Princess Mouseskin and The Privilege Purge

    There once was a king that had three daughters. He pondered which daughter loved him most and decided to have them each declare their love for him. The oldest daughter stated that she loved him more than the citizens of the kingdom combined. The middle daughter proclaimed that her love for the king is greater than jewels and pearls. The youngest daughter did not know how to explain how much she loved her father. Rather than comparing her love to material things, she stated she loved him more than salt. The king was furious at the response as he found salt to be a mere commoners good. In his rage, he sent one of his servants to take the youngest daughter to the forest and behead her.

    The king failed to realize the servant he sent to transport and kill the young princess was her lover. While the two were in the forest, the princess began to plot her revenge for her father’s banishment and attempted execution over a misinterpreted compliment. She decided to find a way to remove her father from power so that she may inherit the kingdom and give the citizens a fair ruler. She planned to disguise herself for a few months as a servant for a neighboring king, then revealing herself so that she may marry him. She decided to title this plan the Privilege Purge. She informed her lover of her plan and asked that he find her a mouseskin to wear. Even though he is confused by this request, the servant went out and skinned more than 50 mice to create a skin large enough to cover the princess. The princess traveled to the neighboring kingdom and worked as a servant to the other king. While in the king’s service, the princess remained in contact with her lover to make sure the plan was working. The king would throw food often at the princess, but these actions only served to empower the princess in her plot. She decided to rid this kingdom of its rude and selfish ruler as well.
 
    After months of serving the king, the princess revealed herself to the king. Amazed by her beauty, the king demanded that she marry him. She agreed to this arrangement, as it made her plan much simpler. About a week following the wedding, the newlyweds were alone eating in the palace’s dining room. They had chicken and vegetables for dinner, with wine to drink. What the king did not know was that the queen had poisoned the wine with drain cleaner. When the king drank the concoction, he began to convulse and within minutes died. The princess organized it to appear as though the king committed suicide following their dinner. When the king was found dead, the kingdom mourned their loss with their queen. The queen took over the kingdom as a result.
 
    A month after the passing of the king the queen invited the king of the neighboring kingdom, her father, his remaining daughters, and her father’s servant, her lover, for a dinner. Her father and sisters arrived prepared to enjoy the dinner without any problems. Once the trio received their food, they were disgusted by the lack of seasoning. The king declared that salt was necessary, which brought back memories of his beloved youngest daughter. The queen revealed herself to her father and sisters. She reprimanded them for declaring the necessity of salt now, when almost a year ago the princess declared her love for her father was greater than that and was banished. She seemed to forgive them and asked her father’s servant to fetch them salt from the royal kitchen. The servant knew this as his cue to grab the alternative substance for seasoning, arsenic. The poison was placed into a salt container to remain unsuspecting. The servant poured some of the substance onto the food of the trio and left them to “enjoy”. Before eating the freshly seasoned food, the king declared if anything were to happen to him or his daughters that the youngest daughter would have control of his kingdom. The queen smirked at this declaration, as it shows that everything is working in her plan. The queen encouraged them to eat the newly seasoned food. Once the trio take a few bites of the meal, they began to convulse just as the former king did. The three die in the room while the queen and servant gaze upon each other longingly, realizing they no longer have to hide their love. When the neighboring kingdom discovers the death of their beloved royalty, the citizens mourn for them, yet rejoice in the discovery that their favorite princess lived on to become the queen of another kingdom. As a part of her birthright, the queen inherited the other kingdom and began to rule both kingdoms in a loving manner. The queen finally married the servant, making him the king. The two ruled the kingdoms fairly and refused to allow themselves to be as shallow and vain as the kings and princesses were. Their plot was complete as they cleansed the kingdoms of selfish and horrible rulers who did not deserve the kindness they expected to be given to them.

Who is More Primitive: Natives or Ourselves?

Upon arriving in the region, my group was set on maintaining peaceful relations with the natives. Early on, we were challenged by the tumultuous weather and faced a problem: we had no resources to rely upon during this harsh weather. As a result, we had to utilize force against the natives to get them to extract more resources for our survival during the trip. This first conflict with the natives gave me time to analyze what the outcome of the trip may be. Following the conflict, I began to realize that the trip can be successful in the abundance of resources as well as staying on good terms with the natives. About every three months, my group used force to gain more resources from the natives, but we still were on good terms with them. Tragedy struck when a typhoon hit the area, damaging the stability we had in the area. Rather than merely using the resources we already had, we pressed the natives for more. We never ended on bad terms with the natives luckily. By the end of the trip, we had collected about three months’ worth of resources, which makes a decent profit for our homeland.

The time taken in this environment exposed me to so much. In surrounding areas, many were set upon being peaceful with the natives and ended up successful in their profits. The few colonization attempts that were based around utilizing brute force failed to produce as successful results compared to those centered on peace. The primary issue that was revealed unto me during this expedition is that force is the only way that we believe we can get resources from the natives. Rather than completing something such as an exchange or barter of some sort, we immediately rely upon merciless violence to gain a few more resources. This reliance upon brute force to reach a means shows the intimidating nature of non-natives for the purpose of accomplishing some simple goal. The natives helped us not only survive during the year, but also gathered more resources when we demanded, yet the thanks we give them is brutality. It is disturbing to think that this is the manner in which we reward those who help us. There might have been some other way to gather surplus, but we explorers refused to believe there was no other way than brutality. This examination has introduced me to the idea that we as a people have not evolved enough from our former selves to understand that there are some other ways that we could have approached these natives and still received the same amount, if not more resources as a result. We allow ourselves to strip humanity away from these natives for the sake of financial stability, which degrades the character of our people as a whole. The natives understood what they had to do, but felt no need to fight back against us when they had multiple opportunities to do so. This form of patience evident in the tribe reveals the lack thereof in our people. It makes me question who is more primitive: the natives or ourselves? We must strive to realize that although we assume tribesmen appear to be savages, they may be more advanced than what meets the eye.

Don't Stand Next to Batman, Just Support Him from Afar

   Now I shall avoid befriending the hero at all costs. When I glanced upon the title of Chapter 10, I assumed that the author would proclaim that any friend of the hero is deemed practically irrelevant for most of the story. Reading the chapter introduced me to the idea of being merely acquainted with the hero is better than a full-fledged friendship with the hero, particularly in literature. It’s wonderful to establish a relationship with the lead, but the result of a strong friendship with the hero is some form of suffering for the friend(s). Whether it be a minor injury, loss of a loved one, or even their own death, the friends of the heroes seem to suffer for their love and respect of the hero.

   A person becomes friends with someone else out of kindness or out of a common interest. Some friendships even begin during childhood and last a lifetime. These friendships grow and mature and the friends will almost appear inseparable. In literature, the establishment of which character is the lead or hero hints that the close friend of the hero is practically a sidekick only used to further the story. Somehow, the friend ends up suffering even though the story is not about them. This suffering will often anger the hero, which gives the story the push it needs to continue. It is scary to know that any close friend of a hero is subject to some form of torture just to continue the hero’s story.

   This chapter actually made me think about the relationship between DC Comics characters Batman and Red Hood. Now everyone knows that Batman has a faithful sidekick by the name of Robin, but not everyone knows that there is more than one Robin. In total there are about five Robins, but one in particular does not have a great remaining relationship with the Dark Knight. The second Robin, whose real name is Jason Todd, was a rebellious Robin. He appeared to be arrogant and driven, in the sense that he would do anything to dish out justice. Because of his closeness to Batman, Todd is put in the position of standing behind the hero. Sadly, he is the only Robin to face this particular issue of being beside the Dark Knight. When Todd locates his biological mother, he is captured by the Joker. The Joker then beats Todd relentlessly with a crowbar. To end Todd entirely, the Joker plants a bomb in the warehouse in which Todd is trapped. Batman attempts to save Todd, as Todd also tries to escape on his own, but both fail. The loss of his second Robin drives Batman to truly care for future Robins. Surprisingly, Todd is brought back from the dead and experiences the Lazarus Pits. The Lazarus Pits had damaged his mind and brought him to what is believed to be insanity. Once brought back to life, Todd becomes the Red Hood, a persona first created by the Joker. Todd still holds some resentment towards his former mentor, but seeks vengeance against the one that ended his life, the Joker. This comic book story arc connects to the idea that standing next to the hero only leads to one’s demise, while the hero is expecting to rage as a result and continue the story.

   Hopefully, this same idea of not being next to the hero does not apply to the real world as often as it does in literature and films. 

Bloodsuckers... Without the Blood

What is with our society’s obsession with the supernatural and undead? Year round there are novels, television shows, and films about ghosts, zombies, vampires, and anything else that goes bump in the night. Although my generation grew up with some interest in the paranormal as evident in the Goosebumps series and the television show “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”, popular culture has now turned this simple fascination into a full blown industry and obsession. It seems as though there is no longer a need to save scary films and television specials for Halloween, as year round a new horror film or teen novel is out giving teenage girls, and even a few guys, the idea that vampires, werewolves, and the like are simply interesting and sexy.

            The supernatural creatures that have experienced this the most is the vampires. No longer are these bloodsuckers seen as terrifying creatures of the night that seduce their victims in order to maintain youth, vampires are now perceived to be misunderstood creatures looking for love with a few benefits (blood, sex, etc.) that sparkle when exposed to the sun as opposed to burning to ashes. Although not all vampires have been introduced as such in popular culture, this is just the general perception of this particular category of undead. One aspect that apparently has not been altered is the vampires’ ability to seduce victims or lovers simply by utilizing their looks.

            Although that is what the literal interpretation of a vampire has become, we fail to acknowledge there is more to a “vampire” than being extremely attractive and sucking one’s blood. There is the idea of draining the life, or youthfulness, out of a person so that the vampire may maintain their looks and appear younger than what they truly are. Once all the life is drained from the victim, the victim is disposed of entirely as they are seen to be of no use to the vampire any longer as well as others. This can be interpreted in a realistic sense. Vampires do what they want to make sure that they survive and care for no one else’s needs but their own. Sound familiar? So often we hear about the ridiculous conditions workers of other nations are forced to go through simply because the CEO or head of the particular department could care less what actually happens to the workers so long as the amount of money received continues to increase for themselves. This level of selfishness and draining of one’s energy and life shows the prominence of symbolic vampirism.

            This new outlook reminds me of Lord of the Flies in such a way I would have never understood back in 7^th grade. The young boys stranded on the island are stripped of their simple adolescence and are forced to become mature young adults that can take care of one another. Before you know it, these same young boys become corrupted with the demand for power and respect that they can no longer be seen as youthful and exuberant, but as cruel and demanding. It is terrifying to think that responsibility has symbolically drained the life from the older set of boys, while the naïve younger boys are forced to suffer the consequences for not maturing as swiftly as the others. This vampirism is quite similar to that in which Foster explained in the book.

            Now that I understand vampirism can be interpreted symbolically and literally, it is easy for me to see that we live in a world full of vampires, whether we like to admit it or not.

http://stottilien.com/2013/07/24/6805/

Quests...Quests Everywhere!

    When I began reading How to Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas C. Foster, I had no idea that it would bring back memories of previous English classes. I assumed that I would be reading a book that drones on about how to read a particular text with no actual explanation and no real life connection. Once I opened the book and began to analyze the information, I realized that the assumption was incorrect in every way.

    The first chapter alone has had me recount all of the valuable information I learned back in 7th, 8th, and 9th grade English classes. My former teachers would be so proud to know that I now understand what they meant and expected when they told the class to analyze the text on a deeper level. Simple-minded middle school me may not have understood what was asked, but soon-to-be a high school senior me understands. 

     The topic of quests in literature and films have followed me since middle school. It began with learning the different plot setups on a basic level. Then the analysis became more intense once we reached Ancient Greek literature, in particular epic poetry, and Shakespearean writings. It was from this basis that I learned how common quests were for any novel or movie, not matter what the genre. Novels such as The Hobbit seemed to have connected with films like Spider-Man, even if the connection originally seemed far fetched. 

     One novel that I can finally understand the deeper meaning for is Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. Little 7th grade me is joyous at the fact that I can now claim to understand what my former teacher was asking of me without any question, even if it did take almost five years. The setup of the plot follows the quest formula quite well even with a few alterations in the form of plot twists. There are the questers, Meggie and Mo; the intended location which originally it was to Meggie's Aunt Elinor's home, but over time it changes to a secret village; the stated reason which was to fix a few old books;

challenges to be faced which were Capricorn, selfish and evil man, and his men; and of course the real reason for the journey, to end the torture in which Capricorn has inflicted upon Mo and his friends, as well as discovering that Meggie has the same abilities as her father.

    Once I truly acknowledged this setup, it became so obvious how so many book series and movie franchises use this exact outline to make their novels and films major hits. The power that this plot setup has is evident in franchises and "fandoms" such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Although both series started out as novels, they turned into full on hits that were able to be converted into films for all of the world to see. No one seemed to question what assisted the growth in popularity for the two franchises, but now it becomes clear that having a simple plot outline mixed in with witty and mythical characters as well as dramatic plot twists was something all readers and moviegoers could admit to be popular.

Now all I can do is laugh at how oblivious I was to the popularity of quests and enjoy that the previous five years of English are about to truly pay off.

http://www.teachwithmovies.org/heros-journey-and-archetypes.html