A+Bowl+of+Soup

=Just a Bowl of Soup = By David Chien


 * I. Introduction**

My Conversations that Never Happened project embodies the characteristics of Jacob and Esau as depicted in both The Bible and a picture. The subject of the dialogue lies in the conversation between Jacob and Esau as they both attempt to obtain or, in Esau's case, retain the ownership of the birthright. Listeners should remember that due to the personality of Jacob, his voice will have a higher pitch and speed. Accordingly, Esau's voice will be low and gravelly. This project will include the audio of the dialogue, performed for any and all listeners by my father and I. An observer would also come across the script of the dialogue, complete with analysis of each character and of the script itself. After that will occur a section dedicated to the artist without whom this project would never have been possible, and a reflection in which I will cover anything that may have come up during the course of working on this project.


 * II. Audio**

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


 * III. Script**

Narrator: In The Bible, being born first made a big difference in terms of the inheritance. If you were the firstborn, you got two times as much of the share as the other sons. So when the firstborn Esau came in from the fields all tired and beat, Jacob, the other son, sold him some food for his birthright.

ESAU: *Shoots arrow* Boy am I bushed!


 * Door opens and closes*

JACOB: Hey Esau, I'm making some delicious lentil soup. Looks like you're hungry.

ESAU: Well, thanks Jacob!

JACOB: So Esau, what did you catch?

ESAU: I killed a deer, two rabbits, and a small dove.

JACOB: Can I have the meat to add to this soup? It'll make it all the more delicious.

ESAU: Ok, add these rabbits.

JACOB: I'll go flay these and then add the meat to the soup. Wait for me, and don't eat any of the soup just yet.


 * Clock Ticks (10 seconds)*

ESAU THINKS: What is taking so long? I'm starving... He probably won’t notice if I just take one tiny bit-

JACOB: Hey Esau! Sorry I took so long.

ESAU: Oh no, don’t worry about it.

ESAU THINKS: There goes my chance.

JACOB: Esau!

ESAU: What? What? No, I didn-

JACOB: What is that on your shoe?

ESAU: Huh? What do you mean?

JACOB: These spices, Esau, they’ll make the soup delectable.

ESAU: Oh. Ok, I guess, but I don't really know, I mean this soup should be delicious enough as it is, and I could just eat it right now and you already added chicken and its lenti-

JACOB: Now this stew is cooking! *Smells* Hmm... This lentil-herb-chicken soup smells delightful Esau.

ESAU: Yeah, OK, now can I have some?

JACOB: Go get your bowl.


 * Gets bowl*

ESAU: Here.

JACOB: So, I was thinking, Esau, we really deserve an equal share, don't we?

ESAU: Go get your own bowl!

JACOB: No, I'm talking about your birthright.

ESAU: Huh? Why do you wanna know about my birthright? Look I just want my soup and I’m out of here.

JACOB: No no, I just want your input.

ESAU: Well, you know, its kinda MY birthright and I think that since it’s MINE, I deserve it. Like this soup, you know, you made it, it’s yours, and you deserve it.

JACOB THINKS: Yet again, all I have to do is wait, and he talks himself into it... what a gull.

JACOB: So you're saying that since I have the right to this soup, I deserve every bit of it.

ESAU: Um… yes, but-

JACOB: And you mean to say that even when I give you all of this soup, you're just going to disregard my action of kindness and not give me the birthright? That even though I am offering you ALL of this soup, you won't do the same with your birthright?

ESAU: Well... OK, I guess you're right. You can have the birthright. Just give me the soup.

JACOB: Really? Then shake on it.

ESAU: Ok.


 * Thunder*

JACOB: Then sign this contract.


 * Esau signs*


 * Thunder*

JACOB: Now register to our free online membership.


 * Esau types*


 * Thunder*

JACOB: Terms and Conditions may apply. Now enjoy your soup!


 * IV. Character Analysis**

== Jacob's sly approach to achieving success leads him to tend to cast delusion wherever he occurs. As proof of this, in The Bible, following the stealing of Esau's birthright, Jacob connives with Rebekah to trick Isaac into giving the wrong son the blessing as well: "Jacob said to his father, 'I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, so that you may bless me.'" (Gen. 27.19). This outright lie, along with having worn Esau's clothing in order to further mislead his father more convincingly, provides solid evidence of Jacob's slyness. As to the root cause, one must examine one certain cultural value of simple human existence: males should be masculine. Between each culture one will find different meanings and ways of showing that masculinity. In The Bible, Esau carries many more masculine aspects than Jacob, such as hairiness (excessive, in his case) and muscularity, which can be deduced from his love for hunting. On the other hand, Jacob, described as a quiet man and without hair, must use other means of achieving his goals. Thus, Jacob must take up the role of the liar. //Esau sells his birth-right for pottage of Lentiles//, by Gerard Hoet, depicts Jacob holding a bowl of lentil soup while extending a helping hand to Esau, who sits exhausted on a chair with his foot resting upon a stool. In the act of helping Esau up, Jacob casts a delusion forever captured in this image: that his brother and he have a mutually favorable relationship. However, this idea remains nothing more than a delusion, for one must notice Esau's raised left hand, the sign of an oath. From this can be deduced that while being helped up by Jacob, Esau is also having his birthright stolen by Jacob, and thus the delusion has been cast aside.

Esau's naivety has atrophied his independence and made him reliant. Esau's naivety clearly presents itself when he learns that Jacob has hoodwinked him and pleads to his father, "'Bless me, me also, father.... Have you not reserved a blessing for me?" (Gen. 27.34-36). The child-like thinking of Esau that he will get everything that he deserves highlights his naivety, as well as his not having made provisions to make sure that he will not be outsmarted by Jacob again. One might think that after one loss because of a lack of provisions (in both senses), Esau would be sure to take precautionary measures the next time he has anything to lose. On the contrary, Esau does not, and thus characterizes himself, in essence, as naive. This time, the root cause of this unfortunate liability lies more probably in his being the subject of Isaac's favoritism. After so long of always being the center of affections from the dominant male, or father, of the family, the surprise lies not in his reliance upon others, but in the severity. In //Esau sells his birth-right for pottage of Lentiles//, by Gerard Hoet, Esau, though supposedly on the verge of death by starvation, finds the need to rest his foot upon a stool while being helped up by Jacob. This blatant act of dependence firmly impresses the characteristic of reliance in Esau.


 * V. Script Analysis**

David Chien does well in proving Jacob's traits of slyness when he allows Esau to talk himself into handing over his birthright. In truth, the ownership of the soup has nothing at all to do with the ownership of the birthright. However, Jacob knowing how Esau is naive and tends to ramble on, set a trap by enticing Esau with hunger after a long day of work by telling him suggestively, "'Don't eat any of the soup just yet'" (Chien 1). By having Jacob use the phrase "just yet", Chien has the reader imagine that Esau will indeed get the soup, but later. Also, Chien skillfully indicates that Jacob intentionally takes a long time in the kitchen so that Esau can begin to work against himself with his own hunger. Later, Chien emphasizes Jacob's ability of delusion when Jacob puts up a facade of anger to push Esau just a little further so that he might steal the birthright away from Esau. Esau's trait of reliance evidently shows in the very basis of the conversation. He relies on other household members to make the food, and Chien especially stresses this trait when Esau says, "I don't really know... you made it" (Chien 2). The way Chien emphasizes that Jacob made the soup truly shows how well Chien expressed Esau's traits, as well as Jacob's.


 * VI. About the Artist...**

Gerard Hoet, born in 1648, made his living as a painter (obviously) in the Baroque period. Like many of his time, he grew up learning what would eventually become his trade. Also, like many painters of his time, he spent many years traveling to fro across much of Europe. Much of his paintings focused on mythological, religious, or classic subjects. //Esau sells his birth-right for pottage of Lentiles// obviously falls in the second category. More on Gerard Hoet can be found here. As to the picture itself, it was published in 1728 to the world through the style of engraving. The image is reminiscent of two children who each have something the other wants- shaking hands while preparing to swap something.


 * VII. Reflection**

Though I'm sure this opening will seem all too familiar to anyone who has read a reflection regarding a project, I must admit that at the moment, I can think of nothing more original. This project went through many ups and downs. Strengths of my project include the simple yet stylish format, not too flashy that it may hurt the eyes of the observer, but not too boring such that a spectator will only stay long enough to see the first word. Also, I think that my character analyses improved by a large margin from since I first wrote them. Weaknesses encompass the small section that covers the information about the artist, Gerard Hoet, whom I am sorry to say that there was nearly nothing to write about. Another weakness includes my own procrastination. I realize as I write this that I spent too much time wondering how to put the audio into the project that I never really got around to the trial, error, and ask-the-teacher-about-it part. The biggest challenge was an odd one for my project: I had lost the checklist of all the ingredients of my own little soup, and finally got around to asking a fellow classmate to photocopy it. Through all these experiences, I have learned two things: Stay organized and start early, even if you have no idea what you're doing. Even if you don't have any idea where to start, that is the very reason to stay organized and start early.


 * VIII. Sources Used**

Hoet, Gerard. Esau sells his birth-right for pottage of Lentiles. 1728. //Myth// //Folklore//. N.p., 23 Sept. 2004. Web. 10 May 2010. <@http://www.mythfolklore.net/lahaye/027/index.html>.

Clock. N.d. //Scrape TV//. N.p., 29 Dec. 2009. Web. 19 May 2010. <@http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Everyone%20Else/pages-4/Russia-considers-doing-away-with-time-Scrape-TV-The-World-on-your-side.html>.

Archer in Black and White. N.d. //Wordpress//. N.p., 14 July 2009. Web. 19 May 2010. <@http://ninarose.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/let-the-arrow-fly/>.

Angy Face. N.d. //The Madness//. N.p., 20 May 2009. Web. 19 May 2010. <@http://the-madness.net/2009/05/20/time-to-disconnected-the-cable-pt-2/>.

Thunderstorm. N.d. //Storms//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <@http://www.tqnyc.org/2009/00767/Safety.html>.

Bowl of Soup. N.d. //The Local//. N.p., 29 Apr. 2009. Web. 19 May 2010. <@http://www.thelocal.se/blogs/eatingout/tag/soup/>.

"Gerard Hoet." //The Getty//. J. Paul Getty, n.d. Web. 5 May 2010. <@http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artMakerDetails?maker=199>.

//Biblical Art on the WWW//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2010. <@http://www.biblical-art.com/artwork.asp?id_artwork=31284&showmode=Full>.

Scroll. N.d. //Floating Cinemas//. N.p., 7 Dec. 2009. Web. 19 May 2010. <@http://floatingcinemas.blogspot.com/2009/12/scroll-codex-hypertext.html>.

Reflection. N.d. //Wordpress//. Pastor Jenny, 13 Nov. 2009. Web. 19 May 2010. <@http://dfumcpastor.wordpress.com/2009/11/08/giving-gratitude-living-gratitude-day-14-reflection/>.