Blancanieves vs Brothers Grimm

After watching the film Blancanieves, the Snow White fairy tale is obvious and evident so it was hard to choose which version to compare it too. I picked the Brothers Grimm version to compare because it is the one I grew up with so I figured it would be the most interesting to compare it too.

Both the story and the film share similar story lines. A girl who loses her mother in childbirth and struggle with their stepmothers who mistreat them. One of the similarities I caught are the spirit of the characters. In two specific characters, Snow White and the Evil Queen I found that both the film and story portray them the same. Snow White’s spirit is very courageous and she pushes through all the challenges and obstacles. Similarly the Evil Queen has a very jealous and insecure spirit. In both she is envious of Snow White and it is what motivates her to be so cruel towards her and ultimately what pushes her to try and murder Snow White.

While the story line and even the characters are similar in both the film and the story there are glaring differences. Besides the overtly obvious differences such as place and character names and occupations there are other major differences. For example, the role of the father in the film is very different than in that of the story. In the film the father plays a much larger role in Snow White’s life and even inspires her to become a bull fighter. It is his example and the time she spent with him that really motivates her later in life. In the story the father barely has an role and there is no evidence that he ever spent any amount of time with her or taught her anything.

Both the story and the film tell a story that is told over and over from generation to generation. It maintains its timeless quality in both film and literacy.

Michael Jordan - The Legend

After learning about myths for the last few weeks it's interesting to think that anything from our modern day could and potentially will become a myth for future generations. It seems like such a far fetched idea since the myths of the past seem so different from the world we live in and yet it is easy enough to spot such stories, places and people. One person I believe will become a myth in due time, if he is not already becoming such, is Michael Jordan. He is already constantly called a legend, an all time great in basketball. He is the standard of greatness to which everyone is compared. He is remembered for his clutch shots and many championships. He changed the game of basketball forever. In the present he is a master of the sport but for many of us we have seen him play and we remember him in the live games. In future generations they will watch videos but it is the talk of his greatness that will make him a myth. He will be a player who no one can rival and who changed the face of a sport. His legend will be talked about forever and his game will be forever imitated. He is already the hero of so many young athletes but I believe once this generation is gone and maybe even the next he is going to be a name that people still talk about. After a while the game will evolve and change and at that point people will look back and remember the days when Michael Jordan dominated the game. 

Film v.s Mythology

In the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? There are many striking mythological references. As I watched the film I caught a strong sense of Homers The Odyssey. So my review is going to compare the film to many of the characters from the novel.

Some references come in the simple form of similar names such as Penny and Penelope, Ulysses and Odysseus and Ithaca, Mississippi and Ithaca, Greece. However there are deeper parallels between the movie and myths.

For example the characters of the three women at the river are very similar to the sirens from mythology. They both have power over the men in a mysterious way. The women are beautiful and use their seductive power on the men as they sing. The women are an obvious allusion to the sirens from mythology.

Another pair of characters that are very similar is the blind man and Cassandra/Tiresias. They both predict the future which includes the adventures that the men will have. However, they warn of misfortune as well. Both have prophet esque characteristics that make them seem so alike.

Lastly the character that stood out physically the most to a character from Odysseus was Dan Teague. This is because he wore the eye patch, which gave him one eye like the Cyclops. Moreover, Ulysses caused his death just as Odysseus caused the Cyclops death.

As seen by the characters of both the film and the novel there is a strong likeness between the two. If you watched the film without thinking about mythology you could probably watch it in it’s entirety without ever noticing it. However, once you stop to think about how it relates to mythology you can’t stop 

Antigone Not the Tragic Hero of her Own Story

While arguments can made that Antigone is indeed the tragic hero of her story I believe that the King, Creon, is actually the tragic hero of this story. Tragic heroes are people with heroic qualities that have faults that combined along with fate lead to their ultimate destruction. Creon is a king with a vast land whose people are loyal to him. He has the throne all to himself now that Oedipus is gone and his sons have killed themselves. His circumstances look positive until Antigone comes along. While Creon was probably a very prideful and stubborn man before it is because of fate that this trait truly reveals itself.  When Antigone defies his orders and buries her brother she sets wakes up a sleeping bear within Creon.  It is here that he reveals his arrogance when he talks about how his voice is the only one that he listens too. It is because he locks Antigone up that a series of events unfolds which quickly escalates. Antigone kills herself, his son kills himself and his wife kills himself.  His stubbornness leads to the death of those he loves. He is a tragic hero because he has the ability to be a great leader and a great hero to his people but it is because of his flaws that he is unable to do and instead faces the consequences which lead to his downfall. Moreover, Creon understands by the end that it is his pride with the help of fate that leads to the demise of his happy life. Although many tragic heroes die, Creon’s fate is much worse because he must live with the loneliness caused by his tragic flaw.

Olivia Pope - The Ultimate Anti-Hero

In the hit television drama Scandal Olivia Pope has wit, intelligence and an intangible power to see how to solve situations that others do not. She is an obvious protagonist and lead female character but there can be quite a controversial debate over whether she is a hero or not.  She is not the picture of morality and yet she is portrayed as a very strong anti-hero.

To the outside world Olivia Pope is a fixer. She solves the problems of her clients, making them disappear and resulting in positive outcomes if possible. It seems that she is indeed a hero, bettering the lives of those around her and yet the audience knows much more about her.  She has an entirely different side to her that she keeps hidden from much of the world. She played a part in rigging an election, has an affair with the president and as later revealed has a very dramatic familial background. She is not purely “good” and she in fact does lots of immoral things.

Yet, the world views Olivia Pope on a pedestal. She is given this innate given this extraordinary gift and yet her biggest flaw comes in the form of love. Many heroes of mythology and modern day are victim to their love and Olivia Pope is no different. As many accomplishments as she has and as much space as she attempts to put between herself and her flaws and background the more it keeps hitting her right in the face. For example, her relationship with the president was supposed to have ended but he maintains monitoring her safety and eventually that leads them back together.

Something else many heroes deal with is family. An example of this hero dealing with something that could tarnish their reputation is Olivia dealing with her family lineage. She attempts to keep a distance from her father who has a very suspicious and devious past and yet he continues to be a presence in her life. He is connected to her job and the people that she works with. No matter how hard she tries she cannot get away from him.

Lastly something many heroes deal with is a shocking revelation. Similar to stories such as Oedipus where he discovers who his true parents are Olivia too discovers the truth about her family, specifically her mother. I don’t want to ruin the plot in case anyone watches the show but Olivia faces the consequences dealing with her family as well. 

Olivia’s journey started off as that of a hero, someone who wanted to make a difference in Washington, specifically in the White House. However, as her journey progressed with the decisions that she had to make that included election rigging, kidnapping and other less than moral things, she slowly changed into an anti-hero.

Scandal is one of my favorite shows because it has these characters that they make you love and root for who are innately flawed. Olivia is not the only anti-hero in the show. In fact it can be argued that any of the main characters can be considered an anti-hero. They are real life heroes because even though they make a difference they still have their problems that they deal with, which make the characters so relatable. 

Spirited Away

Spirited Away is a movie that parallels many of the myths that we read this week, with many of its characters reminiscent of the characters from these myths. As one of the main protagonists of the film, Haku captrues the audiences attention immediately and his personality traits remind them of Prometheus. Both characters are wiling to break the rules in order to help those they care about. Haku has Yubaba and Prometheus has Zeus to follow orders from. Selflessly putting the ones they care about in front of themselves and their happiness they find a way to circumnavigate the rules and get what they want. Haku helps Chihiro find a way back to her family while Promethus steals fire for the humans. They both have rules and norms that they must break in order to help the ones they love. The second major character connection I made was with Yubaba and Zeus. Although Yubaba can probably be compared to many of the Gods I first saw her as similar to Zeus because she does not seem to just have power, but she seems to be the most powerful. In charge the bathhouse she is like Zeus who is in charge of Mount Olympus. They both control their subjects with fear. Both characters use their power for their own pleasure as well. Spirited Away is a movie that encompasses many of the themes and characters from the pantheons and is a wonderful modern day twist on a classic ideal.

House of Asterion & What It Realizes

With House of Asterion Borges has achieved a re-characterization of a classic creature. The half bull-half human reminds me of the Minotaur of Roman mythology. It is not to say that this character is not menacing as he threatens to exact punishment on those who accuse him within the first few lines of this myth as well. However, while the more traditional creature is fearsome and brutal, the Asterion of Borges myth seems rather reserved and rational. Borges is able to encapsulate the loneliness and rationality of the creature juxtaposed to his frightening exterior. His loneliness is personified in the description of the house itself, very large with no furniture it lies empty just as Asterion himself and yet he always comes back to it every night because of the fear of what is outside. This is just like his loneliness that lies within him and yet he cannot get rid of it because he is afraid of being with others. His aloneness makes him create
“another Asterion” with whom he feels not so alone, and yet this is just a figment of his imagination and he is still without real companionship. Nonetheless the Asterion is not without hope. He waits for his savior, questioning what he will be like and when his return is. Though he knows not when or where, he waits with eager anticipation.  Borges was able to recreate a character, one that was so violently different from mankind, so that the audience would sympathize with his plight. He successfully re-depicted this mythological being.

Favorite Goddess - Pandora

Of all the Gods and Goddesses that have legacies that people know inklings about through popular culture and media, Pandora often gets the worst reputation. I choose her as my favorite Goddess because she has a story and personality different that the reputation that often precedes her name. As one of the first femme-fatale personas presented in history, she was beautiful of course and although obviously not the brightest character, as evidenced by her opening the box that released misery to the world, she was a caring and loving Goddess. Most people know her by the term Pandora’s Box and yet they do not know the story behind it. Though she may have opened the box, Pandora did not create the box or any of the spites within and is not an evil creature by nature. Instead it is the story of her as the “All-Giver” that embodies her spirit. Her beauty is captured in her stunning aura which draws the mortals in so that she may care for the mortals, giving them food, medicine and anything they may need for survival. Yet more than the physical gifts, the greatest thing she gave the mortals was the intangibles such as curiosity, wisdom, courage and peace. To many, Pandora’s beauty is the downfall of mankind because she opened the box which led to many a calamity, and yet it is told in this myth that her beauty allowed her to give her greatest gifts to the human race.