Victorian Age. and Charles Dickens

This presentation is in response to the task given by yesha ma'am.

In this blog i am going to write about victorian age and one famous novelist "Charles Dickens":

ABSALOM AND ACHITOPHEL BY JOHN DRYDEN

This blog is in response to the task given by our professor Dilip barad sirhttps://blog.dilipbarad.com/2021/01/absalom-and-achitophel-worksheet.html. In this blog I am going to write about my understanding and my views on political satire Absalom and Achitophel by John Dryden.

John Dryden’s publication of Absalom and Achitophel (1681) had a specific political motivation. He wrote the poem during the threat of revolution in England, connected to the so-called Popish plot and the move to exclude the reigning King Charles II’s Catholic brother, James, duke of York, from his right to follow the Protestant Charles to the throne.

The protesting faction instead supported Charles’s bastard son, James, duke of Monmouth, whom Charles recognized as his son but not his heir. Born in the Netherlands to Lucy Walter, James was a product of only one of many sexual liaisons of his mother’s. While rumours existed that Charles had secretly married Lucy, granting legitimacy to James, others insisted that James could not even be proved Charles’s son. Charles never produced an heir with his wife, the Portuguese Catherine of Braganza. Although Lucy followed Charles to England, where James was raised a pampered member of the court and eventually made a duke, she had died before Charles married Catherine.

Dryden observed the parallel in England’s situation to that of ancient Israel under the rule of King David. The story found in the biblical book of 2 Samuel contained all of the political elements in which Dryden found himself, as a citizen of England, involved. Each of the main characters corresponded to a real-life person in Dryden’s time. David’s bastard son, Absalom, represented Monmouth, and his evil confidant Achitophel represented Anthony Ashley Cooper, earl of Shaftesbury. Shaftesbury had introduced to Parliament the Exclusion Bill to prevent York from taking the throne.

Other characters and their contemporary references included Zimri as George Villiers, the duke of Buckingham and a longtime opponent of Charles; Amiel, Edward Seymour, speaker of the House of Commons; Cora as Titus Oates, who fabricated the rumours that prompted social unease over the so-called Popish Plot; and Shimei as Bethel, sheriff of London. The biblical ruler of Israel’s enemy Egypt, represented King Louis XIV, ruler of France, an enemy of England.

Dryden’s choice of the Bible as allegory proved appropriate for his era. Most educated individuals agreed that the Bible could be used as a type of gloss to reveal truths civic, as well as religious. No one else, however, had seen the artistic possibilities in the way Dryden did.

The parallel story, as Earl Miner explains, granted a sense of action that the poetry itself lacked. The rhyming couplets in Dryden’s 1,031 lines framed only three incidents from the story of David’s retention of rule. In the first, Achitophel tempts Absalom to overthrow his father. In the second, the two together tempt the Jews to participate in a revolt. And in the third, David makes a moving speech to his reunited subjects, concluding with the lines, “For lawful pow’r is still superior found; / When long driven back, at length it stands the ground.” In this couplet, Dryden expressed the belief, which a struggle with his own religious allegiance eventually confirmed, that the tradition of the Catholic Church gave it a strength his culture badly needed.

Dryden also wants his audience to understand that the monarch’s pampered existence includes fearsome responsibilities, when he writes, “Kings are the public pillars of the state, / Born to sustain and prop the nation’s weight” (953–954). In the biblical story Absalom strangles to death in a bizarre accident in which he becomes fatally entangled among branches. Monmouth would, after his father’s death, attempt to overthrow his uncle and be executed as a result, with eight blows of the ax required to behead him. One gruesome legend has it that after his execution, someone noticed no official portrait had ever been made of Monmouth. Supposedly his head was placed back on his body and the corpse used as a model for the portrait now hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in London.

List of characters' in absalom and achitophel:

1. What is Satire? Is ‘Absalom and Achitophel’ a political satire? Illustrate your answer:

ANS:

Let's start with what is satire?

- Satire is a genre that sets out to improve bad behaviour through sarcasm and Irony. In english literature, satire experienced a bit of a revival during the 18th century. Satire is a way of social commentary for entertain readers. Satire is the use of humour to attack a person, an idea or behaviour that you think is bad or silly.

"A violent attack of words."  *by-R.J.REES.

There are three type of satire which are as below:

 1. Horatian satire.

2. Juvenalian satire.

3. Menippean satire.

1. Horatian satire:

Horatian satire is comic and offers light social commentary. It is meant to poke fun at a person or situation in an entertaining way.

For ex.

Oscar wild's "The Importance Of Being Earnest"

2. Juvenalian satire:

Juvenalian satire is dark, rather than comedic. It is meant to speak truth to power.

For ex.

Jonathan swift's "A Modest Proposal".

3. Menippean satire:

Menippean satire casts moral judgment on a particular belief, such as homophobia or racism. It can be comic and light, much like Horatian satire—although it can also be as stinging as Juvenalian satire.

For ex:

William Blake's "The Marriage Of Heaven and Hell."

Here is video reference for political satire in Absalom and Achitophel:

The poem originated in the political situation of England and one cannot fail to note that several personalities are satirised in it. Published in November 1681, The theme was suggested by the King to Dryden’s. At this time, the question of succession to king Charles had been thrown into prison to face a charge of high treason. There were two contenders for the succession. Firsty, Charles' brother James, Duke of York, known Roman catholic; the second contender was Charles' illegitimate son, the Protestant Duke of Monmouth. The Whigs supported Monmouth while the Tories supported the cause of James in order to ensure stability in the country. There was great public unrest on account of the uncertainty of succession. King Charles II saw to it that the exclusion Bill brought James, could not be pushed through. The Earl of Shaftesbury, a highly ambitious man, sought to capitalise on this unrest. He also urged Monmouth to rebel against his father. The King, though fond of his illegitimate son, did not support his succession because that would have been against law. The Earl of Shaftesbury was arrested on a charge of high treason and lost people’s support.

Dryden’s involvement in politics makes the poem a political satire. The aim of Dryden was to support the King and to expose his enemies. Dryden has nothing but praise for the King’s moderation in political matters and his leniency towards rebels. Dryden’s lash falls on the King’s enemies, particularly the Earl of Shaftesbury. He was a reckless politician without any principles. However, the King’s strictness and instinct for the rule of law won him popular support and he was able to determine the succession according to his desire.

The choice of Biblical allegory is not original on Dryden’s part, but his general treatment of the subject is beyond comparison. But all the while Dryden takes care to see that the political satire is not lost in the confusion of a too intricate Biblical parallelism.

In conclusion, it may be said that Absalom and Achitophel have no rival in the field of political satire. The poem is certainly a political satire, but it is a blend of dignity with incisive and effective satire.

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"Tale of the Tub" by jonathan swift

This blog is in response to the task given by our professor kavisha ma'am.http://kavishaalagiya.blogspot.com/2022/08/a-tale-of-tub-by-jonathan-swift.html.

This task is all about creative, critical thinking and in this blog I am going to write about creative tasks [skit performance] . This task is allotted to us for the novel "The tale of the Tube" by Jonathan swift .

This is our first attempt to create satire out of this skit. We do not know if this is satire or not but we tried our best. I hope you like our skit's script.. we are also going to perform this on stage and make a youtube video so for that you have to wait..so, stay tuned... 

So we are performing a skit(short play/Drama) . We are a team of seven Me(Drashti), Kosha, Payal, Upasana, Ghansham, Insiya, Aarti. 

FIRST SCENE:[Hardships on Male](Drashti,ghanshyam,insiya)

(One boy Decides to sit on the bench which is reserved for girls in the classroom and, a few moments later the teacher enters in class P-1(student-1, Ghanshyam) greets the teacher along with the rest of the students.)

Teacher:(Drashti)

(with surprise and a bit of anger temper) Why? Rishi, why are you sitting on the girls' part? I know you are completely aware of the school rule that no boy is allowed to sit with girls.(the stick which she uses to punish the students)

P-1:(ghanshyam)

(with fright)Madam I thought that if a girl can wear what i can, if she can eat what i can, then why can’t I Sit with her and have a word of word?

Teacher:(Drashti)

(with widened eyeballs and somewhat daunting tone)Never think of doing such a solent act boy, ever again! Know only that she is a girl and you are a boy!

P-1:(ghanshyam)

(he murmurs)it is the fact everyone knows (stand quietly)

Teacher:(Drashti)

Hey, what are you murmuring? Do you have anything important to say?

P-2:(Insiya)

(with teasing will and enthusiasm)madam, he just said that everyone knows the fact that who can be called girl and who can be called boy?(upon this whole of the class laughed except teacher she seemed tensed and furious on P-1(ghanshyam)

Teacher:(Drashti)

How dare you break the rule! How dare you insult me in front of all the principal’s cabin with your parents tomorrow.

(ghanshyam stands helplessly and sad)

SECOND SCENE:[gender discrimination](payal,Aarti,upasana,kosha)

(At outside of jail payal(P-1), upasana(P-2), Aarti(P-3), wait for their companion to get freedom from punishment.)

P-1:(payal)

(with a jealous voice)Are garlands and firecrackers ready?

P-2:(upasana)

(with the same joy)Yes, how can we forget them?

P-3:(Aarti)

(with consoling words)Ah, she is coming, having done great work!

P-4:(kosha)

(coming out from the gate of jail) Bravo! My mates! I am happy that god was given me the reward of my deed (laughs) that was raping an extra-racial boy before 20 year, i am very happy now as i am proud of my deed. Ah, I am so happy! (Eats sweets from Aarti(P-3) and upasana’s(P-2) hands)

P-1:(payal)

(to all the three) let us go home and live the life of pride and valour.

(All leaves)

THIRD SCENE:[Male gaze](Drashti as Sati and ghanshyam as Mahadev)

(in lofty peaks of snow mountain) MAHADEV(Ghanshyam) is sitting in meditation then SATI (Drashti) comes and puts some recently plucked flowers at MAHADEV’S (ghanshyam) feet.)

Mahadev:(ghanshyam)

(made up in an angry manner) oh don’t you see i am trying to concentrate my focus on myself? Please do not appear here again! Do not let your presence distract me. Go away! (again sits in meditation)

Sati:(Drashti)

(In an angry tone) Oh, is that so? You and your practice are equally null and void! They are not as strong as they are supposed to be, if my presence affects  your practice it shows that my presence has more power than your practice!

Mahadev:(ghanshyam)

(save silence for himself and adjusts himself back to meditation murmuring the obscure language) she is correct there is weakness in me! Not in her!

(End of our skit)

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Mary shelley's "Frankenstein"

This blog is in response to a task given by our professor,https://yeshab68.blogspot.com/2022/08/frankenstein-mary-shelley.html.

Mary Wollstonecraft (Godwin) Shelley was born on August 30, 1797 in London, England to philosopher William Godwin and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft; both her parents were noted writers in the 1800s. Her father's most famous book was Political Justice (1793), which is a critical look at society and the ethical treatment of the masses. Godwin's other popular book Caleb Williams (1794) examines class distinctions and the misuse of power by the ruling aristocracy. Mary Wollstonecraft, her mother, was a leading feminist writer who espoused her views in her famous work A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792). They married in 1797 to protect the rights of the forthcoming child. When their daughter Mary was born, William and Mary had only been married for five months. Four weeks after giving birth, Mary Wollstonecraft died of complications. Thus, Mary Shelley never knew her mother. Her father remarried a woman by the name of Mrs. Clairmont when the young Mary was four years old.

Mary's learned father, who had frequent guests in their home all through her formative years, guaranteed her education. A voracious reader, Mary borrowed books from her father's extensive library. She enjoyed writing at a young age, and her passion was to write stories intended for a very limited audience. The influence of her famous father's home cannot be understated with a constant stream of writers, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It was at home that Mary developed into a person of letters, following in the family tradition of writers and thinkers.

 

Mary Shelley makes full use of themes that were popular during the time she wrote Frankenstein. She is concerned with the use of knowledge for good or evil purposes, the invasion of technology into modern life, the treatment of the poor or uneducated, and the restorative powers of nature in the face of unnatural events. She addresses each concern in the novel, but some concerns are not fully addressed or answered. For instance, how much learning can man obtain without jeopardising himself or others? This is a question that has no clear answer in the novel.

Victor Frankenstein learns all he can about the field of science, both before, during, and after his work at the university. Prior to his enrollment at the university, Victor focuses on the ancient art of alchemy, which had been discredited by the time of Shelley's writing. Alchemy was an early form of chemistry, with philosophic and magical associations, studied in the Middle Ages. Its chief aims were to change base metals into gold and to discover the elixir of perpetual youth. At the university, Victor gains new knowledge with the most modern science as a background. However, it is Victor's combination of old and new science that leads him down a path to self-destruction. This is one of Shelley's themes:"How can we harness the knowledge that we have so that it is not self destructive and for the benefit of all mankind?" The answer is not an easy one, and Shelley is not clear on her feelings about the use or abuse of technology. The reanimation of man from the dead is a useful thing to revive people who have died too soon, but what responsibility must we exercise once we bring people back from the dead? This is a morally perplexing question. Thus, we are stuck in a dilemma:"How far can we go in raising the dead without destroying the living?" Shelley seems to conclude that man cannot handle becoming both like God and a creator without much difficulty.Since the Industrial Revolution had pervaded all part of European and British society by the time of her writing, Shelley questions how far the current wave of advances should push the individual in terms of personal and spiritual growth. She conveys the impression that perhaps the technological advances made to date rob the soul of growth when man becomes too dependent on technology. Personal freedom is lost when man is made a slave to machines, instead of machines being dominated by man. Thus, Victor becomes a lost soul when he tries his ghastly experiments on the dead and loses his moral compass when he becomes obsessed with animating the dead. Victor's overindulgence in science takes away his humanity, and he is left with the consequences of these actions without having reasoned out the reality that his experiments may not have the desired effects.

Shelley presents nature as very powerful. It has the power to put humanity back into man when the unnatural world has stripped him of his moral fibre. Victor often seeks to refresh his mind and soul when he seeks solitude in the mountains of Switzerland, down the Rhine River in Germany, and on tour in England. Shelley devotes long passages to the effect that nature has on Victor's mind. He seems to be regenerated when he visits nature; his mind is better after a particularly harrowing episode. Nature also has the power to change man when Victor uses the power of lightning's electricity to give life to dead human flesh. The awesome power of nature is also apparent when storms roll into the areas where clear skies had previously prevailed. Victor ignores all of the warnings against natural law and must pay the ultimate price for the violation of those laws.

 Task:1 - MOVIE REVIEW:

 

I enjoyed this although I thought some of the scenes were a little far fetched. Too fanciful. Yes it was based on Mary Shelley's book so the action could have taken place anywhere but the glacier scene although beautiful was unnecessary. Also Elisabeth setting fire to herself and then the house, again unnecessary. Robert de Niro is always Robert de Niro even under all that makeup. He gave a haunting performance but learning to read & write, becoming so eloquent so fast. A mish mash of ideas, but the acting and the directing was great.

Task:2 - Question-Answers:

Q-1:Why was Victor not able to accept his dream experiment and its result?

Ans:

Victor experiences the two basic meanings of the word responsibility. He creates the creature (he causes it to exist), and therefore he has at least some responsibility for what the creature goes on to do. As the creature’s maker, Victor also has both a duty to others to keep them safe from his creation and, Mary seems to be saying, a duty to his creation to ensure that his existence is worthwhile. We will turn to these two ideas now—responsibility for and responsibility to.

As the story progresses, Victor’s initial emotional reactions to seeing the creature come to life—disgust and horror—are substantiated by the creature’s actions. Victor learns that the creature has killed his young brother William, whose death is then blamed on a family friend, Justine. But Victor knows the truth. He understands that he would be implicated in her execution if she is convicted as well as in the murder of his brother—“the result of my curiosity and lawless devices would cause the death of two of my fellow-beings”. He suffers greatly under this guilt—“the tortures of the accused did not equal mine; she was sustained by innocence, but the fangs of remorse tore my bosom, and would not forego their hold”. But he does nothing to intervene. The girl is unjustly convicted. “I, not in deed, but in effect, was the true murderer”.

Q-2:What made the creature a monster?

Ans:

  In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, society continually regards Victor's creation as a monster, both physically and psychologically.  Though the being has the physical characteristics of a monster, it is only after he is repeatedly rejected by society that he adopts the personality and behaviour of a monster. Thus, society plays a large role in shaping the monster's personality and behaviour.  Because society expects him to act like a monster, he inevitably becomes one.  The being is clearly a victim of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

However, because of the expectations held by an insensitive, hostile society, the being is forced to become a monster internally as well. The creature tries to find companionship many times, but he is only met with fear and hostility. Because the being cannot escape society's expectations regardless of his behaviour, he eventually confirms them and acts accordingly. He completes Webster's definition of a monster as he commits wicked and cruel acts. The being has fallen into a self-fulfilling prophecy, "a groundless expectation that is confirmed because it has been expected".

Q-3:Can appearance overpower reality?

Ans:

Throughout our existence, there is one emotion that we all must have or at least experience and that is compassion. The gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley introduces appearance vs. reality. However, we get to know that Victor Frankenstein comes from a respectable family and ideally good. As time passes he goes on to pursue his education. Frankenstein created what he thought would be beautifully turned out to be horrendous. Then on we notice a reaction from Frankenstein and flees as a result. People judge or judged based on appearance. Like everyone else, we want to be accepted, we want to be of value. The monster yearns for it but being the way that he is, it made it much harder for him to reach.

Appearance Versus Reality in Frankenstein By: Corbin Schmidt “The world is governed more by appearance than realities so that it is fully necessary to seem to know something as to know it” -Daniel Webster. One of the most important themes in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is appearance versus reality. This theme comes into fruition throughout the novel, most notably when Shelley provides insight into the characters of the story and how they are immediately judged by their looks in most cases rather than their personalities, such as the adoption of Elizabeth by Victor’s family.

The appearance of certain settings also has an effect on how the characters in the novel feel, this is evident the most in Victor since the book follows him and gives good detail into his thoughts and feelings at every moment. Despite Frankenstein’s creation being called a monster he does not seem to always appear to fit into that title and can be more human than some of the other characters. The monster’s true personality is shown when he is interacting with seemingly random people throughout the story rather than with Victor or those he knows.

Certain images and landscapes also affect the characters’ thoughts and emotions whether this be in a positive or negative manner. The monster may do some cruel things but he may not live up to the title of monster as he also does act in ways that a monster would not. “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like. ” – Lao Tzu.

Q-4:Who decides what beauty is? Is it for real or superficial?

Ans:

One thing about the monster Victor Frankenstein created is certain: It is hideous. So hideous even that though he has good intentions he gets shunned by society. Due to his ugliness, he has trouble finding a mate and even goes on a murderous rampage in the end which is followed by his suicide. Is the monster driven to this terrible fate by society or is it someone or even something else? In the following, this paper will look at the concept of beauty in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and how it influences the monster as well as society in general.

External beauty is the first thing one sees in another. So initially, for most, that is the catalyst for attraction and determining whether or not one wants to pursue a mate. Obviously if that physical attraction comes with an awful personality, then one will reassess and likely not want to be with the person. But for most of us, some level of physical attraction is necessary in order to be with a partner. That being said, attract tuion is subjective - so what is attractive physically to me may not be to you.

Q-5:villain in Frankenstein.

Ans:

The real villain of Frankenstein isn't the creature, but rather his creator, Victor. As a romantic novel Victor is responsible, because he abandoned his creation. As an archetype novel, Victor is the villain, because he was trying to play god.

All in all, Doctor Frankenstein may pass as a hero or a villain for that matter, depending on the observer since the definition of a hero is ambiguous. It depends on each and every critic of the life and times of the doctor. Indeed the manner in which he tried correcting his mistakes was heroic; he showed superhuman courage, determination, and self-sacrifice that ought to be emulated by many.

However, the motive behind his actions was not born of a hero, but of a man being remorseful for the mistakes he made by first creating a monster and then abandoning it. Moreover, the fact that he could fathom the idea of making a phantom, an extraordinary creature for no apparent reason, makes him a villain.

conclusion:

This is my understanding and my views about this, your views may be different from me. Thank you so much for reading this blog..

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"LIFE OF PI"

"LIFE OF PI"

This video is in response to the task given our professor https://yeshab68.blogspot.com/2022/07/life-of-pi-film-screening.html.

 Q and A with Author of book 'Life of Pi.(Go through this link you will find many interesting Questions and Answers)

The film, Life of Pi, is not based on a true story and is a fictional story that is based on Yann Martel's novel of the same name that was released in 2001. However, director Ang Lee wanted the film to have depth and realism. Steven Callahan, a survivor of the shipwreck that Lee requested to act as the film's consultant.

Yann Martel’s Life of Pi follows the lengthy journey of a young man and a Bengal tiger as they traipse across the ocean in a lifeboat. Before director Ang Lee took up the mantle, many considered the book to be beautiful, but virtually unfilmable. If there is a will, there is a way, and Lee discerned very adeptly how Life of Pi needed to be told onscreen.

Lee’s version works because it gives us the chance to hear Pi’s story told from the mouth of an older, wiser version of the young religious believer, who plays a smaller role in the books. It works because it takes all of the visions readers have created in their heads while reading Life and Pi and makes those visions bigger, bolder, and brighter. It works because it streamlines a lengthy tale without making us feel as we are missing anything key to the narrative. As a film, Life of Pi is a visual masterpiece.

1.share your views(movie overview):

This is the best movie I have ever watched. A great masterpiece, awesome. I am speechless , maybe there are very few movies which will leave you stunned through the way they have been crafted . "Life of Pi" is based on the novel of same name directed by oscar winner Ang lee , starring Suraj sharma , irrfan khan , Rafe spall and notorious majestic royal tiger aka Richard Parker . Watching this movie in the cinema  is pure delight to your senses like magic pouring into  your mind through outstanding filmmaking  having stellar cinematography , original score , editing , sound mixing , screenplay ,  direction , performances . This movie will take you into an unexpected journey of survival where a young boy is trapped on a boat in a vast ocean along with the notorious beast (Tiger) aka Richard Parker where both have to struggle the way they never did to remain alive in such traumatic situations .

Most important factor is that this struggle made an unlikely amicable relationship between both until the moment they got separated . This movie makes a strong impression of awesome cinematic skills which captures our senses. The director has done an outstanding remarkable job. He created an unimaginable atmosphere in the movie which will remain as a strong imperishable memory in the audience's mind . It will give quite a feeling like the great masterpiece  " Cast Away " where tom hanks has given his career best unforgettable performance . I would like to recommend "Life of Pi" to everyone who must witness how charismatic and magical cinematic brilliance is. When you have a highly talented filmmaker it will result in something unforgettable . Watching it in the cinema is like a once in a lifetime experience don't miss this great cinematic work .

2.which version of the story is more appealing?

Obviously, the animal version is much more interesting; we have an entire novel telling it. Whenever I explain that the book is about a little boy that gets stuck on a lifeboat with a tiger, they are immediately interested. However, I believe in the non-animal version more. It seems more likely.

 I agree that the animal story is the true one. when we really analysed it, it was the more logical of the two. The easiest argument is how the second story discounts the small animal bones in the boat. The banana discussion also leads us to believe that the two interviewers won't believe the truth and that pi gives the second story just to be done with them and their stupidity. We find no credibility in the second story.

3.What is the significance of 'Tiger' ? 

 According to me The tiger, Richard Parker, is a metaphor for fear. It represents death, desolation, grief, and ultimately the growing animal instinct in Pi. It brings to life the haunt of living alone on a ship, being stranded on an island, losing connection with all and most importantly, facing yourself. When Pi gains control over the tiger, he conquers fear. When he develops attachment to Richard Parker, he comes closer to himself.And finally, when the tiger leaves him, Pi understands the transient nature of life. So the tiger represents life , fear and death.

4.What is the significance of 'Island'?

The island acts as a religious symbol for Pi's spiritual journey. In one sense it represents an easy, shallow kind of faith – it seems stable at first and promises worldly delights of food and comfort, but it has a treacherous underbelly.Like many other aspects in Life of Pi, the algae island is a paradoxical symbol of both salvation and temptation. Its very existence tests Pi's faith. At first the island tempts Pi with an easy life, allowing him to stray from his journey.

5.What is the difference between spirituality and religion and what is the significance of doubt in it?

Religion: This is a specific set of organised beliefs and practices, usually shared by a community or group.

Religion is about belonging, community, shared values, shared rituals, and mutual support. 

Spirituality: This is more of an individual practice, and has to do with having a sense of peace and purpose.

Spirituality is about living life without a net, forever surrendered to reality and meeting each moment with curiosity, wonder, gratitude, justice, humility, and love. 

The two are not antithetical. Religion is often a container in which spiritual practices are preserved and passed on. Some people find the container as helpful as what it contains and choose to belong to a specific religion.

 

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