Caesar's Column By:Ignatius Donnelly: Reaction 1

Hello everyone, this is Marcela and I am currently taking violence in art and culture class at LaGuardia Community College. In class we been reading Caesar’s Column (a story of the twentieth century) by Donnelly. Reading this book something came up to mind. For example, the way that woman are portrayed in the story so far. If we take the conversion between Gabriel and Max on the beginning of chapter five, they start talking about the two young ladies they saw (previously in the book ) in a carriage that is property of the prince Cabano. Gabriel is intrigue with lady that is younger from the two. He asks Max if he know anything about her and Max replies that they might be the Prince’s mistress, upon hearing this Gabriel is shocked. He can’t believe such a fine lady can reduce herself and become a mistress to the prince. He starts talking about freedom and how wrong it is for a woman to sell her body. We often see this throughout history that woman are frown upon because many choose to sell their body for a living these is often seen as something sinful. Continuing with the topic of woman on pg. 38, we see how they see woman as a parasite. ”women are not in their best fortunes strong, but want will perjure the ne'er-touched vestal.” “But he need not have confined this observation to women. The strongest resolves of men melt in the fire of want like figures of wax…where virtue inevitably breaks. Morality in man or woman is a magnificent flower which blossoms only in the rich soil of prosperity…” “Dignity, decency, honor, fade away when man or woman is reduce to shabby, shameful, degrading, cruel wretchedness. Before the clamors of the stomach the soul is silent”. The concept that the passage is saying is woman are a man distraction, when woman are placed in front of man they forget who they are and forget what their role in society, which is helping the community prosper. Women are the want of men but not necessary the need of men. They ignite the fire in men and due to the fire the men (figures) turn to wax. With that being said Morality should only be consider a man trait rather than a women. A women isn't anything in society but a house wife, bringing the religion moral that women shouldn't be educated but rather be teach their role in society. Which is staying pure until marriage and then baring children and being a housewife. “Purity is natural to woman…god never placed such a majestic and noble countenance over a corrupt soul. The face is transparent; the spirit looks out of the great eyes; and it is a spirit of dignity, nobleness, grace and goodness”. The ideal that if a woman is pure she already lost her dignity, nobleness, grace and goodness and now is replace with a corrupt soul. Religion plays a role her because god is who created a woman out of a man’s rib, he made her pure and noble and with the idea that she will serve her man. Also the idea that a woman that if a women isn't pure she is degrading and shameful comes from the religious view. In conclusion I claim that these passages theme overall Is how woman are view and why they view like this. 

The Destruction Of New York

I am Marcela Romero and I am taking violence art and culture class at LaGuardia Community College. Recently in class we were analyzing the story “The Destruction of Gotham “by Joaquin Miller. I believe this man is quite intelligent and the way he describes people and places with such sense that it’s like he is predicting the future. Although the book took place in an early time of America, you can connected to what’s going on today in present time. I say this because in his novel on page 37 he states “a coarse man of this city once remarked, with more force than grammar, “that in New York a man can live as many lives as he has money”. Matherson now lived many lives, for he has much money.” The author, Miller implies that a person that has money can do what he/she wants because money gives them that power. If that statement is true we can apply it to present times and say yes Miller is right. A person that has money can have as many lives as he/she can. We can say that it’s true because in the society we live in, we have seen this happen. The people who have money are more privileged and have an advantage against the poor. But are they deserving of this privileged? The poor that work hard for these rich people, what do they get? Aren’t or shouldn’t they also be deserving of their own hard labor? Why should the poor be seen as not privileged or undeserving? Why should the settle for bits of pieces to survive. In New York we see a lot of this class system. As Miller describes that this man which I’m guessing is Matherson said that in New York one person that has money can have more lives than the one how doesn’t. In the story we see that New York has a wide range of disparity between the rich and the poor. The poor have to work hard for small wages while the rich take most of the profit.