We've met a lot of characters in Room. Some of them have been distinctively likable from the beginning, perhaps Dr. Clay for example. On the other hand, some have triggered a nerve the second they appeared, with Old Nick being the first character that comes to mind. Then, there are some where the line isn't initially so clear cut, such as in the case of Steppa.
When we were first introduced to Leo, Grandma's new partner and Jack's new Stepgrandpa, we didn't get the greatest first impression. As Jack describes in his own words on page 214, "He smells funny like smoke, his teeth are crookedy and his eyebrows go all ways."
Evidently, Leo (or Steppa according to Jack) isn't the most dashing individual out there. Ma doesn't seem to like Steppa terribly much either, saying that "he's nearly 70 and stinks of dope." Really need to invest in some deodorant or something, doesn't he? But getting back to the main point, the book does not paint Steppa as some kind of knight in shining armor. In fact, based off of the descriptions given, I was initially worried Steppa was going to be some kind of deadbeat who only sat at home mooching food and contributing nothing. However, there's the idiom that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and I think that idiom holds true in this situation.
As it turns out, Steppa gets along with Jack perfectly fine. Overall, he's just really chill. He and Jack bond over cooking utensils, legos, and "disgusting men stuff" like pulling off sunburnt skin. Steppa is perfectly willing to accept and interact with Jack, and when Jack starts throwing his fits, Steppa is also perfectly happy to wait out Jack's crying and hitting, and then move on with life afterwards. He looks out for Jack by teaching him things about modern world and also cautions Jack about playing with matches. On that note, he takes the friendliness/ buddy dynamic even further by not tattling on Jack about the matches to grandma. Not too bad, huh? I personally really like Steppa, cuz I see in his relationship with Jack a dynamic that I share with one of my older cousins, where I'll screw something up and he'll reprimand me but forget all about when my mother asks about it. Love the guy.
Even though the initial impressions weren't the greatest, I've definitely grown to like Steppa. He sure as hell does a better job with the whole "father-figure" thing than Jack's real grandfather, even though he never even wanted kids. Hopefully in the future when Ma sees how well Steppa and Jack get along, she can give him a bit more of that credit he deserves.
Apologies in advance for any weird formatting or spelling errors; I typed this exclusively on my phone lol. Best of luck on your finals!
Friday, December 16, 2016
Friday, December 2, 2016
The Enigma that is Old Nick
When we're first introduced to the riveting novel Room, there are initially three main characters: Ma, Jack, and Old Nick. Old Nick doesn't make an actual appearances early on, remaining more of a scary name or concept than a tangible person until page 35. There's an ominous Beep Beep on Door, a rush of cold air, and voila, a wild Old Nick appears. But even though he's now a legitimate character, how much do we actually even know about him?
Lets start from the top. First off, we don't even know his actual name. It might as well be Old Nick, but it's never established that his legal name is Nick. We later learn that Old Nick abducted Ma when she was only 19 years old. He ran up to Ma saying his "dog was having a fit and might be dying." It turned out to just be a trick to get Ma into his pickup truck. Old nick blindfolded Ma and took her away, and has kept her captive in Room for the last eight years. He now brings Ma and Jack food and material needs, making the bed "creak" with Ma most nights he comes around. He's said to have an "extra deep" voice, and from the dialogue we've had, he's also a really sarcastic/ cynical person when he's not busy losing his temper and beating Ma. We also learn that he has recently been laid off.
He's very cautious and borderline paranoid, but evidently very good with his hands and very calculating. When Ma is describing her past attempts to escape the Room, we see a lot of this. Originally, Room was just a "garden shed to begin with. Just a basic twelve-by-twelve, vinyl coated steel. But [Old Nick] added a sound-proofed skylight, and lots of insulating foam inside the walls, plus a layer of sheet lead, because lead kills all sound. Oh, and a security door with a code. He boasts about what a neat job he made of it." Old Nick seems to know exactly what he's doing, and has put in a lot of forethought into making this shed an actual prison. What particularly strikes me about his setup is the chain-link fence underground and all through the floors and roof. This is a serious operation, very clearly premeditated. The fact that he decides to brag to his victim about the room he designed makes Old Nick all the more despicable. He's portrayed as a very twisted man, with this perverse fantasy of kidnapping a woman and "keeping her safe" as what is basically a sex slave. Maybe he was hoping for a Stockholm syndrome kind of scenario.
In the end he's a despisable human being. But there's not much back story to him, and I personally would like to see some. Who is he in actuality? Did he choose to capture Ma, or did she simply have some really shitty luck? There was a study I once read that said that most kidnapping victims actually knew their captor, but who knows if that applies to this story? What got Old Nick to this kind of state in the first place? It takes a really sick person to even think about doing something as horrible as what is shown in Room, let alone execute it. Its clear to the reader that Old Nick isn't a character to sympathize with. He's a violent manipulative kidnapper and rapist. But I really do wonder: what made him like this? Alas, we're just going to have to wait and see if the story divulges this information.
Lets start from the top. First off, we don't even know his actual name. It might as well be Old Nick, but it's never established that his legal name is Nick. We later learn that Old Nick abducted Ma when she was only 19 years old. He ran up to Ma saying his "dog was having a fit and might be dying." It turned out to just be a trick to get Ma into his pickup truck. Old nick blindfolded Ma and took her away, and has kept her captive in Room for the last eight years. He now brings Ma and Jack food and material needs, making the bed "creak" with Ma most nights he comes around. He's said to have an "extra deep" voice, and from the dialogue we've had, he's also a really sarcastic/ cynical person when he's not busy losing his temper and beating Ma. We also learn that he has recently been laid off.
He's very cautious and borderline paranoid, but evidently very good with his hands and very calculating. When Ma is describing her past attempts to escape the Room, we see a lot of this. Originally, Room was just a "garden shed to begin with. Just a basic twelve-by-twelve, vinyl coated steel. But [Old Nick] added a sound-proofed skylight, and lots of insulating foam inside the walls, plus a layer of sheet lead, because lead kills all sound. Oh, and a security door with a code. He boasts about what a neat job he made of it." Old Nick seems to know exactly what he's doing, and has put in a lot of forethought into making this shed an actual prison. What particularly strikes me about his setup is the chain-link fence underground and all through the floors and roof. This is a serious operation, very clearly premeditated. The fact that he decides to brag to his victim about the room he designed makes Old Nick all the more despicable. He's portrayed as a very twisted man, with this perverse fantasy of kidnapping a woman and "keeping her safe" as what is basically a sex slave. Maybe he was hoping for a Stockholm syndrome kind of scenario.
In the end he's a despisable human being. But there's not much back story to him, and I personally would like to see some. Who is he in actuality? Did he choose to capture Ma, or did she simply have some really shitty luck? There was a study I once read that said that most kidnapping victims actually knew their captor, but who knows if that applies to this story? What got Old Nick to this kind of state in the first place? It takes a really sick person to even think about doing something as horrible as what is shown in Room, let alone execute it. Its clear to the reader that Old Nick isn't a character to sympathize with. He's a violent manipulative kidnapper and rapist. But I really do wonder: what made him like this? Alas, we're just going to have to wait and see if the story divulges this information.
Friday, November 11, 2016
Persepolis' Art and its Depiction of Violence
As a person who loves to draw, I’m really
fascinated by the art style of Persepolis.
It’s simplistic, sacrificing a lot details for a more abstract but at the
same time straightforward depiction of scenes. The art is relatively clean: no
fancy color schemes (actually about as far from that as you can get), not much
shading or texture. And yet, everything is distinct and bold enough that you
can distinguish different characters with relative ease. So how does this
artistic style translate over to something such as blood and gore?
In class we’ve already gone over
some of the “violent” imagery in Persepolis. Main thing that comes to mind
being the POW being tortured. Iron on the back, whipping, with the “highlight”,
though I hesitate to use that word, being the dismembered body of the poor
fellow. It’s a far cry from your Sunday Garfield comic. But at the same time, I’m
not sure if we can really call it graphic either in the realm of graphic novels.
Anyone who’s read the Walking Dead comics
or Marvel Zombies for example will
know what I’m getting at. That stuff
is almost infinitely more detailed in its carnage: full color guts and
everything, going into the nitty-gritty details of every drop of blood and
whatnot.
And yet, something about Persepolis’
simplicity actually seems to amplify the message of what the pictures are
trying to depict. It really cuts into the “fear” motif that the book is trying
to convey, almost like such a gruesome image can’t fully be comprehended by a
child as young as Marjane so her brain is trying its best to make an image to
fit. Since that portion of the story is coming from 10-year-old Marji, it would
be a little bit odd to be depicted a fully “fleshed out” mutilated body, pun actually
not intended. No, Marji just shows what almost looks like a yet to be assembled
mannequin, but the message and the undertone of gruesomeness gets across fine.
Interesting to note as a person who has always liked drawing every single
detail I see, maybe it’s more effective to take the simpler route sometimes.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Food of the Death Row and its Significance
"Do you like fruit, Jefferson?" [Grant] asked him. "I can pick up some fruit---and some pecans. Ice cream? Funny books? Things like that."
"I want me a whole gallona ice cream," he said, still looking out the window. I saw a slight smile come on his face, and it was not a bitter smile. Not bitter at all. "A whole gallona vanilla ice cream. Eat it with a pot spoon. My last supper. A whole gallona ice cream."
Now I don't like getting emotional at movies or books, but this scene, this scene really touched me. Something about the simplicity of the request and the happiness that Jefferson shows after he makes that request (a happiness we didn't seem to have access to before) really made this scene stand out for me. As it should, since this scene really does help show that progress is *finally* being made! Grant certainly sees it: "...it was not a bitter smile. Not bitter at all." Grant seems surprised by this, since only a few visits before Grant was talking about being exposed to Jefferson's "painful, cynical grin on his face."
Another important distinction between this scene and some of the previous ones is that he CARES ABOUT FOOD. Until now he's been very adamant about trying his best to eat nothing, and that's really significant cause food is a huge part of this community. There's a meme on the internet out there of grandmothers always trying to shove food down your throat to show their hospitality, and this story seems to agree with that meme. Tante Lou and Miss Emma are always trying to get Grant and Jefferson to eat their food, whether it be gumbo, pralines, or that good old fried chicken. The ladies also take much offense if Grant and Jefferson don't eat their food, and the boys know it. When Jefferson impersonates eating like a hog on page 83, Grant says himself that "I won't tell her what you did. She is already sick and that would kill her." Another instance of Jefferson's refusal of food is during his first visit in the dayroom, where Miss Emma tries to spoonfeed Jefferson some mustard greens and he doesn't open his mouth. This obviously devastated Miss Emma quite a bit seeing as that you could "see all the hurt on her face." But no, this time Jefferson does not turn his head to the sight of food. He doesn't day food is for "youmans" or kick food all over the floor when it's offered to him. This time, he earnestly seems to wants some nourishment. Food is a key part of this story, so Jefferson finally saying he wants that ice cream shows that he's finally come more to terms with his sentence and is opening up, arguably becoming more of a "man" because of it.
Besides the progress shown, there is also a part of me that's interested by seeing what the ideal meal of a death row inmate is. I think it's really well articulated in an interview between Giorgia Zardetto and photographer Henry Hargreaves. Henry had made a series called No Seconds, based on different last meals of famous/ infamous inmates. In the interview, Henry said that this process made it so he "began to imagine these prisoners as people and not just numbers." He continues to say that "Our culinary choices often say something about us that we sometimes cannot articulate easily." Something about Jefferson's choice to eat something as simple as vanilla ice cream really does show us a glimpse of his character in some ways. We could perhaps make the connection that he's a simple or straightforward person. After all, its a pretty stark contrast from some of the more extravagant death row meals out there.
For example, John Wayne Gacy, convicted of rape and 33 counts of murder, chose for his final meal to be 12 fried shrimp, a bucket of the original recipe KFC, french fries, and 1 pound of strawberries. Instead, Jefferson's choice is much, much closer to that of Timothy McVeigh, who after being charged with 168 counts of murder, chose for his final meal to be two pints of mint and chocolate chip ice cream. Nice and simple.
And yet, that still pales in comparison to the final meal of Victor Feguer. Convicted of kidnap and murder, he asked for his final meal to be a single olive with the pit still inside. His reasoning? He apparently believed that the olive might grow into an olive tree from inside his body, and hoped it would help make him a symbol of peace.
When someone is convicted to death row, it's really easy to distance ourselves and call them monsters. But its touching and at times heartbreaking to realize that these supposed "monsters" still have some humanity left in them. In the end they're still human. Perhaps horribly flawed humans, or possibly even wrongly convicted humans, but humans nonetheless. As Henry puts it, "I think it's a subject that people can relate to and are curious about. We all eat and we will all die."
Original article is right here incase you're curious: https://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/12-pictures-of-death-row-prisoners-last-meals?utm_term=.vq3j2ZaBx#.ngKZedOBo
"I want me a whole gallona ice cream," he said, still looking out the window. I saw a slight smile come on his face, and it was not a bitter smile. Not bitter at all. "A whole gallona vanilla ice cream. Eat it with a pot spoon. My last supper. A whole gallona ice cream."
Now I don't like getting emotional at movies or books, but this scene, this scene really touched me. Something about the simplicity of the request and the happiness that Jefferson shows after he makes that request (a happiness we didn't seem to have access to before) really made this scene stand out for me. As it should, since this scene really does help show that progress is *finally* being made! Grant certainly sees it: "...it was not a bitter smile. Not bitter at all." Grant seems surprised by this, since only a few visits before Grant was talking about being exposed to Jefferson's "painful, cynical grin on his face."
Another important distinction between this scene and some of the previous ones is that he CARES ABOUT FOOD. Until now he's been very adamant about trying his best to eat nothing, and that's really significant cause food is a huge part of this community. There's a meme on the internet out there of grandmothers always trying to shove food down your throat to show their hospitality, and this story seems to agree with that meme. Tante Lou and Miss Emma are always trying to get Grant and Jefferson to eat their food, whether it be gumbo, pralines, or that good old fried chicken. The ladies also take much offense if Grant and Jefferson don't eat their food, and the boys know it. When Jefferson impersonates eating like a hog on page 83, Grant says himself that "I won't tell her what you did. She is already sick and that would kill her." Another instance of Jefferson's refusal of food is during his first visit in the dayroom, where Miss Emma tries to spoonfeed Jefferson some mustard greens and he doesn't open his mouth. This obviously devastated Miss Emma quite a bit seeing as that you could "see all the hurt on her face." But no, this time Jefferson does not turn his head to the sight of food. He doesn't day food is for "youmans" or kick food all over the floor when it's offered to him. This time, he earnestly seems to wants some nourishment. Food is a key part of this story, so Jefferson finally saying he wants that ice cream shows that he's finally come more to terms with his sentence and is opening up, arguably becoming more of a "man" because of it.
Besides the progress shown, there is also a part of me that's interested by seeing what the ideal meal of a death row inmate is. I think it's really well articulated in an interview between Giorgia Zardetto and photographer Henry Hargreaves. Henry had made a series called No Seconds, based on different last meals of famous/ infamous inmates. In the interview, Henry said that this process made it so he "began to imagine these prisoners as people and not just numbers." He continues to say that "Our culinary choices often say something about us that we sometimes cannot articulate easily." Something about Jefferson's choice to eat something as simple as vanilla ice cream really does show us a glimpse of his character in some ways. We could perhaps make the connection that he's a simple or straightforward person. After all, its a pretty stark contrast from some of the more extravagant death row meals out there.
For example, John Wayne Gacy, convicted of rape and 33 counts of murder, chose for his final meal to be 12 fried shrimp, a bucket of the original recipe KFC, french fries, and 1 pound of strawberries. Instead, Jefferson's choice is much, much closer to that of Timothy McVeigh, who after being charged with 168 counts of murder, chose for his final meal to be two pints of mint and chocolate chip ice cream. Nice and simple.
And yet, that still pales in comparison to the final meal of Victor Feguer. Convicted of kidnap and murder, he asked for his final meal to be a single olive with the pit still inside. His reasoning? He apparently believed that the olive might grow into an olive tree from inside his body, and hoped it would help make him a symbol of peace.
When someone is convicted to death row, it's really easy to distance ourselves and call them monsters. But its touching and at times heartbreaking to realize that these supposed "monsters" still have some humanity left in them. In the end they're still human. Perhaps horribly flawed humans, or possibly even wrongly convicted humans, but humans nonetheless. As Henry puts it, "I think it's a subject that people can relate to and are curious about. We all eat and we will all die."
Original article is right here incase you're curious: https://www.buzzfeed.com/alanwhite/12-pictures-of-death-row-prisoners-last-meals?utm_term=.vq3j2ZaBx#.ngKZedOBo
Friday, October 14, 2016
Taming the Untamable and Childhood Nostalgia
While we were talking about Jewel's special relationship with his prized horse, I couldn't help but think back to a very old cartoon I watched when I was younger, called Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. It was made in 2002 by Dreamworks, and I absolutely loved it. Evidently I wasn't the only one to feel that way: it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and earned $122.6 million on a $80 million dollar budget. But enough of its achievements for now, back on why Spirit and As I lay Dying have some super similar scenes/ motifs.
So, the idea of "taming the beast" is a very classic action in a hero's journey. Sometimes it's relatively easy, but more often than not it's quite difficult. It can range from taming giant monsters or tending to fearsome/ unruly animals. Lots of examples come to mind: Owen Grady taming the pack of velociraptors in the most recent Jurassic Park, Belle teaching manners to the Beast in The Beauty and the Beast, or Hiccup taming Toothless in How to Tame your Dragon. In our particular cases however, the fearsome beast that's trying to be tamed is a little bit more down to Earth: the horse.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is an animated American western film that follows the adventures of a young mustang stallion living in the 19th century wild west. At this time, the U.S. army is fighting the indian wars and taking over the soon-to-be western united states. There's a lot of plot I could get into, but for the sake of not spoiling the movie in case you haven't seen it/ keeping things relevant to the taming of horses, I'll jump around. Spirit is captured by the U.S. army, who happen to be the antagonists in this movie, to be used in the U.S. calvary. "The Colonel", one of the head honchos of the calvary, tries to tame him but fails *miserably*, since Spirit is a very violent and very rebellious horse. Meanwhile, a Lakota Native American named Little Creek has also been captured and has been brought to the same calvary post as Spirit. A series of events occur, and with Little Creek's help, Spirit is able to escape the post with a bunch of other horses. Here's where the actual taming begins.
Back at the Lakota village, Little Creek first tries to tame Spirit with kindness. Spirit, being the fiercely independent soul he is, still refuses to be ridden. Little Creek tries a large variety of tactics: bribery with massive amounts of apples (which spirit loves), trickery with a fancy quilt, and even wooing Spirit with a mare. However, all of these tactics prove to be relatively useless and Spirit remains as rough and rowdy as ever, until through a series of very interesting events Spirit finally yields and allows Little Creek to ride him. These taming scenes feel astonishingly similar to Jewel and his horse; both horses are unruly and very untamed until much later on, forced through many unpleasant situations. Both of the tamers of these "beasts" have an affinity for animals, sometimes treating them even better than the humans around them. Overall I just think it's pretty neat to see such a similar kind of relationship in two completely different story arcs. Highly recommend watching Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron if you haven't seen it btw! It might be 14 years old now but I still really like it!
So, the idea of "taming the beast" is a very classic action in a hero's journey. Sometimes it's relatively easy, but more often than not it's quite difficult. It can range from taming giant monsters or tending to fearsome/ unruly animals. Lots of examples come to mind: Owen Grady taming the pack of velociraptors in the most recent Jurassic Park, Belle teaching manners to the Beast in The Beauty and the Beast, or Hiccup taming Toothless in How to Tame your Dragon. In our particular cases however, the fearsome beast that's trying to be tamed is a little bit more down to Earth: the horse.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is an animated American western film that follows the adventures of a young mustang stallion living in the 19th century wild west. At this time, the U.S. army is fighting the indian wars and taking over the soon-to-be western united states. There's a lot of plot I could get into, but for the sake of not spoiling the movie in case you haven't seen it/ keeping things relevant to the taming of horses, I'll jump around. Spirit is captured by the U.S. army, who happen to be the antagonists in this movie, to be used in the U.S. calvary. "The Colonel", one of the head honchos of the calvary, tries to tame him but fails *miserably*, since Spirit is a very violent and very rebellious horse. Meanwhile, a Lakota Native American named Little Creek has also been captured and has been brought to the same calvary post as Spirit. A series of events occur, and with Little Creek's help, Spirit is able to escape the post with a bunch of other horses. Here's where the actual taming begins.
Back at the Lakota village, Little Creek first tries to tame Spirit with kindness. Spirit, being the fiercely independent soul he is, still refuses to be ridden. Little Creek tries a large variety of tactics: bribery with massive amounts of apples (which spirit loves), trickery with a fancy quilt, and even wooing Spirit with a mare. However, all of these tactics prove to be relatively useless and Spirit remains as rough and rowdy as ever, until through a series of very interesting events Spirit finally yields and allows Little Creek to ride him. These taming scenes feel astonishingly similar to Jewel and his horse; both horses are unruly and very untamed until much later on, forced through many unpleasant situations. Both of the tamers of these "beasts" have an affinity for animals, sometimes treating them even better than the humans around them. Overall I just think it's pretty neat to see such a similar kind of relationship in two completely different story arcs. Highly recommend watching Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron if you haven't seen it btw! It might be 14 years old now but I still really like it!
Friday, September 30, 2016
"Well, I wasn't usin' it!"
The Coenn Brothers' O' Brother, Where Art Thou? had a lot of really comical scenes and quotes. "We thought you was a toad!", "Cows! I hate cows more than coppers!", and "The color guard is colored!" all come to mind. But my personal favorite? The conversation that takes place after the group picks up Tommy from the crossroads. Let's look at the exact exchange in all of its glory:
Tommy: I had to be up at that there crossroads last midnight, to sell my soul to the devil.
Everett: Well, ain't it a small world, spiritually speaking. Pete and Delmar just been baptized and saved. I guess I'm the only one that remains unaffiliated.
Everett: Well, ain't it a small world, spiritually speaking. Pete and Delmar just been baptized and saved. I guess I'm the only one that remains unaffiliated.
Delmar: This ain't no laughing matter, Everett.
Everett: What'd the devil give you for your soul, Tommy?
Tommy: Well, he taught me to play this here guitar real good.
Delmar: Oh son, for that you sold your everlasting soul?
Tommy Well, I wasn't usin' it!
Tommy: Well, he taught me to play this here guitar real good.
Delmar: Oh son, for that you sold your everlasting soul?
Tommy Well, I wasn't usin' it!
(Clip is right here for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgcWfVvT_UM)
That last line is golden comedy to me. But under closer scrutiny, Tommy's decision to make a pact with the devil is pretty dark. Would you consider it worth to trade your soul for something temporary like fame or power? In fact, what does happen to Tommy in the end?
In case you guys don't already know, Tommy is based on a couple of blues singers, Robert and Tommy Johnson, who are rumored to have also sold their soul to the devil for really good guitar skills back in the early 1900's. They certainly aren't the first people who have made such a bargain with Satan. Pacts with the devil have been a pretty key cultural motif in a lot of Christian folktales. Throughout history, some painters, war generals, doctors, and even priests have all been apparent victims of the devil's wiliness. Most of the time these people meet moralizing ends, with the person making the pact facing eternal damnation and all that jazz. But sometimes, the adventurer ends up out smarting the devil at his own games, often on a technicality.
At first, it looked like Tommy fell within the first category. When he's about to be lynched by the KKK, he says himself that "I don't think nothin' is gonna save me now. The Devil's come to collect his due." He's now gonna suffer from eternal damnation and burn in hell for the rest of time, right? Well, not exactly. Through the aid of Everett, Delmar, and Pete, he manages to escape with the boys. Later on he plays guitar with the squad at the Stokes Gala Dinner, and finds what we all thought was Penny's lost ring in a rolltop desk he was floating on during the flood. Pretty standard stuff, no real hint at eternal damnation. In fact, he seems to get away pretty clean at the end of the movie. So who knows? Maybe the devil is lenient on his trade deals sometimes. And even if the devil does collect his due at a later date, it shouldn't matter too much right? After all, Tommy "wasn't usin' it!"
Friday, September 16, 2016
Poseidon, who seems to need a bib
Okay, so Poseidon and Odysseus. They have some history, I get it. Firstly, Poseidon supported the Trojans in the Trojan war while Odysseus was a part of the Greek forces who fought and defeated the Trojans. And more importantly, Odysseus blinded Polyphemus, Poseidon's cyclops son. The story goes that Odysseus and his men get stuck on Polyphemus' island, and after a few days of getting snacked on by the cyclops who happens to live there, Odysseus and all of his genius *tm* comes up with the plan to hide under the cyclops' sheep to secretly go into Polyphemus' lair. They do get in, they promptly blind him, and Odysseus tells the Cyclops that his name was "Nobody", so when Polyphemus went to his other cyclops buddies and they asked what happened to him he would say "Nobody blinded me!" But, before Odysseus actually leave the island for good, he can't help but brag to the cyclops. He taunts Polyphemus and tells him his real name so that Polyphemus will forever know who tricked him. Polyphemus then prays to Poseidon that either 1) Odysseus and his men get smited to oblivion, or 2) Poseidon makes their journey miserable. The second option is chosen.
Now, these are some pretty valid reasons to hold a grudge on someone. I think it's pretty damn reasonable to get pissed off when someone blinds your son. But Poseidon takes it to another level. He acts like a cross between a pouty crybaby and a cranky curmudgeon screaming at kids to "GET OFF MY LAWN"!. Except in this case, the lawn is the big blue scene. And the kids are Odysseus and his crew. but thats besides the point, shouldn't a god like him, one of the original "Big Three" gods with all of his earthshaking power have something better to do thank dick around trying to make Odysseus' life miserable? He's just some forever angry grudge holder who didn't seem to get enough hugs as a kid. In some ways his personality reflects the sea itself: somedays the waters will be calm, and other times the waves shall churn the ocean.
He forces Odysseus to wander the seas for just about 20 years. 20 years! Overkill much? Its cool you're trying to be a protective dad, but with all due respect your son *was* eating Odysseus' men. Odysseus has a kid too, ever think about that? Plus, his plan to make Odysseus' life harder just ended up giving Odysseus one of the greatest adventures known to man! Moral of the story kids, don't be an old fart!
Now, these are some pretty valid reasons to hold a grudge on someone. I think it's pretty damn reasonable to get pissed off when someone blinds your son. But Poseidon takes it to another level. He acts like a cross between a pouty crybaby and a cranky curmudgeon screaming at kids to "GET OFF MY LAWN"!. Except in this case, the lawn is the big blue scene. And the kids are Odysseus and his crew. but thats besides the point, shouldn't a god like him, one of the original "Big Three" gods with all of his earthshaking power have something better to do thank dick around trying to make Odysseus' life miserable? He's just some forever angry grudge holder who didn't seem to get enough hugs as a kid. In some ways his personality reflects the sea itself: somedays the waters will be calm, and other times the waves shall churn the ocean.
He forces Odysseus to wander the seas for just about 20 years. 20 years! Overkill much? Its cool you're trying to be a protective dad, but with all due respect your son *was* eating Odysseus' men. Odysseus has a kid too, ever think about that? Plus, his plan to make Odysseus' life harder just ended up giving Odysseus one of the greatest adventures known to man! Moral of the story kids, don't be an old fart!
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