Jackals
Throughout history humans have depicted jackals in different ways. In ancient Egypt the jackal is associated Anubis. He is the god of funerary rites, protector of graves and guide to the underworld. Anubis was typically described as a human with the head of a jackal or simply as a jackal. Jackals were often seen near burial grounds in ancient Egypt.
In ancient India jackals are described as clever advisers, schemers, and survivors. They were often found in stories with lions. In Indian stories the lion may possess greater strength, but the jackal often possesses the intelligence necessary to influence events.
European traditions often used foxes and wolves for roles that other cultures assigned to jackals. In European descriptions of African and Asian wildlife, however, the jackal acquired a particular reputation as a follower of lions.
It was sometimes imagined that jackals accompanied lions, located prey, or lived off the remains of the lion's kills. This produced a powerful literary image: The lion represents strength, authority, prestige, and leadership and the jackal represents cunning, assistance, subordinate labor, and dependence.
As Dickens was writing A Tale of Two Cities an Englishman would understand a jackal as someone who performs subordinate or preparatory work for another person.
Great literature should do more than entertain us. It should provide a roadmap to improving our lives.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens introduced readers to Sydney Carton, one of literature's most compelling and deeply flawed characters. Dickens also gives him an unusual title: the Jackal.
His struggles raise questions that remain relevant today.
Are we defined by our past mistakes? Can we overcome our weaknesses? What separates the people we are from the people we could become?
Lessons From the Jackal is a 25-day character study exploring these questions through Sydney Carton’s life, decisions, relationships, and personal development.
This is not a traditional course on A Tale of Two Cities. Our reading assignments will focus specifically on Carton, with sufficient background provided to understand his story. No previous knowledge of the novel is necessary.
Each day will feature selected readings, historical comparisons, reflection questions, discussions, and practical challenges ...
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)
Poet, Critic, Philosopher
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was one of the most gifted literary minds of his generation. A poet, critic, and philosopher, he possessed extraordinary intellectual abilities. Yet his life was marked by unfinished projects, difficulties with discipline, and an increasingly destructive dependence on opium.
Coleridge produced some of the most memorable poetry in English literature, including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan. But he also struggled to translate his ambitious intellectual plans into completed works. His friends recognized his extraordinary abilities, even as they witnessed the difficulties that prevented him from consistently applying them.
Unlike Sydney Carton, Coleridge achieved lasting recognition. Nevertheless, both men illustrate the distance that can exist between ability and accomplishment.
Consider the comparison. Was Coleridge's potential diminished by his inability to complete everything he envisioned?
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