Final Blog

Well were finally done! After an entire semester of fairy tales I'm glad to take a break. But even after this semester I know I'll never be done reading fairy tales. This class has definitly tought me that so many stories are connected from fairy tales. I cant wait to keep reading more!

Final Thoughts on His Dark Materials

I really really liked the Dark Materials trilogy. It was such an easy light read that I found myself reading for hours and not even noticing. I would sit down expecting to read for only about an hour but when I finally looked at the clock almost 3 hours had passed.

The Golden Compass.
I thought this was a great book and when I started it I thought it was going to be a lot like the movie yet when I was finished it was completely different then the film. It was much darker and a lot less light hearted. The ending was also extremely different. In the film they all sail off happily on their way to save her father yet in the book she leads her best friend Roger into the hands of her father who kills him trying to open a portal into a new world. I also thought the interaction between Mrs. Coulters Daemon and her Uncle's was kinda strange.
Found this poem on Wiki


Into this wilde Abyss,
The Womb of nature and perhaps her Grave,
Of neither Sea, nor Shore, nor Air, nor Fire,
But all these in their pregnant causes mixt
Confus'dly, and which thus must ever fight,
Unless th' Almighty Maker them ordain
His dark materials to create more Worlds,
Into this wilde Abyss the warie fiend
Stood on the brink of Hell and look'd a while,
Pondering his Voyage; for no narrow frith
He had to cross.
— Book 2, lines 910–92

The Subtle Knife
I thought this book was way better then the first one. It definitely answered a lot more questions about Dust and Daemons. It seems like I was constantly tabbing pages and writing down questions. I also really like Will and I thought that it was interesting when Lyra knew she could trust will due to the fact that he was a murderer. She decided that murderers were trustworthy people and she felt safe around him. I have know idea why she thinks killers are trustworthy but whatever.
I also got super excited when the computer finally began talking to Mary on pg 481 and told her she could find the portal in Sunderland Ave. I thought that was so cool but it was way to late at night to tell anyone and no one would be as excited as me about it.

I also thought it was really gross when Iorek ate Lee Scoresby. I just thought it was kinda nasty.

The Amber Spyglass
This was the most confusing book in the series. I really didn't know who's side I was on anytime. I didnt know if I should be angry at Mrs. Coulter for keeping Lyra in the cave or if I should feel sorry for her because Lyra hates her so much. I think that Pill wants his readers to be questioning Mrs. Coulters love for Lyra so the reader can be thrown around just at much as Lyra. I also didn't even know how he parents felt about Lyra and the Authority and I was really shocked that they sacrificed their lives so Lyra can have a happy and full life. I never saw that coming and I was totally shocked. I doubted her feelings for lyra the entire book. But then when they turned out to be completely selfless I was glad that they truly loved her.
I was also glad he told us what Will's Daemon was, I was hoping that he would the entire book. I knew that it was going to be a cat.

I did really enjoy reading the books and I will definitely recommend them to my family and friends.

Final Thoughts on Alice In Sunderland

I just have to say I really did like the Alice in Sunderland novel. I loved how there was so much to look at and even after looking at the novel over and over there was still so much to see. The one thing though was it did get pretty boring after a while but there was just enough little side stories and interesting facts that kept me interested.
My favorite pages in the book were the paintings they dissected and looked at. There was so much in those paintings that I didn't notice half the details.
I also really liked the story about the Lambton Worm. I thought the drawings were great and extremely well done.
I really like the dream sequences he did and some of them were really interesting and made me think a little bit. A couple times I had to reread the pages and figure out how everything worked together. Like the scene where he walks into the theater and Tweedle Dee and Dum dress him up and he steps out on stage as the Rabbit guy from the beginning. Except when Tweedle Dee looks at the reader he looks kinda creepy.

Yet there was so much in the novel I don't think I could ever be done finding new things.

Last Thoughts on Through the Looking Glass

This was also my second time reading Through the Looking Glass and I must say I think I like it a little better then the first one. There are a few things I like better. I like how there is an underlying theme throughout the story, I like the chess game thats always present and also I like how Alice takes a more independent stance. In Wonderland Alice was just a little scared girl and in this one she was independent and more determined. There was also a goal she was striving for the entire book. No matter that this book was just as chaotic there was still a method to her maddness. Unlike the other one you knew where it was headed and could follow the story a little better. The entire story she is moving forward to becoming a queen and you could track her movements.

One of my favoriet parts in the story is the fight between the Unicorn and the Lion. I just thought it was hilarious how they fight so hard for a crown that neither one of them could have. And I like how the king just laughs it off and thinks nothing of it.

Final Thoughts on Alice

Well with this being my third time reading Alice in Wonderland I didnt expect to learn anything new or see anything differently, but after our class discussions and reading some blogs I figured I really couldn't expect not to learn anything new. I never read very deeply into much of the stories like Tweedle Dee and Dum and Humpty Dumpty. I didnt really think about any of the characters and where they came from, I thought it was interesting that the Dodo bird originated from Lewis Carroll and his stutter. And the struggle between the artist Tenniel and Carroll. I never knew that Carroll was so picky and even took out a chapter because he wasn't satisfied with his drawings called the Wasp and the Wig.

I think my favorite character in the book is Bill the Lizard. When ever I think of Bill I cant help but think of the Bill from the movie, this little green chimney sweeping lizard with an English accent who's just along for the ride. I picture him being pulled up the chimney by the Dodo bird and being shoved in to help push Alice out of the house.

The only thing that has'nt changed after reading Alice is I still really dont like it. I hated the movie as a child and I thought I would like the book better because books are always better then the film but I didnt like it any better. I guess I just dont like how chaotic it is but I cant complain because thats what the book is suppose to be like but I get way to distracted and stop reading. The one good thing about the sporadic movement of the book is that it keeps the reader guessing and you never know whats going to be coming next.

When blogging about Dreams I came across a website about dream interpretations and dream dictionaries. I thought it would be interesting if anyone wanted to find out what their dreams mean. Click here.

Alice Poetry

I found this poem while internet surfing and thought it was good.

Alice
Alice was a friend of mine
until she disappeared
She followed a forbidden path
the one I've always feared
The rabbit who was running fast
was white and very hurried
Alice wondered after him
and thats when I got worried
So curious was Alice she did not even see
And tumbled deep into a hole
beside a maple tree
She had to find the rabbit
to see why he was rushed
By the time she landed upside-down
Her face was slightly flushed
On this quest her whole world changed
she lost all track of time
She hung around strange people
who only spoke in rhyme
Friendships didn't last and
Un birthdays called for tea
She had to try and ditch two boys
Tweedledum and Tweedledee
She wandered through a garden
and the flowers called her names
They thought she was a deadly weed
and would not play her games
Once she met a Caterpillar
who smoked a big strange pipe
She recited poems to him,
but all he did was gripe
He told her to eat mushrooms
to change the way she was
Alice knew not how to be
and ate them just because
The ups and downs were tiring
and Alice wanted out
The madness that surrounded her
just made her want to shout
Finally she found her way
into the light once more
And now her story can be bought
at every Disney store

By Breelynn

So Brittini and I were watching TV and since we couldn't get The Little Mermaid to work we decided to put in Happily Never After. A movie where the story of Cinderella is completely altered and the wicked stepmother takes control. I just thought it would be fitting, if were going to be busy blogging about fairy tales all night, why don't we watch some.

Beast Husband

So I was wondering the other day while watching TV why the idea of the Beast Husband could be attractive to anyone. Why would a woman fall in love with some one so verbally abusive and ugly. But then as I began to think about it there are tons of movies and books based on the idea of a woman breaking the hard shell of the beast and making him fall in love with her. Some examples are the famous Pride and Prejudice from Jane Austin, where Elizabeth turns the rock hard Mr. Darcy into puddy. It Happend One Night, The Princess Bride, and Wuthering Heights.

I think its just the idea that this one person who hates all others can only be soften by you is romantic and its an idea that women just seem to be attracted to. There are hundreds of romance novels that are surrounded around the idea that the scary man who is feared by all can be turned into soft romantic. Girls just want to be that one person that can make that change.

Even superhero's have their lady's that only get to know the real person underneath the costume. I think its also a power thing. This person who is feared and respected by all can be made to do anything you ask.

My favorite quote from My Big Fat Greek Weding is
"The man is the head of the family but the woman is the neck and she can turn the head any way she wants."

When I was in high school one of my favorite books was called the Sevenwaters Trilogy and I had no idea that it was a Grimm fairy tale until today
Daughter of the Forest Daughter of the Forest is based loosely on "The Six Swans" Sorcha must sew six shirts from a painful nettle plant in order to save her brothers from a witch's enchantment. They have been turned into Swans and can only be returned to their true forms if she creates a shirt for each brother with her own hands - and she must remain completely mute until the task is finished. But Sorcha falls in love, and this complicates her mission.

Six brothers have been turned into swans by their evil stepmother. They can only take their human forms for fifteen minutes every evening. In order to free them, their sister must make six shirts out of starwort for her brothers, and neither speak nor laugh for six years. A king finds her doing this, is taken by her beauty and marries her. When the Queen has given birth to their first child, the King's wicked mother takes away the child and accuses the Queen, and again with the second and the third. The third time, the Queen is sentenced to be burned at the stake. On the day of her execution, she has all but finished making the shirts for her brothers; only the last shirt misses a left arm. When she is brought to the stake she takes the shirts with her, and when she is about to be burned, six swans come flying through the air. She throws the shirts over her brothers and they regain their human form, except for the youngest brother, who is left with a swan's wing instead of a left arm (in some versions she does not finish the sixth shirt in time, and the youngest brother is left as a swan.) The Queen, now free to speak, can defend herself against the accusations. Her mother-in-law is burned at the stake instead.

I guess it just shows that everything stems from fairy tales and even unintentionally I cannot keep myself away from reading them.

Another one of my favorite fairy tales my mother used to read to me was The Twelve Dancing Princesses. Its about a King who has Twelve Daughter who sneak out of their rooms each night to dance and each night they wear out a pair of shoes. The King who is curious about how the girls wear out their shoes decides to hold a competition for the men in the kingdom. He says whoever can figure out what the girls do each night can marry which ever one he chooses.

I remember whenever my mom would read this to me, my sisters and I would dress up in her silk fabric and force my little brother to dance around the room with us. I always wanted to be one of those princesses who went dancing each night.

OZ

I was watching TV the other day while blogging and I turned on Romy and Micheles: In the beginning and figured just how close it is to the Wizard of OZ. Well Romy and Michele go to Hollywood to start a new career and becomes actresses. Then she meets a woman who is a complete witch and her cleaning lady throws out 2 red pairs of shoes. She demands they take them off and throughout the rest of the movie the woman is constantly trying to get her red shoes back. There are a few small hints other then the shoes, like when Romy says "Were not in Tuscon anymore."

Six degrees of Seperation

I was never very good at this game so I never wanted to play or even try so when we talked about it in class I thought it would be fun to play a little game by myself. I just went on IMDB and looked at an Will Ferrell and tried to connect him to a bunch of people. I thought he was perfect because he was on Saturday Night Live and everyone makes an appearance on SNL.

Group Work

Well now that our group presented their project I am glad that I can blog about it. I had a great time with my group and I think that we all did a wonderful job working together. I had a great time taking all the pictures, even though we overtook the Hauf for like the entire morning and I had to wear crazy makeup for a while.

Favorite Alice

I was reading the beginning of Alice and found my favorite part. It was the part about the snow falling and how beautiful it looks. I love the snow and this is exactly how the snow makes me feel.

Do you hear the snow against the window-panes, Kitty? How nice and soft it sounds! Just as if some one was kissing the window all over outside. I wonder if the snow LOVES the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again."

Impossible Things

I was thinking about impossible things and it made me think about a few stupid things i did over the years.

One day my sister and I were at home watching the Amanda Bynes show on TV and the opening credits shows her flipping through the channels and then finally jumping into the TV. Well I had this brilliant Idea that I was going to try and jump through the TV as well. Well I didn't mean to actually jump into the TV I was going to pretend and try and make my sister laugh but I ran a little faster then I intended and smashed my head into the TV. It was pretty embarrassing and my sister just shook her head at me and laughed.

Another dumb moment I had was a few years ago when my other sister and I were watching the science channel. We were watching about astronauts and loosing muscle in space. Then out of nowhere I turn to my sister and ask her if they loose muscle why don't they just turn on the artificial gravity. I truly had no idea that artificial gravity didn't exist. I assumed if so many movies had it then it must be true. I was pretty ashamed but I'm not against laughing at myself.

I thought those were pretty funny and almost related to impossible things. Like artificial gravity and jumping into TV's.

His Dark Materials

So I was talking with my roomate Brittini the other day and we were trying to figure out what type of Deamon I would be and she decided that I would be a Tiger. I looked up a bunch of different animal personalities and I definitly think the Tiger fits me. I looked at the Chinese Zodiac and found the Tiger and I am also born in the year of the Tiger. Tigers are also my favorite animal so I was excited that she thought it fit.

Tiger personality traitsOne of the most dynamic signs in the Chinese zodiac, Tigers are by turns fascinating, commanding, and exasperating.
They are patient but short-tempered, calm but rebellious, petty but noble, fearsome but affectionate, free spirits but fiercely territorial.

With their many & various personality traits, Tigers are also - not surprisingly - noted for a marked reluctance to make up their minds.

What makes them magnetic and commanding figures is the absolute loyalty and affection they show for those they love. With a natural air of authority, Tigers easily earn the respect and admiration of those who love them in return.

While domesticated Tigers are quite happy among familiar surroundings, they are just as apt to fly off on an adventure at a moment's notice. Unpredictable and emotional, they can become quite fearless when standing up for themselves or others, and often hold definitive views on how to right the wrongs of society.

At work, Tigers show natural leadership ability, but prefer to work alone. They usually excel as business managers, social activists, explorers, or travel writers.

11/7
You dont think those are real tears do you? When we talked about this I remember thinking about the Matrix and how it is so closely tied to Alice in Wonderland. So I went online and found a few quotes from the Matrix.

Morpheus: I imagine that right now, you're feeling a bit like Alice. Hmm? Tumbling down the rabbit hole?

Neo: You could say that.
Morpheus: I see it in your eyes. You have the look of a man who accepts what he sees because he is expecting to wake up. Ironically, that's not far from the truth. Do you believe in fate, Neo? Neo: No.

Morpheus: Why not?

Neo: Because I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life.

Morpheus: I know *exactly* what you mean. Let me tell you why you're here. You're here because you know something. What you know you can't explain, but you feel it. You've felt it your entire life, that there's something wrong with the world. You don't know what it is, but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad. It is this feeling that has brought you to me. Do you know what I'm talking about?
Neo: The Matrix.

Neo: Why do my eyes hurt?
Morpheus: You've never used them before.

Morpheus: Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?

Morpheus: You've been living in a dream world, Neo.

Morpheus: Do you believe that my being stronger or faster has anything to do with my muscles in this place? Do you think that's air you're breathing now?

Morpheus: What is "real"? How do you define "real"?

11/7
Class Themes

History
Art
Dream
Myth
Coincidence

Tweedle Dee and Tweetle Dum

These are probably the most annoying characters in the History of fairy tales. Just something about them annoys me completly so I thought I would Blog about them. I dont know why I wanted to blog about them but I thought I would.

According to Wiki they first made their appearance in a poem by John Byrom.

Some say, compar'd to Bononcini
That Mynheer Handel's but a Ninny
Others aver, that he to Handel
Is scarcely fit to hold a Candle
Strange all this Difference should be
'Twixt Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee

In the Poem by Lewis Carroll they are annoying young boys but in the movie their like creepy old men. I just really dont like them and so i thought I would tell everyone.

I was reading Alice in Sunderland and my favorite part was the story about the Lambtom Worm. I thought it was interesting how the story of the Lambtom worm helped influence the Jabberwocky poem and maybe even the Lock Ness Monster. I think it was the only real thing that I remebered about the graphic novel. So I thought that I would do a little more research about the story and I found a song I thought that was interesting.

One Sunday mornin' Lambton went

A-fishing in the Wear;

An' catched a fish upon he's heuk

He thowt leuk't vary queer.

But whatt'n a kind ov fish it was

Young Lambton cudden't tell-

He waddn't fash te carry'd hyem,

So he hoyed it doon a well
ChorusWhisht! lads, haad yor gobs,

An' aa'll tell ye aall an aaful story,

Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,

An' Aa'll tel ye 'boot the worm.
Noo Lambton felt inclined te gan

An' fight i' foreign wars.

He joined a troop ov Knights that cared

For nowther woonds nor scars,

An' off he went te Palestine

Where queer things him befel,

An varry seun forgat aboot

The queer worm i' the well.
But the worm got fat an' growed an' growed,

An' growed an aaful size;

He'd greet big teeth, a greet big gob,

An greet big goggle eyes.

An' when at neets he craaled aboot

Te pick up bits o' news,

If he felt dry upon the road,

He milked a dozen coos.
This feorful worm would often feed

On caalves an' lambs an' sheep,

An' swally little bairns alive

When they laid doon te sleep.

An when he'd eaten aall he cud

An' he had had he's fill,

He craaled away an' lapped he's tail

Ten times roond Pensher Hill.
The news ov this myest aaful worm

An' his queer gannins on

Seun crossed the seas, gat te the ears

Ov brave an' bowld Sor John.

So hyem he cam an' catched the beast

An' cut 'im in twe haalves,

An' that seun stopped hes eatin' bairns

An' sheep an' lambs an' caalves.

So noo ye knaa hoo aall the foaks

On byeth sides ov the Wear

Lost lots o' sheep an' lots o' sleep

An leeved i' mortal feor.

So let's hev one te brave Sor John

That kept the bairns frae harm,

Saved coos an' calves by myekin' haalve
O' the famis Lambton Worm.

My Paper

So for my paper I wanted to write about curiosity and why its OK for young boys and men to be curious and its even encouraged. I thought about a bunch of different fairy tales where the boys are rewarded for their curiosity. I thought about Sleeping Beauty where the prince is curious about Briar Rose and goes into the castle to find her and ends up winning her love and Jack and the Beanstalk were going up into the clouds where he finds his fortune.
But after thinking about it I decided to write my paper on Time and Confusion. I wanted to write about how children think about Time. I worked in a day care over the summer so I was given the opportunity to hang out with kids for around 7 hours a day. It was fun to watch how they interacted with each other. They were always wanting to wear my watch and be grown ups and play doctor and write in little day planners. So I decided that I wanted to do something about how time and children interact.

I wrote about how Alice is always trying catch the white rabbit and how he symbolizes time and the modern adult. I thought it would be a fun paper and I had fun using time to my advantage.

Dreams

When I was in fourth grade my family moved from Germany and we stayed with my Grandma in North Carolina for a couple months while my dad drove up to Montana to find a house. He would call us each night before bedtime and tell us about Montana. Then one day I remember waking up and telling my mom about a dream I had.

My sisters and I were packing to go to Montana but my mom was staying behind to take care of our German Shepard Duchess. And because we didn't have a drivers licence or a car we had to find a way to drive to Montana. So we began building cars out of boxes but nothing seemed to work. Then I got the brilliant Idea of using our mattress. I don't know why that would work but it was the only thing that did. So I grabbed the mattress from my room and connected a few poles so I could pull it. Then we packed our stuff on the mattress and I started to pull it down the road and as I was pulling, the mattress began to lift of the ground. Then it started to fly.

It was great. I jumped on the mattress and started our flight to Montana. I remember having to stop and get food and then pull the mattress back into the air all the way to Montana. Then when we arrived I put the mattress back on my bed and woke up.

I remember telling my entire family about the dream and calling my dad as soon as I woke up. I think it might have been due to the fact that I was in love with the movie Little Nemo's Adventures in Slumberland. Now whenever we need a car or a ride somewhere someone will almost always mention my flying mattress.

So, its almost ten and Brittini and I are watching tv when I see an actor that looks familiar to me. So I check it out on IMDB and see he is going to be in a new Movie called Hatter. There is not much to the plot because its still in production but its characters names are.

Alice Allyson
Matt Hatter
Mark Hare
and Finally
Dor Mauz

Apparently its a thriller in which a journalist reveals the secrets of a hedonistic fashion designer.

I have no idea where they are going to go with this but it looks pretty funny, and I don't think that its suppose to be funny.

So I wrote my Cinderella Moral but I didn't have the book so I just made something up real quick during class. I will write something different that makes more since but I didn't really want to waste this one.

In this day of surgeons of plastic,
Doctors work magic for a hefty price
for any one willing to do something drastic.
while fairy Godmothers can afford only rice.

Beauty cannot be found in soul or heart
a nip and a touch a pull here and there
is no longer God's work of art
but for those who afford quality butt breasts or hair,

to fat to pale to blotchy to strange,
nothing a nice Brazilian butt lift can fix
but only if your paycheck can arrange
they'll alter you up without any Trix.

Any one can be a Cinderella or bell
without the help of Flora, Fona, or Marrywhether,
but with the services these fine doctors can sell,
they can make you tight and toned and soft as a feather.

Don't exercise or eat right,
or have self confidence in body or mind
The doctors will shape you a nice behind.

I finally finished all my Alices all of them, Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, and Alice in Sunderland. It went a lot faster then I thought it would and I enjoyed reading them more then I thought I would as well.

I also just finished the second book, The Subtle Knife, in the Dark Materials book and I think I know why Sexson picked these books. During class we have talked about what is a book, what is a child and what is nature. We talked about when a child becomes and adult and the changes in that person. These ideas are in everyone of the books that we have read in class. The entire Dark Materials book is about children becoming adults and the loss of innocence and how it ties to the fall of man. The name Sunderland has even come up a couple times in the Subtle Knife. It was crazy, it was about 3 in the morning and I am completely taken up by this book unable to put it down when everything starts to come together. All of the questions we have talked about in class start being asked in the book. I am also coming real close to understanding what Dust is. First I thought Dust was something good but now I am questioning whether it is or not.

And also I guess that the fact that as a Christian I would be a little biased on whether or not Dust is a good thing. I suppose I see dust as something that initiated the fall of man and I would see that as a bad thing so its strange to think of it being something good. I am conflicted as to whether or not I want Lord Asriel to complete his mission. At first I thought he was a good guy then all of a sudden he does something horrible and then people are on his side and trying to help him. I think that the Amber Spyglass will help answer a few questions but along the way I keep making random assumptions that keep getting shot down.

I started His Dark Material the other day and I am almost half way through the second book. I thought I should get a head start so when the test rolls around I wont be pulling an all nighter. I really do love the book though. I had seen the movie and when I started the book I was thinking it was going to be similar yet there are so many differences. Obviously the writers had to clean it up a little bit and couldnt add all the little side parts of how Lyra's clothing was made from all these different animal insides. It was a little more graphic in the book then it was in the movie. I wont go into so much detail for those that have not read it yet but it is much different then the book.

I really an curious as to how Phill Pullman is going to kill God in the book. I know there is some connection between Dust and God but I am not sure how that connection is made. As far as I have gotten it seems to me that Dust is something that is good. The animal Daemons are the connection between Dust and people. And from that I think the Daemons are good. I really like Pan and I don't like to think that he symbolizes something evil. Unless the connection between Dust and People is not what I think it is.
I know there is some controversy between the book and the Church and I can see some examples of that. The Church in the Golden Compass is attempting to keep the people ignorant and prevent them from growing into adults and becoming free thinkers. There is some connection between the fall of man and the Daemons once they commit to a shape. And the Church attempts to separate their Daemons from the children in order to stop that fall and maintain the innocence of child hood. I think that would be a good topic to think about for a paper and talk about the loss of innocence in children.
I dont know how it is going to play out but I am really excited to finish.

So I am about 210 pages into Alice In Sunderland and I am definitely struggling to remain interested. Its not completely horrible, I do like it but there are times when I find myself bearly able to keep reading. The great thing about the book is that as soon as it starts to bet boring something catches my interest again and I keep reading. One thing that I find interesting is the way the writer puts himself into the story and the differen narrators there are. Some times I get confused as to when the narrator changed and who they all are but I think that it is really interesting. It sort of reads like a history book but combined with all the pictures its not as horrible.

One part I really like in the book is when the Mad Hatter talks about killing time and he has a bunch of neat ways and cleaver sayings about how he is going to do it.

I really do like the book and I think its a great way of telling a little bit of history and adding some interesting side stories.

I found the official fan site and saw what others thought of the story.

I am not really sure how to write about the movie My Book and Heart Shall Never Part. For the entire semester we have talked about it and to finnaly have seen it was great. After having discussed it so much in class I do think that I was over prepared. Its almost like a preiew that shows the eintire movie. But there is a good side to knowing so much. Because I knew what was coming I was able to focus on the different pictures and sounds. One thing in the movie I did like was when they talked about Anima means soul and how Animal uses that stem . It made me think about the book the Golden Compass in the His Dark Materials book and how the Animals were a symbol of the Characters soul. I thought it was interesting and I had never made that connection before.

All in all I thnk that the movie was great, I couldnt believe how many little books we looked at and I never thought of how teaching and learning grows through our culture. I thought it was really cool to see the coin mark in the childs penny book. It really makes me think about the kid and why he or she put the coin in the book. It was one thing that really made me think about who this person was.

During the summer I worked in a day care and became pretty familiar with children and what they like to read. It seemed like no matter what I did they never tired of the same book over and over. Their favorite book was a small princess book that was full of little pictures with small pieces of fabric they could touch. It was amazing to see how many times a day they could read that book without getting board.
When we were given the assignment to find out the difference between a child and nature I remembered a time when I was at the day care and a few of the little boys were telling each other what they wanted to do when they grew up. A few said the predictable answer of firemen and policeman but a couple said they wanted to be tractors and dinosaurs. I think that is one major difference between adults and children. Children are still Innocent to imagine themselves as being something like a tractor and a dinosaur.

The Little Mermaid.

When we talked about the the different versions of Little Mermaid I spoke of a version I used to watch when I was younger. It is an anime version of the Little Mermaid. They keep the the story rather well. You can watch the entire thing on youtube. Click here. The music is great! when I watched it on youtube that was one the things that stood out to me the most. It was one of the only things I remember from the entire movie.

William Wordsworth
Ode: Intimations Of Immortality From Recollections of Early Childhood.

There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
The earth, and every common sight,
To me did seem
Apparelled in celestial light,
The glory and the freshness of a dream.
It is not now as it hath been of yore;
Turn wheresoe'er I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen I now can see no more.

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You have to Break the Rules if you want a Story!

New moral "Talk to Strangers"

When we talked about how every one is drawn to adventure it was neat to see how many movies and stories consist of people being forced into an adventure. The one example that came to me was Frodo in The Lord Of The Rings. Throughout the movie you can easily identify the three elements of the Universal Quest. He is Separated from his family and forced to leave the Shire. He then has to accept the task of holding the ring and through his painful Initiation he proves himself worthy. Finally after his grueling journey he is able to Return home and live safely with his family, changed by his heroic adventure.

Since this is such a long complex story almost every Archetypal hero is also seen, The Hero, The Mentor, The Trickster, ect. I think that Lord of the Rings is a great example.

When I read the Story East of the Sun and West of the Moon I remembered a version of that story I had seen when I was younger. It was a movie we used to watch during the weekends with my mom. The movie is called the The Polar Bear King. There are a few differences but the story is pretty much the same. The movie took place in Two different lands. The land of North and the land of the South. The prince from the land of the South is turned into a Polar bear when he refuses the marry the Wicked sorceress. Only when he finds a woman who can love him as a beast will the spell be broken, but even when he finds her she is not allowed to look at him when he changes into his human at midnight. When he reaches the North he finds young girl who can speak with animals. They fall in love and he brings her to his kingdom in the South. As the young bride lives with her polar bear husband in the land of the South she begins to miss the cold and snow of the North. So one day her father sends her a small package with a snowball, so when ever she is homesick she can open the box and remember home. I wont give away the ending or what happens. I watched most of it on youtube, but the rest wasn't on there. Its a great story and I recommend watching it.

“Ugh Five more minutes.”
“I cannot believe how cold it is down here”. Laura shivers as she stares at the arctic blue walls and how it seems to bring attention to the cold. The startling blue only seems to remind her of the polar icecaps rather than a warm Saturday morning.
“Three more minutes. I knew I should have showered after class. I hate they way chlorine clings to your entire body for the whole day.” Laura thought as twisted her wet hair between her fingers. “I have to remember to talk to Whitney after class She won’t believe what happened. I hope she’s in a better mood today.” Laura thinks as she remembers the first day of class, and Whitney temper.
Two minutes. This is only the fourth day of school and those office ladies are already turning her into a witch. I don’t understand why she decided to spend her study hall being an office assistant. I swear evil is contagious.” RING! RING!
“Finally, I can believe how long that class was.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to these halls. I’m pretty sure this school wasn’t made for this many students.” Laura declares angrily as she pushes herself through the bodies of the many students. “Uh oh where is she?” Laura asks as she notices her friend Whitney is not in their usual meeting spot. “She must still be in the office. That can be good.” As soon as she spots her struggling to walk down the halls she notices the dark scowl on her face, and dreads having to ask her for her favor.

“How was study hall? Laura inquires in a rather chipper singsong voice in an attempt to lighten her mood.
“Those office ladies are horrible.” Whitney replies unaffected by Laura’s enthusiasm. “They make me do everything. One of these days I’m tempted to poison their coffees. Why do you look so excited” She asks when she notices Laura’s grin has only increased. “What happened?”
“Guess who was in my Algebra class today.”
“I don’t know… Prince Charming?” She responds sarcastically.
“Even Better!” Laura shouts not noticing Whitney’s sarcasm. “It was Peter. Oh don’t give me that look. Peter the senior VP. He’s so popular he’s practically royalty.
“Why was he in your Algebra class if he’s a senior?”
“He was using the room to take an English test.” Laura explains as she dances joyfully in circles. “Apparently he doesn’t like to read his Shakespeare homework, I pretty much saved him from failing. “Well anyway” Says Laura, suddenly becoming serious. “I was wondering… could you do me a huge favor?”
“What?” Whitney questions slowly, somewhat afraid of the request.
“I need you to register me for his 7th period German class.” Laura quickly utters.
“Why do you want me to do that? You don’t speak German.”
“It’s the only open time I have and it will be a prefect time for him to get to know me. And if I was his girlfriend that would make me just as popular.” She pleads to Whitney trying to look as innocent as possible. “Please do this for me. Lunch is almost over, you’re the only person I know who can.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Whitney replies, knowing if she didn’t comply Laura wouldn’t rest until she did.
The next morning Laura waits patiently for Whitney, praying she was able to grant her request. When Laura sees her walking towards her, her anxiety increases as she tries to read Whitney’s face.
“Ok, so I had to work some magic but I got you registered.” Whitney says as she tries to push off Laura’s overexcited hug. “Obviously they’ll know you don’t speak German so just try not to talk so much. You really only have till the end of the week before they kick you out anyway.
“Thank you, thank you, I owe you big time.” Laura sings.
“Yea, you do. Ok so here’s your new schedule.” She says as she hands Laura the freshly printed-paper. “The German class is on the top floor so try your best to look like a senior.” She warns. “If you look like you just got out of the freshmen basement they’ll send you back down for sure. Good luck!” She shouts as Laura skips towards the school.
“Thanks! Laura shouts back. “I’ll call you tonight with the good news!”

“Ok class settle down, settle down.” Announces Frau Krauss the senior German teacher. “Welcome to our second week of German, I see some new faces so lets turn to our partners and introduce ourselves.”

“Perfect. I’m glad I got here early and got a seat next to him.” Laura thinks as she turns toward the boy to her left. “Hopefully he’ll do all the talking.” She whispers as she sends up a silent prayer.

“Hallo! Wie Heisst du?” The young man asks…“Sprechen Sie Deutsch?” He asks after a rather long silent pause.

“Crap! What is he saying? Maybe if I just laugh he won’t know I can’t speak German.” Laura hopes as she tries to give a carefree laugh.
“You don’t speak German do you?” Peter declares. That’s OK; my girlfriend sits next to you and she can help if you need anything.” He tells Laura and slowly turns to the student on his left dismissing her completely.

Sadly Laura turns and notices for the first time the beautiful girl to her right. Knowing she is too late Laura slowly gathers her books and wordlessly exits the room, taking the elevator straight to the basement where she belongs. That night as Laura’s arms were covered in soapy dish bubbles she thinks of how close she was. And realized she still has over three years in high school to achiever her dream.