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Literature & Language
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English (U.S.)
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Response to class Readings. Literature & Language Essay

Essay Instructions:

Text:
1) ​Armstrong, Karen. “Homo Religiosus”
​New Humanities Reader, Fifth Edition (1-21)
2) Lethem, Jonathan. “The Ecstasy of Influence: A Plagiarism”
​New Humanities Reader, Fifth Edition (210-231)

Our discussion this term has centered upon questions of what “intellectual property” is, where it comes from, and how we use it. In particular, Jonathan Lethem expresses many ideas concerned with what it means to “celebrate the “ecstasy of influence”,” first through reevaluating the concept of “property” itself, and then by using it to interrogate normative ideas of “culture” through the privatization or sharing of the creativity of the arts. Both Lethem and Armstrong in their respective texts emphasize the practical failings of thinking in terms of assumption, habit, and sameness, embracing instead the concepts of diversity, communication, and collaboration.
In “Homo Religiosus,” Karen Armstrong is concerned with the way we think, examining in particular “the kind of knowledge…akin to the understanding derived from art.” (5). Things that we perceive and believe to be rational are really interconnected in some way. Armstrong claims, that we must not be focusing on the everyday realization of objects, but we must be looking for those “connections” what she calls “more than a superficial epiphany,” especially via possessing an understanding that art and religion have been inseparable from the beginnings of time. The truths of religion, “[require the disciplined cultivation of a different mode of consciousness” (7). Thus, Armstrong suggests that religion is hard work, and that human beings need to reach their connection through an ekstasis, “a stepping outside” the norm. “We make,” she argues, “a point of seeking out these experiences that touch us deeply within and lift us momentarily beyond ourselves” (7). Today people who no longer find it in a religious setting resort to other outlets: music, dance, art, sex, drugs, or sport (7). At such times, we feel that we inhabit our humanity more fully than usual and experience an enhancement of being. (5, 7).
Employing evidence from Armstrong AND Lethem, write an original essay addressing the following question: In what ways might Lethem’s argument to the reference to “pull “things” into relief against the ground of their functionality” (215) and to “reveal the “thingness of objects” through art magnify the “enhancement of being” (7) described by Armstrong?

Below are some further questions that may be useful to consider in generating your argument. Remember that you only need to address the above prompt(topic)
• Think carefully about what Armstrong means in the terms “ekstasis” and “kenosis.” How might the experience of “nothingness” make people more alive and creative?
• Is thinking in terms of Martin Heidegger’s “enframing” (215) a positive entity if only recognizing artwork as a way to reveal the “thingness of objects?” How might thinking in these terms help structure an argument?
• What is the status of “selflessness” in Armstrong’s essay? Does it resemble the role it played for Lethem? Why or why not?
• What is the relationship between consciousness and the development of thought about our spiritual/ creative world? How can small changes unleash extraordinary shifts in the way people think and act?

Essay Sample Content Preview:
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Response to class Readings
The restless search for satisfaction is part of human nature, and this is something that humans are yet to find. In the process of enhancing the quality of life and meeting the needs of the day, humans end up sharing or obtaining inspiration from others. Jonathan Lethem’s text “Ecstasy of Influence: A Plagiarism” provides an in-depth understanding of how human behavior has been influenced through the art of stepping outside themselves in the process of exploring the world and making it a better place for those in the current generation and generations to come. Lethem understands ecstasy as the ability to stand outside one’s comfort zone and discovering every bit of information for the sake of making the world a better for all. This is the very thing that the society has been doing ever since humans sinned and stepped out of the Garden of Eden. This argument can be used to enhance Karen Armstrong’s argument that it is the responsibility of men to “pull things into relief against the ground of their functionality” and to reveal the thingness of objects through art.
Both Armstrong and Lethem contend that it is the responsibility of religion to instill morals in people. Armstrong understands ecstasy as the ability to stand outside the norm. The norm, from Armstrong's point of view, is what the society has embraced and considered to be right and morally acceptable. Traditionally, privatization of works of art through copyrights and intellectual property rights has been considered an adequate standard of living. However, one has to recognize the injustice that this does to the generations to come or those that are willing to learn. From Karen’s point of view, religion and art serve a similar function of enhancing internal happiness. The work of art creates a sense of satisfaction not only to the artist but society as well. To “pull things into relief against the ground of their functionality” implies to enhance creativity. As such, the role of art is to make sure that it provides society with a sense of creativity. People have a natural way of seeking ecstasy. Armstrong argues that this ecstasy can be derived from “music, dance, painting, drama…” (7). When they are denied the chance to access the ecstasy, they will do everything to fill the gap, and this is what propels them to engage in immoral acts such as the addiction to drugs. Armstrong’s primary argument is that both religion and culture have a role to play. Culture through art can change the manner in which people seek happiness and model society’s morals.
One of the challenges that the society has faced tod...
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