BLOG 15: FINAL DRAFT

The book that I have chosen is titled "The Illustrated Man" by Ray Bradbury, one of the most successful and influential Science Fiction writers of our time. Ray Bradbury was born on August 20, 1922 in a town called Waukegan in the state Illinois. Allegedly, Ray Bradbury was first inspired to write when a stage show magician pointed a sword at him and told him to "live forever". This command is What set off his fruitful career as a writer. At the age of 16 Bradbury began to publish Science Fiction stories in a local magazine. Having not attended college after High School, Ray Bradbury immersed himself in writing literature that we admire to this day. In 1951, Bradbury published What would become one of his most famous literary masterpieces "The Illustrated Man". This highly acclaimed collection of Science Fiction stories has inspired many musical works and cinematic adaptations like Elton john's "the Rocket Man" and 1967 film by the same title. "The Illustrated Man" is about a man who has been covered in magical tattoos by a witch from the future. It is said that the the man's tattoos are a curse because anybody that sees them goes mad after seeing of all of the terrible things that it shows happening in the future. The short stories in the book are actually a description of what is going on in the man's tattoos.

"The Illustrated man" Begins with it's first character which is portrayed as a traveler that is settling in for the night. The introduction of the first character is then followed by the Illustrated Man. This is the first archetype of the book, as the Illustrated Man is a mysterious, wandering outcast. The second archetype that we find in the beginning of the book is the magical witch that is mentioned. "The witch" has been a strong archetype throughout history and can be found in many other stories such as "Snow White" and "The Wizard of OZ". Other archetypes that can be found in the rest of the short stories in the book such as "the neglectful parents" from "The Veldt" and the father from "The Rocket Man". In both stories the parents either choose to neglect their children or are forced to do so (The Rocket Man) by their profession; an ironic point to be made a bout the future in a book that was published in the 50's because that is a very real problem that modern society faces today.

A major theme in this book is the dangers and lure of story telling. At first, the man that is conversing with the Illustrated man is not aware of the moving images on the mans body and is warned to stay away from them but he i as captivated by their beauty and then gets completely immersed in them. This is very true with story telling because a lot of times we are most captivated by what is labeled dangerous and still we seek it. Another re-occurring theme in this book is the dangers of abusing technology. Almost in every story in this book, technology plays a major role; this is true for "The Veldt", "The Rocket Man" and "Kaleidoscope". In "The veldt", the parents forget about the children and toss them in to the virtual playroom and in "kaleidoscope", the men are traveling through space and because of an accident, are tossed out of their spacecraft into the openness of space. also, acceptance of death is a big theme, specially in "kaleidoscope". It is a very powerful thing when all hope is tossed out of the window and idea of dying a slow death is pressed upon you. That is whats happens to the men in "kaleidoscope". after realizing that their is no chance of living they realize that death is imminent and just accept that as a truth.

Their are also many symbols scattered through out this book. the most obvious of all is the tattoos on the illustrated man. These tattoos represent the lure and dangers of story telling. Another symbol in this book are all of the rockets that are mentioned throughout the stories. The rockets represent the the dangers of space travel and the captivation that in enthralls. also, the highway from "the highway" is a very important symbol. The main character from this book, Hernando, lives in in a poor abode by the high and sees all of these fancy cars passing him by; the highway represents modernity and the world itself that is passing Hernando and his family.

This fantastic masterpiece by Ray Bradbury definitely deserves its crown as one of the most influential books of our time and will continue to be there with its wonderful symbols and warnings of the future of humanity.

SOURCES: [IMAGE] http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00671/The-illustrated-man_671264n.jpg

http://www.raybradbury.com/

http://www.enotes.com/illustrated-man/q-and-a/list-all-character-illustrated-man-111687

BLOG 14

MY blog is looking pretty good so far. i have down most of the archetypes in the book. I just need any a little work on my symbols. Any constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated!

BLOG13: The Illustrated Man

The book that I have chosen is titled "The Illustrated Man" by Ray Bradbury, one of the most successful and influential Science Fiction writers of our time. Ray Bradbury was born on August 20, 1922 in a town called Waukegan in the state Illinois. Allegedly, Ray Bradbury was first inspired to write when a stage show magician pointed a sword at him and told him to "live forever". This command is What set off his fruitful career as a writer. At the age of 16 Bradbury began to publish Science Fiction stories in a local magazine. Having not attended college after High School, Ray Bradbury immersed himself in writing literature that we admire to this day. In 1951, Bradbury published What would become one of his most famous literary masterpieces "The Illustrated Man". This highly acclaimed collection of Science Fiction stories has inspired many musical works and cinematic adaptations like Elton john's "the Rocket Man" and 1967 film by the same title. "The Illustrated Man" is about a man who has been covered in magical tattoos by a witch from the future. It is said that the the man's tattoos are a curse because anybody that sees them goes mad after seeing of all of the terrible things that it shows happening in the future. The short stories in the book are actually a description of what is going on in the man's tattoos.

"The Illustrated man" Begins with it's first character which is portrayed as a traveler that is settling in for the night. The introduction of the first character is then followed by the Illustrated Man. This is the first archetype of the book, as the Illustrated Man is a mysterious, wandering outcast. The second archetype that we find in the beginning of the book is the magical witch that is mentioned. "The witch" has been a strong archetype throughout history and can be found in many other stories such as "Snow White" and "The Wizard of OZ". Other archetypes that can be found in the rest of the short stories in the book such as "the neglectful parents" from "The Veldt" and the father from "The Rocket Man". In both stories the parents either choose to neglect their children or are forced to do so (The Rocket Man) by their profession; an ironic point to be made a bout the future in a book that was published in the 50's because that is a very real problem that modern society faces today.

A major theme in this book is the dangers and lure of story telling. At first, the man that is conversing with the Illustrated man is not aware of the moving images on the mans body and is warned to stay away from them but he i as captivated by their beauty and then gets completely immersed in them. This is very true with story telling because a lot of times we are most captivated by what is labeled dangerous and still we seek it. Another re-occurring theme in this book is the dangers of abusing technology. Almost in every story in this book, technology plays a major role; this is true for "The Veldt", "The Rocket Man" and "Kaleidoscope". In "The veldt", the parents forget about the children and toss them in to the virtual playroom and in "kaleidoscope", the men are traveling through space and because of an accident, are tossed out of their spacecraft into the openness of space. also, acceptance of death is a big theme, specially in "kaleidoscope". It is a very powerful thing when all hope is tossed out of the window and idea of dying a slow death is pressed upon you. That is whats happens to the men in "kaleidoscope". after realizing that their is no chance of living they realize that death is imminent and just accept that as a truth.

Their are also many symbols scattered through out this book. the most obvious of all is the tattoos on the illustrated man. These tattoos represent the lure and dangers of story telling. Another symbol in this book are all of the rockets that are mentioned throughout the stories. The rockets represent the the dangers of space travel and the captivation that in enthralls. also, the highway from "the highway" is a very important symbol. The main character from this book, Hernando, lives in in a poor abode by the high and sees all of these fancy cars passing him by; the highway represents modernity and the world itself that is passing Hernando and his family.

This fantastic masterpiece by Ray Bradbury definitely deserves its crown as one of the most influential books of our time and will continue to be there with its wonderful symbols and warnings of the future of humanity.

SOURCES: [IMAGE] http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/00671/The-illustrated-man_671264n.jpg

http://www.raybradbury.com/

http://www.enotes.com/illustrated-man/q-and-a/list-all-character-illustrated-man-111687

BLOG 12

The approach that I am going to take with "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is going to be arcaetypal and symbolical. I will root out and analyze all of the symbols and archaetypes in this book. Since the book is a coolection of short stories it should have many diffrent archaetypes and symbols that have an underlying theme.

BLOG 11

The story that i have chosen is titled "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury. I am a big fan of Bradbury's works and am excited about the research and writing that i need to do for this blog entry. For this story i will do extensive research on the many parts that make up the story (plot, theme, characterization etc.). To do this research I will have to first read online articles on the novel and then, with that knowledge, I will read the book and analyze it thoroughly. I suspect that the book is about a little boy so i will assume that it leans towards the hero's quest when it comes to plot.

BLOG 10: REFLECTION

The hero's quest has been a very intersting topic to learn about. After doing reasearch and watching the interview about Campbell I have noticed that this hero's hourney applies to everything in life. everything is circular and everything pretty much goes through the same stages of life.

BLOG 9: "Alice In Wonderland" Hero's journey

The 2010 version of the Tale "Alice In Wonderland" is a perfect example of the hero's quest. In this film, every element of the hero's journey is addressed from "the call to adventure" to "the return of the protagonist" to their original world.

Alice begins her quest at a family party that she is being forced to attend. While at the party Alice spots the iconic white rabbit (call to adventure) that, in turn, leads her to the rabbit hole rabbit hole (threshold) that she ultimately falls through. After falling through the rabbit hole, Alice is greeted by a small door (second threshold) and a small potion. After using the small door to pass to another world, Alice encounters a myriad of fantastic and terrible creatures that are Actually hunting her (challenges) for some unknown purpose. Soon after, Alice meets The Mad Hatter (the mentor; played by a cracked-out Johnny Depp) that keeps her safe from the Queen of Hearts for a short period of time. After a brief meeting with the other weird creatures in the movie, Alice is captured and taken to the Queen of Hearts (Abyss). While in the castle, Alice is informed that she is supposed to be the savior of the people and that she must defeat the dreaded "Jabbawakee" (transformation). After the Epic/Lame fight with the Jabbawakee, Alice saves the people from the evils of The Queen of Hearts and is safely returned to her original world (return).

Although this movie was a terrible waste of film, it fits the outline of the hero's journey almost as if Joseph Campbell had directed it himself (unlikely).

BLOG ENTRY 8: All the symbols in my poem

The poem that I have chosen is called “The Haunted Palace” by Edgar Allen Poe. This poem is riddled with symbols, each with a different meaning. A symbol is something that is meant to represent something else, especially in literature. For example, a fire in the middle of a room might represent the relationship that a family has. A symbol can be anything as long as it has some kind of meaning in the context of the story. Authors often use symbols as tools to give their writing more depth which allows the reader to feel stronger emotions and to connect more with the text. In this poem, Edgar Allen Poe uses many symbols to give the majestic palace more of a human look and for the reader to get a better feel of what’s going on in the poem.

To begin the poem, Poe begins by describing the valley in which the palace was built; he describes the valley as “green”. The color green can be viewed as either evil or as a symbol of life. Maybe this was foreshadowing of the evil that was going to overtake the castle. In the next line, Poe mentions “angels”; angels are placed to represent that there is something superior to man. In the context of the story this might hint at the spirits that now run the palace. In the next stanza, Poe uses the color yellow, according to the dictionary of symbolism yellow is usually a sign of warning. This interpretation of the symbol is appropriate because later hell breaks loose inside the palace. In the following stanza, a door is described as glowing “ruby”. This could possibly be a symbol for warning that there is something behind the door. The king is also mentioned in the next stanza, this is a symbol of authority, primarily because he is the authority of the castle. The color red is also used a lot throughout this poem. This color is made to be very emotional and full of power. The fact that it is being used so much in this poem might be to represent all of the action that is going on in this poem. This would not be a far fetched assumption because throughout the poem we are taken through the history of the palace from when it is described in the beginning as lively to when the king is being thrown out of the castle at is taken over by the spirits Next, towards the end of the poem the flow of the spirits through the castle door is described as a river. The mouths of rivers and doors are usually associated with each other because they are symbols of crossing over from on plain to another. To finish the poem off, Poe says that the spirits “laugh but smile no more”, this represents the great evil of these conquering beings because being that laughs but does not smile is not laughing for a god reason, its laughing because it takes joy in the damage that it is causing.
The symbols in this poem are a perfect example of the quality of Poe’s work. He used symbols to perfectly set the emotion for his writing.

BLOG 7: PRE-WRITING FROM "ALICE IN WONDERLAND"

FILM: "Alice In Wonderland"

HERO'S QUEST: The protagonist has a "home," a place that s/he thinks is normal, familiar, and common to others in his/her culture.


Call to Adventure
A normal occurrence motivates the protagonist to acknowledge an unknown aspect of his/her world, feel a restlessness with the constraints of his/her life, or find a new world that s/he was not aware existed.


Refusal of the Call
The protagonist chooses not to move forward in life because s/he chooses to not give up his/her position, power, ideals, goals, or responsibilities; the refusal is often based on his/her fear of the unknown and comfort in the familiar. Usually secondary characters support the protagonist's refusal.


Supernatural Aid
The inexperienced protagonist is provided a supernatural, guiding, and/or guarding character, or an instrumental item (sword, encouragement, etc.) to assist his/her step forward into the unknown.


Crossing the First Threshold
The protagonist moves out of his/her comfort zone and walks alone. S/he is confronted with an obstacle that must be overcome before s/he can fully enter the dangers of the unknown journey.


II: Initiation (By crossing the threshold, the protagonist's world is changed forever. A mental journey merges with the physical journey to result in a spiritual revelation of purpose and self.)

Road of Trials
The protagonist is tested and found vulnerable, but the outcome reveals a part of him/her that s/he did not know existed. The assistance given the protagonist under the "Supernatural Aid" section of "Departure" begins to come into play in the story, and s/he is not expected to face the trials alone.


Meeting a Soul Mate

(mother-figure)
The protagonist meets an ideal (in ancient myths a goddess; in modern stories a soul mate) and sees the possibilities of his/her journey. This supernatural, human, or symbolic ideal encourages him/her forward.


Overcoming Temptation

(father-figure)
Someone or something tries to destroy the journey itself. Often the destroyer has been sent by a larger evil to stop the protagonist. The protagonist is often misled, but eventually overcomes his lack of knowledge, prejudices, and fears as s/he grows in the acceptance of his/her role as hero.


Viewing the Whole Picture

(god-like)
The protagonist moves beyond the final terrors of change that are founded in his/her ignorance. S/he adds the spiritual element to his/her journey. The protagonist is still in the midst of the journey but s/he is now willing to accept what is required of him/her to complete the mission.


The Ultimate Goal (Treasure)


The protagonist becomes self-assured and often receives physical gifts and/or emotional rewards. Since personal limitations are broken, the protagonist can see the big picture not only in relation to him/herself but also in relation to others. The protagonist understands how the ultimate goal can be accomplished and the mission completed.


III: Return (Through the protagonist's ultimate sacrifice of self, s/he walks in an enlightened state.)

Refusing to Return
Although seldom a true refusal, the protagonist, who should return "home" with his/her powers, ability, or wisdom, remains isolated and often faces a death of sorts. Sometimes s/he prefers to live in the enlightenment than return to a "home" that might not accept the ultimate gift.


The Chase
The protagonist flees toward safety to thwart the attempts to take back the treasure, power, ability, or wisdom. Because the protagonist has changed, the chase characterizes his/her courage and confidence.


The Rescue
The protagonist is unable to save him/herself. Others help him/her return "home," which may deflate his/her ego, but since s/he sees the entirety of the mission, s/he understands the importance of what is accomplished.


Crossing the Return Threshold
The protagonist must face the evil or its leader and the realization that home is no longer a place but a state of being. Those in his/her past may not accept his/her new ability, power, or wisdom and may test it as a final trial to the protagonist.


Master of Two Worlds
The protagonist has the ability, power, or wisdom without limitations to relax in whatever world (physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual) s/he finds him/herself. S/he can adjust to who s/he was in the past and who s/he might be in the future.


Freedom


ELEMENTS OF THE HEROE'S QUEST IN "Alice In WONDERLAND:

1. Call to adventure: The White rabbit
2. Super natural aid: The Magic potions
3. First threshold: The small door
4. Road of trials: She is said to be destined to fight and kill the jabawakkee
5. Soul-mate (Mother): The White Queen
6. Over Coming Temptation (father): The Mad Hatter
7. The Ultimate Goal (Treasure: Alice is given the sword
8. The Return: Alice returns to her world after defeating the jabbawakee

Source: http://home.rmi.net/~seifert/id22.html

Blog 6: Rough Draft

"The Haunted Palace"
By: Edgar Allen Poe

In the greenest of our valleys
By good angels tenanted,
Once a fair and stately palace—
Radiant palace—reared its head.
In the monarch Thought's dominion—
It stood there!
Never seraph spread a pinion
Over fabric half so fair!

Banners yellow, glorious, golden,
On its roof did float and flow,
(This—all this—was in the olden
Time long ago),
And every gentle air that dallied,
In that sweet day,
Along the ramparts plumed and pallid,
A winged odor went away.

Wanderers in that happy valley,
Through two luminous windows, saw
Spirits moving musically,
To a lute's well-tunëd law,
Bound about a throne where, sitting
(Porphyrogene!)
In state his glory well befitting,
The ruler of the realm was seen.

And all with pearl and ruby glowing
Was the fair palace door,
Through which came flowing, flowing, flowing,
And sparkling evermore,
A troop of Echoes, whose sweet duty
Was but to sing,
In voices of surpassing beauty,
The wit and wisdom of their king.

But evil things, in robes of sorrow,
Assailed the monarch's high estate.
(Ah, let us mourn!—for never morrow
Shall dawn upon him desolate !)
And round about his home the glory
That blushed and bloomed,
Is but a dim-remembered story
Of the old time entombed.

And travellers, now, within that valley,
Through the red-litten windows see
Vast forms, that move fantastically
To a discordant melody,
While, like a ghastly rapid river,
Through the pale door
A hideous throng rush out forever
And laugh—but smile no more.

Edgar Allen Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston and died October 7, 1849. Poe was a reveled poet since his days at Virginia University where he began publishing poetry to when he was promoted to Sargent in the army. Poe is highly regarded for his poetry and a short stories that usually revel around the scary themes of ghosts and hautings. His fascination of writing horrific tales led him to write the poem "The Haunted Palace" in 1839.

The poem is composed of six stanzas of eight lines each, to give a total of 48 lines and is. Because there seems to be no specific speaker in the poem, it is a narrative poem. The poem is long and situated to the left of the page. The Rhyme scheme is a ABAB for every stanza.

"The Haunted Palace" describes the scene of a palace that has been taken from a king and is now being overrun by phantoms. The main image that this poem paints is that of a head that is devilishly sticking its tongue out. "Through two luminous windows" (line 20) represents the eyes, "Was the fair palace door" (line 26) representing the mouth and

"While, like a ghastly rapid river,
Through the pale door
A hideous throng rush out forever" (lines 45-47)

paints a picture of a tongue flying out of the mouth.

Symbols that can be found in this poem are (1) yellow, ruby (2) head (3) robes of sorrow. First, the colors yellow and ruby are indicators of what is going on in the poem. Yellow (line 9) has been known throughout history to be known as a symbol of alarm. The fact that the color yellow is placed at the beginning of the story does much to suggest that there is impending doom. Later on it can be concluded that the phantoms do, indeed, take over the palace. also, the Aurthur describes the boarder of the door to be ruby (line 17). The mentioning of the color ruby signifies the turmoil and rage that is going on inside the head because of all of the action going on. Another symbol is the head (line 4), the palace being described as a head can also be be a reference to the way the king is thinking, if all this stuff is going on inside the palace I would assume that the king would be furious and even be glowing red. The third symbol is the robes of sorrow (line 33). these robes represent death as robes and sorrow are usually connected with death. This can also represent the death of the palace itself.

The tone of this poem was very spooky and haunting. To begin with, the title of this poem is what initially sets the tone with the mentioning of the word "haunting". also, throughout the poem, ghosts and phantoms are mentioned (lines 19 and 43).

The poem "The Haunted Castle" by Edgar Allen Poe is about a castle in a beautiful valley that is being overrun by spirits. this poem is very scary and this can be concluded through the authur's choice of spooky words and scary themes like ghosts and haunting. Edgar Allen Poe lives up to his name with this poem being certainly scary.

Works Cited:

[IMAGE]"Haunted Palace." Gothic Dark Glamour. Web. 19 Apr 2010. .

Poe, Edgar Allen. "The Haunted Palace." BlackCat Poems. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr 2010. .

"Edgar Allen Poe." Bio. True storie. Bio.com, n.d. Web. 19 Apr 2010. .

BLOG 5

For essay 3 we are basically asked to break down and analyze each element of our poem of choice in a specialized format. Everything about this assignment is pretty straight forward so there isn't much to be confused about. I've chosen to write about a poem by Edgar Allan Poe titled "Spirits of the Dead" for this blog. It seems pretty interesting and just the right Length for this blog.

BLOG: 4

I have really enjoyed this class so far and can not wait to see how the rest of the coarse is going to be like. Since we started examening poetry it has really opened up my eyes because i used to avoid poetry but this class has helped me understand it more. Also, the fact that we use blogs in class is a new and enjoyeble experience. i have also learned valuble reasearch techniques like using various search engines instead of one. In conlusion, this is by far the most exciting english class that i have ever had.

BLOG 3: Symbols and Tone In "Evermore"

My poem of choice is actually a song by the band Led Zeppelin titled "The Battle for Evermore". I chose this song because Led Zeppelin's songs are known to be riddled with symbolism and double meanings so they seemed like a great candidate for this entry. Led Zeppelin was formed by the guitarist Jimmy Page in 1959 with fellow band members: Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham. They had a successful career until their separation in 1980 due to John Bonham's death. These gentlemen are not only held as rock gods because they were the best at what they did but because they were poets in nature.

There are many aspects of a poem that are important like word choice and placement but more important are tone and symbolism. Tone is the mood that the author sets for the poem and they usually do this through their word choice or the rhythm. As for symbolism, it is giving a single word or phrase more than one meaning, for example, the color red can stand for a lot of things like passion and anger meanwhile, a reference to a dove can stand for the exact opposite. Poets often use symbolism and tone to give their poetry more depth and to connect with their audience; as in the song "The Battle for Evermore" written mainly by Robert Plant, whose theme is the battle between good and evil uses tone and symbols to establish that. Here are the lyrics:

"Queen of Light took her bow
And then she turned to go,
The Prince of Peace embraced the gloom
And walked the night alone


Oh, dance in the dark of night,
Sing to the morn-ing light.
The dark Lord rides in force tonight
And time will tell us all.


Oh, throw down your plow and hoe,
Rest not to lock your homes.
Side by side we wait the might
Of the darkest of them all.


I hear the horses' thunder
Down in the valley below,
I'm waiting for the angels of Avalon,
Waiting for the eastern glow.


The apples of the valley hold
The seeds of happiness,
The ground is rich from tender care,
Repay, do not forget, no, no.
Oh, dance in the dark of night,
Sing to the morning light.


The apples turn to brown and black,
The tyrant's face is red.


Oh the war is common cry,
Pick up you swords and fly.
The sky is filled with good and bad
That mortals never know.


Oh, well, the night is long
The beads of time pass slow,
Tired eyes on the sunrise,
Waiting for the eastern glow.


The pain of war cannot exceed
The woe of aftermath,
The drums will shake the castle wall,
The ringwraiths ride in black,
Ride on.


Sing as you raise your bow,
Shoot straighter than before.
No comfort has the fire at night
That lights the face so cold.


Oh dance in the dark of night,
Sing to the mornin' light.
The magic runes are writ in gold
To bring the balance back.
Bring it back.


At last the sun is shining,
The clouds of blue roll by,
With flames from the dragon of darkness
The sunlight blinds his eyes."

From the beginning of the poem it can be concluded that the tone of the song is very chant-like and almost warning. Plant writes in the 3rd stanza,

"Oh, throw down your plow and hoe,
Rest not to lock your homes.
Side by side we wait the might
Of the darkest of them all"

This part is sung by Sandy Dennis who serves as the town crier and is warning of the great evil that is to come and the imminent danger that accompanies it. But there is hope for these people as plant goes on to reference the "angels of Avalon" and the "eastern glow". This is all foreshadowing of the epic showdown of good and evil towards the end of the song.

furthermore, are the many symbols used in this song to convey the overlying theme of the battle between good and evil. There is a reoccurring phrase in the song,

"Oh, dance in the dark of night,
Sing to the morn-ing light"

In this phrase the words night and morning are used to represent good and evil. It can be concluded that "dance" ,in this case, means to fight good and to "sing to the morning" is to come out victorious from the dark of night. Another symbol is the apples that are mentioned in the poem. plant writes,

"The apples of the valley hold
The seeds of happiness"

and

"The apples turn to brown and black,
The tyrant's face is red"

kathleen Karlson (MA) writes "apple blossoms are ideal symbols of love, youth, beauty and happiness". Karlson is right about this because throughout the ages apples have always been associated with the revelry and happiness that comes with love and youth but the references to apples in the song have a connection to the people of the town. In other words Plant is trying to say that the people of the town have once been happy but the presence of this evil being has marred it. This means that the people have the "seed" of happiness inside them, they have experienced it and are waiting to flourish that feeling. yet in the direct presence of said creature the hope of one day being happy diminishes, thus: "the apples turn to brown and black".

Alas,the sunlight penetrates the darkness and the town is rid of all hideous creatures that molest it. This is truly a wonderful tale of the epic battle between good and evil and certainly one with the many symbols and tones that make poetry so great.

SOURCES:
"Apple Symbolisms and Legends." Living Art originals. Living Arts Enterprises, LLC , 19 mar 2010. Web. 22 Mar 2010. .

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/l/led+zeppelin/the+battle+of+evermore_20082162.html
http://mybroadband.co.za/photos/data/500/lord-of-the-rings-photo-xxl-lord-of-the-rings-6228668.jpg

Blog 2: Battle for Evermore

I have, for a very long time, been a big fan of the English band Led Zeppelin and have listened to their songs countless times but this song in particular always stood out. The lyrics are a bit hard to make out over the guitar and mandolin but I managed to get them on the internet. I used google as the search engine and that led me to Lyricsfreak.com (http://www.lyricsfreak.com/l/led+zeppelin/the+battle+of+evermore_20082162.html). here are the lyrics:

Queen of Light took her bow
And then she turned to go,
The Prince of Peace embraced the gloom
And walked the night alone.


Oh, dance in the dark of night,
Sing to the morn-ing light.
The dark Lord rides in force tonight
And time will tell us all.


Oh, throw down your plow and hoe,
Rest not to lock your homes.
Side by side we wait the might
Of the darkest of them all.


I hear the horses' thunder
Down in the valley below,
I'm waiting for the angels of Avalon,
Waiting for the eastern glow.


The apples of the valley hold
The seeds of happiness,
The ground is rich from tender care,
Repay, do not forget, no, no.
Oh, dance in the dark of night,
Sing to the morning light.


The apples turn to brown and black,
The tyrant's face is red.


Oh the war is common cry,
Pick up you swords and fly.
The sky is filled with good and bad
That mortals never know.


Oh, well, the night is long
The beads of time pass slow,
Tired eyes on the sunrise,
Waiting for the eastern glow.


The pain of war cannot exceed
The woe of aftermath,
The drums will shake the castle wall,
The ringwraiths ride in black,
Ride on.


Sing as you raise your bow,
Shoot straighter than before.
No comfort has the fire at night
That lights the face so cold.


Oh dance in the dark of night,
Sing to the mornin' light.
The magic runes are writ in gold
To bring the balance back.
Bring it back.


At last the sun is shining,
The clouds of blue roll by,
With flames from the dragon of darkness
The sunlight blinds his eyes.

The theme of this song is the battle between good and evil and it makes many refrences of this epic battle. As I listened to the song, the lyrics evoked images of midevil battling between good and evil like something out of the Lord of the Rings. This connection can clearly be noticed when the author says

"The pain of war cannot exceed
The woe of aftermath,
The drums will shake the castle wall,
The ringwraiths ride in black,
Ride on"


As I did more research on the song it turns out that Jimmy Page and Robert plant, who wrote the song together, were big fans of the series of books and are actually depicting a scene from the book in these lines. They mention "The Ringwraiths", these are are ghosts or spirits that serve as servants for a dark lord and are the enbodiment of evil in the books.

the song also mentions "the angels of avalon" reffering to good players in this battle. Avalon is reffered to as a remarkable island of many mysteries and anything coming from there is surely to be powerful.

The authors decide to end the poem by saying

"At last the sun is shining,
The clouds of blue roll by,
With flames from the dragon of darkness
The sunlight blinds his eyes"

In other words this shows how good finally prevailed to win over evil as the sun shone in the dark dragons eyes and the good worries were able to defeat it. This is trully a great song a great homage to a great story.

sources: http://www.freewebs.com/finduilas101/Aragorn-Return%20of%20the%20King.jpg
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/l/led+zeppelin/the+battle+of+evermore_20082162.html

about me!

hello everyone my name is John Rodriguez and welcome to my blog. I am 18 years old and am originally from the Dominican Republic but reside in Corona, Queens. This is my first year in college and really enjoy the learning experience. This class sounds like tons of fun and im really looking to you all reading my blog. THANKS!!!