Inside the Bad Guys

One of the most interesting and thought-provoking quotes I have ever heard comes from an unlikely source. Tom Hiddleston, who plays Thor’s evil brother Loki in the Marvel series, once said in an interview, “Every villain is a hero in his own mind.”

As soon as I read this, I was struck by it. I loved the image it created for me. For the most part, Hiddleston’s quote is accurate. Villains always have a certain level of insanity that we cannot understand, which is what makes them so disgusting and equally intriguing. This perverse ability to see good in their actions is what draws us in to these characters, even if it is to hate every fibre of their being.

In another light, we can view it as that there is always a positive motivation behind evil actions which our brains overlook. Our linear way of thinking eliminates all possibilities that an evil action could have a good outcome for anyone but ourselves. This could be seen as a selfish way to be — however, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, so not all villains can gain their unspoken support from us since their behavior is often unjustifiable.

The implications of the quote are perfect. In Loki’s case, he is constantly ignored and suppressed by his father, who only pays attention to Thor and awards him as the ruler of Asgard. He is also shunned by his people. Because of his jealousy and insanity, he lashes out and attempts to take over Asgard. He believes his brother is unfit to rule, and lets his envy get the better of him until he is convinced that Thor is truly the evil one.

Whenever I ponder the machinations of a character, I will always take Tom Hiddleston’s quote into consideration and see if the villain is actually not as horrible as he seems.

Hilarity Ensues.

The cliché “laughter is the best medicine” could not be more true. If this is the case, I want to play doctor.

Of course, I’m not that funny, but if I were, this girl would be after that job no matter what I got paid. Getting money just to make somebody chortle and squeal? Maybe it doesn’t do much to help humankind, but it does bring smiles to peoples’ faces, which should be respected. Being a comedian sounds too good to be true. Making other people laugh gives one a feeling that nothing else can match. It is other-wordly to do a stupid and wild impression, or to throw in a comment that is harshly true about society, and get a positive response from those around you.

Maybe talking loudly, madking jokes, and putting on bizarre faces isn’t ladylike (as my mother has always tried to prove to me). However to me, being a comedian seems excellent and I have only favorable thoughts to offer about this job. Besides, we are at an age where gender should not determine the position someone holds, even if my mom tries to convince me otherwise on this topic.

Mila Kunis has created some of the most memorable roles I could have ever imagined just by using her quirky personality. Her sweet disposition and saucy actions make her the ideal romantic comedy actress. If you have seen her in Friends With Benefits, Family Guy, That 70’s Show, or Forgetting Sarah Marshall, you know Mila is both hilarious and adorable, and for the most part, every bit ladylike. This proves that our gender shouldn’t limit us to a life of being shy about our passions, especially if there is such fun talent present like with Mila.

However, I’m not so much of a feminist to believe that women should be the dominating gender as far as comedy goes. I think that men will forever have this type of delivery that women will never recreate — that raucous, excitable way of talking that has us squirming in our seats with laughter. Plus, I’ll be the first to admit that it is the best thing ever to listen to a handsome guy like Dane Cook or Daniel Tosh rant comically about our country and our minor societal issues. What can I say? They are definitely cuties.

The Lamest Girl You Know, part 2

While I’m in confession, I might as well mention my biggest stressor right now. Who knows — it could relieve some tension and allow me to enjoy painting my nails pink and jamming out to my favorite remixes without feeling that overwhelming presence that my life changes completely in just three months.

You know what I’m talking about, of course.

My fear of college surprisingly weighs heavier than my fear of the supernatural. And maybe it isn’t so much where I’m going that scares me, but rather it is what I’m leaving behind and losing. I don’t deal with change well, and especially having things taken from me — I’m quite the hoarder, especially when it comes to memories. So moving away from high school isn’t going to go well for me for at least a month. I will whine on the phone with my mom in my dorm room until my startled roommate kicks me out, and I will sob at pictures of my best friends out in the hall once I’m demoted out there, stuffing Twix bars into my mouth until I eventually shame myself into going for a run to burn off the calories. These are inevitable truths that I have accepted prior to my college experience.

But I guess I’ll get over it. It will be a steady four-week process until I can officially deal with my feelings. The process will be similar to that of the stages of grief. The first week will be Denial, in which I basically live in my Thornton Academy t-shirts and sweatpants, and ask my TA senior friends what their homework is so I can do it myself. Next is a mix of the indiviual steps Anger and Depression, where I fluctuate from wailing hot tears onto my sandwiches until they are soggy and snapping anything I can find in half (particularly thin things, because I am weak). Bargaining comes after, where I will email, call, and text my mother and father offering them the best hugs and kisses in the world if they will only come pick me up and transfer me to somewhere closer. And while they’re at it, they might as well throw in a Dunkin Donuts iced coffee for old times’ sake.

The final step will be Acceptance.

…Yeah, I’ll have to get back to you on the details of that one.

The Lamest Girl You Know

I won’t lie to you. I’m totally terrified of the dark, and I am seventeen years old.

It doesn’t seem to add up, does it?

I have come to a point where I don’t think it will ever get better. Just witnessing one quick preview for a horror movie leaves me up until twelve in the morning with the lights on, reminiscent of my little ten year old self. While I’m usually thankful for having an active imagination, being curled up with the covers drawn taut over my head makes me have other feelings for my creative side. I can just see a spooky ghost hovering over my bed, leering at me from the doorway, or sneaking alongside my walls. I even dash by windows faster than the Flash to avoid seeing any faces creeping back at me.

As you can tell, this is a moderately serious issue, even in all its ridiculousness. My paranoia has reached an alltime high, and I can only cite my boyfriend as the cause.

With a passion for zombies, vampires, and anything undead, he has to be the worst person to accompany me to the movie theater. I mean, I can stomach a plotless action movie in exchange for an absolutely silly romantic comedy, but abandon me in a dark theater to go get popcorn with only the screams of demonic beings as my company? You’ve got a problem, mister.

So what’s the solution, you might ask? Number one is to cut scary movies completely out of my life. Number two, well — I’m torn between either repressing the frightening sounds and images as far into my mind as possible, and actually dealing with it by keeping my eyes open the entire way through a horrifying scene. I can’t imagine the latter would go so well, so I guess I’ll just remain that one college student who checks under her bed before drifting off to sleep. I’m a baby, and I’m proud.

Man, I Love This Band.

Songs tend to be extremely overlooked as a source of poetry. With the exception of songs constructed solely for Top 40 and trashy night club purposes, most other songs have a certain poetic beauty to them that would not sound as good without a melody backing it. Even rappers like Ludacris can have some impressive lines thrown in somewhere.
With bizarre bands like Los Campesinos!, the 7-piece indie band from Wales, you are definitely able to find more structured and meaningful lyrics, some that are perfectly susceptible to an analysis of poetic devices. The rockers are known for their “tweexcore” style — a combination of twee pop and hardcore — which gives them an unmistakable sound. Their glockenspiel player further distinguishes them from the run of the mill, along with their wailing lead singer Gareth and his lamenting lyrics. The band’s unique style is supplemented by heartbreaking, gruesome and sometimes tongue-in-cheek lyrics that intend to reveal about human nature and amuse.
Los Campesinos’! clever lyricist easily appeals to an audience who appreciates quirky, intelligent music instead of Rihanna or Pitbull yelling the same two words over and over.
Contrasting to these mainly untalented stars, Gareth Paisey brings a little more excitement to his pieces. The Welsh frontman keeps his performance unique by singing alongside a violin instead of a drum machine. However, it is the lyrics that really set him apart. One could even go as far as to say that Gareth employs literary and poetic devices in the stories he tells, making ample use of pathos, imagery, repetition, and humor to speak to listeners.
Some repeated phrases in several of his songs all have to do with eyes. On at least five occasions, Gareth croons about either “doe eyes” or “sad eyes.” With the connotation that eyes usually symbolize foresight, it can be assumed that the eyes are referencing Gareth as the narrator and proving that he is all-knowing, treating himself as a character in each song, though sometimes the lyrics portray the eyes as belonging to someone else. His experienced eyes have seen it all — with each tale he tells, it is evident that he knows what he is singing about and his gaping “doe eyes” are being jaded by death, destruction and corruption. Los Campesinos! first album Hold On Now, Youngster mentions the “doe eyes” very frequently while the second album Hello Sadness thrives on “sad eyes” as a symbol. This marks a certain change in Gareth over time. In the song “Light Leaves, Dark Sees, Pt. 2” from Hello Sadness, he says, “But they request that I leave because my sad eyes are too much to bear” proving again that his windows to his soul prove that he is too much — too beaten down by what he has witnessed.
Additionally, Gareth uses repetition in songs like the solemn-yet-peppy “Baby I Got the Death Rattle.” The song features a sing-song verse that shows a parallel between the speaker and his beloved one, proving that he doesn’t find himself worthy of her returned affections– “You are an angel, that’s why you pray,
And I am an ass, and that’s why I bray.” Gareth is infamous in the Los Campeainos! fan base for lines like these that are fun to sing along to, and yet deeply revealing of the character he portrays himself as.

Personally I think that it is great to have an alternative form of music such as this band to switch up the monotony of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. I have been following Los Campeainos! since I was in seventh grade and have never found a band I enjoyed more than them almost purely because of the originality and rawness of their lyrics. Los Campesinos! has a powerful way of storytelling that speaks to the angst-ridden and more intellectual souls of the world, which is something I think everyone can appreciate.

Hemlock Grove and the Ultimate Duo

When I started watching the overly-bizarre Netflix horror series, Hemlock Grove, I instantly was perplexed, disgusted and enthralled all at once. I don’t know if it was the horrifying images of werewolves literally shedding then eating their human forms, or the unanswered questions stacking up about the infamous Godfrey building, but something had me hooked. All the seemingly pointless gore was not enough to make for a truly well-written show, but equally not enough to turn me away either. And here I am on episode eight. The entire point of the show is to bewilder the audience until they don’t think they can hang on much longer. I have taken it upon myself to dictate my main suspicions about the characters and the funky businesses each one engages in.

So, what I have gathered about the plot is essentially that the setting, a fictional town called Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania, is the most ridiculous place one could ever settle their family. Murders start occurring 60 seconds into warming us up to this town, leading us on to believe that a werewolf was at fault, and for the police to point a finger at the new neighbor Peter Rumancek who is from a family of gypsies. The town’s most iconic corporation is Godfrey, a twisted place owned by the lead villainess of the show. Because she is a vile woman to her core, I am under the impression Olivia Godfrey is some sort of mythical succubus – and not a person I would ever want to meet. Like, ever. Her son and daughter are also very strange people, including the horrendously deformed but sugar-sweet Shelley and aloof, brooding teen Roman.

My favorite character is easily Roman Godfrey. He is one of those characters that isn’t exactly a traditional heartthrob given that he is shown to be a pretty repulsive person when not defending his younger sister. Additionally he has the power to control others, by verbally giving them orders which they follow in a creepy manner. To a more human degree, he is often portrayed objectifying women and pursuing nasty habits with drugs. He is spoiled by his mother who is the leader of their expensive household, and he inherited his father’s expensive car after he passed away.

Roman’s role plays off perfectly with that of Peter the werewolf. I think the relationship between the characters is one that an audience feeds off of – it’s the sickly, strange, rich guy against the scruffy, rough, poor man. Both have good intentions and are after a similar goal, but have aggressive tendencies. They work well together like vanilla and chocolate even though they go at each other’s throats at the drop of a pin. Sound familiar? In my eyes, this specific combination plays out both between Edgar Linton and Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, as well as Edward Cullen and Jacob Black in the frivolous Twilight series. Descriptions of both Edgar and Edward remind one of Roman Godfrey. What with their pale complexions and brooding personalities, the two perfectly exemplify this half of the duo. They are supported by their affluence and family name. Heathcliff and Jacob fit the other half with Peter Rumancek; they are misunderstood, outcast in society, put down because of their poor upbringing, and a slave to their own fluctuating emotions.

There is no way this trend is a coincidence – for years, we have never even noticed the dynamic between these two types of characters, and I think it’s a beautiful harmony that should not be ignored.  I can’t help but think of this every time I watch Hemlock Grove and think, man. I’m a genius for picking up on this brilliance.

1963 is Modern, Right? (An Explication of “The Nails”)

“The Nails” by W.S. Merwin is a slightly haunting piece.
The format reads as though it were a slam poem. Each sentence is spaced out intentionally for creative embellishment, which distinguishes “The Nails” from prose. The author pauses in the phrases and has no set rhyme scheme or rhythm, emphasizing his imagery.
The focus in the piece is on a lost, depressed feeling spurring from some type of relationship. The author’s audience is one person whom he has hurt. He addresses them in the first sentence, beginning with “I gave you sorrow to hang on your wall like a calendar in one color.”
Merwin’s original reference to this calendar is revisited through the last stanzas, where he mentions the “autumn pond which chokes and glitters but grows colder” and the winter hazing in, making harvest only a memory. The piece portrays his sorrow and regret in terms of the less jubilant of the seasons by comparison.
Another emotion Merwin emphasizes is that of losing control, which he describes in the final few sentences, using anatomical structures. The author first describes that “nail are kissing the fingers good-bye” as if his nails are being pulled off tortuously, and that something is being ripped from him. This theme seems to continue when he states “For speaking either truth or comfort I have no more tongue than a wound.” While Merwin is saying that he is unable to help the afflicted person he continues to upset, this portion of the poem also shows that like his tongue is being ripped from him, so are his words.

Those Heartless Scottish…

The style of the Scottish ballad “Bonny Barbara Allan” is influenced heavily by Scottish dialect. It has a sing-song structure, yet it has contrastingly dismal topics throughout that aren’t quite subtle enough for the nursery rhyme that it sounds like it should be. It is uncaring and blatant about the death of one of the main characters, as Scottish ballads are traditionally known for.

The story told in this poem is a third-person account about a man named Sir John Graemae that fell in love with Barbara Allan, becoming sick from his love as well as drinking. Barbara hesitantly leaves John because she knows he is dying. The narrator finishes off the piece with the phrase, “O mother, mother, make my bed, O make it saft and narrow, Since my love dy’d for me to-day, I’ll die for him to-morrow.” This portion makes it seem as if this ballad has been passed down from person to person as a sort of warning, and presentation of the mores of this time period.

Sir Gawain Triumphs Over Evil

“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” is told by a narrator. The speaker gives details of occurrence in third person. The piece’s purpose is to tell a story, and bring about the themes of God and the Devil as well as courage.

In the poem, Sir Gawain is wandering on horseback through valleys and woods when he arrives at an unsightly, eerie cave. This is where he meets the Green Knight of the Green Chapel, who instantly starts a fight with him since it was said that Sir Gawain would come to rival him. However, Sir Gawain struggles with his fear to let the man hit him in the neck with the axe. The Green Knight discusses what has just happened, and says that Gawain is a good man.

This piece deals with courage and honor. Gawain proves himself to the taunting knight who challenges, “You can’t be Gawain, who’s thought so good … My head fell off at my feet, yet I have never flickered; But you! You tremble at heart before you’re touched! I’m bound to be called myself a better man than you, then, my lord.” His mocking ways are belittle Gawain but in that way, they come to encourage him to move forward. To contrast with this, a couple lines before this section, there is a description of Gawain that shows his true bravery and moral strength. “However his heart might pound, He would not show his fear.”

Another aspect of the poem that is of interest is the language. The opening description of the path Gawain travels describes the valley not having “a sign of a chapel on any side.” While this seems like a mere device to portray imagery and show that Gawain cannot find the location within the chapel of the Green Knight, it can also be perceived that this is a reference to the foreboding atmosphere surrounding Gawain. Additionally, Gawain catches sight of a “brimming creek That flowed from the foot of a waterfall, And the water in the pool was bubbling as if it were boiling.” The reference to the water boiling, as opposed to another array of equally descriptive verbs, gives the impression that Gawain senses witchcraft. This is supplemented by Gawain’s thought that in the creepy cave, “the Devil might recite his midnight mass.”

Explication of Wife’s Lament

The Wife’s Lament is very descriptive of the natural world and how the main character resides within it. It possesses the same elements of religion as other Anglo-Saxon poetry, emphasizing both on Paganism and what seems to be Christianity (from the references to “my lord”). The speaker not only expresses the Pagan elements through earthen imagery, but she also references specific places she goes which are important to this religion like the grove and “earth-ave” she enters.
In the poem, the woman that tells the story is troubled by and sent away to live in a cave by her “lord”.
The piece reads more like prose than poetry, yet has poetic language and paints pictures that are too complicated to express in the form of a story. Her description of the scenery is haunting and leaves one with a trapped feeling. “This earth-hall is old, and I ache with longing; the sales are dark, the hills too high, harsh hedges overhung with briars, a home without joy.”
The rhetoric of The Wife’s Lament seems a bit odd in that it is hard to decipher what the woman means by “my lord” — there is an obscured line between a religious figure and a person with whom she has a romantic relationship of sorts. It is evident that she is not on good terms with this person, however. The “most fitting man… Concealing his mind, plotting murder with a smiling face” is disturbing.
Words like “exile,” “weep,” and the phrase “deeply sorrowing” set the stage for the piece and give it the bizarre, solemn feeling it consists of. The language is beautiful and picturesque, yet heartbreaking because of the woman’s story. This makes the poem haunting.