Question

have you read the two stories, "The Law of Life" and "A Dark Brown Dog," as well as Shakespeare's Sonnet 19. Here are some questions to get you started:

1. In the middle of "The Law of Life," Old Koskoosh actually defines it. What is the law of life according to the story? Do you agree with this definition?

2. "The Dark Brown Dog" is partially based on things seen by Stephen Crane when he lived in the slums of NY. Based upon the events of the story, what do you imagine life was like in the NY slums in the 1890's?

3. Based on the stories you read, as well as my definition in the lecture, what do you think of the literary theory of Naturalism? Do you agree with its tenets? Disagree? Do you agree with parts of the theory and not others?

4. In Sonnet 19, Shakespeare acknowledges that he is helpless before natural law, and that everything will decay and die. How then, can immortality be achieved? Do you agree with his thesis?

Answer 1

1. In "the law of life", Koskoosh an elderly man, was expected to die by slowly freezing to death. It is said that death is unavoidable fact of life. DEATH is the primary theme in "The law of life". He thinks about others who have died or will soon die as he is facing his own death. The fate of any individual is less important than the survival of the species. Infact, Koskoosh believes that an individuals only real purpose in life is reproduction.

2. The theme of "Dark brown dog" is survival, as he had to survive every hit, every blow, every torture, every way they mistreat him and could not strike back. Back in 1890, in the slum of Newyork, happens to be dark region where from a careening building, a dozen gruesome doorways gave up loads of babies to the street and the gutter. The people from the slum were extremely poor and had no power or control over their environment.

3. Theory of Naturalism, relates scientific method to philosophy and affirming that all human beings and events in the unviverse are natural. Naturalism denies the existence of truly supernatural realities.

The arguement against theory of Naturalism was first proposed by Alvin Platinga in 1993, that if both the evolution and naturalism are true, then the probability of having reliable cognitive faculties is low.

For instance, God may not be natural belief, unless I believe in god, I cannot believe in the thought process of it so I can never use the thought to disbelieve in God. Hence I don't agree to the part of the naturalism theory that everything is the entire universe are natural, may be certain belief be it God or idol of God or so, are caused because of the thinking capability of human.

4. The theme of "Sonnet 19" is the Destructiveness of Time, while time has a way of changing everything to destruct or destroy or mutate anything in its path. Shakespeare says immortal youth can be achieved for his love through his worse, which would remain forever fresh and green. The body may go mortal however the soul imbibed shall be immortal. The latter meaning is perhaps the predominant one, since the youth eventual decay is underscored by the description of times swift.