Today in class we started by examining the painting "The Great Chain of Being." We looked for themes and assertions about Cosmos through out the painting. We posted these on the google classroom page. The painting represented cosmos by tying together all parts of existence. There is seven layers of being connected by a running chain that unites them in a hierarchy, except for the tiniest bit of chaos at the bottom, Hell which is separated from the other seven beings.
In the second half of the class, We read and discussed "The Rematch" by B.J. Novak; A short story based around the infamous "The Tortoise and The Hare." The story takes place 5 years after the race that ruined Hare's life. Long story short, they have a rematch and the Hare obviously wins. The essential theme can be found in the last sentence of the story. "slow and steady wins the race, till truth and talent claim their place." (Novak). We discussed the three theories of humor. The story showed aspects of incongruity theory by being in a children's story format to strategically placed cursing towards the end. The fact that the audience feels superior to the tortoise after it loses proves the superiority theory (reversing the morals). Relief theory comes into play because the story plays with societal expectations of the original story.
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