Oh, the Places You'll Go!

This morning Mrs. Reitz read us the poem "Oh the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. It was a last call for sentimental feelings for all of us, and although I wouldn't dare shed a tear, it did let me reflect on what I've done so far. I've only lived (estimating I live to be 100 or so years old) 1/5 of my life, and all the different things that can happen to me from now until I die are astronomical. I really like this poem because it's the perfect "how-to" guide for either a high school or college graduate, in terms of describing the basic emotions, thoughts, and impulses at a time of great change and big choices.

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go."

Those words identify a situation of someone who has just finished a path of learning and is facing a world of choices, which is true of most graduates. It speaks of the main character, referred to as "you", making choices that lead to wonderful places, but it is not wholly optimistic...

"Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don't
Because, sometimes, you won't.
I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
Bang-ups and Hang-ups
can happen to you."

This realistic look on the world is what makes it more than just an optimistic, childish poem. There is confusion and pain in the world, and you might be soaring one minute, and crashing the next. The way this poem reflects the hardships in life makes it more sophisticated and realistic to those who are just starting off on their journey through "real life".

"You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?"

Confusion is the problem of many graduates. Once you fall, you end up waiting for your life to start itself back up again, and it takes your own power to get yourself out of a life filled with waiting for paychecks, waiting for tests, waiting for purpose. And although you might be able to pick yourself back up again, it doesn't mean you're invincible, because everyone goes through these times.

"You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)"

For the most part, this poem is a realistic story of encouragement for those that are just about to depart on a life unknown to them. The point of view is optimistic and offers an emotional guide to those who are afraid to move on with life and it's ups and downs. But the way that this poem ends on a happy note really does emphasize the optimism in life. The more optimistic one can be, the more satisfied a person will be with their life.

What I take from this is that whatever is handed to me, I'll take it and roll with it. It doesn't have to be great, but it also doesn't have to be horrible. I can't control the unknowing things in life, but I can most definitely control my attitude about the things I come upon.

Another Movie That Scarlett Johansson Is In

Okay...so I might be just a little obsessed with Scarlett Johansson, but it just seems that every movie she is in I just so happen to love. I stumbled upon the movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona my sophomore year of high school, and still watch it once a month to this day.This movie is disguised as your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy, but the underlying conflicts that it preserves is astounding and makes this Woody Allen film a great one. There is not one genre that this movie can be pinned to, and that's probably my favorite part about the Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The film is claimed to be a comedy, but it's really not that funny. It's closer to a character-driven drama (in the slightest sense), but that still doesn't pin the movie just right.

The whole movie can be summed up in just a couple of sentences because there is not a lot of action. Vicky, an uptight fiance living a life that she planned but is unhappy with, and Cristina, a girl falling in and out of love only knowing what she doesn't want, go on vacation to Barcelona. They meet this charming character Juan Antonio, who is played by the ever-gorgeous Javier Bardem, and against Vicky's wishes the girls decide to spend the weekend with him in a Spanish town away from the city. Juan Antonio's unexpected honesty about wanting to sleep with both Vicky and Cristina surprises both ladies. The romance that each of them ensue is genuine and spontaneous. Vicky finds love with Juan Antonio because of her lack of spontaneity in her life (even though she is technically engaged), and Cristina finds comfort in feeling like she has found someone that brings out the best in her and that she can potentially settle with.

 

 

I guess the part of the film that bugs me the most is that there essentially not a physical protagonist, but there is an inner struggle in everyone. Each character is so significant and deep, that they all feel like the central character. This makes the film have three protagonists, and each of these characters have their own antagonist inside of them that battles the thought of true love. Each of them mingle with the possibility of true love throughout the film, yet it is their own personal characteristics and inhibitions (due to past experience) that hold them back.

 

The actors that were chosen to perform in this film do a phenomenal job at interpreting the complicated, intricate personalities that develop the story through their romantic interactions. Every character breathes so much life into their role. Vicky attempts to deal with doubts regarding her upcoming marriage, Cristina is so concerned with not knowing what she wants in life that she questions undeniably beautiful situations, and Juan Antonio defiantly holds his love for his crazy ex despite his romantic encounters with Vicky and Cristina.

 

This film tells a story that gets each member of the audience to a different emotional destination whether it's back to point A, point B, or point Z. Some argue this film is boring and lacks conflict, but it's those who appreciate the value of the characters more than the plot that truly appreciate this film.

Analysis of Lost in Translation by Sophia Coppola

Lost in Translation describes a love story between two Americans stuck in Tokyo for separate reasons. Bob Harris, played by Bill Murray, is there on business shooting a commercial for whiskey while Charlotte, played by the ever beautiful Scarlett Johansson, is there because of her husband's job as a photographer. Their relationship develops slowly throughout the movie but is based on their feelings of displacement and alienation during their stay in Japan. Their story provides an exploration of human emotions which mostly include boredom and loneliness.

Charlotte is in her early twenties and Bob Harris is a middle-aged man, but both of them have their discrepancies about where their life is going or where it has gone already. Bob Harris is detached from his family and lives a life separate from what he wants, and Charlotte is stuck walking in her husband's shoes and she feels dissatisfaction in not finding her true calling.

Charlotte is bored yet restless, and finds herself roaming different areas of Tokyo examining their culture and how she relates to them. She even personalizes her hotel room by hanging origami in order to try and preserve a homey feel to her room even though she feels lost and not at home. Charlotte, throughout the movie, reflects on her marriage and whether it was a mistake or not because she can't find life direction. There are also a couple moments in the movie where Jon, her husband, is seen, and he's characterized as an artistic snob. He even pokes fun at  Charlotte for having gone to Yale to study philosophy. Bob is satirical but tired and is over his career as a movie star. Throughout the movie Bob contemplates his faded career and stagnant life with his wife, who sends him faxes periodically throughout the movie. After awhile, it's really noticeable that Bob has a deep underlying dissatisfaction with his marriage.

After crossing paths all the time, Charlotte and Bob finally talk in the hotel bar one evening. They establish an emotional connection within the first seconds of them talking. Charlotte and Bob reinforce their need to forge a relationship with each other to communicate their problems, fears, and insecurities. By being in a foreign place, they find comfort in having a relationship because they can bond over their clash with the Japanese culture. The one moment that they recognize that they have a connection is when they do karaoke together and the songs that they choose describe the feelings that they have for each other. This is the time when they realize that they could live an uncomplicated future by being together, but their completely separate lives deny them the chance to actually let the relationship flourish. At the very end of the movie, though, Bob whispers something in Charlotte's ear and she smiles. Who knows what he said or what eventually happens…that's up to the viewer. Coppola's point of the movie is to capture the two leading characters in their exploration of Tokyo, and their undefined relationship that forms out of a mutual feeling of isolation and longing to connect with other people.

Analysis of Scrubs' Characters

Although Scrubs (the comedy television series) isn't recognized as a show of moral or life lessons, I feel that the characters in Scrubs really define what we deal with in everyday life. I've been growing up with Scrubs and have been greatly influenced by all of the different episodes and what their underlying meaning is.

My first focus is on JD, the main character. His personality is weak and very self-deprecating, and it's outlined by his constant daydreaming. He provides the keystone for the show, though, because he is essentially the only character that truly feels emotion the way it should be felt. He gets lost in his own thoughts but thrives on the company of others and most of his emotional outcomes are by being with others and having experiences with them. JD's relationship with Dr. Cox outlines a lot of relationships that people experience everyday: the want to be wanted, or the need to be needed. JD imagines an idealistic student-mentor relationship with Dr. Cox but is turned down many a time. When Dr. Cox does give JD attention, JD becomes emotional and a little bit romantic in a non-romantic way...if that makes sense.

The second person that I could analyze is Dr. Cox. He has this authoritarian front that he puts on in order to assert his dominance at Sacred Heart. Not only is his marriage weak, but all of his relationships with the other hospital members is weak as well because of his defiant nature. He becomes so close-minded that no one really reaches him emotionally except Carla, on a rare occassion. Dr. Cox does have his moments of emotional stability, though. Not often does he open up to other members of the hospital, but when he does it's always a very special moment in the show. The most influential moments for Dr. Cox are when he accepts JD's readiness as a doctor and JD's want to be mentored by him.

The third member of the show that has great prominence in the morality of the show is Dr. Reid, or better known as Elliot. She really does define the image of the crazy girlfriend. She has problems with being obsessive compulsive, clingy, and emotionally imbalanced. For the most part, her decisions are based on what others will think, and there is only one moment in the show where she develops individuality, and even after she goes through her "change" she still remains the Elliot Reid that everyone knows her as. She pushes away situations that seem too good to be true, like a lot of girls do. It also doesn't help that JD does the same thing when he becomes too comfortable. Elliot's relationship with JD is clearly meant to be, but because of their character flaws they always have their downfalls.

Scrubs really does stereotype some everyday lives of people, especially if a person if dealing with the struggle of sensitivity vs. insensitivity. All of the characters of the show have their own places, but I think JD, Dr. Cox, and Elliot really have the most prominent of personalities. The show means a lot to me, especially as more than a comedy, and I find both comedic pleasure and life-fulfilling pleasure in watching the show because I feel I'm getting a little piece of info about life that I wouldn't have gotten not having watched Scrubs.

Fly Like An Eagle You Winged Lion!!

I always knew that I was somewhat a violent person. It's not like I am actually physically capable of being the violent I would want to be, but the intentions and thoughts are definitely there. As a person of small stature, I find myself more violent than others simply because I'm petite. People that don't have as much physical defense have more motive to be violent than others who are more than capable. Besides being violent, the first discussion about lying brought up my inner me. I'm not a fan of lies, but there are circumstances that I think lying is almost better than telling the truth. I'll lie to preserve my status of being a nice girl. I'm an 18 year-old girl who makes mistakes all the time. What would be the point of admitting my every wrong move, then? I make mistakes and fix my problems myself. I lie to protect others view of me, and I find nothing wrong with that. I'm also writing really short sentences and I should learn how to write longer ones.

The class discussion we had today actually brought up some thoughts that I would have never thought before. One of the discussion topics was about what we thought was the worst act a human could commit. I chose genocide as the worst act because it is a mass killing of innocent people. What else could be worse? I couldn't imagine anything else, honestly. I also agreed that I would commit genocide only in the race was of zombies. Who would want the world to be run by a bunch of zombies? No one.

I feel like people in general are a lot more deceptive and violent than we would like to be. We forget that we are basically animals. I don't know whether you believe in evolution or not, but I do. I consider myself as an animal and I blame a lot of my actions based on that notion. I use violence and deception as an act of self defense like a lot of other people, but of course there are the few whose brains are genetically altered to be ultimately malicious. As I sit and drink my San Pellegrino Limonata, I understand that I really am not all that much of a liar or violent person, but I would almost like to be for the sake of my own self defense both physically and mentally. Girls, also, are more prone to be more self defensive because it's usually girls who are the attacked rather than the attacker.

The characters my group chose to represent the Winged Lions were quite random and I basically chose Walter White because I am somewhat obsessed with Breaking Bad and love to find a connection to everything Breaking Bad. So my person didn't really fit all that well but the monster in Frankenstein really fit the qualifications.The monster is just like a human being in that he's an animal and makes mistakes. He overuses his violence but is quite an honest creature because he admits to the maliciousness of his violent acts. Alright. So I'm basically done with this blog and have over-thought the meaning of violence and deception a little too much.