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Week 10 - Kierkegaard "Problema 1" and Epilogue

Page history last edited by Mazzin 13 years, 12 months ago

**For Friday 4/2 Read FEAR AND TREMBLING: "PROBLEMA 1"; "EPILOGUE". Also read the 5th (unpublished) Attunement on p.56 of our Reader.

 

WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Compose your own Attunement.

 

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jack

 

It was early morning. Abraham rose in good time, kissed Sara his agèd wife, and Sarah kissed Isaac, whose auburn locks fluttered in the fresh breeze of dawn. Isaac turned to follow his father, the eyes of the innocent watering in the wind. Sarah watched them descend into the valley, Isaac striving to rejoin his father, and tears of fear and sorrow glistened on her face. Abraham rode on; he cast not back his eyes to the wife who had loved him, nor to the son who followed him in love.

 

For three days they rode in silence. Each day they halted when the sun went down, and laid their blankets side by side. At night, Isaac pulled tight his blanket around his frail body. He dared not speak to his father, who tossed feverishly and cast aside his blanket.

 

On the morning of the fourth day they awoke at the foot of the mountain in Moriah. Abraham broke his silence suddenly, turned to Isaac with a smile on his face, put a trembling hand upon the shoulder of his son: “Do not fear, Son, for God has spoken to me. In what he commands there can be no wrong. Have faith and be certain that we commit no ill in what we do. Have faith.” These and other gentle words he spoke to Isaac, but his eyes glimmered with dancing flames. His hand was cold, and Isaac started from his touch.

 

Abraham did not grow angry, nor did he become sad as he tightened the bonds upon his struggling son. His words of false comfort continued; Isaac could neither hear nor speak in his terror. Abraham sharpened the knife; he fed the fire which would sanctify the flesh of his child.

 

Abraham pressed the sharpened blade against the veins of Isaac quivering neck—then he saw the ram among the thickets. He removed the blade from the skin of his child and cut his bonds. A thin line of vivid red appeared on Isaac’s throat, darkened, and congealed.

 

*

 

When the child has grown and is to be weaned, the mother feels a loss of purpose and an ever growing gratuitousness of being. Lucky the child who lives!

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



Sara

 

Abe woke as early as the day before. He knew his dream, and his purpose was remembered.  His lower back ached as he lifted Isaac onto the mule, but the boy was still small and the ache was not a reflection of his weight but of Abe’s age. Eleazar rode behind, and they together. In the three days the ache of Abe’s back resounded in his words as he sank deeper into the saddle. The boy thought of his mother at the window, and wrapped his arms more tightly around the aching back and felt his fingers touch over his father’s navel, and the mule kept its pace.

On the fourth morning the boy saw the mountain and said “there it is”. On the fourth afternoon, Abe saw the mountain and said nothing, but nodded. Eleazar was left, and the boy saw that there was no offering. But the mule stumbled beneath them and the boy knew they would not be riding from the mountain to Sarah at the window, waiting.

At the peak while Abe collected the wood and chopped, the mule stood far off and the boy sat on the rock and listened to Abe’s breathing. And when the wood was ready, the mule was left and Abe pulled Isaac close. Gently he wrapped the rope around the boy, but, feeling the aching body tremble, wrapped more tightly. Isaac knew he would not walk from the mountain to the window, and that Sarah would not be waiting. The boy shuddered, and the father stood taller and looked down on him on the rock and said “Isaac” and the boy said “here I am”.

 Abe lifted his gaze with the knife, but the knife fell back down as Abe heard for the first time the resounding voice of god “do not lay a hand on the boy”. And Abe didn’t, but the knife did its end regardless, and Isaac did not ride home, and Sarah waited for nothing, and Abe trembled at the conviction of his accident.

 

The weaned child grows and the mother dwindles, growing into age. Lucky the mother who dies before her child. 

 

 

 

Karena

 

It was the morning of April 2nd.  The sun was slowly creeping out past the mountains, the warmth blanketing its way up to Abraham.  The sun gleamed over his right fingers and he gasped awake. Abraham jolted upward and turned immediately to his still sleeping son, Isaac.

 

Abraham’s right hand paused as he reached out towards Isaac.  In a moment, his hand recommenced towards Isaac until it furiously shook him awake.  Abraham urged, “Isaac, we must go!”  Isaac, confused but obedient, rose up to his feet and followed his father in packing his things.  Sarah stirred in her sleep until Abraham whispered to her, “God has spoken.”  The men left her behind.

 

Abraham faced forward in silence throughout their entire journey.  Trusting his father, Isaac remained curious until the second day.  Finally, Abraham dropped his head in exhaustion and Isaac bubbled to ask, “Where are we going?”  Abraham’s head jerked up again in response.  He maintained silence for a whole hour before he finally replied, “My son, you must trust your father as I do mine.  We are headed towards our destiny.”  Isaac, excitedly satisfied, remained quiet for the remainder of their trip.

 

On the third day, Abraham finally caught a glimpse of the Moriah.  The men stopped in their tracks and unloaded off their mules.  Isaac stood by, waiting.

 

Abraham then told Isaac to close his eyes.  In his eager obedience, he followed.  Abraham lifted his knife, stepped towards Issac, held his left shoulder, and after hearing the current of a buzz, slapped a fly away.  Abraham clumsily wiped his hands on his pants as he panted for a few moments.  After a heavy sigh, and a heavier gulp, he held Isaac’s left shoulder again and stabbed him in his neck!

 

At this very instant, Abraham heard the coughing sound of God say, “Halt, Abraham, halt!”  Isaac dropped to his feet and Abraham followed in suit, beginning to blubber in hysteria.  God said, “Your sorrow is empty.  Howl no more.”  Isaac carefully opened his eyes and looked into Abraham’s.  His eyes were already wet before he wiped them awake.  Isaac stood up and helped Abraham to his feet, turned around, and walked ahead of his father as they headed back home.

 

Stacy 

 

It was early morning. Abraham rose in good time and prepared the mule for his journey. With his mission in mind and grief in his heart, he woke Isaac and both bid goodbye to Sarah. Confused and half asleep, Isaac followed his father. His mother watched them through the window until she could see them no more. The sun was out and it radiated an exorbitant amount of heat. The occasional breeze, which Abraham took as a sign from God, was not enough to make the journey a comfortable one. They rode in silence the first day.

 

On the second day the sun was warm. The journey was a pleasant one, which Abraham took to be a sign from God. Isaac asked “Father, where are we headed?” to which Abraham responded “You will know when we get there.” He refused to say any more than that. And the day was warm it ceased to be a pleasant one because Abraham was reminded of his mission and his grief returned.

 

On the third day the sun refused to come out. It hid behind dark menacing clouds. The day was warm however, which Abraham took as a sign from God. Isaac asked “What will we do once we get there?” and Abraham responded, “We will do as God asked” and refused to say any more. He rode beside his son that day; no longer did he ride ahead showing the way. His anguish threatened to consume him but on he rode.

 

On the fourth day it rained. The raindrops concealed Abraham’s tears of grief and anguish and he took this to be a sign from God. Ahead he saw the mountain in Moriah and headed in that direction at a much slower pace. Once there, Abraham made everything ready for the sacrifice. Isaac, seeing his father make these preparations looked around for the sacrificial offering. Seeing none, he understood. He went up to his Abraham and said, “Father, I understand now.” Abraham realized the extent of God’s mercy and dropped to his knees to pray. His son was willing! Isaac picked up his father’s knife from the ground and stabbed him in the heart.

 

Isaac rode home to his mother and she received him with a kiss.

 

Lucky the child who loves his mother though she has taken her breast from his mouth!

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Ana Corral

 

     It was on the morning of the third day when Abraham and Isaac finally arrived at their destination; the mountains of Moriah. Neither spoke to the other; both were consumed with their own thoughts of why they had made this trip.

     Abraham got off his mule, started gathering wood for the fire and wondered why after three days Isaac hadn’t asked him why they had come here or even spoken much to Abraham.

     Oh well, thought Abraham, both God and I know why I am here; to test my faith in God and to offer my son in sacrifice, as God had asked of me. Isaac doesn’t need to know because this is between God and myself.

     After the fire was lit and burning, Abraham called Isaac over and told him that he was going to bind him that it was all part of what God had ordered. Isaac just looked at him numbly and let himself be tied without saying anything, not even when Abraham pulled out the knife.

     Abraham held the knife high and brought it down straight into Isaac’s heart. Abraham looked at the blood pouring out from the wound in shock, this wasn’t supposed to happen, God was only supposed to test him, he had been confident that God would speak to him before actually sacrificing Isaac.

     As he watched the life drain from Isaac, God appeared to Abraham and spoke. “Abraham, this was the test; whether you would be willing to offer Isaac to me as proof of your faith in me. You have passed the test [obviously]. In return, I give you your son back.”

     As God spoke, a miracle happened, Isaac’s wound disappeared and he awoke as if from a deep sleep. Abraham cried out in joy, and hugged his son to him. Yet Isaac, just sat there stiffly, and gave him a looked that chilled him to his bones.

     “Father, I know everything, why we are here, what God asked of you. I overhead your conversation with God, I was sure that you wouldn’t go through with the offering. I had been so sure that you wouldn’t kill me, that God would stop you or you yourself would realize what you did was wrong. But you offered me willingly, without a doubt and God is happy that you passed ‘the test’. But you still killed me father, even if I am still alive, and that is something that can’t be forgiven.” With that, Isaac got on his mule and rode off, back home to find his mother.

     Abraham was left standing with the knife in his hand and blood stains all over. As he watched Isaac ride off into the son, he called to God, “God, what is this? Is this my reward for my faith? Is this some other test of my faith? How is this just? I didn’t get my son back!”

     Abraham waited and waited for God’s reply, for a sign from God, for any kind of answer from God, but all was silent. Abraham waited; until he realized that there was no sign from God, no explanation, no guidance, just silence. And Abraham became so angry, so full of bitterness, that he couldn’t contain himself any longer, and went off in search of what had caused his ruin.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Jenneke

***I realize my version is a little out of place, simply because I was tired of reading from Abraham’s point of view***

 

Sarah opened her eyes, incoherent and half unconscious as she watched her husband shake awake Isaac, the blessing of their lives. He had said very little to her about where they were going, and it didn’t strike her until after they left how odd that had been, since Abraham always included her- they were married, one person.

Isaac, riding the mule his father had put him on, said very little on the first day of their journey to Moriah. He had learned that nothing distracted his father once he had a destination and a purpose. Even if no one know what either of them were. But after being abruptly and frighteningly awakened too early for a second day in a row, he became irritated to his father. After all, he didn’t know why he had to tag along on too long of a journey for what would probably end up being a fruitless end.

It was with this attitude that Isaac reached the top of Moriah with his father. And when asked to close his eyes and have faith, he did so begrudgingly, antsy almost. Feeling his arms being tied, he opened his eyes which led to a blindfold being placed on his head. Uncertainty filled his mind as he heard his father building the fire he had mentioned would burn a sacrifice, though they had brought no animals this far up the mountain.

He faintly heard his father murmur “I’m sorry, my son”, but before he had time to panic the bonds of his wrist were cut free as was the blindfold. He opened his eyes to see his father grinning through tears and a dead ram at their feet. It was then that he learned never to trust.

 

A child does not always accept the breast that a mother offers.

 


 

Michael

==stuff==

 

Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his winged ass. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out flying for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the winged ass while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."

 

Worship indeed, he thought to himself. I'm not worshipping a god who would have me sacrifice my son, a god who would give me gifts only to revoke them.

 

And He knows that.

 

So Abraham went up the mountain with Isaac, the whole time grinning a wicked grin that should have perhaps unsettled the boy were the boy not so dimwitted. But the LORD like Isaac was blind, and didn't see Abraham's grin, and so when he said it was evident that Abraham feared him, and that the man of faith had not withheld his second son, the LORD truly thought he had tested Abraham's faith.

 

Abraham sacrificed the provided ram and went down the mountain with his still-bewildered son, where he met his servants. There he told them, "there shall be much worshipping henceforth, as the LORD is great and kindly."

 

He pumped his fists in his head as he and his son and their two servants rode back to his home. This was a useful god, unlike all the gods his father had made in his youth.

 

===

 

When the child knows no mother for he is surrounded by too many adult females, he fails to make a strong connection with any one of them and becomes insecure. So he tests every woman to enter his radar, as the chick in Are You My Mother, and finally he finds one about whom he is only 95% skeptical. Lucky the child who feels loved!

 

 

Mazzin

Isaac awoke very early in the morning to the sound of Abraham chopping wood. He walked to the yard and saw Abraham tying the final pieces of the wood to the donkeys. "Is it time already father?" spoke Isaac, Abraham nodded and they began to ride. The first two days there was barely a moment of silence. Abraham had in fact spoke to Isaac more than he ever had, he shared fatherly insight, spoke of ancient tales, and told jokes. Isaac had a smile on is face that never faded. Isaac in return also shared stories and asked questions as any son would ask their father. There were hours when the two would speak non-sense just to avoid the sensation of silence. For whenever there was a moment of silence Abraham was left alone with his thoughts. He thought of the two sided wickedness he was hiding from his son. He thought of how he will proudly put his son down in the name of God. He did not feel sorrow for his sons loss but felt ashamed at his own phonyness and lack of courage he displayed in front of Isaac. For he knew that Isaac was well aware of what his destiny has in store for him but Abraham was to coward to confront it and rode along as if nothing was going to happen at all. 

 

Isaac on the other hand enjoyed these moments of silence almost as much as he enjoyed the bonding. Isaac is left with his thoughts, he is so proud to be the son of Abraham the man whom speaks directly to God. and although he knows where they are headed he is confident that Abraham will never bring harm to him for Abraham has preached many times before the importance of family loyalty over all else. 

 

On the third day Moriah was visible and Abraham stopped speaking to his son, for he could not stomach his own shame of pretending to Isaac that everything will be okay. Abraham knows that he must sacrifice his son, and yet still every-time Isaac looks over Abraham delivers an artificial smile of assuredness for he is still to coward to give Isaac the truth.

 

They arrive at the mountain, Isaac assists Abraham in binding himself and even hands Abraham the knife for he knows his father would never use it.  Abraham hold the knife with both hand high above his head, looking deep into the eyes of his son. He stays in the position, in silence for several moments than shuts his eyes and slams the knife into the chest of Isaac. But, at the very moment the blade touches Isaac's skin it disappears.  Abraham is left frozen in shock in the same position, Isaac looks deep into the eyes of his father. This time Isaac's eyes are filled with disappointment, shame, embarrassment, shock. How could his father ever actually do it. 

 

As Abraham stands up trembling God tells him "You have passed your test, you are now free to go home with your son". But Abraham becomes angry and yells in response "No, I can not have my son bare witness to my cruelty and hypocrisy, he was not supposed to survive this father. The shame I will feel knowing that my son has lost all respect for me will tear me apart. (Abraham begs on his knees crying) please father take my son away, I never want to see his face again!" 

 

There is no response, Isaac steps over his fathers pitiful body and begins the journey home. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments (14)

Jack Gedney said

at 6:09 pm on Apr 1, 2010

"Surely anyone with a speck of erectior ingenii cannot become so completely the cold and clammy mollusc as to lose sight altogether...of lots of important stuff" Kierkegaard, p 91.

I think this outrageous insult to molluscs is perhaps the long awaited justification for reading the Calvino mollusc story Davey keeps mentioning.

Sara Sol said

at 10:43 pm on Apr 1, 2010

that is exactly what i thought as i read it.

Sara Sol said

at 10:44 pm on Apr 1, 2010

since when is the wiki light blue?

David Walter said

at 12:47 am on Apr 2, 2010

obviously we must read the mollusc story -- along with the last of the dinosaurs.

just in time for nietzsche.

a deal: if one of you guys points out the significance of k's reference to _heraclitus_ at the END of the epilogue to "fear and trembling," i promise we will get right back on the calvino train.

David Walter said

at 12:52 am on Apr 2, 2010

attunements about as post-modernistic as i could have suspected.

jenneke_olson@berkeley.edu said

at 9:16 am on Apr 2, 2010

i was going to ask the same question, Sara! why is the wiki now blue??

David Walter said

at 9:28 am on Apr 2, 2010

jenneke, i don't think it's out of place at ALL to see this trial through the perspective of the other family members. it's great.

David Walter said

at 9:32 am on Apr 2, 2010

Ana -- "But you still killed me father, even if I am still alive, and that is something that can’t be forgiven.” -- I think this is exactly what K. tries to address in the section about "teleological suspension" -- whether Abraham is just another murderer. We'll have to talk about this.

David Walter said

at 9:34 am on Apr 2, 2010

and... whoa, stacy, what a twist. what happens to isaac and sarah after that!?

David Walter said

at 9:38 am on Apr 2, 2010

bad timing, sara. i love the refrain about sarah in the window.

Michael Pruess said

at 10:20 am on Apr 2, 2010

SK references Heraclitus in the last paragraph of Fear & Trembling. From this we can gather any number of a number of things:

1. SK doesn't truly believe in infinity/infinite movements.
2. One cannot journey into the same Moriah twice.
3. The LORD cannot call Abraham's name twice—though he does, thereby defying the impossible and justifying faith.
4. A lad cannot love the same princess twice, and because of this, resignation is impossible. SK continues to believe in resignation, however, and this is faith. SK has unwittingly succeeded at what he believed was impossible for him. Cookie's for him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhTiJEYqqY8

Sam Tobis said

at 10:34 am on Apr 2, 2010

It was late in the morning when they finally got out the door. Isaac had not wanted to rise and Sara was convinced that Isaac had been out late past curfew and probably drinking and smoking marijuana cigarettes. He was too young to do such things Abraham exclaimed when Sara shared her concern. So Isaac went on sleeping late into the morning having deferred attention from his impending demise.

So Abraham finally kicked open Isaac's door shouting "Wake the fuck up, we gotta go to this mountain so I can kill you for god" Isaac rolled over uninterested and tried to sleep. Finally Abraham had the neighbors come over and help bind Isaac there in the house. They tied Isaac to the ass and started to walk.

Sara's weeping echoed through the valley as they walked on. Neither Abraham nor Isaac had ever heard Sara cry in such a way. Her despair was apparent in the hysterical dynamic between her wailing tears and thronged gasps. The family would never be the same.

Sergio Cárdenas said

at 2:09 pm on Apr 4, 2010

personally... i think the green frame was less imposing

Jack Gedney said

at 4:00 pm on Apr 4, 2010

Hey, Sam, it's not an attunement if you don't take yourself too seriously.

But is "imposing" a desirable wiki quality? I kind of like "comfortable."

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