Chapter 15: Flying, a right of passage?

When I think of freedom, I usually always think of birds. They can fly wherever they choose and whenever they choose – they have the power to change their circumstance easily. Whenever I think about a character that has that sort of freedom – I think of Harry Potter. Both symbolically and literally, he has the freedom to fly wherever he chooses. His arrival to Hogwarts is the beginning of his journey to being who he really is meant to be. Like the scene where his teacher buys him a really great room because she really believes in his potential to be great – that also is a turning point for him. I mean, from the get go he was sort of this victimized person because of his past, but that changed once he started to do things that made others notice him. Like when he joined the team and everyone depended on him to catch that little flying ball that would win the game in Gryffindor favor – he did. After that he was cheered and applauded as one of them and that changed the path that he had been on dramatically. I think that that was probably a rite of passage for him, but then again, he went through so many. As a person, he has this sort of aura about him that draws people toward him. He emanates a lot of the characteristics that people would like to see in themselves. He’s an extremely selfless person who will go to all odds to protect those that he cares for and see that the right thing is done. Back to the sports – I think this is the area in which Harry learned how to truly thrive, escape hardships and be free. Quid ditch is a perfect example of something that takes all people (no matter how different) and their best efforts to succeed. All the positions of this sport represent something fundamentally different that plays a significant role in Harry’s growing into a free person. For one, you have to be a confident leader to keep up. Not only do you have to be able to give orders for the betterment of the whole group, but you also have to trust instincts when it matters solely to yourself. Second, it teaches you how to watch out for those who may be in harm’s way or danger in general. It takes all of the players to realize that one thing may cost them the game and for them to have a mutual understanding of what needs to be done. Then, the game can be played more effectively than it would be if the others weren’t working alongside one another. Lastly, you have the positions that cater to the most gifted of the students. Even though they may all be strong on their own, they work much more efficiently as a team.

So, in short what I’m trying to convey is that in Harry Potter learning all of these different lessons – they have made him much freer than he had ever previously been. With all of these, he has the ability to choose freely – and fly wherever he may.

http://www.shmoop.com/harry-potter-3-azkaban/freedom-confinement-theme.html 

Creature of the Night: Stolen Innocence Chapter 3

 I distinctly remember watching Interview with a Vampire when I was younger, a lot. My mother really liked that movie; so naturally, I also came to like it. Although, when I was younger I was completely oblivious to the symbolism behind characters and their actions.. Now that I’m older, I see the many faults that Lestat truly had and how unforgivable some of his actions must have been. I think the best example of Lestat’s vampirism both physically and emotionally – lie with Claudia. To begin, Louis (selfishly) turns Claudia (a child) into a vampire after witnessing Louis’s compassion towards her. Earlier, Louis had found Claudia dying next to her already dead mother (there had been an outbreak of plague in their village). He begins to feed on her, but can’t bring himself to finish the job. Lestat finds Claudia and brings her back to their home, as a present for Louis. (Side note: Lestat feels Louis’s drifting sentiments towards him and feels that Claudia will convince Louis to stay, mostly out of guilt) So, eventually, Lestat turns her into a vampire. From the beginning, Claudia has a stronger affinity for Louis because he’s not as conniving as Lestat and genuinely cares for her. As time goes on, they become a sort of unnatural family. Lestat buys Claudia a doll every year on the anniversary of her turning. Claudia, unknowingly questions Lestat about that, but Lestat doesn’t give her a straight answer. As time goes on, Claudia ages into a woman, but only mentally. She is confused as to why she doesn’t grow. On one particular night, she sees a woman bathing and is captivated by her. She questions both Louis & Lestat about her lack of growth and Lestat (bluntly) tells her that she will never be a woman. This sends Claudia into a fit of anger. Lestat comes to comfort her and they begin to argue. During the argument, Claudia throws the dolls that are on her bed at Lestat, unveiling the dead body of the woman she’d been captivated by hidden under her dolls. Lestat is furious with her and yells that she get rid of it immediately. Claudia is filled with hate for Lestat and this is her only way of showing it. She hates how her dresses her up, just like the dolls he buys her. She hates that he’s done this to her, this unspeakable act of preventing her from growth. Really, she is just an object to Lestat. Her true purpose was to keep Louis from leaving, nothing more. Lestat never took into consideration that she would evolve mentally and question her lack of physical growth.  He dresses her as a doll, because dolls are perfect, they don’t move, don’t think for themselves and don’t question the actions of others. He has wronged Claudia in the worst way. She could’ve died that night, very long ago as she was meant to but Lestat used her as a pawn to keep Louis with him always. He stripped her of her innocence and turned her into an angry monster. He never believed her capable of anything beyond the age at which she was turned. She ends up killing him, in the worst way and he never saw it coming. She has become just as conniving as he was. In a lot of ways, she is a leftover shell of what she once was, demurred and wicked.

 http://www.shmoop.com/interview-with-the-vampire/dolls-symbol.html

The Start of a New Life for Simba? :Chapter 10

I think the vast majority of us are familiar with the use of atmospheric symbolism in books, it just isn’t something that we necessarily give much thought to. We do, however, easily recognize the more popular settings. There's usually a reoccurring theme of open, airy fields with birds chirping and flowers blossoming within every happy ending. There's even some form of a dark, scary and storming castle at the top of the hill for every villain our hero or heroine crosses paths with. Aside from the clichés, I think it’s really interesting the depth of emotion or change a surrounding can allude to. There are no rules, boundaries or guidelines in which a writer has to abide by. Whatever it may be doesn’t necessarily have to be subtle or even obvious, at that.

Any given form of weather can have a multitude of meanings. We usually correlate a dark, stormy night as the foreshadowing of something bad occurring in the near future. We see snow as pure in its form, mostly because of its undiluted color. After all, white is by definition, the absence of color.  The sun, or better yet, a sunny day can only mean that good fortune awaits. It’s these associations that we don’t particularly phase us because we deal with them daily. We’ve come to the conclusion that we must expect the expected because that is our norm.

Ex: In the movie the Lion King we go through a series of events that are all chronologically expected. The story opens up to young Simba and his father having a fantastic relationship. It’s almost like the all American dream of a young boy and his father having a great relationship and then the boy growing up to take over the “family business”. Except in this adaptation, Simba is to (as expected) take his father’s place as leader once he matures. Unluckily for Simba, the one time that he disobeys one of his father’s direct wishes – his father ends up dead. Then of course, more trial and error follows. Specifically, the dark and heavy nature of the Elephant Graveyard is a prime example of an atmosphere that effects Simba greatly. The Elephant Graveyard’s allure, is all about the fact that it serves as a source of temptation for Simba. The lurking evil in the Graveyard is meant to symbolize the consequences that will await Simba if he chooses to proceed down the path that he’s come upon. After the death of Mufasa, Simba begins to feel the heavy burden of guilt of his father’s death weighing upon him. When he is “exiled” we see him come to a flat, crackling wasteland of a desert. This signifies Simba’s feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. With Simba out of the way, Scar has full opportunity to invade the pride lands. Once he is there, the growth and prosperity that was, has now turned into a sort of death valley, where any and all source of life has diminished almost completely. This symbolizes the transition of the pride lands from wholesome and pure to evil and dark.

http://lacardoblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/disneys-lion-king-symbolic-perspective.html

---- I think I enjoyed the breaking down of the movie more than the actual movie itself.