Intertextual References
Sisyphus Story
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was the king of Corinth, who was punished in Hades by having to roll a huge stone up a hill over and over again. He was the son of Aeolus and the father of Glaucus. When death came to fetch him, Sisyphus had him chained up so that no one dies until Ares came and unchained Death. Before being taken to the underworld, Sisyphus and asked his wife to leave his body unburied. When he reached Hades, he was permitted to go back to earth to punish his wife, and he lived to a ripe old age before dying a second time. His trickery resulted in his punishment in Hades.
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Noah's Ark Story
In a world filled with wickedness, Noah was the only virtuous man and follower of God on the earth. Noah was the only humankind that was in favor of God. In order to help Noah and his family avoid a forthcoming catastrophic flood that would destroy every living thing on earth, God gave specific instructions to Noah to build an ark in preparation for it. Noah obeyed God’s command and followed the instruction. He brought two of all living creatures, both male and female, seven pairs of all the clean animals, and food for the animals and his family. After they all got into the ark, rain fell on the earth for a forty days and nights. The water flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days, and every living thing on the face of the earth was gone. As the waters receded, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. Noah and his family continued to wait for almost eight more months while the surface of the earth dried out. Finally after an entire year, God invited Noah to come out of the ark. Immediately, he built an altar and worshiped the Lord with burnt offerings from some of the clean animals. God was pleased with the offerings and promised never again to destroy all the living creatures as he had just done. Later God established a contract with Noah: "Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." As a sign of this everlasting covenant God set a rainbow in the clouds.
(To read more: http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/p/noahsarkflood.htm) Effect By referring to Noah's Ark story, Duffy further emphasizes Mrs. Sisyphus' depression due to Sisyphus trivializing her presence. Although Noah's wife is not mentioned in the story of Noah's Ark, Duffy creates a character based on her re-vision of the character and suggests that her life would have also been as lonely as Mrs. Sisyphus since building an ark is an arduous and time-consuming work. Duffy's reference to Noah's Ark story through the voice of Mrs. Sisyphus manifests Mrs. Sisyphus' loneliness and desire for compassion from others. This may lead female readers to feel more connected to Mrs. Sisyphus and become aware of the fact that men do trivialize their presence. |
Johann Sebastian Bach
A workaholic man whose schedule was full with teaching, composing, and ensemble-directing.
(To read more: http://www.sfcv.org/article/composer-of-the-week-johann-sebastian-bach) Effect Duffy's reference to Johann Sebastian Bach results in the same impact as Noah's Ark story, but to the further extent by repeating the same kind of reference. Moreover, non-Christian readers who may not know Noah's Ark story may obtain a better understanding of Duffy's intention through her reference to Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition, since Johan Sebastian Bach is a person whose existence is proven through legitimate works rather than myth, more female readers may end up feeling more connected to Mrs. Sisyphus in the poem and the need to make changes by speaking up for their significance in their societies. |