23 April, 2015

I didn’t expect much from the movie, and I that’s almost exactly what I got.

 

Negatives:

 

• The opening scene doesn’t introduce all the characters needed to fully open the movie to its potential. The lack of important characters who don’t come into play until later, if at all- like Mr. Utterson and Dr. Lanyon- prevent the movie from exploiting all it could offer.

• The focus that is put on romance and a single girl is a deterrent. It takes away from the original plot. Beatrice and Ivy take the place of Mr. Utterson, who added the majority sense of suspense to the plot in the novel and was one of the main characters.

• The final scene in the movie completely lacks the meaning of the books. Jekyll’s suicide was meant to leave the audience with a sense of mystery (Is Hyde really gone for good? Is the evil really destroyed?), and the fact that Jekyll chose to die by his own hand so as to prevent himself from facing the consequences of his foolish experiment. The movie completely lacks the meaning and minimizes the impact and meaning behind his death.

 

Positives:

 

• The opening scene allows Dr. Jekyll’s mission and intentions to be fully explained. It really sets the mood of suspense.
• The addition of Ivy allows the reader to fully understand the nastiness of Mr. Hyde. With the way Hyde treats her, the audience can see his true cruelness and evilness.
• The final scene allows the audience a final sense of excitement and closure. It’s a pretty good way to end a movie like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

 

Overall:

 

• A decent showing of the book, but it could be better.

February 16, 2015

Although not immediately obvious, the similarities between “Sonnet 72” by William Shakespeare and the novel Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury soon become undeniable. Shakespeare’s poem expressively communicates the theme of the fear of losing the love people once had for someone as they grow older and how they wish to still be cherished despite their growing age. In Dandelion Wine, Bradbury expresses how the elderly should be respected and how their memories should be valued. This theme is showed by the “Time machine” Colonel Freeleigh, Mrs. Bentley, and Helen Loomis.The themes of “Sonnet 73” and Dandelion Wine are similar, because they both involve the remembrance of the elderly, longing for value, and the passage of time.

Both of these works of literature involve the importance of remembering the elderly. For example, in “Sonnet 73” Shakespeare discusses with the use of metaphors his own fear of being forgotten as he grows old, “In me seest the twilight of such a day, as after sunset fadeth into the west, which by and by black night doth take away.” Shakespeare is afraid that as his life fades away like a sunset, he will no longer be remembered and his memory will be snuffed out like the sunset when night falls. Likewise, Bradbury depicts the theme of remembering the elderly ,with characters such as colonel Freeleigh, who carried memories from years into the past,and when died who, would’ve taken those memories with him if not for people remembering him “And yesterday afternoon, at Colonel Freeleigh’s house, a herd of buffalo bison as big as Greentown, Illinois, went off into nothing at all.” Bradbury shows that by losing Colonel Freeleigh, they will lose a part of history they will miss greatly, but if Tom and Doug remember him and all his memories they will retain a part of history. Bradbury, similar to Shakespeare’s fear of not being remembered as he grows old, fears the loss of the elderly in a broader sense that he doesn’t want only himself to be remembered, like Shakespeare does, but wants all the elderly people to be reverently thought of even as their time on Earth ends. For Shakespeare, he wants to be remembered by his love, but for Bradbury he wants the elderly to be remembered by all.

Another part of the theme that each work of literature is people longing for value. For example, in “Sonnet 73” Shakespeare’s overall tone expresses how forlorn he is and how desperately he craves love and importance,  “This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,To love that well which thou must leave ere long.”  The poet, as he grows older, believes he is losing the love of the people he cared about, and is almost pleading for them to love and cherish him more in the time he has left. Likewise, in Dandelion Wine Mrs.Bentley saves everything because she thinks it will bring her the value she thinks she once possessed, Mrs.Bentley was a asave. She saves tickets, old theatre programs, bits of lace… all the tags of and tokens of existence” Mrs.Bentley, by saving bits of her past, is clinging onto the times she she had the most value. As she’s progressively  gotten older,she believes her value has decreased, and she longs to be cherished as she once was. Shakespeare and Mrs. Bentley both are experiencing a want to be cherished and respected as they once were in their younger days.

Both sonnet and book involve in their themes the passage of time. For example, in “Sonnet 73” the poet repeatedly focuses on the passage of time, “That time of year thou may’st in me behold,” “In me thou see’st the twilight of such day,” and “As after sunset fadeth in the west.” To the poet, time passing is terrifying. Not only does it bring it him closer to his death, but his death to time will not matter. Time will keep on ticking. The passage of time will not notice just one person’s death.This thought makes the poet feel alarmingly insignificant. Similarly, Helen Loomis in Dandelion Wine is very much aware of the passage of time will not stop just for one person and of the little time she has left, “In a few days I will be dead,” “After it is wound, it can predict to the hour when it will stop. Old people are no different.” Like the poet, Helen Loomis is very aware of the passing of time; however, she shows no fear of her insignificance to passing time like the poet. Instead, she merely accepts that that is how life is and how it is going to be for everyone. Whether it be how inconsequential the poet feels in the broad spectrum of the passage of time or Helen Loomis’ resigned feelings towards the time passing to her end, both literature works involve the inevitability of time passing and slipping away.

Therefore, in “Sonnet 73” the poet is facing the harsh reality of feeling  disparaged, of feeling infinitesimal in comparison to the bigger picture that is life, and of the possibility of being just another meaningless name in a book but not actually thought of fondly while in Dandelion Wine we characters who clasp tightly to what little meaning they have left, who even when death conquers them will be remembered for their stories of their pasts, and who accept how miniscule they are and how inescapable death is.In both works of literature, whether it be a single person or multiple people, they grapple intensely whith their own emotions and fears, and only a few can conquer them.

October 8, 2014

In the narrative, Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, Douglass informs the reader of his life as a slave and of the trials and tribulations slaves have as they are forced to live on a master’s plantation, work for no pay, and receive no respect as a fellow human. Throughout his narrative, Douglass depicts the slaves’ painful experiences through physical punishment, emotional hardships, and existential isolation which dehumanizes and destroys their souls.

Douglass emphasizes a slave’s day-to-day existence is characterized by physical cruelty that forces them into an almost dumb-like submission. For example, in the scene at Captain Anthony’s plantation, Douglass depicts the brutality slaves are subjuggulated to,” … he [Captain Anthony] commenced to lay on the heavy cowskin, and soon the warm, red blood came dripping to the floor.”(Pg.24). Slaveholders are ruthless when dealing with slaves. They will beat them until they bleed, showing no signs of mercy. Slaves are nothing but tools- to be used and then thrown away. In fact, if a slave is deficient, “… Him (Captain Auld) tie up a lame young women, and whip her with a heavy cows kin upon her naked shoulders…”(pg 67-68) they are not spared the rod of pain; it is only a question of when it will strike. This only further proves the indifference and harshness of a slaveholder. The physical pain leaves everlasting marks in the slaves spirit. Douglass was not spared the pain,”…and lashed me till he had worn out his switches, cutting me so savagely as to leave the marks visible for a long time.”(pg. 71) at the hands of a believed holier-than-thou slaveholder. Mr. Covey physically damaged Douglass to the point of his contusions lasting a long time, however, even after the markings of his physical suffering fades away, it left a permanent scar on his spirit; later proving detrimental to Douglass’s will to live.

Although slaveholder a dehumanized slaves,the  slaves still experience strong emotions that they cannot express but through unique means.  A slave’s emotional state is usually one of sadness it of great discontentment. For example, the slaves sing songs on their way to the Great House Farm to express their bottled up or repressed emotions,” The song of the slave represent the sorrow of his heart, and he is relieved by them…”, although these songs are usually misinterpreted- their songs are mistaken for joyous and blithe, when in fact they are despondent and heart-wrenching. However, emotional suffering is it just the emotions a person,but the motions that they aren’t feeling that perhaps they should.” I relieved tidings of her [his mother] death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger.”(pg. 21) Douglass conveys that he is lacking emotions that a person should probably feel at the death of a family member. This causes a lack familial relationship that most humans thrive off of. For example, Douglass blatantly states he feels no specific affections towards his mother- a bond slavery stole from him and countless other slaves when they are snatched from their mothers at a very young age, preventing them from developing a bond. As such, Douglass was taken from his mother as a babe,”My mother and I were seperated when I was but an infant- before I knew her as my mother.”(pg. 20) Slaveholders stole the one relationship almost every human is born with, further dehumanizing Douglass and the slaves, and causes the slaves to be missing a part of life that they deserve.

After being put through brutalizing conditions, slaves struggle with their worth as a human and with their thoughts on the situation they find themselves unwillingly in. For example, Douglass constantly battles with his will to live,” I often found myself regretting my own existence and wishing myself dead…” (Pg.55) A life full of slavery has worn Douglass down- to the point he wants to die at times. Slavery has left invisible scars on Douglass, marking him. Similarly, Douglass, after being put in the care of Mr.Covey, was animalized and “broken”-” Mr. Covey succeeded in breaking me. I was broken in body, mind, and spirit…”(pg.74) Douglass was torn piece-by-piece into tiny shreds of the human he once was- a being full of life and hope. He is destroyed completely,yet the possibility of freedom rebuilt Douglass to almost hi previous state,” …and but for the hope of being free, I should have no doubt but that I should have killed myself, or done something for which I should have been killed.”(pg.55) Douglass would rather perish than be kept in such atrocious conditions. He’s willing to risk his life to escape the debasing life of a slave. He despises his situation, in which he had no choice but to be placed in. Later, when Douglass is finally on his own, life crushes his morale,spirit, and hopes into grains of sand,”… and in total darkness as to what  to do, where to go, or where to stay- perfectly helpless both as to the means of defense and means of escape… whose greediness to swallow up the trembling, half-famished fugitive.”(pg.113) By living a life filled with suffering, daunting tasks, and apparent hopeless situations, Douglass is in pain; this pain makes him stronger; makes him see the darker side of life- making him more experienced with handling the cruelties of life and of the heartlessness of humans.

Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, is a recalling of Douglass’s first-hand experience with the pain of being a slave. With his emotions and thoughts, he reconstructs and relives the almost  torturous  suffering slaves experience. Further more, Douglass conveys the amount and effect of suffering one person can cause another- making ones life full of sorrow and misery.

November 23, 2014

In the Elie Wiesel’s Holocaust memoir Night, Wiesel takes the reader on his gruesome journey from his home at the young age of 15 and throwing concentration camps, depicting the truly horrific events that occurred in his life- shaping him into who he is. With the use of dialogue and syntax, Wiesel conveys the physical and emotional changes the camps caused him to suffer, forcing him to adapt to a harsher reality than he was formerly accustomed to.

In the earlier chapters of Night, Wiesel uses dialogue to convey how the prisoners and Elie wanted to live and were willful.  For example, Stein, a distant relative who was also deported to the concentration camp, encourages Elie’s father to, “Take care of your son….Take care of yourselves, you must avoid selection. EAT!” (45) By giving them this advice, Stein is not only showing concern, but is encouraging Elie and his father to live.  Also, Elie willfully denies giving away his one remaining possession, “I’ll give you another.” I refused to give him my shoes…”I’ll also  give you a ration of bread with some margarine….I would not let him have them.”(45) Wiesel using dialogue shows how steadfastly he clings to the things he values at the beginning, remaining unmoving in the holding on.  However, in the second part of Night, Wiesel shows the full effect camp has on prisoners by displaying their despondent attitudes with their dialogue. For instance, Zalman gave up soon after starting the 42 mile trek,”… [Zalman] yelled to me; “I can’t go on….I can’t go on,” he groaned.”(86)  Zalman, who might have tried to continue before the camp, gives up after the brutality in the camp which reduced him and his will to live to practically nothing. Wiesel skillfully displays with the dialogue how will-breaking, soul-stomping, energy-depleting the camps are.

Wiesel also uses dialogue in the form of rhetorical in the earlier chapters to show the prisoners disbelief in God and the life.  For example, during the hanging of the pipel, a man questions where God is, “For God’s sake, where is God?” (65)  This man’s disbelief that God could allow such a young boy to die causes him to question if God is even there for them.  However, he isn’t the only one who questions Life and God.  Elie especially questions God, “Why should I sanctify his name?…What was there to thank him for?” (33) and humanity, “how was it possible men, women, and children were being burned and that the world kept silent?” (32)  The horrendous acts at camps had driven him to question everything he knows and his own existence.

In contrast with earlier chapters six through  nine, Elie and the prisoners had shifted to question about each other’s survival. For example, Elie, upon seeing someone lay down in the snow after failing to awaken their comrade, questions who would awaken them, “…..he lay down to, next to the corpse, and also fell asleep.  Who would wake him up?” (90)  Elie still cares about others’ lives- he worries who will keep each alive.  The camps have made him care more about others survival by him having to suffer alongside them.

In chapters one through five, Wiesel syntax sets a slow pace full of background before it becomes faster paced in six through nine. For example, Wiesel tells us a little about his home, “[Sighet] the little town in Transylvania where I spent my childhood…”(3) Wiesel, before diving into the truly horrific things done at camp, gives us a glimpse of where he’s from –before it was destroyed.  On the other hand, chapters six through nine have more action and cruelty shown.  For example, the SS officer’s became ‘Trigger happy’ during the 42 mile trek, “Their fingers on the trigger, they did not deprive themselves the pleasure.  If one of us stopped for a second a quick shot eliminated the filthy dog.”(80)  Wiesel shows that the SS violence has increased and due the cruel things said to the prisoners, they have started to believe they are nothing more than mere dirty animals in clothing.

Wiesel displays with the different use of juxtaposition in the first and second part of Night to show the changes the camps caused.  For example, in the earlier chapters, Wiesel puts right next to each other beauty and imprisonment, “It was a beautiful day in May. The fragrances of spring were in the air….but no sooner had we taken a few more steps then we saw the barbed wire of another camp.”  (40)Wiesel shows how he was in prison but still surrounded by beauty-how the cruelty had no effect on the loveliness of nature.  In contrast, Wiesel shows weakness and power side by side in later chapters, ”chill to the bone, our throats parched, famished, out of breath…..we were masters of nature, the masters of the world.”(87)  Wiesel shows how he went from noticing what was around him to feeling nothing but weak to the point of delusional thinking-how camps have cracked the prisoners.

Wiesel with the use of commentary and eternal observations crafts an interestingly heart breaking first- hand account of how the camps weakened the prisoners physically and emotionally to the point of them thinking of themselves as nothing but feeble, dirty dogs, and  adjust his views about how the world actually is- including his opinions about God and the morality of man.

“Ma’am, is your son’s name John Yal? He was brought into the emergency room and is currently undergoing surgery. He has a serious head wound, a broken arm, leg, and is bleeding excessively. He’s bleeding internally as well- a few ribs broke and punctured his lung. Mrs. Yal, do you hear me? Your son was in a car wreck on Highway 175. Ma’am?” The Nancy Yal slid to the recently cleaned, spotless, and shiny floor with her cell phone in her hand. Thank goodness she had her phone on her or else she wouldn’t have known about her son for hours. Similarly, everybody has experienced instances when cell phones have been a life-saver- whether it be with a distressed friend, angry boss, or a disappointed parent. Cell phones have affected people’s lives by improving communication and by being useful in everyday situations.

Cell phones improve communication by providing a quick way to chat or making it easier to talk to someone. For example, if a young attorney is in a rush to meet with a fresh-faced, falsely accused client, they don’t have to stop and chat with their friend- they have to do it on the go. Everybody becomes busy- some people are in a perpetual state of buzzing around like a bee looking for flowers- and it’s a proven fact that cell phones make it faster to keep in touch with those they care about. With a quick few quick taps, a person can send a message to someone knowing they care or call them as they hustle around doing chores. Similarly, cell phones make it easier for people to communicate. For instance, a 16-year-old boy who suffers from social anxiety will find it much simpler to pick up the phone to call a business or to text a friend than to go meet and talk in person. Cell phones provide an easier way to communicate to those with social deficits or to just talk in general. A person doesn’t even have to call anymore-they can just send a zippy text message and voila! they’ve been magically informed. Cell phones are very nifty for communication of all types

Cell phones are useful in everyday situations by means of being allowing the user to do on-the-spot research and to keep a person entertained. For example, a pair of young twenty-year-olds begin to have an argument over the correct definition of an acronym, and they can’t come to a conclusion about who’s right. However, that’s where the phone comes in. Able to do on the spot research on just about any topic your heart wants at the simplistic ‘thunks’ of a person’s fingers. Similarly at a person’s finger tips, cell phones house a world of myriad apps ,keeping a bored child from complaining or helping someone to avoid talking to someone they rather avoid. These doo-dads accommodate the user in almost every way- games, videos, music, and even education. Cell phones are helpful in mundane situations- helping to relieve boredom and solve disputes

Nancy is already in her car by the time she answers the man on the other end of the line. “Yes, and I’m on my way,” she states, before starting her beat-up Honda Civic and rushing towards the hospital. Cell phones just saved her son’s life, and her from even more heartbreak.

 “Oh, turn it up! I love this song!” A teenage girl shouted over the already blaring music to her friends, who were in the front seats of the 2012 civic Honda, which was quickly followed by the newest chart-topper gaining volume.The girl’s smile broadened as she sang along off-key, off-pitch, but fully enjoying herself. Similarly, everybody has experienced tremendous joy at “The Sound of Music”, but that is only a relatively small part music plays in society today. The other roles music plays in culture today is that it encourages teenagers and promotes endless inspiration for all.

When the lyrics and the sound are just right, then the role music plays in culture is encouraging teenagers to work hard toward their goals, hopes, and dreams and boost their self-confidence. For example, the song “Centuries” by Fall Out Boy causes many teens to feel they can accomplish anything they set their minds-and hearts-to. With its thudding bass that matches hundreds of teenagers thudding hearts and meaningful lyrics such as,”You will remember me for centuries,” the song encourages them to do their best and to be remembered for accomplishing their dreams. In addition, some songs boost a teenager’s self-esteem, which is usually low for most teens. For example, the song “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson has made thousands of self-confidence lacking girls confidently proclaim, “I’m too hot.” Although this seems too little to make a difference, the phrase actually reinforces the idea that the teenagers are great the way they are, that they don’t need to change, and that they will always be good enough or attractive enough. Music therefore has a substantially positive impact on teenagers today.

Music also provides a bottomless well from which to draw inspiration for art and writing. For instance, an artist can simply be driving down an old highway, focusing on the road, and listening to the faintly playing music. A brand new, first-time-ever-heard-on-the-radio song comes on, and bang! The artist wishes he had a paintbrush in his hand and a canvas in front of him instead of a steering wheel. Creative ideas flow from music, prompting the same train of thought the musicians had when they were creating the song. Likewise, I have been listening to my favorite bands when a ginormous wave of inspiration slams into me, drowning me in possible ideas and thoughts. Music lights fires of creativity that lay dormant, smoldering, and just waiting to be reignited so that they can burn bright and produce a masterpiece. In this way, music opens up the door to a person’s creative side.
 

The song fades away into the cackle of the radio announcers voice, but the girl’s smile remains firmly in place. Music has an amazing impact in today’s culture, one which will only grow better with time. Don’t believe me? Just watch.

“Richard Cory” and “The Unknown Citizen” are both shockingly accurate examples on how appearances are deceiving and can simply be a mirage, hiding the true person underneath. Robinson’s poem focuses on a man who is envied for being a “perfect person”, but who still commits suicide, a sign of his unhappiness, while Auden’s poem focuses upon a model citizen who is just another cog in the machine and ends up dead despite (or maybe because) never being outstanding in any way. The importance of appearance is challenged by characterization, point of view, and an ironic ending.

In both poems, the characterization of Cory’s and the citizen’s appearance and daily life contrast sharply with the true feelings, or lack thereof, of the characters. The narrator in “Richard Cory” prattles on and on about how and kingly and put together Cory looks, “he was a gentleman from sole to crown, clean favored and imperially slim…And admirably schooled in every grace,” while the narrator in “The Unknown Citizen” is presented as an average, model citizen, “One against whom there was no official complaint…he was a saint…paid his dues…he held proper opinions for that time of the year…right number for the parent of this generation,” yet the characters never state anything about how the characters feel. The focus is on the illusion- that life is great and dandy-and the true emotions of the characters are unknown, just like “who” exactly the people were. The narrator’s know nothing about the characters besides from outside, impersonal observations and records, which leave many gaps in the knowledge of the narrators. The appearance to the narrators of Cory and the citizen is more interesting and more important than the actual person.

The point of view in both poems also challenges the importance of appearance. The perspective in “Richard Cory” is from a person on the “pavement” and who envies Cory, “To make us wish we in his place. So on we worked… and went without the meat, and cursed the bread,” while in “The Unknown Citizen” the point of view is from a bureaucrat of sorts, “He was found by the Bureau of statistics to be… our Social Psychology… our teachers… Had anything been wrong, we would have certainly have heard.” The perspective of the characters alters the view of their appearance. Cory is elevated while the citizen is spoken about in cold, hard facts, which for both of them, boosts their appearance. They seem perfect due to the point of view- no trouble or problems-, and since the narrators do not know the characters, they neglect how Cory and the citizen actually feel, focusing on appearance and how everything seems to be.

Both of these poems end with an ironic twist that completely defies the characters seemingly perfect seemingly perfect appearance, shattering it. In “Richard Cory,” it ends with Cory committing suicide, “ And Richard Cory,one calm summer night, Went home and put a bullet through his head,” while in “The Unknown Citizen,” the narrator calls into question the citizen’s happiness and contentedness,” Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd: Had anything been wrong, we would have certainly have heard,” in a satiric fashion. Despite them both seeming to have everything a person could want- good looks, money, normalcy- ,they both are implied greatly unhappy and empty by the endings. Cory, who has status, money, and the admiration of many, kills himself because he is unfulfilled and lonely. The citizen , who was perfect in every way a citizen should be and had every contraption a man should have, lacked individuality and happiness, which is noted by an indifferent worker as a scoffing-and-scalding satirically rhetorical question. The endings betray that despite the seeming “perfection” of each man, they are both empty and discontented.

Though the poems are different in some ways, they share many key points. “Richard Cory” is from the point of view of a less privileged person, whereas “The Unknown Citizen” is from the point of view of a bureaucrat, but both poems show how appearance can hide the terrible truth. Robinson’s poem focuses on the sheer greatness of a man who has it all, but in the end, he still lacks happiness, which is invisible to everyone else due to his “greatness.” Auden’s poem dwells upon a model citizen, one who lacks fulfilment and a sense of self. “Richard Cory” is blunt and direct with its message and ending, while “The Unknown Citizen” is satiric and almost mocking with its delivery. Although neither poem state the characters true feelings, they are presented with subtle clues and implications, for both poems make their point by emphasizing how great the character’s lives seemed, but which was only a cleverly placed mirage. For this reason, despite their differences, both “Richard Cory” and “The Unknown Citizen” challenge how important looks and appearance are.