A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings&Big Fish

             Magical Realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements are blended into a realistic atmosphere in order to access a deeper understanding of reality, it exists in both literature and film.  A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” tells the story of Pelayo and his wife Elisenda, who find an old man with wings in their courtyard after killing crabs in a rainstorm."The news of the captive angle spread with such rapidity that after a few hours the courtyard has the bustle of a marketplace..." (Marquez 2).Pelayo puts him in a chicken coop after being convinced by his neighbor that he is an angel, people swarmed to the chicken coop and paid to see the angel, soon Pelayo had enough money to build a mansion for him and his family. In "Big Fish" Will Bloom at spent his days hating his dad's stories because he thought they were all just made up stories, and he thought of his dad as a liar and a cheater only to realize at his death bed that his stories were real but simply exaggerated to make them sound more exciting and fun. 

           Magical realism in both Big Fish and A Very Old Man Enormous Wings teaches a lesson  by comparing reality to fantasy. A Very Old Man Enormous Wings teaches the human need to interpret and make sense of life's events by drawing conclusions."What surprised him most, however, was the logic of his wings. They seemed so natural on that completely human organism that he couldn't understand why other men didn’t have them too.” (Marquez 4). People try to understand and put a logic sense to what they can not understand, and when they realize this, they lose interest in it because they can not interpret it and move on to the next thing they do not understand like the "shiny new toy". In Big Fish, Will comes to realization that   his fathers tall tales were only to expand his imagination and creativity, making his childhood more exciting and memorable.  Upon this realization, he continues to tell his father's tale to his own kids, letting his indulge in the fascinating world of magical realism.  

Siddhartha-OM

           

           OM is the symbol for all thing, the concept of OM signifies the unity and perfection of the universe.In Herman Hesse's novel, Siddhartha, the main character Siddhartha, leaves home to seek enlightenment, resulting with an understanding and embracement of Om.Siddhartha’s recognitions of Om guides his journeys and spiritual growth and punctuates moments of awakening in his life, and he finally obtains enlightenment through a profound recognition of OM. 


            At the very beginning of Siddhartha's quest, OM foreshadows the very ending of his quest. Siddhartha sits himself down and recites the common verse, "Om is the bow, the arrow is the soul, Brahman is the arrow's goal at which one aims unflinchingly." (Hesse 9).The verse describes Om, the symbol of unity, perfection, and the infinity of all things, as a tool, a way to achieve your life's goal, that of which is to reach Nirvana, through Brahman. OM is what drove him out onto his quest to become enlightened. “He already knew how to say Om without sound, the word of words, to speak it soundlessly inward with the in-breath and soundlessly outward with the out-breath.......Yes everyone loved Siddhartha. H aroused joy in everyone, he was a delight to all. But Siddhartha was no joy to himself....” (Hesse 5). Even though Siddhartha knows what Om means, he hasn't merged with it, he does not fully understand it. Siddhartha’s quest is a quest for true understanding of OM and gaining unity with it; to become OM and reach enlightenment.


            OM also marks the turning point in Siddhartha’s journey, saving him from himself; after leaving Kamala, Kamaswami, and his unborn child, he attempts suicide out of frustration and tiredness by the rivers edge. “... a sound. It was one word, one syllable, ... the holy Om... At that moment, when the sound of Om reached Siddhartha's ears, his slumbering soul suddenly awakened and he recognized the folly of his action." (Hesse 94). At the possible end of Siddhartha's life, Om saves him from self-destruction, reawakening him to find his path to enlightenment once again. Om awakens him to a higher self, reminding him of the knowledge he has experienced throughout his search.“But no, he knew himself, he knew his hands and his feet, knew the place where he lay, knew this ego in his breast, this self-willed, odd person Siddhartha. But this Siddhartha was changed, renewed. He was remarkably alert, cheerful, and inquisitive.” (Hesse 95). Siddhartha wakes up feeling renewed and refreshed, back on track to recognize once again the truth he had forgotten. Having failed to reach enlightenment through the extremes of denying desire and indulging desire, Siddhartha prepares to find a balance between the two.


                Siddhartha never truly seeks out OM, Siddhartha is simply seeking for enlightenment, for answers to his questions. Siddhartha decides to listen strongly to the river, in which he comes to find OM, his answer to his questions. “... one word: Om---perfection.....Just as OM hovered over all the voices of the river......His wound blossomed, his suffering was radiant, his ego had dissolved into the unity.” (Hesse 144). He had finally reached enlightenment, he no longer stands above and is no better than anyone else, his suffering has shown him that he is like just like everyone else, and only in realizing his similarities with the rest of the world he finally achieves the compassion necessary for true enlightenment. Siddhartha meets up and teaches his old friend Govinda by the river. During Govinda's stay Siddhartha describes it as "When someone is seeking... it happens quite easily that he only sees the thing that he is seeking; that he is unable to find anything, unable to absorb anything, because he is only thinking of the thing he is seeking, because he has a goal, because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means to have a goal; However, Siddhartha never achieves his quest through seeking, but rather, through finding.but finding means; to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal." (Hesse 155). He realizes one is unable to find anything through seeking Om, but rather through finding; instead of seeking OM, he merges with and becomes OM, finding all balance and peace of existence.


             Siddhartha’s periodic recognitions of Om set him off onto his search for answers and marked his spiritual growth throughout his journey.meditated Siddhartha meditated OM as a boy in his hometown, helping him decide to leave town seeking enlightenment; OM physically saves his life on the brink of his suicide, reminding him of his true objective; ultimately, when Siddhartha attains enlightenment after many years of frustration, it is through hearing OM through meditation on the river.Siddhartha finally understands it, he has become enlightened, he has achieved the title of Buddha, all through one simple word... OM.

The son

After Kamala’s death, Siddhartha tries his best to provide for his son, but his son is a spoiled little brat. 
"the  young bird is used to another life, another kind of nest. He is not like you. He has not, like you, run away from wealth and the city of revulsion and a sense of excess. He had to leave all that behind against his will." (Hesse 124).
Siddhartha tries to convince him that all luxury and materialistic things in life have little meaning, but fails. He tries as hard as he can to make his son happy and show him how to live a good simple life, but it just ends up making his son more angry and unpleasant.  His son's anger builds up by day and one night finally erupts and he yells at Siddhartha. "I'm not a servant. Yes it's true you do not beat me-- because you do not dare! What you do is constantly try to demean me and punish me with your piety and kindness. You want me to become like yo, just as pious, just as gentle, just as wise! but hear me: to your sorrow, I would rather be a bandit and a murderer and go to hell than be like you! I hate you! You are not my father, even if you were my mother's lover ten times over!." (Hesse 130).  His son runs away the the next and Siddhartha over looks the city rand remembers all the great times he spent there with Kamla, then he realizes he must let his son go, and his lifestyle isn't fit for his son. Siddhartha didn't realize he was trying to make his son in his own image, but his son did and that's why he resented him and ran away.

OM

"Fear struck deep into Siddhartha  SO this was the way things stood with him! He was so lost, so confused and forsaken by all wisdom that he had had as a child to d=find peace, had grown so large he had sought it in the dissolution of his body." (Hesse 93).

Siddhartha thought he had experienced all that life had to offer, that he obtained all the wisdom there is, he had experienced all the happy things and love, as well as all the pain and suffering; and there isn't anything else for him for that he feel depressed and tries to drown himself in the river. But as he starts to drown, fear strikes him and he remembers OM, the very holy words that drove and inspired him to begin his journey away from home. He sits by the river bank, repeating OM, and he has awakened , once again.

the metamorphosis reflective essay

              Gregor is a lonely isolated guy who works a crappy job with no friends and complains about his life 24/7. In fact, he is so lonely and friendless that he framed a picture of a female model in his room to make him feel better. "It was a picture of a women with a fur hat and a fur boa. She sat erect there, lifting p in the direction of the viewer a solid fur muff into which her entire forearm had disappeared." (Kafka 1). Normally people frame pictures of friends and family and put around the house,  Gregor frames the model because he doesn't have friends or family that gives him comfort and joy to frame. The model gives him false hope and is always there for him in his room for him to complain to at the end of the day. After Gregor becomes a bug, his sister and mother tries to clean out his room so he has more room to crawl around. Gregor wants his room and his stuff to remain exactly where they are but he is unable to express and communicate. "He quickly scurried up over it and pressed himself against the glass which held it in place and which made his abdomen feel good. At least this picture, which Gregor at the moment completely concealed, surely no one would now take away." (Kafka 16). He desperately tries to save the framed photo of the women wearing nothing but fur, hiding it behind his giant bug body. He feels even more alone and isolated now that he is a large, human-size insect; although his mom and sister still tries to care for him,  he knows they're terrified and disgusted with Gregor. In his loneliness and isolation , the photo of the women is the only thing that Gregor has left and he refuses to let the only source of the slightest joy to be taken away.

              Although Gregor still lives with his family, and his mother and sister tries to help him in irrelevant ways; his father is angry and physically harms Gregor. From the beginning, Gregor's father has been a terrible  fatherly figure. Gregor works a job he hates just to pay off his fathers debt as he sit at home living the life.  "Then his father gave him a really strong liberating push from behind, and he scurried, bleeding severely, far into the interior of his room." (Kafka 9).When Gregor's father first sees him as a giant bug, his reaction was not to help him, but to shove and shoo him back in to his room, severely injuring Gregor in the process. Rather than trying to help his son, he sees him more as a freak show embarrassment. Later on in the story, he even tries to kill Gregor. "as her hands reached around his father's neck, and she begged him to spare Gregor's life." (Kafka 18). Gregor's father comes in to his room and starts to chase and pelt him with apples,  nearly killing Gregor. Gregor lays half-consciously on the ground as he watches his mother beg his father to let him live. His father is cold, cruel, and brutal. He refuses to have a freak son that does not work and make money, he does not love Gregor at all. All he cares for is money and his hour long breakfasts. 

canto 25

Canto 25 in Dante's Inferno is referring to the Eigth Circle of hell in the 7th pocket. In this pocket is where the thieves spend the rest of eternity. the punishment for the thieves is to have snakes which steal the bodies of the thieves.many people think of thieves as snakes.   They come and go unnoticed and are able to take what they please. The thieves in turn must play a game of who can keep their body the longest.

I thought this punishment was very interesting compared to the rest of the punishments, i think this one is a punishment on a more mental level than physical. during their life the thieves stole from many good people, and these people could do nothing but watch their lives get stolen away right under their noses. Now the thieves must watch as these snakes literally steal lives. Though it is somewhat twisted how the thieves almost enjoy watching others suffer or lose their bodies.

Canto 3

Dante's inferno 

Canto 3

Dante does not officially enter hell till this canto, canto 3. He enters the outer region by passing through a gateway. Above the gate is the famous warning to "abandon all hope". The sinners in this canto are neutrals, people who failed to choose either good or evil in their lifetimes and so are condemned to exist in a place that is neither really Heaven nor Hell. It’s called Limo. Their punishment is various insects stinging their naked bodies, irritating them and making them run around in big circles under a long banner.Dante is blown away by the large number of neutrals being punished.

Personally I think this punishment is to harsh so the sin, actually I dont believe this should even be considered a sin because they did not deny God and they didn't choose evil either, they simply did not choose. I think neutralism should bot be a sin because I think everyone should have the right to freely choose(or not). Being stung by insects eternally is too harsh and does not even fit in with the sin(contrapasso).

 

hell on earth

A historical event that's hell on earth would be the death/concentration camps during the holocaust. The living conditions were more than horrifying and the way the Jewish people were treated is unhumane and terrible, it was really like they were living in hell.   In some ways, the camps were worse than the hell of religious beliefs. hell is ruled by Satan and operated by devils, it is a place for punishing sinful people. Innocent children and adults would not be allowed to enter and suffer. The hell on Earth created an efficient system for collecting, transporting and then murdering millions of innocents. 

tragic hero

Jocasta is describing King Laius to Oedipus without knowing that he is his son. (815). She actually realizes and says they look alike and has a similar build. It's dramatic irony because little does she know they're father&son. Then Oedipus starts to put things together realizing he might be the murderer of King Laius. (820). this is very tragic because he is trying to be a good guy and do the best for his people, and bring Laius's death to justice only to find out he is the killer. It's even more tragic that he is already devastated but he still has no idea about his mother&son relationship with Jocasta. Later he fears the prophecy about killing his father and marrying his mother, he ran away from home in the first place because he was trying to avoid it, bu the messenger tells him he has nothing to worry about.(1110). The messenger doesnt know that he isnt aware of his birth story and explains to him that its fate that he'd kill his father and marry his mother.

what is tragedy?

I think something is tragic when something sad or devastating happens but its differs from just being sad because it's preventable and caused by the flaws of human nature. The recent Sandy Hook Elementary shooting was tragic, so was the Jessica Ridgeway case; both of these happened because the gunman/muderer's dark and flawed side of human nature was brought out. theres a fine line between what is considered sad and what is considered tragic. If someone died of old age, it would just be sad, but if someone died of abuse and murder, it would be tragic.

After reading various entries in my journal from the beginning of August  to the end of December, I noticed some interesting things about my writing. My handwriting changes from day to day, the worst on Fridays free write, probably because I never know what to write and just BS everything. Most of my entries start with "I or my", I talk a lot about my personal life and randomly babbles about how I have writer's block, which seems quite often. To make journals a better and more efficient experience  this semester, I think I just need to put more thought and effort into my writing instead of just babbling about nonsense. I also noticed I over exaggerate a lot in my writing, I'm always overly dramatic writing in my journal.

I read and compared some of the better and worse entries and noticed that when I try and actually put forth effort into my writing it usually turns out pretty well. "I think a satire is only a satire and effective when it's politically incorrect, a satire is always going to offend someone or something, that's how satires work."  In this piece I sated my opinion of the definition of satire, I put thought into and and organized my sentences to make what I want to express clear to the reader. When I don't really think about what I'm writing and just making up random stuff, it ends up sounding something like this, "Last year was fun with miranda and hopefully this year will be too." It sounds unorganized and sloppy, it's clear I didnt try to write a good sentence at all. With all the good and bad, most of them sounded like diary entries instead of journal entries for a sophomore world lit class.  I write about what happens in my life and how things are going and what I like..etc etc. I even wrote about going to California to see my favorite band! I also wrote about Harry Potter, the golden trio, about how I stuck with them through all their adventures and all the life lessons the books has taught me.

I'm going to spend more time and try harder to really push myself to write better entries this semester. I'm going to write more about the things I'm passionate about and my views on different things rather than blandly writing about what happens in my life to improve my writing. I think my writing is significantly better than it was at the beginning of the year, I can write better, more complex yet clearer sentences; I organize my paragraphs much, much better, and my grammar has improved! I think if I can keep this up I'll become a much stronger writer.