Parable Documentation

1. Identify characters and details.

The parable starts with a rich nobleman who decides to go on a journey, and only the extremely wealthy went on journeys. There are also three servants that the nobleman entrusts with some of his wealth. One was entrusted with five "talents," let's call him 5, another entrusted with two "talents," we'll call him 2, and the last with one "talent," he'll be called 1. 5 and 2 invested their share and were able to double their starting amounts, while buried his "talent" because he was not as willing to invest as 5 and 2. When the nobleman arrived from his journey he saw what 5 and 2 were able to bring back to him and gave them praise, but when 1 gave him back the original "talent" he was given the noble punished him because the noble felt that 1 was lazy and that he was trying to make a statement.

2. Who is the main character and why?

We believe that 1 is the main character because he is the most dynamic character and the gravity of all the conflict in this parable. His actions reveal all of the corruption and the oppression in the parable.

3. Understand story in the context of 1st century Palestine from broad to narrow.

The story is set in a household type environment where the noble is the homeowner, and he has his inner-circle made of his closest subjects, called his servant, not because they serve him, but to show that they receive their wealth from the noble. The servants are trusted enough to handle the noble's money, and they are expected to make a 100% profit, and whatever is more they skim off the top, just enough to make a lot, but not to make the noble conspicuous. Their investments mainly consist of foreclosing on farmers and peasants, and they do this instead of investing in the rich because the rich won't take from the rich.

Palestinians would find this parable a vivid description of the exploiation of the surplus labor value at the heart of the class conflict in Palestine, Jesus' audience would have felt the sting of the fate of the rash subordinate who had the audacity to "tell off" his master

4. What is the central conflict?

The central conflict in this parable is 1 not investing his share and making a statement to the king about his exploitation and exposes the raw section of corruption and how the wealthy gain their wealth. The problem with this statement is that he is only one man in a land of many against him.

the inordinate greed and moral corruption of particular individuals is where the conflict is also centralized around and the system that supports it.

5. What is the moral of the story.

The moral of this story is if you're going to fight the power make sure that you have someone there to back you up, because if you go balls out alone, and you just gave big middle finger to the noble and screwed over the peasants, you're pretty much shafted on either end. One cannot possibly change such a corrupt system by themselves, one will always need support in fighting a battle this large, and strength usually comes in numbers.

it is fighting a pervasive capitalist ethos that blunts or denies the existence of significant structural divisions in society, it is trying to eliminate this concept of classes as contending forces in a common field of ever shifting action seeking to secure its vital interests with one class always having the upper hand.

6. Find a ground breaking question who's answer will unlock the entire parable.

What gave 1 the courage and drive to make the statement he did?

7. Find its trancending quality, then transfer it to the modern day.

To Be Continued...