Dreamed of Creating Magic - and He Does One of my dreams was to grow up and become a magician. Well, that's what happened. I'm not a science fiction writer. I'm a magician. I can use words to make you believe anything." -Ray Bradbury Ray Bradbury Continue Reading...
Oedipus does not show unusual arrogance, no more so than his father did when he abandoned his child to cheat death. Oedipus leaves his natural parents out of a desire to protect them, as any son possessing filial pity should do, in the eyes of the G Continue Reading...
Versions of MacBeth Act I, Scene I of MacBeth is a short act that introduces the audience to three characters who play small, but significant, roles in the play. The three witches, sometimes referred to as the weird sisters, appear in a desolate lo Continue Reading...
Homeric heroes exhibit the fundamental values and qualities that ancient Greek culture esteemed. Doubtlessly, this is true of Achilles in the Iliad, Odysseus in the Odyssey and even Odysseus' son Telemachus. Yet, another pervasive theme in mythology Continue Reading...
Euripides' tragedy of "Hippolytus": Phaedra as a plaything of the gods Euripides' tragedy of "Hippolytus" is a tragedy of paganism, at least on its surface. The work details the conflict between Hippolytus, the noble son of Theseus who honors the g Continue Reading...
Hero's Journeyv A Hero's Journey: Rooster Cogburn in True Grit The three central characters in the film True Grit are Rooster Cogburn, a rough U.S. marshal, Mattie Ross, a girl who plans to bring her father's killer, Tom Cheney, to justice, and LaB Continue Reading...
Cinderella Perrault's "Cinderella" and the American Dream The Cinderella story has existed since the age of antiquity and has been told in many different cultures in as many different fashions. Yet, in America, one version stands out above the rest Continue Reading...
1). Oberon and Titania are thus not above the common desires and petty passions that motivate all mortals -- but they know the harms that their jealousies can do, even on a cosmological level, accept that infidelity is a part of life -- and when mov Continue Reading...
In fact, he stresses that these stories should be read without any commentary about the possible unconscious content. "Fairy tales can and do serve children well, can even make an unbearable life seem worth living, as long as the child doesn't know Continue Reading...
personalities who have, by their actions, become notable individuals this writer must first explain why a different direction has been opted for in this assignment. In doing so the written response will be somewhat lengthier than the initial assignm Continue Reading...
Unlike earthquakes, hurricanes offer a small window for immediate, acute emergency preparedness that can help members of the public at least get their families to safety. Hurricane Sandy was no different, but while the media did provide ample warning Continue Reading...
intended to present to his readership a dual biography of Jefferson and Adams. However, because he felt most Americans knew nothing of Adams, he decided to focus more on just Adams instead. Essentially the book is the life of Adams through the lens Continue Reading...
Pan's Labyrinth: Ofelia's Coping Mechanism Pan's Labyrinth is one of the most notable fantasy films because it is able to anchor the more mystical motifs within the reality of war while still being able to portray events from the unique perspecti Continue Reading...
Tales and Nursery Rhymes Children's rhymes and fairy tales serve as a fun and interesting way to teach children moral lessons At least, that's the modern interpretation of what nursery rhymes and fairy tales are meant for. The history of nursery rh Continue Reading...
D. Harry Potter has influence around the world as well, having been translated into dozens of languages. III. This influence has resulted in Rowling having received many awards and enjoyed substantial material success. A. The Harry Potter series Continue Reading...
This is an apt title because of the gender inequality that the mid-1960s can be associated with, especially the depiction of either sex in films. Madeleine and her friends are depicted as socially unaware conformists who only live in the moment and Continue Reading...
Scifi Emiko and the New People present some of the most poignant imagery in Paolo Bacigalupi's novel The Windup Girl. The titular character also emerges as a clear but ironic hero, providing a striking science fiction framework with which to view so Continue Reading...
Otherness" Quality of Gothic Fiction Otherness in Wapole and Lewis The construct of otherness is represented in Gothic fiction in three primary ways: (1) An underlying emphasis on the supernatural is a strong platform to presenting a sense of the Continue Reading...
Specific events in the story reflect this posthuman and postmodernist change in form and thought of the individual, characterized by Samsa. The first incident of posthuman change and acceptance was when Samsa's family had just discovered his metamo Continue Reading...
Harry Potter and the John Williams Score There are few franchises in current literature or cinema which have commanded the kind of commercial power and consistency as has Harry Potter. The J.K. Rowling book series about a boy wizard and his epic str Continue Reading...
Oedipus's Tragic Flaws Oedipus Rex is the classic story of Oedipus, King of Thebes, a tragic hero whose fate was in the hands of supernatural forces and who was doomed to murder his father and marry his mother. In the play, Oedipus has many characte Continue Reading...
Bluebeard The story of Bluebeard is a famous one, although not as often retold as some of the happier stories like "Cinderella" or "Sleeping Beauty." One of the reasons for this is that the story of "Bluebird" does not end happily, nor does it allow Continue Reading...
He is a constant dreamer, perhaps daydreaming about position he would rather have in society (pilot, surgeon) or what he would not want to be (a witness accused of a crime he didn't commit, facing a firing squad). Readers also know that Mitty's char Continue Reading...
Monkey King: Visual Analysis of a Movie Poster Journey to the West is one of four classic novels written during the Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1500 -- 1582). It tells the story of a monk named Xuanzang, who traveled to India in the seventh century with the Continue Reading...
Young Goodman Brown The short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne has been a saga of great interest to scholars, students, writers and ordinary readers, over the many years since it was published. The story stands out as classic example of Hawthorne's tale Continue Reading...
Science fiction and horror both offer narrative closure and "the restoration of the social order," as does Repo Men, only in this case the social order being preserved is completely amoral and evil (Grant 21). It does not end with the monster or ali Continue Reading...
Everyone takes a stab, and is better for it in the end. The impact of the Simpsons on popular culture is therefore due to the diversity of opinions and issues explored on the show. The Simpsons makes fun of diversity frequently, capitalizing on the Continue Reading...
Children's Literature Timeline LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN: A SELECTIVE TIMELINE Charles Perrault. Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passe: Les Contes de ma Mere l'Oie. (Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals: Tales of Mother Goose.) France. Jacob and W Continue Reading...
Carroll / Burnett Within the English canon of literary fairy-tales -- what German literary critics would refer to as a "marchen," or a conscious attempt to write imaginative literature, with some level of artistry, for children -- both The Secret Ga Continue Reading...
Tarsem is able to tell his story through different acting styles and by changing the tone of the film quite suddenly. While the two stories in the film are disparate though they involve similar elements, the stories come to meet when they both tend Continue Reading...
American popular culture is about numbing the mind and senses, and deferring responsibility for problems like depression, anxiety, and ill health. For these core reasons, I have become media conscious and aware of the effect that American popular cu Continue Reading...
If she is familiar with Blossfeldt's epochal Art Forms in Nature, she may be a student of Ernst Haeckel's similarly titled investigation of the quasi-geometric, quasi-organic microbial univeral, or of the "wonder cabinet" juxtaposition of nature wit Continue Reading...
Audiences and their equipment and expectations have changed, too. Many have DVRs, streaming video, portable television, and certainly hi-def or plasma sets. Therefore, not only do they expect higher quality programming and effects, but network sche Continue Reading...
He kills his father as he flees his home and marries his mother after solving the riddle of the Sphinx. His end is inevitable, but Sophocles clearly shows the role negative character traits play in Oedipus' tragedy, while Hamlet's supposedly negativ Continue Reading...
But courage shown by the two is different. Irene's courage comes from her belief and faith in something higher and nobler, Curdie's courage comes from her brave heart. Irene is thus able to see the grandmother while Curdie cannot because he simply d Continue Reading...
The first time Jack climbs the beanstalk, everything takes him by surprise, and his theft of the gold is almost warranted by the giant's threats to eat him. The second time, however, Jack knowingly walks into danger with the intent of stealing, appa Continue Reading...
Eventually, she rejects the child entirely, telling her husband that she cannot see the child anymore. Moreover, she is not content to withhold her own love and affection from the child. On the contrary, when her husband employs a babysitter, the mo Continue Reading...
Other cinematic techniques that aided in the telling of the story was simplicity of the focus and frames. With modern computer animation, shots that pan, move in and out, or adjust focus without cuts are now as commonplace in animation as they are i Continue Reading...
In another type of story, this reaction would simply be the fantasy-action hero's resolve to beat the bad evil spirits. This story, however, is far more realistic, and there is even some question a to whether or not the ghosts are real. The governes Continue Reading...
