The Road pages 136-160

Parallel: the son is starting to pick up on new terms and sayings such as "warm at last" (147) and "what are our long term goals" (160). In both so these cases, the father asks the son where he heard the term and the son is never sure. I think this shows how mature and smart the son is without any form of an education. 

Contrats: In all descriptions of the bad guys, they have beards. The father also has a beard until page 152, when he shaves it off. This is just one of the physical apperence differences you see between the good guys and the bad guys.

Questions:

What is the creature the dad talks about on pages 153-154

Why do the son and father abandon the hiden shelter with the food, water and heat lamps and continue their walk in the cold weather? If I were them, I would have stayed in the shelter for as long as possible. 

The Road pages 119-135

Paralell: On pages 129 and 131, they talk about carrying the fire and mending a fire. Both the man and the son talk about the fire. On page 129, the son talks about carrying the fire. I think this relates to both  god and the son. Carrying and keeping in mind god wherever they as well as the life of the son. On page 131, the father talks about mending a fire and then goes into a memory of his wife. Just like keeping god on mind, the father may be mending the memories of his wife. 

Contrast: On page 131, the father is walking through town with his son holding one hand and his revolver in his other hand. I thought that this was an important contrast because you have the thing keeping him alive (son) as well as what could kill him (revolver). In the section before, the fathers thinks about killing his child and now he has the weapon and target in either hand. 

Questions:

How long have they been in a post apocylptoc world if they are still able to smell cows.

Why does the father always leave his son while he searches around? Wouldn't you be nervous that your son can be taken while you are not their? 

The road Pages 94-118

Parallel: On pages 110 and 111, the boy and man have just discovered a basement or crawlspace filled with men and women who were trapped and presumably being eaten by the men and women who live in the house. Starting at the bottom of page 110, when they just discover the people, until the end of the middle paragraph of 111, you see the man reference god six times. 

Contrast: On the top of page 114, you see the man consider killing his son. I thought that this was a very interesting point in the book because his son has talked about dying and being with his mom but the father wouldnt let him and tells him not to think like that. At this point, the father has thoughts rushing through his head asking himself if he should kill his son. He even says "curse god and die" showing that he has given up and seeking gods help for survival.

Questions:

Why is McCarthy always describing the setting? Whenever there is a descriptive setting, it is always the same cold, grey, ash filled desciption as before. 

In the middle paragraph on page 96, it says "He fought back the rage, Usless". What is he fighting back?

The Road Pages 73-93

Parallel: Beards have started to play a role in The Roads plot since I have seen it describe the evil people of the story. In the last passage, the father and son are found by one of the bad guys. In the description of the bad guy, it states " He wore a beard that had been cut square across the bottom with shears..." (63). Then, on page 91, the father and son encounter an army of the evil mean, with the coining them with the description "Bearded, their breath smoking through their masks". I thought this was a parallel because of how both descriptions of the evil men include beards.

Contrast: Good Vs. Evil is starting to become a major contrast in the story since we are starting to be introduced to people who we presume are evil. On page 74, the dad is washing dead brains out of his child's hair when he said "This is my child...That is my job". I thought this showed that the dads first priority was his son and not killing anybody, unlike the man they encountered in the who was willing to kill an innocent child. 

Questions: How is the dad able to keep the mentality that they have to survive by themselves and not take in the dog and little boy that his son wants to care for. If I were the father, I would have taken in the dog and boy because I feel bad for them. 

My creation of The Road

On the bottom of page 12 and on all of page 13, there is a flashback of when the father was at his uncles farm. I think this passage describes his life before the apocalypse. A day in a rowboat with his uncle. No talking, just silence. I think this scene needs to be like the setting of the Twilight series. In Twilight, the seen is very grey and cold looking, but because of the location being in Seattle and in a woodsy location, there was a calm, quietness to it. The scene needs to capture the passages quietness, and focus on the little details. I imagine extreme close ups of all little details. The straw hat, yellow leaves, trousers rolled to the knees. They would be in a collection of individual shots so you would be able to see exactly what made up this flashback and the memory. Though they talk about cold water and yellow leaves (suggesting autumn), I think the scene should be overcast but still very light. Because they are on a boat, I imagine fog surrounding them because I feel that also depicts a flashback, kind of like a foggy memory. Even though is sounds like a dull scene, it is one of his favorite memories from when he was younger and the setting doesn't always depict the outcome of events.  

Memory

Memory is an image being used frequently throughout the book because memory is all they have. After the apocalypse, nothing is the same. As far as the son and father know, they are a couple of the few people that survived out of millions. In all memories, they are told in detail. The setting is described in such detail that you are able to picture it exactly as described. The boy, on the other hand, does not have the memories like his father. He was born into the post apocalyptic world and his only memories are ones that you would like to forget. 

The world that McCarthy has made in The Road shows no evidence of the United States ever existing. In one passage, we do get a minor detail in location, Rock City, which is in Tennessee. Other than this location, their is no description of the setting. In every descriptive setting, everything is described to be covered in ash, cold and grey. "The City was mostly burned.No sign of life. Cars in the street caked with ash, everything covered with ash and dust. Fossil tracks in the dried sludge. A corpse in the doorway dried to leather" (12). I think this passage captures the scene most vividly because they now live in a world where this is the norm. if they saw a clean house or street, they may be worried to be there because that means somebody also struggling to survive is there. 

The dad grew up in a different world than his son. When his wife took her life, he easily could have taken his own. Instead, he created his own world revolving around his son. He is showing his son how to survive and never gives up and takes their lives.

The son grew up in a world of death, his mother took her own life and wants to be with her. Though the dad is trying to create a world of survival for them, all the son can think about is death.

The Road Pages 53-73

Parallel: My parallel is the connection between the son and his mom. Though she left him at a young age, she and the son both have thoughts of death. After the apocolypse, the wife/mother is having a conversation with her husband and how she wants to die and should have died. In the end, she kills herself with obsidian, which is a glass volcanic rock. After seeing his mothers death, all he wishes for is to die so he could be with his mom.

Contrast: "All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain"(54). The word provenance means "the orgin". The sentence talks about the things you hold special in your heart comes from pain. I thought this sentence was a contrast because the things that are special in your heart are usually things you enjoy or love. Having everything you enjoy come from pain gives the things you enjoy a dark background or meaning.

Questions:

I did not understand the part where they encounter the other man (62-66).

Is the boy dying? (69-72)

The Road pages 31-53

Parallel: In the last section that we read. The boy asked his dad if he can tell him stories sometimes. Our class then discussed what stories the dad would tell. we talked about stories that we knew from our childhood; Hanzel and Gretle, The Little Engine that Could, Peter Pan. In the middle paragraph on page 41, the dad talks about how he told his son stories "Old stories of courage and justice". 

Contrast: The first full line on page 42 I thought was a contrast because of the metaphor. "Reflecting back the sun deep in the darkness like a flash of knives in a cave". I thought that this sentence was a contrast because it starts off with what you would imagine something being bright and beautiful but ends with a darkness. I imagine a sun setting and how right before it sets completely, it is a deep orange; and I consider that beautiful to watch. With the sentence ending "like a flash of knives in a cave", I then think about death and how they claim you go towards the light when you are dying. 

Questions: 

I was wondering if we ever find out the boys age because on page 39, the son and father are in the water and the father has to carry him because he is to young to know how to swim (I am assuming). 

I was also wondering what the government/USA was like before the apocalypse. On page 43, the father and son have a conversation about state roads and how the state used to own them. They mention that there are no more states and they don't know what happened to them.

The Road Pages 15-31

Parallel: In the first two pages on page 16, McCarthy is using dark colors in order to decribe different form of water. The terms "gray flake", "Gray slush", "Black water" and "grey sleet" are used to descibe water that is usually of a bluish or white color. I thought this showed the darkness of the world that he is living in and that there is no color or light anymore.

Contrast: On page 18, "He" (the father) is switching between paragraphs to descibe the area he is living in and the flashback he has of his old life with his wife (we presume). In the paragraphs baout his wife, he talks with color, descibing the setting with "Green and Leafy Canopy" and "Gold Scrollwork". He also describes his wife as "painted white" which reminds me of innocence. Like my parallel, there is no color in the world and the only color is from his dreams and flashbacks.

Questions:

I am wondering how long they have been in this postapocylyptic world. On page 17, He and the son find a ham and it is described as "Deep red and salty meat inside. Rich and good". It makes me believe that they have not been living in these conditions for that long because of the freshness of the meat.

Another question I have is if we ever find out what time period our setting is in. On page 23, the father finds a Coca Cola and gives it to his son but the son doesnt know what it is. We are also not sure of the age of the son but Coca Cola is a well known and recognized brand and I would assume that children know Coca. 

Double Indemnity and LA Confidential Stills

In the stills that I chose, both the leading actor and leading actress are in the shot and are holding each other and are mediums shots. In the shot taken from LA Confidential, the setting is in Lynn's bedroom where she is sitting on the bed and Bud is standing above her. Her bedroom is dark like it is late afternoon and the sun is setting. You can see some shadows from the sun coming into the room which makes the room see brighter. In Double Indemnity, the setting is in Walters Apartment. His apartment is very dark and the only source of you see may be from a lamp. 

A difference I see in Double Indemnity and LA Confidential is the positioning of characters. In Double Indemnity, you only see part of Walters face and his back is turned toward the camera while Phyliss is turned towards the camera more. In LA Confidential, you can see Buds face more while Lynn's has her face is turned away from the camera. Another interesting thing seen in the movie is who is superior in this specific shot. In Double Indemnity, Phyliss is at Walters house while in LA Confidential Bud is at Lynn's house. I thought of this as who is superior because of the setting because Phyliss comes to Walter showing that she is coming to him for help while Bud comes to Lynn's.

Its a Bird Section 5

Contrast (writing):

In Section 5, you see Seagle become his own Superman. He realizes that he needs to mend his own relationships and save the day. His dad, however, does not try to mend the relationship between he and his sons. His dad wishes he never had kids because of Huntingtons disease running in his family. Seagle tries to comfort his dad in telling him that he would rather live his life and then be diagnosised with Huntingtons rather than not living at all.

Contrast (Visual):

After Seagle becomes his own Superman and mends his relationships. He becomes a happier person. On page 123, you are shown Lisa and Steven in their home, with walls painted bright Yellow and sun coming through the windows. Unlike the rest of the novel, this page is bright and full of color. Seagle is a happier person because of the mended relationships of his family and his girlfriend. He sees a brighter outcome in his future and is no longer living with a fear of Huntingtons.

Fate VS. Free Will:

At the beginning of the book, you can say that Seagle thinks of himself as fated. He has the constant fear of Huntingtons disease and tells Lisa that he does not want to have kids. He became his dad after overhearing that he wished he never had children. Seagle does want to bring children into the world if it means there is a chance of them being diagnosed. In Section 5, you see Seagle make his own choices  and decided that maybe he will want to have kids. He also decides to take on the Superman job because he realizes that he and Superman are alike. 

It's a Bird Section 4

Parallel (writing): 

I think that Seagle has begun to depict himself as Superman in the ways that people are always talking to him. On pages 62 and 63 Seagle has written/drawn Superman getting a suit tailored. The Tailor is talking to Superman about how perfect his body is. During the whole tailoring, Superman does not say a word and is more so taking in everything that the tailor is saying. Seagle, also Iike Superman, is always being talked to but is never able to say what he is thinking. 

Parallel (visual):

On page 57, Seagle is wearing a red scarf on his way to his meeting. I think this is the start of Seagle becoming his own superman and saving the people around him such as his job, his girlfriend and mom. After you see Seagle wearing this red scarf, his character in the book becomes more interesting in the ways that he lets out some of his feelings and worries.

Words, Words, words:

In Section 4, Seagles character starts to become more vocal about his opinions and feelings towards certain things. For example, he tells his girlfriend, Lisa, that he is not ready for kids. In early sections, I feel that Seagle was not very open or talkative to his girlfriend. For the rest of the book, I think that Seagle with become a more vocal character who will have his voice be heard instead of people always trying to do otherwise. 

Its a Bird Section 3

Parallel (Writing): 

In Section 3 of Its a Bird, Seagle starts to recieve advice and help from friends. It started with his boss giving his advice on how to draw superman comics. Though Seagle does not take the advice, he does start to take superman into consideration. He then becomes inspired by his girlfriend and writes a Superman comic. Though he throws his comic out, he has begun to put effort into the work. Later, he gets help from a friend to find his dad. 

Contrast (Visual): 

On Pages 36 and 37, there is a lot of vibrant colors unlike the rest of the book. These pages in the story are very colorful because this is Seagles idea for the Superman story. His drawings and writings for comics are full of color and vibrance but his drawings and writings about his real life are dark. If flipping through the book, you notice these sudden pops of color which only happen for a page or two.

Images:

In the Section "Red, Yellow and Blue", I like how Seagle kept the pictures basic with a white background si it puts your main focus on superman. He then starts to color in Superman based on the colors Red, Yellow and Blue and what each color represents. In the end, you are left with Superman and what he represents. 

Its a Bird Section 2

Parallel (Writing):
Even though Seagle hates the superman comics, I believe that he and superman are almost equals. Seagle writes about a seventh grade boy named Jason Dobson who does not have any friends. For Halloween, Jason dresses up as superman and gains popularity from some of the girls and guys. But the next day, nobody talks to him; he is back to his old self. I feel that Seagle parallels himself as Jason Dobson; a kid who is on his own in the world but once is in the superman costume, is like a celebrity. If Seagle takes the position as the new superman writer, he will feel like a celebrity.

Parallel (Visual):
All of Seagles drawing are in dark colors. The only color you see is from the superman costume and Seagles moms hair. These two scenes stand out in the book because of the pop of color. Both Supermans cape and Seagles moms hair are red, which give the pop of color. I believe that this is a parallel because of both of them being important things in Seagles life. Seagle has to be there for his mom in the search of finding his dad, while he also has to make an important decision in drawing superman.

Will the Stephan Seagle Please Stand up?
Older Stephan Seagle comes off as having a rude personality while young Stephan Seagle has innocence. Younger Stephan has the innocence that all young children have and it makes me feel as if Seagle has had a traumatizing life event and that is why his adult self comes off as a rude and depressed character.

It's a Bird Section 1

Parallel/Contrast (Writing):

The parallel that I found was about communication, which can be seen on pages 4 and 7. On page 4, Seagles mom is talking about always being the last to know what is happening in the family. On page 7, Seagle talks about how he hates doctors and how they always know thinsgs that no one would tell him. I feel like this is a parallel about a lack of communication in his life. Also, on page 9, Seagles voicemail starts with "Alright, you found me..." showing that he doesnt want to communicate with anybody. 

Parallel/Contrast (Visual):

The contrast between visuals is his flashback to his childhood vs. reality. In his childhood, all drawings are very bright and happy feeling while his reality is shown in dark and depressing drawings. You see the contrast more dramatically between pages 6 and 7 where he does switch from childhood to adulthood. I believe he has drawn this images this way because people depict chidldhood as being a happy time and adulthood being dull. 

Frames:

In section 1 of "It's a Bird", there is a contrats of frames between his childhood and adulthood. In the frames of his childhood, the borders are white and give the sense of innocence. In the frames of his adulthood, every drawing has hard, black edges. This kind of border doesnt have a welcoming feeling,

On pages 10 and 11, Seagle is talking to his boss on the phone. The frames are all the same size and in a grid system. After reading these pages, I then noticed the frames and how it changed my view of these pages. Before, I read the pages just as they are written, a guy talking on the phone with his boss. After noticing the frames and how they are all the same, It seemed as if this is his routine conversation and that he isnt happy with his life as a comic book illustrator. 

Questions: If he hates comic books, how did he start drawing for them?

Minority Report- Shot #1

At this point in the film, Minority Report, John Anderton (played by Tom Cruise) is having a discussion with Dr. Iris Hineman (Lois Smith) about pre-crime. Anderton is coming to Dr. Hineman for help because the Precogs predicted that Anderton would murder a man in thirty-six hours. Dr. Hineman explains to Anderton how the precogs sometimes see different visions and the system will only report the two visions which agree.

This shot in the movie is a medium shot because of the tight presentation of the two actors, while still being able to see the setting. The shot is a regular Medium shot because of Dr. Hineman standing farther away, making the frame at waist level. John Anderton is standing closed, causing the shot to become a Medium Close Shot since the frame is at chest level.

Like we have talked about in class, the clothing is all very dark, making the future seem unwelcoming. In this shot, Dr. Hineman's clothing is a little lighter, even though it is still gray. The color white symbolizes innocence, which I feel the movie is trying to create with Dr. Hineman. She is "the mother of pre-crime" and is now the help Anderton needs in order to run away from attempting murder.

With John Anderton standing in front on Dr. Hineman and closer to the camera, it makes him seem like the more important character at the moment.

Body Language also plays an important role in this shot. John Anderton is leaning down and looking away from Dr. Hineman, who is looking over him and and has a stern look. It reminds me of child being yelled at by their mother for doing something bad. In this case, Anderton is going to kill a person if he doesn't figure out a way to stop himself and Dr. Hineman is giving him advice. Like my example, the scene is like a mother and son moment.

Movies from the Summer

Movies At Home
The Vow
The Amazing Spider Man
Eat Pray Love
The Lorax
Safe Haven
Identity Thief

Movies at the Theater
Despicable Me 2
The Mortal Instruments

Oedipus the King VS. Minority Report

1.To what extent is Oedipus responsible for his own fate in the play? Be prepared to discuss at least two examples from the text which lead you to believe he is or is not responsible.

Oedipus is responsible for his own fate in the play by leaving his kingdom because of his destiny and killing his real father. Oedipus trying to escape his own fate ultimately led him back to his fate. By leaving his kingdom because of the destiny, he ended up killing his real father and marrying his real mother, what his real destiny called for. 

2.How good a king is Oedipus?  In what ways does he excel as a leader?  In what ways does he fall short? 

Oedipus is a good king in the aspects that he has been able to bring good fortune to his land and is aware that when his land is becoming less fortunate and or prosperous as before he knows that he has to take the matters into his own hands and solve the issue. One way that I saw Oedipus fall short as king is that he does not take for his own mistake and automatically blames the people of his land for the cause of failure. 

3.Since Oedipus is considered the quintessential tragic hero, then what would you argue is his tragic mistake?  In other words, what in his own character/personality or what wrong-headed action does he take which leads him to his ultimate downfall? Choose a particular flaw or action and explain its relation to his disgrace and exile.

Though Oedipus was one of the best leaders of his kingdom, Oedipus’s tragic mistake and ultimate downfall was running from his own destiny. Knowing that his destiny was that he would become ruler of his kingdom and marry his “mother” once his dad died, he ran hoping to escape. In the end, he ended up killing his real father and marrying his real mother.   

4.If we agree that Oedipus the King is about the role of fate and humans’ inability to escape destiny, in what ways does Minority Report, and the character of John Anderton in particular, support or refute Oedipus’ notion of destiny?  Think of two scenes that support your position.

John Andertons ability to see into the future led him to his destiny. Knowing that he was going to be convicted of murder, Anderton runs, hoping to escape his destiny. When Anderton sees a vision of his son, who was kidnapped several years earlier, he ends up Leo Crows home, where there are pictures of children, including Andertons son. Anderton, seeing pictures of his son, blames Crow for the kidnap and now plans on killing him. Like Oedipus, John Anderton was not able to escape his own destiny of being convicted of murder. 

5.The eyes are often associated not just with the act of seeing but also of revealing oneself to others. In the film, explain the different ways that eyes or the act of seeing are used for:  1. The Precogs, 2. John Anderton, 3. The culture of the world of the film. 

The Precogs ability to see into the future reveals who will be committing a crime. Being able to see into the future and knowing who committing the crime is, the Precogs are able to stop the crime before it happens. 

John Anderton, being able to see into the future, is now able to see who he will become and what crimes he may be commit. John, seeing that he was going to be committing murder, tried to escape the destiny. 

Being able to see into the future, the world in the film is a safe place because of the police knowing who will be committing a crime and are able to stop the people before they do it. 

6.The story upon which the movie is based was written in the 1950's.  The movie came out in 2002 but is set in 2054.  How much of the events/the attitudes of the movie do you see in contemporary American culture?  Where will be in 44 years?  Speculate on the direction in which our country is headed.  What future contingencies are we preparing for?  To what extent does our attempt to prepare for certain future events determine our own fate? 

America's innovation of technology has exceeded upon the expectations people would have assumed a decade ago. Our technology has been able to do some many things one would have never thought you would be able to do. iPhones are able to locate another iPhone either through "Find My I Phone" or "Find My Friends" app. Security systems are now able to register iPhones to certain systems so that you will be able to turn your security system or lights on and off even when your miles away. The governments use of technology is especially important in order to protect its citizens.  Like the show "Person of Interest", government security systems are able to use face recognition on any city street and are able to know basic stuff such as who you are to knowing if you have committed any crimes. Because of terrorist attacks over the years, government security has been on high alert in trying to keep safe our citizens. Government has been able to crack down on any suspects of terrorism before a crime is committed, much like the Pre Cogs in Minority Report. Though having technology such like this is important to our government, other countries may be able to use it as a weapon or distraction.