Lila Libby

Professor Aparna Sinha

ENG 401b/601b
4/16/15
The Swerve
The Swerve Question Response
-Question #1: In The Swerve, Stephen Greenblatt is essentially making the argument that a poem
changed the world. Do you agree that the written word can carry this kind of power? And do you
think a literary rediscovery could potentially initiate a new swerve today?
Answer: I agree with Greenblatt. I think that written word has an immeasurable amount
of power. Too often, we make assumptions that visual media and experiences are more visceral
to experience and examine. Novels, while often considered powerful for their own reasons, still
face the barrier of visual identity. Non-fiction literature faces an even stronger bias. It is normal
to hear a disinterest in non-fiction literature. Despite this, written word is beyond powerful. I
believe it is evident through world religion how powerful written word can be. The Bible, the
Qur'an, the Vedas, et cetera; these books have influenced the world so strongly that humans have
killed each other over (and died for) the teachings within their pages. Most of world culture
comes from religious values and ideas. For example, to this day, some states in America still
discriminate against homosexuals with legal protection because of Biblical teaching. Cultural
oppression against women in the Middle East also finds some of its roots in interpretation of the
Qur'an's teachings. I think its important to note that these religious texts that are so influential to
the world are followed so strongly that people are willing to commit atrocities against each other
in the name of them.
Besides religious texts, I believe that books like Charles Darwins On the Origin of
Species also have been incredibly powerful to world culture. Like Lucretius On the Nature of

Things, On the Origin of Species created a huge shock to the scientific/philosophical world. This
shock was so immense in influence that people base their lack of faith on Darwins work. I
believe that if a book strongly defines a cultural ideology on life and remains relevant, it is proof
of the power of written language. I believe that it is entirely possible that a new piece of
literature could create a novel swerve, though it would be extremely difficult. For example,
when the Gospel of Thomas was discovered, a non-canon book of the Bible that remains noncanon to this day, controversy exploded in Christian culture. The book revealed very interesting
information about the life of Jesus, which would change how we think about him. If it is not
obvious enough, The Book of Thomas did not stay a part of the mainstream Christian faith.
Though it had so much potential in creating a new way to look at the son of God, and thus, God
himself, people denied it, and still deny it. I await a time in the future when a piece of literature
can so strongly influence the world again. I think it will be very interesting to see.
-Question 2: Lucretius claimed that the ideas in his work should liberate humans from fear of
death, but his contemporary Cicero said that these ideas only made matters worse, since total
extinctiona return to atoms colliding in an infinite universewas more frightening than any
punishment in the afterlife. Where do you stand on this debate?
Answer: I think that Lucretius ideas are comforting. The idea of finding peace after death
in nothingness can seem frightening, but I think if we look at it Lucretius way, it seems less so.
Lucretius ideas were this: those like Cicero, who felt fear of the idea of non-existence, should
meditate on the fact that we experienced nothingness before we were born. This nothingness was
painless, and we do not have knowledge of what it felt like. To Lucretius, we should not have
fear because we already know what its like to not exist. I think this is a sound argument. To be
born into the world is a sudden existence.

Our parents experienced so much before we were born, things we will never know of or
experience for ourselves. For example, my mother and father were alive when John F. Kennedy
was assassinated. To me, that is just a part of history, but to them, it was an event, something
they were affected by in their youths. They can remember where they were when it happened.
They existed then, but I did not. When I think of non-existence as being like the time before I
was born, I think it is comforting. I do know how that feels, and it was not terrifying at all. If
Lucretius is correct, I think dying will not be frightening, really. It is simply going back to the
before the start of you.