is both a dark, sordid tragedy and a witty, ironic parody of life itself; as such, it has a little something for everyone.  I hope that – at the least – some parts of this story spoke to you directly.  Considering this, what are some of your favorite quotes or passages from the text?  Why do these excerpts resonate with you?

8) What does this play remind you of? Where have you seen similar characters, or a similar situation, or a similar treatment of theme?  What other literature, art, or cinema – or even world event --  reminds you of Endgame?