Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Allusions in A Prayer for the Dying

EQ: How does A Prayer for the Dying relate to Job in the bible?
Work on 2nd person short stories
Last day for Scholastic entries

HMWK: Read to pg. 94 Ch. 5 for Friday
Job (/ˈb/HebrewאִיּוֹבModern IyyovTiberian ʾIyyôḇ) is the central character of the Book of Job in the Bible. Job (Arabicأيّوب, Ayyūb‎) is considered a prophet in the Abrahamic religions: JudaismChristianity, and Islam. Inrabbinical literature, Iyov (אִיּוֹב) is called one of the prophets of the Gentiles.[1]
Job is presented as a good and prosperous family man who is beset with horrendous disasters that take away all that he holds dear, including his offspring, his health, and his property. He struggles to understand his situation and begins a search for the answers to his difficulties. God rewards Job's obedience during his travails by restoring his health, doubling his original wealth and giving him seven new sons and three new daughters, which bore his great grandchildren before he died, 140 years later.[2]

Diphtheria (from Greekδιφθέρα diphthera, meaning leather) is an infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae.[1] Signs and symptoms may vary from mild to severe.[2] They usually start two to five days after exposure.[1] Symptoms often come on fairly gradually beginning with a sore throat and fever.[2] In severe cases a grey or white patch develops in the throat.[1][2] This can block the airway and create a barking cough as in croup.[2] The neck may swell in part due to large lymph nodes.[1] A form of diphtheria that involves the skin, eyes, or genitals also exists.[1][2] Complications may include myocarditisinflammation of nerves,kidney problems, and bleeding problems due to low blood platelets. Myocarditis may result in an abnormal heart rate and inflammation of the nerves may result in paralysis.[1]
Diphtheria is usually spread between people by direct contact or through the air.[1][3] It may also be spread by contaminated objects. Some people carry the bacteria without having symptoms, but can still spread the disease to others. There are three main types of C. diphtheriae causing different severities of disease.[1] The symptoms are due to a toxin produced by the bacteria. Diagnosis can often be made based on the appearance of the throat with confirmation by culture. Previous infection may not prevent against future infection.[2]
vaccine, known as diphtheria toxoid, is effective for prevention and available in a number of formulations. Three or four doses, given along with tetanus toxoid and acellular pertussis vaccine, are recommended during childhood. Further doses are recommended every ten years. Protection can be verified by measuring the antitoxin level in the blood. Treatment is with the antibiotic erythromycin or penicillin G. These antibiotics may also be used for prevention in those who have been exposed to the infection.[1] A surgical procedure known as a tracheostomy is sometimes needed to open the airway in severe cases.[2]
In 2013, 4,700 cases were officially reported, down from nearly 100,000 in 1980.[4] It is believed, however, that about a million cases occurred per year before the 1980s.[2] It currently occurs most often in Sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Indonesia.[2][5] In 2013, it resulted in 3,300 deaths down from 8,000 deaths in 1990.[6] In areas where it is still common, children are most affected. It is rare in the developed world due to widespreadvaccination.[2] In the United States 57 cases were reported between 1980 and 2004. Death occurs in between 5% and 10% of those affected. The disease was first described in the 5th century BCE by Hippocrates. The bacteria was discovered in 1882 by Edwin Klebs.[1]


Wisconsin Death Trip

Film adaptation[edit]

The 1999 film adaptation was directed by James Marsh as a docudrama. It was shot primarily in black-and-white, with contrasting color sequences of modern life in the area. It combined re-enactments of some of the events described in the book with a voice-over narration by Ian Holm. Its visual style was intended to carry the content of the film; as Marsh said:
I wanted to convey in the film the real pathos contained in a four line newspaper report that simultaneously records and dismisses the end of someone’s life.[1]

In popular culture[edit]

Music
The book inspired a number of musical works, including the opera Black River by Conrad Susa, which was composed in 1975 and revised 1981; the "dramatic cantata" Songs of Madness and Sorrow by Daron Hagen; and the 1999 album Wisconsin Death Trip by the band Static-X. British post-punk band Echo & the Bunnymen used photographs from the book as artwork for their 2001 album Flowers, as well as its singles. A song performed by Jerry Joseph also shares a name with the book, but it is not clear whether the song was also inspired by the book. Most recently, the book was adapted into a bluegrass/roots-rock opera by Tim Raphael and composer Jeff Berkson, which had its world premiere at Georgetown University's Davis Performing Arts Center on February 1, 2008. The soundtrack for the film adaptation of the book features original music by DJ Shadow and John Cale.
Literature
The Australian author Rod Jones cites Wisconsin Death Trip as an inspiration for his novel Billy Sunday, and the American author Robert Goolrick also cites it as an inspiration for his novel A Reliable Wife. Stephen King's book of novellas, Full Dark, No Stars, citesWisconsin Death Trip as the inspiration for the story 1922.
Film
In commentary on the two-disc DVD release of the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There, director Todd Haynes said that much of the imagery for the town of Riddle in the Richard Gere segment of the film was inspired by Lesy's book. Director Walter Murch also used the book as an historical source for the 1985 cult classic Return to Oz.[2]
Television
The creators of the show The Heart, She Holler have discussed being influenced by the book in the creation of their show about rural Ameri

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