Thursday, April 15, 2010

Endurance of the Arthurian Legend

The Arthurian Legend is the original story of the knight in shining armor. It is what started it all literary, movies, TV and video games. Virtually every source of media and entertainment of knights and feudal eras arose from this story. Originally it was Malory's "Morte de Arthur", it was the first pros writing, and yet its more or less reading a work of a scribe. Its mainly just descriptive and pure action there is very little subtlties to it.

A piece by T. H. White "The Once and Future King" was what added supense and made King Arthur what he is today. This included dialog, character development and the suspense that made it so epic. We still see this story being used in movies and other media today. In fact on A&E there is a series called "Merlin", but i haven't watched it and I don't know how much is factual.

Lastly what really shows it's popularity was Monty Python's "Quest for the Holy Grail". When a spoof is made of something its generally either really bad or really good. Since the Arthur story is still being made into new media today, even after all these years later, its still going strong. Monty Python turned the epic in a new direction of comedy and mocking of the middle ages. Yet no matter what the story is altered too it hasn't lost that sense of epic.

James Johnson in cooperation with King Arthur (Annie Modonuts)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Captoe's Writing Style

Capote's writing style is interesting because the way he uses other characters to develop other characters helps us see a character in multiple ways and in ways we would not have otherwise. He also develops so much suspense in his quick shuffling through character's in the broken up sections. The smaller sections keeps it from becoming confusing but does not make it boring or a slow read. In fact it does the opposite each of those pauses further adds to the suspense making the book impossible to put down.

Is Beowulf Selfish?

Is Beowulf selfish in his hunger for fame? Perhaps but at the time, the greatest glory anyone could achieve was to become famous and known through the ages. Many warriors were taught to believe this such as the Spartans, Samurais and Vikings. Not only fame in victory but death as well and they went into battle prepared to die for their cause. The desire to be noticed or famous has not diminished today, many people still yearn to be recognized and exalted for a deed or ability.
I would say that he is not selfish in his desire to be famous. If anything its his goal in life and achieving a goal is not a bad thing in anyway. The way you do it may be but Beowulf has fought for what is right and has been very generous. Doesn't sound too selfish to me, he has put his life on the line for others and he deserves that fame and respect.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

McMurphy vs Big Nurse

"Just what I said: any of you sharpies here willing to take my five bucks that says that I can get the best of that woman -before the week's up-- without her getting the best of me? One week, and if I don't have her to where she don't know whether to shit or go blind, the bet is yours."(Kessey 68). McMurphy makes it quite clear here that it is on with Big Nurse and he sounds quite confident in his ability to not only make the Nurse lose her composure but win the bet as well. Just before this he was talking to the other Acutes trying to figure out what exactly he can and can't do; making a strategy in otherwords. "So if I behave myself and don't cuss her out--"
"Or cuss one of the aides out."
"--or cuss one of the aieds out or tear up jack some way around here, she can't do nothing to me?" McMurphy has the will and a plan now on how to make the Nurse lose her composure. At a group therapy session McMurphy proposes a vote to get the T.V. time changed to the afternoon in order to watch the World Series. However he did not receive enough votes in the time the Nurse had given him to receive them. McMurphy claimed that the voting was still open and got Chief to hold his hand up giving them majority vote. The Nurse explained yet again that it was too late. The day of the Series McMurphy pulled up a couple of chairs, made him self a recliner, lit up a cigarette and turned on the big game. The Nurse saw this and shut the T.V. off from her station and told McMurphy to leave the T.V. the game was not going to be put on. McMurphy did not move though, and he just sat there and watched the blank screen almost like the game was on. Soon after other Acutes joined him and the Nurse began to become agitated.
"You're committed, you realize. You are . . . under the jurisdiction of me . . . the staff." She's holding up a fist, all those red-orange fingernails buring into her palm. "Under jurisdiction and control--"(Kessey 127-128). "You men--Stop this. Stop!"(Kessey 128). She has lost more then her temper at this point, also she has lost her power over them. They broke free of her grasp and have weakened her and as the Chief would say weakened a part of the Combine.