In this week's episode of Downton Abbey tensions ran high. A direct quote from Aaron Yenney was "the claws came out!" And he is definitely spot on. During this episode a rivalry was produced between the two oldest sisters. Each one wanted to prove to the other that they were the more desirable one and could have any man they wanted. The sisters took advantage of the opportunity to show this at a dinner party their parent's held at the house. Cousin Matthew began showing more and more interest in Mary but she was much more focused on one-upping her sister in the romance department. A letter arrived informing Robert of a rumor beginning to come about that Mary is impure. Only a few know that the rumor is actually true. This puts even more pressure on Mary to marry before it gets out of hand. In another romance scene, Anna builds up the courage to tell Bates that she loves him. Bates, however, does not say it back to her because he wants to be a gentleman. It amazes me how kind he is to her in this scene. Perhaps my favorite event of this episode occurs at the annual flower competition. Usually, Isobel wins first place for her roses. It is hinted at in this episode that perhaps she wins every year because the judges feel it is appropriate to reward her because of her position within society. At the end of the episode, Isobel actually takes it upon herself to announce Mr. Mosley the winner of the best bloom even though the judges voted for her once again. It was an amazing, unexpected gesture of kindness which was actually quite shocking coming from this character. This episode was filled with many unexpected twists and turns but was still bound to the cultural and historical aspects of this time period.
One major theme that I picked up on in this week's episode was the influence of social classes within the community. Isobel's assumed first place roses are a prime example of this. The community felt obligated to award her first place because of her place in society. They felt it was their duty. At first this made me furious; however, after conversing with a friend regarding the topic I came to realize that this has been a universal theme throughout many historical periods of time. In the recent past as well as the present we find the same issue within different races. The white male is often given more opportunities and respect than a man of a minority race. This is still an ongoing issue in our world. Why is it that we feel obligated to favor a certain social class or status? What is it that gives or impresses this obligation on us? This would be an interesting topic to research and look more into.
In Mark 2, Jesus reclines and eats at a table with tax collectors and sinners. This is right after he calls Levi to follow him. Many scribes and Pharisees who were nearby questioned and criticized Jesus' actions of conversing with men of such low class morally and socially as well. Jesus explains in verse 17 that it is the sick who need a doctor, not the healthy. It amazes me that the Pharisees assumed that because of who the sinners and tax collectors were, they were not worthy of Jesus' time nor being in his presence The scribes and Pharisees thought that because of their status or class they were far more worthy than those Jesus was spending his time with. I wonder if society will ever break free from this assumption which has hindered humanity throughout all of time.
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