blog entry 11 : Final

Option 2: The Meaning of Creatures 

Many people may want to live a different life because there current one isn't their ‘dream world’. While some may go day to day living others dream of that place where things are different and they ooze off to that place. In a dream or during the day a person might believe they are in that dreamland, some may realize that living in a place where things are the way you want isn't right. For example in the book Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Coraline ends up realizing that her life isn't as bad as she thinks because there is a reason she can not have everything she wants. She gets an opportunity to live in place that revolves around her but chooses to go home with her parents even though she feels neglected at times. 

I believe the use of creatures or other begins come from people being so in touch with their imagination. Evil portrays as witches, rats, goblins,super loving smothering mothers, and spirits or gods. These were all seen in films and stories we read this semester. In the films we saw in class one thing for sure is that things were not normal. 

In the film Stardust  there was literally a wall dividing the real world to a place with magic. The ‘wall’ kept people out of places they did not belong and even though some made it through they encountered people of the supernatural. Young Dunstan was curious and went to see the people over the wall and met a young girl that was under a bad witch’s eye. The product of their love was Tristan, he later had to overcome many obstacles full of abnormal things. A star he was after, three witches, and brothers fighting to find a stone to become the king. Even though it was tough Tristan found help from his mother and a flying pirate ship. In the film Spirited Away the young girl, Chihiro,  had to meet interesting looking spirits and gods to be able to grow a little by getting by while trying to leave this place. Chihiro was able to leave by proving the bad lady Yubaba that she was brave enough to defeat her and know who her real parents where even though all pigs looked alike. Saving her parents from being eaten and not loosing her name was tough but she made it through. Just like Coraline, Chihiro knew one thing this was not home and home is where i want to go. 

Besides people’s imagination to make up stories involving supernatural begins another reason for this is because of the way people might see bad or good. For example evil things are mostly seen as dark things that come out in the night time when someone can become vulnerable due to the lack of light. In the night time humans can not see but some animals can and I think this makes people see some as threats. They have something normal beings lack to be powerful at night and not just daytime. In the daytime the sun helps people see the bad ones and more people are outside making it difficult for ‘evil’ things to come out and get you. Also old stories told may be altered by cultures and their different beliefs of gods or beings of the good. For example a person can have a culture where one must sacrifice for their god and this can start a scary story of taking something as a sacrifice. This story might seem normal to the people of that culture but scary or abnormal to someone of a different culture. Then this can lead to a story others tell and then people imagine things or begins coming about when they are vulnerable. 

In conclusion I believe that supernatural begins or creatures are a part of certain literature works to make a story seem real in another world. The world one may want or dream to live in, either way a person may alter an animals characteristics to seem evil or good to make others understand the story being told better. An animal can be normal looking until one may add another arm,leg, or super power. These things can make a story come to life and make people believe things while living there normal day to day lives. 

PS: Prof. I enjoyed reading and seeing new things in this class thank you!  

Blog entry 10

 

   In the book Coraline by Neil Gaiman a little girl called Coraline Jones goes through a story that some children might never imagine going through. This little girl has to overcome tough situations and all alone. Even though this seems so real and by the way she describes what is going on she appears to have dreamed it all. The lack of attention and more love from her parents takes her to dream of a world where she would have a mother that would be what she wanted but too much. This leads her to understand why she must accept her parents the way they are. Coraline’s mother tells her of a door in their apartment that leads nowhere and I believe this is what leads Coraline to dream of another world with her other mother and father from just passing through that door.

Even though this girl appears to be about seven years old because of her need to explore and stand out, she is very smart. According to the book What Story Are You Living by Carol S. Pearson and Hugh K. Marr, there are twelve different archetypes that people have. These archetypes are like common features that a person may have, strong or low qualities may be shown through a specific archetype.  According to Pearson in “Archetypal Stages of the Journey” (P.15-16) there are archetypes that can develop in the journey a person has. In Coraline I see this happening to her as she goes through her own journey.

The archetype of the seeker is of a person who explores, enjoys journeys and always finds the need to discover new things or places. This person would enjoy traveling or going through a discovering phase. For example he/she might explore his/her own thoughts to understand something better to keep exploring in the future. Nothing is ever enough for a seeker, they have to constantly be into new things after one becomes boring.

The archetype of the warrior is of a person that overcomes different obstacles. He/she is strong and willing to fight the enemy to win. They will be the hero to those that less week or without courage and he/she will lead them to victory. A warrior is able to overcome any obstacles that are in their way to achieve a goal or an endpoint. They can become a warrior when a situation leads them to become brave and triumphant.

Coraline has the archetype of the seeker from the beginning but develops the warrior archetype. These archetypes help Coraline overcome the problems she is faced in the other world. This world that is so similar but she knows it is not home and that she has to everything possible to go back.

Coraline starts and ends the journey as seeker but the warrior is developed by her way of trying to achieving her goal to leave the other world and save her parents and the children. The parents of Coraline are supposedly in a snow globe because the other mother had to keep them away from Coraline so that she would stay with them. The other mother is very loving and caring to a point where it becomes like smothering. Coraline finds these three children that are trapped by the other mother and this encourages Coraline to become brave and strong. While she becomes brave she is finding ways around the other mother to deceive her and make fail to keep her there like the children. The dream Coraline is in is filled with her fears because Coraline knows she would not like to be completely alone but she feels this way due her working parents. They are home but she feels as if they aren’t because they are busy and tell her to find something to do which is actually a form of letting her discover herself. This makes Coraline be intelligent in ways she does not even know of.

In the other world the cat speaks to her and he helps her by guiding her to discover her possibility to beat the other mother from keeping her in this world. The cat makes Coraline think by saying witty things such as, “I wouldn't put it past her…Like I said there’s no guarantee she’ll play fair.” (P.149) The cat is telling Coraline of how the other mother would not be sweet as she wants to appear to be to Coraline because she is actually mean. The other mother wants to harm Coraline and will do anything to try to keep her with her forever.

 In order to get Coraline to stay with her the other mother lets her leave at one point to go home but when she gets home there is no one there. Coraline did not know at that point that the other mother had let her out but hid her real parents somewhere else so that she would certainly have to come back and find them. This makes Coraline sad because she feels more alone than ever but even though she gets to talk to the Miss Spink and Miss Forcible she feels the need to have her real parents there. Coraline finds the need to go back and save her parents from the other mother.

All the people that do help Coraline trough this journey she faces are in a way her own other type of archetypes that she has. Even though she is mostly a seeker Coraline goes through the need of the journey that might just be what she needs in order go on in life as she gets older.

The children that Coraline supposedly saw and had a picnic at the end are like her own images of what could have happened to her if she would have not become strong and brave. That if Coraline where to be weak and let the other mother lure her with all the things she desired she would be another child trapped. While in reality it is as if she would still feel incomplete because the love of her parents and their attention to her is what she most needs. Coraline would still be thinking as if she is neglected by them when they are just working and have to get adjusted to the new home. Within time they would show more attention and Coraline would understand now that she has been through this actual journey.   

With the witty remarks of the cat and the other characters in the story Coraline develops a warrior archetype and overcomes the other mother’s challenges. Coraline manages to free the children and save her parents and escapes withe the cat. Even though the other mother in a way comes into the other world Coraline manages to keep her in a place where the other mother hand will not come out. Coraline learns that her parents do love and care for her in their way and that that is fine with her. Coraline knows what could happen if she was to have all she wants and learns that everything happens for a reason. That the other mother was very loving to her and that’s why she was not a good mother.

Coraline’s real mother is everything she needs because she is real and has boundaries with Coraline so that she will be able to know wrong from right. Coraline knew that the other mother was wrong by wanting to give her everything she could have wanted from food to clothing. Even though Coraline did not like her father’s food because they were from ‘recipe’ he made it with love and that that was who her father was and she’d learn to understand that. Accepting that her family is fine the way they are.

The fact that Coraline wanted to imagine that she was back in the dream with the other children is because she wanted to feel as if she did go through this. Even though it was all a dream and that she did need this to move on or mature in life.

This story is important because I believe children do wish they had everything there heart desires but not many understand why this cannot be. Some children may come to find out while they are still young like Coraline or as they become more mature. He/she can discover this journey any point in life. Every person will once figure out why things sometimes aren't exactly what you want, that some may realize this at a point when they have to. All have a time when they need to see the other side of things to accept reality as it is just as Coraline did.

Blog entry 9

In the film "Stardust" I see the the archetype of the Lover. In the film both Tristan and Yvaine portray this archetype in a positive way because they love each other and will fight for their love. Even though in the beginning Tristan is proving his love for Victoria he ends up finding his true love, Yvaine. He shows his love for Victoria by doing anything for her like leaving his job and getting fired. Also by setting up a romantic scene where they see the shooting star that he promises her to get for her hand in marriage.  Even though Victoria is mean and has someone else Tristan does not give up on her, he risks his life for her knowing if he does not come back in time Victoria will be engaged with someone else. This intense love he thinks he has leads him to find the star, Yvaine. He tells her about his love and promise but he falls for Yvaine. Yvaine glows as ‘stars best do’ but not only because she is a simple star but for the love she has for Tristan. Without knowing it she falls for him but holds it in because he is supposedly in love with Victoria. Yvaine proves her love for him by fighting for her life so that he can take her to Victoria as he promised. Tristan and Yvaine end up fighting together as the love they have towards each other makes her glow and him happy. This is why I see this archetype as a positive in the film “Stardust”.

Blog entry 8

Mid-term

In poem "Do not go gentle into that good night" by Dylan Thomas, the symbols I see are night, light, dark. I feel the poem i steeling a story of a dying man that is ready to die but his son does not want him to. The son is not happy to let go of his father even though it is his time and the man knows it. In stanza 1 line 3 it says, "Rage, rage against the dying of the light." , I believe this is anger towards the light that a person sees when it is their time to die. According to the "Oxford dictionary.com/us", the word rage means, "uncontrollable anger". The rage(anger) the son has is so much because the thought of loosing his father is unimaginable.

The theme of this poem appears to be 'death' because the words,"night, dark, dying and grave men", all make me think of a dying person. The poem expresses the sons feelings about his fathers death through examples of causes of death. In line 8 in stanza 3,"Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay," I feel as it is saying the weakened actions have been acknowledged. As if the good things a person has done are accepted and their time to be noble is done. In stanza 4, it appears to be talking about men who did nonsense and know that those days are behind then and it will be time to leave this world.

In stanza 5 lines 13-14 "Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,". I believe this is saying that the men who work in cemeteries see death all the times they are "blind" to the idea but they can still be happy before there time to die because the know death is real since they see it all the time.

Lines 3 and 6 are very important in this poem because they are repeated and line 6 is the title of the poem. Line 6 says ,"Do not go gentle into that good night", which to me it means to not leave this world at your time of death so quickly. Even though the men know death is bound to come after being old, seeing life and doing actions that night of death they should fight it a bit longer.

The son is the full of 'rage' because it is his father and no on would want to see their father leave so quickly by death. Using "good night", seems to be very symbolic because in the night bad things happen and if its a 'good" one then dying is not as bad as it appears. For example in line 2, "old age should burn and rave at close of day;", I think this means that getting older is painful but it is almost over so enjoy the time left. By that I feel the man who is dying ready is but his son is the now who will not let him go easily because he cares about him. This is what the author is saying I'm my perspective.

Blog entry 7

The archetype I found a bit difficult to understand was the Magician. This is easy to understand when it talks about supernatural stories but relating this archetype to a real person is hard for me to understand. This appears to be a person that has a power that is unique in a story which makes them an important element in a story. For example magical being like a fairy that helps a person or people in stories that are in a quest and need help of special person that can bring them a bit of help. I feel that they can be someone wise but with a touch of specialness to them which makes them different in a good way and cause there existence to be part of an important phase of a cycle. A magician person can be very curious in understanding the way of things such as a mind works the things a person has deep inside. This would take power which a person that is under this archetype has and they would well known for their qualities. Also he or she will have people that may envy them for their good being. The people who envy them would be without connection to a image they seek and the magician has. This archetype is one of my high scores and I would like to understand it better relating to a person in real life not just make believe.

Blog Entry 6

I chose to read section of the Sage. The reason for choosing this is because out my top three same high scores I wanted to understand why this archetype is high for me. In this archetype according to the Pearson book the basic characteristics are knowledge, thinker, calm, realistic, and wise. A sage person is a person who will think before anything because they are in touch with keeping things real and true.  I think that a sage person could be a person someone might look up to like a person with a career of teacher or something related. The reason is because a teacher is someone who knows more than a student and that is why they teach the lessons that needed to accomplish more things in life. In my perspective a teacher is someone who thinks of ways to better a situation and help his or her student to become a better learner or strengthen his or her weaknesses. I feel as though this can be a person that is important but feel as family by the wisdom they carry like a grandmother. She may know of a solution to a problem by knowing of previous events that had a bad outcome but is someone that you know will have answers to questions you seek. Sage persons qualities are very unique because I believe not many people are able to help others by advice but actions and sage people can do both.

Blog Entry 5

Mid-Term Reflection:

This semester so far has been great. Understanding poems a bit better and being challenged. I generally like poetry but its not my favorite to write about because I find it harder to understand. This course has been very interesting by the work we have read and the assignments that have been a bit challenging. I did not know what to expect from this course because I never had a hybrid class. The way of turning in assignments is easier then before because I can easily edit my work while doing it and not have to start over by printing a new copy to turn in by the due date. Being able to expand my thoughts of breaking down a work given to read and understand thoroughly is hard but I enjoy challenging my self to improve. I want to be able to now how to understand parts of poems and how to explain why i find the meaning of a poem to be what I believe it is. Learning to express my thoughts clearly is what i want to be able to better at.