Star Words: Episode VI, Part 12
Feb. 11th, 2021 09:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilLuke has returned to complete his training as promised. But he can see that Yoda is ailing. Hasn't lost his humor, though -- When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good, you will not!
And even in his weakness, Yoda has several more lessons to impart to Luke. The first is an enlightened perspective on death. Phrases like Rest, Forever sleep, Earned it I have show us that he has no fear of the end, only peace and acceptance. My favorite is a lyrical description he offers while settling into bed.
"Twilight is upon me, and soon night must fall."
The quiet beauty of this expression always moves me. The metaphor of the day shifting gently into night; the light fading into peaceful darkness.
Now, I firmly believe that in the prequels, Yoda still has a lot to learn, particularly in relation to this "no emotions, no attachments, no grief" nonsense he tries to teach Anakin. Telling him not to grieve is not only unhealthy, it's hypocritical, because Yoda is clearly wracked with grief when the Jedi Order is massacred. However, some of his advice still rings true. "Death is a natural part of life." He has truly taken that principle to heart for his own life. He has no fear, no dread, no attempt to fight it.
And he could certainly find cause to dread, if not for himself, then for the fledgling Jedi he's leaving behind. After this he'll offer Luke crucial information, as much as he can manage before death overtakes him. Nevertheless, he knows when his time has come and accepts the will of the Force.
Next time, Yoda's whispered warning....
And even in his weakness, Yoda has several more lessons to impart to Luke. The first is an enlightened perspective on death. Phrases like Rest, Forever sleep, Earned it I have show us that he has no fear of the end, only peace and acceptance. My favorite is a lyrical description he offers while settling into bed.
"Twilight is upon me, and soon night must fall."
The quiet beauty of this expression always moves me. The metaphor of the day shifting gently into night; the light fading into peaceful darkness.
Now, I firmly believe that in the prequels, Yoda still has a lot to learn, particularly in relation to this "no emotions, no attachments, no grief" nonsense he tries to teach Anakin. Telling him not to grieve is not only unhealthy, it's hypocritical, because Yoda is clearly wracked with grief when the Jedi Order is massacred. However, some of his advice still rings true. "Death is a natural part of life." He has truly taken that principle to heart for his own life. He has no fear, no dread, no attempt to fight it.
And he could certainly find cause to dread, if not for himself, then for the fledgling Jedi he's leaving behind. After this he'll offer Luke crucial information, as much as he can manage before death overtakes him. Nevertheless, he knows when his time has come and accepts the will of the Force.
Next time, Yoda's whispered warning....
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Date: 2021-02-12 11:01 pm (UTC)Self-pity aside, I can see a lot to this scene (even if it tends towards "character interpretations inside the story.") Perhaps I want to see an element of confrontation in it, with Luke not so much "seeking certainty about Darth Vader being his father" as "dealing with not having been told that by his teachers." Yoda tossing off a quip, though, did leave me wondering if most of his other reputation there comes from his introduction, when he's deliberately misleading Luke. As for his acceptance of impending death, I then got to pondering how he ought to have a good bit more certainty about what's next for him than the usual comforts grasped at.