Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Blog #5

"THE LITTLE MONK indicating a passage in the papers: I don't understand this sentence.
GALILEO: I'll explain it to you, I'll explain it to you" (Brecht 65).

These lines are taken from the scene where Galileo and The Little Monk are discussing physics.  The Little Monk tells Galileo that he is a priest, and Galileo responds that he's also a physicist, and offers to teach him the science that the monk doesn't understand.  These lines struck me as important because they show how willing Galileo is to share his knowledge and inform people on his findings.  This can also be seen in the countless times Galileo teaches Andrea about his ideas.  Galileo does not want fame, he wants people to solely understand the truth.  This remains true from the start of the play; he urges people such as the philosopher, the mathematician, and Federzoni to simply look through the telescope and see the truth themselves.  He is not asking them to believe what he says, he is asking them to believe what they can see, and what science proves.  Although Galileo knows that his findings may contrast the church, and even eventually recants his previous claims, in the end he remains faithful to his work and beliefs- he writes a manuscript.  By doing this, he achieves his wish to simply educate people.  His years of perseverance and effort that went unacknowledged and even rejected by the church show his passion for science and reason, and eventually paid off.  

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