I need an example of an author who demonstrates the philosophy of duality. This author must be born before 1800 and must be born on the North American continent (or solely influential of it).
The choices are Iroquois, Christopher Colombus, Alvar Nuñez Cabeza de Vaca, Garcilaso de la Vega, John Smith, Winnebago, Koasati, William Bradford, John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, Mary Rowlandson, Edward Taylor, Cotton Mather, Jonathan Edwards, Ben Franklin, Samson Occom, J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, Annis Boudinot Stockton, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Olaudah Equiano, Philip Freneau, Phillis Wheatley, Royal Tyler, Briton Hammon, James Fenimore Cooper, William Cullen Bryant, William Apess.

The only lead I have is on Jonathan Edwards, but it is weak and I hate Edwards. This is difficult because of the Puritans' rejection of dualism. If you have any relevant ideas please reply.

12/11/2006 4:46:09 PM

I assume this is for an essay on your final or a final paper or something?

I can't remember who wrote it, but I remember one of the authors you've listed wrote about the Indians being savages and the English being angelic. Is that what you mean by duality? There is the one "good" side and the one "bad" side.

I took this class, and I've read 90% of those, so if I can find my book I'll be a little more helpful. That is, if this isn't due tomorrow. I'm headed out a few hours.

12/11/2006 5:39:40 PM

Yeah, that's right. But the theory of duality pertains that the "opposites" exist within the same realm, body, study, etc. The white/savage thing is just an external conflict, as they do not coexist in the same arena. I believe I am going to choose the Iroquois Creation Story, as their diety is a set of twins, one good and one evil and present the heaven and underworld in the same way. But if you have any direction on this, reply.

12/11/2006 7:32:45 PM

^ It depends on how you define your arena. It could be the human race ... but I know what you're saying, so I'll stop.

The one you picked sounds like a good and fairly easy one to discuss. Doesn't the evil one kill the good one or something like that? It's been a loooong time since I've thought about that story.

The other one I was thinking of is Rowlandson's captivity and how it was bad for obvious reasons but good because it reaffirmed her faith, which had been a pretty much ancillary part of her life beforehand. At least that's how I remember it from a year and a half ago.

12/11/2006 8:30:16 PM

Few people talk about thesis vs. antithesis more than Hegel.

Kant talks about phenomenal vs. noumenal realms (appearances vs. things in themselves).

Descartes talks about "thinking substance" vs. "extended substance" (mind vs. body).

Descartes is probably the most accessible.

12/11/2006 10:36:47 PM

jack kerouac - the dharma bums

[Edited on December 11, 2006 at 11:17 PM. Reason : never mind, i didn't realize your options were limited]

12/11/2006 11:17:10 PM

I chose The Iroquois Creation Story (duality of good/evil in religion and creation and the coexistence of heaven and hell, also it contradicts several Christian doctrines against duality which I proposed in my essay), then I chose Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher", which seems to be an experiment on duality (what happens when one of the pole of a dualist dichotomy is removed? and finally Sylvia Plath (an obvious choice)

Skwinkle, the good one beats the bad one. This helps begin the underlying prevalence of good over evil in their culture.

Rowlandson's account would fit nicely, but I am not very interesting by her work as more than entertainment value.

[Edited on December 12, 2006 at 12:37 AM. Reason : )]

12/12/2006 12:36:27 AM

ok, Plath is out...can't get much from "Daddy" or "Blackberrying"

12/12/2006 10:31:21 PM