Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Chapter 14: Yes, She’s a Christ figure, too - Reflection

Chapter 14: Yes, She’s a Christ figure, too - Reflection

This chapter particularly resonates with me because Jesus Christ is a very prominent figure in my life. I was somewhat surprised at the perspective that this chapter gave me. Before when reading a book or watching a movie, I only recognized a character to be a “Christ figure” if that character was religious or in some way affiliated with the church, but this chapter proposed that any non-religious character can be a “Christ figure” if they check certain boxes that display Christ-like characteristics, some having to do with religion but most not. It makes sense, I don't know if I agree with everything that it says, but I see his train of thought, and it is something to think about when reading a new book or watching a new movie. After reading this chapter, I started remembering past movies that I have watched and making connections. Like Harry Potter for example, he had a wound on his head, was in agony, self-sacrificing, good with children, used humble modes of transportation, spent time alone in the wilderness, had a tempted (and untempted) confrontation with a devil figure (Voldemort), defied death on multiple occasions, had disciples, was very forgiving, and came to redeem an unworthy world. I noticed that I felt a deeper and more personal connection to that character and that the story of the character was kind of taken to a whole new level. Since I read this chapter, i’ve noticed myself looking for a Christ figure where I wouldn't have before in stories/movies, and when I do, I am constantly looking for more Christ-like characteristics.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Chapter 21: Marked for Greatness - Reflection

Chapter 21: Marked for Greatness - Reflection

This chapter is really pretty cool with regards to the way that the chapter is structured. It starts off fairly surface level, talking about Oedipus and how “Oedipus” literally means “wounded feet”
so we know that the main character will have damaged feet and that will come into play at some point in the story or there would really be no point in the reader knowing that he has wounded feet. Then it goes a little deeper, talking about how the mother had three options as to what to do with her son when he was born, to avoid the prophecy from coming true, and of course in the prophecy, was her son having wounded feet. Then he gets even deeper, saying that an author might even give many characters some wound or something that makes them stand out from everybody else in the crowd. And then at its deepest, he says that an author might actually use these unique characteristics of these characters to make a statement about humanity or society as a whole. But then, he makes a 180 and goes completely surface level and says that, sometimes a limp is just a limp, or a hunchback is just a hunchback. And at the very end, he asks the reader to figure out Harry Potter’s scar. So let's do that… From the time that Harry was an infant, he was dubbed as “the boy who lived” and has a scar to make him as such. When Harry is older, Voldemort is able to see into Harry’s mind and uses that to his advantage. But in the end, Harry was able to reverse that and see into Voldemort's mind which ultimately led to the destruction of Voldemort. So what was the author trying to tell us about humanity through Harry’s scar? I think that the scar represents humanity always prevailing over evil, and showing that humanity is strong, and that we can endure through all of our hardships.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Chapter 4 : If It’s Square, It’s a Sonnet - Reflection

Chapter 4 : If It’s Square, It’s a Sonnet - Reflection

This chapter is essentially a very thorough analysis of a sonnet entitled, “An Echo from
Willow - Wood.” It starts off by telling all about what a sonnet can be and the different types of sonnets. After it presents the text of “An Echo from Willow - Wood,” it breaks that sonnet down and points out all of the things that makes that sonnet, a sonnet. It demonstrates that a sonnet is actually incredibly complex and even says that they can be far more complex and far more difficult to write than long stories. Foster quotes Blaise Pascal saying, “I had not time to write a short one,” to back up his claim that sonnets are harder to write that long stories. When first reading this, I actually thought of an omelette, because at first glance, an omelette looks like nothing more than a flat egg, but then you realize that lots of tiny pieces of other types of food that has been added to this flat egg that gives it all of its flavor. Alton Brown say that “an omelette is one of the easiest thing for a chef to make, but it is one of the hardest things for a chef to make perfectly.” This seems to fit with Foster's claim about sonnets because a sonnet is a seemingly simple thing that is actually incredibly complex when you dissect it.