Chapter 1:
a. a quester
b. a place to go
c. a stated reason to go there
d. challenges and trials en route
e. a real reason to go there
A movie that I can think of that represents this structure is Glory Road. Glory Road is a story about the 1971 Texas Western basketball team winning the NCAA Championship. This is pivotal because of the amount of African-American basketball players on the team and all the controversy about that at the time.
1. Our quester: Texas Western basketball team that has both white and black players.
2. A place to go: Through the treacherous journey of the national championship run, they needed to end up in Kentucky where they would face the reigning champions.
3. Stated reason: They want to give pride to the school by winning and having a good season.
4. Challenges and trials: The team has a brutal loss against Kansas which almost drives the team apart. Blood was spattered all over the walls of their hotel rooms while on an away game which battered the team emotionally and really discouraged them from playing.
5. The real reason to go: They wanted to show and prove to everyone that there shouldn't be racism, that blacks and whites can live harmoniously and produce great things, and that by working together, people can overcome adversity and all the odds.
Chapter 2: As Thomas C. Foster states, communion is something personal. Eating with other people is a sign of trust. An example of this is the biblical story of the Last Supper. The Last Supper is a story about Jesus and his disciples. It was the night of the Passover and they broke bread and drank from the same cup.
Jesus metaphorically gave them his body(bread) and his blood(wine). This is a very symbolic and sacramental ritual. It brought all of them closer to one another and created an unforgettable bond. That's what communion is. Sharing food together is a gesture of peace, trust, and brotherhood.
Chapter 5:
intertexuality: the ongoing interaction between poems or stories.
One example that comes to mind is Christ's crucifixion in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The book uses the New Testament and religious themes to parallel and portray the story. There is a betrayal that is committed by Edmund which in turn causes Aslan to pay the price for his actions. I had known about the biblical story before I had read the book which helped me understand the themes and nuances even more. When I was reading Lord of the Flies, I saw bits and pieces of Treasure Island scattered throughout. There was a feeling of isolation throughout both books and a sentiment of savagery in both books. I was able to relate better to the characters in Lord of the Flies after reading Treasure Island. After watching the television show, House, the character of Sherlock Holmes was fascinating to read about and follow in his adventures. I found myself thinking back to the character of House at certain moments. They had lots of similar traits such as the astounding ability to deduce clues or symptoms and they were both addicted to drugs. There was a feeling of loneliness and isolation the characters shared throughout their respective stories.
Chapter 7:
It is clear that James Joyce knows his Scripture as pointed out by Foster. There are many biblical references in the short story. A quite obvious allusion is the reference to Adam and Eve. There is a boy and a girl and one is trying to get something for the other that is a matter of temptation. A less obvious reference is the one made to the Garden of Eden. "The wild garden behind the house contained a central apple-tree and a few straggling bushes under one of which I found the late tenant's rusty bicycle-pump." I immediately thought of the Garden. The combination of the Garden reference and the Adam and Eve led me to think that the story was about a fall from innocence. Someone is going to get a harsh realization about life at the end of the story.
Chapter 8:
At one point or anther, everyone has seen, heard of, or read a fairy tale. For many of us, we were introduced to them at a very young age. For me, a fairy tale that comes to mind is Robin Hood. I loved that story as a kid because of the fact that he was putting himself at risk to take from the rich and give to the poor. There are some parallels with Ocean's Eleven. Ocean's Eleven is about a group of 11 people who steal $150 million from a wealthy casino owner. Both character groups put themselves at risk to obtain riches from a wealthier and more powerful person. Even though the way that they approach the job is on the more illegal side, it is done with the right intent. It deepens the appreciation because even though they do bad things, that isn't the main focus. The main focus is stripping away the wealth and power of a bad person and giving.
Chapter 9:
The myth of Achilles portrays him as one of the greatest warriors of all time. He was ruthless, fearless, and relentless. The myth helps the author convey Achilles' stubbornness and complete disregard for tradition in the face of revenge, hate, and contempt. Achilles suffered the loss of Patroclus at the sword of Hector. He in turn is enraged and humiliated Hector after he kills him and doesn't allow for proper burial rites for 9 days. His anger and thirst for revenge clouded his mind and fueled the anger he had for 9 days as he dragged Hector's body through the battlefield.
Achilles took the slain body of proud Prince Hector
slit holes through warrior corpse ankles and proceeded
to drag Hector’s defeated slain body behind his chariot
an ignoble act of revenge bitterness hate anger contempt
Achilles killed proud Hector with a single spear thrust
Achilles refused to eat mourns on Olympian ambrosia
Achilles killed Hector with a spear thrust into the neck
proud noble neck the only vulnerable on Hector’s body
Hector who wore the god made prize armour of Achilles
armour stripped from slain Patroclus beloved of Achilles
in grief how anger festered into revenge rage in Achilles
Hector victim of vengeance dies a slow agonizing death
Hector accepted his fate begged Achilles treat his body
with respect once slain but hubris was wrath of Achilles
shamelessly Achilles desecrates the Trojan heroes body
for nine days dragging slain corpse around the battlefield
for nine days denying King Priam funeral rites for his son
Achilles enraged cared nothing for feelings of Hector’s family
shamed humiliated is corpse of Hector dragged behind chariot
Achilles what great rage passions storm in soul possessed
Achilles who addressed Hector like an entreating dog
stated as he killed him it was hopeless to expect respect
for his slain defeated corpse declared 'my rage, my fury
would drive me now to hack your flesh away and eat
you raw — such agonies you have caused me' “For what
you've done. No one can keep the dogs off of your head,
not if they brought me ransom of ten or twenty times as much,
or more' then Achilles slices Hector's head hanging only
by skin thus fell Trojan prince Hector to pride arrogance
Achilles of scorn wrath slayer of Hector son of King Priam
Hector with wife child who fought to defend his city family
even Zeus was dismayed by hubris abuse to Hector's body
at the command of Zeus Hermes led King Priam in a wagon
out of Troy across the plains into the Greek camp unnoticed
to Achilles' tent to plead with Achilles for a slain son's body
to permit a father to perform his funeral rites for son Hector
Priam grasped Achilles by the knees and begged this feared
killer of so many of his sons to worthy ransom his son's body
Priam begged by the gods kissed the hand of Achilles killer
of his sons stirred Achilles' grief to tears to claim corpse son
only then after nine days of bitter agony did Priam at Achilles
feet begging reclaim Hector's body to take back into city Troy
only then could funeral rites be preformed only then could the
desecrated corpse of Hector be buried as Troy the city mourns
Chapter 11:
There are two types of violence in literature. The first being the kind the author introduces into the story to advance the plot or for thematic development. The second is violence inflicted by characters on themselves or others. A prime example of the second type of violence lies in the book The Outsiders. There are two gangs, Socs and Greasers, who hate each other and have a vicious rivalry. At a focal point in the book, there is a big fight between the two. The violence and savage fighting that ensues makes the characters have a huge realization that the fighting is meaningless and that friendship and camaraderie is more important. It also allowed for some character development. A good example of the first type is the death of Harry's parents in the Harry Potter series. Their deaths are inherently meaningless except to add more back story and perspective to Harry's position and emotions that fuel and drive him.
Chapter 12:
The fence can mean many things. In the general sense, a fence is something that is a barrier of some sort. It either keeps things in or out or separates two entities. The fence in this story has a few meanings. One of which is the distance between the two characters. The narrator is always at a distance when he gazes upon his amour. He can't seem to realize that she is unattainable because he is full of infatuation and fails to recognize the distance that is between them. That distance is also an emotional one. Even when the two are talking within feet of each other, there isn't an emotional connection that he hopes there would be. There is still an emotional distance. The fence separates the two of them whether it's a physical distance or an emotional one.
Chapter 14:
There are many Christ-like figures in literature. The one that sticks out the most is Gandalf from J.R.R Tolken's Lord of the Rings. He fits a lot of the criteria. He is self-sacrificing, good with children, uses humble modes of transportation, kind of portrayed with arms outstretched, spent time alone in the wilderness, and confronted the devil. In the second book in the trilogy, Gandalf puts himself in danger to save one of the hobbits from the one of the Nazgul on a dragon. He is extremely friendly upon entering the Shire and greets Frodo with a smile. He enters the Shire riding a wagon being pulled by horse. Usually he is either on foot or riding a horse. When fighting the balrog in the Mines of Moria, he uses his staff and sword at the same time. In doing so, he outstretches his arms to signal to the beast that fighting will take place. When Gandalf became Gandalf the White, he was wandering the wilderness when he came upon the Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas. The balrog was a symbol of darkness and the devil. All of his actions lead the readers and his fellow characters to believe that he is a Christ figure.
Chapter 15:
Flight represents escape and/or freedom. A great example of escape is when a big bird helps Frodo and Sam flee from Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings. Frodo and Sam spend so much time getting to Mount Doom and destroy the ring. After the ring is destroyed, Mount Doom starts to collapse in on itself. Volcanoes start to erupt, the ground gets too hot to walk on, and molten hot rock rains from the sky. They become stranded on a rock. They think that all hope is lost until a giant bird swoops in, grabs both of them, and flies away. The flight not only represents the escape but also signifies that the journey is over and a big sense of fulfillment.
Chapter 18:
I will continue to use the Lord of the Rings as one of my examples. Baptism is a rebirth or renewal of life of an individual. It doesn't necessarily have to use water. Gandalf is a great example of someone who was "baptized" and became new. As I said previously, Gandalf fought the balrog in the Mines of Moria. He started out as Gandalf the Grey. He held a limited amount of power. During his trial by fire with the balrog, no pun intented, he faced great adversity and his will was tested. When he finally defeats the balrog, he is pulled from his former self and sees the light. He falls into a deep darkness but is awoken to a better and more confident self. He is now Gandalf the White. His transformation was a result of his baptism by fire and turmoil in the form of the balrog. The balrog represented the internal and external conflicts he had to resolve to fully transcend to a higher being.
Chapter 19:
According to Foster, geography is setting that aids the theme or develops/defines characters. In the Lord of the Rings, there are many instances of this. The Shire is a good example of a setting that defines the hobbits. The Shire is a peaceful and calm place that mirrors the serenity the hobbits feel as they live there. It also represents the innocence of the hobbits before they leave and go on their adventures. The juxtaposition of the Shire and of Mount Doom represents the struggle between good and evil that is a theme throughout the trilogy. The castle of Minas Tirith is a vast expanse that is majestic, beautiful, and is a symbol of royalty. Minas Tirith represents the royalty that resides in it and the last stronghold of mankind. It represents the last shred of hope that people had against evil. It also represented a class of people above everyone else and an economy that existed only in royalty. Minas Tirith is vastly different from the land around it. It is in the middle of a desolate land. The castle represents a class of privileged few while the desolate land represents everyone else.
Chapter 20:
When the cold, harsh winter has given its last breath,
When the sky above shows life instead of death,
When the claws, reaching to the frozen sky becomes decorated with
leaves,
When the animals-long in hiding- scurry from trees,
We know winter has ended.
When the frost on grass is replaced with sweet dew,
When the fields become dotted with flowers, reminding me of you,
When the lonely silence becomes filled with melodies,
When you feel warm air, erasing bad memories
We know winter has ended.
When the hard, bare ground becomes painted with green,
When the frost-bitten air becomes fresh and clean,
When the coats and boots are all stored away,
When the playgrounds become occupied again with child's play,
We know winter has ended.
When you hear the pleasant sound of children's laughter,
When the air is filled with joy- long sought after,
When the world is filled with sunlight, brighter and longer,
When the song of Mother Nature becomes stronger and stranger,
Spring has begun.
Source: http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/change-of-seasons-spring#ixzz3C25R6ToG
Family Friend Poems
There are two seasons present in this poem. Spring and winter are both used and used quite differently. By referencing winter, the author is able to set a tone of prospect. In each paragraph of the poem, things are shifting from winter to spring. Everything goes from sad to happy, death to life, etc. At the end of the poem, spring is used to signal the end of the poem but it also signifies the end of winter. Spring represents the beginning of the end for winter and is a sign of rebirth and renewal.
Chapter 26:
This is an excerpt from the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. The poem itself is quite long.
Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink.
According to the lines above, there is a ship stranded in a vast and uncharted
sea. It is ironic that there is water all around yet none of it is drinkable.
There's no water to drink.
About, about, in reel and rout
The death-fires danced at night;
The water, like a witch's oils,
Burnt green, and blue and white.
The irony is found in the last two lines. It says that water burns blue, green,
and white. It is ironic because water can't burn at all. It is in fact the
complete opposite of fire and puts them out.
and white. It is ironic because water can't burn at all. It is in fact the
complete opposite of fire and puts them out.
Chapter 27:
I followed the directions and I did okay in my explanations. My thoughts were
pointed towards the youths' understanding of their own opinions. The mother
made a bad mistake by showing her child what not to do. She showed her how to be
a rich slob. Perhaps if the child hadn't seen that, she could develop her own
opinion and have her own views. She could appreciate other people more had she
done that. I included the ignorance of the upper class and their apathetic views
of anything other than themselves in my essay. The essay that followed gave me
a greater appreciation of bits and pieces I might have missed in first read.
Having read it a second time, I have a deeper understanding and a more meaningful
sense of the nuances and themes.
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