Monday, October 24, 2011

Ichabod Crane- Open to Interpretation....

The character of Ichabod Crane of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow differed in many ways from the original short story to the cinematic interpretation. Firstly, in the story he came to the Hollow to be a school teacher, whereas, in the movie he was simply a detective and the murders of the famed 'Headless Horseman' brought him to the small village. In the book he is depicted as a very exuberant fellow; he is affable and always singing. In the movie, however, he is brooding and dark and far less humourous. He is also described as a hard-worker, helping the farmers, who provide him with room and board, with tending to their crops and livestock. The movie interpretation of Ichabod Crane would do no such thing: he is a city-slicker terrified of even a mere spider. Now, some of the darkness we associate with the cinematic version of this quirky figure may be attributed to Tim Burton, who directed the film. Burton has a dark, sinister air that pervades through all of his work. Either way, the Ichabod Crane of the story and the Ichabod Crane of the film are decidedly very different characters, indeed.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Remarks on the Savages by Benjamin Franklin

In his essay, 'Remarks on the Savages', Benjamin Franklin highlights the extreme racism from the North American Settlers upon the Native Americans. He shows the settlers view of the Native Americans; they are viewed as primitive heathens. The world needs more people like Benjamin Franklin. People who are willing to open other's eyes to racism and cultural stigmas.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Go digital?

In this age of technological advancements, it was inevitable that commodities which had existed thousands of years before the first computer would become digitalized. Art is now created using computer software, and our books are being digitalized to be read on iPads. This is a travesty. There are few things better in the world than to slowly work your way through a novel, finally reaching the end and flipping that very last page. The digital age is corrupting the youth. Adolescents have constant stimulation from the technology around them, why pick up and struggle to read through an entire book? If the future generations are to learn the same focus, determination, and perseverance that their ancestors did, then they must learn to read books.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Welcome

"Life's pretty good, and why wouldn't it be, I'm a pirate after all."