Not Only Humans, but Animals Too.

FREEDOM IS SLAVERY:

Four legged creatures roam and gaze on the pasture of heavenly grass in daylight. Raising their heads upward with the calm whooshing of wind fills them with a peaceful serenity.  The ground has surface. The sky is blue. The sun shines and reflects on the puddles of liquid substances waiting to be swallowed by the soil. Everything in nature is balanced. Nothing seems out of the ordinary because every day the same process is repeated. They’re enjoying the portioned land that is divided by a wired barrier. They follow a circular pattern of movement, mooing is the only music that can be heard within miles. But the closer and closer the path becomes apparent, the industrious metal monster ahead opens and shuts its doors to the assembly line of victims.  

Beings that have been regularly visiting the crowed of animals have earned quite a reputation. They all look almost identical, except for minor detailing here and there. They walk on two legs and have exemplified power among the creatures. In hand, they hold metal rods that cause great confusion. Whispered throughout their so called community, allowed them to know that if ever came across one of those, best thing to do is nothing. By that time it would be too late and not worth any effort in trying to make a difference in your destined future.  

            They go about, side by side. The pleasant texture underneath their hooves transitions drastically, leaving tracks on manured ground. The cows blindly follow the beings with rods into a place that is clouded with grey particles. Dirty and unsanitary. The smell of air is overwhelmed with a stench that has never come in contact with their nostrils; Unable to realize the blood that has begun to stain their coats of fur. The blood of what used to be cousins, brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, daughters, and sons. Each step brings them closer to the same place in which previous generations have fallen.

            The fences become tighter and narrow toward one entry without an exit in sight. Only a way in but no way out.  Slowly they inch their way inward, raising their heads upright, eyes half opened, unsure of what’s to happen. It’s becoming harder to breathe with the smoke and smog taking breathes away. The mouth of the monster opens and eats them. The moment they crossed that thin but yet so thick wall, their presence become obsolete. The purpose they lived for is wasted away in the mechanics and machines that await them in the dungeon of doom. The carcasses of fellow mates hang in a disturbing manner. Grotesque and inhumane the disfigured forms have become. It’s not normal. It’s disgusting.

           The entrance, the tiny hole, in comparison to the size of the building shuts behind them. The sunlight is gone. The skies are no longer blue, rather black and made of metal material. The ground is no longer pleasant. The mooing is no longer music, but cries of despair and fear. 

View From Up Top

Breathing in the icy, sharp wind that brushes against my every limb, numbing the soulless night, the skyline of the city blurs. Blobs of green, white, yellow, and red patch the horizon distinctively. The air is thicker and heavier, splashing the surfaces underneath with a rhythmic sound. Mother Nature acting with a lullaby on an ominous night, every heart beating at a slower rate, thoughts become alive during the passive hours. Staring below, watching the still patterns of grey, seeming to be moving with the haziness of the diagonal rain and the thrusting swirls that accompany it, my mind wonders about the strange appearance of the outside world and how it transforms completely into a different being. The feeling and emotion of lost and oppression are heightened by the white clouds that have sunken to the surface of the pavements. Beneath, everything is faintly visible, only being able to make out glares and silhouettes but nothing more. Glaring at the sky, vision is distorted, liquid drops entering the only source of sight. Stars become less of an attraction for their brightness and spotted pattern in the heavens. They have become shielded by the layers of drizzled lines that shot out from the ceiling of black and blue. There is nothing beyond. A limited view of the city. 

Who Needs Men, When Women Can Get the Job Done

           

Lashes and Lashes were imprinted on surrounding vegetation filled with leaves and vines as we sliced our way through the jungle. I and my crew of three other women were on a mission for our country, our main goal was to explore the land and return with the most profitable resources. We continued to motion forward, our clothes dripping in sweat due to the heat and humid weather, using our instincts to find the trail to the wondrous pile of fortune. Catherine was in the lead, anxious to be in a new undiscovered part of the world. She could breathe and her features would relax and express beauty like that of the adjacent exotic flower surrounding the frame of her face. At a slower pace, we staggered behind her, being more careful and steady, keeping a watchful eye on our surroundings because we heard stories of the dangers that could arise. As I was focusing on a rustling sound that surprised me not too far in the distance, I heard a scream coming from ahead. Dangling by her foot, from a tree was Catherine. Her body was swaying side to side and she wiggled trying to get herself out of the trap. The others hurried to get her down, and to our surprise it didn't take much effort to retrieve her. From that point on, everyone was hesitant to be the one at the front of the line. I took the lead and made sure to stay close and be more alert with anything that could seem threatening. The trees around us appeared to be closing in, becoming closer and closer. Natives encircled us, examining from head to toe, uncertain about our reasons for encountering them. They looked bizarre with markings across their face, along every inch of the flesh they had available. Marina had a good background with communication of the tribal groups. She stepped in and had a lengthy dialogue expressing our concerns and our purpose of exploring the jungle. With a few batting of the eyes and flips of the hair, we managed to get what we needed.  Although they seemed frightening, they were willing to guide us to the exact location that was rich in resources. We gathered all the possible products that could be shipped back home and peacefully left. A sad return back home, leaving our new found friends.

               Our team began the journey of gaining the most resources by being aggressive. We figured that the best way to gain the most was by pressing the Natives rather than keeping the peace in the new found territory. Attacking and being aggressive towards them would save us money, resources, and man power. The objective of the game was to conclude with the greatest amounts of resources as a profit. Being violent and lessening the good will of the natives, we were able to gain a resource card each time, but as a consequence of our cruel act against the group of people, we had to sacrifice a resource but only if our luck ran out and we chances were that we picked a card that represented the natives fighting back against our team of explorers. We continued to move forward without showing mercy. We lacked morality and our mind set was that since the good never goes unpunished, might as well be the bad guys and see how far that gets us.

Cries of Regret

Monsters have existed throughout history and have had a large amount of input when putting fear into people. From the surface, it may seem that their sole purpose is to scare, but there is a much deeper meaning behind every ghoul, witch, or goblin. To name a few, trolls represent nature and the unstoppable force it possesses. Nature has been on this world before anything else and carries the capability of destruction. Golems, a man made creature, illustrate arrogance that accompanies the notion of empowerment. And ghosts, which are the prime example of this blog, were used in literature to demonstrate warning figures able to foretell events that were on the brisk or occurrence, demand revenge, and provided as a spiritual link between the past and the future. Every individual monster is a representation of different anxieties.

La Llorona, a traditional Latin folktale, has been passed down from generation to generation, keeping children and men indoors during the haunting hours of the night, fearing an encounter from the crying woman. The tale goes as follows:

A beautiful woman was madly in love with her husband. They were the Angelina Jolie and Brad Pit of their town. They had children together, but as the years passed, her husband began to distance himself from her, seeming less interested in her with every day that passed. Eventually he left her for another woman. She was outraged by his actions and blamed her children. She blamed them for taking her beauty away and replacing it with old age. They were the reason he left her for a younger woman. That night, she grabbed her children and took them for a walk near a river. Her young boys, skipping through the pathway, feeling the debris swirl around their feet with every hop. They were excited to be out and explore through the night, unaware of the evil their mother possessed. Together they went into a small boat until they reached the center of the water. She tied up her boys and attached a sack of bricks to them. She drowned them, hearing their struggle to keep at the surface while she reached the shore without her children. Afterward, she realized what terrible thing she had done and cried night after night for her children to come back.

She represents haunting regret as she can’t find a peace of mind after committing the murders of her own children. A conscience that doesn’t allow a person to move forward, keeping them in the same place; a type of Purgatory. La Llorona lives in a state where she continues to cry for her boys, in hope to have them in her presence but continues to have enmity toward the man that left her, causing her to murder any child or man that crosses her path. She symbolizes the anxiety that we as human being hold, when we possess evils due to mistreatment. It can cause us to act without thinking and dealing with the consequence.

Until now, I’ve come to the realization that there is a deeper foundation to this tale. It is rooted and recycled throughout history and differing cultures. She is the equivalent of siren or banshee.  The crying woman, Mexican legend goes back to mythical time. mythology.

 

The Romance of Droplets

Until I read this chapter, I didn't realize what meaning come behind weather conditions in literature. I always assumed that it was as simple as: rain, thunder, lightning, storm, darkness equaled something really bad. It worked as an oman for the protagonist.

But the problem with that is, it goes so much further than just that general idea. It may be along the right path, but isn't a fully developed one. Depending on the story line of course, depends on whether your on the right tracks as far as reading the signs.

Rain has a history that dates back to the Bible. Humans have adapted to the conditions rain accommodates. It calls for the basic cycles of life on Earth. It's a primary necessity when it comes to existence. Rain can also mean something beautiful. Maybe that's the reason for every romantic kiss in the rain comes about? Rain being the source for flora to grow, it can engage in the blossoming of a summer love.  A prime example that is well known among the teenage girl population, The Notebook. Noah and Allie meet during the summer, the season of love and heated romance. From the beginning they fall in love with one another and go through the entire drama that deals with relationships, parents, and social status and criticism. Here comes the popular scene. Noah comes back into Allie’s life after 7 years of being away and unheard of while being in the army. Noah takes her on a small boat and in the process of their water expenditure, rain comes crashing down. They obviously still had a passion for each other. The rain comes in to signify the struggles that they have overcome and will continue to surpass.

Then there's the fear of rain. Which I admit, was at some point afraid of a little sprinkle because when there's a slight sizzle of rain, more is bound to come pouring down. When the sound of thunder approaches, i can't help but feel threatened. There's those bad dreams where you're surrounded by a pool of water and you can't figure out which end will bring you back to the surface. you can either chose the direction where safety is at hand or the opposite which leads deeper into the water. The thought of being drowned in a pool of water isn't the kind of peaceful death people anticipate. Fear of water was brought upon through the tale of Noah's Ark. God punished the human population by flooding the world. Now that's enough damage to get the work done. Do not displease the Almighty.

Water is our reason of existence.

Special Isn't Always Special

               The physical appearance attained by a character is crucial when it comes to comparing it with their behavior. They stand out from the rest the moment they are introduced to the story. Every mark, imperfection, or disability is a way to show the importance that will come from their being. Those marks could have at one point meant a curse from a God. Not every odd thing should be looked at as a weird counterpart. In society, different people are looked at with a sense of shame and pity. In literature, imperfections call for the protagonist to be important. The things that make them stand out, make them that much more important to the story. They were different for a reason, and that reason can only be revealed as the story is read.
               In the book Of Mice and Men, Lennie is characterized to be a tall, mentally unstable individual. He doesn't have the capability to think for himself, and quite frankly, if he didn't have George by his side, he's be a lost puppy. He encounters people and is extremely fond of cute, fluffy objects such as puppies, mice, and the dresses of attractive women. Lennie's mental state doesn't allow him to handle certain situations with the same prospects that may seem obvious to others.
               Foster stated that when a character, such as Lennie, is placed in a story, it's for a reason. So there must be some sort of meaning to his character, right? Well in this case, I wouldn't be too sure of it. Lennie is George's shadow. Wherever he goes, Lennie must go. It's that way through the entire story. George is the parent of a physically grown man. George sympathizes towards Lennie, being the primary reason for tagging him along..other than his promise to his aunt to take good care of him. From the beginning, the reader knows that Lennie is doomed and will have a tragic ending. Evidently that is exactly what happens. He accidentally kills his boss's wife and runs away. George finds him and makes the difficult decision to put an end to Lennie's life. His purpose for being in the story was to highlight the horrific event that was anticipated. He was the giveaway.

There's Meaning to the Destination

As a story begins to unravel, the reader must begin to analyze and look past the written scripture. there is more meaning behind a story line than what there appears to be. there are five basic elements dealing with the quest portion of literature.
1. A quester: which appears to be a person (protagonist) that has little experience, a naive character, and a low level of self- knowledge.
2. A place to go: The quester is given a task that must be followed (a place to go). This acts as a disguise that will eventually show the more meaningful quest, leading to number 3.
3. A stated reason to go there: As mentioned in step two, the stated reason becomes less important in the story and eventually is replaced with the real mission that the protagonist must fulfill.
4. Challenges and trials: In every story, there are moments where the questor is being tested in varying aspects of life. Those obstacles are primarily there to show the character that, it has capabilities that have been undercover due to the reason of not being properly put to the challenge. Difficult encounters with the protagonist awaken the embedded character.
5. the real reason to go: Here is where the real mission comes into play. The protagonist has gone through a quest, which at some point thought to have been the sole purpose of their travels. In reality, the beginning quest really has very little to do with the moral of the story. Underlining is the major quest, which serves to expose the character's capabilities and gain of self- knowledge.
Basically stated in the first chapter, no matter how simple the story line may be or how abstract it can prevail, the story falls into those basic elements. Some manipulation and rendering of the narration, if needed, can expose its foundation. As readers, the quest should be something to look for when beginning to read literature. As readers, we need to be on high alert when there comes a change in scene or setting for the possibility of hinting at the true mission or oral of the narrative.
When reading through the chapter, I couldn't help but make a connection with the Kite Runner. Amir, the narrator and protagonist discovers that his childhood friend passes away. On his visit to his homeland, he discovers the hidden truth about his best friend, he is in fact his half brother. Amir sets forth to find his nephew, who was used as a servant after his father's passing. Through his quest, he runs into numerous accounts of difficulty and life threatening encounters that dealt with his past. On the surface, it appeared that Amir's purpose was to find Sohrab. As the story continues, it was a quest for Amir to find the strength and nobility he though he didn't endure. He lived his childhood being neglected by his father, feeling incapable of living up to his father's manly standards. But when he finally reached Sohrab, not only did Amir gain a family member, but also the qualities that an honorable man inhibits.