Jackie Lentz: Till We Have Faces-2

Journal #13 (Last journal)

May 1, 2012

                I feel like Oural was shaped by the world’s perception of her, which she grew to be more than the unfortunate circumstances of her beauty; or rather the unfortunate circumstance that people told her she was not beautiful. I like that she learned to compensate and then she attained power through the knowledge she had amassed. Oural was then able to reinvent herself through power and then it didn’t matter that she didn’t look conventionally beautiful. However, ever human, she still felt haunted by her lack of beauty. I think that even as I continue to work hard and gain knowledge I still won’t attain my goals. Even as I have accomplished some of my goals, I still feel like I will not get to where I want to. I think that this story is something that a lot of people can relate to; uncertainty, confusion, and sadness are themes and emotions we can all understand.

Jackie Lentz: MISC-4

Journal #12

May 1, 2012

                Myths tell stories of gods and wonderful beings and worlds that are far away or hidden inside your house somewhere. This class has taught me that the more fantastical the myth the more likely it will reflect reality in a way that detaches the audience from feeling offended by truth and rather intrigued by it. Comic book heroes have replaced the gods and worlds that enticed me in Greek Mythology. The difference being in Greek myths gods and goddesses encompass the sad and pathetic qualities of humanity such as anger, envy, and corruption of power; but comic book heroes are sacrificial, brave, and daring. Today, comic book heroes are being shaped to reflect more of what human beings are actually like and not what we wanted them to be. Christopher Nolan’s version of Batman makes him tortured and sad in a way that hinders him from being the great hero he could have been, like Superman. He is split between being the person that Gotham needs and the one he thinks he’s restricted to being. Myths are retold in comic books and this media reflect reality in a way that uses the fantastical in order to explain the profane.

Jackie Lentz: MISC-3

Journal #11

May 1, 2012

                I love the work of a writer named, Joss Whedon. He produces television shows, is directing the new Avengers film, and writes the scripts of comic books. If I were to be asked who I would have dinner with dead or alive, a common college application essay question, I would definitely say him. He has a way of making the reader or viewer feel for a character that is terrible or stereotypically awful in a way that makes them not the antagonist but a victim of our prejudices. He takes the villain and makes him human. I feel like Lewis does this with each of his characters in small ways; but most especially with Edmund in Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and Eustace in Prince Caspian. The audience finds these characters bratty and surreally awful that makes their mistakes and rudeness almost intolerable, but in the end their transformation is what touches you the most. Somehow, because these characters are different you like them more than those characters who began the story as saints, like Lucy. I think it’s because we see ourselves in these characters. Human beings are so flawed and knowing that they can be redeemed draws us to the works of Lewis and Whedon because we want to know that we can change for the better and that people can see in us the greatness that is possible in the world.

Jackie Lentz: MISC-2

Journal #10

May 1, 2012

                Game of Thrones is a show on HBO based on a series of books by George R. Martin. The show is about the conniving nature of people in their desire for power and the perils of those who would stand in the way of attaining that power. In the latest season, there are five people fighting in battles all proclaiming their kingship. Each family of importance in this show also appears to have a different set of gods they worship and are led by different myths and usage of magic. I was wondering at what point does one person’s ability to do magic then exemplify that their gods are the true gods. Does true divinity even matter in a world where men are so determined to maintain their fate? I feel like this story reflects the baser instincts of humanity but the desire for understanding the universe seems gone in a world so dominated by violence. I can’t imagine that even in the darkest of times humanity would not strive to know if there were something more past this mortal toil. Surely we would attempt to explain our existence when death was so prevalent.

Jackie Lentz: MISC-1

Journal #9

May 1, 2012

                Pottermore.com is a website created by J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, to be an interactive guide to the books. People are able to participate in games, get sorted into the houses of Hogwarts, and read her thoughts about certain characters, places, and objects. I was thinking that perhaps the myth of Harry Potter, the world that not only Rowling created but I helped to create with my imagination would not benefit from this extra information. I remember reading her last chapter, the epilogue for her characters and being disappointed because I had wanted to finish their story in my mind; but yet, I knew that her ending would be what I needed because it would feel more finite. So, using this website, I get to see where she got the idea for the Dursleys and the history behind the first book in the series and while I am excited she is filling in the gaps of her story; I can’t help but feel like my collaboration with her in my understanding of the story is being diminished. Can it be a bad thing to have myths explained to you? I don’t think so, I think that I am just being selfish but for a moment I had to consider whether or not these authors do an injustice when they provide further explanations like J.R.R. Tolkien’s Similarion.

Jackie Lentz: Narnia-2

Journal #8

May 1, 2012

                One of my favorite characters in the entire Narnia series is Bree, from Horse and His boy, because he was a horse made human in a way that made me never forget he was a horse but could identify his human characteristics. Lewis takes this character and gives him human traits like uncertainty and bravery and allows him to have adventures that mark him distinctly as a horse. Vico describes the difference, between human beings and animals, is through our relationship with nature. “Animals live in nature; but we human beings live over and against it” which is something that Bree demonstrates. Bree doesn’t tame nature; he doesn’t take on the actions of human beings but his personality and characterization mirrors humanity. I think that Lewis is careful to keep the animals of Narnia as animals but gives them human concerns in order to create a world where there can be understanding if only on a small level.