Week Six: A Rich Fantasy Life

The hobbit portrays many aspects of the hero’s journey, it takes a hobbit the least expected race/person (underdog) and transforms him into the hero of the story. He goes through life changing events, and grows from his experiences. He also teaches others around him that there is more than meets the eye. Much like in a hero’s journey he is reluctant at first to help or be apart of a supernatural aid, afraid of leaving what he considers normal everyday life. Although he finally accepts and faces challenges, which bring him to realizations/enlightenments which he would’ve never endured without going on this search of knowledge. The journey brings him to high and low points almost to the point of quitting only to realize that he is depended upon by others and must not give up hope of completing a task bestowed upon him. In conclusion rewarding him at the end for his bravery and willingness to help find himself and help others involved find themselves. The hero’s journey is a pattern of an ordinary somebody being taken out of their normal routine into a world of supernatural and life threatening events with the aspirations of being rewarded at the end, so that in turn he can reward those he left before going on the journey.

Week Five: Witches

Witches sometimes old and scary women with dark intents, or beautiful intelligent well-meaning women, there is a vast contrast between the stereotypes. In society there are either 2 types of women when it comes to witches either good or evil. Usually when good they are beautiful and helpful making them seem perfect or what a perfect women should be which puts them sort of an unreachable pedestal in the eyes of the public. When deemed evil they are considered over controlling or ugly, because a woman in power goes against the views of the natural order. Unfortunately women are stereotyped into categorizes they may not agree with because in the media they are portrayed in sometimes good and bad ways. Sometimes helpless and weak and sometimes powerful and controlling, although at times clearly stating a women with power is a force to be reckoned with and something to be afraid of. It is very threatening in a male viewed/dominated society, where the man is the one who should be in power and lead and women coming second leading to a similar discrimination like in the slavery period toward people of African American decent.

Week Four: The New Weird

The weird, something that is out of the norm or considered supernatural also something I found in both Donnie Darko and Breathers a Zombie’s lament. Weird because both take you into worlds unknown and show you different viewpoints of things also supernatural elements play a role in both stories. In Donnie Darko Frank, the man in the rabbit suit he keeps seeing foretelling him of events to come. Also following instructions given to him by the mysterious rabbit suited figure. The story deals with time travel a vortex and many things we would consider insane/weird. In breathers a zombies lament the protagonist and people in his zombie situation are discriminated against and considered outcast, which makes us feel sorry for the characters involved, reversing the idea of the zombie where they are mindless human flesh eating beings into feeling a bit of sorrow for them. Also realizing that in order for them to feel alive or gain some kind of reality they must feed on the living. In turn becoming a zombie after losing everything he had becomes kind of of a good thing because he falls in love again and finds a meaning to life seeking equality for zombies in a society that deems them outcast and unwanted. Both stories bring weird aspects to the usual horror storylines and make us uncomfortable in one way or another, mostly because they takes us out of our comfort zone and make us take on other points of views. Lastly they change what is considered usual for certain stereotypes of what horror stories/movies are about.

Week Two: Vampire: Love and Pain

In interview with the vampire the glorified story of the powers and immortality of the traditional vampire are reversed, and we realize that things aren’t as great as they seem to an outsider looking in. It is filled with sorrow and agony of events that have changed the protagonist vampire’s point of view, also with regret and discuss toward everything about being a vampire. Lastly it deals with a love that could never be. It makes us realize the other points of view that come with a curse of being immortal and having to depend on killing innocent people to survive. At first we only look at things over with a glimpse of what it really is to be a vampire, mostly because we are blinded by what we think would be epic and glorious. Immortality, who wouldn’t want to live forever? And see the world change and experience many things we couldn’t in one lifetime. But we don’t consider the cons because the pros seem so great. Until much like the protagonist Louis we realize the horrors and tribulations that he has gone through because of his curse of being a vampire. He feeds/kills humans and then falls in love with someone who he could never be with. The work seems to portray that we should be content with what we are given and appreciate what we have, because other things may seem incredible looking at it from the advantages we gain but not considering the disadvantages we may face. The author also seems to emphasize that the positives don’t outweigh the negatives. 

Week One: Beginning with Frankenstein

The gothic culture in the present time is one that can be easily identified by the fashion/ type of clothing that many of the people considered to be gothic wear. A lot of it is wearing mostly all black, dark, and mysterious, it is something out of the quote UN quote norm. From the makeup to the hair to the clothing things are very exaggerated and exotic. Although the prominent color is black sometimes red and grey are put into the mix. Both female and male fingernails are usually painted black as well as their lips. A lot of the clothing is referenced from the Victorian era, usually wearing jewelry that represents some kind of religious theme, or fishnets and leather or velvet.  It is consider a revolt against the happy disco colors of the 70s. The Goth scene combines both horror and romance elements and does not discriminate based on your sexual orientation allowing people who are transgender to join. The Goth scene in our time is very relevant in my opinion, and some movies are heavily influenced by it, Such as movies directed by the likes of Tim Burton. Also there are many annual festivals to celebrate the Goth culture over seas in Europe attracting thousands of people. Although the scene also attracted the medias attention in the early 2000s relating to school shootings, which created panic, and brought negative viewpoints of the gothic culture. Much like the attacks of 9/11, which brought negative viewpoints toward people of Middle Eastern decent.