Monday, May 13, 2013
The Other in Literature
In class today, we discussed the role of animals in your personal lives. Identify a time as a child or more recently when you encountered an animal in fiction, mythology, or a short story. What was its significance and why was it important to you? Please offer a thoughtful short response of at least 7 sentences.
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When I was younger, one if my favorite movies was "Aladdin." In "Aladdin", the main protagonist, Aladdin, is accompanied by his monkey companion, Abu. Abu is Aladdin's sidekick who not only helps him throughout the film (stealing food, disguises, etc.), but he also aids in supplying comic relief to the film through his interactions with the plethora of characters. Personally, I found Abu to be very important (to the film at least). Seeing Abu in Aladdin was on of my first glimpses of how useful animals are to us (humans) and how smart they are. Even though it was an animated movie, the emotions and feelings portrayed through Abu's character help him resemble what you would expect to see in a human, but the fact that these traits were portrayed through an animal, made him seem interesting to me in my youth.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite childhood books is Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. In the book, a ten year old girl named India Opal Buloni moves to a new town and is very lonely. She has trouble making friends and being confident, until her path crosses with an extraordinary dog, who she names Winn-Dixie. Opal's relationship with Dixie is very important to the young girl. Dixie changes Opal's life by helping her step out of her shell and create relationships with the people around her. Also, because of Winn-Dixie, Opal's father tells her ten things about her mother (who passed away) that Opal had never known before. Dixie helps Opal and her father connect with each other after her mother's death, and they both are able to let go and make peace with her loss. This stray dog proves that just one friend can make a world of difference for someone. When I was younger, it was one of my favorite books (and movies) because of the meaningful friendship built between Dixie and Opal, as well as Opal's transformation into a happy and thriving young girl.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger I read "Where the Red Fern Grows." The story is about a boy who acquires two hounds. The older and stronger one is named Old Dan. I found the character very relatable to myself. The dog when hunting often got frustrated and when he did the dog wouldn't stop hunting until whatever the problem was, is solved. I found this trait relatable to myself in that I am just stubborn when it comes to things that frustrate me. This is important and significant to me because the similarity with the dog brought me closer to dogs back then and today.
ReplyDeleteAs any other kid once did, I love Winnie-the-Pooh. First off, I love teddy bears, especially my stuffed ones I've had for years (don't judge me). So obviously, I loved Pooh Bear. I loved every creature in the Hudred Acre Woods. When I was younger/nowadays I wished I lived there with Pooh. When I would read Pooh's stories, I would imagine myself as part of the story, as if I were another animal in Christopher Robin's crew. Back in the day, it was easier for the naiive minds to imagine themselves as just another one of the animals. I didn't think of myself (as a human) as any greater than the animals in the story. In fact, I wanted to BE one of the animals. I love Christopher Robin's relationship with the animals -- Pooh, especially. And I feel each animal character adds something crucial to the series of stories that is essential to shaping the surrounding characters.
ReplyDeletePS My favorite character is Tigger.
Just like many others, I loved watching Disney movies as a little girl, and majority of Disney movies are often made up of talking animals for their main characters. I remember watching "The Fox and the Hound" countless times, imagining myself as the fox and my childhood friend as the hound. I loved the idea that animals could live lives so parallel to our human ones. From friendship troubles, going on adventures, experiencing some kind of hardship, and caring for family members, I found it all fascinatingly relatable to myself and our world. I liked to imagine that my pets lived the way the animals in all the Disney movies did (The Aristocats, Lady and the Tramp), and that they all communicated with one another and had their own roles/reputations in the community--whether it was being the leader or the bad guy.
ReplyDeleteIn 7th grade, I read My Family and Other Animals, a book by Gerald Durrell depicting the life of a rising naturalist who lived in Greece with his neurotic family in the 1950s. Now, I know how cliché it sounds to say that a memoir "changed my life", but to say something is cliché already sounds cliché...so anyways, I was a very malleable little sevvie, and Durrell's endless stories of the flora and fauna of Greece inspired me to go on my own adventures. At the time, our house sat right behind a huge forest and creek, where I hunted for hours searching for the cuttlefish and tortoises of Greece, reenacting Durrell's life. And when I began searching, I noticed how truly astonishing the world really is, how many curiosities exist right within that little caterpillar sitting in my hand, or how the leech in this jar actually sucks real life blood (from living, walking, talking creatures!). I would call it an obsession, really, my infatuation with that memoir at age 12 (how romantic and fascinating the world became!) and the book even prompted my trip to Greece later that year with my cousin. So Durrell's book expanded my attention to more than just a puppy or some cutesy little cat; he made me love learning.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in Catharine's class last year, we read "The Rocking Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence. Ever since, that has been my favorite short story of all time. Although I know that the rocking horse wasn't a real horse, the entire plot of the story was based on horse races. Whenever Paul rode his lifeless and wooden rocking horse, he was told by some high power which horse would win the race ahead of time. I guess what stood out to me the most about the story was the relationship between Paul and his horse and how he used it to try and win his mother's love. I thought the whole idea of a lifeless animal made of wood and plastic having the ability to predict things and the power to affect people's relationships was very interesting. After what Catharine said today in class about the very first gods being animals, I was able to see the story on a whole new level. Now, I can see that Paul's rocking horse was in a way a god to him, and the way Paul worshipped his god was by riding the horse. Having said all of this, I think the story is significant because it is an example of how important animals are to humans, and how we depend on them in very distinct ways, even if they aren't actually alive.
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