Across the Finish Line...

Well class is basically all done now and it is time to sit back and reflect on the semester I think. I had to take this class to fulfill my requirement for my minor, so you see I am not even an English minor, but a History one instead. I was a little apprehensive at first since I had never taken an upper division English course before. Turns out the class was nothing to be scared or unsure about. Turns out I knew a lot of people in there to begin with, so that was awesome. Also after the first class where MS read aloud the Juniper Tree, I got really excited for this class. It turned out to be a very interesting class and definitely makes me look at things a lot differently now. Learning about different origins of fairytales, how they all connect with one another, the different morals they are attempting to tell.

I will be sad to see this class go, I had a really enjoyable time in, that's for sure. Everybody you could tell had a good time, there was goofing off but everybody still was learning as we went. I liked it.

Presentations Round Two...

Today's presentations occurred today, and they were hilarious. Group 3 and 4 went today both taking different approaches to the same assignment.

Group 3
Took a brand new approach to their presentation. They used a an already popular medium of a reunion show to get their point across. It was really funny with all the characters playing off of each other really nicely. Their costumes were awesome and they kept the audience's attention splendidly. Even though one of the group members couldn't make it they still gave their performance. Awesome.

Group 4
Another graphic novel but completely different than group 2's. With a whole bunch of little stories that all were interconnected in the end. This one was also really entertaining as well! The photography was awesome. They did a good job with multiple uses of misplaced concreteness.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow....

The song Somewhere Over the Rainbow has been a favorite song for most since it debuted in 1939 by Judy Garland, then only 17. The song has stayed popular through the years by getting small musical face lifts from different artists over the time. Everybody that has sang it has put their own unique style on the song, revamping an old favorite.



another popular version that now frequents the speakers on tropical cruise ships and was the song playing when Dr. Mark Green died of caner on ER...



Leona Lewis when she was still competing on X Factor...



Connie Talbot proving that this song knows no age boundaries, and it is a song for all ages...

Oxford...

In Oxford there are many different things to stop by and see from Christ Church, to the Camera, punting on the Thames, and the Eagle and Child pub. Here at the Eagle and Child many people have frequented to grab a pint and food many a time. The reason this pub happens to be so famous and popular is for two people who used to be regulars. C.S. Lewis and J.R Tolkien would meet here regularly with The Inklings. This was a group of literary friends who would meet every Tuesday nights to discuss their latest works and to get feedback on what their peers thought. Both The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings was tossed around at these meetings...



Oxford seems to be the place where wonderful literature thrives. Before C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien was Lewis Carroll who was a professor at Oxford Uni. He gathered a lot of inspiration from all around the school and town of Oxford. If you visit today you can see signs of Carroll still left all over the place...



Oxford, Christ Church in particular, has been not only the inspiration for many stories but also the set of popular literature. Christ Church banquet hall and courtyard has been used in many movies, but most recently has been for Harry Potter along with the Golden Compass.



Both of these spots have begun to attract a lot of attention and becoming a must do when going to Oxford!



Oxford is such an imaginative place that I am sure it will continue to be a spot where people can become inspired to write.

Wicked

In class we had our whole group presentations dealing with The Wizard of Oz. Many people have not read the book but almost everyone has seen the movie starring Judy Garland from 1939. It was one of the first movies to really bring home the idea of technicolor and people fell in love with it immediately. Another new phenomenon in our present day is the book Wicked, which has recently been adapted into a stage performance. The play is based off of Gregory Maguire's book Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. In this book Maguire tells the other side of the story of the Wicked Witch, Elphaba. Maguire crafter Elphaba's name with help from L.F. Baum's name. He took the phonetically pronunciation of his initials, L.F.B became El-pha-ba.

The story talks about Elphaba and how she becomes this hated creature in Oz. In this version she is just misunderstood and is trying to do the right thing and it is really the Wizard who is the mean corrupt one. The Wizard makes her out to be the horrible one and turns everyone against her to cover up his own wrongdoings. Glinda is Elphaba's best friend and you also learn how the Scarecrow, Tinman, and the Lion all come to need a brain, heart, and courage.

I really recommend reading the book along with seeing the play. I have read the book and seen Wicked three times in the West End in London. Needless to say its fantastic!!! I look at the Wizard of Oz a little differently now...

Spell Check...

I was just posting a blog about Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland when I noticed something, and I thought it was worth blogging about separately. I was blogging about Tweedledee and Tweedledum and I was typing sorta fast and I got caught up on the word Tweedledee. The red dotted line showed up underneath my misspelled word. I went to go fix it, when I had spelled it correctly I noticed there was no dotted red line. Spell check recognized this word along with Tweedledum. These words have become so common in our language that even modern technology recognizes them. I just thought it was a fun little discovery, Lewis Carroll has even penetrated a form of technology that he had no idea about. His words are proving to last longer and be more popular than I am sure he could have ever imagined.
Words like Jabberwock though do acquire the red dotted line proving that some of Carroll's story have been more popular around the greater populous.

My fav Alice chapter...

So this is a little late on the posting side of things but its better late than never. So my favorite Alice chapter you ask...I am going to go with I don't really have a favorite chapter really but more of a favorite story. I really enjoyed the Walrus and the Carpenter in the fourth chapter of Through the Looking Glass.

Tweedledee and Tweedledum tell Alice the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter...

The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright--
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done--
"It's very rude of him," she said,
"To come and spoil the fun!"

The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead--
There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"

"If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose," the Walrus said,
"That they could get it clear?"
"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"
The Walrus did beseech.
"A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each."

The eldest Oyster looked at him,
But never a word he said:
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head--
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat--
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more--
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,
"Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!"
"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,
"Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed--
Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed."

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
"After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!"
"The night is fine," the Walrus said.
"Do you admire the view?

"It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf--
I've had to ask you twice!"

"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,
"To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"The butter's spread too thick!"

"I weep for you," the Walrus said:
"I deeply sympathize."
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.

I don't know what it is about this story about tricking oysters into their death, but if you want to admit it or not its a powerful story. It seems to have strung a chord with a today's audiences as well. Walt Disney chose to include it in his Disney version while excluding other stories. Even a pub in London, close to the Monument dedicated to the 1666 fire that destroyed half of London, shows appreciation to the timeless story.

Presentations Round One...

Today in class we had the first round of group presentations. I thought overall they were amazing. Both group one and group two did something that was completely polar opposites of each other, which was fantastic!!!!

Group One

I really enjoyed this presentation because lets be honest the power point was amazing, Kyle did a great job on it. I loved that they took the historical side of things, I loved it but then again I am a history major. All the different things that interested all of them individually flowed really well in between each other. I think they did a really good job.

Group Two

This presentation was hilarious. The picture graphic novel was so much fun. The pictures turned out really well, I love how they were semi animated. Them acting out on the side their different parts was perfect, they all really got into their performance. They did a good job incorporating the Wizard of Oz and still make me laugh a lot. Way to go girls to tackle such a racy topic.

Overall I think they were awesome and both of the presentations are going to be a tough act to follow...

Dreams...dreams...dreams...

So I have been putting off this blog for awhile because I didn't think that I had any dreams that really pertained to children's literature. So I decided alright I need to stop trying to find a connection and just blog about a dream and maybe the connection will come to me when I see it in type. So there I was, ya know, dreaming...

I was all by myself in my old high school library, but it wasn't the library that I was used to from growing up. There was a fashion show going on but all the people there were yelling out numbers when they got to the end of the runway. I decided to leave that place stat, it was not for me. So I walked outside the library and I was outside of my old flat in London waiting for the boys that I lived with to come home from school so they could let me into the place since I forgot my key. I was really mad because it had rained and washed out the drawings that I had drawn on the side of the building. The boys came home and let me in but it wasn't the flat the I lived in, but it was still mine. Weird. It was on of our friend's birthdays so we were getting ready for his surprise birthday party, but when I was putting up the streamers the fire alarm went off. Then I woke up....

So its not really even a particularly cool dream or anything but it was nice to dream about London again in a round about way. Its always so weird that when you dream about something so familiar it isn't quite the same in your dreams. Things always fade away and melt into other things that are from your life but never quite the same. Its odd.

6 Degrees of Seperation...

The other day in class when Lisa gave her presentation on six degrees of separation from Obama I wondered if I could also do the same. So I tried as well...

my friend from high school nolan morgan is really good family friends with Conrad Burns...who was the Republican senator for Montana who knows Barack Obama.


Ok that was a bit easier than I thought!

Tell the truth but tell it slant...

When one thinks about children’s literature normally the first thing they think about is fairytales, princesses, knights in shining armor, rhyming tales of morals, and other things that teach children to become better humans. Everybody across the world grew up with more or less the same sort of tales; the kidnapped princess being saved by her one and only true love. These types of stories usually took the form in Sleeping Beauty or Rapunzel. For years people have been growing up with these stories of make believes and of wonder and nobody seems harmed by them. These are the stories that children are supposed to read, at least that is the social norm; these stories that encourage a happy ending at the conclusion of each tale. Parents constantly want to watch and monitor what their children are putting into their heads. So it would seem that the stories would be age appropriate for children. These are the stories that we want our children reading, right? There is a reason that a lot of stories have been touched by Disney, they seem to be protecting the children from what really happens in these fairytales. In Han Christian Anderson’s version of the Little Mermaid he does not allow her to stay with the Prince. Would children be visibly different if they had always grown up knowing that version instead of Walt Disney’s? What happens when children stop reading the obviously sweet and begin reading stories that have a stronger element of truth to them? Stories like His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman are an excellent example of a new breed of tales that provoke the thought of truth in them. It is important to have truth lining stories for children, if they realize it or not. Children’s literature needs truth just like children need to hear it. They might not completely understand it at the young age they read it at; but as they get older the truth that lined their childhood stories will begin to break loose and stream back into their conscious.
Philip Pullman’s trilogy His Dark Materials including The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass is quite a grown up book geared for children. The main characters, Lyra and Will, are children themselves and throughout these three books they grow up with the reader. The book appeals to children with the thoughts of adventure, witches, and even armored polar bears. The books swarms around fantasy with entrances into different worlds and at first glance one would think that this is truly a children’s book. Pullman actually pulls you in and it is not till later in the novel one realizes that the story revolves around very truthful ideas and thoughts. Based on original sin, religion, and becoming an adult His Dark Materials does not try and trick anybody at any age about what the novel is telling you. Here is a novel that is still teaching lessons and morals like the fairytales people grew up on but here they are laid out for the simplest things, they understand just fine. Dr. Michael Sexson said during lecture on Monday November 24, 2008 that one should not be condescending to children, they are more aware of their surroundings than we may know. In The Amber Spyglass the ghosts are exiting through a hole cut by the Subtle Knife. Mary Malone is actually spoken to by an older female ghost who tells her “Tell them stories. They need the truth. You must tell them true stories, and everything will be well. Just tell them stories” (Pullman, 864). Why cannot parents and other grownups take this idea to heart; the idea that you must tell children true stories and everything will work itself out and be alright. Children can learn easily from hearing stories and becoming more educated on different subjects. Obviously children would not be interested in reading autobiographies on Abraham Lincoln and learning about his struggles with country and heart, or a complete history of the Holocaust. These sorts of stories just cannot hold the attention or imagination of many children. The truth needs to be wrapped up in something that interests the child like magic and the idea of going to different worlds.
Many children, as smart as they may be, do not fully understand what it is that they are reading when they are young. Is it important for them to fully know every single meaning of their stories that they love and adore? They do know that they love the adventure, fantasy, and the love the surrounds most children’s tales and that is what is important when they first read them, and it is not until later that they understand. It is usually later in life when the entire meaning comes to them and what they read as children makes since to them. They had always known but once they are old enough to truly understand that is when the light turns on. Emily Dickinson wrote a poem titled “To Tell the Truth” that encompasses this idea of understanding something you already learned.

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant --
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind --
The entire poem is very interesting because throughout the whole thing she capitalizes the word truth showing its importance. It is more than just a word but more of an encompassing body of knowledge that everybody should intimately. The last two lines in particular fall in order with the thought process that slowly but surely the knowledge of truth will be part of your life. As a child if one reads stories like Pullman’s trilogy the entirety of the truth is there but usually the child will not be old enough to comprehend it. When that child is old enough and the truth begins to leak into their conscious mind that is when they can really understand what they read all those years ago.
It is not only Pullman’s trilogy that tangos with truth. Other fairytales are able to get across that what is common maybe not always desirable for children. Like mentioned before, Hans Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid is not a happy ending story. When the mermaid ends up without her prince at the end of the tale the notion that not everything can end perfect is directly put across. Here there is no gradual of seeping truth later in life, but instead put in front of one to deal with at that moment. Is that too much for children to handle in one sitting, does it need to gradually fall into place for them later in life? Are they Disney versions a must have when teaching children morals through fairytales? Truth is already a rarity in the world in general why not let children see things as they are from an early age? If they want to see what they are reading than they will accept it. If not then maybe to them that little mermaid will meet up with the Prince later after he dies and eventually there will be a happy ending after all. Children are able to learn about truth through these fairytales about magic, princesses, and other worlds. Let them learn this way through books and stories than through the harsh reality of life. Reverend William Slone Coffin was quoted saying “The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love”. Through these stories and tales children are learning the truth, and there is no too young of age to start.

Looking like your pet

In class the other day we mentioned that a lot of people look like the pets that they own. When we began talking about this I immediately thought of Disney's 101 Dalmatians. I don't know if anybody remembers this in the beginning of the movie there are the scenes showing all the different dogs and their owners around town. All the dogs look exactly like their owners, I always thought that it was funny as a little kid. In the beginning of the movie Pongo is looking for a woman for Roger, and as he is looking out the window he stumbles across all these different as he keeps calling them breeds.





If you start around 4:45 in the clip it will bring you right to the part with Pongo.


While I was looking for other pictures and things like that of people looking like their pets I came across something very interesting. A book called Dancing with Cats. It is a very odd thing I believe. Its a book about people dancing with their cats. Huh. But you can't deny that they look like their dancing partner. So if you were wondering if daemons exist even in our world, I would have to go with a resounding yes.

Golden Compass characters

So when I heard that we were going to read Dark Materials I was really excited. I had seen the movie and liked it. I thought they did a good job casting all the characters, I really enjoyed all of it as a whole. (Well I mean now I have some different feelings about it since I have read the book but that is besides the point). What is bothering me though is now when I am reading the book I can only picture the characters that the theater gave me. I keep trying to shake the images but I just cant. Its really becoming annoying.

For instance Mrs. Coulter is supposed to have dark hair. I mean come on Nicole Kidman something as minor as that should of been easy to give her. Maybe a wig or dye it. But yeah so now I picture Nicole Kidman in my head and not somebody that I got to create on my own. Boo.









I think they did do a good job with Iorek Byrnison though. I dont have a problem picturing him while reading the books!!!!



I LOVED the choice for Mr. Scoresby. But I think that I only love him because he played the part so well. I really wonder what he would of looked like in my mind if I had had the chance to imagine him on my own?????


Lord Asriel, well he is just incredibly good looking in this movie. Thanks Daniel Craig. I don't think I would of envisioned him as handsome as he now is when I read the books. He probably would of had some serious facial problem, like something along the line of perma wind burn and other arctic things like that. Maybe even a scar, I don't even know because once again Hollywood told me what he was gonna look like. Hm.


Lyra. I am sure if my imagination was given the opportunity to imagine Lyra something totally different would have sprung up. She wouldn't of been so mousy looking I don't think. Oh well.

Daemons/humans..whats the difference?

In Pullman's books the idea of daemons are incredibly interesting. Here is this animal that is supposed to reflect you and be part of your being, just an extension of you. It was not until I was reading the Lantern Slides for the Subtle Knife when I began to think more about daemons. One slide the Pullman describes on page 538 is...

A daemon is not an animal, of course; a daemon is a person. A real cat, face to face with a daemon in cat form, would not be puzzled for a moment. She would see a human being.

Before the small statement I more or less took daemons at face value but after knowing that another animal would only see a human got me to thinking. Would the cat see two people standing next to each other? Would the cat have seen only one human but "whole" like from our world and Will's? If the cat did see a person does that person look exactly like the other person, are we talking twins or would the animal see different looking people but similar? Like looking at sisters or some sort of relations?

That small sentence has really thrown me into a tizzy, I want to know how Pullman would describe this person. I think that in the case of the cat with Pan that the cat would of seen two different people, because if there is two people one has to acknowledge that there is a "soul" of sorts to a person, hence the reason that daemons would exist. But what would this person look like? I like to think that through an animals eyes that they see two different looking people that look oddly similar. You can tell that they are one but for some reason separate. I don't know if that makes sense but it does in my mind, hopefully its translating into blog form alright.

6 Impossible Things...

6 Impossible Things to do before breakfast....

1. CLEP out of my Spanish test that I need to do before semester is over

2. Finish Pullman's Dark Materials. I am only half way through the Subtle Knife

3. Do all of my laundry. Yeah I have a lot of it.

4. Start liking eggs. I think there is a serious problem with that food. I mean come on.

5. Get my private pilot's license. I have wanted it for some time but I just don't have the $8,000 to spend on that.

6. Finally, return all the artifacts and pictures to their rightful owners that I (along with 2 other girls) used for our exhibit at the Pioneer Museum.

There is a lot more than 6 things that are impossible to get done before breakfast, so here are just the top six!

My Daemon...

As we all know in Pullman's Dark Material all the characters from Lyra's world have their daemons. There is a test you can take on the Golden Compass website that will reveal you what your daemon would be. So I took the test to find out what my daemon would take shape as. After 20 questions I was assigned Alchaeon, a jackal. I didn't know how well he would fit me at first but the more I looked at him the more he grew on me. Alchaeon and I are best friends now.

Northern Lights

The first time that I saw the Northern Lights I was up in Alaska in Girdwood. We were visiting my aunt and uncle and we were there in the winter time and because of that it was dark almost all of the day. It was so crazy to be walking outside around 3:00 pm and have it be totally dark outside. Anyways my dad and I were walking around just more or less exploring cause we did not want to help with cooking dinner so we left the house. I am getting off topic, anyways we were just walking around and it was literally like somebody just turned on a switch. Almost instantly the lights were dancing above our heads. One minute there was nothing in the sky but stars and then all of a sudden came then burst of light that danced above our heads. It was the most intense thing to have thrust upon you when you are not expecting it. My father was thrilled about it, but since I was younger and had no idea what the heck was going on I was super confused. My dad explained to me what was going on pretty much in a nutshell, but lets be honest it went in one ear and out the other. I didn't care at age 12 or 13 how those lights got to where they were, I was just happy they were there. Since then I have never seen the Northern Lights with such intensity again. On that afternoon the lights were bright greens and blues and they were such bright and vibrant colors it was almost unimaginable. I have the lights again back here in Montana but they seemed to be more greens and reds. The last time that I had the chance to see them were my freshman year here at MSU back in 2004. So I think its about time that I see them again.

Test on Wednesday? You know it...

Here is the study guide that I threw together while in class on the good ole day of Monday...

Material to know:
1. Tatar endings
Snow White
Sleeping Beauty
Frog Prince
Rapunzel
Rumpelstiltskin
Jack and the Beanstalk
2.Talbot pages
92, 27, 28, 206, 134, around183 - 186.
3. Alice in Wonderland
Humpty Dumpty
Wool and Water
Tweedledee and Tweedledum
Caterpillar
Question of Morals
4. Linda Sexson's lecture
5. My Book and Heart Shall Never Part
6. Classmate questions

Q: Who is the classic illustrator of Alice?
A: John Tenniel

Q: Last word in Beauty and the Beast?
A: Virtue

Q: Who wins after death?
A: Worms, we triumph through art

Q: Oscar Wilde says "life imitates?"
A: Art

Q: 5 themes of this class
A: Myth, dreams, art, coincidences, and history

Q: Who does the white knight seem to resemble?
A: Lewis Carroll

Q: What is the counterpart "How doth the little busy bee"?
A: "How doth the little crocodile"

Q: What does the Mock Turtle sing about?
A: Soup

Q: What is the Mad Hatter's answer to his own question?
A: I haven't the slightest idea

Q: According to Talbot who is the second most quoted person besides Shakespeare?
A: Lewis Carroll

Q: _______ is a depersonalized ______ and______ is a personalized _______.
A: Myth, dream, dream, myth

Q: Who explains a portmanteau?
A: Humpty Dumpty

Q: Stephanie thinks which is the rudest of all the flowers?
A: Violets

Q: The word animated contains what word that means soul?
A: Anime

Q: Where does Alice live in all of us?
A: Collective unconscious

Q: Who is the volcano?
A: Alice

Q: How tall does Alice shrink to when she drinks her first drink?
A: 10 inches

Q: What is the name of the deleted chapter from Alice?
A: Wasp and the Wig

Q: How does Alice offend the mouse?
A: She mentions cats

Q: What was one of the themes of the Protestant Reformation?
A: To teach moral values

Q: What was the language that the first American Bible was printed in.
A: Algonquin

Q: What 2 animals sparked curiosity before Darwin?
A: Mammoth and a monkey

Q: Why is the Mad Hatter mad?
A: Mercury in headbands, misplaced concreteness

Q: Create an anagram...

Q: What does the White Rabbit drop by Alice?
A: White gloves and a fan

Q: What do Beauty's tears turn into during the movie?
A: Diamonds

Q: Reading a story. Trust the ____ and not the ____.
A: Tale and teller

Q: Lewis Carroll's stutter inspired what character?
A: The Dodo

Q: What is "its interesting cause I'm interesting'?
A: Tautology

Q: Goody To Shoes is an emblem that adults lack.
A: Perfection

Q: Tweedledee and Tweedledum say "If I am part of a dream that what are you?"
A: Ditto, ditto, ditto

Q: The theme of this class is to?
A: Look into the darkside

Q: Who was the most accomplished serial killer in England?
A: Maryann Cotton

Q: Who are the two primary ghosts in Talbot?
A: Sid James and the White Lady

Q: Jaberwocky was based on what?
A: Lambton worm

Q: What is the last line in the Looking Glass?
A: "Life wht is it but a dream?"

Q: What is ALICE PLEASENCE LIDDELL?
A: Acrostic

Q: All art inspires to the condition of what? (Walter Peter)
A: Art

Q: The text informs what?
A: Reality



GOOD LUCK!

Reading Alice as an adult...

Alright so I have never read Alice in Wonderland I was simply a Disney movie fan. So when I discovered that we had to read the book for this class I was excited, naturally. I really enjoyed the book when I got through it one lazy afternoon. I loved all of her adventures and the thought that she found another world through the mirror captured my imagination 100%. The only thing that really bothered me once I began looking back on the book was Alice.

I felt like Lewis Carroll put together this amazing piece of literature for everyone to get lost in and everybody does...minus Alice. She bothered me that she was unable to let her self get mixed up in the craziness of the wonderland. She was constantly interrupting all the characters when they began to tell her their stories. One good example is from the chapter The Mock Turtle's Story.

"The master was an old Turlte- we used to call him Tortoise---"
"Why did you call him Tortoise, if he wasn't really one?" Alice asked
"We called him Tortoise because he taught us," said the Mock Turtle angrily. "Really you are very dull!"
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself for asking such a simple question," added the Gryphon.

I just don't understand why she cannot let things just sit and be as they are, it is very obvious that the girl has no imagination throughout the entire book. She just does not have any idea how amazing this place is that she has landed in because she wants to understand it all. But then I guess if she had this amazing imagination then wonderland would a different book all together. So it is probably a good thing that she is the way she is, but oh my gosh does it annoy me.

Children's lit in everyday life...

I remember that Dr. Sexson was mentioning that it doesn't really matter where you go during your day or what you are doing because you are probably going to run into children's lit somewhere along the way. It is almost impossible not to, its just a matter if you realize that it is there. I didn't know if I was entirely sold on that statement but then something happened and I realized, yeah he is right. I was in Boise the other day for a concert and during one of the songs I had Alice smack me right in the face. I realized that the lyrics from the song Live High included phrases from Alice Through the Looking Glass.

I try to picture a girl
Through a looking glass
See her as a carbon atom
See her eyes and stare back at them
See that girl
As her own new world
Though a home is on the surface, she is still a universe

Glory God, oh God is peeking through the blinds
Are we all here standing naked
Taking guesses at the actual date and time
Oh my, justifying reasons why
Is an absolutely insane resolution to live by

Live high
Live mighty
Live righteously
Takin it easy
Live high, live mighty
Live righteously

Try to picture the man
To always have an open hand
And see him as a giving tree
See him as matter
Matter fact he's not a beast
No not the devil either
Always a good deed doer
And it's laughter that we're making after all

The call of the wild is still an ordination why
And the order of the primates
All our politics are too late
Oh my, the congregation in my mind
Is this assembly singing of gratitude
Practicing their lovin for you

Live high
Live mighty
Live righteously
Takin it easy
Live high, live mighty
Oh live righteously

Take it all,
And just take it easy
And celebrate the malleable reality
You see nothing is ever as it seems
Yeah this life is but a dream

Lift me up to the almighty
Raise your hands and start acknowledging


Live high, live high
Live mighty, mighty, mighty,
Oh live righteously
Takin it easy
Live high, live mighty
Oh live righteously
Just take, just just taking it easy
Live high
Oh live mighty, mighty,
Oh live righteously
Take it all, just take it, take it easy
See live high,
Oh live righteously
Just take it easy




The very beginning of the song mentions the girl in the looking glass, and if that is not a giant clue then I don't know what is. The song continues to elude to this girl throughout the first stanza
and eventually there is a direct quote from Through the Looking Glass. The last words of the entire book show up in the form on song "life is but a dream". Hearing this song solidifies the idea that Lewis Carroll is the second more quoted person behind Shakspeare. For some reason Alice and all her adventures have captured the world's attention no matter what year or decade. Alice is very popular girl. Dr. Sexson was right, you can run into children's lit where ever you go if you look for it, even in Boise.

VOTE!!!!!!!!

Come on and vote...you know you want to...

My Book and Heart Shall Never Part...

I did not really know what to expect from this movie, but never the less I was excited to see it!!! I really enjoyed the movie a lot and a part that stuck out to me the most I believe was the segment on Little Red Riding Hood. The wolf mask that adorns the ticket of this movie is actually used in the film by the little boy who shares the role of the wolf with that of a dog. I thought it was really interesting how the two could be interchangeable with one another. And then it was also mentioned at the end of the LRRH clip that perhaps that there is a wolf in her as well.

I really also enjoyed the score of the movie, the composer did a very good job I thought and the cinematography was spot on as well. Even though it was shot locally it looked nothing like the amazing local commercials that grace our televisions. I was really impressed with the entire movie, and I think that by taking this class I was able to understand it differently than say somebody who has not taken it.

oh p.s. the cake was amazing too!!!!!

Study, Study, Study...

My notes from class on Friday...

Fairy tales that we should have read:

Little Mermaid
Little Red Riding Hood
Cinderella
Hansel & Gretel
Beauty and the Beast
Sleeping Beauty
Snow White
Rapunzel
East of the Sun, West of the Moon
Bluebeard
Juniper Tree

Questions asked in class:

Q: What is a portmanteau?
A: Multi-level word combining two words

Q: What are the privileged numbers of fairy tales?
A: 3 and 7

Q: What is misplaced concreteness?
A: A question that isn't supposed to be asked during a fairy tale. Example Rapunzel's hair strength

Q: Which fairy tale is categorized as 333?
A: Little Red Riding Hood

Q: Collective unconscious manifests itself in what?
A: Archetypes

Q: "If you really crafty you will get them both"
A: Hansel & Gretel

Q: What are the 3 parts of the universal quest?
A: Separation, intuition, and return

Q: Why is there no such thing as an original fairy tale?
A: You cant trace from oral traditions, all displaced myth

Q: What are you recognizing in someone when you bow to them?
A: The divine

Q: Finish the quote from Disney's Aladdin. "I'm not history"
A: "I'm mythology"

Q: Difference between Grimm and Perot's Cinderella?
A: Cinderella is called Ashgirl in Grimm version.

Q: Beauty & the Beast, Hans my Hedgehog, and East of the Sun, West of the Moon are what motif?
A: Search for the lost husband & beast groom

Q: Which fairy tale do the women not have any trouble conceiving?
A: Bluebeard

Q: What are the 3 parts of the goddess?
A: Mother, maiden, and crone

Q: What is the mythological mother/daughter duo is frequently discussed in class?
A: Demeter and Persephone

Q: What is the significance of Bluebeard's blue beard?
A: All of the above

Q: What causes the transformation of the Beast?
A: Beauty's love

Q: Where was one of the first talking horses found at?
A: The Golden Ass

Q: Why did Cupid wake up when Psyche looked at him?
A: Hot oil hit his shoulder

Q: Sisty Uglies is an example of what?
A: Spoonerism

Q: What mythological story is Beauty and the Beast based off of?
A: Cupid & Psyche

Q: Which gender is usually being attacked for characteristic flaws?
A: Female

Q: Which Grimm Story has a witch in it?
A: Hansel & Gretel

Q: Who wanted to marry Red Riding Hood?
A: Charles Dickens

Q: What is a clue that you are reading a fairy tale?
A: Once upon a time...

Hans my Hedgehog...

It is a little bit different than Jim Henson's Storyteller version.

Hans the Hedgehog Grimm style...

Cinderalla Moral....Reworked

In today's fast pace life
Commonly it is full of strife
But according to the moral of Cinderella
Everything well come easily if you're bella

With your beauty there's no need to worry
All bad things will be replaced with good things in a hurry
Do you believe all these things are true?
If yes, than a wake up call is due

Beauty and grace will only get you so far
With these many a nights are spent wishing on a star
To get through life you need brains and a mind
Things fall into place a lot easier you'll find

Cinderella moral, hear me this
All grace and beauty does not bring you bliss
All though it helps along the way
It's a bright mind that truly gets you to the end of the day

Fairy Tales in Song...

Quick proof that almost no matter where you look you can find fairy tales creeping into popular culture. Before this class it never really occurred to me that if you notice them or not you are really always surrounded by fairy tales in one way or another. Here is a quick example proving that fairy tales are still something to talk about, or sing about.

Lyrics from Sarah Bareilles' song Fairytale


Cinderella's on her bedroom floor
She's got a
Crush on the guy at the liquor store
Cause Mr. Charming don't come home anymore
And she forgets why she came here
Sleeping Beauty's in a foul mood
For shame she says
None for you dear prince, I'm tired today
I'd rather sleep my whole life away than have you keep me from dreaming

I don't care for your fairytales
You're so worried bout the maiden though you know
She's only waiting on the next best thing
next best thing, yah

Snow White is doing dishes again cause
What else can you do
With seven itty-bitty men?
Sends them to bed and she calls up a friend
Says will you meet me at midnight? oh
The tall blond lets out a cry of despair says
Would have cut it myself if i knew men could climb hair
I'll have to find another tower somewhere and keep away from the windows

I don't care for your fairytales
You're so worried bout the maiden though you know
She's only waiting on the next best thing
next best thing, yah

Once upon a time in a faraway kingdom
Man made up a story said that i should believe him
Go and tell your white knight that he's handsome in hindsight
But i don't want the next best thing
So i sing and hold my head down and i break these walls round me
Can't take no more of your fairytale love

I don't care for your fairytales
You're so worried bout the maiden though you know
She's only waiting
She spent her whole life being graded on the sanctity of patience and a dumb
Appreciation
But the story needs some mending and a better happy ending
Cause i don't want the next best thing
No no i don't want the next best thing

Child, Nature, and a Book. What they mean to me.

What is a child?
Many people think that there is a distinct difference between a child and an adult, and at first glance there are. Physical characteristics, the responsibility level, and maturity level. But if you look closer than face value you get something more. You find what I think the definition of a child is.
Anybody, regardless of age, who believes in something bigger than themselves, trusts in the simple pleasures, and does not always take themselves to seriously.

What is nature?
Depending on what your mind falls upon when the word nature is spoken or read defines how you think of the word. You could instantly think of nature outside of your house or maybe even the idea of natural. Personally when I hear nature I think of the area beyond my house bringing me to my definition.
Surroundings that did not need humankind's help to exist or to continue to live.

What is a book?
A book is something that we are encounter everyday of our lives especially if you are in school. But to actually take the time to define it and think about the actual object is different than just using it. My Definition of a book is as follows.
A source of knowledge that educates, inspires, or entertains 0ne to think outside the box and become a more well rounded person.

Princess Diana: A Real Life Fairy Tale

In Norfolk, England on July 1, 1961 a baby girl was born into the Spencer family, and after one week she was given the name Diana. She grew up in a very respectable family in Northhamptonshire. There her and her siblings were mainly raised by her father, Lord Spencer.

As she got older Diana know she only wanted to get married once, and once for love. She had seen how her parents had ended up in result from a loveless marriage. Diana wished for something more, she wished for her prince charming. At age 20 it seemed like everything had fallen into place. She was getting married in London at St. Paul’s Cathedral to Charles, the Prince of Wales. On July 29, 2981 she was a very shy bride and the cameras and television crews were everywhere, but that was the price she had to pay to be Her Royal Highness Diana, Princess of Wales.

Very quickly she became very popular among the masses of England; people fell in love with her beauty, her grace, and her compassion. Wherever she went people poured their hearts to her and showed her how much she was loved. But with this new found fame she also had to deal with the paparazzi documenting her life every step of the way. At times all the cameras seemed to be too much but she tried her best to ignore them and live her life.

In the late 1980’s things in the marriage appeared to be less than perfect. It seemed as if the marriage that the whole world had fallen in love with and looked to as the picture perfect match was just that, it was crumbling right below the surface. Things carried on for years like this with Prince Charles and Princess Diana simply existing next to each other. During this time it is assumed that Prince Charles resumed his love for Camilla Parker Bowles, an affair that many people believed never truly died during his and Diana’s marriage. Diana is remembered quoting to the BBC “Well there were three of us in this marriage so it was a bit crowded”.

Eventually on August 28, 1996 the divorce between Prince Charles and Princess Diana was finalized and the divorce brought even more pain with the paparazzi following Diana’s every step. The marriage she had wanted to be filled with love failed and she was dismissed by the royal family.

After the divorce Charles went back to Camilla Parker Bowles, the woman he had loved all along, and Diana went on alone. She dated around a bit until she met Dodi Al-Fayed. Their whirlwind romance brought them to Paris on August 31, 1997. On this fateful night Princess Di, Dodi, and the security manager Henri Paul were leaving Hotel Ritz when they were being chased by the paparazzi who hoped to get a glimpse of Princess Di. Paul tried to lose them but by the time the Mercedes-Benz reached the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel the car had gotten out of control and hit a pillar in the tunnel. Both Diana and Dodi ended up dying.

The whole world mourned her death, she was the people’s princess and she had left the mortal world forever. Even to this day if you go to England you will find bits of Princess Di everywhere from pictures of her in people’s homes, her quarters in Kensington Palace preserved with her most famous dresses to everyone’s fond memory of her. Her memory will never fade as long as there are people in England who still remember and love her.

Living among fairy tales...

Fairy tales seem to strike a chord with everyone, no matter what the age. Maybe you heard a fairy tale once when you were younger and it has stuck with you all the way into your adulthood. This idea of a following fairy tale is evident even in physical forms around the world. People love to be reminded what it was like to be a kid hearing about such far away places, enchantments, and to be truly excited to hear a story. Maybe that is why these statues of favorite fairy tales from people's childhoods show up all around the globe. People want to be reminded how wonderful it was to be immersed in such captivating stories.

One example is the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens in London. J.M Barrie, the author of the boy who never grew up, had this statue installed overnight in 1912 so it was if appeared out of nowhere; keeping the idea of magic still alive.

Another example is the Alice in Wonderland Statue in Central Park. This statue was not given to Central Park until 1959 when it was received as a gift from George Delacorte who had it commissioned in honor of his wife Margarita and given to the children of New York City.


A final example is the Little Mermaid statue that sits in Copenhagen, Denmark. Unveiled in 1913 the statue was a gift to Copenhagen from Carl Jacobsen, who was part of the Carlsberg brewing family. The statue sits overlooking the Copenhagen Harbor and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city.

Who were the Grimm brothers???

The Grimm brothers are wildly known throughout the land of fairy tales for children and folklore. They are both credited as being German children authors when in truth both of their lives spanned a time when Germany was not even a country but merely an extended area of the now long gone Prussian Empire.
Brothers Jakob and Wilhelm were born within a year of each other. Jakob being born on January 4, 1785 while Wilhelm was born on February 24 of the next year. The brothers barely spent anytime apart and their personalities complemented each other as they worked side by side creating such stories.
A Romantic period rose up through the beginning of the 19th century that brought a popular light on things like nature along with knowing the roots of popular German folklore. Literature of this time period reflects such a movement. Here is when the Grimm Brothers really fell into their stride producing books like Kinder-und Hausmärchen (Tales of Children and the Home) in 1812 followed by Deutsche Sagen (German Legends) a few years later.
The Grimm Brothers are still very much part of our culture's popular literature, even though throughout the decades their stories have been tweaked and changed to seem more appropriate for children of the present; companies like Disney have had a large part to do with this. When the brothers passed away in 1859 and 1863 respectively they most likely did not have any inclination that their stories and legends that they brought to life would ever have such an impact on the world as we see it today.

Don't Act Like You Don't Remember This Show...

Remember Grimm's Classic Fairy Tales on Nickelodeon growing up? It only had the most amazing theme song that always got stuck in your head!!! It had the best fairy tales on the show including Puss N' Boots, Cinderella, The Goose that lays Golden Eggs, and loads others. Weirdly enough it was a Japanese program that was aired in 1988 on Nickelodeon. After reading some of the Grimm brother's fairy tales in Tatar's book one can instantly recognize that the lyrics to the show do not line up with the original Grimm fairy tales...

Hey, come along and join the fun.
It's a time for fairy tales.
Magical kingdoms in the sun.
Come along, come along.

Meet friendly elves and witches too
In a world of fairy tales.
Enchanted castles wait for you.
Come along, come along.

To where life is a fantasy,
and every story ends so happily (giggles).

This is the place where dreams come true.
A world of fairy tales for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBzlKHMwK6Q


The lyrics are really geared towards children and their innocence. The theme talks about how one can meet friendly elves and witches too. Also that line stating that every story ends so happily. Lest be honest, we all know thats not the truth. Interesting that stories for children had to be even more removed from the original state of the story to be presented to children once again.

Little Red Riding Hood...

The introduction to Tatar's book mention different reactions to Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's classic story Little Red Riding Hood. She mentions Luciano Pavorotti's reaction to the story who connected with the main heroine and did not want her to die while on the other hand Charles Dickens responded to Red Riding Hood with an affection of love. These two reactions are not that far apart form each other. The first reaction that I can remember when I first heard this story when I was younger was a feeling of jealousy. I was really upset that Red Riding Hood got to go out all on her own to her grandmother's house without any supervision. I wanted to know why I was not allowed to do something like that since I assumed at the time Red Riding Hood and I were the same age. Once my mom got to the end of the story I really had no desire to have as much responsibility as I had previously wished; but still for a little bit I was really jealous of Red Riding Hood.

Once Upon a Time...