Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Now, opposite of what you may have expected, I'm not going to throw a load of cliches at you regarding what it means to give thanks and how we should do it everyday. I simply want you to ponder it for yourselves. Instead of just rolling your eyes when people on the news and other tv events tell you about "What the holiday is really about" (because I do), stop and think about it. I'm not saying the the cliches aren't annoying, because they really are. But seriously, take a deeper look into Thanksgiving than just a meal where we give thanks for one day.
Think about it!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
-TJF
Nov 25, 2010
Nov 19, 2010
Le Fantôme de l'Opéra
Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, better known here as The Phantom of the Opera, is a tragic story of romance, danger, and, naturally, music. I, being a romantic, a person of music, and a lover of great adventure, have been entranced by this story since I first discovered it. I especially love the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Joel Schumacher collaboration, the fantastical (or is that phantstical?) movie adaptation of the current Broadway play.
Symbolism is very integral part of writing, the theater, music, and movies. Since this production involves 3 of those 4, and one of the most recognized theatrical composers of all time was involve, this movie is sure to be packed with symbolism.
I will be discussing some of the symbols.
Today is the mask
The Phantom wears a mask to hide his disfigured face, referring to our own identity problems. We have this irrational belief that our true self is not what the world wants to see, that we must hide our disfigured individuality to conform to what everyone wants. This is the opposite of what we are meant to do! We are meant to show what we perceive as disfigured abnormalities to the rest of the world, be happy with who you are, and never let others tell you who to be, because they too are wearing a mask
The Phantom sing "This face which earned a mother's fear and loathing". He has been rejected by everyone who had ever seen in face, sent them running in fear because of his monstrous facial abnormalities. This is reflective of another problem of our society. The Phantom ended up in the hands of a gypsy caravan, and was showcased as "The Devil's Child" to make money. He was beaten and abused day in and day out. The Phantom, wanting to be free, took a rope, ties a noose(David!) and strangled his captor. A young Madame Giry ( a ballet student as a child, ballet teacher as an adult) hid him away in the basement. The Phantom was turned evil by other evils. From then his signature was the noose. We as a society shun different and "ugly" ideas, therefore creating evil by trying to "eliminate" it.
Such symbolism captured in a timeless story. A story with a powerful message.
Leave thoughts and comments!
Symbolism is very integral part of writing, the theater, music, and movies. Since this production involves 3 of those 4, and one of the most recognized theatrical composers of all time was involve, this movie is sure to be packed with symbolism.
I will be discussing some of the symbols.
Today is the mask
The Phantom wears a mask to hide his disfigured face, referring to our own identity problems. We have this irrational belief that our true self is not what the world wants to see, that we must hide our disfigured individuality to conform to what everyone wants. This is the opposite of what we are meant to do! We are meant to show what we perceive as disfigured abnormalities to the rest of the world, be happy with who you are, and never let others tell you who to be, because they too are wearing a mask
The Phantom sing "This face which earned a mother's fear and loathing". He has been rejected by everyone who had ever seen in face, sent them running in fear because of his monstrous facial abnormalities. This is reflective of another problem of our society. The Phantom ended up in the hands of a gypsy caravan, and was showcased as "The Devil's Child" to make money. He was beaten and abused day in and day out. The Phantom, wanting to be free, took a rope, ties a noose(David!) and strangled his captor. A young Madame Giry ( a ballet student as a child, ballet teacher as an adult) hid him away in the basement. The Phantom was turned evil by other evils. From then his signature was the noose. We as a society shun different and "ugly" ideas, therefore creating evil by trying to "eliminate" it.
Such symbolism captured in a timeless story. A story with a powerful message.
Leave thoughts and comments!
Nov 12, 2010
I'm Just Sittin' Here On Capital Hill
America is a great country. 'Nuff said, right? This country all I've ever know. I've grown up in the great state of Oregon. Well, sometimes it's great. I love the beautiful nature, rural feel of the country side, and the terrible economy. Wait what? Yes, Oregon is also riddled with numerous socio-economic problems, stemmed from the Democratic dynasty ruling this state for years. In fact, Oregon can be seen as a miniaturised and saturated version of the country as a whole. The recent elections was a sign that the public is sick of this. Obama has done nothing totally terrible in itself, but as a whole his performance has been under the bar set for him by himself. The recent elections reflected the country’s want for him to do what exactly he promised he would bring. “Change”. Where is that reformation he promised? Long time democratic voters have written off Obama and the democratic party as having a communist-esqe agenda. The message is clear, the jury has spoken. The government is guilty and the public just wants it to do one thing. CHANGE! Provide HOPE!
Comment and Share! Please stay respectful!
Comment and Share! Please stay respectful!
Nov 6, 2010
A Smile to Make the World Go 'round
This blog post was inspired by this short film, which I highly recommend:
After watching this video, I had a question. What do smiles actually do? Smiles. Such an interesting expression. An expression of friendliness, happiness, love, reassurance, pure joy; this list goes on and on. Smiles are natural way we express pure emotion. Just by a quick look, you can tell a lot about a person. You can tell how they fell, if they really feel happy, or it's just a formality. If they have had hardships or a good life. If something is going their way, or if life seems to be running against them. Smiles are powerful indicators of potential problems or great opportunities.
I love a genuine smile. Someone who gives you a real smile. A smile that gives off the feeling of happiness. The contagious, pure kind. Not forced to hide the hurt. On the contrary, such smiles only show it more.
The way the man in the movie produced a genuine smile every time he comes in contact with another is by the power of compliments. Now these compliments are real, not the type that people say to make someone feel good, but real evaluations of peoples beauty. He means every word he says. It's not hard to find real beauty in people. We just have to look hard enough. That's the real way to make people happy. I challenge you to go out and look for beauty in people. Weather you express that observation is up to you. It never hurts to tell someone what you think. As you can see, it just makes people really smile, genuinely happy. If you spread just a little happiness, each person in turn would spread it. If our whole world was happy, we could reduce our problems and set aside our differences. Find love, make friendships, really enjoy life.
-TJF
Please post your thoughts and comments!
After watching this video, I had a question. What do smiles actually do? Smiles. Such an interesting expression. An expression of friendliness, happiness, love, reassurance, pure joy; this list goes on and on. Smiles are natural way we express pure emotion. Just by a quick look, you can tell a lot about a person. You can tell how they fell, if they really feel happy, or it's just a formality. If they have had hardships or a good life. If something is going their way, or if life seems to be running against them. Smiles are powerful indicators of potential problems or great opportunities.
I love a genuine smile. Someone who gives you a real smile. A smile that gives off the feeling of happiness. The contagious, pure kind. Not forced to hide the hurt. On the contrary, such smiles only show it more.
The way the man in the movie produced a genuine smile every time he comes in contact with another is by the power of compliments. Now these compliments are real, not the type that people say to make someone feel good, but real evaluations of peoples beauty. He means every word he says. It's not hard to find real beauty in people. We just have to look hard enough. That's the real way to make people happy. I challenge you to go out and look for beauty in people. Weather you express that observation is up to you. It never hurts to tell someone what you think. As you can see, it just makes people really smile, genuinely happy. If you spread just a little happiness, each person in turn would spread it. If our whole world was happy, we could reduce our problems and set aside our differences. Find love, make friendships, really enjoy life.
-TJF
Please post your thoughts and comments!
Nov 4, 2010
This Blog
I seem to have these thoughts. Not particularly about any one subject. Everything. I think about everything. But what is everything? Maybe it's too broad a term. Not everything, but let''s say, a lot of stuff. Example: I work at a camp, Trout Creek Bible Camp [tcbc.com] and the staff becomes a great community. Anyway, this last summer, I became known as "The Vampire" because of my pale skin, and haircut similar to that of Edward Cullen. With this in mind, I was looking at myself in the mirror a few nights ago. I was noticing how pale my skin looked. Then I realized, "If I were truly a Vampire, then I wouldn't even be able to see myself in this mirror." So with that comes a great joke "I looked in the mirror, and saw a Vampire looking back." making fun of both my own fair skin, and the culture's obsession with Vampirism. Up to Facebook it goes. This random thoughts of mine often turn into a little essay of cultural, polotical, social topics. This is what this space is for. My thought. I hope you find them interesting, inducing thought, argument and questioning of one's self. Hope you enjoy
-TJF
-TJF
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