06/10/16
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9 years ago
Monday, June 14, 2010
Blog 16: final reflections
There are many things that I will remember and probably will use it for my essays and short stories, like the monomyth and the different kind of terms that Joseph Campbell used. Actually, I liked his books, especially "the power of the myth". I never knew about him until this class, and I liked his theories. He talks about the quests, that most of the people take in order to go on in life. This class opens up opportunities to look further in a poem, story or even a novel. Students may take this class, since it makes it easier to write, since they don't have to give in papers and wait for them, everything is done online. And if you are a computer person, it would be easier for you. In this class, classmates comment on other student's blogs and leave comments in order to give them advise on how to write better in order to get a better grade. Also, if you like myths, like writing and also like talking about supernaturals, this class would be for you. For me, this class was the class that I really appreciate for going. It taught me everything about writing and looking further into a piece of writing that was given during class, or taken by myself. I also liked more about Joseph Campbell's monomyth and it impact on society.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Blog 15: Final draft
The Vampire's assistant and other tales from the Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan
Darren Shan's real name is Darren O'Shaughnessy. Although he is Irish, he was born on July 2nd, 1972, in St.Thomas' Hospital, London, directly across the river from the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, which may explain his fascination with evil bloodsuckers! He started school at the early age of three. Although Shan always wanted to be a writer, it was only in his teenage years that he began writing in his spare time for fun. Shan was 17 when he finished his first novel.
Throughout this story, the reader can see what's going to happen by the chain of events that take place, and also by the terms that many movie writers and novel writers would use. Based on Joseph Campbell, many books use the hero's quest. The first step of hero's quest would be the call to adventure. In the Vampire's assistant, Darren Shan, who is a protagonist of the story, feels restless with the constraints of his life, and looks for a new world that he was not aware that a kind of the world existed. He and his friend, Steve, go to a freak show and there they meet Mr. Crespley with his "dangerous" spider. Steve began to spook himself out, but Darren would be like in a different world, experiencing something new. It would be like a call to a new life which Darren knew about.
Later after the show, Steve separates from the Darren and go to see Mr.Crespley. He knows that Mr. Crespley is a vampire and wants to become one as well. Mr. Crespley denies him, after tasting his blood and saying that it's evil. Another thing about that is that the quest is for Darren and not Steve. Steve storms out, outraged about not becoming a vampire. After Steve leaves, Darren, who was listening to the conversation, gets out from his hiding spot and looks for Steve. He later pumps into Mr.Crespley and Mr. Crespley gives him an offer to become a vampire. Darren accepts, and this way he steps into a different world and into a world of vampires.
In order to move forward in life as a half-vampire, Mr. Crespley tells Darren that he has to leave his house, his family, friends in order to continue his life. Darren refuses, because if he leaves his family, they would start looking for him. The refusal is often based on his fear of the unknown and comfort in the familiar. In this story, Darren is aided by Mr. Crespley, who becomes his mentor and guide throughout his vampire years. Darren becomes a half-vampire and an assistant in order to save his friend Steve's life. By doing so, he is drawn into the dark world of vampires. He begins to live it, but goes through al lot of hardships with his family, friends in order to save his darken secret. After been blooded by Mr. Crespley, he urges more and more for blood in order to keep himself alive and not to get crazy over it. But what he doesn't feel like doing is biting his own family, including his little sister. He avoids it but urges more and more. Finally, Mr. Crespley tells him to leave his family in order not to attack his family or friends. To free Darren of all previous bonds, including his family, Mr. Crespley helps his apprentice fake his own death by first drinking the potion, in order to make his organs and muscles numb and weakly moving, and then perfectly simulating an accidental but fatal fall. In Joseph Campbell's terms, this process would like the belly of the whale. Also, it's like death and rebirth into a new life.
Following Darren's human body's funeral, Mr.Crespley digs Darren up, and gets him out of there. Also, there is a connection between death and rebirth as well as before. When Darren became a vampire, he was given trials or tasks. On the first one, Darren refused to drink blood from a human, even when his mentor, Mr. Crespley tells him to. After a while Darren faces a consequence of becoming weaker in strengh. Second one is that he tries to live amongst humans, but decides to join Mr. Crepsley after nearly attacking his sister. And the 3rd task, is to destroy or kill Steve in order to prevent blood shed between vampires and vampeneze.
The vampires in the Saga are different from the standard vampires found in popular cultures. They are truly alive, can be killed by several means, like piercing of the heart and are not entirely evil. Vampires don't drink from the neck, but cut a vein of a victim, and drink blood from there. Then, they use their saliva to close the wound, so the person doesn't realize that he was bitten. Also, they don't have fangs like other vampires found in popular culture. They don't fly like other vampires, but only flint or run in fast speed.
What Joseph Campbell trying to tell us is that in everyday life there is a quest that should be done. For example, going from childhood or from beeing a teenager into becoming an adult. That's a challenge, since a person has to give up most of his/her things that he has as an adult and then move into his adult life. The same thing is in this story of the Vampire's assistant.
Work cited
http://www.darrenshan.com/facts/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_du_Freak
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Saga_of_Darren_Shan
Darren Shan's real name is Darren O'Shaughnessy. Although he is Irish, he was born on July 2nd, 1972, in St.Thomas' Hospital, London, directly across the river from the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, which may explain his fascination with evil bloodsuckers! He started school at the early age of three. Although Shan always wanted to be a writer, it was only in his teenage years that he began writing in his spare time for fun. Shan was 17 when he finished his first novel.
Throughout this story, the reader can see what's going to happen by the chain of events that take place, and also by the terms that many movie writers and novel writers would use. Based on Joseph Campbell, many books use the hero's quest. The first step of hero's quest would be the call to adventure. In the Vampire's assistant, Darren Shan, who is a protagonist of the story, feels restless with the constraints of his life, and looks for a new world that he was not aware that a kind of the world existed. He and his friend, Steve, go to a freak show and there they meet Mr. Crespley with his "dangerous" spider. Steve began to spook himself out, but Darren would be like in a different world, experiencing something new. It would be like a call to a new life which Darren knew about.
Later after the show, Steve separates from the Darren and go to see Mr.Crespley. He knows that Mr. Crespley is a vampire and wants to become one as well. Mr. Crespley denies him, after tasting his blood and saying that it's evil. Another thing about that is that the quest is for Darren and not Steve. Steve storms out, outraged about not becoming a vampire. After Steve leaves, Darren, who was listening to the conversation, gets out from his hiding spot and looks for Steve. He later pumps into Mr.Crespley and Mr. Crespley gives him an offer to become a vampire. Darren accepts, and this way he steps into a different world and into a world of vampires.
In order to move forward in life as a half-vampire, Mr. Crespley tells Darren that he has to leave his house, his family, friends in order to continue his life. Darren refuses, because if he leaves his family, they would start looking for him. The refusal is often based on his fear of the unknown and comfort in the familiar. In this story, Darren is aided by Mr. Crespley, who becomes his mentor and guide throughout his vampire years. Darren becomes a half-vampire and an assistant in order to save his friend Steve's life. By doing so, he is drawn into the dark world of vampires. He begins to live it, but goes through al lot of hardships with his family, friends in order to save his darken secret. After been blooded by Mr. Crespley, he urges more and more for blood in order to keep himself alive and not to get crazy over it. But what he doesn't feel like doing is biting his own family, including his little sister. He avoids it but urges more and more. Finally, Mr. Crespley tells him to leave his family in order not to attack his family or friends. To free Darren of all previous bonds, including his family, Mr. Crespley helps his apprentice fake his own death by first drinking the potion, in order to make his organs and muscles numb and weakly moving, and then perfectly simulating an accidental but fatal fall. In Joseph Campbell's terms, this process would like the belly of the whale. Also, it's like death and rebirth into a new life.
Following Darren's human body's funeral, Mr.Crespley digs Darren up, and gets him out of there. Also, there is a connection between death and rebirth as well as before. When Darren became a vampire, he was given trials or tasks. On the first one, Darren refused to drink blood from a human, even when his mentor, Mr. Crespley tells him to. After a while Darren faces a consequence of becoming weaker in strengh. Second one is that he tries to live amongst humans, but decides to join Mr. Crepsley after nearly attacking his sister. And the 3rd task, is to destroy or kill Steve in order to prevent blood shed between vampires and vampeneze.
The vampires in the Saga are different from the standard vampires found in popular cultures. They are truly alive, can be killed by several means, like piercing of the heart and are not entirely evil. Vampires don't drink from the neck, but cut a vein of a victim, and drink blood from there. Then, they use their saliva to close the wound, so the person doesn't realize that he was bitten. Also, they don't have fangs like other vampires found in popular culture. They don't fly like other vampires, but only flint or run in fast speed.
What Joseph Campbell trying to tell us is that in everyday life there is a quest that should be done. For example, going from childhood or from beeing a teenager into becoming an adult. That's a challenge, since a person has to give up most of his/her things that he has as an adult and then move into his adult life. The same thing is in this story of the Vampire's assistant.
Work cited
http://www.darrenshan.com/facts/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirque_du_Freak
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Saga_of_Darren_Shan
Blog 14
For my final paper, I still have to use wikipedia to find more about monomyth and its contents for the novel.
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