Samson Destroys the Philistines with an Ass' Jawbone 

Gustave Doré, a 19th-century artist, created this engraving depicting Samson’s legendary feat against the Philistines with an ass’ jawbone. Doré lived in a time when the Bible was viewed as a source of moral and historical truths, and he produced many illustrations of biblical scenes. Doré’s work, including this engraving, often presents a romanticized and dramatic view of biblical stories. However, if we dig a bit deeper, we can see that stories like Samson’s also speak to themes of power, resistance, and cultural conflict, and we can recognize the emotional and political complexities of the artwork. In this image, the bodies of the Philistines are thrown haphazardly into a ravine. Here Doré is developing an alternative narrative to the traditional story, and we can consider how the story and its representation might speak to different forms of resistance and liberation. Ultimately, Doré’s work asks us to reflect on how we interpret and represent stories of identity, faith, and struggle.