fandomhigh | Is A Cigar Just A Cigar, Tuesday, Period 3

There was writing on the chalkboard today: All trips are quests. All birds are ducks.

Cindy was leaning on her desk, as per usual. She was amused at the way both sentences were not only relevant to this class, but how they also echoed back to her previous two. It was the little things in life, really. "Almost anytime you see someone traveling in a novel, that trip is more than just a trip from Point A to Point B," she said, once everyone had been seated and had at least noticed the writing on the wall. "What you are reading is a quest, even if it doesn't appear that way on the surface. This is obviously true in novels that are specifically about a trip, like The Odyssey, for example, but anytime an author bothers telling you about the journey a character is taking, it's because it's important. Remember, an author is consciously choosing what to include in the novel. If something is unimportant, they'll skip it. So if the author is going to spend several thousand words--and however much time it took him or her to write those several thousand words--describing a bus trip to Duluth or whatever, it's because there is a reason. That reason? Usually because it is a quest."

She turned to the backboard and began writing again:
A) The hero
B) A place to go
C) A stated reason to go there
D) Challenges and trials en route
E) The real reason

"So, A is obvious. That's the character we're reading about. B and C are also pretty obvious: wherever the character is going and why they have chosen or been told to go there. The reasons don't have to be all that noble and heroic--running away is just as valid as a rescue, as is a plan to go do something not very nice, like buy or sell drugs or commit violence. They don't have to be all that great as a reason because the stated reason they're traveling is never the actual reason. Odds are, the hero is never actually going to accomplish the stated reason for the task, and, if he or she does, they usually come to regret it and try to undo it if they can. Why? Because the real reason for a quest is self-knowledge. So whether your hero is questing around in search of the Holy Grail or just on his way to work in the morning, what they find is a deeper understanding of the self, what they're capable of, and what they want to do with their life."

"So that explains the first sentence. The second sentence hold true for the entire course. Sometimes, I may slip up and use words like 'always' and 'never.' Trips are always quests. Spring is always about fertility and growing things. 'Always' and 'never' are wrong: while things are commonly or usually true, there is nothing I tell you in this class that is set in stone. People are always experimenting, forging ahead to try something new, or using irony to subvert the common meanings of things. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, sometimes a trip really is just a trip. This isn't like math or science, where there really are concrete answers to things. In nine books out of ten, a trip really will be a quest, but it's that tenth book that can trip you up. So don't be afraid to call me on it, if I use 'always' or 'never' and don't be afraid to point out things you've read that don't agree with what I'm saying, okay?"

So saying, she pulled the TV and DVD player into the middle of the room. "We're going to watch a clip from a movie and then we'll discuss the quest our hero is on."

[~~Please wait for~~ OCD up!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Well, let's break it down, according to the definitions I have on the board," Cindy said easily. "How would you describe Lily in the beginning of the movie?"

"Conforming, obedient, dissatisfied... A hero mostly in theory," Scully said. "Intelligent, but a dreamer. Undirected." She paused. "Going to America, that's a metaphor right there, too. A rather obvious one, but still."

"Most symbols aren't really meant to be subtle," Cindy said, laughing a little. "The more people who get them, the better. Now then, what's her plan for when she gets to America? What's waiting for her?"

"Marriage, probably motherhood, a version of her mother's life. Safety, security-- well, except for the fact that the fiance is a creep." Scully made a face. "A shipwreck, in fact."

"So, the stated reason for the quest is to deliver her in New York resigned to being the perfect, proper wife for Clyde. Now, what are some of the challenges and trials she faces on the way?

"The fact that Clyde's an unreasonable control freak, that's one. Having fun with the artist, that's-- I suppose that's a challenge of acceptance?" Scully cocked her head. "She was close to killing herself at one point to escape Clyde, but she overcame the impulse with his help, and moved on to try to find another way to cope. Then there's the sheer physical escape that's necessary, with all the handcuffs and water and the ship going down."

"So she's facing trials that push her towards independence, towards learning what she wants and leaving the old shell of herself behind," Cindy said. "This is something that we'll touch on later, but an immersion in water like that? Usually signifies a baptism. Getting dunked in water and coming back up--it signifies a rebirth into a new person. Sound familiar?"

"Extremely." Scully thought of her own emergence from an alien cocoon in Antarctica, and shuddered. "Rebirth is usually traumatic, too. So that makes sense."

"So she starts off as helpless and sheltered, goes on a voyage, ostensibly to end as a meek and mild wife, ends up facing dangers that make her stronger and more independent, is baptized in the sinking ship, which is a nice touch but not always necessary, and then ends up in New York, her journey over," Cindy summarized. "But the ostensible reason has faded away and we see that the whole purpose of her journey was actually to turn her into the strong and independent woman she wanted to be. Make sense now?"

"Strangely, yes." And she did. Although putting it on the Olympia was a tad extreme... "Nicely nested imagery and metaphors, to give the whole thing more significance than if it was just, oh. All set in London, or New York."

Hey, it wouldn't be Hollywood if they weren't beating you over the head with the symbolism.

"Oh, yes. With that, they were able to add all sorts of other bits, like the baptism, the sinking of the wealth and decadence, nobility in the face of imminent death, the whole nine yards." Cindy quirked a smile. "Hollywood's about as subtle as a brick to the face, most times."

Is A Cigar Just A Cigar, Tuesday, Period 3

Re: Activity: Discuss!

Re: Activity: Discuss!

Re: Activity: Discuss!

Re: Activity: Discuss!

Re: Activity: Discuss!

Re: Activity: Discuss!

Re: Activity: Discuss!

Re: Activity: Discuss!

Re: Activity: Discuss!

Re: Activity: Discuss!

Re: Activity: Discuss!