Hiccup's Call to Adventure and Refusal of the Call

(See previous post about How To Train Your Dragon: Book 1 by Cressida Cowell to learn more about Hiccup and his ordinary world)

Hiccup's ordinary world is disrupted when he's required to complete the Dragon Initiation Test. Gobber the Belch, the warrior in charge of the Test, serves as the Herald for this Call to Adventure. He presents the challenge of capturing a dragon from a cave of three thousand of them to Hiccup, and announces the significant changes that will occur if he succeeds:

1. He will have a dragon to hunt with.
2. He will become a fully-fledged Hairy Hooligan.

If he fails the test, he will be exiled. As mentioned before, Hiccup is terrified of exile. He's not foolhardy, though, and his brief thought processes represent his Refusal of the Call:

"Hiccup swallowed hard. He happened to know considerably more about dragons than anybody else there. ...And what Hiccup had learned about dragons told him that walking into a cave with three thousand dragons in it was an act of madness."

-Cressida Cowell, How To Train Your Dragon: Book 1 7

Hiccup isn't reluctant because he's unwilling to accept these changes. His own sense of self-preservation that makes him scared of exile also makes him scared of the Call to Adventure. He has insecurity that he will not survive this challenge.

Hiccup's Ordinary World

Hiccup is under pressure to become a "Hero":
masculine and powerful

"Hiccup spent the whole of the winter on Berk in various states of 'very cold,' ranging from 'fairly chilly' to 'absolutely freezing.' At night, too many layers were considered sissy, so Hiccup generally lay awake for a couple of hours until he had shivered himself into a light sleep."

-Cressida Cowell, How To Train Your Dragon: Book 1 80

My new book is How To Train Your Dragon: Book 1 by Cressida Cowell. The protagonist, Hiccup, is the 10-year-old heir to the chiefdom of the Hairy Hooligans, a Viking tribe. His ordinary world is living on the bleak, cold Isle of Berk in a harsh society where "Heroism" is prized most. The Heroes of his tribe are like ancient Greek Heroes: masculine and powerful. Hiccup is neither, but his peers, tribe, and family pressure him to embody their idea of "Hero". If he fails his tests, he will be exiled. In the words of a tribe elder:

"'The Hairy Hooligan Tribe has no use for FAILURES. Only the strong can belong.'"

-Cressida Cowell, How To Train Your Dragon: Book 1 9

Despite struggling in this society, Hiccup is terrified of exile. Not only would he die living without his tribe, but deep down, he hopes that he can be the Hero everyone wants him to be, so his ordinary world would be a pleasant place to live. He doesn't want this chance taken away.

Image source:
A back like this isn't built by repeating your favorite lat pulldown routine for years on end. Digital image. T NATION | The Intelligent and Relentless Pursuit of Muscle. Testosterone, LLC, 1998-2010. Web. 18 Dec. 2011.

Famous Last Words: Fact Or Fiction?

Sir Harry Oakes

"Hugh Selwyn Mauberly"
by Ezra Pound

A Spitfire warplane

Famous Last Words by Timothy Findley features a World War II scheme designed to secure world domination. Findley writes very realistically, referencing real people and events. But how much is fact, and how much is fiction?

Hugh Selwyn Mauberley, the protagonist, is fictitious. However, Findley based him off Ezra Pound's poem of the same name. Hugh Selwyn Mauberley was Pound's brainchild, and in Findley's world, Mauberley's genius is a product of Pound's teaching.

In reality, Sir Harry Oakes was murdered at the same time and place as specified in Famous Last Words. In the book and real life, Oakes's killer was never caught.

The "Spitfire Bazaar", hosted by the Duchess of Windsor to purchase a Spitfire warplane, is an imagined event. However, the Spitfire was a real WWII-era plane.

Findley has cleverly blended fiction with history. That I needed to research these things is a testament to Findley's genius.

References:
Shields, E.F. "The Perfect Voice: Mauberley as Narrator in Timothy Findley's 'Famous Last Words'". Canadian Literature: A Quarterly of Criticism and Review 119 (1988): 84-98. Print.

"Niagara Falls - Sir Harry Oakes: a History." Niagara Falls Thunder Alley. Web. 17 Dec. 2011.

Price, Alfred. "Battle of Britain: August 18, 1940 - a Day That Saw Some of the Heaviest Fighting - Telegraph." Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph Online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph. The Telegraph, 28 July 2010. Web. 17 Dec. 2011.

Image sources:
Hugh Selwyn Mauberley by Ezra Pound. Digital image. ManyBooks.net - Ad-free EBooks for Your IPad, Kindle, or EBook Reader. ManyBooks.net, 19 Nov. 2007. Web. 18 Dec. 2011.

Sir Harry Oakes. Digital image. Niagara Parks Canada: Niagara Falls Tourism and Vacation Packages. Niagara Parks Canada. Web. 18 Dec. 2011.

Spitfire fighter planes played a decisive role in the Battle of Britain. Digital image. BBC - Homepage. BBC, 28 Aug. 2010. Web. 18 Dec. 2011.

Character Archetypes Within O'Brien from George Orwell's "1984"

WARNING: HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

"The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy - everything."

-George Orwell, 1984 279 (Speaker is O'Brien)

O'Brien is a Party member (see previous posts on 1984). He emerges as the Herald, announcing the Call to Adventure to Winston, the Hero. He does this by revealing his membership in the Brotherhood, a resistance movement. He becomes Winston's Mentor in the ways of the Brotherhood:

"The Brotherhood cannot be wiped out because it is not an organization in the ordinary sense. Nothing holds it together except an idea which is indestructible. You will never have anything to sustain you, except the idea. You will get no comradeship and no encouragement."

-George Orwell, 1984 179 (Speaker is O'Brien)

Then, O'Brien equips Winston with a book containing Party secrets.

After, O'Brien radically transforms. While imprisoned by the Thought Police, Winston finds O'Brien in jail as well, but on the other side of the bars.

"'They've [the Party] got you too!,' [Winston] cried.
"'They got me a long time ago,' said O'Brien with a mild, almost regretful irony."

-George Orwell 1984 250-251

O'Brien evolves into the Shadow, torturing Winston to change into a faithful Party member. Winston resists, saying that the Party's vision is impossible.

"'I don't know -- I don't care. Somehow you will fail. Something will defeat you. Life will defeat you.'

"'We control life, Winston, at all its levels. You are imagining that there is something called human nature which will be outraged by what we do and will turn against us. But we create human nature. Men are infinitely malleable. Or perhaps you have returned to your old idea that the proletarians or the slaves will arise and overthrow us. Put it out of your mind. They are helpless, like the animals. Humanity is the Party. The others are outside -- irrelevant.'"

-George Orwell, 1984 282

The fight between the Hero and Shadow has only one victor, and O'Brien finally breaks Winston.

O'Brien's constant redefining makes him a Shapeshifter. He starts out a pleasant member of the Inner Party, then a rebel, and finally a symbol of pure evil, and Winston's ultimate opponent.

"The Ear, The Eye and The Arm": A Classic?

To me, a story requires several elements to become a "classic", a story that endures time. (For a more in-depth look at these elements, please see my page entitled "The Six Elements of Classic Stories".)

The Ear, The Eye and The Arm by Nancy Farmer is set during 2194. When the Zimbabwean General Matsika's children disappear, he hires three mutant detectives to find them.

Could this book become a classic? Let's evaluate that based on the six criteria I've made:

(Note: This is the short version. Go to "The Six Elements of Classic Stories for a more in-depth evaluation.)


1. Interesting Characters Different from the Everyman with Intense Emotions and Profound Problems to Solve

The protagonists are cool-headed and boring. The problem, getting the children home, is not profound.


2. A Richly Imagined World

Farmer's futuristic Africa is well-imagined.


3. A Balance Between Originality and Familiarity

Settings are balanced, as are many characters.


4. Good Writing

Tendai's and Arm's narration is weak.


5. Deep Meaning and a Message Being Spread

I don't sense any deep meaning or message in The Ear, The Eye and The Arm.


6. Potential For Discussion

There's room for discussion, but near the end of the book, I have few questions to ask.


Unfortunately, The Ear, The Eye and The Arm doesn't follow my criteria closely enough for it to become a classic. Farmer's world will be lost to time.

Obesity by Depression

"The options went like this:

1. Get fat. Just take up eating as a serious pursuit. Food was an easy escape. Just go for it."

-Lesley Choyce, The Book of Michael 95

Michael Grove is very depressed. He had to spend months in jail for being wrongly convicted of murdering his much-loved girlfriend, Lisa. Then, the real killer turns out to be his old girlfriend Miranda, who he left behind when she started doing meth. For these reasons, even though he is now proven to be innocent, some people still see him as a killer.

So does Michael.

As seen here, one of the ways he thinks he could deal with the depression is by turning to food as a recluse. I've seen stories of people turning to excessive eating to try and ease depression on T.V. shows like The Biggest Loser. Their tales from the first episode always end with regret and even more depression. Thankfully, Michael does not go down this path, and instead works to create a new life for himself.

Michael Grove

"Miranda came into my life because I wanted to be bad. When you are a teenage guy and you are heading into your bad phase, when you are pissed off at the world and want to make a statement about how screwed up it all is, when you are cynical and smart and thinking about turning dangerous, you better hope that a good friend comes along and sets you straight. Or you better hope that you run into a really intelligent and sweet girl - one like Lisa.
"Unfortunately for me, Miranda came along before Lisa."

-Lesley Choyce, The Book of Michael 25

Michael Grove is a teenager wrongly convicted of murdering his girlfriend Lisa. This quote shows his admiration and compassion for Lisa. It also indicates that Michael can analyze and evaluate his past, realizing that what he did and felt was foolish. It takes intelligence and strength to do this.

Michael's journey will be difficult, with the trauma of the murder, trial and prison locked within his mind. Also, many people still believe him to be connected to Lisa's murder. However, I think that Michael's intelligence and strength will pull him through, and ultimately, he will succeed in both his inner and outer battles.



I chose this song, "Regret" by Anathema, because I feel it really details everything Michael is feeling. Love for Lisa... hate for her killer... loneliness... fear... and above all, regret. It also seems to me like the kind of music Michael might listen to.

A Summary And Review Of George Orwell's "1984"

It is 1984, 24 years after the Revolution that divided the world into three superstates locked in eternal warfare.

In the superstate of Oceania, Winston works unwillingly for the totalitarian government known as "the Party".

Then Winston meets Julia. They fall in love, and try a desperate attempt at rebellion, only to be caught and tortured into soulless slaves.

Orwell's portrayal of this "negative utopia" is amazingly detailed. The way it is broken into three parts is very effective. 1984 is a powerful warning of what humankind will become if it continues down its path of greed and corruption. This weighty message affected me deeply, and I hope it does the same for political and corporate leaders, or we may face the end of human nature and love.

The Poll to the Right of the Page

1984 by George Orwell describes a world controlled by a government known as "the Party". They detain any minority groups who see flaws in the Party's slogans: "WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH." (George Orwell, 1984 3) Thus, the Party can never be overthrown; for their own safety, rebels have to stay silent.

In the real world, is it right for governments to suppress minority groups they don't agree with? For example, the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) has a tiny following, but they exist, and they have influence within the notoriously anti-Communist United States.

Suppose they gained a huge following, and were in position to win the next federal election. Would it be all right for the current government to outlaw them, believing that their influence on the USA (and the world) would be catastrophic?

Think about this carefully as you answer the poll to the right of the page.

The Arduous Task of Writing

"I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done."
-Steven Wright


I feel that I can relate to this quote because, as a writer, I know how difficult and time-consuming it can be to write. Often, I will start something, run out of ideas and leave it for a great deal of time. This process can be frustrating, but good writers persevere and make it through to the end. When reading a book, I think it is important to recognize how much blood, sweat and tears the author has poured into it. Writing is many things, but it certainly isn't easy.


Quote source:
BrainyQuote. "Book Quotes". Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. BookRags Media Network, 2001-2011. Web. 17 Dec. 2011. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/book_2.html>