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Sundays at 9:45 a.m.
in the basement classroom.

In October, Sunday Forum offers two distinctly different topics. A two Sunday series continues the theme of literature as a window to understanding the classic questions of life. This series will be taught by Mary Koenig, high school English teacher and community college instructor. In late October and November Russell Post and his law partner Murray Fogler, who represents a detainee imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, will present a four week series: “Inside Guantanamo Bay.”

Sacral parody and Pirates of the Caribbean

Geoffrey Chaucer used a witty combination of serious and playful elements in his Canterbury Tales. The reversal of expectations and the presentation of a whimsical dichotomy between good/bad/foolish behavior offers amusement (‘solace’) and a mini-moral meal (‘sentence’). Ambiguity was one of Chaucer’s weapons in his satire against conformity, superficially orthodox Christianity, tradition and circumspect behavior. In the “Miller’s Tale” - known by every high school student as the ‘tale they told us not to read’ - the Christian reader may be puzzled by the silly display of sacred anticipation and the outrageously vulgar. But in the hands of a genius, the bawdy French fablieau becomes a deliberate sacral parody. To what effect?
Likewise, when Hollywood decides to create a blockbuster adventure, it often hopes to use visual effects and a story line that plays on more than one level, often using classical references to add interest to the plot or characters. The three part Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy has been a success, partly because of the richness of the allusions from classical literature, including Virgil’s Aeneid and Dante’s “Inferno” from the Divine Comedy. The film is a comedy that uses parody and literary allusion to enrich a story idea that plays with an oxymoronic combination of opposites. Chaucer’s ‘Tale and Pirates’ film makers succeed because of the way that playful elements are juxtaposed with serious, universal themes.

October 7: The meaning of sacral parody and the outrageous dualities presented in the “Miller’s Tale” from “The Canterbury Tales.” Participants are invited to read the “Miller’s Tale” before class.

October 14: Pirates of the Caribbean: Examination of the film’s sources in the Aeneid and the Divine Comedy.

Inside Guantanamo Bay

October 21: Murray Fogler will provide an overview of the complex situation at Guantanamo Bay. This session will include a first-hand description of Guantanamo Bay based on Murray’s personal observations and an overview of the litigation, including the personal story of one detainee.

October 28: Murray Fogler will discuss the wide range of legal issues that have arisen in the Guantanamo Bay litigation and the current status of those issues in the U.S. courts.
November 4: Russell Post will lead a discussion on habeas corpus.

November 11: Russell Post will lead a discussion of ethical and moral questions posed by the Guantanamo Bay situation, guided by the ELCA publication “Living the Faith: A Lutheran Perspective on Ethics,” the ELCA Social Statement, “Peace in God’s World,” and the ELCA Church Council Message, “Living in a Time of Terrorism.

 

Last updated: 2007-10-03