Blog Entry Fourteen

                 Spitited Away - Hayao Miyazaki

                   
                    The Meaning of Creatures

The movie begins by introducing Chihiro—a 10-year-old girl, the main character, who together with her parents becomes trapped in a forbidden world of unknown and magic. She must work to survive, help rescue her parents, and finally escape from the magic world where humans are disliked. The movie strongly characterize the Monomyth. We clearly see three main stages: Separation, Adventure, and Return. Also, since every character represents its own archetype, Pearson's The Hero Within is also relevant to the movie. For example, Chihiro is an Orphan, later a Warrior and Magician. Haku is of course a Warrior and Magician. We have two witches, Yubaba and Zeniba, who are Magicians. No-Face is a lonely Orphan, who finally finds his place on the earth. Kamajii is a Martyr, who at first doesn't want to help Chahiro, but later helps her and haku with pleasure.

Most of the characters have significant meaning in the movie. All creatures represent something different. Some of them are human-like, but they are not humans.

When the movie starts we can see the first example—Kamajii—an old man with six arms, who operates the boiler room of the bathhouse. He never moves from his original position. He seems to be mean and uncaring, but later he shows his real face and helps Chahiro and her friend. He strongly represents a Martyr Archetype.

Kamajii has a number of helpers, called Susuwatari—soft, black, fuzzy creatures, with two eyes. They move by hovering around and they are able to lift object many times their own weight. They also seem to represent Martyrs, who help in their little way.

Haku looks human, but is really a dragon. Even in human skin he looks different. His hair is green, his eyes are forest green, his skin is very pale. The dragon version of Haku is very interesting. His head shape is similar to a wolf's, and he has horns and two long whiskers. His body is long and slender with large tuft on his tail. In the human version of Haku he represents a Magician Archetype. In the dragon version he is a Warrior, brave and courageous. He is also a Martyr, helping Chahiro disinterestedly.

 Yubaba and Zeniba are witches, so they both must represent a Magician Archetype. They know magic and many tricks. Yubaba is a bad witch, who thinks only about herself. Her twin sister, Zeniba, is a good witch. Chahiro calls her Grandma, because she is kind and helpful. She even "adopts" No-Face, the monster, who was unwanted and lonely. In his character we find only an Orphan Archetype, who gets angry only when Chahiro refuses his friendship, but in general he is also an Innocent.

Boh, Yubaba's son, looks like real, human baby. Although he has the appearance  of a young baby, he is twice Yubaba's size. He is also very strong and can be dangerous. When he turns into a mouse he becomes friends with Chahiro, and he even stands up to Yubaba to protect his friend Chahiro. He represents an Innocent Archetype, even though he can be dangerous, he is only a little baby, who needs attention.

Supernatural literature stimulates the imagination, and leads us to the unknown world, where almost everything is possible, where humans can transform to whatever they want. They can be either better or worse then in real world. This type of literature also allows us to go deeper into psychology. We can create characters, who reflect various types of personalities. Sometimes that could be Jungian Archetypes, or at other times Marxism. By creating a supernatural world we can show various types of journeys, like those in Carol Pearson's book or the Monomyth. Why don't we just continue to enjoy the supernatural world, where everything is possible?


Sources

"Characters // Spirited Away // Nausicaa.net." Characters // Spirited Away // Nausicaa.net. Web. 01   
          June 2012.       
"Jungian Archetypes." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 Jan. 2012. Web. 01 June 2012. 

Blog Entry Thirteen

The will to survive: An archetypal journey from Orphan, through Wanderer, to Warrior.

            Dorothy Hearst was an acquisitions editor before she began writing stories about wolves. Ever since she was young, she always had a passion for books and writing. During her time as an editor, she spent at least ten years writing many drafts—including many unfinished first pages—before finding a topic that truly inspired her: wolves. Promise of the Wolves is Hearst’s first novel; but it began as one of those unfinished first pages from her period of trial and error as a writer.

            The heroine of Promise of the Wolves is Kaala Smallteeth, a mixed-blood young wolf who should have died as soon as she was born, but was destined to live, and also to choose. That choice was extremely difficult. Kaala’s will to survive is so strong that she is able to overcome and fight everything and everyone to achieve her place in the Swift River Pack. It is very important for her, because it was the last promise Kaala made to her mother, before she was banished for having a mixed-blood litter. The young wolf pup of mixed blood rescues a little girl from drowning, thus breaking the wolf promise never to consort with humans. This starts a war between wolves and humans, a war only Kaala can stop. She is a great example of the Warrior Archetype in Carol Pearson’s Heroic Myth system.

            To better understand Kaala I shall refer to Pearson’s book The Hero Within – Six Archetypes We Live By. The author gives us unique ideas about how to explore ourselves and others, how to recognize ancient archetypes and discover the significance of myth and archetype in our lives. Pearson’s work is mainly based on Carl Jung’s system and terminology. Jung created the term “archetype” to understand and characterize psychological patterns that occur often in the stories (and real life), and can be found in symbols, images, texts, and other things. Building on Jung’s work, Pearson formed six archetypes, which are very helpful to tell and understand myths of the hero. As she says in her book “the journey described here is more circular or spiral than linear. It begins with the complete trust of the Innocent, moves to the longing for safety of the Orphan, the self-sacrifice of the Martyr, the exploring of the Wanderer, the competition and triumph of the Warrior, and then the authenticity and wholeness of the Magician” (Pearson, xxvi). Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth will be also helpful to describe Kaala’s character. There are basic patterns in her life that are very similar to The Hero’s Journey: Separation, Adventure and Return. The Hero’s Journey starts in an ordinary world, which has to be accepted by him; then he must survive the challenge, sometimes with help. The last stage of the Hero’s Journey is a successful return to ordinary life, to live in peace and confidence.

            Set 14,000 years ago, the story told by Kaala begins with a legend about the wolves, whose blood is mixed with that of an outsider wolf. The rule was that only senior male and female of the pack could have pups. Unless given permission by the leader wolves, no other wolf could mate, because for extra pups it was usually to difficult to feed. Kaala’s mother broke the rule of Swift River pack by giving birth to the mixed-blood pups. Ruuqo, the greatwolf, kills all of them, only one survives – Kaala Smallteeth. Her way to prove that she is worth something is long and difficult.
            Kaala Smallteeth life can be understood as an example of Campbell's Monomyth. We watch Kaala on a Hero's Journey, which begins in the ordinary world, with happiness, with her mother and siblings. When Kaala's mother has to leave the pack, little wolf receives a call to adventure. She enters the Separation stage, which is long and exhausting. She has to enter unknown world, and survive the journey. She is separated from normal world, from the only world she knew—she is separated from her mother. She is scared, but finally accepts it and finds strength to start the hero’s journey. At this point she “enters the belly of the Whale” or the zone of danger—in her case, a big forest where she must survive. Here she starts the Adventure stage of the Monomyth. She has to pass all sorts of tests and prove that she is skillful enough to continue her journey.  When the story ends, Kaala Smallteeth finds her real home, returns successfully with knowledge and power. The last stage she deals with is the Return.
            In terms of Pearson's Heroic Archetypal system, Kaala represents three main archetypes. When her life starts, she is an Orphan who "lost" her mother, later we know her as a Wanderer, she starts to explore, becomes independent, and finally she has to fight, to prove her strength. At this stage of her life she is a Warrior.  When her story starts, she strongly represents the Archetype of Orphan: she seeks safety, she is fearful of everyone and everything. She can’t stop thinking about food—it is almost her obsession. She is afraid that Ruuqo will kill her, because she has an outsider’s blood. Kaala is so afraid of being abandoned by the pack, she has to face the world alone. Kaala is still small and weak, but it is time to start the longest trip in her life. To stay alive she must pass three tests—the crossing the river, the first hunt, and the first winter. Rissa, female leaderwolf tells her: “If pup is strong enough to survive such trials, she is strong enough to be pack” (Hearst, 38). 

           Tlitoo-raven, Kaala’s guardian, is always with her when she needs help; he shows her the right path to follow and always gives advice. He is also an Orphan, lonely but funny and cheerful. When they meet for the first time he says: “All I know is that the Bigwolves say you are more and less than wolf, and that I am to watch over you. I am more or less than raven, too” (57). In this point of the hero’s journey Kaala’s life transforms, she begins exploring and became the Wanderer. She is no longer afraid of danger; she wants to prove her strength and is ready to achieve great rewards through great risks. The Wanderer usually insists on living on her or his own rules, so does Kaala. The wolves should completely avoid contact with humans. Kalaa Smallteeth breaks the rules and tries to stay close to humans. As the legend says: “there is something in the souls of the wolves and humans that cannot live side by side. Most humans fear the wildness that is wolf, because it is something they can’t control. When we spend so much time with them, we either give up our wildness to please them, or we refuse o do so, which makes the human angry. Or we get angry and try to kill them” (109). Kaala is different, since she believes that friendship between wolves and humans is possible, and her goal is to prove it.

         According to legend, Ancients said that the valley where Ruuqo lives with his pack should be a place of peace. And the wolves must keep that promise. Humans and wolves can't hunt together anymore because humans "instead of teeth and claws, they make their tools to kill with. Sharpsticks - a kind of long thorn - and a second stick that they use to throw the first one" (111). Wolves don't like it, it is against their rules. Kaala's journey as a Wanderer is long. She has a lot to explore: how to run fast, how to find the prey, also how to hunt. These are all important things, she should know. Instead of it, she does her own things, she explores humans gathering place, because she is the Wanderer who "makes the radical assertion that life is not primarily suffering; it is an adventure" (Pearson, 51). Wanderers have "many ways of being alone ... travel alone, spend [their] time alone" (58). The good example to prove it is when Kaala, after saving little's girl life, goes to the humans to meet with TaLi (girl's name) again, without telling anybody (her wolf friends). Even though she doesn't need them, they follow her. "Wanderers do not learn their lesson all at once. Like all the archetypes they learn an initial lesson and then circle back... This is a lifelong process that sometimes requires more than mere risking" (63-64). Kaala is still young and inexperienced; she has no idea how dangerous dealing with humans could be, so she continues exploring... She keeps going to the humans... She meets TaLi's grandmother, who tells her the story about the Spiritwolf, the wolf ghost who sometimes comes to one alive wolf to help. One day Kaala sees and hears the Spirtwolf who tells her that there will be serious war and Kaala is the one, who will have to lead and win this war. Ruuqo, the leaderwolf fears Kaala so much because the legend, which says "that a wolf will be born who will shatter the covenant. That wolf will bring an end to a wolfkind as we know it. It's said that the wolf will bear the mark of the crescent moon and will cause great disruption that will either save or destroy its pack" (Hearst, 267).

             When the war "between humans and wolves threatens, and Kaala must choose between safety for herself, her friends, and their human companions and the survival of her pack—and perhaps all of wolf-and humankind"(344). It is time for Kaala to transform into the Warrior and fight. The Warrior archetype "includes self-defense, a willingness and an ability to fight to defend oneself (Pearson, 75), they tend to focus on the facts in an effort to be tough-minded" (79). Kaala is brave and assured, but the war becomes more dangerous than she thought. It's not only a battle between the Swift River pack (her pack) and humans, but also between them and the Stone Peaks pack, the strongest pack in the Wide Valley. The war is very exhausting and violent, but Kaala with the help of humans wins the battle and becomes the leaderwolf even though she is still young. She proves to her pack mates that friendship with the humans doesn't change wolves, it can only help them in hard times. The wolves will ever be their own pack and the humans will live separate, but if hard times will come, they will be fighting together as one pack.

            Kaala's great success proved that life in peace and understanding is much easier then the Swift River wolves thought. She ended her journey and earned respect. The Spititwolf watched Kaala with pride. "She watched the young, moon-marked wolf, barely half grown, walk to the humans and wolves who stood together.... And as the sun rose in the sky and the creatures of the Wide Valley came together again, she felt a weight lift from her heart. And slowly, just a little, her tail began to wag" (Hearst, 335).


                                                      Bibliography

Hearst, Dorothy. "Dorothy Hearst." Dorothy Hearst-Biography. AuthorByte.com 
               2008. Web. 14 May 2012.

Hearst, Dorothy. Promise of the Wolves. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008. Print.
Pearson, Carol. The Hero Within: Six Archetypes we Live By. 3rd Edition. New 
               York: Harper&Row, 1986. Print.
"Monomyth." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 May 2012. Web. 30 May 2012. 

Blog Entry Twelve

       The will to survive: An archetypal journey from Orphan, through Wanderer, to Warrior.

            Dorothy Hearst was an acquisitions editor before she began writing stories about wolves. Since she was quite young, she always had a passion for books and writing. During her time as an editor, she spent at least ten years writing many drafts—including many unfinished first pages—before finding a topic that truly inspired her: wolves. Promise of the Wolves is Hearst’s first novel; but it began as one of those unfinished first pages from her period of trial and error as a writer.
            Kaala Smallteeth is the heroine of Promise of the Wolves, a mixed-blood young wolf who should have died as soon as she was born, but was destined to live, and also to choose. That choice was extremely difficult. Kaala’s will to survive is so strong that she is able to overcome and fight everything and everyone to achieve her place in the Swift River Pack. It is very important for her, because it was the last promise Kaala made to her mother, before she was banished for having a mixed-blood litter. The young wolf pup of mixed blood rescues a little girl from drowning, thus breaking the wolf promise never to consort with humans. This starts a war between wolves and humans, a war only Kaala can stop. She is a great example of the Warrior Archetype in Carol Pearson’s Heroic Myth system.

            To better understand Kaala I’m using the book The Hero Within – Six Archetypes We Live By, by Carol Pearson. The author gives us unique ideas about how to explore ourselves and others, how to recognize ancient archetypes and discover the significance of myth and archetype in our lives. Pearson’s work is mainly based on Carl Jung’s system and terminology. Jung created the term “archetype” to understand and characterize psychological patterns that occur often in the stories (and real life), and can be found in symbols, images, texts, and other things. Building on Jung’s work, Pearson formed six archetypes, which are very helpful to tell and understand myths of the hero. As she says in her book “the journey described here is more circular or spiral than linear. It begins with the complete trust of the Innocent, moves to the longing for safety of the

Orphan, the self-sacrifice of the Martyr, the exploring of the Wanderer, the competition and triumph of the Warrior, and then the authenticity and wholeness of the Magician” (Pearson, xxvi). Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth will be also helpful to describe Kaala’s character. There are basic patterns in her life that are very similar to The Hero’s Journey: Separation, Adventure and Return. The Hero’s journey starts in an ordinary world, which has to be accepted by him; then he must survive the challenge, sometimes with help. The last stage of the hero’s journey is successful return to the ordinary life, to live in peace and confidence.

            Set 14,000 years ago, the story told by Kaala begins with the legend about the wolves, whose blood is mixed with an outsider wolf. The rule was that only senior male and female of the pack could have pups. Unless given permission by the leader wolves, no other wolf may mate, because for extra pups it was usually to difficult to feed. Kaala’s mother broke the rule of Swift River pack by giving birth to the mixed-blood pups. Ruuqo, the greatwolf, kills all of them, only one survives – Kaala Smallteeth. Her way to prove that she is worth something is long and difficult.
            In Campbell's Monomyth, Kaala Smallteeth follows the "Hero's journey," which begins in the ordinary world, with happiness, with her mother and siblings. When Kaala's mother has to leave the pack, little wolf receives a call to adventure. She enters the Separation stage, which is long and exhausting. She has to enter unknown world, and survive the journey. She is separated from normal world, from the only world she knew—she is separated from her mother. She is scared, but finally accepts it and finds strength to start the hero’s journey. At this point she “enters the belly of the Whale,” the zone of danger, big forest where she must survive. Here she starts the Adventure stage of the Monomyth. She has to pass all sorts of tests and prove that she is skillful enough to continue her journey.  When the story ends, Kaala Smallteeth finds her real home, returns successfully with knowledge and power. The last stage she deals with is the Return.
            In Pearson's Heroic Archetypal system, Kaala represents three main archetypes. When her life starts, she is an Orphan who "lost" her mother, later we know her as a Wanderer, she starts to explore, becomes independent, and finally she has to fight, to prove her strength. At this stage of her life she is a Warrior.  When her story starts, she strongly represents the Archetype of Orphan: she seeks safety, she is fearful of everyone and everything. She can’t stop thinking about food—it is almost her obsession. She is afraid that Ruuqo will kill her, because she has an outsider’s blood. Kaala is so afraid of being abandoned by the pack, she has to face the world alone. Kaala is still small and weak, but it is time to start the longest trip in her life. To stay alive she must pass three tests-the crossing the river, the first hunt, and the first winter. Rissa, female leaderwolf tells her: “If pup is strong enough to survive such trials, she is strong enough to be pack” (Hearst, 38). 

           Tlitoo-raven, Kaala’s guardian, is always with her when she needs help; he shows her the right path to follow and always gives advice. He is also an Orphan, lonely but funny and cheerful. When they meet for the first time he says: “All I know is that the Bigwolves say you are more and less than wolf, and that I am to watch over you. I am more or less than raven, too” (57). In this point of the hero’s journey Kaala’s life transforms, she begins exploring and became the Wanderer. She is no more afraid of danger she wants to prove her strength and is ready to achieve great rewards through great risks. The Wanderer usually insists on living on her or his own rules, so does Kaala. The wolves should completely avoid contact with humans. Kalaa Smallteeth breaks the rules and tries to stay close to humans. As the legend says: “there is something in the souls of the wolves and humans that cannot live side by side. Most humans fear the wildness that is wolf, because it is something they can’t control. When we spend so much time with them, we either give up our wildness to please them, or we refuse o do so, which makes the human angry. Or we get angry and try to kill them” (109). Kaala is different, she believes that friendship between wolves and humans is possible and her goal is to prove it.
         In the legend Ancients said that the valley, where Ruuqo with his pack lives should be place of peace. And the wolves MUST  keep that promise. Humans and wolves can't hunt together anymore because humans "instead of teeth and claws, they make their tools to kill with. Sharpsticks - a kind of long thorn - and a second stick that they use to throw the first one" (111). Wolves don't like it, it is against their rules. Kaala's journey as a Wanderer is long. She has a lot to explore: how to run fast, how to find the prey, also how to hunt. These are all important things, she should know. Instead of it, she does her own things, she explores humans gathering place, because she is the Wanderer who" makes the radical assertion that life is not primarily suffering; it is an adventure" (Pearson, 51). Wanderers have "many ways of being alone...travel alone, spend [their] time alone" (58). The good example to prove it it is when Kaala after saving little's girl life goes to the humans to meet with TaLi (girl's name) again, without telling anybody (her wolf friends). Even though she doesn't need them, they follow her."Wanderers do not learn their lesson all at once. Like all the archetypes they learn an initial lesson and then circle back... This is a lifelong process that sometimes requires more than mere risking" (63-64). Kaala is still young and inexperienced, she has no idea how dangerous dealing with humans could be, so she continues exploring... She keeps going to the humans... One day she meets TaLi's grandmother, who tells her that wolves and humans should not stay together, but that both should respect themselves.

When the war starts it is time for Kaala to transform into the Warrior and fight, but fight against who.... humans or wolves, they both are her pack mates. At this stage we also find connection to the Monomyth - it is Kaala's Return. The Warrior archetype "includes self-defense, a willingness and an ability to fight to defend oneself (75), they tend to focus on the facts in an effort to be tough-minded" (79).                     


                                                       Sources

Hearst, Dorothy. "Dorothy Hearst." Dorothy Hearst-Biography. AuthorByte.com 
               2008. Web. 14 May 2012.

Pearson, Carol. The Hero Within: Six Archetypes we Live By. 3rd Edition. New 
               York: Harper&Row, 1986. Print.

Blog Entry Eleven

 Title: The will to survive: An archetypal journey from Orphan, through Wanderer, to Warrior.

Introduction to author:

            Dorothy Hearst was an acquisitions editor before she began writing stories about wolves. Since she was quite young, she always had a passion for books and writing. During her time as an editor, she spent at least ten years writing many drafts—including many unfinished first pages—before finding a topic that truly inspired her: wolves. Promise of the Wolves is Hearst’s first novel; but it began as one of those unfinished first pages from her period of trial and error as a writer.

Claim, thesis:
            Kaala Smallteeth is the heroine of Promise of the Wolves, a mixed-blood young wolf who should have died as soon as she was born, but was destined to live, and also to choose. That choice was extremely difficult. Kaala’s will to survive is so strong that she is able to overcome and fight everything and everyone to achieve her place in the Swift River Pack. It is very important for her, because it was the last promise Kaala made to her mother, before she was banished for having a mixed-blood litter. The young wolf pup of mixed blood rescues a little girl from drowning, thus breaking the wolf promise never to consort with humans. This starts a war between wolves and humans, a war only Kaala can stop. She is a great example of the Warrior Archetype in Carol Pearson’s Heroic Myth system.

Critical approach:

            To better understand Kaala I’m using the book The Hero Within – Six Archetypes We Live By, by Carol Pearson. The author gives us unique ideas about how to explore ourselves and others, how to recognize ancient archetypes and discover the significance of myth and archetype in our lives. Pearson’s work is mainly based on Carl Jung’s system and terminology. Jung created the term “archetype” to understand and characterize psychological patterns that occur often in the stories (and real life), and can be found in symbols, images, texts, and other things. Building on Jung’s work, Pearson formed six archetypes, which are very helpful to tell and understand myths of the hero. As she says in her book “the journey described here is more circular or spiral than linear. It begins with the complete trust of the Innocent, moves to the longing for safety of the

Orphan, the self-sacrifice of the Martyr, the exploring of the Wanderer, the competition and triumph of the Warrior, and then the authenticity and wholeness of the Magician” (Pearson, xxvi). Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth will be also helpful to describe Kaala’s character. There are basic patterns in her life that are very similar to The Hero’s Journey: Separation, Adventure and Return. The Hero’s journey starts in an ordinary world, which has to be accepted by him; then he must survive the challenge, sometimes with help. The last stage of the hero’s journey is successful return to the ordinary life, to live in peace and confidence.

Body of the text:

            Set 14,000 years ago, the story told by Kaala begins with the legend about the wolves, whose blood is mixed with an outsider wolf. The rule was that only senior male and female of the pack could have pups. Unless given permission by the leader wolves, no other wolf may mate, because for extra pups it was usually to difficult to feed. Kaala’s mother broke the rule of Swift River pack by giving birth to the mixed-blood pups. Ruuqo, the greatwolf, kills all of them, only one survives – Kaala Smallteeth. Her way to prove that she is worth something is long and difficult. When her story starts, she strongly represents the Archetype of Orphan: she seeks safety, she is fearful of everyone and everything. She can’t stop thinking about food—it is almost her obsession. She is afraid that Ruuqo will kill her, because she has an outsider’s blood. Kaala is so afraid of being abandoned by the pack, she has to face the world alone.

            In this stage of Kaala’s life we can also notice presence of the first stage of Monomyth-Separation. She is separated from normal world, from the only world she knew—she is separated from her mother. She is scared, but finally accepts it and finds strength to start the hero’s journey. At this point she “enters the belly of the Whale,” the zone of danger, big forest where she must survive. Kaala is still small and weak, but it is time to start the longest trip in her life. To stay alive she must pass three tests-the crossing the river, the first hunt, and the first winter. Rissa, female leaderwolf tells her: “If pup is strong enough to survive such trials, she is strong enough to be pack” (Hearst, 38). Tlitoo-raven, Kaala’s guardian, is always with her when she needs help; he shows her the right path to follow and always gives advice. He is also an Orphan, lonely but funny and cheerful. When they meet for the first time he says: “All I know is that the Bigwolves say you are more and less than wolf, and that I am to watch over you. I am more or less than raven, too” (57). In this point of the hero’s journey Kaala’s life transforms, she begins exploring and became the Wanderer. She is no more afraid of danger she wants to prove her strength and is ready to achieve great rewards through great risks. The Wanderer usually insists on living on her or his own rules, so does Kaala. The wolves should completely avoid contact with humans. Kalaa Smallteeth breaks the rules and tries to stay close to humans. As the legend says: “there is something in the souls of the wolves and humans that cannot live side by side. Most humans fear the wildness that is wolf, because it is something they can’t control. When we spend so much time with them, we either give up our wildness to please them, or we refuse o do so, which makes the human angry. Or we get angry and try to kill them” (109). In the legend the Ancients said that the valley, where Ruuqo with his pack lives should be place of peace. And the wolves MUST  keep that promise. Humans and wolves can't hunt together anymore because humans "instead of teeth and claws, they make their tools to kill with. Sharpsticks - a kind of long thorn - and a second stick that they use to throw the first one" (111). Wolves don't like it, it is against their rules. The journey of Kaala as a Wanderer is long. She has a lot to explore: how to run fast, how to find the prey, also how to hunt. These are all important things, she should know. Instead of it, she does her own things, she has to explore humans gathering place, because she is the Wanderer who" makes the radical assertion that life is not primarily suffering; it is an adventure" (Pearson, 51). Wanderers have "many ways of being alone...travel alone, spend [their] time alone" (58). The good example to prove it it when Kaala after saving little's girl life goes to the humans to meet with TaLi (girl's name) again, without telling anybody (her wolf friends). Even though she doesn't need them, they follow her."Wanderers do not learn their lesson all at once. Like all the archetypes they learn an initial lesson and then circle back... This is a lifelong process that sometimes requires more than mere risking" (63-64). Kaala is still young and inexperienced, she has no idea how dangerous dealing with humans could be, so she continues exploring... She keeps going to the humans... Until the "war" starts. It is time for Kaala to transform into the Warrior and fight, but fight against who.... humans or wolves, they both are her pack mates. At this stage we also find connection to the Monomyth - it is Kaala's Return. The Warrior archetype "includes self-defense, a willingness and an ability to fight to defend oneself (75), they tend to focus on the facts in an effort to be tough-minded" (79).                            






                                                       Sources

Hearst, Dorothy. "Dorothy Hearst." Dorothy Hearst-Biography. AuthorByte.com 
               2008. Web. 14 May 2012.

Pearson, Carol. The Hero Within: Six Archetypes we Live By. 3rd Edition. New 
               York: Harper&Row, 1986. Print.

Blog Entry Ten

Kaala's journey through three Archetypes: Orphan, Wanderer and Warrior.

Orphan - Hope, Safety, Acceptation
Wanderer - Identity, Autonomy, Independence
Warrior - Courage, Strength, Faith

Kaala Smallteeth is a lonely orphan who needs to be accepted by the rest of the wolf pack.

She is an orphan in a real life. Her mother has to leave the pack, because her pups have an
outsider blood. Her siblings must die because it is hard to feed to many pups.

Only because of her courage, Kaala gets a chance to live. She is not afraid of Ruuqo, when he comes to her and tries to kill her (even though she is only 4 weeks old we find Warrior Archetype)

Monomyth:
- Separation (Kaala separated from her mother)
- Adventure (exploring the wildness, meeting friends and enemies)
- Return (finding herself, making very difficult decision-who is Kaala's friend - wolves or humans)

Tlitoo - raven- Kaala's guardian angel. He is always with her helping. He is always up high, so he can see everything before Kaala does. He warns her when she is in danger.

Kaala's dream - she saw a flash of tail disappearing into the forest. It was her imagination, maybe the ghost. She and her wolf friends (Azzuen and Marra) followed "the tail"...

Significant moment - saving little girl (human) from drowning.
Surprising truth - Kaala understands human language.

Friendship - Kaala feels whole for the first time since her mother left, when she holds the human girl close to her. Smallteeth must gain acceptance in the pack. It is hard, she can't stop thinking about the girl she saved.

Disappearance of Borilla (one of the pack mates) - wolves never disappear without a reason. Borilla did, why? The rest of the pack couldn't understand it.

Blog Entry Nine

Kaala Smalteeth is definitely expressing the Orphan Archetype, as well as Wanderer and Warrior. When the story starts she is an Orphan, who got one more chance to live, only because she is brave enough to show to the leadertwolf how much she wants to live. At the same time she transforms into the Warrior, and finally when she gets one more chance to live, she starts exploring new world surrounding her - her personality convert into the Wanderer. However, for all this time she is real, strong Warrior. The Archetypes discussed in Carol Parson's book help us to define our main character's ego, "and then expand the boundaries of the ego to allow for the full flowering of the self and its opening up to the experience of oneness with other [wolves] and with the natural and spiritual worlds"(xxvi).

Carol Pearson says in her book "The journey described here is more circular or spiral than linear. It begins with the complete trust of the Innocent, moves on to the longing for safety of the Orphan, the self-sacrifice of the Martyr, the exploring of the Wanderer, the competition and triumph of the Warrior, and then the authenticity and wholeness of the Magician."(Pearson, xxvi) Thinking more about my choice, I find almost all six of the Archetypes in the story I chose. However, most matching are: Orphan, Wanderer and Warrior, where Warrior plays the most important role. Each Archetype is appropriate for different times. Kaala is the Hero, who takes long journey, she has to take a risk to survive, although sometimes she feels very alone during the quest, at its end she receives her reward. She earns an experience, finds herself and proves how strong she is. My character starts her journey from the Innocent Archetype, which "...lives in the prefallen state of grace; the Orphan confronts the reality of the Fall. The next few stages are strategies for living in a fallen world: The Wanderer begins the task of finding oneself apart from others; the Warrior learns to fight to defend oneself and to change the world in one's own image; and the Martyr learns to give, to commit, and to sacrifice for others"(4).
The Hero Within helps each one of us to find either meaning of life or meaning of our own needs and goals, and that also works for Kaala. Carol Pearson's Archetpes show us how long and difficult our journey can be and we always represent most of her Archetypes.



Working Bibliography:

Pearson, Carol. The Hero Within: Six Archetypes we Live By. 3rd Edition. New York: 
         Harper&Row, 1986.

Blog Entry Eight

Pearson's Heroic Archetypes will be my choice to introduce, describe and better understand Kaala Smallteeth, the main character in Promise of the Wolves. I think Kaala represents Orphan at the beginning, then her character transforms into Wanderer and Warrior. We can also find three stages of the Monomyth in her life. There is Separation when she is young, Adventure almost all the time, and Return when she wins the fight with her own ego.

Blog Entry Seven

"Never consort with humans. Never kill a human unprovoked. Never allow a mixed-blood wolf to live." - Dorothy Hearst




The book I have chosen is Promise of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst. As noted on the back cover, "set 14,000 years ago, Promise of the Wolves takes us to a land where time is counted in phases of the moon, distance is measured in wolflengths, and direction by the scent of the nearest trail." This is a story about a brave wolf, brave but lonely. Kaala, she-wolf born of a forbidden, mixed-blood litter explores her world, gains respect and power. Her journey is long and difficult, but she takes it with courage and strength. Kaala and her friends live safely and peacefully until she meets humans, begins to hunt with them, plays with them and thus discovers the long-hidden bond between wolves and humans. Finally, there comes a time when she has to decide what is more important, to be loyal to wolves or to humans. I chose this book because I really love wolves. I am also drawn to solitary characters who are independent and confident.

Blog Entry Six

                                                               "Heroism
                                                    is redefined as not only
                                                       moving mountains
                                                    but knowing mountains;
                                                       being fully oneself
                                                             and seeing,
                                                          without denial,
                                                                 what is,
                                                           and being open
                                                      to learning the lessons
                                                             life offers us"

                                             – Carol Pearson The Hero Within


       Looking at the Pearson Archetype we have six main choices: Orphan, Wanderer, Warrior, Altruist, Innocent and Magician. We all have at least one or two archetypes. It depends who we are, it depends on our personality, some archetypes describe us more, some less. We also find many archetypes in other people: our family, friends, even neighbors and strangers.
       The archetype I would like to describe is wanderer, very strong, brave character, with power to explore and travel almost without a fear. Wanderers have both: positive and negative characteristics which could be very strong or barely noticeable. They usually are a type of survivors, resilient and realistic, sometimes suspicious and cynical, but their main goal is autonomy and independence. Wanderers usually leave known to discover and explore unknown. They brave with courage to live in loneliness and isolation to seek out new paths. They seek autonomy, fear conformity and very strongly need to develop their own sense of identity. When they don't feel secure, they run away.

On the picture I chose we clearly see the wanderer, lonely man walking to unknown, walking to another life... Maybe he is looking for something different, new answer. He is on the way to somewhere, on the path into the unknown.  He looks sad and troubled, but also very determined and alert. This lonely man is apart from others, striving for independence, he is surrounded only by the nature - birds and plants. He seems to be very concentrated and thoughtful, maybe because wanderers deal with their emotions in stoic silence, preferring not to express them to others and sometimes not even admitting them to the self.
Some sub-types for wanderer are Odysseus (who explores the world and psyche), King Arthur (who insists on living by his own rules), or Dorothy of Oz (who penetrates wild regions).
The Anima and Animus are different. The Animus is a prisoner, solider, wanderer - strong, brave man, always able to fight. The Anima would be weaker, delicate, more thoughtful and fearful.
The wanderer is an archetype who's heroic journey begins from separation, goes through adventure and ends with return. Best example for that is Odysseus, who leaves his wife Penelope, fights and finally travels back home. He is the hero of Iliad and the wanderer in The Odyssey. The Trojan War lasted ten years and his journey home took another ten years.
In the movie Stardust the main character-Tristan travels across the wall to find and bring back a fallen star. Before he meats Yvaine, he has to do everything by himself, make his own choices, use his own strength. He has plan and is very determined to execute it, no matter what. Tristan is powerful and aware of his important mission.

Blog Entry Five

                                      Thinking About Monomyth - Stardust

The archetypal quest, also known as the hero’s journey, is effective in revealing which ways a person’s values, ideas and ambitions can be explored and changed throughout society. The hero’s journey is a genre that is prominently seen through nearly every sort of text, written or visual, usually representing an internal or physical struggle to gain a sense of personal character or personal identity, or to achieve a goal that one has claimed to be unachievable. Matthew Vaughn’s film Stardust represents all aspects of the hero’s journey, including the original quest narrative of facing and overcoming multiple obstacles to achieve a miraculous goal.

Stage One - Separation:

Tristan, the main character in the movie, promises Victoria, the fairest girl in an English village called Wall, that he will travel across the wall to find and bring back a fallen star, in order to win her love. Although he loves Victoria and doesn’t want to leave her, he takes the risk and travels to find the falling star. At the wall that divides his world from the magical world on the other side, called Stormhold, Tristan is at first kept back by an old man who guards the Wall. But, with persistence and trickery, Tristan does cross this threshold, and enters a world that is off-limits to all who live in the village of Wall.

Stage Two -  Adventure:

Once on the other side, Tristan discovers a beautiful woman named Yvaine where the star had fallen. Neither Yvaine nor Tristan is aware yet that a group of witches, headed by Lamia, intends to trap Yvaine, because if they eat her heart it will restore youth and power to them. But others, as we soon learn, also have reason to pursue Yvaine. The sons of the deceased King seek a stone that he threw into the sky while on his deathbed, declaring that whoever found it would be the next king. The son named Septimus learns that the jewel Yvaine is wearing is the same stone that he seeks. In the meantime, Tristan and Yvaine have fallen in love, but when Tristan goes back to the village on his own to tell Victoria he no longer loves her, he soon realizes that Yvaine would die if she crossed the wall, and that he must rush to save her.

Stage Three – Return:

When Tristan returns to Stormhold, Yvaine has already been trapped by Lamia and her friends. Tristan soon finds himself united with Septimus in an effort to stop the witches from destroying Yvaine. Inside the witches’ castle, Septimus dies at the hands of Lamia, who uses a voodoo doll to turn the dead corpse of Septimus into Tristan’s opponent. But, in the end, it is Yvaine herself who destroys Lamia (after the other two witches have died). Yvaine’s love for Tristan gives her strength to overpower Lamia. In the meantime, Tristan learns from Una (a slave girl) that he is in fact the son of Una, and that she is the only daughter of the King. As the sole surviving male heir to the throne, Tristan becomes the rightful new king of Stormhold, with Yvaine as queen. They are crowned in a magnificent ceremony.

Blog Entry Four

 

 A Conversation with the Goddess

            Sappho, one of the world’s greatest poets, lived in Mytilene on the Island of Lesbos in Greece, around 600 BCE. Little is known of her life, but her work has been acclaimed from her own time to the present day (Vanita 1300). She was one of the great Greek lyrists and one of the few female poets of the ancient Greek world.  Sappho is among the first poets to represent interiority. Her poems powerfully evoke sensations of erotic longing, with woman as not only the object but also the agent of desire (1300). Only fragments of her valuable work survive and these fragments are a valuable treasure of poetry. The first-person speaker in her poems, named “Sappho,” celebrates friendship, love, song, motherhood, and the pleasures of sunlight, bathing, dancing, wine, beautiful clothes, flowers, and sexual intimacy (1300). Sappho desires deep feeling and real friendship. She has a close relationship with Aphrodite, goddess of love (1300).

            “Fragment One,” addressed to the goddess Aphrodite, is Sappho’s only complete poem. It is filled with Sappho’s longing and desire for love. It expresses how strong and beautiful real love can be. For Sappho even the most beautiful things on earth (like sunshine, flowers, etc.) are worthless without having someone to love. She has a very close relationship with Aphrodite. She calls upon the goddess of love to come and help her. Sappho explains that the love she has for one person is unrequited, and that it is killing her.  She needs Aphrodite’s help to resolve the pain of love, and she almost begs the goddesses to lend her aid and force the person to fall in love with her.

            The poem begins with an unknown speaker calling on the immortal goddess Aphrodite, “child of Zeus, who twists lures” (line 2), to use her amazing, unique skills to entrap a reluctant lover. It is not easy, but Sappho believes that with Aphrodite’s help she will be able get what she wants – the real love. The author reminds the goddess of her past trip from her father’s golden palace, to the mortal’s usual, more humble home. “But come here if ever before / you caught my voice far off / and listening left your father’s / golden house” (5-8). The goddess’s chariot is drawn by sparrows. Sappho interprets the presence of birds as a divine sign indicating a favorable response to her request. It also represents fertility and love, the love she longs for. When Sappho says: “and fine birds brought you / quick sparrows over the black earth / whipping their wings down the sky” (9-10), we find out that the goddess and Sappho have a close relationship. Later Aphrodite arrives. Sappho begins the conversation with the one, who can help her. Aphrodite asks the poet what she needs this time. She asks, “Whom should I persuade (now again) / to lead you back into her love? Who, O / Sappho, is wronging you?”(18-20). We know now that Sappho has had the same problem in the past and the goddess has helped her to solve it. That means she deserves the goddess’s help. Aphrodite promises that the lover will never again be able to escape, and the one who for a long time has been pursued will soon become pursuer, “even unwilling” (24). The poem ends with Sappho’s now calmer voice. The need for help is still present, but the author feels now more secure, relieved. Aphrodite will free Sappho of the pain of lost love and bring her everything she needs to feel happiness. The pain is still there, but the author is no longer alone in her grief. Her beloved Aphrodite will come and help her.

            Sappho’s poetry is remarkable for its grace and beauty, and it was these qualities that made her reputation in the ancient world. According to Strabo, “Sappho is an amazing thing. For we know in all of recorded history not one woman who can even come close to rivaling her in the grace of her poetry” (Carson, x). The message of “Fragment One” is clear to both ancient and modern readers: there will always be love, happy or unhappy, and no one, not even a goddess can do anything to stop people from falling in love and breaking each other’s hearts.

                                                  Works Cited

Carson, Anne.  If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho. New York: Vintage,

            2002. Print.

Vanita, Ruth. “Sappho.” Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender, ed. Fedwa Malti-

            Douglas. Vol. 4, pp. 1300-1302. Detroit: Macmillan Reference, 2007.

            Print.

Blog Entry Three

                      Sappho  

        Sappho was a musician. Her poetry is lyric, that is, composed to be sung to the lyre. She was also a poet - a marvelous poet. She lived in the city of Mytilene on the island of Lesbos from about 630 B.C. It is not known when she died. Her exile to Sicily sometime between 604 and 595 B.C. is mentioned in an ancient inscription, but no reason for it is given. Biographical sources mention a mother, a father, a daughter, a husband, and three brothers of Sappho. Of the nine books of lyrics Sappho is said to have composed, none of the music is extant and only one poem has survived complete. All the rest are fragments. The complete poem is "Hymn to Aphrodite." It expresses a very human plea for help with a broken heart. It focuses on love and marriage,  on hope and trust. The enigma of Sappho's poetry is one of the most fascinating aspects. Her poetic voice is friendly and gracefully accessible. She frequently writes of unrequited love, feminine beauty, and relationships, using as her objects gods and goddesses of Olympus, most notably Aphrodite.


       "Hymn to Aphrodite" has many symbols with really deep meaning. The first symbol in the poem is "deathless." Next—very important—is "spangled mind." Line two contains "twists lures," and in the following stanza we find the phrase "golden house," which has symbolic meaning. "Birds brought you" and "quick sparrows" are two additional symbols. Stanza four contains "deathless face" and "the following stanza has "crazy heart" and "persuade." Later in the poem we find a few more symbols. In stanza six important meaning has "refuses gifts" and word "even unwilling." In the last stanza "heart longs" and "accomplish" are important. 


         The denotative meaning of symbols refers to the standard, common definition which can be found in the dictionary. Deathless means simply immortal, that can not die, spangled is decorated as with spangles. In line two twists lures would be to wind, rotate or twist anything that tempts or entices.   In denotative meaning of the golden house is the place to live in, which has color of gold. Quick sparrows means rapid, fast small, perching songbirds. Phrase crazy heart is simply enthusiastic, foolish center of emotions, love, sympathy or spirit of courage. Persuade means to cause to do or believe something by reasoning, urging. In last two stanzas denotative meaning of refuses gifts is to decline to accept, to decline the request of something given and unwilling means not willing, reluctant. Finally heart longs is to feel a strong yearning to love, sympathy, and accomplish means to succeed in doing something, to complete. 


       The poem very "richly" describes feelings, love and devotion. In the first stanza Sappho admits Aphrodite's strength and power, also mentions her skills and deception, using word like: "one who twists lures," whet is speaking about specific skills that the goddess employs to ensnare a reluctant lover.  It makes an allusion to the sparrow as a bird of love. Aphrodite arrives in a "car" drawn by a flock of sparrows, which represents fertility. The image of the sparrows is one of wings beating furiously as they bring the goddess down from heaven to the darkened earth. Reading the third stanza we find out that the author and the goddess have a close relationship. Finally, Aphrodite arrives. She is described as immortal, blessed, sacred. Also her power is mentioned again. The dialogue begins between Sappho and the object of her prayer. She takes a risk and starts speaking for Aphrodite with surprising, shockingly accessible and casual voice. She is shown this time to be very friendly and devoted. The poem repeats a refrain ("now again"), demonstrating almost mystification and constant asking for help. Later Aphrodite asks the poet what she needs this time. Because Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, she has the power to force a lover's return, usually through trickery and deception. The phrasing of the goddess's question, "Who shall I persuade to take you back, yet once again?" establishes that the speaker has had this problem in the past and that the goddess has come to help again. The problem is again love, as it has been in the past. The question "Who, O Sappho, is wronging you?" explains that the speaker is deserving of Aphrodite's love and help. The final word, "Sappho" links the speaker and poet, and the speaker ceases to be an abstract entity and becomes the poet persona, Sappho.
        In the last two verses, the reader hears Aphrodite's wise advice and is perhaps not surprised to find her acknowledging that the situation is temporary. The word "pursue" suggests that not only will Sappho's desires come to pass, but the roles of her unrequited love affair will in fact be reversed. Instead the love interest will be unwilling because now she is the one pursuing an unrequited love, as Sappho will have invariably turned her own attentions elsewhere. It will be Sappho’s turn to run away and refuse gifts, while the lover chases after her, perhaps formulating her own lamentations and appeals to the goddess. The poetess’ perspective takes over once again for the last lines, reiterating her prayer in the same classic style as its invocation.  She asks for an ally in the goddess in a manner that might allow her to take on Aphrodite’s divine powers for herself and use them again. 
       Sappho’s poem significantly does not depict Aphrodite as a trifling patron of flowers and love.  The goddess demonstrates a willingness to use all of her godly powers to fulfill Sappho’s wants and has returned again to rescue her from her romantic misadventures.  Although an occasional exasperated tone and light-heartedness may be detected, the dramatic aspect remains serious and intense.  Sappho is wholly in appeal, giving herself over entirely to the divine request.  The image of Aphrodite in all of her glory descending upon Sappho to resolve a momentary fluster of emotion is quite profound. Symbolically, the image of Aphrodite serves as a catalyst for Sappho, allowing her to reach her full, independent, feminine potential.








Sources: Anne Carson, If not, winter: Fragments of Sappho;
              Webster's New World Compact Office Dictionary


http://go.galegroup.com.rpa.laguardia.edu:2048/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL&userGroupName=cuny_laguardia&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=3&contentSet=GALE%7CCX3225500221&&docId=GALE|CX3225500221&docType=GAL
        

                                                                                                                                     

                                                                    

Blog Entry Two

      Hymn to Aphrodite
     Sappho

Fragment No. 1

Deathless Aphrodite of the spangled mind,

child of Zeus, who twists lures, I beg you

do not break with hard pains,

O lady, my heart

but come here if ever before

you caught my voice far off

and listening left your father’s

golden house and came,

yoking your car. And fine birds brought you,

quick sparrows over the black earth

whipping their wings down the sky

through midair—

they arrived. But you, O blessed one,

smiled in your deathless face

and asked what (now again) what I have suffered and why

(now again ) I am calling out

and what I want to happen most of all

in my crazy heart. Whom should I persuade (now again)

to lead you back into her love? Who, O

Sappho, is wronging you?

For if she flees, soon she will pursue.

If she refuses gifts, rather will she give them.

If she does not love, soon she will love

even unwilling.

Come to me now: loose me from hard

care and all my heart longs

to accomplish, accomplish. You

be my ally.

Translation by Anne Carson

Blog Entry One

DREAMS can be baffling and mysterious. They can be strange or realistic, sad or happy.
They are amazing... In spite of modern science, dreams still remain mysterious. The study of dreams opens the door to a fascinating sphere of a complete and separate dimension of experience.
DREAMS are fascinating.....

Dark Pines Under Water

Gwendolyn MacEwen
From:   The Shadow-Maker. Toronto: Macmillan, 1972

This land like a mirror turns you inward
And you become a forest in a furtive lake;
The dark pines of your mind reach downward,
You dream in the green of your time,
Your memory is a row of sinking pines.

Explorer, you tell yourself, this is not what you came for
Although it is good here, and green;
You had meant to move with a kind of largeness,
You had planned a heavy grace, an anguished dream.

But the dark pines of your mind dip deeper
And you are sinking, sinking, sleeper
In an elementary world;
There is something down there and you want it told.

GREEK GODS AND GODDESSES is another very interesting for me topic. The ancient Greeks believed there were a great number of gods and goddesses. These gods had control over many different aspects of life on earth. In many ways they were human. They could be kind or mean, angry or pleasant, cruel or loving. They fell in love with each other, argued with each other and even stole from each other.

http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/greek-mythology.php?_gods-list
http://www.theoi.com/greek-mythology/greek-gods.html