This was a day to sleep: damp, chilly, and gray. And sleep I did. "8:22," read the clock on my cell phone, when I unearthed it from the piles on my desk. I never sleep so late. After chapel, I had all good intentions of doing Homework, but after a chapter in Alcott's A Long Fatal Love Chase, I laid down, and promptly fell asleep. Naps are a good thing. I feel marvelous. After church tonight, I must postpone bedtime until I put the finishing touches on my comparison paper for Comp I, due tommorrow: Our Cup of Tea: Tradition, Trend, and Diversity Among Millennials.
Dr. Head gave me a 100% and a "Wow!" on my reflective essay. Totally unexpected.
This week, I have to analyze the dramatic structure of Phantom of the Opera, which shouldn't be difficult. Not as difficult as the actual plot has been for me to come to grips with. I like to compare works of art and literature with the grandest story ever told, that of man's atonement in Christ. Watching the Phantom, I think he is representative of Satan. "Lot 666" in the auction scene, "The devil as a child," even "the Angel of Music" seem to confirm this suspicion. Can the opera house and its occupants represent the world? Can Christine and Raoul's relationship reflect that of the church and Christ? If Raoul were a true Christ figure, he would be successful in his attempts to free Christine from the Phantom's influence. But he isn't. How do we interpret Christine's "redemption" of the Phantom? Does it work? Christine's tearing off the mask symbolizes her desire to see beyond the Phantom's deformity, into his soul. She embraces the good in him. Her acceptance frees him to some extent. Yet, the ending makes me think that even though Raoul and Christine are together, the Phantom still possesses Christine in some mysterious way. The ending definitely works in the context of the film, but in a larger sense?That is what I find so disturbing; it doesn't.
Thursday, I have to give a persuasive speech about a charity. I'd like to do something about an organization that helps women developoccupational skills in developing countries. The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund is one such organization: http://www.thegildersleeve.org/projectgrants/p_projects_view.asp?year_lookup=2006.
Dr. Head gave me a 100% and a "Wow!" on my reflective essay. Totally unexpected.
This week, I have to analyze the dramatic structure of Phantom of the Opera, which shouldn't be difficult. Not as difficult as the actual plot has been for me to come to grips with. I like to compare works of art and literature with the grandest story ever told, that of man's atonement in Christ. Watching the Phantom, I think he is representative of Satan. "Lot 666" in the auction scene, "The devil as a child," even "the Angel of Music" seem to confirm this suspicion. Can the opera house and its occupants represent the world? Can Christine and Raoul's relationship reflect that of the church and Christ? If Raoul were a true Christ figure, he would be successful in his attempts to free Christine from the Phantom's influence. But he isn't. How do we interpret Christine's "redemption" of the Phantom? Does it work? Christine's tearing off the mask symbolizes her desire to see beyond the Phantom's deformity, into his soul. She embraces the good in him. Her acceptance frees him to some extent. Yet, the ending makes me think that even though Raoul and Christine are together, the Phantom still possesses Christine in some mysterious way. The ending definitely works in the context of the film, but in a larger sense?That is what I find so disturbing; it doesn't.
Thursday, I have to give a persuasive speech about a charity. I'd like to do something about an organization that helps women developoccupational skills in developing countries. The Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund is one such organization: http://www.thegildersleeve.org/projectgrants/p_projects_view.asp?year_lookup=2006.
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