Blog Entry #10 Final Research Paper

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Domenick D’Angelo

Professor Smith

ENG 102

Stardust Research Paper

Love, this four letter word that conveys such emotion and drives people to insanity. Is it merely just one emotion or is it motivation to go beyond what people think they’re capable of? In the film Stardust the story of Tristan, a boy who isn’t the most wealthiest head over heels for a woman name Victoria whom has her eye on someone else and thinks of Tristan as barely a friend. After attempts for Victoria’s heart, Tristan is trying to think out of the box to win her over a neighborhood rival. Victoria informs Tristan that his rival is on an journey to bring a ring to Victoria from a far away land, proposes that if Tristan is able to bring her a star she will wed him. Tristan embarks on an insane journey to a forbidden part of town in hopes to get a star for his beloved Victoria. Tristan’s journey suddenly changes when the star he was so desperate to find is in a human form called Yvaine and she is beautiful. His journey becomes their journey; evil witches are on a look for Yvaine because a star can grant them immortality. During an insane of a chase and fight, Tristan realizes love is something unconditional one can’t do one task and suddenly another loves them. He realizes he just had a crush on Victoria, and in the end Yvaine and him marry. Love conquers all, and love makes people do crazy things. Throughout the

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entire film you see many interesting characters that happen to follow archetypes from the Pearson system.

According to the Pearson System of archetypes, Tristan would follow the archetype of the lover. Someone who loves unconditional and someone whose love knows know limits. Despite love being infamous for leaving people with stress and even at times a broken heart, Tristan fights through extremes for something he truly believes in. According to a poet from England, Lord Alfred Tennyson who once said, "It is better to have loved and lost than never to have love at all." I feel as if Tristan fully believes in that, knowing that love can make one feel things that aren’t too desirable its worth it in the end because one put themselves out their for something so precious.

Yvaine would follow the archetype of the innocent. For many years Yvaine has looked over Earth and see humans and all their infamous human emotions and she admires the lengths people go for love. Whether its parental, friendship or romance love is still love and love is powerful. Yvaine follows the innocent, because she’s a bit naive, spontaneous and definitely up for an adventure as she did when she met Tristan. Yavine is an innocent soul, with no evil thoughts or any clue what it means to be human. But the journey although at first she was being captive open to her eyes to things she just couldn’t see being a star a million miles away from humans. That although humans are notorious for destroying everything, their capacity to love can make them do things that would amaze themselves if they dove in without a second thought. Adventure especially to

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someone like Yvaine who is an innocent, can determine a lot of their perception of both life in general and importantly their inner person.

The evil witch Empusa would follow the destroyer archetype. According to the novel What Story Are you Living? “The Destroyer character can be seen as a victim (experiences tragedy or loss and then has to rebuild his or her life) (120). Empusa is a victim of vanity, she believes that youth and beauty is everything no matter what the cost. Being old and hideous to her is considered a tragedy and her quest to steal Yvaine to be immortal and youthful is what she is willing to do. Empusa being a destroyer she clearly is willing to destroy anyone or anything to get what she wants. The final fight scene she kills one of the last of the King’s sons because he got into her way of getting Yvaine. In the end of the fight scene Yvaine shined so bright and killed Empusa without having to touch her. That final moment I thought of the quote from an unknown author, “Destroy everything you love, before everything you love destroys you.” Empusa felt that she had to destroy Yvaine to get what she loves, immortality and eternal beauty but in the end she wasn’t able to and Yvaine destroyed Empusa.

Stormhold’s King would obviously follow the ruler archetype. He enjoys ruling everything and being in full control. His greatest fear is no longer being able to be king and having to pass his royalty to one of his many sons. Although he obviously would prefer giving it to one of his own children than to have a stranger take his place. The king

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enjoys the throne too much. Seeing this character made me think of the quote John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton once said, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Power,

fame, money, and social status can change a person in a blink of an eye. Not only is the person who is corrupted in grave danger, but also in this case so are the people of Stormhold under his ruling.

Captain Shakespeare who is played by my favorite actor Rober De Niro follows the jester archetype. He is filled with joy, humor, and isn’t obsessing with the negative in the world but still finds the positive. His greatest fear would probably being too bored, because he is such an advocate of living a carefree life. When people typically hear the word jester they think of an unintelligent slave to perhaps a king of some sort and all they do is dance for the king. But with archetypes they’re not so black and white. Captain Shakespeare serves himself, as he is the captain of his ship. He entertains himself; his main goal in life is to make sure he is enjoying life to the fullest because he is fully aware that life can easily no longer be there for people. Although his character didn’t have the biggest role, he should’ve because he can teach people a lot. Breathing and being alive doesn’t mean you’re living life. Laugh everything off, treat life like it’s a party because everything in life is temporary the good and the bad.

Archetypes play a big role in works of literature and also in this case a film, they’re more than just stereotypes, which I initially thought of when learning about what archetypes were. Archetypes are a system of personality types that many people

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unknowingly fit to. When reading the twelve different archetypes I instantly think of people in my own personal life that would perfectly fit each of the archetypes. Reading archetypes helped me understand characters a whole lot more, it gives the pros and cons of a archetype, their hopes and fears, and the true essence of the character. A better understanding of characters gives people a better understanding of the story in general and as to why certain characters do certain things. I wish I‘d learned the twelve archetypes earlier in my English education; I probably would’ve been able to analyzing characters a whole lot easier at this point of my education.

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Work Cited

Pearson, Carol, and Hugh K. Marr. What Story Are You Living? Gainesville FL: Center for Applications of Psychological Type, 2007. Print.

Blog Entry #9

102 Blog Entry 9: Stardust

One archetype from the Pearson system I've noticed occurring a lot throughout the film Stardust was the lover archetype. The love Tristan believed he had for the girl whom he has crushed on forever, started off his peculiar adventure to capture a star so she can marry him. He thought he loved her so much that proving it to her by bringing her a star would bring him everything he ever dreamed of when it came to relationships. But, the thing with love is, it's unconditional. Love shouldn't be something one has to prove with the use of materialistic objects. When Tristan finally does capture the star who ends up being a woman named Yvaine, Tristan realizes she's the one she is falling for and not his original crush. Yvaine shares her own experience observing love from the skies and explains how jealous she is of humanity's capability to love and receive love. Throughout Tristan's adventure to bring Yvanie to his beloved, Tristan protects Yvanie from evil witches who want the star for their own personal vanity agendas. Tristan and Yvanie share feelings of love throughout the entire adventure and it is proven when Yvanie shined so brightly and killed the witch who was trying to kill her and her newly beloved Tristan. Love gives people motivation to do crazy things, without love what are we all doing what we're doing?

Blog Entry # 8

Dylan Thomas’ poem, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” at first seemed confusing as to what the author was trying to convey. After reading this poem multiple times, the message Thomas was trying to say became clear. Although life may not be ideal to most, it is better to be alive than dead. The author strongly believes that one should fight to stay alive and not give up and pass away. Thomas has a personal connection to this concept with the mention of his father’s last moments of life.

Repetition of lines in literature, especially in poetry is usually intended to emphasize what the author is trying to say. In this poem Dylan Thomas repeats two lines, both four times. “Do not go gentle into that good night” (line 1, 6, 12, 18) means to not let go of life so easily after each day. Who knows, maybe “that night” might be one’s last and it shouldn’t be one’s last without a fight. The line “Rage, rage, against the dying of the light,” (line 3, 9, 15, 19) compliments the other line in the message the author is conveying. Life is precious and it shouldn’t end without a passionate fight to claim one’s life.

Thomas also uses the symbolic concepts of dark and light that goes with his overall message. In the second stanza, “Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lighting they Do not go gentle into that good night.” Dark represents death, although people fear death they are aware that it is bound to happen to us all and we should not go to our deathbed gently without a fight. Light represents life; the wise men know that death is apart of life, but people should go towards life than to be drawn into death.

The author’s usage of repetition, symbolism and his personal reference to the author’s father makes this poem authentic and heartwarming. Thomas’ bluntness in his choice of words goes deep in his overall message, without playing it safe. On a personal level, this poem reinstates my own personal belief that life is precious, even if it isn’t ideal.