Myth leaks into the Modern

Queen Elsa and Princess Anna in Frozen

I was preparing an entirely separate post regarding this, but I stumbled upon an idea that tickled my fancy more. In English 495, we were told to find a myth that had hidden itself in modern storytelling, with an emphasis on film and television. My Tumblr dashboard actually brought this modern parallel to my attention: the two sisters in Disney's newest animated film, Frozen, were said to reflect this generation's modern myth, the brothers Thor and Loki in Disney/Marvel's two films based on the comic book franchise. 

Thor and Loki are already myth retold, as myth regenerates for each new audience over time. The original Loki and Thor were part of the Norse pantheon, though they were not siblings like in the Marvel universe. Loki and Thor were often at odds with one another, Loki being the Western epitome of the Trickster figure in mythology.

Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth as Loki and Thor

In the Marvel age (now), Loki is Thor's adopted brother who, at the discovery of the adoption, loses a sense of identity while at the same time discovers his new scope of powers. He is the son of Frost Giants, with blue skin and ability to manipulate ice among other magical abilities. 

This ice ability and identity crisis are similar to the story that Disney Animation Studios decided to tell when they chose to adapt Hans Christian Andersen's beloved fairytale of "The Snow Queen." Like Marvel's Thor, Princess Anna tries multiple times to reconcile a tense relationship with ice-sister Queen Elsa.

In metaphor, it could be said that the ice-sibling represents the isolation of a suppressed identity. 

In Tumblr speak, this parallel calls for a fun costume change!

Art by Brianna Garcia

Revelations

I enjoyed today's Poetry Slam in English 495. I am thoroughly impressed by my classmates' skills with words. We found out that many of us regularly practice the craft of writing poetry, and even those who proclaimed to be amateur showed the most raw talent.

I am glad that the class as a whole took the assignment very seriously and found places within themselves to produce something more than shallow rhyme and rhythm. Jedi Jordan even brought a guitar to sing his lyrical parody poem as a song.

Lauren Bristol's "She Was There" poignantly struck my heart. The poem itself almost reads like a short story, were it not for the breaking off of phrases and the rhythmic meter. In her reading, I felt the most emotion as she read these lines:

          Tick.

          Tock.

          It was almost as if death was tapping his toe, saying

          I

          Am

          Wai-

          Ting.

          If you’re going to be here, hovering over her every breath,

          Don’t be a tool about it.

Maybe it's because this was literally me two months ago in the weeks before my father passed away. Ms. Bristol's choice to break syllables into their own lines to reflect the ticking of a clock was a very strong choice; it emphasizes the helpless battle to stop time, stop Death itself.

And, Lauren, girl, I feel you. Death's a douche.

I made the choice to not give commentary during the reading on the two poems I wrote. I feel like a well-written poem needs no explanation or should leave room enough for the reader to make the poem their own. I really hope that my words spoke for themselves.

I have No Words

I have no words for grief

I have some words for happy:
          Joyous
               Gay
                   Exuberant

But I have no words for...

I have some words for sing:
          Chant
               Trill
                    Croon

But I have no words...

I have some words for hunger
          Starved
               Empty
                     Cavernous

But I have none...
         I have nothing...
                     I am empty without you.

Sea and Shore

The breaker caresses the curve of the sandy shore
He swallows her whole then recedes, only to consume her again
Peaceful, they are together
Two shapes that fit the other
But he wears her away, gutting into her hollows
The oncoming storm