Irony in ‘a Gospel According to Mark’
Irony in ‘A Gospel according to Mark’
How would you feel accepting somebody into your family and allowing them to preach to you when they are not a religious believer themselves? As we learn more in Jorge Luis Borges story ‘The Gospel according to Mark’ we find a unique message that there exists some greater power in the universe that punishes those that do preach what they do not believe. Borges uses irony in a setting to realize the importance of knowing what you teach and the potential, yet extreme dangers of not doing so.
In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland, where he studied at the Collège de Genève. The family travelled widely in Europe, including stays in Spain. On his return to Argentina in 1921, Borges began publishing his poems and essays in surrealist literary journals. His work was translated and published widely in the United States and in Europe. Borges himself was fluent in several languages. Borges dedicated his final work, Los Conjurados (The Conspirators), to the city of Geneva, Switzerland, and it was there, in 1986, that he chose to die (para 2).
Early in the story we get an idea for the character of Espinosa. Borges says “We may describe him for now as no different to any of the many young men of Buenos Aires, with no particular traits worthy of note other than an almost unlimited kindness and an oratorical faculty that had earned him several prizes from the English school in Ramos Mejía” (186). Espinosa is introduced as a skilled speaker, non-confrontational, who is thirty-three years old. Borges describes him as having “no traits worthier of note than the gift for public speaking...he didn 't like to argue” (186). Jesus was renowned for his powerful sermons, peaceful nature, and most of the information available about him starts when he is in his thirties. However, the similarities in personality end there, because unlike Jesus, Espinosa is a freethinker, at least in name, who prefers city living.
As we get deeper into the story
How would you feel accepting somebody into your family and allowing them to preach to you when they are not a religious believer themselves? As we learn more in Jorge Luis Borges story ‘The Gospel according to Mark’ we find a unique message that there exists some greater power in the universe that punishes those that do preach what they do not believe. Borges uses irony in a setting to realize the importance of knowing what you teach and the potential, yet extreme dangers of not doing so.
In 1914 his family moved to Switzerland, where he studied at the Collège de Genève. The family travelled widely in Europe, including stays in Spain. On his return to Argentina in 1921, Borges began publishing his poems and essays in surrealist literary journals. His work was translated and published widely in the United States and in Europe. Borges himself was fluent in several languages. Borges dedicated his final work, Los Conjurados (The Conspirators), to the city of Geneva, Switzerland, and it was there, in 1986, that he chose to die (para 2).
Early in the story we get an idea for the character of Espinosa. Borges says “We may describe him for now as no different to any of the many young men of Buenos Aires, with no particular traits worthy of note other than an almost unlimited kindness and an oratorical faculty that had earned him several prizes from the English school in Ramos Mejía” (186). Espinosa is introduced as a skilled speaker, non-confrontational, who is thirty-three years old. Borges describes him as having “no traits worthier of note than the gift for public speaking...he didn 't like to argue” (186). Jesus was renowned for his powerful sermons, peaceful nature, and most of the information available about him starts when he is in his thirties. However, the similarities in personality end there, because unlike Jesus, Espinosa is a freethinker, at least in name, who prefers city living.
As we get deeper into the story
Cited: Barnet, Sylvan, William Burto & William E.Cain. eds. An Introduction to Literature. 16th ed. New York: Pearson, 2011. Print Last name, initial of first name. Title of the article in italics. 24 Feb 2013. Date published. Placed it was published. Web. URL.