Representing America - American Literature AP - Blog

12 Angry Men, 1 Angry Romantic

In the play and film 12 Angry Men, the Romantic qualities of individualism and the will to go against the larger community are very well portrayed. While the film isn't necessarily designed to show these characteristics, they are shown throught the main character, Juror 8.

The premise for the film is the story of a jury deliberating over the guilt or innoncence of a boy accused of murdering his father. At the beginning of the meeting, all of the jurors except number 8 vote not-guilty in an effort to hurry along the decision so that they all can leave.

Juror 8 shows his will to face the community by refusing to change his vote. He feels that there is not sufficent evidence to conclude that the boy is guilty without at least discussing it. He faces the anger from the other eleven jurors who just wish to get on with their lives and get out of that room.

This will to fight the community is a Romantic quality. Romanticism emphasizes going against tradition and going against what everyone else thinks. Juror 8 does just that, but with better results than many who have tried.

 

The Crucible Reflections

At first The Crucible seemed a little dry and complicated because it was during the Puritan time period and opened with girls dancing around the fire as if they were possessed. As we got further and further through the movie I started appreciating the complexity of the storyline.

Thats another reason why I loved it so much. It was because it wasnt predictable and that describes a good movie in my opinion. John Proctor is definetly my favorite character because of his aloofness from the community and being an individual. Showing that there wasnt a need to be extremely religous to maintain the characteristics of a good man besides the fact that he slept with Abby.

Actually John Proctor was so developed that he didnt seem like a character from the book. Arthur Miller brought the character to life. Everything he said and did was believable. That was also because Daniel Day- Lewis played him and most of his interpretations of characters are spot on. Overall, The Crucible made me realize how ridiculous black listing someone because they were a communist was.

 

Kryptonite

American Superheroes have been a lovable, obsess-able, and fun part of modern cinema. Starting with comic books in the early 20th century, Superheroes have grown into cultural icons. Superman, Spiderman,  and Batman all fight crime and do justice. They have all been role models to young children for many, many years. 

Not only do they all fight bad guys and keep people safe, but the all share in common one aspect of their life. They are all in love. Lois Lane, Rachel Dawes, and Mary Jane Watson are all female acquaintances of a superhero. 

Not only do they provide each story with a good subplot, but they add a new element to the story. The women show that the superheroes have very strong human emotions. 

These women provide these stories with a very Romantic subplot. You cant think about Spiderman and not think about him always saving Mary Jane because he secretly loves her, and she secretly loves him but its complicated. You cant think Batman and not think about how Rachel's promise that "they will be together" when Gotham is saved and he no longer needs to be Batman, and how that was rooted in every decision Batman made. You have to think about the magical moments between Superman and Lois Lane, 

Its amazing how some of the toughest men in the world can be swayed so easily by love. These men endure countless enemies and battles, but love is always rooted in their decision-making and their minds. You would think that someone so physically-tough would be able to resist love, but it seems that love finds everyone.

I think it adds a great complexity to these stories. It gives them something to fight for, someone to fight for, and even though it may sound simple, it gives them emotion. The romantic subplot in superhero movies is not what attracts the millions of people that buy the ticket, but it creates a more complex story when told as a romance.

Secrets Behind the Letter

I find it interesting that evey character in the scarlet letter has their own secret. I know that most stories consist of the all the characters having secrets but I think that each character represents a different aspect of human nature based off of what they have.I think that Hester represents human desires. She desires love, freedom and respect. She longs for the dignity and anonymity that she lost with the revelation of the affair. She longs to start a new life with Pearl Pearl is, quite literally in Hester's case, the consequence that you end up with when you indulge in your own desires. Pearl is the curse and the blessing in the book. She is called a demon child by both Hester and the townspeople. But at the same time hester wants to keep her daughter because she treasure her. It is an interesting to see Hester grappling with  the idea that her daughter is both the joy of being a mother as well as the fruit of her sins and the reason why she is alienated from society.

I believe that Mr. Dimmesdale represents the cowardice of human because he is scared to take responsibility for being the father of Pearl and admitted that he had the affair with Hester. I believe that Roger Chillingsworth is the human expression of vengeance and deceit because he doesn't tell anybody who he really is when he comes back to the town. He also is using this to his advantage so he can observe and try to find out who is the father of Pearl.I also think that the Governor is the embodiment of vanity because he has a lot of elaborate and gaudy items throughout his house. These goods are all kind of hidden behind the doors of his home because the expensive goods do not coincide with the rules of Puritanism.

I think that it will be intersting to see how these characters will evolve in th book and how they will continue to interact with each other.

An "EASY A" for my blog

As we all know, we are reading The Scarlet Letter in class. It's an old and classy novel that possesses many ideals and all and the story is alright.

OR maybe the story is more than alright. Maybe the story is great and we all just don't relize it is. If only there was some way to put this story into modern terms so that us "children of the new world" could appreciate the novel better.

O, but there is. The movie has been out for some time now and we all know the name. "Easy A".

The story is quite simple actually. A girl and her "promiscuous thinking" best friend are talking about what happend last weekend. The main character lies saying she was out somewhere she wasn't as an exuse of not being around her best friend's odd parents. Then her best friend assumes that she has engaged in sex and to shut up her friend, the protagonist lies saying that she has.

Rumors spread around the school that she has had sex and is easy. She begins to help people out by lying and saying she has had sex with them, to make them popular. Then the reputation of these people goes up, she is payed, and she doesn't have to actually have sex.

This is where the scarlett letter comes in. She wears an "A" on her chest just like Hester to seem like rebel or outcast but in a "cooler" sense since obviously times have changed between now and the Puritan Era.

The movie is very different from the book so don't watch it thinking you'll get the full story of The Scarlett Letter.

However there are some similarities. She is labled in society just like Hester. People do see her as an outcast or a rebel, just like Hester (even though in a different way). Her best friend even begins to dislike her.

But the part most like the Scarlett letter is the christian clan that hates her for what the think she's doing. I think they stand for all of the people who despise Hester in the novel of the book. The protagonist of the movie keeps her head high among them just as Hester does in the book. This is where individual vs community came into the movie much like the novel.

This is a pretty good movie and would go great with our novel. Perhaps we can watch it in class?

Was Hester's Punishment Enough?

This past week in class we have been debating and questioning whether Hester Prynne's, In the Scarlet Letters punishment was effective. Though some argue that because Hester has free will to control her emotions and attitude towards the scarlet letter her punishment was not effective; the scarlet letter will forever condemn Hester life and she will eternally live in the shame and guilt of her sins.

Hester's punishment is effective because through out the book she has clearly become effected by her embarrassment. When she was released form prison there is no where for her to go but an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. Hester can no longer be apart of the community. She and her daughter are a showcase to the town of the consequences of adultery. Hester is also affected by the scarlet letter by making clothes for the poor. She thought that it was below her standards to be making items like such. It truly upsets Hester when even the poor make rude and hurtful comments to her about her sins. 

Another way her punishment is effective is through her daughter Pearl.  Hester admits this when she goes to the governors house. "See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million-fold the power of retribution for my sin?" (pg. 221). Through Pearls existence, Hester is tortured because Pearl is a constant reminder of her sin. Hester can never escape her punishment because though Pearl represents the scarlet letter, she needs Pearl to survive her loneliness.

 

Self Reliance, Transcendentalism, and Non-Conformity

Throughout the last few weeks of class I have noticed a trend in the material we have covered: much of it has hat to do with conforming to society, having much to do with Transcendentalism. In class alone we were assigned essays to read over after learning about Romanticism and Transcendentalism, my group was assigned the essay called Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emmerson. This essay directly covered the motif of modern conformity and traced over many underlying themes of Transcendentalism.

Self Reliance made the reader realize that, what seems like, all humans spend their entire lives doing their best trying to conform to society so they do not have to draw negative attention from bullies, teachers, friends, or family. This sad reality is what makes Transcendentalism so obvious when a person chooses to display their actions reflecting the ancient way.

As stated by Emmerson~ those people who are willing to be "misunderstood" are destined for greatness. I could not have said it better. Emmerson says that the few people that are willing to be seen as "outsiders" or bending the social norms are the ones that leave their finger print on the glass of the world.

We see hundreds of thousands of students everyday displaying conformity and never stop to think that one of these people may be the next Gandhi or Muhammad because what our eye is most prone to seeing is the average girl or boy just trying to get by with out being noticed (which is totally understandable).Those Transcendentalists who are willing to step outside the box shine through the shadows of the common man.

Though written in 1982, this song is written by the band Rush and the lyrics explain how high school students have to get by day to day by conforming and trying to fit in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu9Ycq64Gy4

 

Emerson, Thoreau, Dickinson... Steve Miller?

Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band

When the word transcendentalism comes to mind, so do names such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Emily Dickinson. While that would only be natural, many other Romanticists are thrust to the side or not even thought of at all. Apparently, after listening to "Fly Like An Eagle" by Steve Miller Band, Miller is one of those artists.

Themes of Transcendentalism are scattered throughout this song, as well as others by the group. In the chorus alone, there are many appeals to the movement:

I want to fly like an eagle 
To the sea 
Fly like an eagle 
Let my spirit carry me 
I want to fly like an eagle 
Till I'm free 
Fly through the revolution 

Eagles themselves are references to nature and flying like them essentially makes one a part of nature. When he says "Let my spirit carry me... Till I'm Free," he is talking about the spirit transcending the the physical world and escaping. Referring to a revolution is brought up again when he says:

Feed the babies 
Who don't have enough to eat 
Shoe the children 
With no shoes on their feet 
House the people 
Livin' in the street 
Oh, oh, there's a solution

"Feed[ing] the babies" and "Hous[ing] the people" is calling for a change in the way society is, very similar to the Romanticists call for a cultural revolution in the 19^th century. All in all, this song is a great representation of Transcendental ideals.

Avatar's High Tech Romanticism *SPOILER ALERT*

 

The award-winning movie from 2009, Avatar became famed for its new uses of technology for three dimensional effects and computer generated images.  While Avatar is very much a modern movie, it still maintains many of the Romantic characteristics developed in the later 1700's.  A few of those characteristics that are evident in the film are preferring emotion to logic, appreciating nature, and valuing individualism.

In the movie, the main character, Jake Sully (a human), joins the Na'vi people of the distant world Pandora through the use of an Avatar that is of the same species as the Na'vi.  While his original goal, as part of his military unit, was to bond with the tribe and eventually convince the Na'vi people to sell their land to the humans, Jake soon realizes the beauty of the tribe's culture and changes sides.

While Jake's head may tell him that the humans will eventually get what they want, and that he can't stay with the tribe Jake decides to continue to follow what feels right in his heart.  His emotions triumph over logic and it pays off as he gets all he wants including a Na'vi body after dying!

During Jake's time with the Na'vi, his appreciation for nature increases dramatically.  He sees the beauty in their world and learns how to respect and treasure it.  Not only does the plot show the importance of nature, but the three dimensional effects were specifically made to enhance it.  Because of that technology, the audience feels the nature and it's beauty's effects.

During the story, Jake slowly becomes his own individual.  At the beginning of the movie, he is a part of the giant body of men and women selected for a task.  As he assimilates into Na'vi society, he begins to think for himself and form his own values.  By the end, Jake has completely separated himself from his previous community and follows his own, individual beliefs.

The display of Romantic ideas is evident in Avatar through its views on emotion, nature and individualism.

Individuality Is Greater Than "Fitting In"

Being an individual is easy to want, but hard to attain. Teens nowadays only want to fit in, not to stand out. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines individuality as total character peculiar to and distinguishing an individual from others. Being an individual is described as being yourself. Not many people want to have that feeling. They want to feel normal, just like everybody else. Individuality is a wonderful thing, though, that can only be accomplished by loving yourself. 

There's room for everybody on the planet to be creative and conscious if you are your own person. If you're trying to be like somebody else, then there isn't.' That quote was said by Tori Amos and it is so true. There's no room on this earth for imitators. When everybody wears the same clothes, has the same hairstyle, talks about the same things, and has the same beliefs, all the kids in the school hallway just blend together into one blob of boredom and dullness. That is why individuality is so important. No one wants to live a totally predictable life. 

No one who hates themselves will be a true individual. If you dislike yourself, why on earth would you want others to dislike you for being different? Someone who loves themselves and embraces their flaws will achieve being an individual. If you are confident about yourself, you can feel comfortable standing out. You can glow from within, as if saying to the world: Here I am! This is me, and I'm going to shine. You may not dress in popular clothes, you may not have the new iPhone, and you might be a huge geek that joined math club, but it's okay. You can be yourself without worrying about others. Who cares what they think? Most likely, they're jealous because they are not strong enough to be an individual. 

Flaws should be seen as a blessing, not a curse. They remind us that we are all human, and not being good at something gives others who are good at it a chance to shine. There will always be some people who don't care to be different; who just conform every time a trend changes. But you don't have to be one of those people. You can stand out, feel proud, and be a true individual. Be peculiar and distinguish yourself from others. And always remember this: "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it is better to be absolutely ridiculous than to be absolutely boring." (Marilyn Monroe)

Me being the only child, I'm used to having that feeling of isolation and individuality. "Fitting In" with a crowd doesn't really make you look better as a person, but it shows how you can't accept who you are. Things that we do are meant to express, not to impress. If us humans go by that saying, society would be a place where individuality can be seen anywhere. 

romanticism And Dirty Dancing

 

Dirty Dancing is a romantic movie about man and woman who find out who they are by fighting back against what people want them to do. The main characters, Frances (a.k.a. Baby) and Johnny are both at the same vacation spot: Baby as a vacationer, Johnny as an employee.

Baby shows romantic ideals when she goes against what her parents want for her. Her parents are rich and want her to marry rich and be the perfect daughter that does nothing wrong. They try to control what she does and who she will date and she has had enough of it.

Baby signs up to have dancing lessons with Johnny. Her parents think that she is learning normal ballroom dance when in reality she is learn to do "dirty dancing". Baby is rebelling from her parents and is starting to finally be herself and do what she loves.

Johnny is a dance teacher who needs his job at the vacation spot he works at. He follows the rules and does everything he can not to get in trouble with the boss. When Baby comes around he starts to teach how to dance and when he spends time with her he realizes that it is better to do what you love then hide yourself to keep the status quo.

At the end of the movie Baby an Johnny both get in trouble and start going back to the lives they had before they met. At the talent show Johnny breaks the rules and brings in his style of dancing and him and Baby go against everyone and dance together.

This movie has romanticism ideals because it sends a message to people to tell them to not conform to what people want for you, they say that you should do what will make you happy.

Embarrassment; an effective punishment?

The question is not whether The Scarlet Letter's main character Hester's choice of adultery is deserved to be delt with by the public or not, but whether or not her punishment of public embarrassment is effective.

Hester's punishment is not effective. Although Hawthorne is able to convince people that Hester is being judicially abused and that she in fact suffers for her sins, it is logically argued that Hester did not suffer from her embarrassment of punishment as strongly as she would have suffered from a punishment of another sort-- a longer prison sentence, having her leave her home, having her child be taken away, or even death.

Punishment is meant to make one feel guilty and sorry for their sins. Although, especially in times like today, people use punishment to make others feel unfairly targeted and to make them feel some sort of pain, punishment is supposed to be used to make people understand why the crime they committed was wrong, to cause them to think about why they engaged in that specific crime, and to effectively make sure that they never engage in it again.

Embarrassed? Who wouldn't be. Hester was forced to stand in front of the crowd with a huge red "A" on her chest for everyone to stare at and talk about for three hours straight in the baking sun. The insults were plentiful, especially the ones thrown at her daughter, Pearl, and she was probably feeling pretty publicly attacked. But Hester never once, while standing on the platform or thinking about it afterwards, admitted that she knew what she had done was wrong. She never felt guilty or in any way wanted to repent. Hester was merely embarrassed for the sake of her and her daughter.

I don't know what my opinion will be by the time the end of the book comes. Maybe the letter on her chest really does cause her to feel as though she has emotionally traumatized her missing husbands life in the long run. But for right now, as of chapter 12, Hester has not thoroughly recognized that her sins are inexplicable and she has also not harbored the idea that she will never partake in that sort of crime again.

Pearl a Demon Child

While one is reading the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne one cannot but wonder why Hester Pryne's child Pearl is so different. Hester almost seemed as if she was afraid of the child. The text says that Hester's, "only comfort was when the child lay in the placidity of sleep."(181). Why is this the case.

I believe that Pearl was possessed by some type of demonic spirit to punish Hester for what she did. The child's defiance to the norms of society is like Hester. Hester committed adultery and became an outcast of society. Now she lived in a old cottage outside of town alone. Hester was puzzled when Pearl always stared at the scarlet letter on her chest. On page 179 it says, "It was a look so intelligent, yet inexplicable, so perverse, sometimes so malicious, but generally accompanied by a wild flow of spirits, that Hester could not help questioning.".This quote shows that Hester saw something in Pearls eyes that she feared.

When this book takes place in the period in which the Puritans ruled. The town is disgusted by Pearls behavior and fears her. They even have the other children stay away from her after she throws rocks at them. This proves that Pearl was possessed by the devil and is a Demon Child.

Symbolic Names in The Scarlet Letter

While reading The Scarlet Letter, I have been consistently surprised (and a little confused) by the names of the characters. At first, I thought that the names must have been common for the time period. Upon further reflection, however, I think that the names could be representative of the natures of their owners...

Hester Prynne: I couldn't get anything from Hester, but "Prynne" does rhyme with sin, and Hester's role in the book is definitely sinful by Puritan standards.

Roger Chillingworth: Does the "chilling" in Chillingworth have anything to do with his character? So far he doesn't seem too bad, but there definitely aren't a lot of good vibes coming from him. I predict some more cold/inhuman behavior to come...

Reverend Dimmesdale: Hmmm... dim? dismal? Maybe the book is implying that Dimmesdale is weak or undetermined. This definitely describes Dimmesdale; he (so far) hasn't taken any responsibility for his affair and seems to be the least authoritative of the town leaders.

Pearl: Hester specifically speaks of Pearl's meaning... she is the pearl of great priced, "purchased with all she had- her mother's only treasure" (173). Pearl might have another symbolic meaning, too. Pearls come from oysters, which aren't the prettiest things around, yet pearls are prized for their beauty. Pearl (the character) comes from sin, but could still prove to be a valuable gift.

Punishment

In class we are reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  The novel is about a woman named Hester that committed adultery and so has been punished by the community by being forced to wear a scarlet letter "A" on her clothes.  The punishment may not seem like such a big deal now but it set her apart from the rest of the community and everyone in the community knew who she was and what she did.  

Despite the fact that some people in the community believe that her punishment is effective, I think that in some ways, Hester has some control over her punishment.  First, the fact that she made her letter fancy and showy shows that she is not as ashamed as the community wants her to be.  She also has some power over Reverend Dimmsdale which she uses to her advantage.  When the Governor was deciding whether or not to take Pearl from Hester, Hester used Dimmsdale to convince the rest of the men that they should let Pearl stay with her.  So even though she is supposed to be punished, she uses the punishments to her advantage and does not let them get to her.

The fact that Hester does not let her punishments bother her and how much control she seems to have over how strict her punishments are shows that the punishment is not particularly effective.  It would seem that in order for it to work, it would have to have a more significant effect that would not be shaken off as easily as Hester's punishment was. 

 

 

What Does The Color Red Mean Anyway?

    In the Scarlet Letter, there are several  motifs that symbolizes light and darkness. As an author Nathaniel Hawthorne uses imagery and detail to create settings, in which images appear to represent a  specific theme.  The color red is introduced first, at the beginning of the novel. The rosebush and the letter "A" are the first two items that have a meaning and they happen to share the same color, red. What does the color red symbolize anyway? 

    While the rosebush stands for innocence, purity and prosperity; the letter "A" is a negative patent that embodies hate, lust, shame and sin. The bush offers solace to the prisoners and it shows them that life will continue and nature always stays beautiful, even when life's difficult. But the Scarlet Letter is the sole embodiment of shame and sin and by wearing this emblem, it picks away at the soul of Hester, causing her  to feel burdened.  Does Hawthorne intend to match these two items together based on color? Or does it appear that both red's  symbolize good and evil because of a mere coincidence?

The romanticism in Hunger Games

The book Hunger Games is a great modern day example of romanticism. It centers around a time in the future where the world as the main character knows it is split into 13 districts and a capital, following a catastrophic war. The capital rules everything and treats everyone in the districts like slaves. After the districts rebelled and lost in a war, the capital decided to enforce a new rule called the Hunger Games.

In the Hunger Games, every year one boy and girl would be selected from each district to serve in a survival of the fittest sporting event in which everything goes, and is required by law to be watched by everyone in the nation. The games are meant to provide entertainment for the people of the capital, and to provide punishment for those in the districts because of the children lost in the games and the fact that they cannot do anything about it.

The main character is named Katniss. Near the start of the book, her little sister is chosen to take part in the games, and she decides that she would rather die than see her sister die, so she volunteers to take her sister's place. Through the rest of the book, you see the experience of the events surrounding the Hunger Games and the games themself through Katniss's eyes. 

For many years before this, society had learned to accept the games and not to go against the rules they were born with. Until Katniss's turn in the games, no one had gone against the capital because it would mean death for them and their family. But the games provide Katniss with a safe way to rebel against the capital she has grown to hate, because she wins and the rules say that if she wins she cannot be harmed by the capital. So she uses the opportunity to make the capital look bad by saving her friend from death, when the games are meant to end with 1 person, not 2.

The book displays romanticism because of several things: nature, individual experience, and deviation from social norms. When Katniss bends the rules of the Games to save her friend, she is acting out against the social norms which everyone else has either accepted, or been killed for not following. Nature is a large part of the Hunger Games because the scene of the Hunger Games is in nature, and even in the time of horrific killings of all the people she has come to know, Katniss still spends much time thinking about the nature surrounding her. Most of all individual experience is what the book is all about, because we're seeing what's happened to Katniss through her experiences, which is a Romantic trait.

Alan Scott, a symbol of romanticism in superheroes?

When one looks at the Green Lantern comic book series, Romanticism/Transcendentalism are usually the last two things they would associate with the popular superhero. Ironically, the comics surrounds itself around Romantic ideologies.

The premise of the Green Lantern is that one man without fear, has will power, and has an immense imagination can save us all. Through Alan Scott, the one and only human member of the Green Lantern Corps, Romantic characteristics of the power of the imagination and the significance of the individual.

The members of the Corps each have a ring, this ring works on the power of will. Members use these rings to defeat their opponents. The rings are able to produce whatever a member thinks of. In other words, whatever a member imagines will appear to aid them through their battle. This represents the Romantic ideology of the power of the imagination because without a strong imagination the guardians would be unable the necessary tools/abilities to defeat their opponents. If that isn't powerful imagination at work, I don't know what is.

The idea that one man can guard and protect our universe highly represents the idea of the power of the individual. Alan Scott failed to work beneficially with a community of guardians. Once Alan obtained individual strength, nothing could stop him from saving his world.

In conclusion, The Green Lantern is completely based on Romanticism. He exemplifies the power of imagination and the individual.

Titanic: a Romance or a romance

 

Holding the spot as the number 2 top grossing film of all time Titanic is known by many people around the globe.  The surprising thing is that the Producers of Titanic used Romantic characteristics when creating the story.

The movie is based around a upper class girl named Rose and a lower class boy named Jack.  Rose is engaged to a rich man named Cal to earn back her families good name and money for both herself and her mother.  However, on their journey to America on the Titanic Rose meets Jack and already feeling trapped in her life starts to rebel against her mothers and societies standards.

The Romanticism characteristic of individualism is expressed through Rose's rebelling against the expectations everyone puts on her.  Rose not physically rebels in Titanic by being with Jack but also rebels through education.  

In one scene during dinner Rose gets so fed up with the repeated topics of discussions that she brings up a new topic which some of the men do not even know of.  This illustration on how well educated Rose is shows how she rebels against society's expectation that women were not as educated or as well-read as men were.  

Rose rebels against the expectation of society by what a lady should act like.  Rose has Jack teach her how to spit off the side of the boat and when her mother and the other women come they look down upon her.  As with many other scenes the spiting scene demonstrates the improper and unlady-like way Rose acts.

Titanic also uses Romanticism with Jack's character.  Jack is extremely poor and only gets on the Titanic because of a lucky poker hand.  The idea of the individual is used because Jack is able to support himself and get onto the Titanic to head back to America.  Also the way Jack is able to get Rose to notice him shows the power the individual has.

The appreciation of everyday life is also used throughout Titanic because of the plots basis around the sinking of Titanic.  Titanic creates the message to appreciate everyday as if it were your last.  

Overall, the Titanic uses Romanticism to enhance Rose's and Jack's character and to create a message that everyday of your life is important.  

A Demon Pearl

One of the newest characters we have met in "The scarlet Letter" is Pearl. Pearl is hester's daughter and she is not the most normal little girl. On multiple occasions Pearl has done strange things, such as throwing stones at other children while mumbling in strange tongs and  smiling at her own mother's pain. Soon people are saying that she is a demon child or even the devil's daughter. however I do not agree.

When a child is raised by an outcast single mother who is constantly tormented he or she will not be what people call normal, but this does not mean the child is the offspring of the devil. Pearl is simply suffering from being raised as an outcast. If some one is generally isolated from other people then that person will not react well when brought into public or a strangers home. This is demonstrated when Pearl is taken to the market as well as the Govenor's house.

The final reason why Pearl is not the offspring of the devil is because she physically isn't. Pearl is the offspring of her father, Roger Chillingworth. It is made apparent that Pearl does have a biological father at the beginning of the story when Hester recognizes him while she is on the scaffold. There for Pearl may be a little different but she is certainly not the devil's daughter. 

coneing with a transcendentalist

like planking, coneing gained its fame on the internet. the basic premise is when your at a fast food restaurant and you order a ice cream cone, when they pass it to you instead of grabbing it by the cone you grab it by the ice cream. yes i know it is a silly and unintelligent idea, mostly because you don't end up with ice cream. but the idea is that your being different. the new phenomenon of coneing is silly, but it also encompasses very important transcendentalist ideals, to step out side of social norms. a transcendentalist would say that your daring to be different, because a person operating within the realms of "normal" society would always grab the cone and not the ice cream. so even though coneing is silly and stupid, we can still learn from it, and apply it to transcendentalism.  

Cast Away reviewed through the eyes of a Transcendentalist

Cast Away, made in 2000, is a courageous story of man who unwillingly is forced into the wrath of nature when his mail carrier malfunctions and crashes into the ocean near an small, uninhabited island. Tom Hanks, who plays the main character, is the only person to survive the accident and is then forced to fend for himself for the next couple of years. 

This ties in to two of the most common transcendentalist ideas: nature, and self reliance. This movie is interesting with these concepts because in order to survive, Tom Hanks to put the two together. Although his self reliance was involuntary, he is forced to adapt to his surroundings as he goes. At first he fights nature; getting frustrated with not being able to make a fire and learning that hunting is not an easy task. However, as the story unfolds, the audiences sees him excepting nature's tendencies and also excepting the how unpredictable nature can be. He learns from all of these new experiences and becomes self reliant while using nature to help him. 

This movie completely covers these two important ideas and is a perfect representation of how they can work against each other and how they can also work together. Tom Hanks survives this amazing event and lives on to use what he learned in the more advanced society that he had been missing.

Romanticism in Star Wars

In every good movie, you need a really good protagonist. In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker is there to fill all of your Romantic protagonist needs. Portrayed as the boy who's parents died at an early age, Skywalker lives with his aunt and uncle. He lives in a seemingly corrupt disutopia where crime is an every day ordeal, yet, through all of this, Luke remains optomistic about the future and the things to come. He manages to stay away from the crime and corruption by keeping a level head and a positive attitude about the crumbling universe around him until the day his aunt and uncle are killed by imperial troops (spoilers!).

What really focuses the attention on the Romantic aspects of Skywalker was his ability to step out of the norm of people of his world and into the Jedi world where everything was new and different. He takes his family's death as an obligation to fight back against the evil things of the universe using the Force, taught to him by his friend and mento, Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

These feats that were overcome by Luke Skywalker give him the persona of the ultimate Romantic hero.

Wait a second redrum is murder backwards!!!

The shining is a classic film in which a family stays in empty hotel in which the previous caretaker killed himself and his family. The family becomes snowed for the winter and Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) gradually goes insane and his son Danny sees supernatural occurrences within the hotel. The film was clearly influenced by romanticism with its emphasis on the super natural and gothic elements.

The film is filled with supernatural elements meant to enhance the fear felt by the viewer. The title the shining refers to the hotel chef's ability to telepathically with the son. Danny sees horrible things within the hotel like rivers of blood and creepy twins, which are supernatural elements that are meant to be within the character's mind. The father talks with ghosts and is eventually driven insane and tries to kill his wife and child. The film shows the darker side of romanticism as the negative side of elements like the power of imagination and emphasis on emotion.

In terms of emotion the film’s focus is to instill fear within the viewer, there is an emphasis on feeling as opposed to reason. The imagination elements are meant to enhance fear as the line between reality and imagination becomes blurred for the characters.

Rethinking Nature

With the business of many Americans workday, some never take the time to set back from the cities and back into nature. From reading excerpts of Emerson's, Nature it shows the importance of regaining ones touch with nature. After this I realize that though we do harm the earth, we have really began a movement towards improving our earth.

 In the past couple of year the "go green" movement has transformed America into a very eco-friendly place. We have realized how harmful of products are to nature and are now trying to preserve it. People have started using natural made products, recycling goods, and saving energy. Instead of just throwing away old bottles we recycle, and use those materials to make something new. Also in the car industry, have risen the eco-friendly cars by reducing amount of gasoline used. In this improvement we have created battery plug-in cars that instead of using gasoline, refill them selves. 

Transcendentalist ideals are progressively spreading through the minds of many people. We realize now that the importance of nature can never be replaced.

The Miracle of Life

Astronomy is an amazing study in science. I never thought about it in a Romantic point of view, but now, I realize that it is very Romantic. It inspires people to visit space, that are life threatening missions. It has even inspired me to blog about it today. Anyways, in astronomy you learn about various planets, stars, solar systems and many other things. There are so many more things to learn about, than we already know. It is mind blowing how much we still have to learn about, even though there have been astronomers since about the 1500's. It's a beautiful study and events that happen in space are unbelievable. Such as, a planet being born, which we have just recently witnessed.

The astronomers captured it from Hawaii and it is the first time that anyone has actually captured a planet being born. They estimated the planet being 450 light years away from Earth. The planet is named LkCa 15 b and they said that the planet started forming about 50,000 to 100,000 years ago. That is a long time for something to be born. This observation has given these astronomers a lot of new information and gave us a beautiful, and extremely rare view of nature. This phenomenon is Romantic and is a great part of nature.

I Stand Alone

The song I Stand Alone is from the movie called Quest for Camelot. This was one of the first movies I watched in America, and from the very start, I was intrigued by it, I must have watched this movie well over 10 times. This song particular stood out to me. Not until now though, did I understand the hidden message behind it. Garret is a blind man who lives alone in the trees. The song is about him not minding being different than the rest of the people.

This is a lot like Emerson's view point, who believed that we should not conform to society. -Which is exactly what Garret is doing. He understands the forest in his own way ,and likes being a part of something that the greater society is not a part of. " I know the sound of each rock and stone, and I embrace what others fear". I think that that is a great line, because it proves that he does not care about people as a whole, he cares about himself and his being, and therefore, will not conform to the norms.

 

Its Okay To Be Like Me Because I'm Making The World A Better Place

The rap superstar Lil' Wayne put out a 30 minute long PSA a couple days ago ,addressing the death of Steve Jobs reminiscing on how he should be remembered and how Wayne himself, would like to be remembered if he, a global icon like Steve Jobs were to die at a young age.  He also outed the media because of their portrayal on his effect on kids  being negatively influenced because of his actions. We all know Wayne as a pop culture icon. He represents hip-hop and his patent is known worldwide. But it seems that he's become more popular for his substance abuse than his records. When you see Wayne he is almost always carrying 2 white foam cups that may contain promethazine-codine, Sprite and a Jolly Rancher. This particular Southern beverage originated in Houston TX where rappers would drink this as an alternative way of getting high. In the beginning of the announcement, he makes sure to prove that he doesn’t drink syrup by showing that he is prescribed particular medication when he's sick and he claims not to be sick anymore.  He  passionately goes on and on in this announcement about originality and how people are afraid to say,"I do it because he does it" He says,"Whatever is the reason you're doing what you're doing, and if so that reason is because Lil Wayne does it, don't be afraid to say that."I'm passionate about it, so know why you doing it." To prove he's serious, he grabs a board and jumps onto his ramps on his rooftop. He skates a little bit, but he really doesn’t to anything noteworthy, admitting, "I'm in the process of learning, but I'm trying." He said that he saw a kid at the age of 9 doing various tricks on T.V and he wanted to do some of the tricks this kid did, so he went out and bought a board because of him.  He also added by saying, "your kid is watching me skate and he wants to play outside, I'm making the world a better place because I'm helping with childhood obesity". After these remarks he goes on about other various topics but these claims above stuck to me. I noticed that his faulty logic supported circular reasoning and I found a opposite parallel in which Ralph Waldo Emerson argues in "Self Reliance". He believes that insisting on yourself , never imitate. Your own gift can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life's cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only an extemporaneous half possession...." Emerson argues to be your own individual and try not to imitate others. I just found it interesting that someone that has such a global impact would want his fan base not to believe in Transcendentalism like Emerson does but to follow the actions of other successful people in the world.

Romantisism

THIS IS A REDO OF MY ROMATISISM BLOG FROM THE PREVIOUS WEEK.

Romantism is defined as movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, nature, and subjectivity.

This is why I think that there is a lot of Romantism in Washington D.C. I went there on vacation a couple years ago and didn't really appreciate it that much, to tell you the truth. But I did notice the romatism in it. All the things built in it all symbolyed Romantism now that I think about it.

Each special thing built in D.C was inspiring and stood for something. And it all fits in beacuse alot of it was all around nature.

THE EXAMPLE I WOULD LIKE TO FOCUS ON IS THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL. For one, it's around a lot of nature and obviously you can say it stands for freedom because of what Lincoln contributed to the American society. Lincoln established the emancipation proclamation which helped with the overwelming issue of slaves. In that time this was a different approch then had ever been taken and this stood out tremendesly. Lincoln was even assassinated by one of his political opposers. He died trying to make U.S. a better place with his extreamly untraditional ways.

So when I say the Lincoln memorial was Romantic, one may truely understand what I mean by it. The Lincoln memorial stands not only for the subjectivity of freedom, but also for change and rememberance. And if one doesn't see the memorial as inspiering, than that person must not know who Abraham Lincoln was.

 

Romanticism on the Discovery Channel?

Planet Earth is a series of documentaries that is a compilation of Nature's different landscapes. The show is filled with amazing video-clips of animals in nature. The show has little narration and is only really telling you what type of animals they are filming and what they are doing. I thought that the show Planet Earth was a good example of romanticism in our media today.

Romanticism was a movement in the arts that originated in Europe in the mid 18th century that involved less contemplating and understanding things, to just appreciating the things just for what they are. Focusing on beauty and the all types of emotions. Planet Earth made you feel all sorts of emotions, emotions that are fairly hard to explain. However, i can tell you that when you are watching the deep ocean scenes, scorching hot dessert scenes, jungles scenes, or arctic scenes, you feel different emotions for each one. Also each landscape had it's own sort of beauty. This was not your typical nature documentary because it had zero focus on trying to explain things. The images themselves where mentally stimulating enough.

I myself enjoy Planet Earth, however I do not care much for other romanticism works, because I don't believe in the discouragement of knowledge. Because ignorance is bliss, but ignorance is also mainly why we have genocide and wars in our world. Knowledge is power and the more we try to understand the less we let our emotions make the irrational decisions and instead we act through reason and understanding making ourselves closer to a peaceful world.