M. Night Shyamalan's The Village

1. The Village is premised upon a myth that involves creatures referred to as "those we don't speak of," the forbidden woods these creatures are presumed to inhabit, and "the towns" beyond the village. The function of this myth is to keep the members of the village within the village limits and to discourage them from attempting to discover what lays beyond the village. Its stabilizing power is in the fear it instills in the villagers - the villagers adhere to the confines of the village because they have been taught to fear what lays beyond it. Through the fear it creates, the myth is able to control and orient the members of the community. Each of the "elders" of the village experienced a loss through death before the village was formed, which caused them to create a safe environment away from the dangers of the outside world. The myth, then, was made to ensure this safe environment remains completely disconnected from the outside world, and the losses the elders have experienced are what cause them to uphold the myth.

2. The Walker family had money and could have constructed any kind of lifestyle they wanted for themselves. Mr. Walker chose the pastoral, simple, working life of the village for his family because of his father's murder. Like the other elders of the village, the loss Mr. Walker suffered affected him so deeply as to elect to live in the safe environment of the village as opposed to continuing life in the real world. Mr. Walker says to Ivy, "There is no one in this village who has not lost someone irreplaceable, who has not...questioned the very merit of living at all. It is a darkness I wished you would never know." This demonstrates that Mr. Walker felt his father's death was so tragic that choosing the simple, working life of the villagers was a better choice for himself and his family than to construct any other kind of lifestyle in the outside world, where the elders believe  murder, death, and loss are abundant.

3. Ivy tells Lucias, "Some people - just a handful, mind you - give off the tiniest color. It's faint, like a haze. It's the only thing I ever see in the darkness." According to Ivy, both her father and Lucias have a color. Ivy is blind and can't see anything else but the "colors" of Mr. Walker and Lucias. This is indicative of the relationships Ivy has with the two men. She is very close both with her father and with Lucias, who takes on a very protective role over her. Ivy's close relationships with these two men have caused the presence of both to become familiar to her. The familiar presence of both Mr. Walker and Lucias to Ivy are what create the "colors" that Ivy "sees" in them. The "colors" that Ivy sees are her way of identifying her father and Lucias without actually seeing them, through the familiar relationships she has with them.
5. In the village, red is the "bad" color and yellow is a safe color. Red is emphasized as a "bad" color throughout the movie, through the color of the cloaks of "those we don't speak of" and through various conversations about the color by the characters. When Noah hands Ivy red berries and Lucias tells her she is holding the "bad" color, Ivy immediately responds by saying, "This color attracts those we don't speak of.  We must bury it."  The village has been conditioned to fear the color red and to associate it with "those we don't speak of," which further reinforces the village's fear of and adherence to the myth.  Yellow is generally known as a calm, neutral color.  The members of the village refer to it is a "safe" color and wear yellow cloaks near the borders of the forbidden woods.  The association of behaviors and feelings to the colors red and yellow are representations of the impact the myth has on the village and its members.

6. Mr. Walker tells Ivy the story of the death of his father - her grandfather - in the towns, before the creation of the village.  He tells her that his father was the wealthiest man in the town.  Mr. Walker says, "Money can be a wicked thing.  It can turn men's hearts black.  My father could not see this, for all his gifts, he was a poor judge."  He then goes on to say that his father was shot in the head in his sleep.  These comments by Mr. Walker mean to say that money has the ability to severely cloud a person's judgment.  Having more money than one needs to survive can cause a person to confuse his/her priorities and can create a great deal of problems more than their worth.  Mr. Walker relates the story of his father's death to money in his conversation with Ivy, which leads viewers to believe that his father's death was a direct result of his money.  Mr. Walker said his father was a good man, but a poor judge, and his story tells that bad consequences can come of wealth, if that person lets his/her wealth consume him/her.

7. Ivy learns that "those we don't speak of" - and the entire myth, as well - is only "farce."  Learning this must have caused a great deal of psychological, intellectual, and emotional consequences within Ivy's entire perspective on life.  She learns that the whole foundation of the village she lives and was raised in is based on a myth.  It is made up.  This knowledge no doubt caused Ivy to mistrust everything and everyone she knows.  Ivy suddenly has reason to question every single thing she believes to be true, because the myth that controlled the lives of everyone in the village was exposed as "farce."  She asks her father, "The screams from the woods?...The ceremony of meat?...The trails?  Are they farce too?...What about the animals?  The skinned ones?  Are the elders responsible for that?"  It is apparent that Ivy places blame upon the elders, and that she is now skeptical of their motives.  Why have they been enforcing this lie that controls the lives of everyone in the village?  Ivy tells her father, "I am sad for you Papa.  For all of the elders."  She feels a separation of herself from her community, and she pities the elders for believing in and enforcing this way of life.

8. Each one of the village elders experienced a great loss during their life before the village, which prompted them to take a "sacred oath" never to return to the towns.  They were all deeply hurt, and each placed complete blame for that hurt on the societies they lived in.  The elders came together and formed the village in order to rid their lives and the lives of their future children and families of the dangers that society presents to each of its members.  It is the hurt each of the elders felt from the losses they experienced and the absolute belief that society was to blame for these losses that bonded them together and caused them to take a "sacred oath" never to return to the towns.  The elders adhere to their "sacred oath" even at the cost of the lives of sick children who could have been saved by medicines brought from the towns, Ivy’s eyesight, and even Lucias’ life because of the hurt they felt and their blame of this hurt on "the towns."  This is a very deep adherence to a promise made, and I believe this is mainly attributed to fear.  The elders fear "the towns" so much that they forbid any of the village's members to enter it, even when circumstances arise that could be easily fixed by doing so.  This says a great deal about fear's ability to control and manipulate people.  The elders are so scared of the idea of fear and loss that they are willing to risk their lives and the lives of others to steer clear of real life.

9. When Mr. Walker says, “yes I have risked everything and I hope I am always able to risk everything for the just and right cause,” he is saying that Ivy's reasoning for traveling to the towns - to obtain medicine to save Lucias' life - was reason enough to break the "sacred oath" each of the elders made.  Ivy's reason presents "the just and right cause" to "risk everything" because Lucias' life was at stake.  Mr. Walker is saying that breaking the oath - telling Ivy the truth about the myth and allowing her to travel to the towns - is "risking everything."  By saying this, Mr. Walker is saying that a reason as great as a human life at risk is reason enough to "risk everything," break the oath, and get help from the outside world.  Mr. Walker, in saying, "I hope I am always able to risk everything for the just and right cause," is encouraging the other elders to recognize that some things are more important than the oath they made and the fear that surrounds their lives.

10. After watching The Village, the extent of adherence to oaths, rules, principles, and promises that the characters possessed seems extremely ridiculous.  Clearly, there are certain situations that may arise that are reason enough to break a promise or oath made.  This is not to say that oaths and promises are to be taken lightly, or that rules and principles are unnecessary.  It is important to be true to one's word, and to abide by rules, but not to the extent where a life is at risk and the only thing holding him/her back is the need to adhere to an oath or promise.  Lucias would surely have died if Ivy was not allowed to travel to the towns and get the medicine he needed, which is the circumstance that precipitated the breaking of Mr. Walker's oath.  In this, he was absolutely right.  The other elders may have felt betrayed by the breaking of his oath, but by doing so, Mr. Walker created hope for Lucias to live where, before, there was none.  A promise or oath should be adhered to, but not solely for the case of adhering to it when other, more important things or people are at stake.

Zeitgeist Reaction

Spring Break Assignment

1. This quote by Adrienne Rich essentially praises poetry for the freedom and hope that come with both its creation and its enjoyment.  She says, "The imagination's roads open before us," and, "This on-going future, written-off over and over, is still within view.  All its paths are being rediscovered and reinvented."  These lines reflect the author's view that poetry allows such an expression of real emotions that it allows both the author and the reader to experience a thorough sense of freedom.

Adrienne Rich's quote relates to our class discussions of social conventions and social institutions in this way.  Rich says, "Poetry has the capacity to remind us of something we are forbidden to see.  A forgotten future..."  The use of the word "forbidden" refers to society-imposed social conventions, which do not allow deviations from the standard path or from what is normal and expected.  Poetry, through its "capacity to remind us of something we are forbidden to see," serves as a way to experience freedom from this.

Rich also addresses the limiting nature of social institutions when discussing what's "pushing" the poetry: "Is it the constriction of literalism, fundamentalism, professionalism - a stunted language?  Or is it the great muscle of metaphor, drawing strength from resemblance in difference?"  The "stunted language" Adrienne Rich is referring to is taught to everyone throughout years of school, and in the second sentence she implies that what gives poetry its power of freedom is not its structured nature, but the ability of words to symbolize other, deeper meanings.

2. Raymond Carver's short story "The Beginners" connected the most with me of all the stories we have read in this course thus far.  This story explores relationships and their underlying feelings - feelings of shame and loneliness, among others.  This portrayal and exploration of feelings we keep hidden felt very real to me and everyone can relate to this concept.

This, I think, is an example of an "unspeakable where, perhaps, the nucleus of the living relation between the poem and the world resides."  The unspeakable, in this case, refers to true feelings which are kept suppressed even from one's partner due to guilt about these feelings.  The nucleus represents the core or center of something, and the end of this quote suggests that this nucleus represents the relation a poem has to society and the people reading it.  Therefore, in the case of "The Beginners," the "unspeakable" act of being so guilty about one's feelings that they are withheld them from those closest to you, is what ties the poem to the world and makes it real and relatable.  When a poem has the ability to recreate human emotions accurately, it has a real connection with the world, which "The Beginners" does through its look behind the scenes into the dark side of relationships.

3. Both authors, Henry David Thoreau and T. S. Eliot, express an unhappiness with life in general, or at least the lives they feel confined to, in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and in the excerpts from "Walden."  Their approaches to describing this frustration and unhappiness, however, vary greatly.  The main distinction between the outlooks of Henry David Thoreau and T. S. Eliot is that Thoreau expresses a belief that he can change that which he is unhappy with, while Eliot seems to have given up.

When Thoreau first discusses his reasons for living in the woods, he says he "wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear..." He goes on to discuss ways in which he is unhappy with the way people live their lives: "Still we live meanly, like ants... Our life is frittered away by detail... We are determined to be starved before we are hungry."  These excerpts show that Thoreau has experienced people living life in ways that he considers frivolous and wasteful, but they also show that he has an idea of how he thinks life should be lived, and that he believes he can achieve this lifestyle if he sets his mind to it. 

T. S. Eliot, on the other hand, takes a very cynical approach to expressing his unhappiness with the life he knows.  The instances in nature he chooses to address are, generally, dismal: "Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets, the muttering retreats of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels."  This is a great contrast from Thoreau's highly descriptive and appreciative depictions of nature.  Eliot describes many frustrations with life as it is.  He addresses the constant judgment by others and the sameness of each day and each life, among other things.  For example, he says, "For I have known them all already, known them all - Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons."  This demonstrates his frustration with the repetitiveness of the life he lives, and a few lines at the end indicate that he does not expect this to improve: "I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.  I do not think that they will sing to me...We have lingered in the chambers of the sea by sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown till human voices wake up, and we drown."  Eliot's outlook on life, that we will drown in the sameness of the lives we live, is the greatest distinction between the outlook that Thoreau possesses.


4. The pin represents rules, regulations, society's expectations, and anything else that makes a person feel that he/she has to conform.  The first part of the quote, "Eyes that fix you in a formulated phrase, and when I am formulated, sprawling on a pin," suggests that the speaker is "sprawling on a pin" as a direct result of being "formulated," or forced to abide by a set of rules.  The pin, then, is the pressure felt to adhere to a specified set of standards set in place by society.

The biggest thing that has me pinned and wriggling on the wall presently is my upcoming graduation from St. John's in May of this year, a mere two months away.  Following graduation from college, the "norm" presented by society is to find a job and a place to live, and to have some sort of idea about what one's future will hold.  I have none of these things.  The only thing my future currently holds is doubt.  Not having a plan is not up to par with society's standard for success and happiness, which is on my mind all the time.  I don't personally want to feel like I need to rush into anything just because I graduated from college, but pressure and expectations from my family and society cause me to worry that I am not on the "right" track.

Reasoning For Poetry

"Reasons for Poetry" by William Meredith

     William Meredith believes that because every poet writes for a different reason and every poem is created for a different reason, "the reason for a new poem is, in some essential, a new reason."  He says that poems generally fall under one of three categories -- poems written with the poet as dissident, poet as apologist, or poet as solitary.  These categories describe the nature of the poem but not the reason behind it, which varies with each and every poem.  The reason a poem is written plays a huge role in the way the poem turns out.  As Meredith states, "the reason behind a poem shapes its growth and determines the way it is delivered."  The way a poem is delivered is a way to classify it under one of Meredith's three categories of poems, but the actual reason for each poem's creation is unique.

     While William Meredith believes that each poem has a unique reason for its creation, he also feels that the ultimate reason for poetry is to astonish.  He calls astonishment the "larger force of poetry," and says, "it is part of the purpose of every poem to surprise us with our own capacity for change, for a totally new response."  He also stresses the roles that taste and judgment play in the reasoning for poetry.  According to this selection there are five possible reactions to a poem, each involving a like/dislike of the poem and an evaluation of the poem as good/bad.  Meredith says that liking a poem "should of course be our primary objective and motive," but he believes a person should be able to judge a poem for its quality, aside from personal tastes and preferences.  As he says, "we owe it to ourselves and the poem to try to say, I can see this is good, and though at present I don't like it, I believe that with perseverance I shall come to like it."  Meredith's belief that all poems are created for unique reasons, with the goals to astonish and be liked, call for poetry to be given a fair chance by readers in order to be fully appreciated.

"Poetry & Commitment" by Adrienne Rich

     This selection by Adrienne Rich emphasizes the emotions that accompany reading and interpreting poetry.  She takes some time to describe a lot of what poetry is not -- "Poetry is not a healing lotion...Neither is it a blueprint, nor an instruction manual, nor a billboard."  Rich also addresses the claim that poetry "aestheticizes," stating that the definition of aesthetic is, "not a privileged and sequestered rendering of human suffering, but news of an awareness, a resistance...art reaching into us for what's still passionate, still unintimidated, still unquenched."  In this way, the author feels that part of the reasoning for poetry is its ability to communicate, inform, and evoke emotion in the reader.

     Adrienne Rich finds that poetry's strongest ability is its evoking of emotions.  As she says, "transfusions of poetic language can and do quite literally keep bodies and souls together - and more."  She also states that, "when poetry lays its hand on our shoulder we are, to an almost physical degree, touched and moved.  The imagination's roads open before us."  Based on these excerpts, it is clear that the author has a great deal of faith in poetry's ability not only to grab the attention of readers, but to open their minds and allow them to experience thoughts and ideas they had not imagined previously.  

     Shelley's claim that "poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world" that we discussed in class is included in Adrienne Rich's piece as well.  She takes this to mean that, "poets exert some exemplary moral power -- in a vague unthreatening way."  This also contributes to the idea that poetry has the ability to evoke feelings and open readers' minds.  Therefore, "Poetry & Commitment" describes the power poetry has over our thoughts, emotions, and imaginations.

Carver's Short Stories

                “The Beginners” and “Why Don’t You Dance?” are two short stories by Raymond Carver that serve as critical examinations of human relationships and individual appearances. Both stories describe characters in relationships that would be deemed by cultural ideology as flawed, and these characters are self-aware of their deviance from the “norm.” In both stories, the characters compare their real relationships and roles to the relationships they are expected to have and the roles they are expected to play, which leads to a questioning of whether or not they are doing the “right” thing.

Carver addresses love, loneliness, and embarrassment through the relationship between Herb and Terri in “The Beginners.” He has set extremely high standards for what is to be considered real, acceptable love. Herb address several instances in which the love that the characters have known throughout their lives differs from what is supposed to be true love. He tells his wife that her first husband did not really love her, despite her insistence that although it was expressed in unconventional ways, her first husband did indeed love her, and she him. Herb also raises the issue of multiple marriages by one person, which all four characters have experienced, and expresses his confusion on love’s role there. To love multiple times in one’s live goes against the cultural ideology that love is eternal, and that there is one soul mate for each of us.

Both Herb and Terri possess feelings of loneliness as well. Both speak of former marriages, fondly, in Terri’s case, each is misunderstood by the other, and both comment on Laura and ____’s strong feelings for each other, seemingly jealous. For example, Terri says, “I love Carl, and there’s no question of that in my mind. I still love him. But God, I love Herb, too. You can see that, can’t you? I don’t have to tell you that. Oh, isn’t it all too much, all of it?” She says this while Herb is not in the room and breaks down in tears, which further stresses her strong feelings of loneliness. Herb, on the other hand, misses his kids. Terri even admits that Herb had been talking about suicide lately. Also, Herb expresses being extremely touched by his story about an old couple he helped after they got in a car accident and were severely injured, and Terri voices her disappointment at not hearing the full story beforehand. Each keeps thoughts and feelings hidden from the other, which goes against the culturally held ideals of a good relationship and also causes feelings of loneliness for both.

Feelings of shame within Herb and Terri’s relationship are also discussed in “The Beginners.” Herb shares his feelings about finding love after losing love and Terri says, “Herb, come on now. You are too drunk. Don’t talk like this.” Herb answers by saying, “Just shut up for a minute, will you? Let me tell you this. It’s been on my mind. Just shut up for a minute.” Carver then goes on to say that Terri “seemed anxious, that’s the only word for it.” This brief conversation portrays Terri’s embarrassment at Herb’s very honest discussion of his feelings, and Herb’s resulting feeling of shame from Terri’s reaction. The fact that Terri waited until Herb left the room to voice her fear of Herb’s condition and her feelings about Carl is an indication that she is embarrassed of her own feelings and what Herb might think of them.

The main issue of relationships that is addressed in “Why Don’t You Dance?” lies in how the characters feel about their appearance to others and their ability to blend in and be “normal.” The boy’s refusal to kiss the girl on the bed and his reluctance to dance when the man suggests to are indications that he feels these decisions would inflict judgment by others and reflect poorly on his image to the outside world. The girl notices people watching them dance, and the man says, “It’s okay. It’s my place.” The girl responds, “Let them watch.” This conversation reveals that while both recognize that others may be judging their behavior, they feel comfortable dancing outside of the man’s house.

At the end of “Why Don’t You Dance?” the girl makes fun of the man when telling the story of their encounter with him and the things they bought from him. While the girl and the boy were looking through the old man’s stuff she found it interesting, and she enjoyed the time she and the boy spent talking, drinking, and dancing with the man. To an outsider, however, forming a relationship with a strange old man is not within the “norm,” so she says, “Oh, my God. Don’t laugh. He played us these records. Look at this record-player. The old guy gave it to us. And all these crappy records. Will you look at this shit?” The story goes on to say, “She kept talking. She told everyone. There was more to it, and she was trying to get it talked out. After a time, she quit trying.” By downplaying her enthusiasm about the event, the girl feels she is keeping herself within the realm of what is normal, but she knows she is not doing her feelings justice.

Herb, Terri, and the girl all make attempts to keep their appearances in line with culturally accepted ideologies. Herb and Terri recognize that there are flaws in their relationship, and the girl realizes that her connection with the man would be viewed as abnormal, and they all try to downplay these negative aspects. Therefore, it is my belief that Carver’s conclusion is that the appearance of ourselves and our relationships to others is equally important to the actual relationships and who we actually are. I think this is exaggerated – appearances are not really equally important, but they are extremely important to most. The characters in these two stories show that despite how we may personally think of ourselves and of our relationships with others, how others view us overshadows our personal thoughts.