Why is this a story we should end the semester on?
"Haroun and the Sea of Stories" was a very interesting book which I believe incorporated very clearly the different steps of a Hero's Journey or heroic Monomyth as Joseph Campbell describes it. In the first stage, known as "DEPARTURE" in the Monomyth, Haroun's journey begins when he understands that his life will never be the same after his Mom left and his Dad Rashid had lost the ability to tell stories. Haroun becomes aware of his outside world and he accepts to embrace the call to adventure and to help his Dad. Haroun meets Butt, who shows him symbolically the light after the tunnel or the hope, the beauty after the fear and the obstacles. Haroun is "crossing the Threshold", when he has left the comfort of his home to pursue these new adventures. Harounalso meets Supernatural Aids like Iff, who gives him a chance to begin his "INITIATION" with strength (the second stage in the Monomyth). Haroun will have to face challenges to help his understanding of the world & himself: go to Kahani, and save a princess for example. The book also covers the final stage, "RETURN" of the Hero's Journey with Haroun's & Rashid's return back home. Overall I believe that this novel clearly explained the different steps in the Hero's Journey and this is what makes it interesting and a good way to end the semester.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Female heroes... ?
On p. 107, Blabbermouth gives Haroun a piece of feminist advice. She basically says that girls aren’t able to be strong (or heroic) characters because of the ways people stereotype them. Think about contemporary female heroes. Do we have any? Do we value the fact that they are female?
I think that what Blabbermouth tells Haroun on page 107 is in the end correct. Today we do have female's acting as heroes but they are ultimately viewed differently than a male hero. People do still currently stereotype those female heroes and this is why the movies that have male heroes make more money then the ones that have female heroes. I do also believe though that female heroes are needed to some extent. Maybe one day the female heroes could overpass the male heroes... At the moment when we see female heroes in movies we value what they are doing but we still have in the back of our minds that the male heroes are stronger and have a higher reputation. It depends on the scenario of the story of course but overall females are unfortunately stereotyped the way Blabbermouth presents it to Haroun. She is a female and she is telling this to Haroun which makes her advice perhaps more valid than if a man were to say this.
Lately it definitely seems as if there have been many more movies and stories with male heroes as the main characters than movies with female heroes. Directors out there know that if you have a well known male hero play in your movie, then you will make more money than if a female hero were to act out the role. They believe the stereotypes on female heroes that Blabbermouth tells Haroun to a certain level and this is why we see less female heroes out there than male heroes, and also why male heroes get more attention.
I think that what Blabbermouth tells Haroun on page 107 is in the end correct. Today we do have female's acting as heroes but they are ultimately viewed differently than a male hero. People do still currently stereotype those female heroes and this is why the movies that have male heroes make more money then the ones that have female heroes. I do also believe though that female heroes are needed to some extent. Maybe one day the female heroes could overpass the male heroes... At the moment when we see female heroes in movies we value what they are doing but we still have in the back of our minds that the male heroes are stronger and have a higher reputation. It depends on the scenario of the story of course but overall females are unfortunately stereotyped the way Blabbermouth presents it to Haroun. She is a female and she is telling this to Haroun which makes her advice perhaps more valid than if a man were to say this.
Lately it definitely seems as if there have been many more movies and stories with male heroes as the main characters than movies with female heroes. Directors out there know that if you have a well known male hero play in your movie, then you will make more money than if a female hero were to act out the role. They believe the stereotypes on female heroes that Blabbermouth tells Haroun to a certain level and this is why we see less female heroes out there than male heroes, and also why male heroes get more attention.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Undergrand Man's Actions
Comment on the underground man’s actions. How is acting here in relationship to the claims he made in Part 1?
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Rooster??
Who is Rooster? What are your first impressions of him?
Rooster is found by Mattie in order to help her find the killer of her father. Because Rooster is a marshall he has quite a lot of power and control over others and the law to a certain extent. This is why he isn't afraid to take down anyone in his way as he has that superior authority being a marshall. He uses the self defense excuse almost every time that he kills someone and it works. This is why Rooster would be the best person to get the job done for Mattie! In court Rooster even declared that in six years he had killed 23 people and that they were all self defense. He is really using his title as marshall to help him out as most as possible when it comes down to killing.
I sort of have mixed feelings about Rooster at the moment because I don't know how good of a guy he really is. It took Rooster some time to finally accept Mattie's offer as he thought that she wouldn't be able to provide the $50 to him. The only true reason why he decided to go ahead and accept her offer was because he may have the opportunity to settle his revenge with a man that he will also encounter on the way. Rooster also seems overall as an arrogant and selfish person. I don't know if he is %100 reliable and trustworthy but I guess we will find out fairly soon...
Rooster is found by Mattie in order to help her find the killer of her father. Because Rooster is a marshall he has quite a lot of power and control over others and the law to a certain extent. This is why he isn't afraid to take down anyone in his way as he has that superior authority being a marshall. He uses the self defense excuse almost every time that he kills someone and it works. This is why Rooster would be the best person to get the job done for Mattie! In court Rooster even declared that in six years he had killed 23 people and that they were all self defense. He is really using his title as marshall to help him out as most as possible when it comes down to killing.
I sort of have mixed feelings about Rooster at the moment because I don't know how good of a guy he really is. It took Rooster some time to finally accept Mattie's offer as he thought that she wouldn't be able to provide the $50 to him. The only true reason why he decided to go ahead and accept her offer was because he may have the opportunity to settle his revenge with a man that he will also encounter on the way. Rooster also seems overall as an arrogant and selfish person. I don't know if he is %100 reliable and trustworthy but I guess we will find out fairly soon...
The Underground Man
Who is the ‘underground man’? What are your first impressions of him?
The "underground man" is somewhat quite a strange character. He is probably in his thirties or forties This man used to work in the army and he was an officer. He isn't a very nice person overall and he treated other members in the army without much respect. The "underground man" currently has a liver disease and life doesn't seem too good for him. He is an arrogant and hard person to be around as he thinks he's the best. He does have a good education on the other hand and he has taught himself not to be superstitious.
He has some nice qualities but in general he remains a stubborn and relatively depressing person. He has been sick for 20 years and still he refuses to go see a doctor which is absurd. The "underground man" made it clear that he didn't want to live past 40 as he knows that he is very sick and that his chances of living long aren't high. If he went to the doctor and got help though that may change but he simply doesn't want to. He respects doctors and the work that they do but he isn't interested in medicine as he doesn't like them. There is still much to discover about "the underground man" and what will happen to him in the future. I wonder now if he will end up seeing a doctor or if he will remain stubborn and silly. His personality also isn't very appealing to most people.
The "underground man" is somewhat quite a strange character. He is probably in his thirties or forties This man used to work in the army and he was an officer. He isn't a very nice person overall and he treated other members in the army without much respect. The "underground man" currently has a liver disease and life doesn't seem too good for him. He is an arrogant and hard person to be around as he thinks he's the best. He does have a good education on the other hand and he has taught himself not to be superstitious.
He has some nice qualities but in general he remains a stubborn and relatively depressing person. He has been sick for 20 years and still he refuses to go see a doctor which is absurd. The "underground man" made it clear that he didn't want to live past 40 as he knows that he is very sick and that his chances of living long aren't high. If he went to the doctor and got help though that may change but he simply doesn't want to. He respects doctors and the work that they do but he isn't interested in medicine as he doesn't like them. There is still much to discover about "the underground man" and what will happen to him in the future. I wonder now if he will end up seeing a doctor or if he will remain stubborn and silly. His personality also isn't very appealing to most people.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Iago's plan
Iago is deeply in love with Desdemona. He is upset that she is marrying Othello, a black man who is a fighter. Iago and Roderigo are good friends and Iago hates Othello for making Cassio lieutenant over himself. Iago wants Roderigo’s help to make Barbantuo, the father of Desdemona aware that his daughter has married a black man named Othello. Once Barbantuo realizes that Othello is with his daughter he is unhappy, because Othello is a black man and he doesn’t like him very much. Desdemona though talks to her dad and tells him that she is in love with Othello and that she should have the opportunity to be with him. Barbantuo isn't very pleased with the whole situation but he still accepts what has happened. This makes Iago quite frustrated as he thought that Barbantuo would get very angry and make Desdemona break away from Othello.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Luke Skywalker/Beowulf
Compare Luke Skywalker to Beowulf. What makes them different? Do they share any traits in common? How are they both heroic?
Luke Skywalker is much younger than Beowulf and in the Star Wars movie we watched he isn't even a complete hero quite yet. He achieved heroic acts by defeating the death star for example but he isn't very well known yet. Beowulf has been around for a longer time and he considers himself a real hero from the beginning when he arrives to Hereot. Beowulf's reputation and title is very important to him and he likes doing what he does because he is a bit arrogant. Beowulf likes being a reputable hero where as Luke Skywalker is much more in it for the passion and to learn how to become a jedi. That is one of the main things that makes them different. They do share several traits in common because both are heroic in their own way, even though they share different paths. Beowulf is heroic because he defeats Grendel and he is very well recognized. Luke Skywalker is heroic because he is brave and he wants to go on these dangerous journeys and help make a difference. Luke Skywalker defeats the death star in the movie we watch and he saves the "rebel base" station. This makes him earn a gold medal and the respect of thousands of people.
Luke Skywalker is much younger than Beowulf and in the Star Wars movie we watched he isn't even a complete hero quite yet. He achieved heroic acts by defeating the death star for example but he isn't very well known yet. Beowulf has been around for a longer time and he considers himself a real hero from the beginning when he arrives to Hereot. Beowulf's reputation and title is very important to him and he likes doing what he does because he is a bit arrogant. Beowulf likes being a reputable hero where as Luke Skywalker is much more in it for the passion and to learn how to become a jedi. That is one of the main things that makes them different. They do share several traits in common because both are heroic in their own way, even though they share different paths. Beowulf is heroic because he defeats Grendel and he is very well recognized. Luke Skywalker is heroic because he is brave and he wants to go on these dangerous journeys and help make a difference. Luke Skywalker defeats the death star in the movie we watch and he saves the "rebel base" station. This makes him earn a gold medal and the respect of thousands of people.
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