MILAN KUNDERA "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"

 

 

 

 

THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, a book full of history

 

 

"All this happened in the spring of 1968.

 

Alexander Dubcek was in power, along with those Communists who felt guilty and were willing to do something about their guilt.

 

 But the other Communists, the ones who kept shouting how innocent they were, were afraid that the enraged nation would bring them to justice.

 

 They complained daily to the Russian ambassador, trying to drum up support. (p.178)"

 

 

"In 1618, the Czech estates took courage and vented their ire on the emperor reigning in Vienna by pitching two of his high officials out of a window in the Prague Castle.

 

 Their defiance led to the Thirty years War, which in turn led to the almost complete destruction of the Czech nation.

 

 

Three hundred and twenty years later, after the Munich Conference of 1938, the entire world decided to sacrifice the Czechs' country to Hitler.

 

 Should the Czechs have tried to stand up to a power eight times their size ? In contrast to 1618 they opted for caution. Their capitulation led to the Second World War..." (p.222, 223)

 

"The decade immediately following the Second World Was was a time of the most horrible Stalinist terror..." (p.252)

GEORGE ORWELL "Animal Farm"

ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL

 

BUT SOME ANIMALS

 

ARE

MORE EQUAL

 

THAN OTHERS.

 

(p.90)

 

 

 

 

Struggle between Stalin (Napoleon) and Trotzky (Snowball) :

 

Stalin wanted revolution, but only in Russia. Trotzky wanted revolution everywhere in the world.

 

"As usual, Snowball and Napoleon were in disagreement.

 

According to Napoleon, what the animals must do was to procure firearms and train themselves in the use of them.

 

 According to Snowball, they must send out more and more pigeons and stir up rebellion among the animals on the other farms.

 

 The one argued that if they could not defend themselves they were bound to be conquered,

 

 the other argued that if rebellions happened everywhere they would have no need to defend themselves.

 

 

The animals listened first to Napoleon, then to Snowball, and could not make up their minds which was right..."

 

(Orwell, Animal Farm, p.34)

 



SIMON SCHAMA "The Story of the Jews"

New English Bible , JOHN 8,28-59

 

 

 

This part of the New Testament is a torrent of abuse between Jesus and the Jews, and according to Simon Schama "the lowest point" in the New Testament :

 

"...The Jews replied : We are Abraham's descendants, we have never been in slavery to any man. Jesus said : I  know that you are descended from Abraham, but you are bent on killing me because my teaching makes no headway with you. The Jews retorted : Abraham is our father. Jesus replied: If you were Abraham's children, you would do as Abraham did. As it is, you are bent on killing me, a man who told you the truth, as I heard it from God. That is not how Abraham acted. You are doing your own father's work. The Jews said : We are not base-born; God is our father, and God alone. Jesus said : If God were your father , you would love me, for God is the source of my being, ond from him I come.

Jesus said : Your father is the devil and you choose to carry out your father's desires He was a murderer  from the beginning and is not rooted in the truth. You are not God's children; that is why you do not listen.

The Jews answered : Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and that you are possessed. I am not possessed, said Jesus. I am honouring my Father, but you dishonour me.

The Jews said : Now we are certain that you are possessed. You are not yet fifty years old. How can you have seen Abraham ? Jesus said : in, very truth I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am.

They picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus was not to be seen. And he left the temple" (JOHN, 8,27-59).

JAMES JOYCE ULYSSES "The holy trinity according to Arius"

"THE HOLY TRINITY ACCORDING TO ARIUS"

 

 

"Is that then the divine substance wherein Father and Son are consubstantial ? Where is poor dear Arius to try conclusions ?" (p.43) 

 

 

 

 

 

For furter information see Karen Armstrong, A History of God : "The controversy had been kindled by Arius : how could Jesus Christ have been God in the same way as God the Father ? Arius was not denying the divinity of Christ; indeed, he called Jesus "strong God" and "full God", but he argued that it was blasphemous to think that he was  divine by nature : Jesus had specifically said that the Father was greater than he. The very fact that Jesus had called God his "Father" implied a distinction; paternity by its very nature involves prior existence and a certain superiority over the son. Arius als emphasized the biblical passages that stressed the humility and vulnerability of Christ.

The priority must be to oppose Arius, who declared that the Son was entirely distinct from

God and of a fundamentally different nature" (p.107-112)

 

See also Dan Brown, De Da Vinci Code : "Tijdens die versmelting van religies moest Constantijn de nieuwe christelijke traditie versterken, en hij hield een oecumenische bijeenkomst, die bekend zou  worden als het Concilie van Nicea. Op deze bijeenkomst werd over veel aspecten van het christendom gediscussieerd en gestemd; over de datum van Pasen , en natuurlijk over de goddelijkheid van Jezus. Wacht eventjes. Wilt u zeggen dat de goddelijkheid van Jezus het resultaat van een stemming was ?" (p.224)



WILLIAM GOLDING "Lord of the Flies"

 

 

 

 

 

 

RULE, BRITANNIA, RULE THE WAVES ! BRITONS NEVER SHALL BE SLAVES !

 

"...The officer turned back to Ralph. We''ll take you off. How many of you are there ? Ralph shook his head. The officer looked past him to the group of painted boys. Who's boss here ? I am, said Ralph loudly. We saw your smoke. And you don't know how many of you there are ? No, sir.

I should have thought, said the officer as he visualized the search before him, I should have thought  that a pack of British boys - you're all British, aren't you - would have been able to put up a better show than that - I mean - " (pag.234)



BALZAC "Le Colonel Chabert"

   BALZAC ET NAPOLEON.

 

 

"Lors de la liquidation, le monstre qui gouvernait alors la France a rendu par un décret la portion du fisc à la veuve du colonel. Ainsi la fortune personnelle du comte Chabert ne se monterait donc qu'à trois cent mille francs"  (p.91)