Why am I an English major? That's a great question that even I, at times, have a difficult time answering. I hate to say that it is the only thing I'm good at, because that's not exactly true...I think its more that that this is the only thing I've ever been passionate enough about to take the time to understand. I am full of flaws...I'm flaky and indecisive, I often drop the ball on my commitments and, as hard as it is for me to admit, I am definitely not that best student that can be. I will neglect my math or psychology studies and instead read the Philip Roth novel that I most recently bought. I will stay up half the night reading "The Cider House Rules" (which I've read at least 10 times already) when I know that I have an essay due the next day. I guess what I am saying is that, even if it takes me a while, I will graduate with a degree in English because there is nothing else in this world that I love more. I am trying to get my ducks in a row though.
I'm not exactly sure what I will do with my degree yet. I've thought about teaching. I've thought about seeing what I can do in the publishing world. Maybe there's a place for me in the world of professional writing. It has always been my dream to be a playwright. In high school, I wrote a play for a young playwright's competition for the International Thespian Society and won. Unfortunately, that's the one and only play I have ever written. Though this has always been my passion, I deeply worry that my laziness will get in the way of future opportunities to realize my potential. I am the only person who can control this; this fact is something that I struggle with every day.
I am, however, going to put it in writing...physical proof at this very moment that next semester I will turn over a new leaf. My first English class as an English major has changed everything for me; the future is a real, tangible thing to me now, and I don't want to throw it away. My love for literature has the power to take me anywhere in life and I don't want to do anything to limit that. The life that I want is anything but ordinary.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Adaptation
I must say that I absolutely love "No Country for Old Men;" over the past year or so it has quickly become one of my favorite films. Javier Bardem is a genius, and you can never go wrong with the Coen brothers.
If I were to teach an English class, I think it would be interesting to explore the strange creation that is Spike Jonze's film "Adaptation." If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend it. Made in 2002, this is probably the only movie in history that, I believe, should be watched before reading the book; they are two completely different entities. The film is based on the 1998 nonfiction piece by Susan Orlean, "The Orchid Thief," in which Orlean recounts her experiences while researching and spending time with John Laroche, an eccentric rare flower enthusiast.
This is truly a writer's movie. In the film, written by Charlie Kaufman ("Being John Malkovich," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind") Kaufman does the unthinkable for a writer and actually writes himself into his own script. Kaufman (played by a bloated and especially unattractive Nicolas Cage) explores his own insecurities and self-loathing as he frantically and nervously attempts the task he has been assigned of adapting "The Orchid Thief" into a screenplay.
Kaufman creates his own fictionalized versions of actual people, including John Laroche (Chris Cooper), Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep, which is a stamp of approval in itself), his agent (played by Ron Livingston) and the film executive overseeing his script (Tilda Swinton). Kaufman even creates a fictional twin brither, Donald, to contrast his own impatience and other shortcomings.
This film is a weird but wonderful treasure. The acting is incredible. The writing is extraordinary. The cinematography is mindblowing. This is without doubt the most original film I've ever seen and is definitely worth studying.
If I were to teach an English class, I think it would be interesting to explore the strange creation that is Spike Jonze's film "Adaptation." If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend it. Made in 2002, this is probably the only movie in history that, I believe, should be watched before reading the book; they are two completely different entities. The film is based on the 1998 nonfiction piece by Susan Orlean, "The Orchid Thief," in which Orlean recounts her experiences while researching and spending time with John Laroche, an eccentric rare flower enthusiast.
This is truly a writer's movie. In the film, written by Charlie Kaufman ("Being John Malkovich," "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," and "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind") Kaufman does the unthinkable for a writer and actually writes himself into his own script. Kaufman (played by a bloated and especially unattractive Nicolas Cage) explores his own insecurities and self-loathing as he frantically and nervously attempts the task he has been assigned of adapting "The Orchid Thief" into a screenplay.
Kaufman creates his own fictionalized versions of actual people, including John Laroche (Chris Cooper), Susan Orlean (Meryl Streep, which is a stamp of approval in itself), his agent (played by Ron Livingston) and the film executive overseeing his script (Tilda Swinton). Kaufman even creates a fictional twin brither, Donald, to contrast his own impatience and other shortcomings.
This film is a weird but wonderful treasure. The acting is incredible. The writing is extraordinary. The cinematography is mindblowing. This is without doubt the most original film I've ever seen and is definitely worth studying.
Monday, February 9, 2009
"Politics and sentiment don't mix"
Much easier said than done. In a perfect, Utopian world...this statement would undoubtedly be true, but our world is far from perfect, as can clearly be seen in Persepolis. Perhaps a truer statement would be "politics and sentiment don't mix well." The two entities are inevitably intertwined, for a man's liberties and allowances are in direct correlation with the state and the well-being of his/her soul, and an imbalance in the two only creates an ugly breeding ground for greed, dishonesty, and war.
When you really think about it, how could sentiments not be involved where politics are concerned, especially when the particular political structure in question is that of Iran during the Islamic revolution? It is my belief that its is not in a man's nature to be stifled, to have to wear a veil, to be controlled with violence or to be told what to believe. Don't get me wrong, I do my very best to be open-minded and nonjudgmental of all cultures, especially those like this one that are so vastly different from my own...you know, live and let live...but I have struggled throughout this book with the feelings that people were not meant to live this way, not meant to be treated this way.
On a different note, I must point out the fact that Marji's father said "politics and sentiment don't mix." The simple fact that this statement came from a man's mouth explains quite a bit. I do not mean to imply that the obstacles and hardships of the Iranian government's control did not have an impact on men, that would be absurd...but so would be denying that the women's suffering was greater. The way I see it, Marji (and her mother, grandmother, and all other Iranian women, for that matter) couldn't help but involve sentiments in her view of politics.
When you really think about it, how could sentiments not be involved where politics are concerned, especially when the particular political structure in question is that of Iran during the Islamic revolution? It is my belief that its is not in a man's nature to be stifled, to have to wear a veil, to be controlled with violence or to be told what to believe. Don't get me wrong, I do my very best to be open-minded and nonjudgmental of all cultures, especially those like this one that are so vastly different from my own...you know, live and let live...but I have struggled throughout this book with the feelings that people were not meant to live this way, not meant to be treated this way.
On a different note, I must point out the fact that Marji's father said "politics and sentiment don't mix." The simple fact that this statement came from a man's mouth explains quite a bit. I do not mean to imply that the obstacles and hardships of the Iranian government's control did not have an impact on men, that would be absurd...but so would be denying that the women's suffering was greater. The way I see it, Marji (and her mother, grandmother, and all other Iranian women, for that matter) couldn't help but involve sentiments in her view of politics.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
"You're like me, but worse. Much worse."
I found The Moviegoer to be, though daunting at times, a true and unfettered statement about the human condition. The search for meaning in one's life is no new feat, especially in the literary world, and to conclude decisively as to whether or not Binx is successful in his search is to bring false certainty to subjectivity. The "malaise" is everywhere and in everything and everyone...maybe true maturity and enlightenment only come with comprehending and accepting that fact. It is not my intention to imply that life is all gloom and doom and ultimately death...I only mean that there is no real escape from "everydayness." I would venture to say that we all can relate to that; I know I can.
John ("Jack") Bickerson ("Binx") Bolling is just like me, but worse. Much worse. I, too, find myself quite often with the inability to connect with the world (and the people) around me. I, too, struggle with the age old existential meaning of my life. I find that the majority of my day to day conversations are wrought with everydayness and superficiality. I can probably count the number of people who truly understand me on one hand. Do these things alone make me strange and out of place? No...it is the fact that I am able to identify the malaise and the everydayness (where others may simply avoid it) that makes introspective creatures like Binx and I aware of the despair.
The fact that Binx has such a lengthy list of aliases alone is a bit of tangible proof that this man has absolutely no idea who he is.
Do I believe that Binx has found what he is looking for? My answer is no. I feel that Binx goes on this great quest for amazing and all-inclusive answers that will let him know his place in this world. That is not what he finds. He cannot look to his father for the answer, nor to his mother, nor Marcia/Linda/Sharon, nor God, for that matter. He cannot find it by making money or pleasing Aunt Emily or fixing Kate. Binx can only make sense of his life once he accepts that the malaise is just part of it...and running from it won't help, for its only a matter of time before the malaise presents itself all over again with someone/something new. Those few moments in life where the malaise is gone are what make it worth living; those moments where we see beyond the everydayness of it all and can feel nothing but gratitude. I cannot say with certainty that Binx has this revelation, but I hope so.
John ("Jack") Bickerson ("Binx") Bolling is just like me, but worse. Much worse. I, too, find myself quite often with the inability to connect with the world (and the people) around me. I, too, struggle with the age old existential meaning of my life. I find that the majority of my day to day conversations are wrought with everydayness and superficiality. I can probably count the number of people who truly understand me on one hand. Do these things alone make me strange and out of place? No...it is the fact that I am able to identify the malaise and the everydayness (where others may simply avoid it) that makes introspective creatures like Binx and I aware of the despair.
The fact that Binx has such a lengthy list of aliases alone is a bit of tangible proof that this man has absolutely no idea who he is.
Do I believe that Binx has found what he is looking for? My answer is no. I feel that Binx goes on this great quest for amazing and all-inclusive answers that will let him know his place in this world. That is not what he finds. He cannot look to his father for the answer, nor to his mother, nor Marcia/Linda/Sharon, nor God, for that matter. He cannot find it by making money or pleasing Aunt Emily or fixing Kate. Binx can only make sense of his life once he accepts that the malaise is just part of it...and running from it won't help, for its only a matter of time before the malaise presents itself all over again with someone/something new. Those few moments in life where the malaise is gone are what make it worth living; those moments where we see beyond the everydayness of it all and can feel nothing but gratitude. I cannot say with certainty that Binx has this revelation, but I hope so.
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