Anse: A Despicable Character

So, after finishing the last page of As I Lay Dying, I realized just how despicable I found Anse, the father of the Bundren family. Oh, I didn't like multiple characters in this book--Addie and Cora weren't wonderful in my opinion--but Anse Bundren...he tops the list.

I think my dislike of Anse began right after Peabody's chapter. We had gotten Cora's opinion but she wasn't a trustworthy narrator to me so I gave Anse the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it was just Cora. Then, we get Peabody's chapter where we see Anse acting like a child--Peabody describes him as "small, motionless in faded overalls". Yes, we can make the argument that he is swamped with grief and so can't move. However, the fact that his children, people who were also experiencing this tragedy, were still trying to do things--Cash is meticulously making his mother's coffin--Anse seemed kind of useless and I didn't like that. From that point on, my dislike for Anse only grew.

Anse's inability to make decisions and tendency to latch onto a goal that makes trouble for everything really made me mad. Because he was set on taking the Bundrens' wagon, he delayed the trip by a few days. Because of this, the river flooded before they could cross it, causing the Bundren family to have to make the perilous trip across it when it was high water. Anse could have easily saved his family the trouble (and Cash his leg) by agreeing to take Tull's team. Due to his own stubbornness, Anse endangers his family. The fact that he also constantly inconveniences people even while saying that he "won't be beholden to no man" is something that made me hate Anse even more. He doesn't stick to his words and forces friends and neighbors to do favors for him. This is probably why everybody kind of hates him.

In the beginning and the middle of the novel, Anse seemed kind of annoying, dull, and nonsensical. However, it wasn't until we reached the chapter where he took Cash's money and Jewel's horse to trade for two mules from Snopes that he became even more horrible (if that is possible). Yes, to be fair, he does take some money from his own fake teeth fund but he doesn't even tell his children that he's going to take belongings that are rightfully theirs!! Dewey Dell's chapter near the end of the book further shows Anse taking advantage of his children for his own gain.

We talked in class about how this novel can flip both ways: comedic/slapstick or epic. Similarly, Anse's character can be viewed in both ways. Some may argue that Anse is a heroic character like Odysseus who guides his family to Jefferson against tremendous odds but is he truly heroic if he's done all these things? The fact remains that Anse is the one who benefits at all by the end of the book. Much like the crew, the Bundren children's situation is worsened at the end of the journey.

The Portrayal of Penelope

In The Odyssey, Odysseus is the brave, clever hero striving to return to his homeland after twenty, long years. He is the hero we focus on, the one we praise for being cunning, courageous, and strong. Yet at the same time, we, and Homer, it seems, forget about the other heroes in the poem.

The one hero I want to focus on is Penelope, Odysseus' wife. Penelope is extremely loyal to her husband. This faithfulness is emphasized by the juxtaposition of her and Clytemnestra, Agamemnon's traitorous wife. Penelope was able to wait twenty years for Odysseus, all the while holding off a hundred suitors by weaving and unraveling her loom. In this way, Penelope has a lot of power--the suitors are scrambling for her.

Penelope isn't just faithful. She's smart. She's smart enough that she can trick her suitors and hold them back for another three years. In Book 24, the dead suitor says to Agamemnon that the loom that Penelope weaved "was her latest masterpiece of guile" and that "three whole years she deceived us blind, seduced us with this scheme..." This quote shows how deceptive and cunning Penelope is--it shows how much she matches Odysseus. There are many other instances of her guile--for example, when she asks for her suitors for gifts to prolong the time for Odysseus to get ready. She also tests Odysseus in a smart way by asking him about something no one else would know about (the rooted bed).

However, despite her loyalty to her husband and her cleverness, I think there is something problematic with her portrayal in The Odyssey. Penelope's character is defined by her faithfulness so what are the implications of such a character? Is it showing that a woman, in order to be perceived as good, must only wait for her husband? That even if they may be long dead, it is betrayal to move on? One thing that bothered me was in Book 24, when Agamemnon commented to Odysseus about "what a fine, faithful wife you won!...the fame of her great virtue will never die." Yes, I get that Agamemnon is bitter over the betrayal of his own wife and that women were seen mostly as property in ancient times, but the idea that a woman's faithfulness to her husband is her defining trait made me uncomfortable. Further, there is also the double standard that is set for men and women: Odysseus has been fooling around with other women but it's perfectly alright.

That is why I like Penny, the version of Penelope in the film adaptation O Brother, Where Art Thou? In the movie, Penny is smart like Penelope but isn't waiting for Ulysses like Penelope is for Odysseus. Instead, Penny has moved on and is ready to marry another man. While some say that she is the wrong for moving on from Ulysses so quickly, he was a con-man that got thrown in jail. There's this completely different dynamic between Penny and Ulysses in which Penny calls the shots and is the one in control. She is the one who decides whether or not to take him back. Penny is much more independent and freer than Penelope and I really like that. I hope that future adaptations of The Odyssey will portray Penelope like they did in O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The Odyssey: Is Odysseus a True Hero?

The Odyssey by Homer is one of the most famous books in Western history. I remember learning about the story when I was seven years old. Even at that young age, I marveled at the strength and bravery of the mortal hero Odysseus, who against all odds, was able to return to his homeland after twenty long years. The stories of sirens, Cyclops, and monsters enchanted me and I loved hearing about how the crafty, clever Odysseus overcame all those challenges. In my mind, he was a perfect hero: a moral, ordinary man who used his wits and courage to return to his family and home.

However, after reading The Odyssey carefully in the last few weeks, my perspective on Odysseus has altered. I still see him as a strong, determined man that strove to return to his wife and son but now I see his more negative traits. The arrogance, the cheating, and the brashness. For all his calmness and cleverness, Odysseus is really quite a hothead. We mentioned this in class but the whole thing with Polyphemus that prolonged the journey home by another additional ten years was very much Odysseus' fault. If he hadn't blurted his name to the Cyclops, Polyphemus would have never been able to identify him and subsequently, Poseidon wouldn't know who blinded his son. So, because of his own brashness and arrogance, Odysseus endangered his own crew and himself. 

This arrogance appears throughout the book regularly. When Odysseus is rallying his men to go past Scylla and Charybdis, he says "But even from there my courage, my presence of mind and tactics saved us all." Even in the midst of incoming death, he's going to brag about his tactical skills? This was one instance that caused me to slightly dislike Odysseus. 

There is also the cheating. This is the one thing that I didn't realize as a kid. In my mind, Odysseus was forever faithful to Penelope. I remember watching one film adaptation of The Odyssey in which a tree grows from Odysseus and Penelope's bed. That tree symbolizes their eternal love and faith in one another. In that film, Odysseus was not a questionable hero at all. He didn't cheat on Penelope at all throughout the long journey and when finally reuniting, was overjoyed to see his faithful wife. 

The book itself definitely hints if not outright states Odysseus' many affairs with other women. There is Calypso with whom Odysseus stays with for seven years. Right before he leaves the island, right before announcing his love for Penelope, Odysseus and Calypso "now, withdrawing into the cavern’s deep recesses, long in each other’s arms they lost themselves in love". Although Homer makes it clear throughout the book that everything extramarital that happened on the island is Calypso's fault--she is always called "the lustrous goddess" and is accused of "holding him [Odysseus] there by force"--the language of that sentence makes it ambiguous. Is Odysseus being enchanted by Calypso? Or is it mutual attraction? 

It isn't just Calypso Odysseus has a "spark" with. He stays with Circe for a year, completely forgetting about the journey home. Like we said in class, it is his own crew that has to remind our hero that he has a home to get back to. These little but important interactions alienated me from Odysseus. Homer's inclination to raise Odysseus on a pedestal and to blame those around him--his crew, Calypso, etc--when things go wrong further alienated me from the heroic aspects of Odysseus. 

I don't think that I'll see Odysseus the same way again. When I was little, I painted him as a legend, a mortal god. However, the actual book makes Odysseus seem much more human and flawed. When he isn't clever and shrewd, he can be stupid and foolhardy. His fate is also nearly controlled by the gods and makes me wonder how much agency Odysseus actually has. He's almost a puppet, a plaything that the gods use when they are amused or bored. With not a lot of free will, a few key flaws, is Odysseus a true hero? 

I don't think so. Despite the fact that Homer wants to place him in that heroic role, I don't think that Odysseus is truly heroic. There's just too much he does wrong, too much that he isn't held accountable for. Of course, other people may think differently. 

Unbroken: A Story of Resilience

I guess you could say that I am a pretty big reader. Since the age of six, I've consumed countless books. I read everything--mystery, fantasy, romance, nonfiction--but I have to say that, these days, I tend to read mostly nonfiction. However, I still like the feeling of a story unfolding, which is why narrative nonfiction--factually accurate narratives--are so compelling to me.

Despite the many great narrative nonfiction books in the world, my favorite will always be Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. You may have heard of it--it's a pretty famous book. I discovered it four years ago in an airport bookstore. I was surprised at how fast I was sucked into the story. Hillenbrand's masterful writing and extensive research probably played a big role. 

The protagonist of Unbroken is Louis Zamperini, a U.S prisoner of war survivor of WWII and an Olympics distance runner. I don't know why this book is so close to my heart. In many ways, Zamperini follows the stereotypical hero's journey. He is pulled out of the "ordinary world" of America and literally goes to Berlin for the 1936 Olympics. He enters "the unknown" over and over again when he runs for America at the Olympics, fights as a bomber, and becomes a prisoner of war when his plane crashes into the ocean. There are many horrifying, scary ordeals that Zamperini goes through, especially in the POW camp where he is beaten by Japanese soldiers. The sheer amount of challenges he faced sometimes made me wonder if Hillenbrand is exaggerating. 

Zamperini follows the hero's journey but his call to adventure and entry into the unknown doesn't consist of magical worlds or fairy tale creatures. There isn't one single villain in the book. Rather, Zamperini enters the world of competitive sports and of war. He faces "villains" like war and certain Japanese POW overseers. Yet, I think this still appeals to people, perhaps even more so than Superman or Spiderman. While we can only dream about supernatural heroes, Louis Zamperini was very real and his story was very true. His journey is closer to home so its reality influences people a lot more. 

The values and traits that Hillenbrand emphasizes throughout the book are hinted at even in the title, Unbroken. Louis Zamperini, despite starvation, abuse, and loss of hope, in war and in POW camp, was somehow to stay alive and return home. Not only that, he was able to remain unbroken, mentally and spiritually, despite his suffering. This is definitely a key theme in this hero's narrative: resilience. The idea that even faced with defeat, heroes are able to draw on their last bit of strength and overcome is a very appealing one. I think resilience in the heroes we see and read about often reflect our own desire to surpass the obstacles and challenges in our own lives. Perhaps we draw inspiration from them and look to people like Zamperini as role models. 

Louis Zamperini was a war hero and a survivor. Many people have called his journey an "odyssey" of some sorts. Indeed, some of the trials he went through were almost mythical--after crashing into the ocean, he floated on a raft for a hundred days, hunting sharks and fish, until he was taken prisoner by the Japanese. In that way, he can be compared to Odysseus. But unlike Odysseus, Zamperini wasn't chosen by the gods. He was the youngest son of two Italian immigrants, an ordinary man who did some extraordinary things. 

The Hero's Journey

Hi everyone!

From this point on, everything written on Scribbles of Serendipity will be for my English class, The Hero's Journey. Thanks!

Serena

The Final Product

Besides reading and hanging out with friends, another hobby of mine is playing the piano. I remember the awe I felt when I first touched the keys of a piano. I think I was about five years old at the time. We had friends over that day and I remember sitting on the way-too-high piano bench in our family living room and banging the keys to my heart's content. It felt freeing and relaxing.

These days, piano still remains one of the places where I can tune out the world and just play my emotions out. I began taking piano lessons when I was six years old and haven't stopped since then. So, I've been playing for about ten years. I'm nowhere near a maestro yet I simply enjoy playing.

There's something exciting about beginning a new piece. For example, I remembered when I began Debussy's "Claire de Lune" a few weeks ago. I had heard so much about this piece--I've listened to it on the computer, seen others play it, etc--but I had never played it before. It's a beautiful yet rather difficult piece (I encourage anyone who is unfamiliar with it to listen to it). So, when my piano teacher suggested the piece as my next assignment, I was very overjoyed.

The first week, I practiced "Claire de Lune" and not without struggle. It was difficult trying to understand what the composer intended. I kept forgetting to emphasize certain notes. I put my pedal down at the wrong places and often blurred notes. While I am used to messing up in practice, I messed up a lot more when I practiced "Claire de Lune". It was so difficult sometimes that I ignored it and practiced other pieces. Yet, by the end of the fifth week, I could play it smoothly from beginning to end. And now I understand what the composer wants--I can grasp the abstract feeling of the piece. At the same time, I also add in my own personal signature so that the piece becomes my own unique version of "Claire de Lune". This final product, this understanding of the piece, is the main reason why I practice.

In college, I won't have that much time to practice piano. I'll be busy with different things. I'll be making new friends and exploring new interests. Yet, when I do have the time, I think I'll sit down at my piano and play the pieces I remember. For old times' sake.

Asian Dramas (Well, Mostly Korean Dramas)

People do different things to alleviate stress. We do activities and seek outlets to get our mind off whatever is stressing us out. One of my friends goes running at five in the morning as her escape. Another turns to drawing and sketching. I often journal and write stories as my own escape. But lately I've been using another medium to get my mind off stress from college applications.

Lately (three months ago), I've gotten into watching Asian dramas. Especially Korean dramas. It began in Stanford, California, when my roommate introduced me to the Korean drama The Heirs. I loved it. I wanted to try more. Pretty soon, I was watching other Korean dramas such as She Was Pretty, Kill Me, Heal Me, Healer, and much more. I began watching Chinese dramas, too, like Empress of China, Prince of Lan Ling, etc.

I love Asian dramas, K-dramas in particular. They're very different from American shows. For one, they're bubblier, happier. There can be dark parts but in the end, characters usually get a happy ending.

Also, each K-drama is about one season long; unlike American shows, they never go past one season. While this may seem awful, I now realize that by being one season long, K-dramas remain fresh and interesting in the minds of viewers long after they've finished watching. It also helps that Korean actors and actresses are very easy on the eyes :)

K-dramas get my mind off the stress and uncertainty that is so common during the college process, much like writing does. But while I love watching them and seeing my favorite characters getting a happy ending, I have to be careful not to lose myself in them. It's so easy to plop down on the couch, sink into a fantasy world, and forget my own.

Still, if anyone reading this likes watching TV shows, they should definitely check out Asian dramas (especially K-dramas)!


Here are a few Asian dramas I recommend:
Chinese-Prince of Lan Ling 
Chinese-Empress of China 
Korean-She Was Pretty
Korean-Kill Me, Heal Me
Korean-Healer
Korean-Let's Fight, Ghost 
Korean-Descendants of the Sun 
Korean-K2 (currently watching this!)