Friday, December 9, 2011

Blast From The Past: Achilles

The Iliad

History:
Face that launched a thousand ships: 
Helen of Sparta left her husband for Paris of Troy making her Helen of Troy. Her husband, furious, declares war with Troy and asks for aide from his brother, Agamemnon. Agamemnon joins his brother and he rallies the Greeks to declare war on Troy. Here starts the Trojan War.

How Paris got Helen:
He was offered her in return for declaring Aphrodite the most beautiful of the Greek Gods.
Hera offered the world. Athena offered skill in battle. Aphrodite offered Helen.


Hera

Athena
Aphrodite

Who we care about (as a class):

ACHILLES!

Hekter v Achilles
Seeing as our main focus is comparing and contrasting characters in our literary works to superheroes the main focus of this reading of the Iliad will revolve around Achilles. Achilles is the son of Thetis (Goddess). He is part god and has impenetrable skin (excluding his ankles down). He is highly skilled in combat and is known for changing the course of a battle in his favor.

The story begins in media res or in the middle. The Trojan war has already lasted for years and may soon *cough cough* come to and end.

Achilles v Agamemnon
The Achaeans(Greeks) suffered a great plague because Agamemnon would not return the daughter of a priest. To end the plague Agamemnon declared he wanted Achilles's spoil of war Briseis. Achilles would eventually be forced to agree, but would declare that he would leave the war with his army the Myrmidons. Achilles would also beseech his goddess mother to punish the Greeks with failure in battle for what Agamemnon, the leader, did to him

Achilles v Hekter
Achilles would challenge Hekter to a dual and bring the Myrmidons back into the war. He does this because his subordinate with possible family relation, Patroclus. Patroclus had worn Achilles's armor and charged into the battle tricking the Myrmidons to rejoin the war. Unfortunately, Patroclus is not as skilled in battle as Achilles, so he dies by the hand of the Trojan commander Hekter. Achilles seeks vengeance and challenges Hekter. By divine grace of the gods Hekter is able to avoid being slain by Achilles until Achilles is then aided and finally strikes Hekter down.

Thoughts:

The shield description is important because it is an arming of the hero scene. This is where the hero BECOMES the hero, and they are able to be awesome.

Achilles is a crybaby? I don't think...well he is, but there is good reason! This culture supports masculinity, and they took away his prize from battle. He has to defend his honor, but he might or should have gone about doing so without needing to plea with his mother. Asking you mother for help in a fight just isn't cool

Superhero Achilles?
He is clearly without a doubt, a superhero! He is part god apparently, and he also has godly fighting skills. He has a costume which is battle armor specific to him. E.g. from the story is that when he goes into battle, everyone's it is him or believes it is him in the case of Patroclus. Achilles also clearly has morales that fit society. He must exert himself so he will hold grudges because they make sense! He is fighting for a cause as well, if you consider personal glory a decent cause? Achilles has his own kryptonite (Achilles Tendon) or heels. Sure he may seem like a crybaby, but he is still achilles! ;)


(584)

Blast From the Past : Oedipus

Oedipus the King
Play Summary:
Oedipus is king of Thebes. He took the throne after saving the people of Thebes from the Sphinx and taking the widowed queen, Jocasta, as his wife. At the start of the play Thebes is under a grave plague. The Oracle claims that the plague will end when the late kings murderer is executed or exiled. The play then revolves around finding out who the king slayer is.

About Greek Plays & Tragedies:
Time frame of Greek plays relatively occur  within 24 hours due to time constraints. Most plays also have a history/background that you would know beforehand; therefore, most people knew how the play would end. Greek tragedies end with on a really sour note as in everyone in the play ends in a worse position than they were before.

Oedipus's Background:
He is the son of Laius and Jocasta of Thebes. Laius and Jocasta meet with the Oracle of Delphi to foretell their future. The Oracle tells them dire news. It is prophesied that they will have a son! The bad news is that their son will kill the father and bed the mother O_o ...Well that just blows doesn't it?

Since this is clearly a bad thing they decide to spike their first born son's ankles and leave him to die. Unfortunately for them, a Sheppard rescues Oedipus and give him to the Royals of Corinth. Years pass and Oedipus is a find young man now. he learns of his prophecy and decides to leave Corinth so he won't do such horrible things to his "mother & father." On his travels he meets with Laius and his retainers. Apparently they get into a road argument and Oedipus slays them all except for one escapee (Father dies). Later he is challenged by the sphinx and saves Thebes. Which brings him to wear he is now...king of Thebes and husband of Jocasta (his mother). Life is a B**** isn't it?

[Spoiler]Ending[/Spoiler]
Oedipus realizes he is the murder and that Jocasta is his mother. He pierces his eyes and banishes himself. His family...since he had children...is left in a horrible position. His uncle/brother then takes control of the kingdom; though, he never wanted the responsibility.








Thoughts & Information:
 Greek Fate: In this culture FATE is inescapable. No matter what you try to do it will happen. That is why Oedipus was destined to do what he did no matter what ...
Blind SEE CLEARLY: The Prophet who knew about Oedipus and what he "did" before anyone else knew. Oedipus would blind himself afterwards when he figures out the "truth".

I find this all very sad ... perfect for the theme of tragedy. No matter what you do and how hard you try it will all be for nothing.

OEDIPUS THE HERO \o/
*He defeated Laius and his guard??? by himself???
*Rescued Thebes from the EVIL Sphinx.
*He has clear values and stays true to his word.
  *`Who else would really punish themselves to tragically as Oedipus did?

It wasn't his fault this happened. Apparently he had no choice, but he did spend his time doing what was right and helping the people. That is what a superhero does. Don't punish him for fate he cannot escape !!!


OEDIPUS CAN INTO SUPERHERO-ISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(553)

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Othello Conclusion


The Tragedy of Othello


☠ DENOUEMENT 
"Let the bodies hit the floor, 
                  let the bodies hit the floor, 
                                 let the bodies hit the floor." --Slipknot


I love saying denouement (day-nooh-mont). The end of a Shakespearean play comes in the final act for obvious reasons. I believe it is time for the routine body count.

And we will remember...


Barbanzio
*Apparently dies before everyone else in Venice. Hopefully Desdemona will take the news well....o wait...

Desdemona
*"Suffocated" by Othello. She forgives Othello, and claims she committed suicide.


Roderigo
*Wounded by Cassio. Executed by Iago.


Othello
*Suicided after learning the truth of Desdemona's faithfulness.


Emilia
*Murdered by Iago.



Scene Summary: "This is the night ... that either makes me or for does me quite." --Iago
Iago's planning and work has come to this. In the end of the night he will either gain all that he has set out for or fail horribly.

His plans seems to be going very well:
`Cassio & Roderigo fight. Cassio is injured. Roderigo is finished by Iago.
`Othello suffocates Desdemona.
Then comes Iago's downfall.
`Emilia confides the truth about the handkerchief to Othello. Iago is then forced to murder his wife.
`Othello after realizing the truth commits suicide.
`Iago is captured by the town guard for murdering Emilia...what next?


Thoughts
Well this is a tragedy all right. Everyone ended up in a worse position or dead..just like Oedipus. Final death count is five if we include Desdemona's father. Cassio doesn't die but is given Othello's rank, yet on the downside he never wanted to be the commander and now his friends/companions are dead. At least he still has Bianca somewhere. 

Iago
Iago ends up in a bad position, but he get's off pretty easy. No one knew his entire scheme, and those who knew a bit were killed off. Still from assistant to the commander to prison and possibly death is pretty bad. In the end he does swear to never speak again which only does him good. His strength throughout the play was through his manipulation through words and now his strength must come from silence.

He is clearly the main character of this play. He was in I believe every single scene. He was the protagonist because none of this would have happened if not for him. They would have just gone to Cyprus and saw that the battle had ended then they would go home and live happily ever after.

Iago is also a bit like Cartman from Southpark as well... Screw him over once and you get it back 100x worse!
Iago doesn't get promoted. He gets 4 people killed.
Cartman gets scammed "some" money. He kills the scammers parents and feeds them to him in chili O_o




(459)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Othello Act3&4

The Tragedy of Othello (cont.)

Strawberry Handkerchief (Hanky)

Act III Climax/Turning Point

We continue after Iago has revealed his plans against Othello, and he has already knocked some items off it already. He has gotten Cassio disgraced out of the rank of lieutenant. Othello now has a small voice in his head claiming Desdemona is sleeping around with Cassio. In a twist of fate, Iago now has possession over the strawberry hanky.

Importance of the Handkerchief
* It is like a wedding ring. A vow of faithfulness. This particular hanky especially because it is magically imbued.

After acquiring the hanky, Iago plants the "missing" hanky in Cassio's quarters. Cassio finds it then gifts the cloth to his mistress "prostitute" Bianca. Othello finds his handkerchief in Bianca's possession and puts the pieces together by concluding that Desdemona gave it to Cassio; therefore, his beautiful beloved wife must have been betraying Othello in the warm comfort of Cassio's chambers of betrayal!
The Turning Point
Othello vows to get his revenge!
...He has joined the dark side, Anakin has succumb to the Palpatine! I mean...Othello falls into Iago's scheme ;)
Act IV Falling Action
The Joker has won, and the city is falling into utter chaos. He has proven that under the right circumstances anyone can do bad. What will Commissioner Gordon do?
 /
Iago has won, Othello's world is shattering before him.Will Othello kill Desdemona?


Othello has gone mad with paranoia, and Iago is rejoicing in the thought of his victory. Othello frequently questions Emilia on whether Desdemona has remained faithful, but disregards anything she doth say. He has also become aggressive towards Desdemona to the point where he strikes her in public, because the anguish within his heart has grown too large and cancerous.

Thoughts
Iago
Iago is an evil genius manipulator. A pretty good politician. The best kind! The kind that everyone trusts. His plans are going well, but for how long?

Des"demon"a (The Demon)
They thought of women very lowly during this time and age. If Desdemona was not a faithful angel, then clearly she was a lustful demon.

Othello's Weakness
It is definitely his passion over trust. Passion is strong and powerful. If it is manipulated, then it can turn from bad situation to deadly really fast. Passion blinds us from the truths because it feeds off our inner most emotions. That intense spark of love or that lurking thought of betrayal. It was his minds poison that drove him into madness.

(407)

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Othello Act1&2

The Tragedy of Othello

Characters List for Othello

Othello: Commander, Moor 
Iago: Ensign
Cassio: Lieutenant
Roderigo: Suitor
Desdemona: Othello's Wife
Emelia: Iago's Wife


Act I Exposition

As in all of Shakespearian plays we start of with the Exposition or Introduction. The setting is in Venice. We meet our main character Othello, Iago, Roderigo, and Desdemona. Iago, who is apparently Othello's "batman" (aide?), is stirring up trouble right form the beginning by exposing Othello's hidden marriage. Then Iago convinces Roderigo to pursue in taking Desdemona from Othello. It continues on with a confrontation of Othello and Desdemona's father. Othello is accused of bewitching Desdemona, so Othello is forced to convince everyone that they are "truly" in love. Othello is able to convince her father that they are and they all live happily ever after...Oh wait this is a tragedy :(

As a military commander Othello is ordered to defend Cyprus, so he takes along all the main characters with him.

[From Order to CHAOS / Wall Safe > Battlefield Unsafe]



Act II Rising Action


All the main characters have now arrived in Cyprus. We learn more about each person's character. Iago plans and schemes how he will destroy Othello in explicit detail.

List of Iago's things to do:
1. Ruin Cassio
2. Plant Seeds of Distrust in Othello
3. Get Hanky!
PS. Find out why I am doing this again :)


Ruin Cassio
Iago get's Cassio drunk because Cassio is a lightweight :/ ... Bad Cassio! Iago get's Roderigo to brawl with Cassio. Shortly thereafter Othello finds out and demotes Cassio.

Seeds of Distrust Planted
Iago find the sad Cassio and advises him to ask Desdemona for help because they are friends. All the while Iago nudges Othello into thinking about Cassio getting it on with Desdemona!


Discussion


The biggest issue here is apparently race; though I do not recall race (color) being a big factor of discrimination in Europe at this time. I expect it more to be discrimination via religion (since moors can be associated with islamists) or tribe/family/order/nation, and that all the (color) racism portrayed in this play is more of just to point out Othello's more noticeable differentiation from all the other Venetians and Cypriots (I prefer Cypricots).

We get a glimpse at Iago's character which is plain diabolic. He is a  psychological mastermind SUPERVILLIAN!!! I would compare him to the Joker except the joker is just misunderstood :( and Iago is pure >> EVIL << or bored. Either way both are similar in being able to sway the minds of others.

Just as Prof. said Iago rarely lies. So...he is pretty honest. <3 He's everyone's best friend <3


Now we know that people who act as everyone's best friend is clearly just an evil mastermind.

(459)


Monday, November 21, 2011

Gawain 3&4

Part III

Sir Gawain has been on his journey to find the chapel of the Green Knight. He has traveled far and long in a cold winter. Christmas is approaching and he seeks shelter. Out of the fog he stumbles upon a castle. Gawain is taken in by lord of the castle Bertilak de Hautdesert.

In this part of our story Sir Gawain's biggest test arises! Similar to his challenge with the Green Knight he accepts a challenge that appears to have no downside, but sadly we wouldn't have much of a story if there wasn't.

The challenge, well it didn't seem like much of a challenge in the beginning, but it gets there in the end. We find out the "Chapel of the Green Knight" is pretty close by, so Lord Bertilak offers Gawain to stay a few days and rest. While he is resting the Lord will out and hunt. Whatever he gets while he is hunting he will give to Gawain, and Gawain must then give whatever he gets in the castle to Bertilak when her returns.

The complication to this deal is Lady Bertilak the Lord's wife. While Gawain is bedridden, she comes into his and attempts to seduce him. Take note that at this time people slept full nude and that Lady Bertilak is fairly attractive if not extremely. So what is the problem? Gawain is a knight and he must embody chivalry. He cannot sleep with her for obvious reason, but he can't deny her the right to hit on him because of courtesy. In other words; he must be the tease!!! His resolution to this solution is to accept a kiss from her and call it a day. This goes on for three days. Lord Bertilak returns with a catch and Gawain gives him a kiss first 1 then 2 then 3. On the third day when he receives the 3 kisses he had also been gifted with a green "magical" girdle (belt for a gown). The girdle is supposed to protect him from harm, so instead of giving the girdle to Bertilak on the 3rd day he keeps it when he leaves that day.

Symbolism:
The number 3 appears quite a bit throughout this story more profound in this part of the poem. Which may symbolize the holy trinity, but that is only a theory.

Mentions of 3:
3 notable male characters (Arthur, Gawain, Green Knight/Bertilak)
3 notable female characters (Guinevere, lady Bertilak, Morgan le Fay)
3 strikes at Gawain
3 days in bed
3 kisses (incremental 1 , 2 , 3)
3 animals hunted
More?


Part IV

Gawain has left Bertilak's castle and goes to the Chapel of the Green Knight. Gawain has come to honor his word and is coming to meet death. He lays his head down and waits.

The Green Knight swings his mighty axe down, but Gawain backs out. He is mocked for flinching when the Green Knight stood in Arthur's court and held his resolve.
The second strike comes then stops. The Green Knight is checking to see if Gawain will back out again.
The third strike just nicks Gawain on the neck and the deal is complete.

Guess What?

  • Green Knight is then Lord Bertilak
  • Gawain reveals his honor has faltered when he has broken his code of chivalry to Lord Bertilak by not giving his "gain" up when he was meant to
  • We also learn that this whole situation was conjured up by the Arthur's lead antagonist Morgan le Fay the half-sister, cousin, or close relative.
The Girdle to Gawain is now a mark a shame. He wears it and returns to Camelot to show his defeat. Unfortunately for Morgan le Fay, the others see it as Gawain's resolve in the end to do what he should have done. They too begin to wear such girdles as symbols of honor and chivalrous deeds.


Discussion


True Super Hero & Villain?

This is a King Arthur's & Morgan le Faye's war by proxy. They are using both of their "minions" to fight in their place. Why? The Green Knight isn't much of a villain and more of a test and Gawain is a symbol of Arthur's ideals since he a member of the Knights of the Round Table. 

Arthur is much more of a superhero has he is the king, and he has Excalibur, which I hear is pretty awesome..
Morgan is much more of a super-villain because she orchestrated the entire story JUST to mess with Arthur.

Keeping the Girdle?

Gawain kept it because it would save his life, and not because he was afraid Bertilak would end it. There isn't much of a reason to go that in-depth for a story meant to be black and white.

Gawain as a superhero?

No, but I can believe him as a super hero. His earlier exploiter gave me him the super potential \o/

[819]

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Gawain 1&2

The Green Knight
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight

Introduction

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is a medieval tale of a chivalrous knight who must undergo tests that challenge his valor, his honor, and everything he believes in. Today, Sir Gawain is one of the most recognized knights of Arthur's round table along with Galahad, Percival, and Lancelot. This is the story that started it all for this humble knight, now an iconic symbol of faith and chivalrous conduct.



Part I

Our story begins in Camelot where we meet the Knight of the Green Chapel (Green Knight). He has successfully crashed the young King Arthur's Christmas party and has issued a "game" or sorts. Arthur may be the most courteous of them all, but that is no excuse for having horrible castle security.

The Game is simple, easy, and creepy :) The Knight will reward the challenger an axe of sorts made entirely of nature ~ ...all you need to do is take one swing at him (with a weapon)! Then a year and a day from now you will allow the Green Knight to take a swing at you ;) Seems pretty sweet as it looks like a win situation hands down. Of course, no one dares take the challenge; so Arthur, to keep his good honor, attempts to deal the swing. Unfortunately he is still young and is unable to life the axe above the giant of a man the Green Knight is, so the novice knight Sir Gawain, Arthur's nephew, of our story does it in his stead.

DOWN comes the AXE and OFF went the Green Knights head....YAY!!!! Story is over \o/ ... ... Nope, then we wouldn't have much of a story, would we? After being decapitated the Green Knight simply picks up his head and rides off into the dance. Here ends part 1.


The Green Knight exemplifies the constant war of the unknown and social order. He is a wild man that charges into Arthur's court and disrupts the peace and order! The Green Knight wears full green clothes begot from the wilderness, green tinted skin, wildly unruly hair, red burning eyes, and is barefoot. He is the wilds or the natural wilderness sent to challenge the created society of mankind. Just as Grendel is to the mead hall, the forest is to Gilgamesh's walls, and Ravana was to Rama.

Part II


We skip to a few weeks or so before a year and the day are up. Sir Gawain is now a more renowned and battle hardened knight. So like any honorable chivalrous knight he sets off on a journey to find the Green Knight's chapel and possibly his own death. Not many people can say they are the epitome of chivalry unless they willingly set off on a quest to die, and that is why I salute him o7.

 A large part of this section is the arming of the hero and a rather large description of the Pentaganle on Sir Gawain's shield. 

The Pentangle is a mixed celtic and catholic symbol. It is made with the unending knot and is said to branch out into more pentagles into eternity. Each of the points represents something as well, and they are the 5 senses, 5 fingers, 5 wounds of Christ, 5 joys Mary had of Jesus, and 5 virtues of Knighthood.

Towards the end Christmas is soon approaching and Gawain is in search of shelter to pray like a good knight should, and that is where he find the castle of Lord Bertilak...





Discussion

Would you consider the Green Knight a super villain? Gawain a super hero?

Post Script Don't question Gawain's motives for taking Arthur's place !? He is simply the first one who stood up ;)


[628]

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Beowulf (cont.)

  Beowulf 
Content

*Summary

     `The Dragon

     `FinalThoughts

  The Dragon  


Many years have passed, Beowulf has seen countless battles, fought endless wars, and acquired great victories.   The elder Beowulf has become the king of the Geats. He is a renowned ruler, able to thwart invasion because of his name. He is Beowulf!

He has set out with a band of his retainers to bring peace to his lands, for it has been under siege! Not by man, but a vengeful dragon laying waste (pillaging/plundering or destroying) to his people. Beowulf and his thanes have arrived before the dragon cave, but they do not all enter. He tells his thanes to stay back, for it is he who will be the one to slay the dragon.

Epic battle rages on, but Beowulf is faltering. The dragon as well is growing weary.


Outside of the cave, brave thane Wiglaf attempts to sway his comrades to save their great leader, but they are too afraid. Disheartened, brave young Wiglaf scolds his companions and rushes to Beowulf's aid.

Wiglaf is able to join Beowulf and assists him in defeating the malignant dragon. Unfortunately, Beowulf himself is mortally wounded.


With the death of Beowulf, young Wiglaf takes the throne. They set Beowulf out to see with a warrior's funeral. Wiglaf ends with a foreshadowing of the end of Beowulf's kingdom to foreign invaders.



Final Thoughts
In class we talked quite a bit about whether Beowulf should be considered a super hero or not. I am a strong believer in Beowulf = Superhero.

Why? He has super power!? He has values/morals!? He has a back story ..kinda? He has a costume ...nude to armored ...if that counts =D. He also portrays Norse beliefs and customs which we determined in class that the superhero is dependent on the society.

My answers to the opposition: He is Beowulf ! He bit is definitely stronger than his bite. he boasts of arrogance because that is there culture. During this time and age it was survival of the fittest centered around war. Their religion portrayed death as an endless war!!!

Symbolism
Death to Death : Death scene start and ending of play

Christian flair ~ The story was likely written by a catholic monk since they would do a majority of the writing.

Foreshadowing doom by Wiglaf: It portrays the views of Anglo-Saxon life well. As Prof. Bahlmann said, "It is like a bird in flying into a house to get our of a storm then come back our the other window where the inside of the house is life."


I really like Beowulf. If only they would make a better movie adaption of it.


(443)

Friday, September 30, 2011

Beowulf

  Beowulf  
c. 750 - 950


 Content 

*Culture behind the literature


*Summary


     `Grendel


     `Grendel's Mother



  Culture behind the literature  
Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem about Norsemen in a region of Scandinavia. The poem is particularly the chronicles or deeds of the mighty warrior Beowulf.

Keep in mind, originally an oral story, Beowulf was most likely written down by Christian monks; therefore Christian views have b een added to a society which has not yet been exposed to the Christian religion. In class we also learned a bit about the world view of Anglo-Saxon culture. Our professor put it as a "bird in a violent storm flying into a house for brief shelter then flying right back out into the storm.



  Grendel  


Grendel is the Beowulf's first of three monstrous foes. He is an ogre terrorizing the grandest mead hall of all time Heorot belonging the the King of the Scyldings, Hrothgar. He comes out of the bogs to slay these thanes and nobles for the "sole" reason of being evil as he is a descendant of Cain the sinful brother of Abel.

Beowulf traveled from his homeland with the blessing of his uncle Hygelac King of the Geats to aid the terrorized hall of Heorot. He travels to Heorot and is victorious in epic battle as the defeated Grendel retreats from the mead hall back to his mother with one less arm than before.

The manner in which Beowulf defeats Grendel seems to many in our class arrogant especially since he was boasting of the epic deeds he has already done. He strips of all his armor and fights against the evil with his bare hands. Ironically, Grendel cannot be defeated with any blade, so in fact, that was the ONLY way to defeat Grendel.  

Grendel's Mother  


Grendel's mother upon hearing the ill fate that has befallen her Grendel seeks out vengeance. She sneaks into the victory over Grendel after party in Heorot, and then Grendel's mother claims the life of one poor soul. This is a revenge ritual practiced by the Norse. A life for a life or, another possibility is wergild, a life for set amount of wealth/payment.

Of course, Beowulf must now go off to defeat this new foe. For a plethora of reasons Grendel's mother was not allowed to exact vengeance on behalf of her son. One is that her son was a descendant of Cain, therefore she is a descendant of Cain, and is by association to Cain is EVIL! Another reason is that she is a woman, and women were not the sex meant to go out and exact vengeance.

Beowulf goes to her lair, this time with armor, and then slays her with a giant's sword he finds lying around. Her blood is apparently that of xenomorph, which is acid, melts the giant's sword that he used to slay her with. He returns with Grendel's giant head and the hilt of the melted sword used to slay his mother.


Next Post: Dragon & Beowulf, Personal thought about Beowulf, Symbolism in Beowulf.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

First Impressions


About Me


Hello, my name is Gabriel Valenzuela. I moved from Reno to Vegas about 7 years ago. In 2010, I graduated from Durango High School then began attending UNLV in the spring. Now I'm currently working towards completing my prerequisite courses for the nursing program where I hope to get into the nursing program, and work towards my first degree in nursing then become Registered Nurse or RN.





First Impressions

This is clearly going to be an interesting class. Our teacher is a self proclaimed geek! I've only had three teachers ever tell me that, and they were the most interesting teachers I have ever had ^_^ We've only had two classes or so? ... and we have gotten into a major what is a superhero discussion,  unlocked a closet geek, and may have even gotten someone to switch majors. O 3o It's going to be quite a provocatively, stimulating semester. 

Group Projects


Groups were assigned :), and I've found myself with a knight from Arthurian legend, Sir Gawain. 


This knight of the round table is most commonly known from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, though when i asked around in the library a few thought he was Sir Gawain the Green Knight... He like any knight is the embodiment of chivalry. Gawain is an strong, honorable, and courageous champion of the people.


I hope everyone has fun with their projects...and someone should dress up in a full costume. 
>_>
<_<
>_>


What is a Super Hero?


My English 231 Professor Mr. Bahlmann is infatuated with super heroes, he is even writing about them for his PHD, but really who hasn't idolized a super "hero" at some point in their lives? A someone or something that you could look up to and draw strength from or you could just love the idea of something magnificent and out of the common norm.

"I don't believe in superheroes but I love Batman movies. There's a part of every person that is entertained by the idealistic, the fantastic."
--Aisha Tyler
"We've always been ready for female superheroes. Because women want to be them and men want to do them."
--Famke  Janssen


In class, Wednesday, we listed the traits of what our classes believes a superhero should have.


Traits of a Superhero  *if I missed something please tell me.
- Super "power"
- Courage
- Defends the weak
- Values
- Back Story *eventually
- Cause
- Antagonist
- Super Villian
- Test of Values
- Kryptonite (weakness)
- Love Interest