Power+Struggle

=Power Struggle = By Sarah Anderson Introduction We now look back and transform society's outlook on Genesis. Through a series of dialogue, character analysis, analysis of the script, background on the artists, and reflection on this process, I will change many of your perspectives on Genesis and the characters in Genesis.After choosing two characters, Noah and Joseph, I began to think of new was to convey them, while staying true to the facts stated in Genesis. As the assignment was to write and record a conversation between to characters, proving their traits, I wrote a few conversations proving Noah is deceitful and has a need for hierarchy, while Joseph lacks emotional control and is generous. In my script, Noah's anger towards God leads him deceive Joseph into worshiping Noah, while his family follows him. As Noah begins to gain power, however, Joseph begins to see what he has done for his family, but he continues with the plan. One day, Noah unknowingly presses the "Joseph button", putting him into Joseph's dream. Joseph hears Noah plotting to kill Joseph and realizes that he must protect his family. **Audio-Cast **

media type="file" key="saraha2013dialoguefinal.mp3" width="240" height="20" align="center"

Script Part 1 Narrator: Now, after all these years, lying in heaven, Noah had a secret. He was angry, angry at God. He didn't know what to do; would God hurt him for his anger? He had to find a way to solve his problems. Naturally, he leaned toward another. He traveled to Earth through a dream and asked Joseph for help.

Noah: Look, Joseph. God hurt me and I don't know what to do. I live with God, I can't do anything about it, but you can. When he drowned the people of the earth, he only saved my family and I, but forgot about my friends. He killed Jared, the peasant man who fought by my side for all my life. God didn't even think about that. How could he do that? But, here's what I need from you. Joseph, my dear friend, stop worshiping God, just forget about him, and make me your sole leader. But, don't tell anyone. Then, when your children grow up, they shall state, "I will worship my father's God." Then, I shall become the prominent God of the Earth and will rule over God.

Joseph: *crying* Bu- Bu- But how could you ask of such a thing. You want ME to change all my beliefs to help YOU. Now why in the world would I do something like that? Noah: I've been watching you, and you're the kind of person who helps others. You've saved the lives of millions, and given your time to do so. Why not this? Please, I'm begging you.

Joseph: But that's different. I was helping a large group of people. I wasn't harming anyone. This, the thing you're asking me to do, is cruel. I'm ruining God, one of the few people who has always been loyal to me. I can’t do that!

Noah: Okay. I'm just gonna tell you this. I can't do this on my own, I cannot let God kill me. If God learns of my hatred toward him, I'll be ruined, he'll send me to hell. Besides, I've been watching you, I've taken care of you. Remember when your brothers sold you into slavery? Who was the one who sent you here? Me, not God. He lied to you, Joseph, and took all the credit.

Joseph: *crying* I- I- I don't understand.

Noah: Joseph, God is a liar. Get over yourself and help ME.

Joseph: I- I don't believe you. This IS NOT true.

Noah: Read it and weep. God signed off on you. I have the contract here. See, 'I, God, hereby grant full custody of Joseph, son of Issac, to Noah.' He gave up on you. Don't you see?

Joseph: But, why would he do that. I help others; I saved the whole dang town from the famine. Fine.

Noah: I don't know, I don't know. I'm sorry you had to hear of it this way, but God doesn't care about his people. He, in fact, signs most people off to others. He doesn't care about you, me, or anyone else. Yet, somehow, he could not stand to lose his power.


 * Pause*

Joseph: *trying to collect himself* Okay, fine. What do I do?

Noah: Exactly as I said before. When you prey, think of me. Look up to me for support, forget about God. He's a power-hungry, lying jerk. I snuck into God's room and turned your switch off; he cannot hear what you think. But, if you tell ANYONE, God will know. He will hear it in their thoughts. KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!

Joseph: *voice shaking* Okay.

Noah: *whispering* I hope this works...

Joseph: What?

Noah: *nervous* Oh, um, nothing, don't worry about it. Part 2 Narrator: So Joseph listened to Noah, all the while resenting God and everyone who believed in him. He watched his family put their lives in God's hands, uninformed about the truth. But, as Joseph gained power over his family, they all began to look up to him. They watched how he lived and how he prayed. But, they noticed his religion was slightly different. They, unknowingly, began to worship Noah while God still believed he was the one being worshiped.

Noah: Joseph, you’re not going to believe this. My plan’s working; God’s shrinking and I’m growing. Everything’s falling together.

Joseph: It’s about time! I don’t know how much longer I can keep lying to my family. I’m changing their lives and they don’t even know it.

Noah: Um. *cough*

Joseph: What?

Noah: I don’t think you ever will be able to, at least not until everyone’s forgotten about God.

Joseph: *almost crying* Well, why not?

Noah: If they know, even if I’m in power, they’ll go back to worshiping god and I’ll be left in the dust. He’ll get his powers back, and I’ll lose mine. But, not only that, God will come after me. And I’ll die.

Joseph: *crying* I can’t keep lying to my family about this, I just can’t.

Noah: Please, at least just a couple more years. Maybe then everyone will realize I’m a better God and keep worshiping me.

Joseph: Fine, seven years. That’s all you get. You have seven years and you better make them good.

Part 3 Narrator: Seven years came and went and in those years Noah gained all power. God was the size of the bean. Noah had done well for the world and Joseph had full trust in him. But, one day, Noah accidentally pressed the “Joseph Button”, putting him in one of Joseph’s dreams, but Noah didn’t know Joseph could hear him.

Noah: MUAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHA. THEY’VE FALLEN FOR IT. I NOW HAVE ALL POWER! THEY’VE FORGOTTEN ABOUT GOD, HE WON’T COME BACK. But, when they least expect it, in five days, I’ll kill Joseph and no one will know about this little “role reversal.”

Joseph: HOW-HOW COULD YOU HAVE DONE THIS?!?!??! I GAVE UP MY FAITH FOR YOU. Oh, dear God, please forgive me. How could I have believed you?

Noah: Well, too late now. I have all the power. I AM the new God. You must worship me now.

Joseph: I've given up a lot for you. I've cried over you, I've hurt my people over you. Not anymore. Whatever I did can be undone.

Narrator: *fighting noise in the background* Noah, fearful of losing his power, attacked Joseph. Rather than giving up like usually, Joseph thought of his family and friends and stayed in the fight; he never gave up. Noah didn't know what to do; he was on his own. Joseph struck Noah in the heart, and something every God knows is the heart is the center of power. Noah lost his heart and along with that, his power. The real God was restored his power and life went back to the way it had been before. Script Analysis  Noah decides to use Joseph as the tool to his plan to rule the world because he notices Joseph's emotional instability and habit to overly-sympathize with others, which in turn leaves Joseph in a position to always help others, despite the price he may pay. After Noah informs Joseph on the progress he has successfully made, Joseph learns of the secret he must continue to hide from his family. Joseph replies telling Noah that he cannot continue living a lie, "I just can't" (Anderson 5). Anderson emphasizes "just" to convey the fact that although Joseph believes it is possible to continue, he feels like he is not able to. Joseph has become aware of his boundaries through experience and has chosen to follow them. Throughout his lifetime he has been faced with many difficulties as to scar him, damaging his confidence.

As Joseph sees himself as afraid and wimpy, he does not take the time to question another's motivation, logic, or reason; he simply leans toward giving an answer. Once Joseph hears Noah's reasoning of God's disloyalty, Joseph immediately jumps to a response. Joseph trusts Noah's excuse without even questioning his idea of God's betrayal to Joseph, "Okay, fine. What do I do?" (Anderson 3). Anderson highlights "[w]hat" to show that Joseph does not even take a second between accepting Noah's statement and plotting with Noah. His speedy response shows readers and listeners that Joseph could be an easy and gullible target, as Noah's plan has yet to be revealed. The listener's/reader's suspicion soon comes true as Noah fools Joseph into helping him take over God. Joseph betrays his family, friends, and the entire community for a plan he has not even verified.

However, after hurting the community and everyone he knows, Joseph realizes he cannot trust anyone who asks him for something. So, once Joseph learns of Noah's plans, he attacks Noah and never gives up. Joseph's family and friends gave him to motivation to overcome his struggle and save the town and restore God's power. **Character Analysis ** When Power Becomes a Sin: Noah’s Conquest for Power  Noah’s deceitful personality leads him find pleasure in bringing harm to others, which he executes through his need for hierarchy and superiority. In this picture, Noah sees the dove, which he had sent out while the water was still present, returning with a  shrub. Noah’s frown and sad eyes clearly portray that the returning of the dove was not his intention; he had been plotting the death of the dove throughout the story, and thus, the failure of God’s plan to kill off the human race. Throughout Genesis, Noah continues this ideal. Once her realizes that the success of God’s plan is inevitable, he searches for reasons as to what he could make from this new try at life. Noah soon learns of how he will now be near the top of the hierarchy, below God. <span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> The redactors make Noah deceitful to convey the theme of appearance vs. reality, as he appears a good man, but really, he is not. However, as a leader will have trouble controlling his power, he will soon abuse this power, as Noah did. Because Ham feels ashamed of Noah’s nakedness, Noah curses Canaan, “’Cursed be Canaan; lowest of slaves shall he be to his brother’” (Gen. 9.25). Noah emphasizes “his” to show that although Ham and Japeth may be Canaan’s brothers, he still firmly believes that there should be a hierarchy within them. Noah was one of the first people on earth, and society has clearly followed his ideals on hierarchy, deceit, and power, as our society today if full of these aspects. The redactors put Noah in this position to convey the theme of power and the dangers that arise with power. <span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Sympathy for the Devil: Joseph’s Feelings <span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Joseph’s lack of emotional control leads him to overly sympathize with others, forcing him to put his time into helping others. When Joseph sees his brothers in Egypt for the first time in many years, he breaks out crying:, “Then Joseph could no longer control himself…, and he cried out” (Gen. 45.1). The redactors emphasize “longer” to show that Joseph has been tempted to break out crying for some time, but has been <span style="display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> forced to hide it. In Genesis, the men are stereotyped as strong, and must live <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">up to this stereotype. However, when one is unable to do this, he will be cursed. The redactors use this to portray the cultural value of appearance, as men must appear strong, while women are expected to be maids and mothers. This cultural value then leads to a theme of appearance vs. reality. Although one may be his or her own person, one must hide this to portray the stereotypical man or woman. Because Joseph feels to such an extent, his feelings are guided towards sympathy towards others. In this picture, Joseph’s closed eyes portray the pain he feels in seeing the citizens suffer, and only being able to help them a small amount. He cannot stand to look at them as he feels such sorrow for their condition. Joseph’s generosity and sympathy towards others also leads him to accept his family, despite the fact that they abandoned him. The redactors give Joseph this trait to convey theme of trust. Despite what others have done to one in the past, he will accept their apologies, ignoring the changes of them repeating their actions. Although Joseph does not know these people, he grants them the benefit of the doubt and trusts them immediately.

<span style="background-color: #f8f882; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">About the Artists Bible Art Gallery : A gallery of artwork from the bible which conveys Noah's story through a series of paintings. Most paintings are from either the fifteenth or sixteenth century and they each illustrate an incident in Noah's lifetime.

[|Joseph Sold by His Brothers] : Although the artists of the artwork of Joseph is unknown, it has been found in The Children's Bible. The home page of the website breaks down biblical art into time periods, characters, and stories, allowing one to easily find information on a painting from The Bible. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="background-color: #fe019b; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Reflection Looking back on when we began this project, it has been a long, long time. When I was writing my dialogue analysis, I literally had to re-read the story of Noah, as the only thing I remembered was the version of "Noah's Ark" I learned while watching Rugrats. But I guess now that I think about it, it is better to do that now then the night before the final. Many people complained about the long passage of time between reading Genesis and finishing this project, but I see it as review for the final.

On another note, I did have a lot of difficulty with this assignment, particularly in one area, ANALYSIS. I tell myself over and over NOT TO SUMMARIZE, and I sincerely believe I did not summarize, but it always turns out that I did. Summarizing, not enough detail, the things I have heard so many times. I edited my character analysis, and now I believe that I analyzed. But, although I know I always end up summarizing, each time I get closer and closer to actually analyzing. I guess I just make these random connections in my head and assume others can do the same.

On the other hand, I believe my dialogue was the strongest part of my project. Although I must say I could have portrayed their personality traits a little better, my idea was really creative. Who else could would think of Noah overthrowing God and being a lying jerk without contradicting any facts? How could I have thought of "The Joseph Button"? I believe those creative aspects set my project above others. When I recorded it, I edited it well. I added background music, sound effects, and much more. Although the voices do sound a little like girls whose voices have been edited lower, is there really any other way other than those fake GarageBand effects? However, I must admit, I am that "GarageBand Master" <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> in Rachel H.'s reflection and was in two other dialogues and the very painful slapping noise in Alexander W.'s dialogue.

It is 7:36 the day before the project is due and I finished everything yesterday and earlier this week other than this reflection and the About the Artists. ALMOST DONE, but not really. This project came at a crazy time: Odyssey Test, Grammar Test, Grammar Re-test, the take-home essay, that creative writing thing, and finals (somehow all these things are for English...), but it is also, now, 7:39 and the only homework I have is to finish this reflection and read ten pages for Latin America. For the last few months, I have figured out how to manage my time very well. I get home from softball around 5:00, and do not go on Facebook until I have finished ALL my homework, ALWAYS. I go strait to my homework and in the last few weeks, I finish around 8:00. I guess homework has gotten much easier, aside from English. But, when I had very little homework, I used to work much slower because I had so much time, then suddenly it is 10 and I'm still not done. Not anymore.

<span style="background-color: #8f8f8f; color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Works Cited <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">“Big girls don’t cry.” //Life as Leigh sees it//. N.p., 3 Oct. 2008. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://meredithleighknight.blogspot.com/‌2008/‌10/‌big-girls-dont-cry.html>. //Chick Tech//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://chicktech.com/‌wp-content/‌uploads/‌2010/‌04/‌man-climbing-stairs.jpg>. “Dr. H. Giovanni Antunez Web Site Dept. of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Sport Science (HPERSS) .” //St. Cloud State University//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://web.stcloudstate.edu/‌hgantunez/‌tools_2.gif>. “Joseph Sold By His Brothers.” //Biblical Art on the WWW//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.biblical-art.com/‌artwork.asp?id_artwork=13934&showmode=Full>. //The New Oxford Annotated Bible//. New York: Oxford, 2007. Print. “Noah and the Flood.” //Bible Art Gallery//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.bible-art.info/‌Noah.htm>. “True Property Price.” //Active Reality Solutions//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.activerealtysoftware.com/‌products/‌newimages/‌contract.gif>. Weblog post. //The New York Times Crossword in Gothic//. Blogger, n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://4.bp.blogspot.com/‌_WsE6M_RjBIY/‌SX0tCs4-6EI/‌AAAAAAAATfI/‌Y9PBSNx_COw/‌s400/‌Noahs_Ark.jpg>. //What Time Is It?// N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <http://www.anglia.org/‌resources/‌Primary/‌Time%201/‌7.35.JPG>. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',helvetica,sans-serif;">