Frank Baxter Outside Reading 3 (Entry 13)

Frank Baxter Outside Reading 3 (Entry 13)

Our discussion with Dr. Eric Silverman about the nature of love within a family caused me to go back and read part of Alexis de Tocqueville, “Democracy in America” when he talks about democracy effects on the family.  As we noted in class different cultures had different relationships between father and children. We saw this in Till We Have Faces where the king of Glome treats his daughters with distance, and a similar manner as a person would do with property or at least pawns. He saw them for they would be used for, selling off to another family, giving to be sacrifices or making use of technical skills for business (only because Orual had no physical beauty to do the other two traditional roles)

We then talk perhaps of the causes, Dr. Silverman pointed out that Socrates thought democracy would put father and child on the same level.  Tocqueville notes the same phenomena, since no societal barriers separate the two, they are seen as equal and friends (thus a certain type of the 4 loves can bond).  But beyond this Tocqueville notes how father power over the family will simply turn to parental power, as men and women are made equals. This allows for an equal relationship between all in the family.  Perhaps C.S. Lewis explores some of this new parental power in his story when he makes Orual queen of Glome.