How does your view of the main character change throughout the course of this film?

I definitely feel like the main character changed through out the film. The mother started out by what seemed to be just a normal mother, at least what my perception is. (My mother is extremely overprotective). She always told him never to hang out with the local town boy because he was so disobedient and she did as much as she could to make sure her and her son stayed a float. She sold medicinal herbs in the Korean market place and did (unlicensed) acupuncture on the side.

When her son, Do-joon was walking home he followed a girl who later called him a “retard”. He was always prone to attack people who belittled him because of his special needs due to his mother instilling his in him. Afterwards, the police found the body of the girl overlooking the entire town and conducted an investigation. Because Do-joon’s lawyer wasn’t accountable and the police were fine with the evidence they did have, they arrested him. Mother, like any other mother (I believe still) was totally unconvinced that her son could do such a thing. I know as a mother, without solid proof, no one is going to arrest my child and tell me he murdered someone and I let that go easily, even if my son had violent outbursts. And you can say what you want, but when a mother looks at her child, it’s hard to look at him or her as anything other than the love of your life.

So, with that being said, after the case was closed she took things into her own hands to find the real murderer. I know a lot of people…think she is still crazy here. And maybe she is. But I think she is just going to the extra mile because her son is all she has. We don’t know the mother’s back story of why she is how she is. We just have to take into account…what Korea was like for women…what she went through before and after having her special needs son. I feel like the movie really left that out. She goes to a junkyard where she finds a man who claims to have seen her son attack the girl. Of course, she still doesn’t want to believe him. But at this point, I start to think…what does this guy have to lose? Why would he lie? He doesn’t get anything from it…so maybe he is telling the truth. Yet, she still does not want to hear it. Then we really get to see…maybe she is crazy, when her son has a memory where she tried to kill both of them with poison when he was five. This is where I start to feel like, “Okay, there is definitely something wrong with her.”

She kills the man and burns down the junkyard, the tin drops from her pocket. We’ll discuss that in a second though. She slowly starts to progress and change into this person that wasn’t present at the beginning of the movie. Do-joon confides in her that he left the body overlooking the city because he wanted the people to see her so someone could give her medical attention. Now she is aware her son actually did it. She has been through a lot and earned her spot on the list of crazy. She is pictured on a bus, giving herself acupuncture to forget everything that has happened. And I guess it must have worked, because she started dancing. But I feel still…empty…like something was never right to start with in this film.

What does this movie say about its the themes of motherhood and justice?

I feel like in order to be a good mother, you have to be willing to go to the ends of the earth for your children, as long as they are innocent. And even when they are not, you still should be their backbone while they are serving their punishment. In this case, Mother was just trying to be there for her son. She had previously wronged him times before ( trying to poison him ) and now she is seeking justice for herself, to free him which in turn will get him justice from the legal system, provided he is innocent. Mothers are always trying to take care of their children, when they get sick we say, “If I could take this from you, I would,” when they get in ttrouble at school for talking (maybe the first couple times) we say, “Don’t do it again, ma’am he didn’t mean it”. We always want justice because they are our flesh. But eventually, there has to be a breaking point where a mother can not and should not absorb the punishments for the child because they will never learn. If the dog continues on peeing in the house and nothing ever happens because of it…he will continue to pee in the house. But the Mother , as I said above has to have a story we don’t know and she is hurt…just trying to find her way and be happy.

And what do you think the mother’s small tin of acupuncture needles symbolizes?

I think that the mother’s small tin of acupuncture needles symbolizes the passing of the forgetfulness. The mother had lost this and was given back with the words “You should be more careful” or something to that effect. After her son had confided in her, she was hurt. Could you imagine that after you went through hell to prove your son was innocent and you looked in your baby’s face, he said..”I did it”? What kind of emotion would you feel? Wouldn’t you want to just forget that ever happened? Can you imagine the amount of emotional stress Mother has been through? I picture her being ridiculed as a single mother, maybe abused and left by her son’s father all alone. That has to be stressful. My sister is a single parent with two kids but I know raising a special needs child has to be tiring within itself some days. I feel like the tin also represented the Mother’s freedom from all of these things. She has endured so much pain her life and now, the only person she had left … this happened. She needed an escape route, and those needles were it. So she pinned herself…she forgot and she danced.

1. Is Felicite a saint or a simple-minded servant? Or is she both? Or is she neither? Outline your perspective of her character as compared to Mme. Aubain’s. How do they differ?

Both of these ladies loved everything. They loved the way they thought love was supposed to happen. One loved from a realistic point of view and didn’t let love stand in the way of what she thought was correct and one loved from a point of view of a child…she loved everything.

Felicite was in a sense a saint, as I could see how her purity could route her that way. But I could also see how one could categorize her as just being simple minded. I mean she after so many disappointments, turned her love to a parrot of all things. Not that birds should not be loved…but still. She endured losing her parents at a young age, being accused and then beaten even though she did not do it. She then loved a man named Theodore, who left her too ! For an older woman who had lots of money. But still she kept being her normal self, still a kind-hearted servant, but still simple minded. She made no changes to her life even after several losses, almost like she was shell-shocked, still trying to reach for things that were never really there. Like the love of a parrot. But I don’t think personally, Felicite was simple-minded at all just because she had no education, I think she was just loving, period.

Mme. Aubain was a lady but so many definitions. She was a widow after her husband died and she lost a lot of her wealth with him. But unlike Felicite, she did not continue to reach for things that were not there. She got rid of the large house and downgraded to the town home. She sent her children away to school, despite the feelings she had. I know I would have kept the children, like I believe Felicite would have because it would have been the only memories I had from the late husband.

2. How are women imagined and characterized in the poems you read? What attitude is implied? Is it dual or contradictory? Does Baudelaire give similar weight to the description of men? What definitions of womanliness are depicted, affirmed, or criticized in his work?

Baudelaire’s description of woman almost reminds me of the description of a siren in the other writings. A beautiful woman out to do no good. I also find it very abrasive and really dark the way he writes about women that he does not write about men. He basically said men are great and could be greater if it was not for the epitome of sin, being women. He says women are great, their physical beauty amazing but they are worthless and nothing but temptation. I would actually prefer never to read his work ever again.

3. How are Chidam and Chandara distinct from Rama and Sita?

Rama and Sita are the definition of Dharma, they lived to serve something greater than themselves and they always acted upon what they thought was right for the bigger picture. Chidam and Chandara only acted for themselves. They were never concerned about what they would do to other people, they only wanted what could get them what they wanted at that time. So Chidam lied and Chandara was jsut trying to teach him a lesson. Go figure, you died…that really will teach him! I think that the way his   personality was set up is that he will just find another wife anyway.

4. Pick a Yeat’s poem and discuss what it communicates to you and why.

I am choosing to the poem by Yeat’s called, “When You Are Old”, I am choosing to do this poem because it talks of an experience I almost missed out on. Yeats was in love with a a rich actress named Maud Gonne, an actress among other things but she shot him down time after time. She grew old and he was trying to tell her, think about the people that loved you when you were fabulous and feel bad because you didn’t take those people with you. Look at a book, or in my case a year book, and realize that I loved you and will continue to love you. My husband now, loved me since 11th grade and 8 years later I am glad   I didn’t pull a Maud Gonne on him and chose to love him. So he better love me when I am old and gray…or else.

1. Is Tartuffe in fact anti-religious, or does it only attack corruptions of religion?

I do not think that Tartuffe was anti-religious by any means, but only does the job it was intended for, being for satirical component of what was actually going on at that time. It attacks what was such a serious issue at that time because no one questioned it .They just did what was told during that new religious movement, hoping they could buy their way in to heaven.

His physical appearance is that of a religious one so people say, “Oh, he must be telling the truth,” then he he tells people, “Oh, I have the key to heaven…but I require money,” and people throw riches at him. If no one questions this new form of looking at worship and religion than he is just another person taking advantage of people’s ignorance.

The people gave him money dollar after dollar and some of the doubters even said, ” Don’t do it” but no one listened. Once Tartruffe was found about his lust for Orgon’s wife instead of his daughter all of his secrets came out of the closet. I actually know quite a bit of churches that I question what goes on when they seek out tithes and offerings. I actually pass a large church every day, questioning their motives. Surely, a bigger church cannot get me into heaven quicker…so what goes on here? I think this is just what Tartruffe was trying to point out in his play.

2. In what respects is Hugo’s Satan a heroic figure? How does Hugo’s account differ from Dante’s?

Let me just say, these two are two completely different depictions of Satan, however I think they exist in a time line. Also, I think that Satan could exist as a heroic figure by Hugo because he was someone who tested boundaries and let’s face it, if he wants to be the ultimate bad guy, then let him take the place of it. As far as I am concerned, if he wants to take that place in Hell, no one else has to…so good riddance.

Anyhow, Hugo’s Satan is just like you and I, a person, who has the choices on an everyday basis for his actions just as we do. To choose good or to choose bad, kind of like the little red devil and the angel on your shoulder type thing. I earlier stated that the two depictions of the characters were like a timeline, with Hugo’s coming first showing how Satan grew to be that monster with wings stuck in   ice in the last circle of Hell that Dante depicted. Satan made some bad choices, like a rebel and he went against God and chose not to repent so therefore he was sent to Hell where he would become Dante’s Satan. Now, Satan chose not to repent and even led to us thinking he was not one little bit sorry for his actions. But knowing he was once just as human as us, how long could he remain his true self down in the underworld under those conditions? Leading him to become Dante’s Satan.

3. Discuss and compare the images in any two poems assigned for this week.

I am choosing to compare the poems by Giacomo Leopardi, “To Silvia” and ” The Village Saturday”. I am choosing to compare the ideas rather than what actually happens in the poem. I feel like Leopardi’s work happens when he is trying to live vicariously thorough other people. Almost like, he feels his own youth has slept away. He wishes to be young again and in all of his poems there’s this almost sullen feeling being given off. In “The Village Saturday” Leopardi talks about a young women bringing home flowers so that they may be put in her french braids and on the chest of her dress to make her look pretty. Then he talks about an older woman watching the actions, remembering when she was young like her and loved to dance. The poem ends with a playful boy…also young. In “To Silvia” he mentions “youth” excessively as well as asking, “Is this the human’s fate”. Leopardi seems to come into his writing person when he imagines himself young again or the things that remind him of when he was a young boy.

Which I can see this being something everyone can relate to. Because even at the age I am…I still love doing things even with my own son, that reminds me of when I was a child. It is almost like a keepsake and it can make a person both happy and sad and that I believe is where his ideas from a lot of his poetry came from.

1. How are we to understand Shahrayar’s madness? Does it make sense to you? That is, are male egos in macho societies that frail, or is his a special case?

I would not say that male egos in this type of society are frail. But at the same time, they are not…not frail. The way the female and male relationship is set up is how it has always been based on   religion and culture. The King I am sure treated his woman like a princess until, he found her “lying in the arms of one of the kitchen boys…his world turned black’. He went to go seek relief in his brother just to see his brother’s wife cheating. Then they go on a journey and meet this demon’s woman in a chest in the middle of nowhere collecting rings and cheating on the demon!

Shahrayar’s case is not at all special, over the top on his actions he decided to carry out to seek out justification. But think about it like this, if you were cheated on…seen no relationships that worked out faithfully ever in life, would you be skeptical of any ever working out? Shahrayar then decided to sleep with a different woman every night and then kill her. Not that I agree with that, but he would never have to worry about trusting in another woman or having her betray him ever again. I don’t think he was trying to regain his pride or anything, I think he was just a hurt little boy trying to (excessively) make a point.

And to be honest, there are several news stories that we see homicide cases because of cheating significant others…it doesn’t really stray too far from the norm even of today’s relationships.

2. Both the vizier and his daughter, Shahrazad, tell tales that surround their human characters with important animals, but the animals play different roles in the imaginative worlds of father and daughter. Compare and contrast the powers attributed to the animal world in The Tale of the Ox and the Donkey and The Tale of the Merchant and His Wife with those described in The Story of the Merchant and the Demon. How may these differences reflect the contrasting visions of gender relations so central to The Thousand and One Nights?

3. Do you believe the penalties suffered are appropriate to the sins committed in Dante’s Inferno? Why or why not?

The first circle of Hell was for the people who did not worship Christ or did not worship correctly. They just live in limbo, but a lot of these people are people who lived in the times before Christ. I don’t see that as fair. How do you worship what has not happened?

Second circle is those of lust. They are being blown back and forth by winds so they are never to rest. This signifies that they are so restless chasing the wants of the flesh. I actually think this is fair and a slightly clever idea.

The third circle of Hell is for the gluttons, being overlooked by a worm-monster and unable to move by the laying in a slush of ice. I don’t know how I really feel about this, I think it is supposed to symbolize that the persons laying there are looking out amongst the others laying down and they feel the selfishness intensify that they had not felt before. I have no real opinion on this one.

The fourth circle is greed. Here people are seen pushing large rocks with their chests non-stop symbolizing their need during their life to keep pushing towards worldly possessions. I just see that like a jail-bird kind of thing, I guess they are sentenced to work the rest of their life.

The fifth cycle are where the wrathful are fighting each other. I don’t think that needs explaining. I agree here.

The sixth cycle is heresy — condemned to flaming tombs.

The seventh circle are for people like murderers. There are three rings, one is being chased by dogs, one turned into trees and bushes and being fed upon and the last one in a desert of burning sand. I like that idea for murderers but I don’t understand why they aren’t in the last ring.

The eighth circle is Fraud with a flying monster of different attitudes. Pretty much after murderers, I disagree that anything could be worse. Especially fraud I don’t see why that would be in a more inner circle than murder.

The ninth circle is treachery with the inhabitants frozen in an icy lake according to depth and the seriousness of the sin. They are frozen! Are they alive ? Or they feeling the icy fire on their skin? And why is this still past murder? I disagree with this one as well.