Jane Eyre

This film adaptation of Jane Eyre was quite amazing if I may say so myself. I thought that the characters cast were spot on especially Jane because the actress was plain yet not so simple there was an underlying layer that was quite intriguing, that is how I pictured Jane myself. Rochester was handsome but still had strong features that may not have been attractive to everyone but I myself rather liked him. Mrs. Reed and her children were just as I could imagine an air about them that made me dislike them but happy it was just a book and happy that they truly did not exist. Lowood and Thornfield were hard to imagine in my mind but going back through the text I guess that the film's depiction was rather good. Rochester's wife wasn't as scary as I thought she would be but looked the part of a lunatic locked away for a decade. I am about to finish the book and am to the part about the Rivers and how they are long lost cousins but am finding slight differences between the text and the film but all is to be expected.

Robinson Crusoe a changed man?

In the the novel Robinson Crusoe the main character Robinson Crusoe goes through trials on good, bad, and uncertainty which land him upon a deserted island which changes his view of life and opinion for the better.

"I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, though not of that country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen who settled first at Hull. He got a good estate by merchandise and, leaving off his trade, lived afterward at York, from whence he had married my mother whose relations were named Robinson, a very good family in that country, and from whom I was called Robinson Kreutznaer; but by the usual corruption of words in England we are called, nay, we call ourselves, and write our name “Crusoe,” and so my companions always called me" Crusoe introduces himself and his parents with no seeming attachment this shows what kind of cruel and detached person Crusoe and in my opinion he has nowhere to go but up in his selfish and demeaning behavior

"But no sooner were my eyes open, but I saw my Poll sitting on top of the hedge; and immediately knew that it was he that spoke to me; for just in such bemoaning language I had used to talk to him, and teach him; and he learned it so perfectly that he would sit upon my finger and lay his bill close to my face, and cry, “Poor Robin Crusoe! Where are you? Where have you been? How come you here?” and such things as I had taught him" Feels a bit sad when returning home from his near fatal canoe trip and the only one to greet him is a parrot. He longs for companionship and I believe that he starts to not take somethings for granted, I believe this is another turning in his journey.

"O drug!” said I aloud, “what art thou good for? Thou art not worth to me, no, not the taking off of the ground; one of those knives is worth all this heap; I have no manner of use for thee; e’en remain where thou art and go to the bottom as a creature whose life is not worth saving." This is when Crusoe realizes that gold is worthless since he is on a deserted island and the things that seemed so important don't matter any longer, he is becoming less materialistic.

"My island was now peopled, and I thought myself very rich in subjects; and it was a merry reflection, which I frequently made, how like a king I looked. First of all, the whole country was my own mere property, Baso that I had an undoubted right of dominion. Secondly, my people were perfectly subjected. I was absolute lord and lawgiver, they all owed their lives to me, and were ready to lay down their lives, if there had been occasion of it, for me." When you think that Crusoe is a changed man and being on this island has changed him but he still has the knack to take ownership over things and people like Xury and Friday.

"I might well say now indeed, that the latter end of Job was better than the beginning. It is impossible to express here the flutterings of my very heart when I looked over these letters, and especially when I found all my wealth about me; for as the Brazil ships come all in fleets, the same ships which brought my letters brought my goods" Crusoe seems to think that the stint that he spent on the island improved his standing in Christianity or God because he took time out to repent and think about his life and in doing so good started to come his way.

Cannibalism

Cannibalism can result in many forms but its general description is one that eats its own species. It is said that Neanderthals were the first to practice cannibalism and it occurred in Europe, South America, North America, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, New Guinea, and Fiji. Besides cannibalism being excepted as a social norm it has also occurred in fits of insanity, and extreme instances of famine. There are two types of cannibalism: endocannibalism and exocannibalism. Endocannibalism is when the members of the deceased family member eat the flesh of the dead in order to gain certain attributes of the deceased, attain the soul of the deceased, and to ensure that the soul has left the body. Exocannibalism happens within the community and the deceased body is usually eaten fresh and the most popular part the heart. This is similar to endocannibalism because both are to acquire certain attributes of the deceased.

Most recent accounts of cannibalism have been:

• 1940's in Soviet Prisons
  
• 1960-1970's wars in South Asia
• 1970 during the Second Congo War
  
• 1996 famine in North Korea
• 2001 man answered ad to be slaughtered and eaten and actually was in Germany
  
• 2006 child raised for ritual sacrifice was saved in Indonesia
  
• 2007 artist used fat from liposuction in pasta during dinner party in Denmark
• 2007 man killed 5 year old and uncle and ate them along with over 20 cats (insanity) in Siberia
  
• 2008 children being murdered and having their hearts eaten in Liberia
  

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

I don't know if it's just me but this poem has got me a little stumped. I try to see the symbolism with the albatross and the guests being held up on their way to wedding but I cannot find any. So in any case I choose to discuss the significance of the albatross. In this poem the mariner decides to kill the albatross following behind the ship because it caused the fog that followed the ship but in turn lead them out of the icy maze in which they were entrapped. (a strange way to show thanks but in turn maybe the albatross was causing the fog for reason but it was all lost now) After the albatross was killed the fog dissipated and the water dried up and there were death fires burning white, blue, and green outside of the ship. There were creatures from the sea that came out of the water and walked upon it and the winds die down. As a punishment the sailors make the mariner wear the corpse of the albatross around his neck (when they killed the albatross they kept its body?). I try to find the signifigance of the bird but the only thing I found out from research is that sailors actually used to kill and eat albatrosses at sea. This birds were supposed to provide safe passage and good travels which leads me to believe that the fog was not such a bad thing in this poem. Being led into the dark is the only way to see the light sometimes. If the plan of albatross was actually followed maybe the sailors would've survived and the mariner would not be there to stop the guests on their way to the wedding in the first place.

Then there was ship that housed death and the life of death that came aboard the vessel and killed each of the sailors aboard but left the mariner alive. He was unable to die for seven days and nights going without food and water but only the stares of his dead crew which cause him to keep his eyes shut for the entire seven days. Then he finally cut the albatross from his neck and the tables turned for the better when the souls were released from the 200 sailors aboard and he finally found his way back to shore the only down side was that the glitter in his eyes is from the 200 sailors glares. The albatross in the poem is very...special I should say. I don't think that there were any mapped out coincidence in this poem but the good of the albatross shone through even after its death it just wanted to be laid to rest in peace. This noble sea bird is quite commendable.