Nature in Zorba the greek

megan fernandez//carolina cue//samantha hall//stella khezri

time & place

Megan Lin Fernandez

Time & Place

• Autobiographical
  • Based on Giorgis Zorba
  • Takes place in late 19th & early 20th century
• Recent and past events incorporated into the novel
  • ​Women
    • "...I saw her disappear behind the orange trees, swaying her hips as she went." (p. 123)

Time & place

• War
  • ​Greek Revolution
    • ​"...I had organized with my closest friends a Friendly Society..." (pg. 53)
  • Crete Uprising
    • ​"In 1896 I was already a fully grown man." (pg. 21)
• Mining was important
• Technology not as advanced
  • Focus on nature

What was easy & Hard?

Carolina Cue

Easy to understand

• It is customary in Greek culture to leave someone something of yours after you pass
  • ​Zorba received the parrot from Dame Hortense
    • ​"Zorba took down the parrot and his cage from over the dead woman's head." (p. 266)
  • The narrator received the santuri from Zorba
    • "The deceased often talked about you, she says, and left instructions that a santuri of his should be given to you after his death to help you remember him."

hard to understand

• The narrator wishes to change who he is and go against social norm
  • "I was now one with the night and the sea; my mind was like a glow-worm that had lit it's little lantern and settled on the damp, dark earth, and was waiting." (p. 55)
  • "A butterfly, fresh from the chrysalis, flew up and tired to light on Zorba's mustache, but it tickled him, he snorted and the butterfly flew calmly away and disappeared in the rays of the sun." (p. 231)

The work vs. my culture

Samantha Hall

Zorba's culture

• Narrator turned to nature to clear his mind

  • “I stooped, filled my palm with sea water, moistened my brow and temples. I felt refreshed.” (p. 63)

• Lack of technological advances forced a turn to nature, leading to adventure
• Boats used to travel across water
  • “I wanted to take the boat for Crete and had gone down to the port.” (p. 3)
• Nature nourishes the soul
  • ​“Zorba was the man I had sought so long in vain...not yet severed from mother earth.” (p. 13)

Today's culture

• Our lives are consumed by technology
  • “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” -Albert Einstein
• More efficient ways to travel
• Life today would be nonexistent without technology
• People have to allow nature to affect them today

My Culture

• Grew up in Connecticut
• Homeschooled
  • Not exposed to much technology
  • Forced to go out and explore nature

Interesting Parts in the novel

Stella Khezri

the sea

• Consistently represented
  • Represents the current mood in the scene
    • "We stayed a long time drinking and slowly munching like two great rabbits, and we could hear the roaring of the sea." (p. 79)
• Shows how connected people were with nature

Lignite mine

• Destroys nature, but work must be done
  • "You've got to be in the mood to work. If you're not, get back to the tavern!" (p. 49)
• Symbolizes Zorba's passion for work despite respecting nature

The Santuri

• Part of human nature to enjoy things the way Zorba enjoys the santuri
  • ​"If I'm in the mood, d'you hear? ... But the santuri, that's different. It's a wild animal, it needs freedom. If I'm in the mood, I'll play." (p. 14)

Birds

• Women are represented in comparison to a variety of birds.
  • ​Elegant birds
    • ​"Would you have the heart to pluck a peacock?" (p. 82)
  • Aged birds
    • ​"It's the old birds who make the best stew,' he said, licking his lips." 
• Women are graceful creatures like birds

Activity

Greek organic food tasting

• Hummus and pita chips
  • Red pepper hummus (reddish colour), Baba Ganoush (grayish), and regular hummus (beige)
• Black Greek olives