Eve's+Labyrinth

= = = ** Eve's Labyrinth ** =

by L. Mecum
= Audio = media type="file" key="eveslfinal.mp3" width="240" height="20" align="center"

= = = Introduction =

The first book of the Bible, Genesis, tells readers that the Serpent manages to prompt Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, even though God has forbidden her to do so. However, we are only given a short section of their correspondence. Here, you will find the entire story of what //really// occurred in that fateful meeting. Did the Serpent trick Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, or did Eve disobey God out of her own will? Well, that is for you to judge and decide: my job is to merely provide the facts. This presentation was completed for my English I class' project: //Conversations that Never Happened.// The assignment was to create an original audio dialogue between two characters from Genesis in order to portray two personality traits for each character. These traits must be represented through text in Genesis and an image. The page consists of my audio recording, script, Webspiration chart, character analyses, dialogue analysis, a reflection, and citations.

= = = Script =

Serpent: Hey there, Eve.

Eve (uncertainly, with a hint of disgust): Hello, uh, Serpent.

Serpent (indignant): Hey, don't talk to me like that! I was here before you, you know. I'm your //elder//, technically speaking. You should treat me with respect! Don't forget - you're the one who was made out of a rib.

Eve: Well, you're the one who's a lowly animal! Besides, God gave you to me. So really, //you're// the one who should be treating //me// with respect.

Serpent (sarcastically): Oh, right. God.


 * laugh**[[image:lmecum2013eveandserpent.jpg width="559" height="400" align="right"]]

Serpent: I almost forgot about him! The one who brought us here in the first place, right? The one to whom we owe everything?

Eve (piously): Yes, the Almighty one, the Lord, who so cleverly created me and, yes, everything else in the world. Even the world itself, now that I think about it!

Serpent (interrupting): Yeah, yeah okay. Enough ramble for now. I'm starving! Want to find something to eat?

Eve (completely forgetting about the previous conversation): Sure!
 * Eve's footsteps and Serpent's whistling**

Serpent: Hey, look at that tree over there!

Eve (alarmed): Oh, I can't eat this...

Serpent: What?! But look at all of this juicy fruit! Look, this one is practically //begging// to be eaten!

Eve (exasperated): Can't you read? This is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the one tree that we aren't allowed to eat from in Eden!

Serpent (exaggerated shock): That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. You're not allowed to eat the best fruit of this whole damn garden? Who told you this nonsense?

Eve: Why, God did, of course.

Serpent: Oh, right. //God// did.

Eve (sincerely): Is that a problem?

Serpent: A //problem//? Well, of course it's a problem! This is a violation of your rights!

Eve (uncertainly): My rights? What are //rights//?

Serpent (sighs, and grumbles): My point exactly.

Eve (straining to hear): What did you say?

Serpent: Never mind, it was nothing.

Eve: No, tell me.

Serpent: Have you ever considered //why// God doesn't want you to eat from this particular tree?

Eve: No, why would I do that?

Serpent (slyly): Hmm, maybe I shouldn't tell you...

Eve (irritated): Oh just tell me already! Hiss it out!

Serpent (patronizingly): But a ren't you afraid that God will be mad at you?

Eve (genuinely confused): Why would He get mad at me because //you// told //me// something?

Serpent: You're right. He likes you.

Eve: Well, I do bring him an apple every day.

Serpent: Oh, all right then! Let's start from the top. So, this Lord guy. He's generous, don't you agree?

Eve: Of course I do! What do you think I am, an atheist?

Serpent (continues as if nothing happened): And would you say that he is, well, kind?

Eve (with a hint of caution): Yes, I //would// say that.

Serpent: And wouldn't you say that He is... perfect?

Eve (hesitant): Well, sure. But where are you going with this?

Serpent: I'd just like to point out that it's kind of ironic how God would keep His creation from eating the fruits of their labor... After all, you and Adam are in charge of keeping this place up. You're the ones who have kept this tree alive! Shouldn't you at least be able to eat one or two of its fruits?

Eve (protesting): But this is different!

Serpent: Are you telling me that you don't want to have the knowledge of good and evil, and that you don't want to be like God? He created you in his own image, so it only makes sense for you to //be// like him too, right?

Eve (dreamily): Well, that does make sense, and now that I think about it, it would be kind of nice. . . . Wait a second what am I //saying//? Of course I don't! God is almighty, and I am only his unworthy worshiper...

Serpent: Ah, but that is the issue! Is God really almighty? And are you //really// his unworthy worshiper?

Eve: Hold up... I know what this is all about. You're jealous of him! You are the one who wants power and wisdom, not me!

Serpent: Whoa there missy, it's your turn to hold your horses! Why would I be jealous of God? I have everything that I could possibly want, including the right to //eat// anything I want! And even if I were jealous of him, and I ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil to be like God, do you really believe that God would be so stupid to make the tree of knowledge of good and evil actually //give you// the knowledge of good and evil? No, of course not! He's just trying to test you.

Eve (thoughtful): And even if I do end up with the knowledge of good and evil, nobody needs to know that. I can just have it in... secret.

Serpent (excited): Exactly! There really is no way for Him to know if you eat its fruit, unless you tell him yourself. So, realistically, there is no harm. It's a win-win situation for you, Eve. Go on.

Eve: Well, if it really doesn't matter, maybe just one bite.


 * crunch**[[image:lmecum2013eden.png align="right"]]

Eve: Wow, this is wonderful! It's the best fruit I've ever eaten. You were right, Serpent. It's so juicy, and sweet, and crunchy! It's //perfect//! Here, Adam darling, have some!


 * crunch**


 * burp**

Adam: Hey, this stuff's amazing!

Narrator: However, the Serpent, Adam, and Eve’s little plan didn’t go exactly as they planned it. You see, God found out that they had disobeyed him, and he ended up cursing everybody some way or the other.


 * God's laughter**

Narrator: In other words, nothing unusual happened. Except Adam and Eve ended up being expelled from Eden. ..


 * bang, followed by a scream**

Narrator:. . . after a couple of dramatic entrances and exits, supplemented with a lot of finger-pointing. Now enough with my chit chat. I have to go make sure that blasted cherubim hasn’t burned down the tree of life yet. It gets a bit temperamental if it’s hungry. Ciao!

= Webspiration Chart =



= = = Character Analyses (Genesis and painting)  =

Since the Serpent is cunning by nature, he utilizes this trait to persuade others to act for his personal benefit. //Eve Tempted//, by John Roddam Spencer-Stanhope, depicts Eve standing by the Serpent, who is coiled around the trunk close to her face. The glint in his eye portrays his cunningness and consequent satisfaction at successfully convincing Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. His scheming personality juxtaposes Eve’s innocence and gullibility. This is the first incident of the theme of deceit in the Bible, which leads to many more deceptive actions later on, including Jacob tricking Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing.

The Serpent shows his ability to persuade Eve, after she was made from Adam’s rib, to disobey God by telling her, “’You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of [the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil] your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’” (Gen. 3.4). His use of the word “will” gives Eve the sense of guaranteed knowledge, which leads to her eating the tree’s fruit, the first sin found in the Bible. Consequently, Eve and Adam’s new-found knowledge terrifies God, who fears that they will also try to eat the fruit of the tree of life. He exiles them from Eden, where Eve gives birth to Cain and Abel, who are significant because they are the first offspring of God’s creation (mankind) and the first of Adam’s descendants.

While Eve is initially obedient, her naïveté causes her to be susceptible to the Serpent’s cunningness. When the Serpent asks Eve if God forbade her from eating any of the trees’ fruit, she responds, “’We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that it in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die’”” (Gen. 3.2). Her use of the coordinating conjunction “but” conveys that while she is allowed to eat from the trees in Eden, the fact that God told her to specifically not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is equally important. This story includes the first examples of the ultimatum motif in Genesis, and also the first incident of a human obeying God to avoid a punishment. This is important because most ultimatums made by God following this event motivate humans to obey him in order to gain an award, such as when God tells Abraham to leave his father’s house in exchange for the promised land, Canaan, and a blessing.

//Eve Tempted// also features Eve’s susceptibility by Eve’s ear, which is tilted towards the Serpent’s tongue, by representing her eagerness to eat the tree’s fruit. Her weak will allows the Serpent to easily persuade her using his cunning nature to eat the fruit and replace her innocence with the knowledge of her nakedness. Before banishing her and Adam from Eden, God curses Eve by placing the woman below man and increasing her childbirth pains, yet her desire for her husband will remain the same, which is significant because this is the first example of God cursing his creation of man in Genesis.

= Protagonist Analysis (script) =

After God creates Adam, God takes one of Adam's ribs to make Eve, the first woman. He tells them to not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and lets them live in Eden with the animals. One of the animals, the Serpent, is cunning by nature, applies this characteristic to persuade Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. When Eve accuses him of being jealous of God, the Serpent asks if she "really believes[s] that God would be so stupid to actually make the tree of knowledge of good and evil actually give [her] the knowledge of good and evil" (Mecum 3). He claims that God is only trying to test Eve, giving her the impression that no harm will come out of just one bite of the fruit. While the Serpent never outright lies to Eve, he twists the truth by using subtle and tricky wording to make it seem as if Eve is insulting God by thinking that he would be careless enough to give her such power.

The Serpent also displays his skills of persuasion when he insists that Eve has a right "to eat one or two of its fruits" (Mecum 3) since she and Adam are "the ones who have kept this tree alive" (Mecum 3). By suggesting that she has a reason to be like God (since he created her in his own image), Eve is flattered enough to risk God's wrath in order to satisfy her greed and curiosity. The Serpent manages to get Eve to reveal her true feelings about wanting the knowledge by not treating them as sins; instead, he appears to take her side and convince her that she is doing the right thing without breaking the rules.

= = = = = Artist's Background =


 * John Roddam Spencer-Stanhope:** brief bibliography and several works

Stanhope was an English, pre-Raphaelite painter who was born in 1829 and specialized in a biblical and allegorical art style. Unlike many artists, his career choice was supported by his family, and he continued to inspire his niece, Evelyn de Morgan, to pursue the arts as well. Stanhope’s masterpiece is considered to be //Love and the Maiden.// In 1877, an oil version of //Eve Tempted// was featured at the Royal Machester Institution, but it was lost afterward. He moved to Florence in 1880 and died there in 1908.

= Reflection =

//Conversations that Never Happened// was a great end-of-the-year project: it gave technology gurus an opportunity to show off their skills (such as designing their Wiki pages and incorporating special effects) and also managed to bring the analytical and creative skills we have been using all year together. The technology aspect of the assignment ended up being my biggest challenge, due to my lack of experience. Another member of my group for the //Archetypes// project organized our Wiki page, and I was not familiar with Audacity prior to this month. I had many issues while I recording my dialogue and inserting extra sound files, which I overcame with aid from my classmates and teacher. Through this long process, I learned how to not freak out when faced with a new project that involves going out of my comfort zone (in this case, computers and technology in general). At first, these difficulties made me loathe the project and try to delay working on it for as long as possible. However, once I tried playing around with the programs, I found myself enjoying tinkering with my recordings and getting into character. Another challenge was proving how my script developed two traits of the protagonist. Analyzing other works is already a long and complicated process, but digging deeper into my own writing was much more difficult.

Overall, this project tested my abilities as a writer, analyst, and artist, as well as my capabilities to stay focused and not get carried away with my frustration. The sense o f accomplishment is definitely worth all of the trouble and hours I put into making my project the best it can be; this was a great end of the year.

= Citations =

//The Bible//. Ed. Michael D. Coogan. 3rd ed. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2007. Print. College Verse.

"Free Sound Effects." //PacDV//. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2010. <[]>.

"Free Sound Effects and Royalty Free Sound Effects." //Partners in Rhyme//. Partners in Rhyme Inc., 2010. Web. 20 May 2010. <[]>.

"Gallery." Tony Desare: The Official Homepage. WordPress Entries, n.d. Web. 20 May 2010. <[]>.

"The Ideology of Sin." //Changing Woman's Blog//. My Opera, 5 July 2008. Web. 20 May 2010. <[]>.

"John Roddam Spencer Stanhope - Eve Tempted by the Serpent." Victorian / Edwardian Paintings. N.p., 5 Mar. 2009. Web. 20 may 2010. <[]>.

"John Roddam Spencer-Stanhope Posters Prints Fine Art." Squidoo. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2010. <[]>.

Lorance, Cody. "Theistic Evolution, the Image of God, and Original Sin: Irreconcilable Differences?" //Welcome to the Ramblings//. Trinity International Baptist Mission, 12 Jan. 2009. Web. 20 May 2010. <[]>.

Moll, Lucy Ann. "Facing Fear with Faith." //Take Root and Write//. N.p., 12 Mar. 2009. Web. 20 May 2010. <[]>.

Rankin, Lissa. "PMS & PMDD: A Gyno-Spiritual Look at the Goddess Within." //Owning Pink//. N.p., 27 Aug. 2009. Web. 20 May 2010. <[]>. = =