Do you know anyone who relates to any of the characters in "The Lame Shall Enter First"?
For my comparison of one of the characters and someone I couldn't pinpoint a singular person to be synchronously associated with Rufus, so I though I would use a more broad spectrum; most of the kids at Mingo Central High School. I feel passionately that the kids that act like they don't know anything and are in the "dumb classes," as I have heard them called, are the Rufuses of the school. They are the kids that have the potential, some of them with a baffling amount of it, but they choose to dwell in their ignorant and arrogant ways. They have the capability to shine just as bright or even brighter than us "Harvard kids." For whatever reason, they are content in their ways and feel no motivation to better themselves and change, but the only question I would have to ask them is why? I know a lot of them have not had a perfect life, but they are the same as Rufus in that they do not want to change because they are comfortable in whatever hurt they may have experienced. It is heartbreaking but true, and I just wish that I or anyone else could turn on the light for at least one of them, hoping it would spread to others and they would finally see who and what they truly can be, unlike Rufus.
Am I dynamic or static? Have I changed while attending Mingo Central?
If I had to choose, I would not hesitate to say that I am dynamic since the beginning of my high school career. I have a personal reason for saying this, but also one I would gladly share with anyone. Since Mingo Central is a conglomeration of four different schools that used to be rivals smashed together, it creates a different atmosphere than you would find at any other school who has not experienced the shock of consolidation. I made so many new friends right off the bat, although still very shy at the time. I was quiet and awkward and had no intention of becoming who I am today as I compose this on a computer screen. I am now so much more outgoing, and sadly a little too strongly opinionated (when it really matters). I stand up for myself and others, despite a background of being bullied and belittled that I endured for quite some time. I have excelled academically in the sense that I really did not have such immense opportunities to learn at any other school I have previously attended. Spiritually, I have grown in my understanding of what I am called to do after high school (although it is unclear what academic profession I may go into, I have a pretty good idea about what I will do for the Kingdom of God). It would take way too long to list all the changes I have been through, but I will say, every experience, whether good or bad, has shaped me into a better person, and on that note I am glad to be identified as a Mingo Central Miner!
Monday, August 25, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
LRB- August 24, 2014
"The Lame Shall Enter First"
By: Flannery O'Connor
In this story, many characters are introduced that fit into multiple different character classifications. One character that is most dynamically changed in this story is Sheppard, the father of Norton, and the father figure, if you will, to Rufus. Sheppard is a very giving man, and he worked at the reformatory school on Saturdays, giving up his day for nothing more than the satisfaction of knowing that he was helping the boys that no one else cared about. He is very selfless toward others, but it is very noticeable very quickly that he doesn't really try to do anything to better his own son. He is too busy helping other people. While seeing the potential in one of the reformatory boys, he fails to even acknowledge the untapped potential of his son, this can be seen throughout the story in various places. The telescope stands as a symbol of being a vessel or instrument to focus in on the future. When he has Rufus looking to the stars (another symbol for dreams and aspirations), he neglects to notice that his son is enthralled with what he can become, even though Sheppard never tells Norton he can do anything he puts his mind to like he does Rufus.
Sheppard is so consumed with bettering his troublemaker of a protégée that he is blinded to think that Rufus can help his son overcome his selfishness, when in actuality, Sheppard is the one being truly selfish. Ever so slowly, Sheppard deteriorates into a shell of his former self, abandoning his previous attitude and the generosity and selflessness of his character for a deluded and almost insane persona. He begins to justify his wrongdoing of his son toward the end and repeats saying, "I have nothing to reproach myself with," and, "I did more for him than I did for my own child." which points to a point of reproach that he fails to accept, his selfishness.
Sheppard goes from being a secretly selfish but selfless man (when it wasn't toward his son), to being the ugly, demented person he probably always was on this inside, just manifest on the outside where everyone could see it. His shift in persona leads him to finally come to the revelation of who his son really was the entire time, the person peering into the telescope, the one that had the true raw potential, but it was possibly too late to fix the damage he caused to their relationship, or at least what was left of it.
By: Flannery O'Connor
In this story, many characters are introduced that fit into multiple different character classifications. One character that is most dynamically changed in this story is Sheppard, the father of Norton, and the father figure, if you will, to Rufus. Sheppard is a very giving man, and he worked at the reformatory school on Saturdays, giving up his day for nothing more than the satisfaction of knowing that he was helping the boys that no one else cared about. He is very selfless toward others, but it is very noticeable very quickly that he doesn't really try to do anything to better his own son. He is too busy helping other people. While seeing the potential in one of the reformatory boys, he fails to even acknowledge the untapped potential of his son, this can be seen throughout the story in various places. The telescope stands as a symbol of being a vessel or instrument to focus in on the future. When he has Rufus looking to the stars (another symbol for dreams and aspirations), he neglects to notice that his son is enthralled with what he can become, even though Sheppard never tells Norton he can do anything he puts his mind to like he does Rufus.
Sheppard is so consumed with bettering his troublemaker of a protégée that he is blinded to think that Rufus can help his son overcome his selfishness, when in actuality, Sheppard is the one being truly selfish. Ever so slowly, Sheppard deteriorates into a shell of his former self, abandoning his previous attitude and the generosity and selflessness of his character for a deluded and almost insane persona. He begins to justify his wrongdoing of his son toward the end and repeats saying, "I have nothing to reproach myself with," and, "I did more for him than I did for my own child." which points to a point of reproach that he fails to accept, his selfishness.
Sheppard goes from being a secretly selfish but selfless man (when it wasn't toward his son), to being the ugly, demented person he probably always was on this inside, just manifest on the outside where everyone could see it. His shift in persona leads him to finally come to the revelation of who his son really was the entire time, the person peering into the telescope, the one that had the true raw potential, but it was possibly too late to fix the damage he caused to their relationship, or at least what was left of it.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Literary Response Blog- August 21, 2014
"The Paring Knife"
By: Michael Oppenheimer
In this short story many symbols are expressed, but one, in which the story was obviously named after stands out among the rest, the paring knife. Due to its referencing in multiple parts of the story, it would be very hard for anyone to miss its symbolic qualities. The story begins by stating that the knife has been found under the refrigerator, where is has apparently resided for four years or so, as stated by the narrator. The narrator continues on with the story of how it is that the knife got there in the first place. It is stated that there was a large amount of wine drunk that night, and that when they went to make love, something happened that caused them to fight, causing the speaking character to exit the room and go to sit in the kitchen, where he then proceeds to throw dirty dishes from the previous dinner onto the floor. After finding the knife, it is shown to the lover and she places it on the table and then exits the room to continue cleaning the rest of the house, clearly not remembering the story behind it, or failing to mention it.
I have said all this to introduce the symbolism behind the knife, and other elements that led to why the knife was introduced as a symbol in the first place, starting with the large dinner and wine. These two are obviously lovers, so of course they have an intimacy with each other. Their intimacy is synonymous of the communion of their meal and what it may represent, such as a possible upgrade in their relationship. The wine simply introduces a factor that may or may not be viewed as Biblical, but also as one representing alcoholism or the ability of alcoholic beverages to remove one's inhibitions. By being drunk, the couple opens themselves up to a wide range of possible scenarios. They are either drunk and enjoy making love, which didn't happen in this story, or have their inhibitions so absent that when something goes wrong, they say things that they wouldn't normally say. These things can be more hurtful and cut deeper, kind of like being stabbed with a knife.
Getting to the knife, one could say that it is representative of what the lover's words may have done to the woman he loves, or just broadly the arguments that may arise when one is in a close relationship. Although in the end, without a word, the woman puts the knife quietly back under the refrigerator, but why? It's as if she is saying, "I remember, but I realize that that argument was pointless and I forgive you." No matter what was said, the woman decided to let it go and not reminisce about what the knife was doing there, but chooses to ignore what the reason for it being there was, or just to let it sink into the past where the little scuttle occurred in the first place.
By: Michael Oppenheimer
In this short story many symbols are expressed, but one, in which the story was obviously named after stands out among the rest, the paring knife. Due to its referencing in multiple parts of the story, it would be very hard for anyone to miss its symbolic qualities. The story begins by stating that the knife has been found under the refrigerator, where is has apparently resided for four years or so, as stated by the narrator. The narrator continues on with the story of how it is that the knife got there in the first place. It is stated that there was a large amount of wine drunk that night, and that when they went to make love, something happened that caused them to fight, causing the speaking character to exit the room and go to sit in the kitchen, where he then proceeds to throw dirty dishes from the previous dinner onto the floor. After finding the knife, it is shown to the lover and she places it on the table and then exits the room to continue cleaning the rest of the house, clearly not remembering the story behind it, or failing to mention it.
I have said all this to introduce the symbolism behind the knife, and other elements that led to why the knife was introduced as a symbol in the first place, starting with the large dinner and wine. These two are obviously lovers, so of course they have an intimacy with each other. Their intimacy is synonymous of the communion of their meal and what it may represent, such as a possible upgrade in their relationship. The wine simply introduces a factor that may or may not be viewed as Biblical, but also as one representing alcoholism or the ability of alcoholic beverages to remove one's inhibitions. By being drunk, the couple opens themselves up to a wide range of possible scenarios. They are either drunk and enjoy making love, which didn't happen in this story, or have their inhibitions so absent that when something goes wrong, they say things that they wouldn't normally say. These things can be more hurtful and cut deeper, kind of like being stabbed with a knife.
Getting to the knife, one could say that it is representative of what the lover's words may have done to the woman he loves, or just broadly the arguments that may arise when one is in a close relationship. Although in the end, without a word, the woman puts the knife quietly back under the refrigerator, but why? It's as if she is saying, "I remember, but I realize that that argument was pointless and I forgive you." No matter what was said, the woman decided to let it go and not reminisce about what the knife was doing there, but chooses to ignore what the reason for it being there was, or just to let it sink into the past where the little scuttle occurred in the first place.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Summer Assignment August 11th Deadline
Chapter 25-
When you are reading something that is not of the same time period or of any familiarity to you it's important for you to understand what you are reading without necessarily accepting it. Reading something such as Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew nowadays, one would thing it to be almost entirely and unbearably sexist, but as Foster suggests, you have to read without your eyes. It was the beliefs of how women should operate and behave that makes this story relevant and "the norm" in the time period that it was written in. The young man who is trying to "tame" his wife throughout the story in order to get her to fulfill his wishes. It was very common for men to treat women more as servants that to treat them as an actual wife (or daughter). But today, it's highly sexist and a situation like this would most likely not exist in today's society (at least in America), which makes this story a perfect example of a piece of literature that requires you to look at it from a different perspective, or set of eyes, in order to take in all of its wonder.
Chapter 26-
Shakespeare's Macbeth could be used as an example of an ironic piece of writing. Macbeth pretends that he is loyal to King Duncan, but in reality he is plotting to murder him. Duncan is unaware of this deception but it is relatively obvious to the audience. Macbeth murders the king, and thus becomes king, just as the witches had stated in a prophesy, but the prophesy wasn't all that Macbeth expected it to be. One would thing that being king would make someone happy. He'd be rich, he'd have as much power as he could handle, people would "respect" him. What I'm getting at is that Macbeth only saw one side of the prophesy whilst the witches watched with evil smirks on their faces as the irony unfolded and Macbeth's life crumbled. Everything turned out how Macbeth had hoped, but he was not happy as king, which is ironic in itself. It eventually ends as Macbeth's every effort was pointless, his actions to gain power meant nothing, especially after he is dead.
Chapter 27-
What does the story signify?
What I felt while reading this story was a strong struggle in the heart and mind of an "upper crust" female toward the amount of sympathy she should show toward those who do not live in the same sort of conditions that she does. She is very conflicted about how she should react to the sudden death of one of the lower class member's husband, and how she should express some sort of respect for the family despite the hierarchy difference. To top it all, it happens right before a large gathering that has been planned to host a lot of other upper crust people.
How does it signify?
I really struggled with answering this question, but finally came to a rough conclusion. The whole upper and lower class struggle is apparent in this short story, so I see the location of the housing of both classes significant to the struggle? I'm still roughly making a comparison. The Sheridan's house is located on a hill, above the small, less attractive cottages of the less fortunate members of the lower class. This signifies the placement of both classes on the hierarchal ladder. The most successful and wealthy live above, while the less successful and poor dwell below.
To my surprise I guess I could award myself with an A (not my choice, but Foster's)! I somewhat captured the gist of things while not eloquently expressing it as one of his former students did, but what can I say?
The comparing of Laura to Persephone right off the bat baffles me because of my newfound knowledge of the presence of intertextuality in many things that I read every day. Second of all it reveals how much thought goes into some pieces of work, even the short stories. In the end, I am still amazed how much I like this simple little short story, and the connection of Persephone and Laura thickens my appreciation and brings me to a new level of appreciation.
When you are reading something that is not of the same time period or of any familiarity to you it's important for you to understand what you are reading without necessarily accepting it. Reading something such as Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew nowadays, one would thing it to be almost entirely and unbearably sexist, but as Foster suggests, you have to read without your eyes. It was the beliefs of how women should operate and behave that makes this story relevant and "the norm" in the time period that it was written in. The young man who is trying to "tame" his wife throughout the story in order to get her to fulfill his wishes. It was very common for men to treat women more as servants that to treat them as an actual wife (or daughter). But today, it's highly sexist and a situation like this would most likely not exist in today's society (at least in America), which makes this story a perfect example of a piece of literature that requires you to look at it from a different perspective, or set of eyes, in order to take in all of its wonder.
Chapter 26-
Shakespeare's Macbeth could be used as an example of an ironic piece of writing. Macbeth pretends that he is loyal to King Duncan, but in reality he is plotting to murder him. Duncan is unaware of this deception but it is relatively obvious to the audience. Macbeth murders the king, and thus becomes king, just as the witches had stated in a prophesy, but the prophesy wasn't all that Macbeth expected it to be. One would thing that being king would make someone happy. He'd be rich, he'd have as much power as he could handle, people would "respect" him. What I'm getting at is that Macbeth only saw one side of the prophesy whilst the witches watched with evil smirks on their faces as the irony unfolded and Macbeth's life crumbled. Everything turned out how Macbeth had hoped, but he was not happy as king, which is ironic in itself. It eventually ends as Macbeth's every effort was pointless, his actions to gain power meant nothing, especially after he is dead.
Chapter 27-
What does the story signify?
What I felt while reading this story was a strong struggle in the heart and mind of an "upper crust" female toward the amount of sympathy she should show toward those who do not live in the same sort of conditions that she does. She is very conflicted about how she should react to the sudden death of one of the lower class member's husband, and how she should express some sort of respect for the family despite the hierarchy difference. To top it all, it happens right before a large gathering that has been planned to host a lot of other upper crust people.
How does it signify?
I really struggled with answering this question, but finally came to a rough conclusion. The whole upper and lower class struggle is apparent in this short story, so I see the location of the housing of both classes significant to the struggle? I'm still roughly making a comparison. The Sheridan's house is located on a hill, above the small, less attractive cottages of the less fortunate members of the lower class. This signifies the placement of both classes on the hierarchal ladder. The most successful and wealthy live above, while the less successful and poor dwell below.
To my surprise I guess I could award myself with an A (not my choice, but Foster's)! I somewhat captured the gist of things while not eloquently expressing it as one of his former students did, but what can I say?
The comparing of Laura to Persephone right off the bat baffles me because of my newfound knowledge of the presence of intertextuality in many things that I read every day. Second of all it reveals how much thought goes into some pieces of work, even the short stories. In the end, I am still amazed how much I like this simple little short story, and the connection of Persephone and Laura thickens my appreciation and brings me to a new level of appreciation.
Summer Assignment August 4th Deadline
Chapter 22, 23 &24-
As mentioned in these chapters Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe has a character that dies of something called the Red Death. The person to die of this fictitious disease is Prince Prospero, and all of this occurs within thirty minutes of him catching this deadly pathogen. The prince tries to avoid dying from the disease by shutting himself in his castle along with some of his friends. Nobody knows where the Red Death came from. It is, as Foster would describe, picturesque in terms of a disease, the perfect killer, quick and painful. Red Death could be a play-off of Black Death, the Bubonic plague. It swept through, quickly killing people with ease and in a very gory manner. The fictitious Red Death involves sharp pains and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding from the pores, which leads to death within a half an hour while the Black death is more flu-like, causing fever, headaches, chills, weakness, and swollen tender lymph glands and also caused sores all over the victims body which leaked pus and caused pain. Black Death was referred to as death itself, so metaphorically Red Death is a metaphor as well, just used in a literary work with different symptoms and effects.
Another disease not so pathogenic in nature would be one expressed in Shakespeare's Romeo and Julliet. Romeo, although perfectly healthy in the prime of his life, dies from one of the most fatal diseases one could ever "catch"; he essentially dies of a broken heart, or dies in order to avoid hurting for his loved one, Juliet. His passion for her blinds him into making a rash decision when he thinks that she is dead after staging her death in order to be with him, despite their family disputes. Romeo kills himself in order to "be with Juliet" because he believed she was dead. Upon awakening from the elixir that Juliet drank to appear dead, she sees Romeo dead and ends her life as well.
As mentioned in these chapters Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allen Poe has a character that dies of something called the Red Death. The person to die of this fictitious disease is Prince Prospero, and all of this occurs within thirty minutes of him catching this deadly pathogen. The prince tries to avoid dying from the disease by shutting himself in his castle along with some of his friends. Nobody knows where the Red Death came from. It is, as Foster would describe, picturesque in terms of a disease, the perfect killer, quick and painful. Red Death could be a play-off of Black Death, the Bubonic plague. It swept through, quickly killing people with ease and in a very gory manner. The fictitious Red Death involves sharp pains and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding from the pores, which leads to death within a half an hour while the Black death is more flu-like, causing fever, headaches, chills, weakness, and swollen tender lymph glands and also caused sores all over the victims body which leaked pus and caused pain. Black Death was referred to as death itself, so metaphorically Red Death is a metaphor as well, just used in a literary work with different symptoms and effects.
Another disease not so pathogenic in nature would be one expressed in Shakespeare's Romeo and Julliet. Romeo, although perfectly healthy in the prime of his life, dies from one of the most fatal diseases one could ever "catch"; he essentially dies of a broken heart, or dies in order to avoid hurting for his loved one, Juliet. His passion for her blinds him into making a rash decision when he thinks that she is dead after staging her death in order to be with him, despite their family disputes. Romeo kills himself in order to "be with Juliet" because he believed she was dead. Upon awakening from the elixir that Juliet drank to appear dead, she sees Romeo dead and ends her life as well.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Summer Assignment July 28th Deadline
Chapter 20-
"Autumn Magic"
It's Fall
The season of wisdom
where we attain
colors of great knowledge
and darker shades of fear
The confusing temperatures
One Spring day
One Winter day
balanced back and forth
to shock us into
temperance and equanimity
The sun is majestic
as it glares through
the vibrant shades
of windblown leaves
as they leave their
colorful hues
on the bare shuffling
ground
The birds are migrating
They flow in and out of
the scenery
As we endure the beauty
We can see the long
permanence of impermanence
Like life and death
from transience to eternity
There's too much time
But there's not enough time
We're listless as the Winter
approaches
Showing its chilling and
colorless humbling of life...
I would refer to this poem as traditional since it uses the metaphor of autumn being the middle-aged time of life, which has become quite cliché, but traditional. Phrases such as "The season of wisdom," and "We're listless as the Winter approaches, Showing its chilling and colorless humbling of life..." which blatantly brings in the aspect of autumn, or the middle-aged years, almost to a close as the "winter" (death or the last years of life) approach. It's not a gloomy or depressing poem, but harbors both light and dark aspects of the autumn of life.
Interlude--One Story
Archetype- A story involving a character that has previously existed in another story, but has been imitated and adopted the culture or "lore" of the story in which they are represented in.
An archetype that I could easily relate to something I have read or watched would be "the magician," one who "made a decision to master the Four Elements and therefore seek to balance his personal Karma." Or to "save the world" or "bring peace".
Avatar: the last airbender is a story in which Aang, the main hero of the story, has to master the four elements in order to bring peace to the world and end the war between the fire nation and the other three nations, earth, air (although pretty much extinct), and the water tribes.
Chapter 21-
Potter's scar on his forehead is thematically significant as opposed to other physical traits expressed in other movies when it comes to the storyline. His scar not only sets him apart physically, seeing that the scar is in the shape of a lightning bolt. His scar has a deeper meaning and a cryptic history to go along with it. It stands in as an example of the damage that life can deal out on a person, such as when tragedy hits. The person effected is unharmed (in the literal way) but has a scar, something that reminds them of what happened to those they love or something they knew. Potter's scar brings in another aspect other than the physicality of its existence. He had this scar for mostly his entire life, but it wasn't until later in life when he discovered the story behind it, in which case Harry's scar can operate as a badge of honor since it is proof he survived the killing curse with no apparent consequence except the scar he sustained.
"Autumn Magic"
It's Fall
The season of wisdom
where we attain
colors of great knowledge
and darker shades of fear
The confusing temperatures
One Spring day
One Winter day
balanced back and forth
to shock us into
temperance and equanimity
The sun is majestic
as it glares through
the vibrant shades
of windblown leaves
as they leave their
colorful hues
on the bare shuffling
ground
The birds are migrating
They flow in and out of
the scenery
As we endure the beauty
We can see the long
permanence of impermanence
Like life and death
from transience to eternity
There's too much time
But there's not enough time
We're listless as the Winter
approaches
Showing its chilling and
colorless humbling of life...
I would refer to this poem as traditional since it uses the metaphor of autumn being the middle-aged time of life, which has become quite cliché, but traditional. Phrases such as "The season of wisdom," and "We're listless as the Winter approaches, Showing its chilling and colorless humbling of life..." which blatantly brings in the aspect of autumn, or the middle-aged years, almost to a close as the "winter" (death or the last years of life) approach. It's not a gloomy or depressing poem, but harbors both light and dark aspects of the autumn of life.
Interlude--One Story
Archetype- A story involving a character that has previously existed in another story, but has been imitated and adopted the culture or "lore" of the story in which they are represented in.
An archetype that I could easily relate to something I have read or watched would be "the magician," one who "made a decision to master the Four Elements and therefore seek to balance his personal Karma." Or to "save the world" or "bring peace".
Avatar: the last airbender is a story in which Aang, the main hero of the story, has to master the four elements in order to bring peace to the world and end the war between the fire nation and the other three nations, earth, air (although pretty much extinct), and the water tribes.
Chapter 21-
Potter's scar on his forehead is thematically significant as opposed to other physical traits expressed in other movies when it comes to the storyline. His scar not only sets him apart physically, seeing that the scar is in the shape of a lightning bolt. His scar has a deeper meaning and a cryptic history to go along with it. It stands in as an example of the damage that life can deal out on a person, such as when tragedy hits. The person effected is unharmed (in the literal way) but has a scar, something that reminds them of what happened to those they love or something they knew. Potter's scar brings in another aspect other than the physicality of its existence. He had this scar for mostly his entire life, but it wasn't until later in life when he discovered the story behind it, in which case Harry's scar can operate as a badge of honor since it is proof he survived the killing curse with no apparent consequence except the scar he sustained.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Summer Assignment July 21st Deadline
Chapter 18-
An example of "baptism" from the Bible that isn't necessarily baptism is the story of Saul, who will later be known as Paul. Saul was a man who absolutely hated Christians, and he made it his goal to capture and bring Christians to public trial and execution. He was present when the first Christian martyr, Stephen, was killed by an angry mob. Here is the excerpt of Saul in his early wicked days:
Acts 7:57-8:1 (NIV)
57 At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58 dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
8 And Saul approved of their killing him.
After the first martyr, Stephen, Saul began to destroy the church. He went door to door, house to house, and dragged off men and women who believed Jesus is the Messiah and put them in prison.
One day, on the road to Damascus, God appeared to Saul in the form of Jesus, but all His brilliance of blinding light, and asked Saul why he persecuted Him. He told Saul to go to Damascus and he will be told what he had been assigned to do. His companions had to lead him into the city because the brilliance of light blinded him. Saul eventually changed his name to Paul, and became a well know Apostle, the Apostle Paul, who was later persecuted for his belief in Jesus as the Messiah and martyred for that faith.
Saul went through a baptism that wasn't necessarily one involving water, he became a new person entirely, and even suffered (I say that lightly) for his faith in the One thing he persecuted others for before his encounter with God.
Chapter 19-
The first movie that came to mind when Foster mentioned that "Geography in literature can also be more. It can be revelatory of virtually any element in the work. Theme? Sure. Symbol? No problem. Plot? Without a doubt." is The Hunger Games. There are so many geographical areas represented in that one movie that it is hard to miss the things that the people are all representative of their geography, a product of its forces. Katniss, the main character, grew up in District 12. District 12 is the poorest of all the districts, and thus leads to a shortage of sustenance for all the inhabitants, causing them to have to forage or break the rules in order to survive. This area shapes Katniss into an individual who knows how to hunt, she knows how to survive on her own. District 4 is completely different than 12, this place is more focused on fishing rather than mining. People from this district generally know their fish, and how to catch food for themselves. They are even pretty handy about making nets for traps during the Hunger Games, trapping and killing anyone who foolishly gets tangled. District 11 is a district that one of the most lovable character comes from, Rue. District 11 is the agricultural district where people mostly work with orchards and farms. Rue knows all sorts of plants, and their effects on cuts, scrapes, and stings. She is also very agile and climbs even the biggest of trees fairly easily. District 2 is different than almost all the other districts, seeing that they don't work with things that naturally occur, but instead manufacture weapons which are then shipped to the Capitol and distributed to the Peacekeepers to subdue and bind all the districts. Cato, Katniss's sworn enemy in the arena, comes from this district and is known as a "career", which means he's been trained for the Hunger Games for his entire life. Each district has a special quality of its own, and the effects of the geography on each individual person is apparent, especially during the Hunger Games. Geography shaped each person's life and almost ensured victory in the arena for some, and was the downfall of others, so truthfully, geography really does matter!
The first movie that came to mind when Foster mentioned that "Geography in literature can also be more. It can be revelatory of virtually any element in the work. Theme? Sure. Symbol? No problem. Plot? Without a doubt." is The Hunger Games. There are so many geographical areas represented in that one movie that it is hard to miss the things that the people are all representative of their geography, a product of its forces. Katniss, the main character, grew up in District 12. District 12 is the poorest of all the districts, and thus leads to a shortage of sustenance for all the inhabitants, causing them to have to forage or break the rules in order to survive. This area shapes Katniss into an individual who knows how to hunt, she knows how to survive on her own. District 4 is completely different than 12, this place is more focused on fishing rather than mining. People from this district generally know their fish, and how to catch food for themselves. They are even pretty handy about making nets for traps during the Hunger Games, trapping and killing anyone who foolishly gets tangled. District 11 is a district that one of the most lovable character comes from, Rue. District 11 is the agricultural district where people mostly work with orchards and farms. Rue knows all sorts of plants, and their effects on cuts, scrapes, and stings. She is also very agile and climbs even the biggest of trees fairly easily. District 2 is different than almost all the other districts, seeing that they don't work with things that naturally occur, but instead manufacture weapons which are then shipped to the Capitol and distributed to the Peacekeepers to subdue and bind all the districts. Cato, Katniss's sworn enemy in the arena, comes from this district and is known as a "career", which means he's been trained for the Hunger Games for his entire life. Each district has a special quality of its own, and the effects of the geography on each individual person is apparent, especially during the Hunger Games. Geography shaped each person's life and almost ensured victory in the arena for some, and was the downfall of others, so truthfully, geography really does matter!
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Summer Assignment July 14th Deadline
Chapter 16 & 17-
The only example of something being "sex" without being sex is in Gone With the Wind when Rhett Butler is drunk and tells Scarlett that he loves her, but it is far from being a pleasant conversation. Scarlett ends the conversation and walks away, but Rhett suddenly runs up behind her and sweeps her into his arms, kissing her violently. He then proceeds to carry her up the staircase, which was said to be able to represent intercourse in chapter 16. The scene ends when they begin their ascent of the staircase, but it is impossible to deny what happened at the top of those stairs behind a closed bedroom door. This scene opens up the fact that Rhett and Scarlett are now lovers, despite Scarlett having been pining for another man up until this point.
The only example of something being "sex" without being sex is in Gone With the Wind when Rhett Butler is drunk and tells Scarlett that he loves her, but it is far from being a pleasant conversation. Scarlett ends the conversation and walks away, but Rhett suddenly runs up behind her and sweeps her into his arms, kissing her violently. He then proceeds to carry her up the staircase, which was said to be able to represent intercourse in chapter 16. The scene ends when they begin their ascent of the staircase, but it is impossible to deny what happened at the top of those stairs behind a closed bedroom door. This scene opens up the fact that Rhett and Scarlett are now lovers, despite Scarlett having been pining for another man up until this point.
Summer Assignment July 7th Deadline
Chapter 11-
The two types of violence in literature are personal (and even intimate) acts between human beings, as well as cultural and societal in nature. Physical violence is probably the most abundant form of violence in literature, and one such example would be in Shakespeare's Macbeth when Macbeth murders the king, Duncan, in his sleep in order to ensure his spot on the throne in the future, as predicted by the witches. This act of violence has meaning other than Macbeth just killing the king for no reason, but instead him taking aggressive actions in order to gain personal status in the future, which adds drama to the plot of the story. Another example of violent situations in stories would be in Elie Wiesel's novel Night, in which there is a social pressure where fear is used as a form of psychological violence in order to cause a society, or in this case a cultural group, to submit to another group of people, similar to how slavery worked in the United States.
Chapter 12-
The Wizard of Oz is a novel (and movie) that is surprisingly overflowing with symbolism. The greenback (green is the representative color of emerald city) represents money and how its power is nothing more than an illusion, stemming from the lie that comes along with it that there's an all-powerful wizard there. The name Oz or Troy ounce, is the unit measurement of precious metals. The "Yellow brick road" is the Gold Standard, solid and sturdy, the golden road leads to power. Emerald city is representative of Washington D.C. and Kansas as an example of typical America. Then movie in its entirety is a metaphor for keeping the gold standard in the United States over paper money or silver-based currency (Dorothy's silver slippers as expressed in the novel are representative of the want to have silver-based currency).
Chapter 13-
A family favorite, The Lion King, is laced with highly political content that not even the most educated child would pick up on or understand. It has references to things other than the monarchy expressed in the film. Mufasa represents the New Deal ideal of the free, tolerant, fair society that had been transpiring in this country since the 50's.Scar is representative of the days when social interests of the rich and greedy were all that mattered to the society. Scar conning Simba into believing his father's death was his fault, causing him to leave, allowing Scar to take over as king, a vicious dictator. By Scar becoming king, he resumes the fascist dictatorship he represents and brings the focus back onto his strong and greedy benefit over the slowly dying inhabitants of Pride Rock.
Chapter 14-
Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series could be defined as being a Christ figure. He has unusual wounds, an interesting childhood, and he is ready to sacrifice himself to save others. Another parallel that could be drawn is that Harry survived the Cruciatus curse, which has a familiar ring to it (Crucifix). He is nothing less than the Harry Potter series's Christ figure.
Chapter 15-
Disney's latest movie Maleficent is a perfect example of freedom flight. Maleficent has magnificent wings in which she uses to navigate through her homeland, the Moors, flying past wondrous waterfalls and elegant creatures who also inhabit the land. Maleficent, along with all the other creatures in the fairy kingdom are free from the king's rule. But, at one point in the movie, a boy that Maleficent loves and trusts cuts her wings off so that he might say he killed her so that he may become king. She cries in pain seeing that her airborne abilities she's had for 16 years of her life are stolen from her. After the rest of the movie with devastating events transpire, she eventually regains her wings at the end of the movie in a way that is very unexpected. The boy who cut her wings off, now king, kept them in a case for display in a room he commonly went to thing. Aurora, sleeping beauty, knocks it over and Maleficent's wings return to her and fuse back onto her body, once again granting her the ability of flight; in this case, she uses her flight to escape. The king dies in the process, but Maleficent once again takes to the skies and rises above the clouds of oppression.
The two types of violence in literature are personal (and even intimate) acts between human beings, as well as cultural and societal in nature. Physical violence is probably the most abundant form of violence in literature, and one such example would be in Shakespeare's Macbeth when Macbeth murders the king, Duncan, in his sleep in order to ensure his spot on the throne in the future, as predicted by the witches. This act of violence has meaning other than Macbeth just killing the king for no reason, but instead him taking aggressive actions in order to gain personal status in the future, which adds drama to the plot of the story. Another example of violent situations in stories would be in Elie Wiesel's novel Night, in which there is a social pressure where fear is used as a form of psychological violence in order to cause a society, or in this case a cultural group, to submit to another group of people, similar to how slavery worked in the United States.
Chapter 12-
The Wizard of Oz is a novel (and movie) that is surprisingly overflowing with symbolism. The greenback (green is the representative color of emerald city) represents money and how its power is nothing more than an illusion, stemming from the lie that comes along with it that there's an all-powerful wizard there. The name Oz or Troy ounce, is the unit measurement of precious metals. The "Yellow brick road" is the Gold Standard, solid and sturdy, the golden road leads to power. Emerald city is representative of Washington D.C. and Kansas as an example of typical America. Then movie in its entirety is a metaphor for keeping the gold standard in the United States over paper money or silver-based currency (Dorothy's silver slippers as expressed in the novel are representative of the want to have silver-based currency).
Chapter 13-
A family favorite, The Lion King, is laced with highly political content that not even the most educated child would pick up on or understand. It has references to things other than the monarchy expressed in the film. Mufasa represents the New Deal ideal of the free, tolerant, fair society that had been transpiring in this country since the 50's.Scar is representative of the days when social interests of the rich and greedy were all that mattered to the society. Scar conning Simba into believing his father's death was his fault, causing him to leave, allowing Scar to take over as king, a vicious dictator. By Scar becoming king, he resumes the fascist dictatorship he represents and brings the focus back onto his strong and greedy benefit over the slowly dying inhabitants of Pride Rock.
Chapter 14-
Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series could be defined as being a Christ figure. He has unusual wounds, an interesting childhood, and he is ready to sacrifice himself to save others. Another parallel that could be drawn is that Harry survived the Cruciatus curse, which has a familiar ring to it (Crucifix). He is nothing less than the Harry Potter series's Christ figure.
Chapter 15-
Disney's latest movie Maleficent is a perfect example of freedom flight. Maleficent has magnificent wings in which she uses to navigate through her homeland, the Moors, flying past wondrous waterfalls and elegant creatures who also inhabit the land. Maleficent, along with all the other creatures in the fairy kingdom are free from the king's rule. But, at one point in the movie, a boy that Maleficent loves and trusts cuts her wings off so that he might say he killed her so that he may become king. She cries in pain seeing that her airborne abilities she's had for 16 years of her life are stolen from her. After the rest of the movie with devastating events transpire, she eventually regains her wings at the end of the movie in a way that is very unexpected. The boy who cut her wings off, now king, kept them in a case for display in a room he commonly went to thing. Aurora, sleeping beauty, knocks it over and Maleficent's wings return to her and fuse back onto her body, once again granting her the ability of flight; in this case, she uses her flight to escape. The king dies in the process, but Maleficent once again takes to the skies and rises above the clouds of oppression.
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