Gunhee Lee , Period 1, 12/22/21

 Gunhee Lee , Period 1, 12/22/21

Gunhee Lee

Period 1 

December 22, 2021

Modern Mythology 2022

Literacy & Learning: 

Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction covered in class.

Recently, we looked at some stories from the Bible. One of these stories was the Book of Job. This book tackled the question, Why do bad things happen to good people? Job was a righteous man, and yet, he went through great suffering. He lost all his possessions and children. His wife left him, and at the height of his misery, his friends came and lectured him on his sinfulness. Despite knowing he hadn’t done anything wrong, his friends were convinced that he was covering up great sin, and that his suffering was just, divine punishment. Much of the discussion in our class regarding this story was pointing out how Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar and Elihu were horrible friends for kicking the man while he was down. However, I believe that there can be some justification for Job’s friends, especially Elihu. The passage tells us that upon seeing Job, his friends sat in silence with him for 7 days and 7 nights. Until they opened their mouths, his friends had done everything right. They were there for him in his time of greatest suffering, and their words, however cruel they may have seemed, were what they thought Job needed to hear. The common thought process was that you would reap what you sow. If you do good, you will receive good. If you sin, then you will suffer. Seeing Job’s suffering, they believed he had sinned, and told him to repent so that God’s anger would burn against Job no longer. If he had done something wrong, this would have been exactly what he needed to hear. 

Additionally, at the end of the book, when God speaks to them, he tells Job to offer a burnt offering in order to intercede on behalf of Bildad, Zophar, and Eliphaz. Elihu was left out here, and I believe it is because his words were not wrong in their substance. Whereas the other 3 told Job that he was suffering as a result of his own wickedness, Elihu emphasized God’s power and justice. Elihu upholds God's greatness. 

In essence, Job held firmly to his belief that he was righteous, whereas his 3 friends were trying their best to get him to understand that he couldn’t have been righteous if he was suffering like this. The view of the friends is something we can look at and condemn, but at the same time, we often hold the same view. How often is it that when we are going through our own trials that we ask the question: “What did I do wrong?” It’s only natural for us to think that we would get what we deserve, and it’s because of this that I believe that Job’s friends are misunderstood, rather than truly wishing to do Job harm.

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception

As a devout Christian, my personal view going into this passage was that this was a piece of nonfiction. However, for the purposes of this class, I had to go in looking from a lens that viewed the Book of Job as a piece of fiction. As I did this, I noticed a lot more than I had before. I was able to see each archetype that Job and his friends represented. I was able to see the format of the book was set up like a play. I was able to acknowledge some of the theories that rather than being the events in the life of an actual man that lived, this book was instead, a hypothetical situation that was made up to teach morals about suffering, and the mystery that is God. I was able to see the importance of having multiple views, rather than a single one.

How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

I’m currently the president of the Christian Seekers Club at my school. Thus, my job is to prepare a devotional based on a Bible passage every week. I usually read through the passages a few times, examining it under the lens of the Christian worldview, and provide an analysis of the text, and applications of the text for the club members. However, I think that following these lessons in class, I was able to look at each Bible passage from multiple lenses rather than the single one. I think that I was able to improve the quality of the devotionals, and through doing this, make the meetings seem more appealing to non-christians, as they would be able to relate a little more to what I was saying.