Skip to comments.
Ishmael's Axe
http://external.oneonta.edu/cooper/articles/suny/2001suny-pikus.html ^
Posted on 04/17/2007 11:25:47 AM PDT by TexasBud
One possible source of the gunman's reference to "Ismail Ax" on inside of his arm is... James Fenimore Cooper's The Prairie. Character Ishmael Bush had an axe. "And the axe, which created and transformed through destruction, clears the figurative way for the deflowering of the New World."
The axe is apparently both literal and symbolic, and references are made about the character's having moved from the east to the west, creating change through the destruction (using the axe), and the like. Just a possibility, esp. for someone who was an English major?
TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: gunman; ishmaelsaxe; ishmailsaxe; ismail; ismailsaxe; vatech
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80 ... 221-233 next last
To: lugsoul
See post 16 - Moby Dick (Chapter 17) ties is to Ramadan
21
posted on
04/17/2007 11:37:13 AM PDT
by
VRWCTexan
(History has a long memory - but still repeats itself)
To: TexasBud
To: TexasBud
Shah Ismail made shia the official religion if Iran in 1502. Could be Iran, not Al-Qaeda that may have poisoned his mind..
Or he could have just been nuts...
23
posted on
04/17/2007 11:39:54 AM PDT
by
clilly54
To: aCDNinUSA
24
posted on
04/17/2007 11:39:56 AM PDT
by
chaos_5
To: faq
If he was an English major, why would he spell Ishmael as Ismail? Well, it doesn't mean his tattoo artist majored in English.
25
posted on
04/17/2007 11:39:58 AM PDT
by
HawaiianGecko
(Mosquitoes remind us that we are not as high up on the food chain as we think...)
To: MIchaelTArchangel
Ah, so its Bushs fault?Yes. You see, ABC just reported that the killer's long suicide noted included the phrase, "You caused this." Clearly the "you" refers to George W. Bush. He should step down immediately.
/s
26
posted on
04/17/2007 11:40:12 AM PDT
by
alnick
To: SE Mom
Im just shaking my head at the unbelievable speculation going on .. Its hard enough to grasp the enormity of what happened yesterday. Im not above falling into the trap of looking for an evil islamic extremist behind every awful event, yet this seems to be a helluva stretch. Neither am I. I think this kid had major problems - stalking the girl etc. Planning this for about a month, Long note left behind. Seriously planned to kill that girl for quite a while and blamed the whole thing on her.
To: TexasBud
I've read The Prairie and remember the character Ishmael, but don't remember the part about the axe. I'm probably also the only student in my English department who has read this book. At one time, Cooper's books would probably have been recommended reading, but they aren't anymore. Especially if the program is at all PC. If I thought it was a literary reference, I would think it more likely to be Moby Dick. But personally, I think it's too early to tell.
28
posted on
04/17/2007 11:40:42 AM PDT
by
twigs
To: TexasBud
That the gunman used the arabic spelling must mean something...Yup...
29
posted on
04/17/2007 11:40:52 AM PDT
by
johnny7
("Issue in Doubt." -Col. David Monroe Shoup, USMC 1943)
To: aCDNinUSA
Looks like the other photos of the perp
30
posted on
04/17/2007 11:40:55 AM PDT
by
VRWCTexan
(History has a long memory - but still repeats itself)
To: aCDNinUSA
31
posted on
04/17/2007 11:41:12 AM PDT
by
ScreamingFist
(Annihilation - The result of underestimating your enemies. NRA)
To: mnehrling
Cheat notes written on his arm for an upcoming test?He also signed his suicide note with the phrase.
32
posted on
04/17/2007 11:41:39 AM PDT
by
alnick
To: aCDNinUSA
The photo was taken by “Eldarossell” who appears to be Indonesian? I think this is the killer?
“He’s a South Korean. Ismail is not his real name. He use it because his name is very hard to pronounce, especially for Indonesian people. His real name is Cho Seung Hoo ....... or is it Jo Sung Ho?”
Link:
http://flickr.com/photos/eldarossell/203788467/
To: oceanview
A play he wrote is posted at the Smoking Gun - the description was sick enough; I didn’t want to see any more.
To: TexasBud
Ishmael (Hebrew: יִשְׁמָעֵאל, Arabic: إسماعيل, Ismā'īl; translates as "God will hear" (Strong's Dictionary)) was Abraham's eldest son, born by his wife's handmaiden Hagar. Though being born of Hagar, according to the Mesopotamian law, he was credited to Sarah (Gn. 16:2)[1] According to the Genesis account, he died at the age of 137 (Gn. 25:17).
Judaism has generally viewed Ishmael as wicked though repentant.[1] Islamic tradition, however, has a very positive view of Ishmael, ascribing a larger role to Ishmael in comparison to the Bible and viewing him as a prophet and the son of sacrifice (according to certain early theologians whose ideas prevailed later).[1][2] The BahÃÂá'ÃÂàwritings consider him a lesser prophet.
Both Jewish and Islamic traditions consider Ishmael as the ancestor of Arab people.[1]
35
posted on
04/17/2007 11:42:56 AM PDT
by
Lonesome in Massachussets
("We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.")
To: MIchaelTArchangel
Yep. We sorta knew that...
36
posted on
04/17/2007 11:43:12 AM PDT
by
null and void
(To Marines, male bonding happens in Boot Camp, to Democrats, it happens at a Gay Pride parade...)
To: alnick
From what I’ve heard recently, that was misreported. Comments on what was on his arm and the note got bungled together..
37
posted on
04/17/2007 11:43:27 AM PDT
by
mnehring
(McCain '08 -------------------------------------- just kidding...)
To: Lonesome in Massachussets
38
posted on
04/17/2007 11:44:14 AM PDT
by
Lonesome in Massachussets
("We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.")
To: TexasBud
We’ll have to “ax” him in the future........
39
posted on
04/17/2007 11:44:22 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(If it's consensus, it's not science. If it's science, there's no need for consensus......)
To: faq
“If he was an English major, why would he spell Ishmael as Ismail?”
Because that is the muslim spelling?
40
posted on
04/17/2007 11:44:47 AM PDT
by
MeanWestTexan
(Kol Hakavod Fred Thompson)
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80 ... 221-233 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson