9/30/2013
My legs are covered in bruises, and I can barely move my body. I'm positive people think I was kicked in the leg due to the giant bruise on my right knee. However, I was not beaten, and I did not fall down a hill. I actually started to learn my solo yesterday. My solo is to the song "Bottom of the River" by Delta Rae. Words cannot describe how much I love this song and how great the dance makes me feel(even though my stamina is not up to par, and I'm breathing like a dog only a minute in). At the beginning of the session with my teacher, he went into detail about the song and about its meaning. It seemed like he had sat down and analyzed it just like any piece of literature we would analyze in class. He wanted to look at the song from every possible angle so that we could portray the story that the song illustrated. After a lengthy discussion we decided to focus on the idea that a woman is possessed and believes that God is going to come for her baby. In order to save her baby, she goes to the river to baptize him, but in reality she drowns the baby. I am going to analyze a portion of the song to see if that section goes along with the main story my teacher and I came up with. Here is the portion of the song:
If you get sleep or if you get none
The cock's gonna call in the morning, baby
Check the cupboard for your daddy's gun
Red sun rises like an early warning
The Lords gonna come for your first born son
His hairs on fire and his heart is burning
Go to the river where the water runs
Wash him deep where the tides are turning
One word that describes this passage is "warning." The first two lines of the passage say that no matter how much sleep the woman gets the rooster is going to wake her up early in the morning. No matter what, the rooster is going to call to bid her to her duties. I had a little trouble interpreting the next line, "Check the cupboard for your daddy's gun." I asked myself, "Why would she need a gun if she is planning on baptizing her son?" I believe that the voice that is telling her to "baptize" her baby is telling her to grab a gun for protection. If anything goes wrong, then the woman has the gun. The line could also take an even darker turn if there could be a possibility that the woman will wake up from her dreamlike state and realize what she has done to her baby then she would need the gun to use it on herself. (And I did not think this song could get any darker!) The word "warning" comes into play with the next line. The red sun is rising early in the morning as a warning to the woman. She needs to hurry and baptize her son before the Lord takes him away. The line, "His hairs on fire and his heart is burning," connects to the idea of damnation. The baby is damned if the mother does not baptize him in the river. The words "fire" and "burning" remind me of hell. The baby will go to hell if the woman does not save him. The woman must go to the river and wash him DEEP. She does not need to put the baby in the water and then take him out. She must push him deep into the river. If she does not push him deep into the river, then the baby cannot be saved. The woman is possessed to believe that she is doing the right thing in trying to save her son when in reality she is killing him.
I absolutely love this song, and I am ecstatic that I get to interpret this song not only in the way of analyzing literature, but in movement with my body. I can analyze the song and create movements that portray the deeper meaning of the song. This is why I love to dance, and love to express myself through dance. It allows me to analyze a song with movement and with expression, and allows me to portray is with my body not just with words.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
9/26/13
"Frog Autumn" By Sylvia Plath
Summer grows old, cold-blooded mother.
The insects are scant, skinny.
In these palustral homes we only
Croak and wither.
Mornings dissipate in somnolence.
The sun brightens tardily
Among the pithless reeds. Flies fail us.
he fen sickens.
Frost drops even the spider. Clearly
The genius of plenitude
Houses himself elsewhere. Our folk thin
Lamentably.
I would like to start off by saying that Sylvia Plath's poems are extremely interesting to read. They are not completely straight forward, and it is hard to figure out the meaning of the poem by only reading it once. It was difficult to pick out one poem from the long list of her poems, but "Frog Autumn" stuck out to me. I not only picked it because it was one of the shorter poems, but I picked it because after I read this poem and continued looking at other poems in the list, I could not get "Frog Autumn" out of my mind. The title itself is what drew my attention. "Frog Autumn." Autumn is the season that comes after summer, and it is usually a transition season where weather begins to change and elements of life begin to change. But why did Plath add the word frog? The definitions of frog are: 1. tailless amphibian with smooth skin with long legs for leaping 2. person who is characterized as repulsive in appearance or character 3. a french person 4. thing used to hold something 5. raised area on a surface. When I first read the word "Frog" I thought this poem could possibly be about a frog, the amphibian, in autumn. After looking up the definition, I think that definition number four could be the possible definition that goes along with the poem as a whole.
I decided that before I could analyze this poem, I needed to define the words that I did not know. Here is the list of definitions I found:
1. palustral: living in or pertaining to marshes
2. dissipate: scatter or disperse
3. somnolence: sleepy state; sleepiness
4. pithless: weak; lacking strength
5. fen: low, marshy area; frequently flooded area of land
6. plenitude: abundance
7. lamentably: deplorably; unfortunate manner; deserving strong condemnation
Without looking up these words, I would not have been able to fully understand the poem. In the first line of the poem, Plath uses the word mother. I believe that mother could be referring to mother nature because the summer is growing cold. Mother nature is turning cold blooded as fall and winter approach. Insects begin to die when the weather turns cold. Plath seems to be utilizing the word palustral to create a marshy, dark, cold, swamp imagery for the environment. The people who live in the marshy home live in the middle of nature. They are being affected by mother nature just as the insects and the weather are. It does not seem to have a positive connotation because the imagery is dark and damp. The mornings during autumn disperse in a sleepy state indicating that nature and life and in the swampy area are in a sleepy state. This puts an image in my mind of an early morning when the sun is rising and the grass has dew on it and it is cold and damp and there is a slight fog in the air. The mornings seem to scatter without anyone noticing. The shift to colder weather has put everyone in a sleepy dreamlike state. The sun rises late like it is in no hurry to light up the sky indicating a perpetual dreamlike state. The flies are dying, and the plants are weakening. The "he" before fen seems to give it a human like quality. The life of the marshy are begins to sicken as the cold weather descends in the area. Even the genius spiders begin to die. They attempt to house themselves in places that they hope are safe from the cold, but even the most genius insects cannot save themselves from the frost of the coming season. The family is also affected. The folk thins in an unfortunate manner. When I read this line, I think of family members retreating into themselves during the cold months. They tend to be in a sleep like state, and want to be by themselves. They want to survive on their own during the changing season.
The definition of "Frog" that best fits this poem is: a thing used to hold to something. Elements in the swampy area try to hold on to life during the shift of mother nature. The weather is changing and life seems to be dying. The spiders try to hold on to life, but even the genius spiders cannot survive the changing season. Overall, this poems seems to shine a negative light on the changing season. It describes a swampy area with life dying all around. Families disperse, and nature and organisms seem to be in a sleep like state. I love this poem, and enjoyed reading it. I love the eerie feeling it gives to autumn. I always thought of winter as being the season where everything dies. But now, I can picture an early fall morning that is quiet and serene. Life seems to be still and silent, and even though everything seems to be dying, the morning has a peaceful quality that I can relate to when I think of autumn.
*definitions found on google.com definitions*
"Frog Autumn" By Sylvia Plath
Summer grows old, cold-blooded mother.
The insects are scant, skinny.
In these palustral homes we only
Croak and wither.
Mornings dissipate in somnolence.
The sun brightens tardily
Among the pithless reeds. Flies fail us.
he fen sickens.
Frost drops even the spider. Clearly
The genius of plenitude
Houses himself elsewhere. Our folk thin
Lamentably.
I would like to start off by saying that Sylvia Plath's poems are extremely interesting to read. They are not completely straight forward, and it is hard to figure out the meaning of the poem by only reading it once. It was difficult to pick out one poem from the long list of her poems, but "Frog Autumn" stuck out to me. I not only picked it because it was one of the shorter poems, but I picked it because after I read this poem and continued looking at other poems in the list, I could not get "Frog Autumn" out of my mind. The title itself is what drew my attention. "Frog Autumn." Autumn is the season that comes after summer, and it is usually a transition season where weather begins to change and elements of life begin to change. But why did Plath add the word frog? The definitions of frog are: 1. tailless amphibian with smooth skin with long legs for leaping 2. person who is characterized as repulsive in appearance or character 3. a french person 4. thing used to hold something 5. raised area on a surface. When I first read the word "Frog" I thought this poem could possibly be about a frog, the amphibian, in autumn. After looking up the definition, I think that definition number four could be the possible definition that goes along with the poem as a whole.
I decided that before I could analyze this poem, I needed to define the words that I did not know. Here is the list of definitions I found:
1. palustral: living in or pertaining to marshes
2. dissipate: scatter or disperse
3. somnolence: sleepy state; sleepiness
4. pithless: weak; lacking strength
5. fen: low, marshy area; frequently flooded area of land
6. plenitude: abundance
7. lamentably: deplorably; unfortunate manner; deserving strong condemnation
Without looking up these words, I would not have been able to fully understand the poem. In the first line of the poem, Plath uses the word mother. I believe that mother could be referring to mother nature because the summer is growing cold. Mother nature is turning cold blooded as fall and winter approach. Insects begin to die when the weather turns cold. Plath seems to be utilizing the word palustral to create a marshy, dark, cold, swamp imagery for the environment. The people who live in the marshy home live in the middle of nature. They are being affected by mother nature just as the insects and the weather are. It does not seem to have a positive connotation because the imagery is dark and damp. The mornings during autumn disperse in a sleepy state indicating that nature and life and in the swampy area are in a sleepy state. This puts an image in my mind of an early morning when the sun is rising and the grass has dew on it and it is cold and damp and there is a slight fog in the air. The mornings seem to scatter without anyone noticing. The shift to colder weather has put everyone in a sleepy dreamlike state. The sun rises late like it is in no hurry to light up the sky indicating a perpetual dreamlike state. The flies are dying, and the plants are weakening. The "he" before fen seems to give it a human like quality. The life of the marshy are begins to sicken as the cold weather descends in the area. Even the genius spiders begin to die. They attempt to house themselves in places that they hope are safe from the cold, but even the most genius insects cannot save themselves from the frost of the coming season. The family is also affected. The folk thins in an unfortunate manner. When I read this line, I think of family members retreating into themselves during the cold months. They tend to be in a sleep like state, and want to be by themselves. They want to survive on their own during the changing season.
The definition of "Frog" that best fits this poem is: a thing used to hold to something. Elements in the swampy area try to hold on to life during the shift of mother nature. The weather is changing and life seems to be dying. The spiders try to hold on to life, but even the genius spiders cannot survive the changing season. Overall, this poems seems to shine a negative light on the changing season. It describes a swampy area with life dying all around. Families disperse, and nature and organisms seem to be in a sleep like state. I love this poem, and enjoyed reading it. I love the eerie feeling it gives to autumn. I always thought of winter as being the season where everything dies. But now, I can picture an early fall morning that is quiet and serene. Life seems to be still and silent, and even though everything seems to be dying, the morning has a peaceful quality that I can relate to when I think of autumn.
*definitions found on google.com definitions*
Sunday, September 22, 2013
9/22/2013
Throughout the week, our class has been having an insightful discussion about the novel, Winesburg, Ohio. Doing the seminar in smaller groups was a good choice. I liked how there was a bigger chance of someone having the opportunity to make their claim and have a chance to explain it without having to worry about someone else needing to talk. Doing the seminars in smaller groups allowed for more in depth conversations about the individual stories, and helped me look at the stories in a new light.
My group did our seminar over the story "Adventure." I thought our discussion went extremely well, and we all brought up good points that showed our close reading of the text. One of the points that we talked about was the point about the words "walk" vs. "run" not only in "Adventure," but throughout the entire novel of Winesburg, Ohio as a whole. While I was reading the book, I indexed, circled, and underlined the word walk like a madman. Every time the word came up (which was a lot), I would think to myself, "This is an important word that has a much deeper meaning, and I am going to find out what that meaning is." The word walk is important because it shows up in about every story in the novel. Many characters end up walking up and down the roads of Winesburg, and many go outside to walk and gather their thoughts. I think walking represents confusion, being unsure, and being troubled with aspects of life. When a character walks, he or she is confused or unsure of his or her thoughts. However, when a character runs, he or she is certain and acting on impulse. He or she is not thinking about the consequences or the causes of his or her actions, but letting his or her impulses make the decisions. The first time I figured out the significance of the word "run" was in "Adventure." The narrator states, "Without stopping to think of what she intended to do, she ran downstairs through the dark house and out into the rain. As she stood on the little grass plot before the house and felt the cold rain on her body a mad desire to run naked through the streets to possession of her," (Anderson 111). At this point, Alice is not thinking, but doing. She is letting her impulses make decisions for her that she would not normally make. The Alice stops and realizes what she is doing. She collapses to the ground and begins to crawl on her hands and knees back to her house. Her impulses scare her so much that she can't even get up and walk back to her house. She has to crawl on her hands and knees because she is defeated and mortified. She crawls back to her house and accepts her truth. She accepts her fate of being alone for the rest of her life and gives up hope. This is the truth she accepts which makes her a grotesque.
There are so many other interesting points that I could talk about from my group's discussion as well as other groups' discussions. I enjoy doing seminars like this because they help me further understand the stories and look at them with a new point of view.
Throughout the week, our class has been having an insightful discussion about the novel, Winesburg, Ohio. Doing the seminar in smaller groups was a good choice. I liked how there was a bigger chance of someone having the opportunity to make their claim and have a chance to explain it without having to worry about someone else needing to talk. Doing the seminars in smaller groups allowed for more in depth conversations about the individual stories, and helped me look at the stories in a new light.
My group did our seminar over the story "Adventure." I thought our discussion went extremely well, and we all brought up good points that showed our close reading of the text. One of the points that we talked about was the point about the words "walk" vs. "run" not only in "Adventure," but throughout the entire novel of Winesburg, Ohio as a whole. While I was reading the book, I indexed, circled, and underlined the word walk like a madman. Every time the word came up (which was a lot), I would think to myself, "This is an important word that has a much deeper meaning, and I am going to find out what that meaning is." The word walk is important because it shows up in about every story in the novel. Many characters end up walking up and down the roads of Winesburg, and many go outside to walk and gather their thoughts. I think walking represents confusion, being unsure, and being troubled with aspects of life. When a character walks, he or she is confused or unsure of his or her thoughts. However, when a character runs, he or she is certain and acting on impulse. He or she is not thinking about the consequences or the causes of his or her actions, but letting his or her impulses make the decisions. The first time I figured out the significance of the word "run" was in "Adventure." The narrator states, "Without stopping to think of what she intended to do, she ran downstairs through the dark house and out into the rain. As she stood on the little grass plot before the house and felt the cold rain on her body a mad desire to run naked through the streets to possession of her," (Anderson 111). At this point, Alice is not thinking, but doing. She is letting her impulses make decisions for her that she would not normally make. The Alice stops and realizes what she is doing. She collapses to the ground and begins to crawl on her hands and knees back to her house. Her impulses scare her so much that she can't even get up and walk back to her house. She has to crawl on her hands and knees because she is defeated and mortified. She crawls back to her house and accepts her truth. She accepts her fate of being alone for the rest of her life and gives up hope. This is the truth she accepts which makes her a grotesque.
There are so many other interesting points that I could talk about from my group's discussion as well as other groups' discussions. I enjoy doing seminars like this because they help me further understand the stories and look at them with a new point of view.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
9/15/2013
In chapter eighteen of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley quotes a passage from "Tintern Abbey." I believe Shelley uses this section of the poem to show Victor Frankenstein's connection to nature and the difference between Henry and Victor. In this part of the book, Victor is talking about his journey with Clerval. He talks about how the nature and scenery calm him and help him feel better. Victor states, "I seemed to drink in a tranquility to which I had long been a stranger," (Shelley 138). In "Tintern Abbey," Wordsworth talks about how he has been absent for five years. He has come back to a place that he now views differently. It is almost like he is looking at scenery from a different point of view similar to the point of view of stranger.
The part of the poem that Shelley selected comes from the third section of the poem that we discussed in class. In the third section of the poem, Wordsworth travels deeper into his memory and talks about what he has gained and what he has lost when coming back to the Abbey. Similar to Wordsworth, Victor is dealing with inner thoughts of what he has to lose and what he has to gain. In chapter eighteen, Victor must decide if he should finish creating the female creature or to ignore the creature's request and hope that he does not come after him. During this stressful time, Victor finds solace in nature and in his friend Henry Clerval.
Shelley uses this part of the poem to describe Clerval directly. Victor is delighted that Henry is eager to see the world and to travel. This part of the poem illustrates how Henry feels about nature. He is in awe by the scenery and consumed by nature. Henry seems to represent a younger version or healthier/happy version of Victor. Victor used to find solace in nature when he was younger, and still finds solace in it when he is not feeling well. However, Henry is more excited to see the world and all it has to offer. In my mind, I connect this to Wordsworth and his sister. Wordsworth's sister represents a younger version of Wordsworth that can still be awed by nature. Wordsworth has grown and is less amazed by nature. The feeling he gets when he sees nature is calm and more subdued than when he was younger. I believe that Victor feels the same way about Henry. Victor is dealing with the creature and the threats the creature made against him. Victor can be relaxed by nature, but he is not excited or amazed by nature. On the other hand, Henry is happy and energetic and excited to see what the world has to offer. Shelley states Wordsworth, "Their colours and their forms, were then to him An appetite; a feeling, and a love," (Shelley 140). Henry has an appetite for nature and to see the world. He is hungry for it. Henry and Wordsworth's sister are similar because they are young and adventurous. Victor and Wordsworth are similar because they have gone through hardships and have grown up and now view things differently than they did when they were younger. Shelley uses this poem to describe Henry's connection to nature compared to Victor's connection. I believe she also uses it to parallel Wordsworth and Victor, and Henry and Wordsworth's sister.
In chapter eighteen of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley quotes a passage from "Tintern Abbey." I believe Shelley uses this section of the poem to show Victor Frankenstein's connection to nature and the difference between Henry and Victor. In this part of the book, Victor is talking about his journey with Clerval. He talks about how the nature and scenery calm him and help him feel better. Victor states, "I seemed to drink in a tranquility to which I had long been a stranger," (Shelley 138). In "Tintern Abbey," Wordsworth talks about how he has been absent for five years. He has come back to a place that he now views differently. It is almost like he is looking at scenery from a different point of view similar to the point of view of stranger.
The part of the poem that Shelley selected comes from the third section of the poem that we discussed in class. In the third section of the poem, Wordsworth travels deeper into his memory and talks about what he has gained and what he has lost when coming back to the Abbey. Similar to Wordsworth, Victor is dealing with inner thoughts of what he has to lose and what he has to gain. In chapter eighteen, Victor must decide if he should finish creating the female creature or to ignore the creature's request and hope that he does not come after him. During this stressful time, Victor finds solace in nature and in his friend Henry Clerval.
Shelley uses this part of the poem to describe Clerval directly. Victor is delighted that Henry is eager to see the world and to travel. This part of the poem illustrates how Henry feels about nature. He is in awe by the scenery and consumed by nature. Henry seems to represent a younger version or healthier/happy version of Victor. Victor used to find solace in nature when he was younger, and still finds solace in it when he is not feeling well. However, Henry is more excited to see the world and all it has to offer. In my mind, I connect this to Wordsworth and his sister. Wordsworth's sister represents a younger version of Wordsworth that can still be awed by nature. Wordsworth has grown and is less amazed by nature. The feeling he gets when he sees nature is calm and more subdued than when he was younger. I believe that Victor feels the same way about Henry. Victor is dealing with the creature and the threats the creature made against him. Victor can be relaxed by nature, but he is not excited or amazed by nature. On the other hand, Henry is happy and energetic and excited to see what the world has to offer. Shelley states Wordsworth, "Their colours and their forms, were then to him An appetite; a feeling, and a love," (Shelley 140). Henry has an appetite for nature and to see the world. He is hungry for it. Henry and Wordsworth's sister are similar because they are young and adventurous. Victor and Wordsworth are similar because they have gone through hardships and have grown up and now view things differently than they did when they were younger. Shelley uses this poem to describe Henry's connection to nature compared to Victor's connection. I believe she also uses it to parallel Wordsworth and Victor, and Henry and Wordsworth's sister.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
8/29/13
I am only seven pages in of Winesburg, Ohio, and I am already in love with the book. I find it to be mysterious, and I think that it holds an abundance of deeper meaning that can be interpreted in any way the reader wants to interpret it. Today in class, we were not even able to finish the first story which is only five pages long because we went into great detail as to what we thought the text was trying to say. There is no space to write anything else in the margins of those five pages because they are filled with my own interpretations as well as different interpretations that my classmates came up with that I did not think about.
One of the interesting aspects of the book that I have noticed so far is the repeating of certain words. While reading the "The Book of the Grotesque" in class today, I circled the words: window, bed, and woman. These three words are mentioned quite often in ONLY the first five pages. I wonder how many more times they will be repeated throughout the book.
The one word that I circled the most was the word bed. The bed seems to be the old writer's sanctuary. He calls a carpenter and asks him to raise the bed so that he can look outside the window. Since he wants the bed, his sanctuary, to be raised higher, it seems like he wants to be closer to the heavens. He knows that he is soon going to die, and he wants to be able to see the beauty outside of the window before he goes. After seeing the grotesques passing before his eyes, he gets out of bed to write after seeing a certain grotesque. The narrator presence states, "Although it was a painful thing to do, he crept out of bed and began to write," (Sherwood 5). This indicates that the grotesque he saw had enough influence to urge the man to get out of his sanctuary and write. This grotesque had the power to take the old write out of his safe haven, so that he could write down the truths of the grotesques.
Another aspect of the first story or chapter is that the narrator is unknown. Who is the mysterious identity narrating the old writer's story? When beginning the story, the reader does not know that the story is in first person. I could not tell that it was being written from the first person perspective when I began reading it. All of a sudden, the word I is presented, and the reader realizes that there is some sort of narrator telling the old writer's story. The narrator seems to be a presence. The narrator does not seem to be any certain human in the story or relating to the story. The narrator seems to be just a presence who wants to tell the story of the old writer.
I am looking forward to reading further into the novel. I enjoyed finding the deeper meaning of the first story, so I cannot wait to see what the rest of the stories are like and find out what they mean.
I am only seven pages in of Winesburg, Ohio, and I am already in love with the book. I find it to be mysterious, and I think that it holds an abundance of deeper meaning that can be interpreted in any way the reader wants to interpret it. Today in class, we were not even able to finish the first story which is only five pages long because we went into great detail as to what we thought the text was trying to say. There is no space to write anything else in the margins of those five pages because they are filled with my own interpretations as well as different interpretations that my classmates came up with that I did not think about.
One of the interesting aspects of the book that I have noticed so far is the repeating of certain words. While reading the "The Book of the Grotesque" in class today, I circled the words: window, bed, and woman. These three words are mentioned quite often in ONLY the first five pages. I wonder how many more times they will be repeated throughout the book.
The one word that I circled the most was the word bed. The bed seems to be the old writer's sanctuary. He calls a carpenter and asks him to raise the bed so that he can look outside the window. Since he wants the bed, his sanctuary, to be raised higher, it seems like he wants to be closer to the heavens. He knows that he is soon going to die, and he wants to be able to see the beauty outside of the window before he goes. After seeing the grotesques passing before his eyes, he gets out of bed to write after seeing a certain grotesque. The narrator presence states, "Although it was a painful thing to do, he crept out of bed and began to write," (Sherwood 5). This indicates that the grotesque he saw had enough influence to urge the man to get out of his sanctuary and write. This grotesque had the power to take the old write out of his safe haven, so that he could write down the truths of the grotesques.
Another aspect of the first story or chapter is that the narrator is unknown. Who is the mysterious identity narrating the old writer's story? When beginning the story, the reader does not know that the story is in first person. I could not tell that it was being written from the first person perspective when I began reading it. All of a sudden, the word I is presented, and the reader realizes that there is some sort of narrator telling the old writer's story. The narrator seems to be a presence. The narrator does not seem to be any certain human in the story or relating to the story. The narrator seems to be just a presence who wants to tell the story of the old writer.
I am looking forward to reading further into the novel. I enjoyed finding the deeper meaning of the first story, so I cannot wait to see what the rest of the stories are like and find out what they mean.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
8/28/13
One of my favorite movies of all time is Pride and Prejudice (2005). I have probably watched it over twenty times, and I am not exaggerating. I have read the book, and I think that the movie is an accurate adaptation of the book. To be completely honest, I watched the movie before I even read the book. But after watching the movie, I knew I had to read the book, and I loved the book as well. I think it is quite interesting how directors try to portray the story. The way they dress the characters, set up the lighting, portray relationships, etc. are completely thought out and intended.
An interesting fact about me is that I love watching the commentaries with the directors and/or actors. Watching the commentary shines a light on the decisions the directors make and why they make those decisions. After watching the commentary on the Pride and Prejudice DVD, I looked at the movie a different way. I noticed lighting in certain places that was supposed to make a statement. I noticed how symbols were present throughout the movie that hinted to the overall plot of the movie. Watching the commentary helped me analyze and understand the story even more than I had before.
Symbols are present in the movie that allude to different aspects of the movie as a whole. In the commentary, Joe Wright, the director, commented on the first shot of the film. The film opens on a shot of Elizabeth Bennett walking to her house while reading a book. Wright presents the idea that Elizabeth is in fact reading the story that is about to take place. She is actually reading the love story that is about to happen. Most people would not notice this or interpret this on their own. But after finding out that Elizabeth is reading her own story, one can come to the conclusion that Elizabeth is smart and enjoys reading and reading about stories of love, but she is headstrong and will not marry unless she is truly in love. The beginning shot could imply that she is ignorant about the fact that she is soon to fall in love. She is blindsided and does not expect to have her own love story. An interesting symbol that shows up in the film is mirrors. In the opening scene, Elizabeth looks through a window seeing her mother and father talking. Wright comments that the window symbolizes fails of perception. He says that Pride and Prejudice is all about, "seeing people through windows of your own understanding." The people in the story are blinded by their pride and their prejudices. Elizabeth looks at Mr. Darcy through eyes of her pride and prejudice. She is blinded by her love for him because she lets her pride get the better of her. Events throughout the movie cause Elizabeth to have certain prejudices and feelings against Mr. Darcy. She thinks him to be an awful man full of pride when she does not know his whole story. It amazes me that one little symbol like a window can actually mean so much more than a square one can look through.
The commentary highlights introduces many more ideas than just symbolism in the move. That is why I love commentaries. The commentaries help the watcher understand something he or she might not have understood, or allows him or her to catch something they never noticed. I highly recommend watching the commentaries if you want to look at the movie or story itself in a different way.
One of my favorite movies of all time is Pride and Prejudice (2005). I have probably watched it over twenty times, and I am not exaggerating. I have read the book, and I think that the movie is an accurate adaptation of the book. To be completely honest, I watched the movie before I even read the book. But after watching the movie, I knew I had to read the book, and I loved the book as well. I think it is quite interesting how directors try to portray the story. The way they dress the characters, set up the lighting, portray relationships, etc. are completely thought out and intended.
An interesting fact about me is that I love watching the commentaries with the directors and/or actors. Watching the commentary shines a light on the decisions the directors make and why they make those decisions. After watching the commentary on the Pride and Prejudice DVD, I looked at the movie a different way. I noticed lighting in certain places that was supposed to make a statement. I noticed how symbols were present throughout the movie that hinted to the overall plot of the movie. Watching the commentary helped me analyze and understand the story even more than I had before.
Symbols are present in the movie that allude to different aspects of the movie as a whole. In the commentary, Joe Wright, the director, commented on the first shot of the film. The film opens on a shot of Elizabeth Bennett walking to her house while reading a book. Wright presents the idea that Elizabeth is in fact reading the story that is about to take place. She is actually reading the love story that is about to happen. Most people would not notice this or interpret this on their own. But after finding out that Elizabeth is reading her own story, one can come to the conclusion that Elizabeth is smart and enjoys reading and reading about stories of love, but she is headstrong and will not marry unless she is truly in love. The beginning shot could imply that she is ignorant about the fact that she is soon to fall in love. She is blindsided and does not expect to have her own love story. An interesting symbol that shows up in the film is mirrors. In the opening scene, Elizabeth looks through a window seeing her mother and father talking. Wright comments that the window symbolizes fails of perception. He says that Pride and Prejudice is all about, "seeing people through windows of your own understanding." The people in the story are blinded by their pride and their prejudices. Elizabeth looks at Mr. Darcy through eyes of her pride and prejudice. She is blinded by her love for him because she lets her pride get the better of her. Events throughout the movie cause Elizabeth to have certain prejudices and feelings against Mr. Darcy. She thinks him to be an awful man full of pride when she does not know his whole story. It amazes me that one little symbol like a window can actually mean so much more than a square one can look through.
The commentary highlights introduces many more ideas than just symbolism in the move. That is why I love commentaries. The commentaries help the watcher understand something he or she might not have understood, or allows him or her to catch something they never noticed. I highly recommend watching the commentaries if you want to look at the movie or story itself in a different way.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
8/25/2013
Earlier today, I decided to clean out my bookshelf. I spent the morning going through piles upon piles of books laying around my bookshelf. I decided to put all of the books by the same author in separate piles. I was looking through my Agatha Christie pile when I found a book that I had read at the beginning of the summer, Murder on the Orient Express. For those who have not read it, I highly recommend it. Those who enjoy mysteries will find it to be an interesting story, and for those who enjoy plot twists and surprises will enjoy it even more. Stumbling upon this book made me think of all of the characters and the unexpected twists and turns that occurred in the book. While I was thinking about the plot, a thought occurred to me. The victim vs victimizer theme present in Frankenstein is also present in Murder on the Orient Express.
In Frankenstein, the roles of victim and victimizer switch throughout the book. I realized that the roles of victim and victimizer also switch throughout the Murder on the Orient Express. The story is centered around detective Hercule Poroit. He is traveling on a train full with people from different social classes and different parts of the world. On the second night, Mr. Ratchett is murdered in his compartment. Ratchett was stabbed twelve times. Poroit takes charge of the investigation, and begins searching the train and interviewing the passengers. The reader follows Poroit's journey which includes finding clues, discovering alibis, interviewing suspects, and keeping an eye for the murderer.
At the beginning of the novel, Mr. Ratchett is presented as the victim. Even thought the reader does not particularly like Mr. Ratchett's character the reader feels bad for Mr. Ratchett because the poor man was murdered in his sleep. However, it is discovered later in the novel that Mr. Ratchett is actually a man named Cassetti. Cassetti kidnapped and murdered a little girl named Daisy Armstrong many years ago. At this point in the novel, the reader no longer feels that Mr. Ratchett is the victim. The reader feels that Mr. Ratchett got what he deserved for killing an innocent child. WARNING: SPOILER ALERT. If you actually want to read this book, do not read any further! Once Mr. Ratchett is identified as Cassetti, Poroit begins to discover that the passengers on the train are connected to the Armstrong family. One by one, the reader begins to see the passengers as the victims. These poor people knew the innocent little girl who was murdered, and they all adored her. At the end of the novel Poroit comes to the conclusion that everyone on the train plotted to kill Mr. Ratchett together which is why he had twelve different stab wounds. By the end of the novel, the reader does not feel bad for the victim, the person murdered, he or she feels bad for the victimizers, the murderers. However, the victim/victimizer role could be different depending on the reader's point of view. The reader can look at Mr. Ratchett or Cassetti as the victimizer. He murdered an innocent child and got what he deserved. The reader can look at the twelve murderers on the train as the victims. These twelve people were connected to this poor child and suffered for many years. After making the connection from the Murder on the Orient Express to Frankenstein, I believe that the victim vs victimizer theme is a theme present in multiple novels, and can be interpreted in many different ways.
Earlier today, I decided to clean out my bookshelf. I spent the morning going through piles upon piles of books laying around my bookshelf. I decided to put all of the books by the same author in separate piles. I was looking through my Agatha Christie pile when I found a book that I had read at the beginning of the summer, Murder on the Orient Express. For those who have not read it, I highly recommend it. Those who enjoy mysteries will find it to be an interesting story, and for those who enjoy plot twists and surprises will enjoy it even more. Stumbling upon this book made me think of all of the characters and the unexpected twists and turns that occurred in the book. While I was thinking about the plot, a thought occurred to me. The victim vs victimizer theme present in Frankenstein is also present in Murder on the Orient Express.
In Frankenstein, the roles of victim and victimizer switch throughout the book. I realized that the roles of victim and victimizer also switch throughout the Murder on the Orient Express. The story is centered around detective Hercule Poroit. He is traveling on a train full with people from different social classes and different parts of the world. On the second night, Mr. Ratchett is murdered in his compartment. Ratchett was stabbed twelve times. Poroit takes charge of the investigation, and begins searching the train and interviewing the passengers. The reader follows Poroit's journey which includes finding clues, discovering alibis, interviewing suspects, and keeping an eye for the murderer.
At the beginning of the novel, Mr. Ratchett is presented as the victim. Even thought the reader does not particularly like Mr. Ratchett's character the reader feels bad for Mr. Ratchett because the poor man was murdered in his sleep. However, it is discovered later in the novel that Mr. Ratchett is actually a man named Cassetti. Cassetti kidnapped and murdered a little girl named Daisy Armstrong many years ago. At this point in the novel, the reader no longer feels that Mr. Ratchett is the victim. The reader feels that Mr. Ratchett got what he deserved for killing an innocent child. WARNING: SPOILER ALERT. If you actually want to read this book, do not read any further! Once Mr. Ratchett is identified as Cassetti, Poroit begins to discover that the passengers on the train are connected to the Armstrong family. One by one, the reader begins to see the passengers as the victims. These poor people knew the innocent little girl who was murdered, and they all adored her. At the end of the novel Poroit comes to the conclusion that everyone on the train plotted to kill Mr. Ratchett together which is why he had twelve different stab wounds. By the end of the novel, the reader does not feel bad for the victim, the person murdered, he or she feels bad for the victimizers, the murderers. However, the victim/victimizer role could be different depending on the reader's point of view. The reader can look at Mr. Ratchett or Cassetti as the victimizer. He murdered an innocent child and got what he deserved. The reader can look at the twelve murderers on the train as the victims. These twelve people were connected to this poor child and suffered for many years. After making the connection from the Murder on the Orient Express to Frankenstein, I believe that the victim vs victimizer theme is a theme present in multiple novels, and can be interpreted in many different ways.
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