Saturday, December 15, 2018
The Supernatural
All of the works we have read this year have one thing in common: in some way or another, they all have elements of the supernatural. In Sing, Unburied, Sing it was the ghosts, in 100 Years the gypsies, in Dante’s Inferno just about everything. Since the prompts on our exam are not about any book in specific, I think keeping in mind the supernatural elements in all of our readings could be important for the exam.
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This is a great observation. It makes you realize how common it is for authors to include supernatural elements or themes in stories. If you think about it, in fact, many of the stories we read last year such as Macbeth, Grendel, and Dracula had these elements as well. As you said, 100 years of Solitude included the Gypsies and the ending with the prophecy about the family and Sing, Unburied, Sing has ghosts. Let’s not forget other pieces we’ve read. Oedipus, similarly to 100 years of Solitude, has a prophecy that is trying to be prevented but ends up happening anyway. Medea isn’t subtle about it’s supernatural elements at all considering that Medea is a sorceress and is in love with Jason due to Eros. Dante’s Inferno as you say is just about everything since they are literally traveling through hell and divine intervention is everywhere. Hamlet also has supernatural elements briefly because we see that Hamlet’s father appears as a ghost to him at some points. I will definitely keep this in mind as I prepare the upcoming midterm.
You're right, Bennett, and it seems like all of these supernatural elements (with the exception of Dante) relates back to family. The ghost of Prudencio Aguilar in OHYOS, the ghost of Richie in Sing, Unburied, Sing, the soothsayer predicting the prophecy about Oedipus's family (which is the whole drive behind the tragedy), the aspect of Medea's supernatural abilities of witchcraft and how that influenced her relationship with Jason, and finally the ghost of Hamlet's father. All very good points to think about.
This is a great observation. The supernatural always reminds the living characters of the past because ghosts are a tangible manifestations of the past. We see this in Hamlet with the ghost of Hamlet’s father, as the ghost reveals he was murdered by Claudius. We also see this in Sing Unburied Sing with Richie’s ghost. Richie not only help Jojo understand his identity, but he also indirectly helps Pop deal with the trauma of killing Richie.
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