That Happens in the World? (Reading Assignment VII)

1. Mansfield seems to be showing the difference between the wealthier class of Laura with their perfect garden parties and lack of needing to care about the outside world and the poorer class of Mrs. Scott who now faces the loss of a husband and possibly the ability to feed her children. I believe this shows the differences between the wealthy and the poor classes of the story and the fact the wealthy class may not care for the plight of the poor class until something drastic happens.

2. The perfect weather and setting of the garden at the beginning of the story shows the quality of life for the wealthier class of the story. The fact that the roses were able the only type of flower to be known by the majority of guests can show that the class cares for nothing outside the normality of their life. The darkness of the poor people's section of the road contrasts the beauty seen earlier at the Sheridan's house.

After reading the other three responses, I would think that I began to the social differences and the fact that the wealthy avoid contact with the poor down the road. I could point out a few of the details leading to this conclusion such as the roses being the only flower the guests cared to recognize.

The comparison between Laura and Persephone adds to the idea that Laura's class believed themselves to be better then the poor below them. The comparison between the descent of Laura from her Olympus and Persephone gives a greater representation that she now entered a world unknown and different from her own. The comparison between Demeter and Mrs. Sheridan creates the character a greater meaning to the growing independence of Laura rather then simply being Laura's mother.

Scars Show Meaning (Reading Assignment VI)

Interlude

An archetype can be thought of as a strong part of a story that other creators reuse in their own story as the archetype helps their own story and creates a connection between the other stories and the story being seen or read by the audience.
One archetypal story that can commonly found in fiction would be an unlikely hero fighting against a returning evil from the past. The Lord of the Rings may be one of the most famous versions of the story. Frodo, a normally peaceful hobbit, must rid the world of the ring to stop Sauron while the evil lord returns to hunt for the ring.

Chapter 21

The scar on Harry Potter's forehead sets him apart from the other characters in his world and even gives some sort of insight into his character. The shape also gives more distinction from a normal scar.
The scar on Harry Potter was given to him when he was a baby by the evil lord Voldemort. The evil wizard attempted to kill the child along with his mother and father. The lightning bolt left behind represents the second that the great evil was destroyed. The speed at which Voldemort was destroyed can be compared to lightning striking during a storm.
The placement of the scar on Harry's forehead may give a reason for the whispers of Voldemort to directly affect the young wizard's concentration and cause a headache. The scar's place on Harry's body shows where the connection between him and Voldemort lies.
The lightning bolt shape of the scar can give a representation of the reason Harry makes such an impact on the characters around him. Lightning announces itself in a great flash that nearly all in the immediate area can see. The loud crash of thunder that follows certainly disturbs the people that are close enough. Harry commonly becomes noticed in his environment and creates an even greater reason to be noticed after he has appeared.

Beaten Awake (Reading Assignment V)

*Spoilers are possible*

The recreation of a character through a experience that they could have died from allows the character to do what they may have otherwise not done. In the movie, Kung Fu Hustle, the main character, Sing, desires to be a member of the murderous Axe Gang, who have become the biggest gang in Canton, China. Sing and his friend, Bone seem to be hopeless in their attempts to impress the Axe Gang due to a lack of ruthlessness. Sing eventually gains membership into the Axe Gang after using his ability to pick locks and releasing an assassin from prison.

Sing becomes the accidental target of the escaped assassin. The fight between the two men results in Sing's face being smashed deep into the ground. Two kung fu masters save Sing from the monstrous assassin and bandage the beaten Sing. When Sing emerges from the bandages, he has now become one of the greatest kung fu geniuses in history. Sing transforms into an entirely new person with skills and the desire to perform good deeds.

Fears for the Future (Reading Assignment IV)

Aldous Huxley's Brave New World can definitely be considered a political novel. The story of the novel contains a world full of pleasure and lacking unhappiness and a world where the people live on the land with little technology. The world of pleasure contains a place where humans are grown in test tubes and the young children are conditioned accept sex as a recreational activity. The adults use a drug called soma in order to escape the world and have their own paradise.

The novel can be seen as a reaction to the growing use of sex and drugs in the culture of America. The novel was completed in 1932, after the flappers of the roaring twenties finished their rebellion of the traditional ideas of what a women should wear and do. The book, however, was written before a time where sex and drugs would almost resemble the society of Brave New World, the 1970s. The use of LSD and other drugs as a escape from reality into a personal paradise resembles the activities in the novel. Huxley warned of the change from reproduction to recreation for sex and the increased use of drugs in the every day society of the world. The novel targets the society of the world and attempts to show a new world that may deter or encourage the culture from the path it now began to follow.

Lurking In the Fog (Assignment III)

The use of fog in the novel, Dracula, that accompanied the areas of Dracula's interest allowed a further detailing of the diabolical count. Each of the hero feared for their life as the fog dispersed the evil, allowing the monster to plan for their next encounter. The fog symbolized the mystery of the count as another part of the plan to infiltrate London began to appear following some of the fog. Van Helsing and his companions were generally ignorant on how to handle the situation. The count's fog trapped the fighters of evil in the ignorance until the fog dispersed. The departure of the fog allowed the men to discover a new knowledge for the fight against Dracula.