Pela aproximação de discursos que já à primeira vista deflagram suas disparidades o de Fernando Pessoa em Mensagem, e o de Agostinho Neto em Sagrada Esperança , delineiamse visões, acerca do papel da arte, cujo contraste lança novas luzes sobre a identidade e as peculiaridades de cada obra. Ao se traçar paralelos entre essas visões, dá-se a ocasião para discutir a questão do poder da literatura na busca por entendimento e melhoria da experiência humana no mundo. Com seus passeios pelos poemas e as interpretações propostas, esta dissertação busca perquirir os meios pelos quais o fazer poético daria conta de instaurar uma realidade própria que, embora ficcional, revela-se apta a exercer uma influência significativa no real objetivo / By bringing close two discourses as different as the ones in Message, by Fernando Pessoa, and Sacred Hope, by Agostinho Neto, contrasting visions of the role of art come forth, as new lights are cast on the identity and peculiarities of each work. By drawing parallels between those visions, it is given the opportunity to discuss the power of literature in the search for understanding and improving of mans experience in the world. With its strolls through the poems and its suggested interpretations, this dissertation attempts to scrutinize the means by which the poetic labor manages to create a reality of its own that, though fictional, revels itself as able to significantly influence reality

Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes: Finding Religion in Everyday Life Nancy Tatom Ammerman . New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. 376 pp. $29.95 paper. ISBN: 9780199917365.

Une opération économique, en fin de compte, repose sur une seule chose. Une chose des plus élémentaires qui soient, à savoir, tout simplement : l'emploi d'un objet. C'est bien là le socle de toute action économique. C'est-à-dire de toute action qui, à un moment donné, se veut utile ou rentable. Mais un tel acte a pour effet d'annuler toute la valeur que l'objet peut toujours présenter dans l'instant (comme son charme, sa drôlerie ou, encore, son étrangeté). Autrement dit, l'emploi d'un objet remplace toute la valeur sensible dudit objet par une valeur d'un autre ordre qui n'est autre que la valeur d'usage. Mais, le fait est qu'employer utilement quelque-chose n'a rien d'automatique. C'est qu'un tel acte revient très concrètement à s'opposer délibérément au cours habituel des choses qui, lui, consiste en une dépense inutile de chaque chose... Mais ce n'est pas tout car, au bout du compte, d'un point de vue général, l'action délibérée contre ce cours habituel des choses ne fait en réalité jamais que de l'accroître. Tout simplement parce qu'une telle action (n'étant donc pas automatique) se doit d'abord de dissiper pour son propre compte tout un tas de forces disponibles ; cela, avant même d'avoir pu commencer son œuvre. Tout ceci doit nous forcer à reconnaître que le véritable produit d'une opération économique n'est jamais qu'une meilleure dilapidation des richesses disponibles. Et c'est bien sous cet angle que sera envisagée, dans le cadre de ce travail, la notion de Décroissance. Cela grâce à la mise en perspective de la théorie d' « économie générale » de Georges Bataille avec les travaux de l'économiste Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen. / An economic operation relies, after all, upon one single thing. Upon one of the most elementary things, that is, simply: the use of an object. Such is the root of any economic act, i.e. of any act which, at some time, purports to be useful or profitable. But one effect entailed by such an act is to cancel all the value that such an object may instantaneoulsy present (such as its spell, drollery or, yet, its oddness). In other words, the use of an object implies that the sensitive value of that object be substituted by another sort of value, namely its use value. However, as a matter of fact, the useful employment of something is in no way automatic. Indeed, such a useful employment of things is actually equivalent to a deliberate opposition to the usual course of things, which consists, on the contrary, of a useless expenditure of all things... Still, from a general point of view, such a deliberate act against this usual course of things only achieves, after all, to always increase it. Just because such an act (thus, not being automatic), yet before it may have started to operate, first has to dissipate for itself a whole bunch of available forces. All of this leads us to acknowledge that the true product of an economic operation is always only a better squandering of the riches at disposal. It is according to this point of view that my research has focused on the notion of Degrowth, by combining Georges Bataille’s theory of “general economy” with economist Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen’s works.

Notre travail, qui centre la représentation symbolique des quatre éléments (terre, eau, air, feu), part de l' « imagination matérielle » de Bachelard en vue d'établir une réflexion équilibrée autour de dynamiques dramaturgiques et littéraires (particulièrement Hugo et Shakespeare) en amont des opéras de Verdi pou r déboucher sur l'analyse de ces derniers, d'un point de vue littéraire et musical. À partir de la mythographie des quatre éléments, diverses figures du temps émergent des livrets verdiens et livrent un parcours symbologique thématique. Ainsi, l'héroïne de La Traviata est confrontée au temps qui fuit, rendu évident par la frénésie musicale du rythme. Au carpe diem impatient s'oppose alors l'émergence de l'amour inévitablement lié à la linéarité du temps de la destinée. Les feux de la passion se distinguent d'une image aérienne de Violetta, qui glisse d'une joie à l'autre en développant un rapport à plusieurs éléments. De manière similaire, une reconstruction analytique de Un ballo in maschera prouve que les personnages demeurent impuissants et superflus face à l'inflexible destin. Le temps accélère ensuite de façon soudainedans Rigoletto au sein d'une image aquatique. Dans cette œuvre, un chronotope de la crise d'empreinte bakhtinien entre en jeu, provoquant un renversement de la direction temporelle et une précipitation du temps imagée dans le rythme hippique du galop. Le temps cristallisé dans Don Carlos dérive pour sa part de l'expérience amoureuse des protagonistes qui se réfugient dans un temps réitérable par le biais du souvenir tandis qu'un autre souvenir igné annonce un retour du temps destructeur dans Il Trovatore. Mais un deuxième régime temporel linéaire où le feu est dévorant prend également forme dans cette œuvre sombre, débouchant sur un mouvement aérien qui est une fuite à la condition terrestre révolue des personnages amoureux. Enfin, les symboles d'un temps dévastateur porteur de mort, dégagés par les ténèbres, sont observables dans Macbeth et Otello, sous-tendus par un même substrat shakespearien. Lemoment de la chute ultime du héros est venu. Comme si l'insoluble tragédie de la source shakespearienne rencontrait par ce biais le pessimisme et le doute artistique d'un Verdi arrivé désormais à maturité. / Our work focuses on the symbolic representation of the four elements (earth, water, air, fire) startingfrom Bachelard’s “material imagination” and leading us to reflect upon the dramatic and literary dynamics(from Hugo and Shakespeare especially) upstream of Verdi’s operas in order to analyze them from a bothliterary and musical point of view. From the mythography of the four elements different figurations oftime emerge from the Verdian libretti and allow a symbologic thematic reading.Thus, the Traviata’s heroin is confronted with tempus fugit epitomized by the frenetic musicalrhythm. The impatient carpe diem then contrasts with the advent of love inevitably linked to time’s fatefullinearity. Fires of passion distinguish themselves from the ethereal image of Violetta gliding from one joyto the other playing on a palette of several elements. Similarly, an analytical reconstruction of theBallo in mascherawill prove that the characters are powerless and superfluous in front of inflexible fate. Timethen suddenly speeds up in Rigolettoin the midst of water imagery.In this work, Bakhtin’s “chronotope ofcrisis” comes into play, causing a reversal of the temporal direction and a precipitation of the passing oftime embodied in the horse’ gallop-like concluding rhythm. The crystallized time inDon Carlosoriginatesfrom the lovers’ experience, who find refuge in the repeatable time of memory whereas another memory,infused with fire symbols heralds a return of the devastating time ofIl Trovatore. But a second temporalsystem, linear, where fire is devouring, takes shape in this darker work, leading eventually to an etherealmovement of the lovers’ escape from their already-gone terrestrial condition. Finally, the devastating timebrings forth death inMacbethandOtello, which share an underlying Shakespearean substrate. Thencomes the final fall of the hero. As if the insoluble tragedy of the Shakespearean source met the intimatepessimism and artistic doubts of the mature Giuseppe Verdi. / Il nostro lavoro, che s'incentra sulla rappresentazione simbolica dei quattro elementi (terra, acqua, aria,fuoco), parte dall' «immaginazione materiale» di Bachelard in vista di stabilire una riflessione bilanciataintorno a dinamiche drammaturgiche e letterarie (in particolare Hugo e Shakespeare) a monte delle operein musica di Verdi per giungere all'analisi di queste da un punto di vista letterario e musicale. Partendodalla mitografia dei quattro elementi, diverse figure del tempo emergono dai libretti verdiani, svelando unpercorso simbolico tematico. Premesso ciò, l'eroina dellaTraviataè condannata da un tempo che fugge,reso evidente dalla frenesia musicale del ritmo. Alcarpe diemimpaziente si oppone allora l'emergeredell'amore inevitabilmente legato alla linearità del tempo e del destino. I fuochi della passione sicontraddistinguono dall'immagine aerea di Violetta, che scivola da una gioia all'altra sviluppando unrapporto con più elementi. Una ricostruzione analitica delBallo in mascheraprova che i personaggi sonodi fatto impotenti e superflui di fronte all'inflessibile destino. Il tempo accelera poi in modo repentino inRigolettoin seno ad un'immagine acquatica. In questa opera, un cronotopo della crisi d'improntabakhtiniana entra in gioco, provocando un ribaltamento della direzione temporale e una precipitazione deltempo resa nota dal ritmo ippico del galoppo. Il tempo cristallizzato diDon Carlosderiva, dal canto suo,dall'esperienza amorosa dei protagonisti che si rifugiano in un tempo reiterabile per via del ricordo mentreun altro ricordo igneo annuncia un ritorno del tempo distruttore nelTrovatore. Ma un secondo regimetemporale lineare dove il fuoco è insaziabile prende ugualmente vita in questa opera cupa, sfociando in unmovimento aereo che rappresenta una fuga dalla condizione terrestre dei personaggi innamorati. Infine, isimboli di un tempo devastatore messaggero della morte, liberati dalla tenebre, sono riscontrabili inMacbeth e Otello, supportati da uno stesso sostrato shakespeariano. È allora giunto il momento dellacaduta finale dell'eroe. Come se l'insolubile tragedia shakespeariana incontrasse il pessimismo e i dubbiartistici di un Giuseppe Verdi giunto ormai a maturità

My dissertation argues that African Americans in the 20th-century connected lynching and other acts of racial violence with Christ's crucifixion, which in turn fostered hope and even interracial amity by linking his resurrection with racial uplift. To illustrate this dynamic, I focus on musician, dramatist, and church leader Willa Saunders Jones (1901-79) and her Passion play, which she wrote in Chicago during the 1920s. Over the course of six decades, Jones produced her play annually in churches and later large civic theaters. Growing in size and splendor, the play remained intimately tied with the Black church. It also bore the impress of Jones's cultural training in Little Rock, Arkansas and Chicago, the city to which her family fled after a transforming brush with racial violence. The rise of her Passion play depended upon her musical success, most notably as a choral director. By focusing on a single cultural product over time and through several disciplinary lenses, my study contributes new insights into the role of sacred music and drama within the African American community. Offering a brief overview of Jones and her play, my Introduction also articulates the dissertation's two central organizing concepts: the crucifixion trope and resurrection consciousness. Chapters One and Two explain why Americans, especially of African descent, made a link between the suffering of black men in America and the crucifixion of Christ (the crucifixion trope). Chapters Three and Four indicate why Jones considered sacred music and drama to be agents of racial uplift and interracial amity. The final chapter focuses on the theme of Christ's resurrection as a metaphor that animates certain responses to racial trauma (resurrection consciousness). In addition to a wide range of secondary sources, I draw upon personal interviews, court records, genealogical records, the Black press, visual images, song lyrics, correspondence, autobiographies, plays, playbills, school records, television footage, and church publications of the National Baptist Convention, USA. "Windy City, Holy Land" should be of special interest to scholars in African American Studies, American Studies, History, Religious Studies, Theatre Studies, and Women's Studies.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 205-212).

<p>Thomas Pynchon’s <em>V.</em> is often criticized for its preoccupation with meaninglessness and the  inability to make sense of ‘who’ or ‘what’ <em>V</em>. is about. The failure to make sense of <em>V</em>. is thematized within the novel particularly during the sacred moments or epiphanies which critics describe as ‘bizarre’, ‘disturbing’ or ‘unsettling’. These sacred moments raise issues that cannot be answered by traditional tools. Yet, critics and readers have responded to the novel with readings that reinscribe conventional modes of making sense and show a resistance to the inadequacy of traditional tools. This dissertation examines how Pynchon undermines modernist notions of the sacred moment as “moments of vision” which yield a higher knowledge or revelation. I argue that the sacred moments in <em>V</em>. allude to George Bataille’s notion of waste within a restricted and general economy. The violence of the sacred moments in <em>V</em>. are examined in relation to waste, sacrifice, the erotic, the inanimate, sovereignty and laughter. I conclude that rather than bringing about death, entropy and apocalyptic endings, the epiphanies’ violence and wasteful expenditure reveal the power structures at work in the literary use of the sacred. Paradoxically, the necessary existence of wasteful expenditure increases sense-making and offers the critic/reader the possibility of confronting waste, “the accursed share”.</p>

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of Joe Duquette High School students through listening to their stories. My approach to listening developed out of the context of the school's Aboriginal philosophy. The thesis analyzes and describes what constitutes a meaningful education within the cultural framework of Good and Right Relations from the perspective of Joe Duquette High School students.<p> The Joe Duquette High School environment is a holistic one where the Sacred Circle philosophy and the good and right relations framework serves as a guide to the pedagogy of the school.<p> The methodology used in this thesis was shaped by the cultural philosophy of Joe Duquette High School and guided by student emphasis and meaning. A number of methodologies were drawn upon in order to approach the multiple contexts of the Joe Duquette High School cultural complex.<p> The central themes identified by students through their narratives serve as an organizational framework for the findings. My interpretation of what the students said is presented through my own personal narrative. I used my own story to develop more fully those ideas/concepts/ideals expressed by the students.<p>The main contribution of this study is highlighting the Joe Duquette High School experience through the students' perspectives and the method used to tell their story came out of the cultural context of the school.

University of Macau / Faculty of Science and Technology / Department of Computer and Information Science

The extraordinary body of Sacred Harp music has been dubbed "the oldest continuously sung American music." Steven Marini, scholar of sacred arts, proposes that the Sacred Harp community welcomes anyone into their singings, regardless of their religious beliefs. His analysis does not take into account the emphasis placed on conversion to Christianity that is demonstrated by the lyrics and the rituals of the Sacred Harp community, however. Religion is not "a matter of personal faith" to Sacred Harp singers as Marini suggests, but a matter of a very specific set of faith commitments. The implications of these commitments for Sacred Harp singers determine their eternal destiny. An investigation into the lyrics of The Sacred Harp hymnal reveals a preoccupation with death, always with intent to point toward the individual "religious" choice of eternal death or eternal life and the desire to share that knowledge with anyone who comes in contact with this remarkable phenomenon.