tips uli.
TIPS TO HELP YOU SLEEP BETTER
Sleep is just as important to our health as exercise and a healthy diet. Lack of sleep can reduce mental alertness and impair the immune system. It also decreases the production of certain hormones that fight certain diseases such as cancer and diabetes. These hormones also regulate or control a person’s appetite.
Researchers say that a person’s lack of sleep is caused by changes in his lifestyle, wherein he is required to stay up late or change his sleep cycle often. This greatly affects his decision-making skills, memory, and concentration, degrading his performance at school or at work. According to Dr. Jim Horne, director of the sleep research at Loughborough University, “the amount of sleep we require is what we need not to be sleepy in the daytime.”
There are ways to help you sleep better and fall asleep faster: Sleep only when sleepy. This reduces the time you are awake in bed. If you are unable to fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do something until you feel sleepy. If possible, avoid taking naps in the afternoon. This will ensure that you are tired by bedtime. Get up and go to bed at the same time every day. Avoid taking anything that contains caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol for at least four to six hours before going to bed. Caffeine and nicotine interfere with your ability to fall asleep. Although alcohol slows down brain activity and causes you to relax and feel sleepy, it will also prevent you from sleeping deeply. Take a light snack before going to bed. It is important to avoid going to bed hungry or too full as either can cause difficulties in sleeping.
5.20.2009
EATING WHILE WATCHING TELEVISION IS UNHEALTHY FOR CHILDREN
magazine article for the test...
EATING WHILE WATCHING TELEVISION IS UNHEALTHY FOR CHILDREN
Studies show that there is a link between the number of hours children spend watching television and weight problems. They also show that children who watch television while eating are likely to develop heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even cancer. One way to avoid these problems is to turn off the television during dinner.
Based on a survey conducted by Lynn Edmunds, a registered dietitian in the New York State Department of Health, children tend to not only tune out their natural hunger when watching television; they also tend to request the food products that are frequently advertised. Most of these products are those that are low in nutritional value. "Given that lifelong food preferences are established early in life, it is important for parents to foster mealtime environments that encourage healthful eating," Edmunds said.
In a Texas Medical Center News article, behavioral nutritionist Dr. Karen Cullen says, “Food commercial ads often suggest the use of food for purposes like fun or image, rather than to satisfy hunger or for health, and seldom show how the advertised food fits into a healthy diet.”
Families who watch television during dinnertime miss important opportunities to talk and bond. According to Dr. Barbara Dennison, one of the directors at the New York State Department of Health, “dinner is an opportunity for family interaction and conversation.” She adds that children take the lead of their parents in such a way that they would eat healthier food if their parents ate with them and engaged them in conversation.
Added to this, Dr. Cullen says that positive mealtime conversations can also build children’s self-esteem and foster positive relationships that help children and parents discuss and talk about serious issues when they arise. She emphasizes that it is very important for any particular activity to be beneficial to the physical and mental well-being of children.
EATING WHILE WATCHING TELEVISION IS UNHEALTHY FOR CHILDREN
Studies show that there is a link between the number of hours children spend watching television and weight problems. They also show that children who watch television while eating are likely to develop heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even cancer. One way to avoid these problems is to turn off the television during dinner.
Based on a survey conducted by Lynn Edmunds, a registered dietitian in the New York State Department of Health, children tend to not only tune out their natural hunger when watching television; they also tend to request the food products that are frequently advertised. Most of these products are those that are low in nutritional value. "Given that lifelong food preferences are established early in life, it is important for parents to foster mealtime environments that encourage healthful eating," Edmunds said.
In a Texas Medical Center News article, behavioral nutritionist Dr. Karen Cullen says, “Food commercial ads often suggest the use of food for purposes like fun or image, rather than to satisfy hunger or for health, and seldom show how the advertised food fits into a healthy diet.”
Families who watch television during dinnertime miss important opportunities to talk and bond. According to Dr. Barbara Dennison, one of the directors at the New York State Department of Health, “dinner is an opportunity for family interaction and conversation.” She adds that children take the lead of their parents in such a way that they would eat healthier food if their parents ate with them and engaged them in conversation.
Added to this, Dr. Cullen says that positive mealtime conversations can also build children’s self-esteem and foster positive relationships that help children and parents discuss and talk about serious issues when they arise. She emphasizes that it is very important for any particular activity to be beneficial to the physical and mental well-being of children.
TIPS TO KEEP YOUR FOOD SAFE
another one...
TIPS TO KEEP YOUR FOOD SAFE
Going on picnics and having a barbecue grill in the backyard are two activities people enjoy doing. But food safety experts say that people must know how to properly prepare and cook food. According to a study, uncooked and half-cooked foods contain bacteria that can cause serious illnesses.
To avoid this, experts recommend that foods that are served hot must be kept at a temperature above 140 degrees Fahrenheit while foods that are served cold must be kept below 40 degrees. Also, raw meat that is being thawed or marinated must be kept inside the refrigerator and not left on the counter. If you’re planning to use some of the marinade as sauce, reserve a small portion before you mix the rest of it with meat or fish. This prevents any kind of bacteria from breeding.
When grilling, use a food thermometer to determine if the food is already cooked. Different foods require different cooking temperatures. Meat requires 160 degrees Fahrenheit to kill the microorganisms. Fish must be cooked at a temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, while poultry requires heat of up to 165 degrees. Grill only over medium heat. High heat will burn the food, but it will not cook it. It is also advisable to flip the foods often to speed up the cooking process and effectively kill the bacteria.
Serve food on a clean plate. Never use a platter or utensils that were used to handle raw food. If you’re going on a picnic, serve only in small amounts and keep the rest in a cooler. Desserts must be placed on top of bowls of ice to prevent them from spoiling. Also, foods that are not eaten after an hour or two must be thrown out.
TIPS TO KEEP YOUR FOOD SAFE
Going on picnics and having a barbecue grill in the backyard are two activities people enjoy doing. But food safety experts say that people must know how to properly prepare and cook food. According to a study, uncooked and half-cooked foods contain bacteria that can cause serious illnesses.
To avoid this, experts recommend that foods that are served hot must be kept at a temperature above 140 degrees Fahrenheit while foods that are served cold must be kept below 40 degrees. Also, raw meat that is being thawed or marinated must be kept inside the refrigerator and not left on the counter. If you’re planning to use some of the marinade as sauce, reserve a small portion before you mix the rest of it with meat or fish. This prevents any kind of bacteria from breeding.
When grilling, use a food thermometer to determine if the food is already cooked. Different foods require different cooking temperatures. Meat requires 160 degrees Fahrenheit to kill the microorganisms. Fish must be cooked at a temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, while poultry requires heat of up to 165 degrees. Grill only over medium heat. High heat will burn the food, but it will not cook it. It is also advisable to flip the foods often to speed up the cooking process and effectively kill the bacteria.
Serve food on a clean plate. Never use a platter or utensils that were used to handle raw food. If you’re going on a picnic, serve only in small amounts and keep the rest in a cooler. Desserts must be placed on top of bowls of ice to prevent them from spoiling. Also, foods that are not eaten after an hour or two must be thrown out.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR HOME CLUTTER-FREE
one of my tests...
HOW TO MAKE YOUR HOME CLUTTER-FREE
A cluttered house is not a place you would want to invite your friends over, nor would you feel inspired to work in. It is unpleasant to look at, and unpleasant to live in. Not only does the clutter make it difficult to find the things you need, it can also be a major source of stress, as some studies say.
As removing clutters can be an exhausting job, here are some tips to help you. Get someone who can help you. It might take you a long time if you do it alone. Also, make a plan to help you stay focused. List down what you think should be done and which items to remove first. Make sure the storage items are within reach.
When organizing, ask yourself which items do you normally use and how many do you really need to have. If you see that you have too many of a thing, get rid of the extra and keep only a sufficient amount or number.
Make sure to check cabinets and drawers. It may contain things, like medicines, which you don’t know are already expired. Clean your closets too. It’s possible you will find several clothes and shoes which do not fit you anymore or have not used for a while. The best thing to do is to throw away or donate them.
Surely, you will find old receipts or bills as well. These and other important documents should be filed and labeled accordingly. Do the same for accessories and tools, so that you would know where to look for them next time. As for your kitchen, clean your pantry and refrigerator, and look for expired canned goods or spoiled food. Make a grocery list next time you shop, so that you won’t waste food anymore.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR HOME CLUTTER-FREE
A cluttered house is not a place you would want to invite your friends over, nor would you feel inspired to work in. It is unpleasant to look at, and unpleasant to live in. Not only does the clutter make it difficult to find the things you need, it can also be a major source of stress, as some studies say.
As removing clutters can be an exhausting job, here are some tips to help you. Get someone who can help you. It might take you a long time if you do it alone. Also, make a plan to help you stay focused. List down what you think should be done and which items to remove first. Make sure the storage items are within reach.
When organizing, ask yourself which items do you normally use and how many do you really need to have. If you see that you have too many of a thing, get rid of the extra and keep only a sufficient amount or number.
Make sure to check cabinets and drawers. It may contain things, like medicines, which you don’t know are already expired. Clean your closets too. It’s possible you will find several clothes and shoes which do not fit you anymore or have not used for a while. The best thing to do is to throw away or donate them.
Surely, you will find old receipts or bills as well. These and other important documents should be filed and labeled accordingly. Do the same for accessories and tools, so that you would know where to look for them next time. As for your kitchen, clean your pantry and refrigerator, and look for expired canned goods or spoiled food. Make a grocery list next time you shop, so that you won’t waste food anymore.
remains of my varsi days
I wasn't able to save copies of my news articles, except for these three...
Government critics blast all-out war policy in Mindanao
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
GOVERNMENT critics say the Mindanao conflict is rooted in centuries-old oppression that cannot be resolved easily by arms. They called on the government to stop its offensive and implement a strategy of development.
"It is a war of political subjugation rooted in history. The government's narrow-mindedness and stupidity drag our country down," said Akbayan party list president Ronald Llamas, an AB Journalism alumnus of the Faculty of Arts and Letters and former Varsitarian staffer, in the symposium on "The Mindanao Situation and its Impact to the Political and Economic Situation of the Philippines." The Forum was sponsored by the AB Sociology department and the Movement of Student Power (MASP) last July 20 at the Faculty of Arts and Letters Audio-Visual Room.
Meanwhile, Yusuf Ali Musawie, a Muslim youth leader said the conflict is abetted by poverty and ignorance in the region.
"Politics in Mindanao is a politics of oppression, of poverty and of ignorance. The war began because the government forgot there were people who existed, "Yusuf Ali Musawie said in the forum.
On the other hand, AB Political Science coordinator lawyer Reynaldo Lopez said that the Mindanao crisis was caused by the Filipino people's ignorance of the living conditions in Mindanao.
"Kaya hindi 'yon na-so-solve ay dahil sa kakulangan natin sa kaalaman sa buhay sa Mindanao," Lopez said.
Meanwhile, Tomasito Villarin, executive director of Kaisahan Tungo sa Kaunlaran ng Kanayunan, said the government's "all-out war" approach had only worsened the situation in Mindanao.
According to Villarin, an AB Economics alumnus of UST, despite the Mindanao region's abundant resources, 12 of its provinces are considered the poorest in the country because of mismanagement.
"War is a very lucrative business. The government is spending P50 million worth of bullets. It is spending P50 to P100 million a day to pursue the war," he said.
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CPA reviewers bolt CPAR, form new review center
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
UST'S Accounting graduates reviewing for the Certified Public Accountants (CPA) board examination at the CPA Review (CPAR) were in a state of confusion last month as CPAR's long-time reviewers bolted the widely-patronized review center.
Reputably one of the premier review centers in accountancy, CPAR has produced a number of board topnotchers and a high percentage of CPA board passers. It also boasts of a formidable lineup of reviewers, most of whom are experts in their fields.
Last month, however, a group of reviewers, some of whom were pioneers of CPAR, left the review center, to the surprise of the reviewees. This year, nearly half of UST's accounting graduates are enrolled at CPAR.
According to cum laude graduate Jo-an Lu, a reviewee at CPAR, she and her classmates were surprised at the turn of events.
"Na-tense (kami) kasi magagaling 'yung nawala tapos walang idea kung sino yung ipapalit," she said.
"There was a sudden change of atmosphere," Institute of Accountancy magna cum laude graduate Rudi Ramin said.
In an interview with the Varsitarian, Rodelio Roque, a reviewer at CPAR, said he and his colleagues submitted a resignation letter effective October this year to manage their own review center, the Review School of Accountancy (ReSA). However, Roque said they were immediately terminated by CPAR head-partner Crispin Llamado.
But Roque assured students of a quality review at ReSA since most of its reviewers were all from CPAR.
"Talagang pagbubutihan namin. Ang mga reviewers natin mga 20 years na sa academe, meron 19 years na sa review. So, siguro yung exposure na yon malaki maitutulong," said Roque.
Among those who transferred to ReSA are Marcelino Bonafe for Business Law, UST chief accountant Antonio Dayag for Practical Accounting 2, Gerardo Roque for Auditory Theory and Practice, Rodelio Roque for Management Advisory Services, Asser Tamayo for Practical Accounting 1 and Theory of Accounts.
Meanwhile, according to Minerva Cruz, College of Commerce's head of the Institute of Accountancy, the credit for passing the CPA board exams should go to the school because the teaching foundation comes from the teachers, and not from the reviewers.
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Administration hit for tuition increase
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
STUDENT leaders criticized the UST administration for increasing tuition this school year despite protests from local student councils in a consultation last February.
“Nag-no ang (student) council (of different colleges). Ibig sabihin, hindi kailangan magtaas ng tuition. Pero viniolate ito ng administration. Nagtaas pa rin sila at hindi lang five percent ang itinaas nila. Umabot pa ito ng 11 to 14.5 percent, “said Antonette Hojilla, secretary general of Anakbayan-UST in a symposium last July 21 at the Rizal Conference Hall of the Faculty of Arts and Letters.
According to Hojilla, the Education Act of 1982, which allows private schools to increase tuition without government restrictions, should be repealed. She also called for a tuition rollback.
Hojilla added that the additional energy fee charged on students should be scrapped out since it is already covered by other fees, such as the Community Service and Information Development fees.
Furthermore, Rey Asis, national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), said that according to the Securities and Exchange Commission, most of the schools that continue to increase tuition are included in the top 7,000 profit-earning corporations in the country.
“Erap’s callousness allow capitalist educators to rake in more profits in tuition. The continuous increase in tuition only shows that the educational system we have is highly commercialized,” he said.
However, in an interview with the Varsitarian, UST Treasurer Fr. Roberto Pinto, O.P. said the tuition increase was based on the need to improve the University’s facilities.
“We cannot stop improving the facilities and services. Every year, we have to do something, otherwise, maiiwanan tayo,” he said.
Furthermore, Fr. Pinto said that the University had its “lowest tuition increase” this year.
“We used to raise it up to 20 to 35 percent. Tinitingnan ko lang yung pangangailangan natin. Marami pa ngang dapat gawin,” he said.
The symposium, titled “Preview 2 d SONA (Pagtatalakay hinggil sa totoong State of the Nation),” sponsored by the CEGP, also tackled the condition of campus publications and violation of campus press freedom.
According to Asis, student publication like The National of the National University have been closed because they went against the school administration.
“Makikita natin ‘yung repression hurled upon the students (who) profess the administrators’ interest for profit. Ginagawa nila ito para hindi kayo makapagsalita,” Asis said.
In a press statement, the CEGP also cited the case of student journalist April Camacho of the University of the East-Recto, who was expelled for allegedly allowing media practitioners inside the campus. Two editors and a staff member from the Cagayan Colleges of Tuguegarao, on the other hand, were allegedly mauled by a school administrator, whose father is the owner of the school, for writing blind items against the administration.
Moreover, Asis criticized San Sebastian College for allegedly requiring freshmen applicants to sign a waiver that prohibits them from opposing school policies.
Government critics blast all-out war policy in Mindanao
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
GOVERNMENT critics say the Mindanao conflict is rooted in centuries-old oppression that cannot be resolved easily by arms. They called on the government to stop its offensive and implement a strategy of development.
"It is a war of political subjugation rooted in history. The government's narrow-mindedness and stupidity drag our country down," said Akbayan party list president Ronald Llamas, an AB Journalism alumnus of the Faculty of Arts and Letters and former Varsitarian staffer, in the symposium on "The Mindanao Situation and its Impact to the Political and Economic Situation of the Philippines." The Forum was sponsored by the AB Sociology department and the Movement of Student Power (MASP) last July 20 at the Faculty of Arts and Letters Audio-Visual Room.
Meanwhile, Yusuf Ali Musawie, a Muslim youth leader said the conflict is abetted by poverty and ignorance in the region.
"Politics in Mindanao is a politics of oppression, of poverty and of ignorance. The war began because the government forgot there were people who existed, "Yusuf Ali Musawie said in the forum.
On the other hand, AB Political Science coordinator lawyer Reynaldo Lopez said that the Mindanao crisis was caused by the Filipino people's ignorance of the living conditions in Mindanao.
"Kaya hindi 'yon na-so-solve ay dahil sa kakulangan natin sa kaalaman sa buhay sa Mindanao," Lopez said.
Meanwhile, Tomasito Villarin, executive director of Kaisahan Tungo sa Kaunlaran ng Kanayunan, said the government's "all-out war" approach had only worsened the situation in Mindanao.
According to Villarin, an AB Economics alumnus of UST, despite the Mindanao region's abundant resources, 12 of its provinces are considered the poorest in the country because of mismanagement.
"War is a very lucrative business. The government is spending P50 million worth of bullets. It is spending P50 to P100 million a day to pursue the war," he said.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPA reviewers bolt CPAR, form new review center
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
UST'S Accounting graduates reviewing for the Certified Public Accountants (CPA) board examination at the CPA Review (CPAR) were in a state of confusion last month as CPAR's long-time reviewers bolted the widely-patronized review center.
Reputably one of the premier review centers in accountancy, CPAR has produced a number of board topnotchers and a high percentage of CPA board passers. It also boasts of a formidable lineup of reviewers, most of whom are experts in their fields.
Last month, however, a group of reviewers, some of whom were pioneers of CPAR, left the review center, to the surprise of the reviewees. This year, nearly half of UST's accounting graduates are enrolled at CPAR.
According to cum laude graduate Jo-an Lu, a reviewee at CPAR, she and her classmates were surprised at the turn of events.
"Na-tense (kami) kasi magagaling 'yung nawala tapos walang idea kung sino yung ipapalit," she said.
"There was a sudden change of atmosphere," Institute of Accountancy magna cum laude graduate Rudi Ramin said.
In an interview with the Varsitarian, Rodelio Roque, a reviewer at CPAR, said he and his colleagues submitted a resignation letter effective October this year to manage their own review center, the Review School of Accountancy (ReSA). However, Roque said they were immediately terminated by CPAR head-partner Crispin Llamado.
But Roque assured students of a quality review at ReSA since most of its reviewers were all from CPAR.
"Talagang pagbubutihan namin. Ang mga reviewers natin mga 20 years na sa academe, meron 19 years na sa review. So, siguro yung exposure na yon malaki maitutulong," said Roque.
Among those who transferred to ReSA are Marcelino Bonafe for Business Law, UST chief accountant Antonio Dayag for Practical Accounting 2, Gerardo Roque for Auditory Theory and Practice, Rodelio Roque for Management Advisory Services, Asser Tamayo for Practical Accounting 1 and Theory of Accounts.
Meanwhile, according to Minerva Cruz, College of Commerce's head of the Institute of Accountancy, the credit for passing the CPA board exams should go to the school because the teaching foundation comes from the teachers, and not from the reviewers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Administration hit for tuition increase
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
STUDENT leaders criticized the UST administration for increasing tuition this school year despite protests from local student councils in a consultation last February.
“Nag-no ang (student) council (of different colleges). Ibig sabihin, hindi kailangan magtaas ng tuition. Pero viniolate ito ng administration. Nagtaas pa rin sila at hindi lang five percent ang itinaas nila. Umabot pa ito ng 11 to 14.5 percent, “said Antonette Hojilla, secretary general of Anakbayan-UST in a symposium last July 21 at the Rizal Conference Hall of the Faculty of Arts and Letters.
According to Hojilla, the Education Act of 1982, which allows private schools to increase tuition without government restrictions, should be repealed. She also called for a tuition rollback.
Hojilla added that the additional energy fee charged on students should be scrapped out since it is already covered by other fees, such as the Community Service and Information Development fees.
Furthermore, Rey Asis, national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), said that according to the Securities and Exchange Commission, most of the schools that continue to increase tuition are included in the top 7,000 profit-earning corporations in the country.
“Erap’s callousness allow capitalist educators to rake in more profits in tuition. The continuous increase in tuition only shows that the educational system we have is highly commercialized,” he said.
However, in an interview with the Varsitarian, UST Treasurer Fr. Roberto Pinto, O.P. said the tuition increase was based on the need to improve the University’s facilities.
“We cannot stop improving the facilities and services. Every year, we have to do something, otherwise, maiiwanan tayo,” he said.
Furthermore, Fr. Pinto said that the University had its “lowest tuition increase” this year.
“We used to raise it up to 20 to 35 percent. Tinitingnan ko lang yung pangangailangan natin. Marami pa ngang dapat gawin,” he said.
The symposium, titled “Preview 2 d SONA (Pagtatalakay hinggil sa totoong State of the Nation),” sponsored by the CEGP, also tackled the condition of campus publications and violation of campus press freedom.
According to Asis, student publication like The National of the National University have been closed because they went against the school administration.
“Makikita natin ‘yung repression hurled upon the students (who) profess the administrators’ interest for profit. Ginagawa nila ito para hindi kayo makapagsalita,” Asis said.
In a press statement, the CEGP also cited the case of student journalist April Camacho of the University of the East-Recto, who was expelled for allegedly allowing media practitioners inside the campus. Two editors and a staff member from the Cagayan Colleges of Tuguegarao, on the other hand, were allegedly mauled by a school administrator, whose father is the owner of the school, for writing blind items against the administration.
Moreover, Asis criticized San Sebastian College for allegedly requiring freshmen applicants to sign a waiver that prohibits them from opposing school policies.
Summer Delight
Summer Delight
By Patricia Cotaoco and Katherine Traballo
The Manila Times
Special Feature
April 15, 2002
I see you. Sitting lazily on your comfy living room couch. As the fan's breeze touches your skin, you say to yourself, “There's no way this summer heat is gonna get to me!” Or so you thought.
As the sun's rays pierces through the summer afternoon, you start to sizzle. You feel sweat forming at the back of your knees, your nape, and your forehead. You wipe them beads with the back of your hand and wonder why you're perspiring even with the fan on at max.
You then walk to the kitchen, your mouth all dry. The need to hydrate yourself sends rushing for the refrigerator door. Thinking cool, icy and refreshing, all you find is plain lifeless water.
There are other ways to cool down your body after a major heat wave you know—treats that can add fun to your rather boring and eight glasses-of-water-a-day lifestyle. Here are some of our delightful summer suggestions.
Sago at Gulaman. Why not? This traditional Filipino concoction is mucho refreshing with a sweet twist. Sold at P5 a cup by your favorite sidewalk vendor—the best treat for those on a tight budget. But if you feel a health threat, go and make your own. Mix water and gelatin with brown sugar and get to enjoy sago't gulaman everyday.
Ice Candy. Another tasty treat for the tight-pocketed! Even cheaper at P1 a piece. Feast on its tasty chocolate, mango, orange, etc., flavors. We sell this stuff at home and the children just love it. If you enjoy it that much you can make quite a profit selling them too. Tap the potential “kiddie” market.
Mais con Hielo/Saging con Hielo. Don't you just love the feel of crushed ice o your tongue? Mixed with sugar, milk and your choice of corn or saging na saba, this halo-halo kinfolk is a favorite merienda treat.
Halo-Halo. If you're health conscious, you'll never eat anything else but halo-halo this summer. Really. Halo-Halo is a protein-rich treat that contains almost all the tropical fruits and beans a person can think of. Stuff with crushed ice, drown in milk, finally top with a mouth-watering slice of leche flan or ube, plus a scoop of your favorite ice cream.
This may be quite heavy on the stomach, but one things is for sure, one can definitely experience the fulfilling blended taste of all the fruits, beans, and milk. Truly heavenly!
Ice Cream. Cool and comfy. That is how one can describe the feeling as a chunk of ice cream slides down his parched throat. Who could refuse the delightful taste of Double Dutch anyway?
Ice cream is supposed to be man's best friend (in the summer that is). “An all time favorite,” as one brand puts it. Especially during summer, when everyone's skin is drying up and getting flaky ice cream can add a little chill to your bones.
You can take your pick. You could go from the economical mini-cups to a pint to a rather expensive gallon (depending of course on the brand you chose).
The best part, of course, is the endless list of flavors to choose from. You could satisfy yourself with the plain, sweet chocolate, or the chunky kind. Other brands even fill you up with real chunks and bits of whatever you like—blueberry, marshmallows, Snickers. You could also get whimsical with bubblegum, pistachio. There are also flavors for alcoholics made with Kahlua or Baileys.
So, there. Suit yourself. And indulge.
Pearl Shakes. Talk about food innovation. Pear shakes became an instant phenomenon and has invaded almost every street of every city. Just like ice cream and halo-halo, it is also becoming one of man's best friends.
Aside from the variety of flavors, including good ol' chocolate, strawberry, and taro, you can find more satisfaction from big, black pearls. Some companies even put in slices of pudding in the cup for more taste.
Soft. Sweet. Sticky. Who could really ignore the big, black sagos of pearl shakes?
By Patricia Cotaoco and Katherine Traballo
The Manila Times
Special Feature
April 15, 2002
I see you. Sitting lazily on your comfy living room couch. As the fan's breeze touches your skin, you say to yourself, “There's no way this summer heat is gonna get to me!” Or so you thought.
As the sun's rays pierces through the summer afternoon, you start to sizzle. You feel sweat forming at the back of your knees, your nape, and your forehead. You wipe them beads with the back of your hand and wonder why you're perspiring even with the fan on at max.
You then walk to the kitchen, your mouth all dry. The need to hydrate yourself sends rushing for the refrigerator door. Thinking cool, icy and refreshing, all you find is plain lifeless water.
There are other ways to cool down your body after a major heat wave you know—treats that can add fun to your rather boring and eight glasses-of-water-a-day lifestyle. Here are some of our delightful summer suggestions.
Sago at Gulaman. Why not? This traditional Filipino concoction is mucho refreshing with a sweet twist. Sold at P5 a cup by your favorite sidewalk vendor—the best treat for those on a tight budget. But if you feel a health threat, go and make your own. Mix water and gelatin with brown sugar and get to enjoy sago't gulaman everyday.
Ice Candy. Another tasty treat for the tight-pocketed! Even cheaper at P1 a piece. Feast on its tasty chocolate, mango, orange, etc., flavors. We sell this stuff at home and the children just love it. If you enjoy it that much you can make quite a profit selling them too. Tap the potential “kiddie” market.
Mais con Hielo/Saging con Hielo. Don't you just love the feel of crushed ice o your tongue? Mixed with sugar, milk and your choice of corn or saging na saba, this halo-halo kinfolk is a favorite merienda treat.
Halo-Halo. If you're health conscious, you'll never eat anything else but halo-halo this summer. Really. Halo-Halo is a protein-rich treat that contains almost all the tropical fruits and beans a person can think of. Stuff with crushed ice, drown in milk, finally top with a mouth-watering slice of leche flan or ube, plus a scoop of your favorite ice cream.
This may be quite heavy on the stomach, but one things is for sure, one can definitely experience the fulfilling blended taste of all the fruits, beans, and milk. Truly heavenly!
Ice Cream. Cool and comfy. That is how one can describe the feeling as a chunk of ice cream slides down his parched throat. Who could refuse the delightful taste of Double Dutch anyway?
Ice cream is supposed to be man's best friend (in the summer that is). “An all time favorite,” as one brand puts it. Especially during summer, when everyone's skin is drying up and getting flaky ice cream can add a little chill to your bones.
You can take your pick. You could go from the economical mini-cups to a pint to a rather expensive gallon (depending of course on the brand you chose).
The best part, of course, is the endless list of flavors to choose from. You could satisfy yourself with the plain, sweet chocolate, or the chunky kind. Other brands even fill you up with real chunks and bits of whatever you like—blueberry, marshmallows, Snickers. You could also get whimsical with bubblegum, pistachio. There are also flavors for alcoholics made with Kahlua or Baileys.
So, there. Suit yourself. And indulge.
Pearl Shakes. Talk about food innovation. Pear shakes became an instant phenomenon and has invaded almost every street of every city. Just like ice cream and halo-halo, it is also becoming one of man's best friends.
Aside from the variety of flavors, including good ol' chocolate, strawberry, and taro, you can find more satisfaction from big, black pearls. Some companies even put in slices of pudding in the cup for more taste.
Soft. Sweet. Sticky. Who could really ignore the big, black sagos of pearl shakes?
Turn Mommy into a Baby
Turn Mommy into a Baby
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco and Mary Ruth Navarra
The Philippine Star
Special Section
May 12, 2002
Mushy cards flooding the postal service, I-love-you-mom TV commercials brought to you by so-and-so product, posters of a mother hugging her child. Mother's Day was probably made for commercial reasons.
However, this day will also never be enough to thank her for all the things that she had gone through in raising a kid like you. So grab the chance to show how you appreciate her by giving Mom something that will make her special.
Whether she's Bohemian, gothic, or a descendant of Maria Clara, whether she likes to stay indoors or rough it our in the outdoors, she won't be able to resist the temptation of being the queen for a day. She might say no when you ask her to go out, but ask her again and she'll be dressed in a flash.
Head to the malls and spend the day bonding with her. Your budget could be as low as P150 or as high as the sky (anyway it's for mommy), but you'll survive the day.
Find a good salon and gossip about the latest issues on the lives of the stars. We're sure you'll enjoy making fun of them as your hair gets a hot oil treatment. Or if you think both your tresses are already perfect the way they are, you can proceed to a foot spa and get your feet pampered. As your callouses are being scraped off, bask in the luxury of your nerves being rejuvenated. There are some establishments that offer a foot spa with manicure and pedicure as part of the package.
If you're searching for a more physical demonstration of love (pun not intended), a body massage would be a heavenly experience for your mom. This will make her forget the duties she does for the family and relax for a while. Besides, this could be your chance to return the favor. Remember how it felt like when your mom was cuddling you to sleep when you were still a child? With this, mommy can also experience being the baby herself, massaged and cuddled to sleep.
To make your mom understand your obsession with violence in a monitor scree, take her to the arcade area. You can play Spiderman to her Chun-Li or Michael Jordan to her Grant Hill. Just make sure you let her win (but don't be too obvious about it), make her feel she's superior and better than you. If her eyes get strained, invite her then a bump car ride or a roller coaster to bring out the child in her again. Meanwhile, your earned coupons can be exchanged for a lovely teddy bear at the booth – a reminder of your defeat and her victory.
If you're running a little short on cash, you could settle for a feel-good movie than both of you would love. This could be your next step to further bond with your mom since you'll have more to talk about aside from the usual exchange of opinions on the pros and cons of your proposed allowance hike.
However, if you don't have the time to do any of the things that we mentioned above, it's not yet too late to find something for her. As early as possible, rush to the mall and grab a last-minute gift. To help you decide what present to buy, we've come up with a list that will surely score big on your mother's heart.
Like any other gift-giving season, what's important is the sincerity of the giver. Remember the time when your masterpiece was a wanna-be Hallmark card made our of cheap art paper, paste and a lot painstaking effort? Remember when you gave it to her, and she was so proud of you, regardless that you only got a barely passing grade for that artwork? Maybe, that's all she needs for this day, plus a smile, a hug, a kiss. After all, “She'll take it with her as long as it's free...”
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco and Mary Ruth Navarra
The Philippine Star
Special Section
May 12, 2002
Mushy cards flooding the postal service, I-love-you-mom TV commercials brought to you by so-and-so product, posters of a mother hugging her child. Mother's Day was probably made for commercial reasons.
However, this day will also never be enough to thank her for all the things that she had gone through in raising a kid like you. So grab the chance to show how you appreciate her by giving Mom something that will make her special.
Whether she's Bohemian, gothic, or a descendant of Maria Clara, whether she likes to stay indoors or rough it our in the outdoors, she won't be able to resist the temptation of being the queen for a day. She might say no when you ask her to go out, but ask her again and she'll be dressed in a flash.
Head to the malls and spend the day bonding with her. Your budget could be as low as P150 or as high as the sky (anyway it's for mommy), but you'll survive the day.
Find a good salon and gossip about the latest issues on the lives of the stars. We're sure you'll enjoy making fun of them as your hair gets a hot oil treatment. Or if you think both your tresses are already perfect the way they are, you can proceed to a foot spa and get your feet pampered. As your callouses are being scraped off, bask in the luxury of your nerves being rejuvenated. There are some establishments that offer a foot spa with manicure and pedicure as part of the package.
If you're searching for a more physical demonstration of love (pun not intended), a body massage would be a heavenly experience for your mom. This will make her forget the duties she does for the family and relax for a while. Besides, this could be your chance to return the favor. Remember how it felt like when your mom was cuddling you to sleep when you were still a child? With this, mommy can also experience being the baby herself, massaged and cuddled to sleep.
To make your mom understand your obsession with violence in a monitor scree, take her to the arcade area. You can play Spiderman to her Chun-Li or Michael Jordan to her Grant Hill. Just make sure you let her win (but don't be too obvious about it), make her feel she's superior and better than you. If her eyes get strained, invite her then a bump car ride or a roller coaster to bring out the child in her again. Meanwhile, your earned coupons can be exchanged for a lovely teddy bear at the booth – a reminder of your defeat and her victory.
If you're running a little short on cash, you could settle for a feel-good movie than both of you would love. This could be your next step to further bond with your mom since you'll have more to talk about aside from the usual exchange of opinions on the pros and cons of your proposed allowance hike.
However, if you don't have the time to do any of the things that we mentioned above, it's not yet too late to find something for her. As early as possible, rush to the mall and grab a last-minute gift. To help you decide what present to buy, we've come up with a list that will surely score big on your mother's heart.
- A compilation of your mom's favorite songs. While these songs may make you want to lock yourself in your room for the day, there's still a possibility that you will both enjoy it. If your mom has good taste in music, chances are, those songs are already considered classic.
- Very naughty and sexy lingerie. Women will remain women even in their prime years. Coming from her children, this item will serve as a compliment that she can still be as foxy as she was when she was younger.
- Gift certificates of your mom's favorite store. This will save you from buying a gift that your mother doesn't really need.
- A t-shirt with a picture of you and your siblings. This might be an embarrassment for you guys, but moms are naturally proud of her kids. It's in her hormones.
- Custom-made trophies just for mom. We know that this may be costly and mushy. But hey, what could be better than to be honored by your children as the world's greatest mom?
- Scented candles. An all-time favorite especially if your mommy is a collector.
- Jewelry. Rather than buying her the real thing (24K necklace), why not go for the trendy alternatives like silver and beads?
- A good book. Of course, make sure that she has not read it yet, and that she'll enjoy it.
- Perfume. Reward her for all the wonderful aroma that came from her kitchen, that woke you up every morning and the warmth of home cooking at night.
- Flowers. Need we explain further?
Like any other gift-giving season, what's important is the sincerity of the giver. Remember the time when your masterpiece was a wanna-be Hallmark card made our of cheap art paper, paste and a lot painstaking effort? Remember when you gave it to her, and she was so proud of you, regardless that you only got a barely passing grade for that artwork? Maybe, that's all she needs for this day, plus a smile, a hug, a kiss. After all, “She'll take it with her as long as it's free...”
I'm hungry and I don't know what to do!
I'm hungry and I don't know what to do!
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
The Philippine Star
Flavors, Special Section
April 15, 2002
I love to eat. It takes me out of my depression.
The only thing that depresses me, though, is that moment when I look in my wallet and find I would have to make a choice...eat or go home. Obviously, I'd rather go home than sleep on the streets or wash dishes just because I wanted to fulfill a desire.
Then, I was introduced to the world of credit cards. At first, I hated them. Aside from the fact that I was afraid I might lose them, I was even more afraid I would not be able to pay my bills on time.
Paper versus Plastic
Most people would know the trouble with others who have a monstrous appetite. Especially with guys. Now, after eating their delicious meal, they would search the deepest ends of their wallets looking for cash. Unfortunately, they don't always have enough.
So, to save face, they take out their credit cards from their worn-out wallets. For some who have multiple cards, they have a chance to choose which card to use. They can take into consideration the bill and if it is still within the card's limit.
Credit cards may be small and easily lost or stolen, but those may be the only issues you'll hate about those small, sensitive plastic cards. They're always there when you need them most.
Discounts and Freebies
I would sometimes think that some people, maybe including myself, just don't know how lucky they are to have a credit card. Some people even wait for months just to have their applications approved.
Some credit cards, for one, can actually save you money. Second, some credit cards enable you to spend less than you should – especially in restaurants and food outlets, you pay less depending on the card you use.
And that's just some of the good things about having a credit card. Some cards give their customers discounts, while other would make you earn points that will reward you at a certain time.
So now, food lovers, especially me, won't have to be depressed anymore whenever we take a peek inside our wallets and see that we don't have enough cash...
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
The Philippine Star
Flavors, Special Section
April 15, 2002
I love to eat. It takes me out of my depression.
The only thing that depresses me, though, is that moment when I look in my wallet and find I would have to make a choice...eat or go home. Obviously, I'd rather go home than sleep on the streets or wash dishes just because I wanted to fulfill a desire.
Then, I was introduced to the world of credit cards. At first, I hated them. Aside from the fact that I was afraid I might lose them, I was even more afraid I would not be able to pay my bills on time.
Paper versus Plastic
Most people would know the trouble with others who have a monstrous appetite. Especially with guys. Now, after eating their delicious meal, they would search the deepest ends of their wallets looking for cash. Unfortunately, they don't always have enough.
So, to save face, they take out their credit cards from their worn-out wallets. For some who have multiple cards, they have a chance to choose which card to use. They can take into consideration the bill and if it is still within the card's limit.
Credit cards may be small and easily lost or stolen, but those may be the only issues you'll hate about those small, sensitive plastic cards. They're always there when you need them most.
Discounts and Freebies
I would sometimes think that some people, maybe including myself, just don't know how lucky they are to have a credit card. Some people even wait for months just to have their applications approved.
Some credit cards, for one, can actually save you money. Second, some credit cards enable you to spend less than you should – especially in restaurants and food outlets, you pay less depending on the card you use.
And that's just some of the good things about having a credit card. Some cards give their customers discounts, while other would make you earn points that will reward you at a certain time.
So now, food lovers, especially me, won't have to be depressed anymore whenever we take a peek inside our wallets and see that we don't have enough cash...
draft...
This is a draft of the proposed story concept that I included in my paper for my Discourses of Cultural Production class. The paper is about the discrimination of gays and lesbians in the Philippines.
G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, yeah! I sang to myself as I lip-synched my favorite song. I still can’t believe it, out of all the applicants who joined the program, I was one of the few who was chosen to be the airline’s newest flight attendants. Though the secretary probably didn’t notice, I was going insane with joy and anticipation. My feet shuffled about as if it wanted to leave me!
“Ryan Angeles? Mrs. Marasigan will see you now.”
At last! I shouted to myself. Even though it was just a few minutes, it felt like an eternity. As I walked inside the office, I saw who I thought at a glance was Gloria Diaz. Though some of her hair had turned grey, this woman exuded so much radiance that I felt so small. “So this must be Mrs. Evelyn Marasigan,” I whispered to myself.
“Come in, sit down,” she told me. And I did so without hesitation.
“You’re a very lucky man, Mr. Marasigan. You are the first and only male flight attendant ever to be accepted in Platinum Airlines.
Only I seemed to know the comedic irony in her words. It was true that I was the first and only non-female flight attendant in the airlines even though it had been months since they expanded their search for FAs due to the lack of female applicants. However, I am not a man, not fully at least, in essence.
The day went on as Mrs. Marasigan briefed me of my duties and responsibilities as a flight attendant. Though I already memorized the FAs manual from cover to cover, I was still obliged to listen. My first duty was to cater the business class of flight 108. Mrs. Marasigan told me that it wasn’t protocol for new FAs to handle business class as the company felt it necessary to showcase their new… I think her term was “prodigy,” but I felt the word “guinea pig” suited it better.
My first day went like a breeze and as the days passed by, I felt more and more confident. Days turned to weeks, and weeks into months. Sure enough, my enthusiasm with my job soon fell off, yet I was still happy because I was far better off working here than there at the call center. “How boring,” I thought to myself, as I reminisce on how uneventful my life had been, until I met Stephan. Stephan regularly went to Palawan for business trips. And since there were only two airlines that flew there, we often saw him in ours. My co-workers were clearly head over heels with him. I can practically hear their giggles coming from the economy class! But I have to admit that even I fancied him. I mean what’s not to like? Silky black hair you’d want to stroke, a beautiful smile, lips you’d want to kiss, and tight clothes that hinted muscular abs.
Stephan usually sat opposite my aisle so I pretty much see how the senior FA desperately tried to flirt with him. How she managed to pull her skirt up a little higher even though her stomach forbade it is a thing of sheer wonder. Honestly, the guy would just pass up on her even if she showed her legs. So, imagine my surprise when I found him sitting along my aisle. God, he was even more gorgeous when he was smiling at me from ten inches away. Alas, my brain knew that it was only a dream to score someone as hot as him, he’s straight. I saw him flew a few times with a woman in tow. Damn you brain, couldn’t even let me enjoy the moment… But wait, what is this? I saw a letter on the tissue paper placed underneath Stephan’s glass! It’s his phone number! I tried to snap back to reality. Did he miss the part where I was not a woman? Impossible, I’m wearing pants, the girls wear skirts. I’m wearing long-sleeved polo, and they’re wearing short-sleeved blouses with scarves! Immediately glanced back towards Stephan. Oh my God he winked! He winked AT me, ME! I was in cloud nine! But my heaven lasted only a minute when I suddenly realized that my next assignment was two months in Zamboanga. I nearly wept on the spot. I hated my life. I’m not gay being gay…
Two months had passed, and I was back to my regular duty. I was supposed to be happy to be back on this flight, but news reached my ears that Stephan had not boarded this flight for the past five weeks. He must’ve finished whatever thing he had been doing. Or maybe he felt embarrassed for taking a chance with me, maybe he thought the reason I didn’t call him was I was straight! In truth, I didn’t call him because I was shy. I was going through my itinerary when I suddenly saw him! He was seated along my aisle. Again he smiled with those gorgeous lips. “This is my chance.” I said to myself. So, I took no more chances. As soon as the plane arrived, I quickly went down to grab my stuff. He was still at the luggage area when I arrived near the exit. He was picking up his backpack when I leaned down and said “Hi.” He looked up and smiled. “My name is Ryan,” I felt my voice shiver. “Stephan,” he said.
Even before our hands shook, rode the taxi together, arrived at his hotel room, we both seemed to know what was in store for us that night – wild, passionate sex. We spent the next three days in his hotel room, barely leaving except to eat. Those three days were absolute nirvana. But like all good things, it had to come to an end. He was finished with his business here, and that that was the last time he would probably visit the Philippines again. I felt sad, but somehow relieved for I knew that the other FAs would crucify me if they ever found out that I had slept with their dream “guy.”
I never had a real friend in the company but as the days passed by, the other FAs became odd. They seemed irritated at me for no reason at all. I didn’t know why until I was called to Mrs. Marasigan’s office. She grilled me on how, even though it was not the company’s concern to meddle with my personal life, I should try and restrain myself from getting too comfortable with the passengers. It seemed that one of the FAs was spreading rumors that I was prostituting myself to the male passengers, and that Stephan was one clients I “seduced.” I was enraged with anger when I heard that, but Mrs. Marasigan consoled me. It felt good not to have someone judge you.
I busied myself with work so that I didn’t have to worry what the other FAs were talking about behind my back. My ears were already calloused from the discrimination of the masses. I was hoping that one day, they would simply get tired of gossiping about me. Unfortunately that day never came. Today the flight ran low of Cussler, a particular brand of whiskey served on the business class. The senior FA and I both received an order, but there was only one bottle left.
“Can I have the last Cussler, sis?” I politely asked the senior FA.
“My passenger is a regular, and I would hate to say we ran out.” Trying to add a reason aside from admitting that it has been months since the last time I had a real conversation with the girls.
“Sorry sis,” she said, already with a tone leading to a putrid dialogue about to erupt.
“I took it first. Maybe you can just give him a blowjob, it would probably be about the same cost of this --. She didn’t have time to finish her sentence. My hand didn’t let her. I saw the senior FA try to flex the muscles on her somehow-distorted face. Then I thought, I’d probably get fired after this, but I didn’t care.
As soon as the plane landed, the senior FA and I were called to Mrs. Marasigan’s office. She went in first. I could hear her cries for the whole 30 minutes that she was in there. My turn came, and it was what I expected. Mrs. Marasigan was pacing about, most erratically. I hear the words “almost fired, thankful, demoted, and economy class” but I couldn’t force myself to care. This day seemed so surreal…
I spent the next few months serving the passengers at the Economy Class. I see why they considered switching classes as a promotion or demotion. The people here were rowdier and tips were out of the question. I felt a little happier though. It was a lot more fun observing people as they seemed more real than those in the business class. But more than that, I was just glad to be free from the memories of the Business Class It was time to move on.
Time passed with ease except for the one time that I accidentally broke one of the arm rests. I guess it wasn’t built to be stepped on by male FAs. But what was I to do when I couldn’t reach the mobile phone on the far end of the compartment. The man who supposed to seat there had to be transferred to the business class for free. Of course, it had to be deducted from my salary.
Today’s flight started routinely enough. However, by the time the plane reached half of its destination, a commotion started to erupt at the business class. Normally I would just ignore it since I didn’t want to be anywhere near that area. But my passengers were starting to get concerned. I peeked from behind the curtain that separates the two sections of the plane, and I saw a Korean couple having a fight. The seatbelt sign was off so they were both standing up. The senior FA was having trouble communicating with the Koreans, and the Koreans were having trouble understanding her.
The senior FA was between the angry couple, desperately trying to calm them down. All of a sudden, the husband slapped the senior FA. It was loud enough that the people behind me heard it too. The senior FA fell on the floor. Her cheek was almost crimson red, the side of her mouth was bleeding, and she was shaking in fright. I, on the other hand, got mad. I know the senior FA and I weren’t what you can call friends, but I had to stand up for her. I shoved the Korean man back; he stumbled back onto an empty chair. I saw his eyes get smaller with rage, and then suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. As I looked down, I see a ball pen sticking out of my body. It took me a whole second to realize it was not supposed to be there. Everything seemed to slow down after that. I saw some of the women shouting in terror. I also saw the Air Marshall finally arriving from the back of the economy class. And then, everything went black.
“Hoy, gumising ka na!” I heard myself talking to me. So I forced myself to wake up. Unfortunately I failed, releasing some built up gas instead. And so, I tried again. This time, I was able to open my eyes. To my surprise, some of the FAs were there, and they were all covering their noses…
I learned that I was rushed to the hospital the moment the plane made the emergency landing. The Korean had his passport suspended indefinitely. I also learned that the senior FA spent the past two days watching over me. I was shocked to learn that the ballpen came just a few inches away from hitting a major artery near my heart.
A week of recuperation passed, and it was finally time for me to go back to work. Mrs. Marasigan was more than happy to see me. After a few minutes of idle chit-chat, she finally came to her point. Given to what happened to me, the airline sued the Korean and the Korean settled. Part of the deal was to pay for my hospitalization amounting to a little more than 200,000 pesos, pay damages caused to the airlines with the scandal amounting to a million, and never again fly with our airline company. As for me, I was offered a promotion, to be returned to the business class, and the “anything you wish” speech just to stay working for the airline. I accepted the promotion, I could always use the extra money, but I declined the offer to return to the business class. I was happy where I am. As for the anything I wished…
A week later, my wish finally arrived. It was my new uniform. It still had the airline colors of sky blue and white, but the slacks fitted my rather slender legs this time. The long-sleeved polo was changed to a long-sleeved blouse similar to that of the girls. And of course, the scarf. So here I am, back on the plane, doing the same old thing: serving food and drinks at the economy class, but I am happy, strutting along in my new uniform, lip-synching to my favorite song, G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, yeah!
G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, yeah! I sang to myself as I lip-synched my favorite song. I still can’t believe it, out of all the applicants who joined the program, I was one of the few who was chosen to be the airline’s newest flight attendants. Though the secretary probably didn’t notice, I was going insane with joy and anticipation. My feet shuffled about as if it wanted to leave me!
“Ryan Angeles? Mrs. Marasigan will see you now.”
At last! I shouted to myself. Even though it was just a few minutes, it felt like an eternity. As I walked inside the office, I saw who I thought at a glance was Gloria Diaz. Though some of her hair had turned grey, this woman exuded so much radiance that I felt so small. “So this must be Mrs. Evelyn Marasigan,” I whispered to myself.
“Come in, sit down,” she told me. And I did so without hesitation.
“You’re a very lucky man, Mr. Marasigan. You are the first and only male flight attendant ever to be accepted in Platinum Airlines.
Only I seemed to know the comedic irony in her words. It was true that I was the first and only non-female flight attendant in the airlines even though it had been months since they expanded their search for FAs due to the lack of female applicants. However, I am not a man, not fully at least, in essence.
The day went on as Mrs. Marasigan briefed me of my duties and responsibilities as a flight attendant. Though I already memorized the FAs manual from cover to cover, I was still obliged to listen. My first duty was to cater the business class of flight 108. Mrs. Marasigan told me that it wasn’t protocol for new FAs to handle business class as the company felt it necessary to showcase their new… I think her term was “prodigy,” but I felt the word “guinea pig” suited it better.
My first day went like a breeze and as the days passed by, I felt more and more confident. Days turned to weeks, and weeks into months. Sure enough, my enthusiasm with my job soon fell off, yet I was still happy because I was far better off working here than there at the call center. “How boring,” I thought to myself, as I reminisce on how uneventful my life had been, until I met Stephan. Stephan regularly went to Palawan for business trips. And since there were only two airlines that flew there, we often saw him in ours. My co-workers were clearly head over heels with him. I can practically hear their giggles coming from the economy class! But I have to admit that even I fancied him. I mean what’s not to like? Silky black hair you’d want to stroke, a beautiful smile, lips you’d want to kiss, and tight clothes that hinted muscular abs.
Stephan usually sat opposite my aisle so I pretty much see how the senior FA desperately tried to flirt with him. How she managed to pull her skirt up a little higher even though her stomach forbade it is a thing of sheer wonder. Honestly, the guy would just pass up on her even if she showed her legs. So, imagine my surprise when I found him sitting along my aisle. God, he was even more gorgeous when he was smiling at me from ten inches away. Alas, my brain knew that it was only a dream to score someone as hot as him, he’s straight. I saw him flew a few times with a woman in tow. Damn you brain, couldn’t even let me enjoy the moment… But wait, what is this? I saw a letter on the tissue paper placed underneath Stephan’s glass! It’s his phone number! I tried to snap back to reality. Did he miss the part where I was not a woman? Impossible, I’m wearing pants, the girls wear skirts. I’m wearing long-sleeved polo, and they’re wearing short-sleeved blouses with scarves! Immediately glanced back towards Stephan. Oh my God he winked! He winked AT me, ME! I was in cloud nine! But my heaven lasted only a minute when I suddenly realized that my next assignment was two months in Zamboanga. I nearly wept on the spot. I hated my life. I’m not gay being gay…
Two months had passed, and I was back to my regular duty. I was supposed to be happy to be back on this flight, but news reached my ears that Stephan had not boarded this flight for the past five weeks. He must’ve finished whatever thing he had been doing. Or maybe he felt embarrassed for taking a chance with me, maybe he thought the reason I didn’t call him was I was straight! In truth, I didn’t call him because I was shy. I was going through my itinerary when I suddenly saw him! He was seated along my aisle. Again he smiled with those gorgeous lips. “This is my chance.” I said to myself. So, I took no more chances. As soon as the plane arrived, I quickly went down to grab my stuff. He was still at the luggage area when I arrived near the exit. He was picking up his backpack when I leaned down and said “Hi.” He looked up and smiled. “My name is Ryan,” I felt my voice shiver. “Stephan,” he said.
Even before our hands shook, rode the taxi together, arrived at his hotel room, we both seemed to know what was in store for us that night – wild, passionate sex. We spent the next three days in his hotel room, barely leaving except to eat. Those three days were absolute nirvana. But like all good things, it had to come to an end. He was finished with his business here, and that that was the last time he would probably visit the Philippines again. I felt sad, but somehow relieved for I knew that the other FAs would crucify me if they ever found out that I had slept with their dream “guy.”
I never had a real friend in the company but as the days passed by, the other FAs became odd. They seemed irritated at me for no reason at all. I didn’t know why until I was called to Mrs. Marasigan’s office. She grilled me on how, even though it was not the company’s concern to meddle with my personal life, I should try and restrain myself from getting too comfortable with the passengers. It seemed that one of the FAs was spreading rumors that I was prostituting myself to the male passengers, and that Stephan was one clients I “seduced.” I was enraged with anger when I heard that, but Mrs. Marasigan consoled me. It felt good not to have someone judge you.
I busied myself with work so that I didn’t have to worry what the other FAs were talking about behind my back. My ears were already calloused from the discrimination of the masses. I was hoping that one day, they would simply get tired of gossiping about me. Unfortunately that day never came. Today the flight ran low of Cussler, a particular brand of whiskey served on the business class. The senior FA and I both received an order, but there was only one bottle left.
“Can I have the last Cussler, sis?” I politely asked the senior FA.
“My passenger is a regular, and I would hate to say we ran out.” Trying to add a reason aside from admitting that it has been months since the last time I had a real conversation with the girls.
“Sorry sis,” she said, already with a tone leading to a putrid dialogue about to erupt.
“I took it first. Maybe you can just give him a blowjob, it would probably be about the same cost of this --. She didn’t have time to finish her sentence. My hand didn’t let her. I saw the senior FA try to flex the muscles on her somehow-distorted face. Then I thought, I’d probably get fired after this, but I didn’t care.
As soon as the plane landed, the senior FA and I were called to Mrs. Marasigan’s office. She went in first. I could hear her cries for the whole 30 minutes that she was in there. My turn came, and it was what I expected. Mrs. Marasigan was pacing about, most erratically. I hear the words “almost fired, thankful, demoted, and economy class” but I couldn’t force myself to care. This day seemed so surreal…
I spent the next few months serving the passengers at the Economy Class. I see why they considered switching classes as a promotion or demotion. The people here were rowdier and tips were out of the question. I felt a little happier though. It was a lot more fun observing people as they seemed more real than those in the business class. But more than that, I was just glad to be free from the memories of the Business Class It was time to move on.
Time passed with ease except for the one time that I accidentally broke one of the arm rests. I guess it wasn’t built to be stepped on by male FAs. But what was I to do when I couldn’t reach the mobile phone on the far end of the compartment. The man who supposed to seat there had to be transferred to the business class for free. Of course, it had to be deducted from my salary.
Today’s flight started routinely enough. However, by the time the plane reached half of its destination, a commotion started to erupt at the business class. Normally I would just ignore it since I didn’t want to be anywhere near that area. But my passengers were starting to get concerned. I peeked from behind the curtain that separates the two sections of the plane, and I saw a Korean couple having a fight. The seatbelt sign was off so they were both standing up. The senior FA was having trouble communicating with the Koreans, and the Koreans were having trouble understanding her.
The senior FA was between the angry couple, desperately trying to calm them down. All of a sudden, the husband slapped the senior FA. It was loud enough that the people behind me heard it too. The senior FA fell on the floor. Her cheek was almost crimson red, the side of her mouth was bleeding, and she was shaking in fright. I, on the other hand, got mad. I know the senior FA and I weren’t what you can call friends, but I had to stand up for her. I shoved the Korean man back; he stumbled back onto an empty chair. I saw his eyes get smaller with rage, and then suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. As I looked down, I see a ball pen sticking out of my body. It took me a whole second to realize it was not supposed to be there. Everything seemed to slow down after that. I saw some of the women shouting in terror. I also saw the Air Marshall finally arriving from the back of the economy class. And then, everything went black.
“Hoy, gumising ka na!” I heard myself talking to me. So I forced myself to wake up. Unfortunately I failed, releasing some built up gas instead. And so, I tried again. This time, I was able to open my eyes. To my surprise, some of the FAs were there, and they were all covering their noses…
I learned that I was rushed to the hospital the moment the plane made the emergency landing. The Korean had his passport suspended indefinitely. I also learned that the senior FA spent the past two days watching over me. I was shocked to learn that the ballpen came just a few inches away from hitting a major artery near my heart.
A week of recuperation passed, and it was finally time for me to go back to work. Mrs. Marasigan was more than happy to see me. After a few minutes of idle chit-chat, she finally came to her point. Given to what happened to me, the airline sued the Korean and the Korean settled. Part of the deal was to pay for my hospitalization amounting to a little more than 200,000 pesos, pay damages caused to the airlines with the scandal amounting to a million, and never again fly with our airline company. As for me, I was offered a promotion, to be returned to the business class, and the “anything you wish” speech just to stay working for the airline. I accepted the promotion, I could always use the extra money, but I declined the offer to return to the business class. I was happy where I am. As for the anything I wished…
A week later, my wish finally arrived. It was my new uniform. It still had the airline colors of sky blue and white, but the slacks fitted my rather slender legs this time. The long-sleeved polo was changed to a long-sleeved blouse similar to that of the girls. And of course, the scarf. So here I am, back on the plane, doing the same old thing: serving food and drinks at the economy class, but I am happy, strutting along in my new uniform, lip-synching to my favorite song, G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S, yeah!
Mirroring Death as a Form of Solution
Mirroring Death as a Form of Solution
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
Modern Literary Masterpieces class
“At death one will no longer be a slave to his emotions.”
-- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Death is a natural phenomenon that ever since the earliest times has already captured the interest and emotions of people. Death as a theme is most apparent in literary works—from the works of early Greek tragedians (e.g. Sophocles’ Antigone) to classic literary works (like Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado) to contemporary novels (like The Book Thief of Markus Zusak). It is through the representation of death in literary texts that stories have becomes more interesting and realistic; it even seems that without it, the story would have been flat and unfinished. “Storytelling is always after the fact, and it is always constructed over a loss” (Miller in Friedman, 3). “[These] narratives of death and dying reflect a culture’s symbolic and mythic truths. Artifacts of death—rituals of dying and funeral, graveyards and tombs, wills and death certificates, the corpse itself—are as much as communal constructs, dramatic and narrative performances, as are the texts that contain them” (Friedman, 5). Being the natural event that it is, man has already “foreknown, expected and accepted” (Friedman, 6) death. And so, even in stories, the culmination is always death. However unfortunate it may then seem to sound, it shows that man has already grown accustomed to the idea of death and dying, and it is already considered a part of his accomplishments.
According to a web article, “modern writers have frequently presented death as the ultimate existential dilemma, one which arouses terrible anxiety as it offers an avenue toward authentic self-discovery.” Having a negative connotation or representation for death is common among texts. Javier Ruiz Herrero studied death metaphors found in fairy tales and Greek tragedies, and found out that the two genres usually employed negative metaphors about death. Among these are “death is sleep,” “death is old age,” and “death is cold.” However, there are also other death metaphors, which are not completely negative in nature like “death is renewal” and “death is transformation,” which Herrero explained from a religious point of view. He used the Easter celebration as a symbolism of new life, which is similar to the new life brought to Christians through the death of Jesus. Wallace Stevens supported this claim when he said “Death is the mother of beauty” in his poem Sunday Morning. The same thing is also said in reference to Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, which is “remarkable [as] it is a jest in a face of death: “death is present in an appearance of life” (Beer, 99). This shows that death in literary texts is also presented as a way for man “to create art and life.”
German theologian Karl Rahner has, however, another view of the subject. According to him:
“Death or rather dying ought to be considered, rather as the culminating act of life, in which a person expresses who he or she is, what they stand for, what his/her life is all about. This might happen in two ways: (1) via the circumstances of the death or by the manner of dying or both: an external and internal expression of what their life is all about; (2) whatever about the outer circumstances and the perceivable manner of death, death provides for all an opportunity for an internal expression of what they are all about, a ‘final option’ ratifying their ‘fundamental option’ or perhaps modifying it, this being part of dying.”
Instead of the usual “death is the end” metaphor, Rahner presents death in a positive light: as a solution or as a “fulfillment of a person’s freedom.” In a way, one may even look at it as somewhat heroic, revolutionary, and even a form of defiance because a person chooses to die for his own personal cause. This unusual kind of death metaphor is mirrored in A.S. Byatt’s novel Still Life. Sue Sorensen clearly explained this when she said “Stephanie faces her death directly when she says ‘This is it,’ much as she welcomed her son Will at birth by naming him ‘You.’ ‘Altruism’ is the culmination of the moment. It is a powerful word, deliberately cited to indicate that Stephanie has ‘lived for others,’ that she knows what her life has signified, and the she has chosen this life” (128). Another work of Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway, also exemplifies this death-as-a-solution metaphor. Referring to Septimus’ suicide, Woolf said:
“Death was defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate, people feeling, the impossibility of reaching the centre which, mystically, evaded them; closeness drew apart; rapture faded; one was alone. There was an embrace in death.” (202)
In both examples, death is of the person’s (or in this case, the characters’) choice. Their deaths are something that they think are essential for the sake of the people around them.
It is in the same context of “death as a solution” or “death as a form of escape” that selected texts will be studied. The following literary texts will be used: Jean Paul Sartre’s No Exit, Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam, Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin, and Ninotchka Rosca’s State of War. This paper will be particularly concerned with the female characters of the said literary texts, and in how they used death to solve or escape their miserable state.
“Death…is a cornucopia of clues”
“Death…is a cornucopia of clues about the meaning of life” (Koestenbaum in Shibles, 138). This cornucopia of clues is evident in how literary works present death as a part of everyday life. Even the symbolisms consist of common items like mirrors, clocks, skull and bones, as well as coffins, weapons, and leafless trees.
No Exit
Not a lot of symbolism is needed for Jean Paul Sartre’s drama No Exit as it already takes place in hell (although the hell is described to be more of an abandoned hotel room than the usual biblical description of a fiery place like Dante’s Inferno.) The clear symbols of death are the mirror and paper knife. In the play, Estelle is an annoying vain character. She continuously looks for a mirror so as to confirm her existence. She even concedes to Inez playing the role of her mirror just to convince herself that she still exists and that she is still the same person:
ESTELLE: “When I can’t see myself I begin to wonder if I really and truly exist. I pat myself just to make sure, but it doesn’t help much. I’ve six big mirrors in my bedroom. They’re reflecting the carpet, the settee, the window—but how empty it is, a glass in which I’m absent. When I talked to people, I always made sure there was one near by in which I could see myself. I watched myself talking. And somehow it kept me alert, seeing myself as the others saw me.
According to Shibles, “mirrors involve the revealing of the self in a metaphoric way. And one views oneself as older” (138). Estelle’s use of the mirror reminds her of her existence and that she gets old everyday (despite her having a vain personality).
Early in the play, Estelle does not want to think that she is dead; she even prefers to call herself “absent.” Initially, she puts on the impression that she does not like what has happened to her (dying of pneumonia). But her very first lines upon entering the room already imply that she is running away from something, and somehow seems like she is glad to be dead.
ESTELLE: No. Don’t look up. I know what you’re hiding with your hands. I know you’ve no face left.
She mistakes Garcin to be her dead lover who killed himself after Estelle drowned their baby. It may not have been for a good cause, but in here, it is clear how Estelle used her death (although she has died of a natural cause) to escape the guilt she feels. Her guilt and her desire to escape from it are made clear as the story progresses. Garcin and Inez continue to push her to answer their questions about her past, and they somehow manage to figure things out.
INEZ: Did he shoot himself on your account?
ESTELLE: Of course not. How absurd you are!
GARCIN: Then why should you have been so scared? He blew his brains out, didn't he? That's how his face got smashed.
ESTELLE: Don't! Please don't go on.
GARCIN: Because of you. Because of you.
INEZ: He shot himself because of you.
ESTELLE: Leave me alone! It's -- it's not fair, bullying me like that. I want to go! I want to go!
Inez, the other female character in the story, is a self-proclaimed “damned bitch.” Considering herself a “live coal that eventually turned to cinder,” (which, again, is another reference to death) she immediately comes off simply as a cold-hearted lesbian. She is assertive, “bitchy,” and hostile. However, beneath her spicy personality, it is clear that she is also another character who wants to escape. But as for her, she wants to escape and avoid the possibility of being judged and hurt by other people. That is how she has used her death.
INEZ: I’m always conscious of myself—in my mind. Painfully conscious.
(To Garcin): To forget about the others? How utterly absurd! I feel you there, in every pore. Your silence clamors in my ears. You can nail up your mouth, cut your tongue out—but you can't prevent your being there. Can you stop your thoughts? I hear them ticking away like a clock, tick-tock, tick-tock, and I'm certain you hear mine. It's all very well skulking on your sofa, but you're everywhere, and every sound comes to me soiled because you've intercepted it on its way. Why, you've even stolen my face; you know it and I don't! And what about her, about Estelle? You've stolen her from me, too.
Early on in the play, Inez immediately displays hostility towards Garcin. This is because she perceives Garcin to be a judgmental person, and she does not want to be criticized. When she was still alive, Inez used her strong personality to ward off people’s judgments about her. Admittedly or not, she has found the perfect excuse to do so by dying.
Amsterdam
Music is the main representation of death used in Ian McEwan’s novel. Clive’s supposedly finest composition, Millennium Symphony, is one clear example. The title is about time, which is similar to another traditional death symbol that speaks of time ticking away, the hourglass. In the novel, Clive uses Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ode to Joy as an inspiration for his Millennium Symphony. Ode to Joy is a poem written by Friedrich Schiller, and eventually incorporated into Beethoven’s famous Symphony No. 9. Similarly, the ode also talks about death: “In the face of death a friend,/To the work were given blisses/And the Cherubs God attend.//”
However, for this paper, the focus is on Molly—the dead woman who has been the lover of the four male characters in the novel. In the early part of the story, Clive and Vernon are talking about Molly and how surprised they are that Molly had conceded to a vegetable state of life.
He continued, "I mean, to die that way, with no awareness, like an animal. To be reduced, humiliated, before she could make arrangements, or even say goodbye. It crept up on her, and then..."
He shrugged. They came to the end of the trampled lawn, turned, and walked back.
"She would have killed herself rather than end up like that," Vernon Halliday said. He had lived with her for a year in Paris in '74, when he had his first job with Reuters and Molly did something or other for Vogue.
"Brain-dead and in George's clutches," Clive said. (4-5)
It seems ironic that Clive calls Molly brain-dead, when in fact, in the very first page of the novel, she is described as “feisty,” “gorgeous,” and “daring.” As said in the novel, “she never knew what hit her.” And so, from a feisty restaurant critic who could still do cartwheels at 46 years old, she suddenly changed into a helpless, “sick-room prisoner of her morose, possessive husband George” (3).
At first, George is portrayed to be a loving and loyal husband who cared for his sick wife day and night. But later on, it has been proven that he is a despicable, annoying character who is possibly bordering on psychotic (to come up with a wicked scheme that would get rid of Molly’s former lovers is truly sick). It makes one wonder then why Molly put up with a character like him. It is very much possible then that Molly has experienced a hellish life with George, and has decided to use her death to escape her husband’s clutches.
Nevertheless, it might also be possible that he had really been a good husband to her. It is also very likely that Molly could not just accept what happened to her. She could not bear being helpless and dependent on people.
The speed of her descent into madness and pain became a matter of common gossip: the loss of control of bodily function and with it all sense of humor, and then the tailing off into vagueness interspersed with episodes of ineffectual violence and muffled shrieking. (3-4)
Like Inez, she has preferred to use her death as her way to escape the gossip surrounding her—whether it is about her sickness or her relationship with men. This is likely considering Molly has had several failed relationships. But more than that, Molly wants to free herself from being attached to one person. Her free-spirited character could not handle being tied down to one place only, or in this case, to one person.
The Blind Assassin
Meanwhile, Margaret Atwood showed her artistic side in The Blind Assassin as she used colors for her symbolisms. In addition to the colors already mentioned in the Hand-tinting chapter of the novel, Atwood used another color—yellow—as a representation for Laura’s death.
“History was blank, except for the photograph Laura had glued into it—herself and Alex Thomas at the button factory picnic, both of them now coloured light yellow” (516).
Although yellow is known to be a happy color, it also symbolizes mourning in some cultures. Some people during the Middle Ages even wore yellow to signify death.
More colors were mentioned when Laura’s death was described in the early part of the novel. Iris’ description of Laura at the time when she committed suicide shows that her sister has carefully planned her death:
“I could picture the smooth oval of Laura’s face, her neatly pinned chignon, the dress she would have been wearing: a shirtwaist with a small rounded collar, in a sober color—navy blue or steel grey or hospital-corridor green. Penitential colours—less like something she’d chosen to put on than like something she’d been locked up in. Her solemn half-smile; the amazed lift of her eyebrows, as if she were admiring the view.
The white gloves: a Pontius Pilate gesture. She was washing her hands of me. Of all of us.” (4)
In the novel, Laura’s character seemed queer, but when studied closely, one will discover a deep personality—deeper than any other characters in the story. Even at a young age, she has already made up her mind that she is somehow destined to help or save people. For Laura, death is just a means to save other people or oneself from misery and pain. That concept of death has been very clear to her:
“Why did she have to cut off a piece of her hair?” said Laura. “That Iris?”
I had no idea. “It was just something she had to do,” I said. “Sort of like an offering.”
“It helped Dido get out of her body,” said Laura. “She didn’t want to be alive any more. It put her out of her misery, so it was the right thing to do. Wasn’t it?” (515)
Her first “heroic act” was shown when she tried to drown herself, thinking that her death would bring their mother back to life. Then, this was repeated when she consented to sleep with Richard to save Alex from being imprisoned.
“It was horrible, but I had to do it. I had to make the sacrifice. I had to take the pain and suffering onto myself. That’s what I promised God. I knew if I did that, it would save Alex. I kept my end of the bargain.” (502)
Laura used her death not just to escape Richard’s vile ways, but more so, to impose revenge on him. She knew that Richard liked (or maybe, even loved) her. Her death was the only way to avenge Alex and herself as well from the despicable things that Richard did. Based on what Rahner said, Laura’s death was a form of a culminating act, a form of fulfillment. Her death was a solution, which also proved to be favorable for Iris as she eventually learned how to stand up for herself and get even with Richard.
State of War
Lastly, in State of War, Ninotchka Rosca also utilized colors to symbolize death. When Maya realized that Luis Carlos is Hans’ son, she locked herself in the bathroom and died. It was after a few hours when the maid found “Maya’s image, stark naked save for the emeralds, her flesh already cyanotic blue” (219). The emerald necklaces are a reference to death, as well as the cyanotic blue discoloration of Maya’s skin. Emeralds are known to be gems that signify love, but for some it also serves as a tool to calm a disturbed mind. Again, this is a clear symbolism for death as calming a disturbed mind implies deadening the nerves. The cyanotic blue discoloration of the flesh is what happens when a person is about to die or is already dead.
Maya’s death is probably the most unrealistic, almost like magic realism, when compared to the other literary texts. She knew she was going to die. “I stink of the grave,” (218) she said. It was not very clear in the text how Maya died, but it seemed that she chose her death—an untimely one at that. Her death was her way of escaping and putting a stop to what seemed like a curse to their family: that she and her descendants will be inflicted with never-ending pain and suffering, and that women will be continuously taken advantage of by men (particularly foreigners).
“Her memories vomited her shame—both public and private; the shame that had driven her to lash saints and horses with equal cruelty and that which had driven her to embrace the priest’s corruption until he found himself unable to live without her contempt. She felt the pain of all her childbirths, equal to the pain of watching her six sons walk away from the monastery, each with a woven reed chest of clothes on his shoulder, on their way to unspeakable voyages so they could escape the recurrent sermons of their own father who, insidiously, condemned his own brood by repeating over and over again that the sins of fathers were visited upon their descendants even to the third generation.” (191)
Her character is very traditional, very old school. She believes in things such as magic, luck, and destiny. She believes in a higher being, although she does not specifically approve of Christianity (considering what she had to go through when she was with the Capuchin monk). Her hard-headedness and strong personality did not dissuade her from choosing to use her death as a way to escape and save her descendants from the “condemnation” imposed by the fate of her predecessors. And so, Maya deems it right that by taking her own life will put everything back to normal. She thinks that her death can compensate for the bad luck bestowed upon her family. Like Laura, Maya chose to die in the hopes of ending the atrocious events happening in their lives.
“She could take some comfort from the fact that he would soon be gone and the stars of fate could right themselves again. As she turned away, she caught a glimpse of the canal and noticed how odd the boats looked in the white light of the afternoon. They seemed to have been painted black from prow to stern and were almost etched against the inordinately brilliant light.” (218)
It is even interesting to note how she looked like when she died. Her death is somehow likened to a saint who offered herself as a sacrifice. A saint, who in the end, is immortalized by having a painting of herself framed: “Enough light mirror on the bathroom’s opposite wall and, within the carved wood of its frame, Maya’s image, stark naked save for the emeralds, her flesh already cyanotic blue” (219).
Grim Reaper No More
Estelle, Inez, Molly, Laura, and Maya have one thing in common. They are revolutionary women. They were able to prove that death should not be restricted to the grim, gloomy, shoddy idea that it used to be. Death can be useful, not only to pursue and fight a personal battle, but also to realize a worthy cause.
In the selected texts, it was apparent how the female characters used and took advantage of their deaths to escape their miserable conditions. While their reasons may differ—some are even selfish—in the end, their deaths were still put into good use. They were able to free themselves of certain emotions (like guilt and paranoia) and the ghosts of the events in their past that had been haunting them for quite some time. In the end, they were able to find peace within themselves. As for some, like Laura, they also utilized their deaths as a way to “get even” with the people who have done them wrong. It may not be a noble cause, but it is human nature anyway to take on revenge. Their act simply confirms their humanity even up to the last minute of their lives. Then again, as emphasized by Rahner and Sorensen, altruism or self-sacrifice is the ultimate act. Choosing to die for the purpose of saving other people or to compensate for wrong deeds is heroic, yet revolutionary. Having a “revolutionary” kind of death defies tradition, and simply gives the impression that the female character is not subservient (which is orthodox in many literary texts).
As mentioned earlier, having death in a story makes it more interesting and realistic. It reflects the culture the author has grown up to, as well as his or her ideals in life. Apparently, the authors of the texts are not confined within the walls of the society they belong to. Being able to represent death, particularly through a female character, is simply genius.
Bibliography
Books
Atwood, Margaret. The Blind Assassin. New York: Anchor Books, 2000.
Beer, Gillian. “The Body of the People in Virginia Woolf.” Women Reading Women’s Writing. Ed. Sue Rose. London: The Harvester Press, 1987.
McEwan, Ian. Amsterdam. London: Vintage Books, 2005.
Rosca, Ninotchka. State of War. Manila: Anvil, 2005.
Shibles, Warren. Death: An Interdisciplinary Analysis. Wisconsin: The Language Press, 1974.
Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. London: Penguin Group, 1996.
Electronic Book
Friedman, Alan Warren. Fictional Death and the Modernist Enterprise. Cambridge University Press. < isbn="9780521442619&ss=">.
Sartre, Jean Paul. No Exit. Scribd. 13 Sept. 2008..
Online Journal Article
Sorensen, Sue. “Death in the Fiction of A. S. Byatt.” Critique 43 (2002) : 115-132.
Online Articles
Herrero, Javier Ruiz. “At the Crossroads Between Literature, Culture, Linguistics, and Cognition: Death Metaphors in Fairy Tales.” Revisita Española de Lingüística Aplicada..
"Death in Literature: Introduction." Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Jennifer Gariepy. Vol. 78. Gale Cengage, 1999. eNotes.com. 2006. 23 Nov. 2008.
“Death in Literature as Cultural History.” Literature for Adults. Andrew Schopp. 2007. 23 Nov. 2008.
“The Philosophy of Death.” 11 Dec. 2008.
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
Modern Literary Masterpieces class
“At death one will no longer be a slave to his emotions.”
-- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Death is a natural phenomenon that ever since the earliest times has already captured the interest and emotions of people. Death as a theme is most apparent in literary works—from the works of early Greek tragedians (e.g. Sophocles’ Antigone) to classic literary works (like Edgar Allan Poe’s The Cask of Amontillado) to contemporary novels (like The Book Thief of Markus Zusak). It is through the representation of death in literary texts that stories have becomes more interesting and realistic; it even seems that without it, the story would have been flat and unfinished. “Storytelling is always after the fact, and it is always constructed over a loss” (Miller in Friedman, 3). “[These] narratives of death and dying reflect a culture’s symbolic and mythic truths. Artifacts of death—rituals of dying and funeral, graveyards and tombs, wills and death certificates, the corpse itself—are as much as communal constructs, dramatic and narrative performances, as are the texts that contain them” (Friedman, 5). Being the natural event that it is, man has already “foreknown, expected and accepted” (Friedman, 6) death. And so, even in stories, the culmination is always death. However unfortunate it may then seem to sound, it shows that man has already grown accustomed to the idea of death and dying, and it is already considered a part of his accomplishments.
According to a web article, “modern writers have frequently presented death as the ultimate existential dilemma, one which arouses terrible anxiety as it offers an avenue toward authentic self-discovery.” Having a negative connotation or representation for death is common among texts. Javier Ruiz Herrero studied death metaphors found in fairy tales and Greek tragedies, and found out that the two genres usually employed negative metaphors about death. Among these are “death is sleep,” “death is old age,” and “death is cold.” However, there are also other death metaphors, which are not completely negative in nature like “death is renewal” and “death is transformation,” which Herrero explained from a religious point of view. He used the Easter celebration as a symbolism of new life, which is similar to the new life brought to Christians through the death of Jesus. Wallace Stevens supported this claim when he said “Death is the mother of beauty” in his poem Sunday Morning. The same thing is also said in reference to Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, which is “remarkable [as] it is a jest in a face of death: “death is present in an appearance of life” (Beer, 99). This shows that death in literary texts is also presented as a way for man “to create art and life.”
German theologian Karl Rahner has, however, another view of the subject. According to him:
“Death or rather dying ought to be considered, rather as the culminating act of life, in which a person expresses who he or she is, what they stand for, what his/her life is all about. This might happen in two ways: (1) via the circumstances of the death or by the manner of dying or both: an external and internal expression of what their life is all about; (2) whatever about the outer circumstances and the perceivable manner of death, death provides for all an opportunity for an internal expression of what they are all about, a ‘final option’ ratifying their ‘fundamental option’ or perhaps modifying it, this being part of dying.”
Instead of the usual “death is the end” metaphor, Rahner presents death in a positive light: as a solution or as a “fulfillment of a person’s freedom.” In a way, one may even look at it as somewhat heroic, revolutionary, and even a form of defiance because a person chooses to die for his own personal cause. This unusual kind of death metaphor is mirrored in A.S. Byatt’s novel Still Life. Sue Sorensen clearly explained this when she said “Stephanie faces her death directly when she says ‘This is it,’ much as she welcomed her son Will at birth by naming him ‘You.’ ‘Altruism’ is the culmination of the moment. It is a powerful word, deliberately cited to indicate that Stephanie has ‘lived for others,’ that she knows what her life has signified, and the she has chosen this life” (128). Another work of Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway, also exemplifies this death-as-a-solution metaphor. Referring to Septimus’ suicide, Woolf said:
“Death was defiance. Death was an attempt to communicate, people feeling, the impossibility of reaching the centre which, mystically, evaded them; closeness drew apart; rapture faded; one was alone. There was an embrace in death.” (202)
In both examples, death is of the person’s (or in this case, the characters’) choice. Their deaths are something that they think are essential for the sake of the people around them.
It is in the same context of “death as a solution” or “death as a form of escape” that selected texts will be studied. The following literary texts will be used: Jean Paul Sartre’s No Exit, Ian McEwan’s Amsterdam, Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin, and Ninotchka Rosca’s State of War. This paper will be particularly concerned with the female characters of the said literary texts, and in how they used death to solve or escape their miserable state.
“Death…is a cornucopia of clues”
“Death…is a cornucopia of clues about the meaning of life” (Koestenbaum in Shibles, 138). This cornucopia of clues is evident in how literary works present death as a part of everyday life. Even the symbolisms consist of common items like mirrors, clocks, skull and bones, as well as coffins, weapons, and leafless trees.
No Exit
Not a lot of symbolism is needed for Jean Paul Sartre’s drama No Exit as it already takes place in hell (although the hell is described to be more of an abandoned hotel room than the usual biblical description of a fiery place like Dante’s Inferno.) The clear symbols of death are the mirror and paper knife. In the play, Estelle is an annoying vain character. She continuously looks for a mirror so as to confirm her existence. She even concedes to Inez playing the role of her mirror just to convince herself that she still exists and that she is still the same person:
ESTELLE: “When I can’t see myself I begin to wonder if I really and truly exist. I pat myself just to make sure, but it doesn’t help much. I’ve six big mirrors in my bedroom. They’re reflecting the carpet, the settee, the window—but how empty it is, a glass in which I’m absent. When I talked to people, I always made sure there was one near by in which I could see myself. I watched myself talking. And somehow it kept me alert, seeing myself as the others saw me.
According to Shibles, “mirrors involve the revealing of the self in a metaphoric way. And one views oneself as older” (138). Estelle’s use of the mirror reminds her of her existence and that she gets old everyday (despite her having a vain personality).
Early in the play, Estelle does not want to think that she is dead; she even prefers to call herself “absent.” Initially, she puts on the impression that she does not like what has happened to her (dying of pneumonia). But her very first lines upon entering the room already imply that she is running away from something, and somehow seems like she is glad to be dead.
ESTELLE: No. Don’t look up. I know what you’re hiding with your hands. I know you’ve no face left.
She mistakes Garcin to be her dead lover who killed himself after Estelle drowned their baby. It may not have been for a good cause, but in here, it is clear how Estelle used her death (although she has died of a natural cause) to escape the guilt she feels. Her guilt and her desire to escape from it are made clear as the story progresses. Garcin and Inez continue to push her to answer their questions about her past, and they somehow manage to figure things out.
INEZ: Did he shoot himself on your account?
ESTELLE: Of course not. How absurd you are!
GARCIN: Then why should you have been so scared? He blew his brains out, didn't he? That's how his face got smashed.
ESTELLE: Don't! Please don't go on.
GARCIN: Because of you. Because of you.
INEZ: He shot himself because of you.
ESTELLE: Leave me alone! It's -- it's not fair, bullying me like that. I want to go! I want to go!
Inez, the other female character in the story, is a self-proclaimed “damned bitch.” Considering herself a “live coal that eventually turned to cinder,” (which, again, is another reference to death) she immediately comes off simply as a cold-hearted lesbian. She is assertive, “bitchy,” and hostile. However, beneath her spicy personality, it is clear that she is also another character who wants to escape. But as for her, she wants to escape and avoid the possibility of being judged and hurt by other people. That is how she has used her death.
INEZ: I’m always conscious of myself—in my mind. Painfully conscious.
(To Garcin): To forget about the others? How utterly absurd! I feel you there, in every pore. Your silence clamors in my ears. You can nail up your mouth, cut your tongue out—but you can't prevent your being there. Can you stop your thoughts? I hear them ticking away like a clock, tick-tock, tick-tock, and I'm certain you hear mine. It's all very well skulking on your sofa, but you're everywhere, and every sound comes to me soiled because you've intercepted it on its way. Why, you've even stolen my face; you know it and I don't! And what about her, about Estelle? You've stolen her from me, too.
Early on in the play, Inez immediately displays hostility towards Garcin. This is because she perceives Garcin to be a judgmental person, and she does not want to be criticized. When she was still alive, Inez used her strong personality to ward off people’s judgments about her. Admittedly or not, she has found the perfect excuse to do so by dying.
Amsterdam
Music is the main representation of death used in Ian McEwan’s novel. Clive’s supposedly finest composition, Millennium Symphony, is one clear example. The title is about time, which is similar to another traditional death symbol that speaks of time ticking away, the hourglass. In the novel, Clive uses Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ode to Joy as an inspiration for his Millennium Symphony. Ode to Joy is a poem written by Friedrich Schiller, and eventually incorporated into Beethoven’s famous Symphony No. 9. Similarly, the ode also talks about death: “In the face of death a friend,/To the work were given blisses/And the Cherubs God attend.//”
However, for this paper, the focus is on Molly—the dead woman who has been the lover of the four male characters in the novel. In the early part of the story, Clive and Vernon are talking about Molly and how surprised they are that Molly had conceded to a vegetable state of life.
He continued, "I mean, to die that way, with no awareness, like an animal. To be reduced, humiliated, before she could make arrangements, or even say goodbye. It crept up on her, and then..."
He shrugged. They came to the end of the trampled lawn, turned, and walked back.
"She would have killed herself rather than end up like that," Vernon Halliday said. He had lived with her for a year in Paris in '74, when he had his first job with Reuters and Molly did something or other for Vogue.
"Brain-dead and in George's clutches," Clive said. (4-5)
It seems ironic that Clive calls Molly brain-dead, when in fact, in the very first page of the novel, she is described as “feisty,” “gorgeous,” and “daring.” As said in the novel, “she never knew what hit her.” And so, from a feisty restaurant critic who could still do cartwheels at 46 years old, she suddenly changed into a helpless, “sick-room prisoner of her morose, possessive husband George” (3).
At first, George is portrayed to be a loving and loyal husband who cared for his sick wife day and night. But later on, it has been proven that he is a despicable, annoying character who is possibly bordering on psychotic (to come up with a wicked scheme that would get rid of Molly’s former lovers is truly sick). It makes one wonder then why Molly put up with a character like him. It is very much possible then that Molly has experienced a hellish life with George, and has decided to use her death to escape her husband’s clutches.
Nevertheless, it might also be possible that he had really been a good husband to her. It is also very likely that Molly could not just accept what happened to her. She could not bear being helpless and dependent on people.
The speed of her descent into madness and pain became a matter of common gossip: the loss of control of bodily function and with it all sense of humor, and then the tailing off into vagueness interspersed with episodes of ineffectual violence and muffled shrieking. (3-4)
Like Inez, she has preferred to use her death as her way to escape the gossip surrounding her—whether it is about her sickness or her relationship with men. This is likely considering Molly has had several failed relationships. But more than that, Molly wants to free herself from being attached to one person. Her free-spirited character could not handle being tied down to one place only, or in this case, to one person.
The Blind Assassin
Meanwhile, Margaret Atwood showed her artistic side in The Blind Assassin as she used colors for her symbolisms. In addition to the colors already mentioned in the Hand-tinting chapter of the novel, Atwood used another color—yellow—as a representation for Laura’s death.
“History was blank, except for the photograph Laura had glued into it—herself and Alex Thomas at the button factory picnic, both of them now coloured light yellow” (516).
Although yellow is known to be a happy color, it also symbolizes mourning in some cultures. Some people during the Middle Ages even wore yellow to signify death.
More colors were mentioned when Laura’s death was described in the early part of the novel. Iris’ description of Laura at the time when she committed suicide shows that her sister has carefully planned her death:
“I could picture the smooth oval of Laura’s face, her neatly pinned chignon, the dress she would have been wearing: a shirtwaist with a small rounded collar, in a sober color—navy blue or steel grey or hospital-corridor green. Penitential colours—less like something she’d chosen to put on than like something she’d been locked up in. Her solemn half-smile; the amazed lift of her eyebrows, as if she were admiring the view.
The white gloves: a Pontius Pilate gesture. She was washing her hands of me. Of all of us.” (4)
In the novel, Laura’s character seemed queer, but when studied closely, one will discover a deep personality—deeper than any other characters in the story. Even at a young age, she has already made up her mind that she is somehow destined to help or save people. For Laura, death is just a means to save other people or oneself from misery and pain. That concept of death has been very clear to her:
“Why did she have to cut off a piece of her hair?” said Laura. “That Iris?”
I had no idea. “It was just something she had to do,” I said. “Sort of like an offering.”
“It helped Dido get out of her body,” said Laura. “She didn’t want to be alive any more. It put her out of her misery, so it was the right thing to do. Wasn’t it?” (515)
Her first “heroic act” was shown when she tried to drown herself, thinking that her death would bring their mother back to life. Then, this was repeated when she consented to sleep with Richard to save Alex from being imprisoned.
“It was horrible, but I had to do it. I had to make the sacrifice. I had to take the pain and suffering onto myself. That’s what I promised God. I knew if I did that, it would save Alex. I kept my end of the bargain.” (502)
Laura used her death not just to escape Richard’s vile ways, but more so, to impose revenge on him. She knew that Richard liked (or maybe, even loved) her. Her death was the only way to avenge Alex and herself as well from the despicable things that Richard did. Based on what Rahner said, Laura’s death was a form of a culminating act, a form of fulfillment. Her death was a solution, which also proved to be favorable for Iris as she eventually learned how to stand up for herself and get even with Richard.
State of War
Lastly, in State of War, Ninotchka Rosca also utilized colors to symbolize death. When Maya realized that Luis Carlos is Hans’ son, she locked herself in the bathroom and died. It was after a few hours when the maid found “Maya’s image, stark naked save for the emeralds, her flesh already cyanotic blue” (219). The emerald necklaces are a reference to death, as well as the cyanotic blue discoloration of Maya’s skin. Emeralds are known to be gems that signify love, but for some it also serves as a tool to calm a disturbed mind. Again, this is a clear symbolism for death as calming a disturbed mind implies deadening the nerves. The cyanotic blue discoloration of the flesh is what happens when a person is about to die or is already dead.
Maya’s death is probably the most unrealistic, almost like magic realism, when compared to the other literary texts. She knew she was going to die. “I stink of the grave,” (218) she said. It was not very clear in the text how Maya died, but it seemed that she chose her death—an untimely one at that. Her death was her way of escaping and putting a stop to what seemed like a curse to their family: that she and her descendants will be inflicted with never-ending pain and suffering, and that women will be continuously taken advantage of by men (particularly foreigners).
“Her memories vomited her shame—both public and private; the shame that had driven her to lash saints and horses with equal cruelty and that which had driven her to embrace the priest’s corruption until he found himself unable to live without her contempt. She felt the pain of all her childbirths, equal to the pain of watching her six sons walk away from the monastery, each with a woven reed chest of clothes on his shoulder, on their way to unspeakable voyages so they could escape the recurrent sermons of their own father who, insidiously, condemned his own brood by repeating over and over again that the sins of fathers were visited upon their descendants even to the third generation.” (191)
Her character is very traditional, very old school. She believes in things such as magic, luck, and destiny. She believes in a higher being, although she does not specifically approve of Christianity (considering what she had to go through when she was with the Capuchin monk). Her hard-headedness and strong personality did not dissuade her from choosing to use her death as a way to escape and save her descendants from the “condemnation” imposed by the fate of her predecessors. And so, Maya deems it right that by taking her own life will put everything back to normal. She thinks that her death can compensate for the bad luck bestowed upon her family. Like Laura, Maya chose to die in the hopes of ending the atrocious events happening in their lives.
“She could take some comfort from the fact that he would soon be gone and the stars of fate could right themselves again. As she turned away, she caught a glimpse of the canal and noticed how odd the boats looked in the white light of the afternoon. They seemed to have been painted black from prow to stern and were almost etched against the inordinately brilliant light.” (218)
It is even interesting to note how she looked like when she died. Her death is somehow likened to a saint who offered herself as a sacrifice. A saint, who in the end, is immortalized by having a painting of herself framed: “Enough light mirror on the bathroom’s opposite wall and, within the carved wood of its frame, Maya’s image, stark naked save for the emeralds, her flesh already cyanotic blue” (219).
Grim Reaper No More
Estelle, Inez, Molly, Laura, and Maya have one thing in common. They are revolutionary women. They were able to prove that death should not be restricted to the grim, gloomy, shoddy idea that it used to be. Death can be useful, not only to pursue and fight a personal battle, but also to realize a worthy cause.
In the selected texts, it was apparent how the female characters used and took advantage of their deaths to escape their miserable conditions. While their reasons may differ—some are even selfish—in the end, their deaths were still put into good use. They were able to free themselves of certain emotions (like guilt and paranoia) and the ghosts of the events in their past that had been haunting them for quite some time. In the end, they were able to find peace within themselves. As for some, like Laura, they also utilized their deaths as a way to “get even” with the people who have done them wrong. It may not be a noble cause, but it is human nature anyway to take on revenge. Their act simply confirms their humanity even up to the last minute of their lives. Then again, as emphasized by Rahner and Sorensen, altruism or self-sacrifice is the ultimate act. Choosing to die for the purpose of saving other people or to compensate for wrong deeds is heroic, yet revolutionary. Having a “revolutionary” kind of death defies tradition, and simply gives the impression that the female character is not subservient (which is orthodox in many literary texts).
As mentioned earlier, having death in a story makes it more interesting and realistic. It reflects the culture the author has grown up to, as well as his or her ideals in life. Apparently, the authors of the texts are not confined within the walls of the society they belong to. Being able to represent death, particularly through a female character, is simply genius.
Bibliography
Books
Atwood, Margaret. The Blind Assassin. New York: Anchor Books, 2000.
Beer, Gillian. “The Body of the People in Virginia Woolf.” Women Reading Women’s Writing. Ed. Sue Rose. London: The Harvester Press, 1987.
McEwan, Ian. Amsterdam. London: Vintage Books, 2005.
Rosca, Ninotchka. State of War. Manila: Anvil, 2005.
Shibles, Warren. Death: An Interdisciplinary Analysis. Wisconsin: The Language Press, 1974.
Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. London: Penguin Group, 1996.
Electronic Book
Friedman, Alan Warren. Fictional Death and the Modernist Enterprise. Cambridge University Press. < isbn="9780521442619&ss=">.
Sartre, Jean Paul. No Exit. Scribd. 13 Sept. 2008.
Online Journal Article
Sorensen, Sue. “Death in the Fiction of A. S. Byatt.” Critique 43 (2002) : 115-132.
Online Articles
Herrero, Javier Ruiz. “At the Crossroads Between Literature, Culture, Linguistics, and Cognition: Death Metaphors in Fairy Tales.” Revisita Española de Lingüística Aplicada.
"Death in Literature: Introduction." Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Jennifer Gariepy. Vol. 78. Gale Cengage, 1999. eNotes.com. 2006. 23 Nov. 2008
“Death in Literature as Cultural History.” Literature for Adults. Andrew Schopp. 2007. 23 Nov. 2008
“The Philosophy of Death.” 11 Dec. 2008
File Sharing: Whose Side Are You On?
File Sharing: Whose Side Are You On?
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
Media Ethics class
Fact: The Internet is a very useful tool. It can be used for promotions, marketing, business transactions, communication, entertainment, and even personal recreation. But, so far, it has been most useful as a means to send and receive information.
This capability of the Internet comes in many forms. The most basic are e-mails and instant messengers.
However, times have changed. Technology has evolved and new programs are being developed and improved every minute. Now, people do not just exchange mere sentences and paragraphs over the World Wide Web. They share files: movie files, music and even software. This new concept, termed as “File Sharing,” is the latest trend that conquers a lot of people. Imagine being able to acquire the latest movies, the complete season of a television show, and the hard-to-find music albums with just a few clicks and an hour to spare for the downloading process. Also called Peer-to-Peer (P2P) network, it allows computer users to upload and download files from other people. Thus, these users instantly become peers or friends, even if the person whom he is getting the file from is living in the other side of the world.
On one hand, it may seem harmless. One may think that there is nothing wrong with file sharing. In fact, it can be advantageous for a lot of people as they are exposed to things they originally do not have access on. On the other hand, artists, authors, musicians, recording and movie companies think that it is just a way for online piracy to thrive. Using file sharing, people can get hold of music or video files without paying for them. For them, it is a way to rob artists of their royalties and intellectual properties. File sharing, for them, is theft. Thus, it is a crime.
Where It All Started…
According to the Computer Desktop Encyclopedia, a P2P network is a network of computers configured to allow certain files and folders to be shared with everyone or with selected users. In the case of the Internet, it is considered as “the world’s largest file sharing network.”
It was during the 1990s when the use of the Internet started to flourish. At about the same time, authors, artists, etc. realized its capability of reproducing and distributing digital copies of their works. Of course, they were threatened. And so, to combat this problem, the United States Congress enacted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in 1998. This law illegalizes and penalizes the making and use of computer programs that will enable users to reproduce and distribute copyrighted works.
It was ironic that barely eight months later, Napster was born. Napster was a computer program made by Shawn Fanning, a college drop-out. Using Napster, users could share their music files or MP3s to other people. One could share whatever MP3 he had on his hard drive and, at the same time, search through a list of MP3s shared by the other users. That way, one could get a copy of the very first album of Smashing Pumpkins or Radiohead without even standing up from his seat.
As some people described it, Napster spread like a wild fire. From 30 people, whom Fanning first shared the program to, it spread to more than 30 million users all over the world. Less than a year after it was launched, Napster became a household name.
But musicians and recording companies did not like what was happening. They thought it was unfair for Napster and its users to just reproduce and distribute their copyrighted properties without paying them a single cent. And so, they brought the case to the courts and after a quite long battle, they got their victory. Their claim: besides the fact that Napster was pulling the record sales down, it was not just ethical to get something without paying for it. The courts ruled in their favor. Napster was closed down.
But that was not the end of their battle. For a lot of people, it seemed practical to use Napster. Since millions of people were already part of the file sharing network, it did not seem wrong anymore. According to Trevor Merriden, author of Irresistible Forces: The Business Legacy of Napster and The Growth of the Underground Internet, people even argued that if there was a way to get music for free, then why else should they pay for it. And so, even if Napster was closed down, it did not stop other computer programmers to come up with a more untraceable, convenient and “spoof-proof” (less viruses and corrupt files) file sharing programs.
Economics101: High Demand, High Supply
Nobody says no to free. Since Napster, organizations like Creative Commons and OpenOffice.Org have been established. These non-profit organizations campaign for the use and reproduction of copyrighted works as long as it is not used for commercial purposes or piracy. Piracy, as defined in Republic Act 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, is the unauthorized copying, reproduction, dissemination or distribution, importation, use, removal, alteration, substitution, modification, storage, uploading, downloading, communication, making available to the public, or broadcasting of protected material, electronic signature or copyrighted works including legally protected sound recording or phonograms or information material on protected works through the use of telecommunication networks, such as, but not limited to, the Internet, in a manner that infringes intellectual property rights.
But not many people know what Creative Commons or OpenOffice.Org are as there is still a whole gamut of file sharing programs which most computer users are more familiar with. Limewire. Gnutella. Mininova. BitTorrent. eDonkey. Kazaa. They come in different, weird names. They also have different distributing processes, but they still do what Napster originally did: they allow users to upload and download movies, MP3s and software without paying for anything.
Computer users are aware that downloading files from an unsecured website can be dangerous as it can infect their computers with viruses. However, studies say that people who use file sharing programs are not wary of this danger. Despite the possibility of getting viruses, they still patronize these programs. One study actually says that if a user finds that he gets viruses or corrupted files from a particular program, he or she just switches to another one, which he thinks is safer and more reliable. A statistical example that file sharing program users increase by the minute is exhibited in the Mininova website. According to its latest statistical report, there are more than 600,000 torrent files in its database and more than four billion downloads.
Owners Versus Users
For users of file sharing programs, their philosophy is simple: music CDs and DVDs cost a lot, and so it is just right that they use the available means to acquire the things they like. As one of Merriden’s interviewee has said, “Music should be made for the sake of music—it should be free. Come on…15$? Some people can’t afford a CD.” This just shows that people are not really worried of the ethical, or even the legal, consequences of file sharing. While they know that illegally downloading a movie or music file is a form of copyright infringement, they do not really care. They are aware that the act is illegal, but do not really see it as “wrong” because, not only do they have a justification, but the rest of the world is doing exactly the same thing.
However, for certain groups, such as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), that is just not right. For them, file sharing programs are tools of copyright infringement. Although administrators serve only as the middle man and are not aware whether copyrighted works are being passed on from one computer to another, these groups argue that they still promote infringement or the unauthorized use of material protected by copyright. It is because those who use file sharing programs can make duplicate copies of files and then, sell them commercially.
Pro-copyright groups emphasize that royalties should be paid because artists work hard to produce songs and movies. Recording companies also proclaim that record sales decrease dramatically because of file sharing programs. They say that with the proliferation of illegal downloading, many people who work for the recording and movie industry may lose their jobs. Low record or movie sales may mean low salaries for producers, artists and the rest of the staff who work for a record company or movie outfit. On a larger scale, it can actually damage the economy. And so, they continue bringing cases to court against people whom they suspect are guilty of online piracy and companies who promote the use of file sharing programs. However, even the mere act of suing file sharers poses to be a challenge for them. Despite copyright laws, it is still very difficult to pin down administrators and users. Worse, filing cases against users also risks loyalty from consumers.
The Best of Both Worlds
One of the main attractive points of file sharing is that you can acquire the rarest-to-find movies and songs and out-of-print books in just a couple of hours. Of course, the fact that it is free of charge makes it even more attractive and addictive. It is because of file sharing that the unreasonable prices of CDs and DVDs have gone down. And so, now, everybody has the chance to buy the music or movies that they like.
As for the low record sales, it should be noted that there are studies which refute that claim. P2P Control, a study conducted by Allot Communications, maintains that downloading files using file sharing programs is not the culprit of low record sales. In fact, “(f)ile sharing actually increases CD sales for ‘hot’ albums that sell more than 60,000 copies. For every 150 downloads of a song from those albums, sales increase by a copy.”
Come to think of it, file sharing has been in existence even before Napster, even before the advent of computers. The mere act of borrowing and lending things is already a kind of file sharing. The only difference is that, before, it only involves a few people. And now, people use a different kind of tool, but still share things.
Another factor to be considered about file sharing is that it builds communities and fosters friendship among its users. According to Sharman Networks, operators of Kazaa, “P2P file sharing is good for consumers as it is about more than just movies, music and games. P2P lets people share new ideas, collaborate on projects and communicate more efficiently.”
Meanwhile, putting on the artists’ and producers’ shoes, the issue of copyright would mean a lot. If it happens that composing music is what someone does for a living, then of course, he or she would want compensation for his or her work.
Then again, the world is in the digital era now. And it is inevitable that every creative work will be reproduced and passed on to every corner of the world, for free. Instead of battling the Internet and programmers, it is about time that people adapt to it. It just seems right then that governments and the industries concerned update copyright laws and make them work the people whom they deem as most important—their consumers.
The world will never run out of creative and intellectual minds. This is evident in the makers of the Open Office suite, a collection of programs similar to Microsoft Office. The only difference is that Open Office can be downloaded for free. This fact gives computer users more options other than subscribing to the pricey Microsoft Office, which, currently, monopolizes the computer industry. And so, it is just right to give at least a leeway for those who want to use and copy copyrighted works. It would be better if pro-copyright groups focus only on those who sell copyrighted works illegally. In the meantime, there should be more advocates for organizations like OpenOffice.Org which promote the use of free information and entertainment files. This way, not only cheaper alternatives are promoted, but budding computer programmers as well.
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
Media Ethics class
Fact: The Internet is a very useful tool. It can be used for promotions, marketing, business transactions, communication, entertainment, and even personal recreation. But, so far, it has been most useful as a means to send and receive information.
This capability of the Internet comes in many forms. The most basic are e-mails and instant messengers.
However, times have changed. Technology has evolved and new programs are being developed and improved every minute. Now, people do not just exchange mere sentences and paragraphs over the World Wide Web. They share files: movie files, music and even software. This new concept, termed as “File Sharing,” is the latest trend that conquers a lot of people. Imagine being able to acquire the latest movies, the complete season of a television show, and the hard-to-find music albums with just a few clicks and an hour to spare for the downloading process. Also called Peer-to-Peer (P2P) network, it allows computer users to upload and download files from other people. Thus, these users instantly become peers or friends, even if the person whom he is getting the file from is living in the other side of the world.
On one hand, it may seem harmless. One may think that there is nothing wrong with file sharing. In fact, it can be advantageous for a lot of people as they are exposed to things they originally do not have access on. On the other hand, artists, authors, musicians, recording and movie companies think that it is just a way for online piracy to thrive. Using file sharing, people can get hold of music or video files without paying for them. For them, it is a way to rob artists of their royalties and intellectual properties. File sharing, for them, is theft. Thus, it is a crime.
Where It All Started…
According to the Computer Desktop Encyclopedia, a P2P network is a network of computers configured to allow certain files and folders to be shared with everyone or with selected users. In the case of the Internet, it is considered as “the world’s largest file sharing network.”
It was during the 1990s when the use of the Internet started to flourish. At about the same time, authors, artists, etc. realized its capability of reproducing and distributing digital copies of their works. Of course, they were threatened. And so, to combat this problem, the United States Congress enacted the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in 1998. This law illegalizes and penalizes the making and use of computer programs that will enable users to reproduce and distribute copyrighted works.
It was ironic that barely eight months later, Napster was born. Napster was a computer program made by Shawn Fanning, a college drop-out. Using Napster, users could share their music files or MP3s to other people. One could share whatever MP3 he had on his hard drive and, at the same time, search through a list of MP3s shared by the other users. That way, one could get a copy of the very first album of Smashing Pumpkins or Radiohead without even standing up from his seat.
As some people described it, Napster spread like a wild fire. From 30 people, whom Fanning first shared the program to, it spread to more than 30 million users all over the world. Less than a year after it was launched, Napster became a household name.
But musicians and recording companies did not like what was happening. They thought it was unfair for Napster and its users to just reproduce and distribute their copyrighted properties without paying them a single cent. And so, they brought the case to the courts and after a quite long battle, they got their victory. Their claim: besides the fact that Napster was pulling the record sales down, it was not just ethical to get something without paying for it. The courts ruled in their favor. Napster was closed down.
But that was not the end of their battle. For a lot of people, it seemed practical to use Napster. Since millions of people were already part of the file sharing network, it did not seem wrong anymore. According to Trevor Merriden, author of Irresistible Forces: The Business Legacy of Napster and The Growth of the Underground Internet, people even argued that if there was a way to get music for free, then why else should they pay for it. And so, even if Napster was closed down, it did not stop other computer programmers to come up with a more untraceable, convenient and “spoof-proof” (less viruses and corrupt files) file sharing programs.
Economics101: High Demand, High Supply
Nobody says no to free. Since Napster, organizations like Creative Commons and OpenOffice.Org have been established. These non-profit organizations campaign for the use and reproduction of copyrighted works as long as it is not used for commercial purposes or piracy. Piracy, as defined in Republic Act 8293 or the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines, is the unauthorized copying, reproduction, dissemination or distribution, importation, use, removal, alteration, substitution, modification, storage, uploading, downloading, communication, making available to the public, or broadcasting of protected material, electronic signature or copyrighted works including legally protected sound recording or phonograms or information material on protected works through the use of telecommunication networks, such as, but not limited to, the Internet, in a manner that infringes intellectual property rights.
But not many people know what Creative Commons or OpenOffice.Org are as there is still a whole gamut of file sharing programs which most computer users are more familiar with. Limewire. Gnutella. Mininova. BitTorrent. eDonkey. Kazaa. They come in different, weird names. They also have different distributing processes, but they still do what Napster originally did: they allow users to upload and download movies, MP3s and software without paying for anything.
Computer users are aware that downloading files from an unsecured website can be dangerous as it can infect their computers with viruses. However, studies say that people who use file sharing programs are not wary of this danger. Despite the possibility of getting viruses, they still patronize these programs. One study actually says that if a user finds that he gets viruses or corrupted files from a particular program, he or she just switches to another one, which he thinks is safer and more reliable. A statistical example that file sharing program users increase by the minute is exhibited in the Mininova website. According to its latest statistical report, there are more than 600,000 torrent files in its database and more than four billion downloads.
Owners Versus Users
For users of file sharing programs, their philosophy is simple: music CDs and DVDs cost a lot, and so it is just right that they use the available means to acquire the things they like. As one of Merriden’s interviewee has said, “Music should be made for the sake of music—it should be free. Come on…15$? Some people can’t afford a CD.” This just shows that people are not really worried of the ethical, or even the legal, consequences of file sharing. While they know that illegally downloading a movie or music file is a form of copyright infringement, they do not really care. They are aware that the act is illegal, but do not really see it as “wrong” because, not only do they have a justification, but the rest of the world is doing exactly the same thing.
However, for certain groups, such as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), that is just not right. For them, file sharing programs are tools of copyright infringement. Although administrators serve only as the middle man and are not aware whether copyrighted works are being passed on from one computer to another, these groups argue that they still promote infringement or the unauthorized use of material protected by copyright. It is because those who use file sharing programs can make duplicate copies of files and then, sell them commercially.
Pro-copyright groups emphasize that royalties should be paid because artists work hard to produce songs and movies. Recording companies also proclaim that record sales decrease dramatically because of file sharing programs. They say that with the proliferation of illegal downloading, many people who work for the recording and movie industry may lose their jobs. Low record or movie sales may mean low salaries for producers, artists and the rest of the staff who work for a record company or movie outfit. On a larger scale, it can actually damage the economy. And so, they continue bringing cases to court against people whom they suspect are guilty of online piracy and companies who promote the use of file sharing programs. However, even the mere act of suing file sharers poses to be a challenge for them. Despite copyright laws, it is still very difficult to pin down administrators and users. Worse, filing cases against users also risks loyalty from consumers.
The Best of Both Worlds
One of the main attractive points of file sharing is that you can acquire the rarest-to-find movies and songs and out-of-print books in just a couple of hours. Of course, the fact that it is free of charge makes it even more attractive and addictive. It is because of file sharing that the unreasonable prices of CDs and DVDs have gone down. And so, now, everybody has the chance to buy the music or movies that they like.
As for the low record sales, it should be noted that there are studies which refute that claim. P2P Control, a study conducted by Allot Communications, maintains that downloading files using file sharing programs is not the culprit of low record sales. In fact, “(f)ile sharing actually increases CD sales for ‘hot’ albums that sell more than 60,000 copies. For every 150 downloads of a song from those albums, sales increase by a copy.”
Come to think of it, file sharing has been in existence even before Napster, even before the advent of computers. The mere act of borrowing and lending things is already a kind of file sharing. The only difference is that, before, it only involves a few people. And now, people use a different kind of tool, but still share things.
Another factor to be considered about file sharing is that it builds communities and fosters friendship among its users. According to Sharman Networks, operators of Kazaa, “P2P file sharing is good for consumers as it is about more than just movies, music and games. P2P lets people share new ideas, collaborate on projects and communicate more efficiently.”
Meanwhile, putting on the artists’ and producers’ shoes, the issue of copyright would mean a lot. If it happens that composing music is what someone does for a living, then of course, he or she would want compensation for his or her work.
Then again, the world is in the digital era now. And it is inevitable that every creative work will be reproduced and passed on to every corner of the world, for free. Instead of battling the Internet and programmers, it is about time that people adapt to it. It just seems right then that governments and the industries concerned update copyright laws and make them work the people whom they deem as most important—their consumers.
The world will never run out of creative and intellectual minds. This is evident in the makers of the Open Office suite, a collection of programs similar to Microsoft Office. The only difference is that Open Office can be downloaded for free. This fact gives computer users more options other than subscribing to the pricey Microsoft Office, which, currently, monopolizes the computer industry. And so, it is just right to give at least a leeway for those who want to use and copy copyrighted works. It would be better if pro-copyright groups focus only on those who sell copyrighted works illegally. In the meantime, there should be more advocates for organizations like OpenOffice.Org which promote the use of free information and entertainment files. This way, not only cheaper alternatives are promoted, but budding computer programmers as well.
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN FEATURE FILMS
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN FEATURE FILMS
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
Media Criticism class
Whether it is a classic or a contemporary movie, women play a major role in society. She may be a heroine or a villain, a religious or otherwise. Whatever her character is, she can definitely create a stir or cause changes. These changes do not only affect her, but the society surrounding her as well.
In “Gendered Television: Femininity” (1987), Tania Modleski said that a woman’s role “is decentered, finding her identity only in the relationships with children and husband, constantly reconstituting herself to accommodate the changing demands of these relationships.” But this is not entirely true. In the most movies—particularly The Sound of Music (1965), Practical Magic (1998) and Chocolat (2000)—one will see that women are capable of having a strong personality, knowing their identities, and in their own little way, can even make wonders.
The Films and Their Genres
The Sound of Music belongs to the musical genre. It is based on the Broadway musical of the same title. Like other musicals films, there is a lot of singing and dancing. These “song-and-dance” episodes clearly support the storyline while the lyrics perfectly support the dialogues. An example of this is the scene where Maria (Julie Andrews) is singing “I Have Confidence” while on her way to the Von Trapp Family mansion. The lyrics of the song seems like she is just naturally talking to herself aloud (What will this day be like? I wonder/What will my future be? I wonder//). Even the melody goes with her mood—scared and uncertain at first, and then happy and confident as the song progresses.
Aside from being a musical, The Sound of Music is also a romance film. This is visualized in the love story of Maria and Captain Georg Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). Also, the movie has a hint of history as the setting is during that of the Nazi invasion of Austria.
Next is Practical Magic, a fantasy film. Fantasy films usually deal with supernatural entities that have magical powers. In the movie, the main characters—Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman)—are modern-day witches. Although the viewer will not see them wearing witch’s hats and black cloaks until the end of the movie, the use of spells and potions is frequent all throughout.
Another focus of the film is the act of falling in love. Thus, it also belongs to the romance genre. Romance movies focus mainly on the character’s love story or journey in search for love. In the movie, falling in love has become a curse for the Owens family. And so, Sally is introduced as a cynical kid who does not want to fall in love, while her sister is giddy with the thought of being in love. Although they eventually tread on different paths, it is clear that both of them are in search for love.
Lastly, there is Chocolat, a romantic-drama film. “Drama films are presentations of stories with life situations that portray realistic characters in conflict with either themselves, others, or forces of nature (http://www.filmsite.org/dramafilms.html).” In Chocolat, the conflict between a conservative, somehow patriarchal society (headed by Comte de Reynaud, who is played by Alfred Molina) and a liberal newcomer (Vianne, who is played by Juliette Binoche) is presented. It also shows the struggle between maintaining and conforming to a traditional society and accepting changes and adapting to a new lifestyle. The movie also has sub-plots, which involves other characters who have struggles of their own. An example would be Josephine (Lena Olin). Her defiant and strong character makes her a talk of the town: “If you don’t go to confession, if you don’t…dig your flowerbeds, or if you don’t pretend…that you want nothing more in your life than to serve your husband three meals a day, and give him children, and vacuum under his ass, then…then you’re crazy.”
As the story progresses, the viewer will also witness the subtle growth of love between Vianne and Roux (Johnny Depp). This romance theme, however, starts only to become visible in the middle of the story when the “river rats” are introduced.
Theories
Feminism (Chocolat, Practical Magic, and The Sound of Music)
According to Laura Mulvey, there is a “patriarchal society” dominant in many narrative films. Male characters look down on women and treat them as objects. They consider them as inferior and, therefore, should be subservient. “The masculine subject emerges through two primary processes working in tandem: narcissistic identification with male characters and objectification of female characters. These processes transform ‘the look’ into a sexual ‘gaze’ (Mulvey).” This is because it is what the status quo has taught men—that women need to be taken care of and so, they can do whatever they wish with them.
However, D. N. Rodowick refutes this by saying “the structure of vision which is the foundation of pleasure in looking both contains active and passive components. This structure is maintained not only in the act of the look, but also in the return of the look.” In here, it is implied that the privileged idea in feminist films is that women are equal to men and they do not need men to take care of them. Women now are more active and know how to “return the look.” This idea is not only applicable to movie characters but to female viewers as well. As movies are a reflection of society, Ellen Seiter notes that “women openly and enthusiastically admitted their delight in following stories of female transgressions which destroy the ideological nucleus of the text: the priority and sacredness of the family.” Female characters and movie viewers now have a choice whether to follow the norm and prioritize family life or be a deviant by doing something that they think is better for them.
Postmodernism (Practical Magic)
In contrast to the modernist view of tradition, rationality, and function, postmodern works exhibit intertextuality, the use of pastiche, and fragmented ideas. It promotes a network of ideas that are not really connected with each other. It also exhibits a play on numerous signs included in the film.
Borrowing Jim Collins’ terms, there is a “bombardment of signs” and one will see an “increasing surplus of texts in postmodern works.” This means that a person who watches a postmodern film may probably experience confusion in determining the specific function and meaning of the movie. As David Boje said in his web article Stories of the Storytelling Organization, “postmodern discourses de-center the human agent and defend living and social bodies against the grand narrative, mechanical harmony, and functional order.” In effect, a postmodern film only has what seems to be a grand narrative or a fixed story. But if the viewer will look at it closely, he will realize that the film he is watching is only a montage consisting of signs taken from other artistic or literary works. Although the viewer can argue that the movie still makes sense, it is only because of the cause-and-effect flow of the plot. In reality, there are several meanings that the viewer can make up of the film because of the numerous references used by the artist.
Narrative Theory (Chocolat)
Roy Stafford in his web article Narrative and Genre: Key Concepts in Film and Media Studies, defines film narrative as a “chain of events in cause-effect relationship, occurring in time and space.” A traditional film narrative is very much like a story being told by one person to another. It begins with a state of equilibrium or balance, which is eventually disturbed. As the film progresses, the effects of this disturbance are revealed until a resolution is made. In the end, a new state of equilibrium is achieved. According to Stafford, “narratives are constructed around conflict.” And this makes narrative films much like a reflection of reality.
However, it should be noted that it is only in real life that “things can happen totally in random” (Kozloff, 1995). The story in a film narrative has to have a progression made by cause and effect relationships. It has a beginning-middle-end system. This is so that a viewer can clearly understand the film he is watching. It is also through this “formula” that a film becomes so predictable.
Genre Criticism (The Sound of Music)
In “The Genre Approach: Analysis of Formula Films” (1989), John Cawelti defines genres as “structures of narrative conventions which carry out a variety of cultural functions in a unified way.” “[These] genre films surely depend far more on repetition for their effects than on novelty.” Joining the bandwagon has never been difficult for filmmakers. They just change the names of the actors and characters, find a new location, and set another time, but the flow of the story is essentially the same. As Debbie Reynolds said in the movie Singin’ in the Rain, “When you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all.”
Watching genre films leaves the viewer in a state of being expectant because he can easily predict what will happen next or how the story will end. He will easily notice the similarities of one movie to another. Nevertheless, people still watch formula films because they are clear representations of culture. They say things about a certain society, which the viewer does not tire of knowing about because he gets values from them.
Robert Warshaw (1989) said, “One goes to any individual example of the type with very definite expectations, and originality is to be welcome only in the degree that it intensifies the expected experience without fundamentally altering it.” In here, Warshaw explains the kind of attitude a viewer possesses when it comes to watching films—ironic. The viewer is hopeful of being able to watch something new, yet expects that he would watch a movie similar to all the others he has previously seen.
Semiotics (Chocolat, Practical Magic, and The Sound of Music)
Semiotics or the study of signs, their meanings, and how they relate to other things is a common technique used in film criticism. According to Stuart Hall, signs or texts are polysemic. “They contain multiple meanings that need to be actualized by audiences, involving the culturally competent application of codes governing the text.”
After finding out these signs and their meanings, the viewer is then led to further levels of signification: the connotation and myth level and the ideology level. This is where he forms associations or refers the signs to other types of narratives or “myth,” as Roland Barthes said. In the end, the viewer will be able to recognize the privileged ideology or principle dominant in the film.
Film Analysis
The Sound of Music
In the beginning of the movie, the viewer will see that one of the rules at the abbey and at the mansion is that singing is not allowed. And so, the very act of singing is a signifier for freedom. It means that the character is giving in to his/her desires. One scene that illustrates this is that of the nuns telling Mother Abbess (Peggy Wood) that Maria has been singing in the abbey. Another is when Maria asks Mother Abbess for an apology because she has been singing. The same is true for the Von Trapp family when the children tell Maria, “Father doesn’t like us to sing.” The Von Trapp family mansion is also used as a symbolism for prison—a ship, in the case of Captain Von Trapp. This is proven true when Frau Schmidt tells Maria, “He runs this house as if he were he is one of his ships. Whistles. Orders. No more music, no more laughing.” Bringing the music back in the house is like making the house a home, and giving children their freedom.
Another sign is Max’s (Richard Haydn) description of the Baroness (Eleanor Parker) as “Baroness Machiavelli.” This is in reference to Niccolo Machiavelli and his famous treatise, The Prince. The treatise says “the end justifies the means” and so, this is just what the Baroness plans to do in order to ruin Maria’s and Captain Von Trapp’s relationship.
In the movie, the abbey is used as a signifier for protection. One of the scenes that demonstrates this is that of Maria running back to the abbey when she discovers that she has feelings for the Captain. She uses the abbey to protect herself from the feelings she has for him. Another example is when the Von Trapp family hides in the abbey when the Nazi soldiers are looking for them.
An outstanding example of binary opposition in the movie is the Baroness and Maria. The former is rich, not fond of children (“Darling, haven’t you ever heard of a delightful little thing called boarding school?”), manipulative and reserved. She does not openly talk about her opinion. Maria is exactly her opposite—the children love her and she is outgoing. She is also opinionated and assertive, as seen in her argument scene with Captain Von Trapp.
With regard to the film belonging to the musical genre, Stanley Solomon’s theory should be taken into account. In his book Beyond Formula (1976), he said musical films have “certain strengths that permit them to move back and forth between a realistic presentation and a metaphorical musical presentation. Within a metaphorical presentation, a song or dance becomes a symbolic revelation of an entire plot situation, or a disclosure of a character’s inner feelings and deepest intentions.” For The Sound of Music, the song and dance performances have been the medium, which the characters use to express further what they have to say. This is particularly shown in the songs: “I Have Confidence,” “Edelweiss,” which the Captain sings for his fellow Austrians, and “So Long, Farewell,” which the children sing before they went to bed and before they are about to escape the soldiers.
Unlike other musical films wherein the performances are actually part of the film, the musical part in The Sound of Music is a way to reveal other meanings. As Solomon said, “the outstanding characteristic of the musical is its capacity to communicate different levels of meaning simultaneously.” Through the in-between performances, the viewer does not only learn of what the character feels, but he also learns more who the character really is.
Some parts in the movie can also be seen from a feminist point of view. An example is the scene wherein Liesl (Charmian Carr) and Rolf (Daniel Truhitt) are singing “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.” The lyrics of the song (“You need someone older and wiser/Telling you what to do/I am seventeen going on eighteen/I’ll take care of you//”) explicitly says that Liesl needs Rolf to tell her what to do. It implies that she cannot think and act for herself, and therefore, needs a man to guide her. However, it should also be noted that there are certain parts in the film wherein the “patriarchy grants women a position of some power” (Fiske, 1987). This is shown in the scene wherein Max asks help from Maria to convince the Captain to let the children sing in the festival. From there, it can be said that the female character is trusted with enough authority that she can persuade a man to change his decisions.
Practical Magic
There is also a signifier for freedom and protection in Practical Magic—the use of spells and magic. This is visualized in several scenes: it is used by Maria (Caprice Benedetti) to escape death, Sally and Gillian use it to escape Jimmy’s (Goran Visnjic) abuse, and Sally uses it again to free Gillian from Jimmy’s spirit. Maria and Sally also use magic to free and prevent themselves from being hurt. Ironically, it is magic that has also brought them heartache.
Another sign is Jimmy Angelov’s surname. Angelov is a Bulgarian name that means “son of angel.” This is what Gillian probably thought of him at first: that he can be her angel and save her from the curse. However, he proves to be otherwise. His character eventually turns from a bad person to an evil spirit. Jimmy’s desire for Gillian is also manifested through a sign—roses. Ironic as it may seem, roses are usually equated to love. But in Jimmy’s case, the rose is a sign for his obsession to Gillian.
Other signifiers include frogs and moon. Frogs are used as a warning for the sisters that Jimmy’s spirit is present. This means danger, and possibly death, which is also the symbolism of frogs in witchcraft. Meanwhile, a full moon is shown while Sally is writing a letter to Gillian. Right after she puts her letter by the fence, hoping that Gillian will be able to receive it, the phone rings and Sally immediately feels that Gillian is in danger. This is because full moon in witchcraft is a time wherein the psychic ability increases. Similarly, when Gillian sees a reddish moon (“Blood on the moon” as what she calls it), she becomes scared and anxious. In witchcraft, and as implied in the movie, blood on the moon is a sign of death.
Practical Magic can also be seen as a postmodern film because of references to other works. As Claude Levi-Strauss said, “no particular myth could be comprehended unless it is connected to intricate webs of other myths, symbols, and cultural codes and practices.” Except for their appearances (which do not really provide a notion that they are witches), there are several references to witches’ rituals, such as dancing naked during the summer solstice and the use of animals in casting spells. There is also a reference to the Salem Witch Trials at the beginning of the film wherein Maria is about to be hanged. Aside from being thrown stones at (which the sisters also experienced when they were younger), hanging is another traditional way of punishing witches. Another reference is that of the mention of American author Louis L’Amour whose works are usually about cowboys. And this is what Jimmy refers himself as. The Wizard of Oz is also used as a reference. At the end of the movie, one will see the Owens family is all dressed in black robes and is wearing red-and-white stockings. It is the same kind of stockings the Wicked Witch of the East wears in The Wizard of Oz. Nevertheless, there are also fragmented ideas included in the film which further proves that it is a postmodern work. Some of these fragmented ideas, which does not really connect to any myth or cultural practices, is the midnight margarita drinking and the frog throwing out Jimmy’s ring.
“Though women play principal parts in the narrative sections of the film, their depiction as totally dependent on men for approval and love ultimately transforms them into mere images of beauty without the capacity for self-determination” (Bywater and Sobckack, 1989). This may be true. As one will see in the movie, both sisters are desperately looking for love despite their strong will and independence. They even resort to magic just to find the right man. However, it should also be noted that they have demonstrated their resilience, independence, and strength all throughout the movie. Sally has shown that a woman can move on and still be happy despite being a widow. As for Gillian, she has shown that women should not let men abuse them. Her case is also an example of being able to “return the look” and create a feminine space. With her carefree attitude and lifestyle, it is implied that she has the “ability to facilitate and control relationships.”
Chocolat
The first apparent signifiers in Chocolat are the red coats Vianne and Anouk (Victoire Thivisol) are wearing amidst a grayish blue background. The background gives an impression of dullness, while the red coats immediately tell the viewer that these newcomers will create a stir in the peaceful village. Aside from the red coats, Vianne’s red shoes are also a sign of liberalism. In one scene, Anouk asks her, “Why can’t you wear black shoes like the other mothers?” This line implies that Vianne is different and defiant.
The signifier of freedom is in the form of chocolate. Very few people are brave enough to try Vianne’s chocolates, and so these are the only people who are able to give in to their desires. In the movie, chocolate is made to look as a symbol of evil and sin. The Comte even regards them and Vianne as “enemies.” This is shown in the scene wherein the villagers who have eaten her chocolates are confessing for doing such act.
Another is the village statue. In the movie, the statue is a signifier for tradition. It serves as a reminder to the villagers that they should always keep their traditions. In one scene, Vianne is so mad at the Comte that she starts kicking the statue. This implies that Vianne is mad and frustrated at the traditions that the village adheres to. At the end of the movie, the viewer will see the statue with a red balloon. This scene means that the village has finally learned how to accept changes and take risks.
Chocolat follows the traditional narrative style, which makes it predictable. It starts off with a state of equilibrium, showing the peaceful village with people going to Mass. Then, a disturbance occurs with the arrival of Vianne, Anouk, and their chocolates. From then on, the lives of the villagers have never been the same. They have become more passionate, risky, and happy. There are other conflicts presented such as the village versus the river rats, Josephine versus her husband, and Caroline (Carrie Ann Moss) versus her Armande (Judi Dench). In the end, a resolution is achieved as the Comte learns to accept that their village needs to finally embrace new traditions. The film used a character-narrator: Anouk. However, it was not until the end that the viewer would realize Anouk is also the narrator. The story developed progressively, although flashback techniques were used in the middle part of the movie. This allowed the viewer to take a peek into the history of Vianne and Anouk and better understand their lifestyle.
The movie is indeed feminist in nature, and this theme is particularly visualized in its female characters. Vianne is a single mother who does not go to church—a total deviant in the eyes of the villagers, especially the Comte. Her daughter is always outside the chocolaterie playing with the boys. When inside the shop, she can be seen playing pirate games. While Josephine and Armande are strong-willed female characters who do not really care what the townspeople say about them. Josephine is also another character who finally learns how to create her feminine space. She does this by leaving her abusive husband, Serge (Peter Stormare). In one of their dialogues, Serge tells him that she should go back to him because they “are still married in the eyes of God.” Josephine simply answers him with: “Then he must be blind.”
Comparison
The most obvious similarity among the films is the romance element in their stories. However, this does not weaken the fact that these movies generally belong to distinct genres. Another similarity is that women are major characters. The female characters play a different role for each film, and each character functions differently. However, they have their own identities and they do not allow themselves to be undermined by other people. The movies are also family-oriented.
As mentioned, all films employ certain signs as signifiers for freedom. Varying only in form, but these signifiers functions only as a means to be free and being able to unleash hidden desires.
Religion also plays a role in the three movies. This is apparent in The Sound of Music because Maria is a former nun. In Chocolat, it is one of the opposing poles as it forms a tag team with tradition. This is in conflict with the new and carefree lifestyle that Vianne wants to impart to the other villagers. While religion is evidently used in The Sound of Music and Chocolat, its function is only implied in Practical Magic. In the movie, religion is posed as a counter to witchcraft. When Jimmy’s demonic spirit possesses Gillian, Sally, her aunts and friends try to exorcise her and drive the spirit away. This is in contrast to the traditional Catholic way wherein a priest administers exorcism through prayer. But in Practical Magic, brooms and chants are used instead.
Summary
Using the Feminism Theory, one can say that the female characters in all three films are clear examples of women who are independent, strong, and defiant. Even Maria, who is supposed to be perceived as submissive because she is a nun, knows how to break rules and orders.
As for The Sound of Music, the Genre Criticism is used. It reinforces how formula films “stay” in the mainstream because, although predictable, viewers never fail to imbibe the cultural values it exhibits. Utilizing a musical format, the movie is still able to reflect reality and even give a hint of historical perspective. The same is true for Chocolat, which is critiqued using Narrative Theory. Although it leaves the viewer in an expectant state because it follows the narrative film format, the movie still mirrors everyday society.
Lastly, Postmodern Theory is employed for the film Practical Magic. It is considered such because of the signs it used, which are references to other works. In addition, a plethora of signs (moon, frogs, etc.) has become overwhelming for the viewer. As well, there are some fragmented ideas included in the movie.
Synopsis
The Sound of Music
The movie is about a hard-headed nun, Maria, who is sent to be the governess of the Von Trapp children. Although she has had a difficult time at first connecting with the children, they eventually become friends.
Meanwhile, as the story progresses, Maria and Captain Von Trapp slowly fall in love with each other. This, however, is not favorable to the Baroness, who at that time is the Captain’s fiancée. To make sure that she will be the Captain’s wife, the Baroness talks to Maria and convinces her to go back to the abbey. In the abbey, Maria realizes that she has to face her feelings for the Captain. She then returns to the mansion. The Captain eventually reveals his feelings for Maria as well, and they wed.
At that time, the Nazis occupy Austria. The government asks Captain Von Trapp to return as a naval officer for the Reich. Knowing that he has no other choice, the Von Trapp family devises a plan to escape. They join the music festival, and right after their performance, they will go to the abbey to hide. From there, they will hike over the mountains to Switzerland to escape the Nazis.
Practical Magic
Due to an unfortunate historical event, the Owens family is cursed: The man that they love will die. To avoid the heartache and the curse, Sally casts a spell about his ideal man—someone whom she thinks does not exist. Since then, she has decided to live a normal life. As years pass, Sally’s aunts cast a spell on her so that she would fall in love. She falls in love, marries Michael, and together they build a family. Unfortunately, Michael dies. Sally and her kids return to her aunts.
Meanwhile, Gillian leaves the house and goes out into the world. She meets Jimmy, who later on becomes abusive. Gillian decides to ask help from her sister. However, the sisters have gotten themselves into trouble as they accidentally kills Jimmy. They decide to bring him back to life, knowing that he may return as an evil spirit. Jimmy does become an evil spirit, and Sally tries to kill him again. They bury his body afterwards.
Just as when Jimmy’s soul starts to become restless and haunt the sisters, Gary Hallett, a police officer, appears. He is looking for Jimmy, and is able to trace Gillian and Sally. Sally and Gary eventually fall in love with each other. Sally also realizes that the man she wished for is Gary.
In the meantime, Jimmy’s soul becomes even more violent that it possesses Gillian. Luckily, with the help of her aunts and neighbors, Sally is able to get rid of Jimmy’s spirit and save her sister.
Chocolat
The movie starts off by introducing the village. Its villagers are conservative and traditional. It is during the start of the Lenten season that Vianne and Anouk arrives. Much to the surprise of the villagers, especially the Comte, Vianne puts up a chocolaterie. For the Comte, this is a big act of defiance of their tradition. He starts to spread rumors and bad things about Vianne, thinking that this will drive her away.
But Vianne is persistent and determined. She befriends the villagers, particularly those whom the village thinks are crazy: Josephine and Armande. Through her chocolates, she is able to unleash some of the people’s hidden desires and passions. Because of this, the conflict between Vianne and the Comte grows. However, none of them wants to concede.
In the meantime, the river rats arrive to the village. The townspeople think of them as immoral, as people whom they should not welcome. Again, Vianne defies orders and befriends them. She later falls in love with one of them, Roux.
When the Comte learns about this, he becomes even more frustrated and mad at Vianne. He goes to her chocolaterie, and destroys her shop. Accidentally, he tastes one of her chocolates. The Comte is not able to help himself but eat all the chocolates. The next morning, Vianne finds him. He apologizes and they have become friends since then. That also paves the way for the village to learn to accept changes.
Patricia Gaile Cotaoco
Media Criticism class
Whether it is a classic or a contemporary movie, women play a major role in society. She may be a heroine or a villain, a religious or otherwise. Whatever her character is, she can definitely create a stir or cause changes. These changes do not only affect her, but the society surrounding her as well.
In “Gendered Television: Femininity” (1987), Tania Modleski said that a woman’s role “is decentered, finding her identity only in the relationships with children and husband, constantly reconstituting herself to accommodate the changing demands of these relationships.” But this is not entirely true. In the most movies—particularly The Sound of Music (1965), Practical Magic (1998) and Chocolat (2000)—one will see that women are capable of having a strong personality, knowing their identities, and in their own little way, can even make wonders.
The Films and Their Genres
The Sound of Music belongs to the musical genre. It is based on the Broadway musical of the same title. Like other musicals films, there is a lot of singing and dancing. These “song-and-dance” episodes clearly support the storyline while the lyrics perfectly support the dialogues. An example of this is the scene where Maria (Julie Andrews) is singing “I Have Confidence” while on her way to the Von Trapp Family mansion. The lyrics of the song seems like she is just naturally talking to herself aloud (What will this day be like? I wonder/What will my future be? I wonder//). Even the melody goes with her mood—scared and uncertain at first, and then happy and confident as the song progresses.
Aside from being a musical, The Sound of Music is also a romance film. This is visualized in the love story of Maria and Captain Georg Von Trapp (Christopher Plummer). Also, the movie has a hint of history as the setting is during that of the Nazi invasion of Austria.
Next is Practical Magic, a fantasy film. Fantasy films usually deal with supernatural entities that have magical powers. In the movie, the main characters—Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman)—are modern-day witches. Although the viewer will not see them wearing witch’s hats and black cloaks until the end of the movie, the use of spells and potions is frequent all throughout.
Another focus of the film is the act of falling in love. Thus, it also belongs to the romance genre. Romance movies focus mainly on the character’s love story or journey in search for love. In the movie, falling in love has become a curse for the Owens family. And so, Sally is introduced as a cynical kid who does not want to fall in love, while her sister is giddy with the thought of being in love. Although they eventually tread on different paths, it is clear that both of them are in search for love.
Lastly, there is Chocolat, a romantic-drama film. “Drama films are presentations of stories with life situations that portray realistic characters in conflict with either themselves, others, or forces of nature (http://www.filmsite.org/dramafilms.html).” In Chocolat, the conflict between a conservative, somehow patriarchal society (headed by Comte de Reynaud, who is played by Alfred Molina) and a liberal newcomer (Vianne, who is played by Juliette Binoche) is presented. It also shows the struggle between maintaining and conforming to a traditional society and accepting changes and adapting to a new lifestyle. The movie also has sub-plots, which involves other characters who have struggles of their own. An example would be Josephine (Lena Olin). Her defiant and strong character makes her a talk of the town: “If you don’t go to confession, if you don’t…dig your flowerbeds, or if you don’t pretend…that you want nothing more in your life than to serve your husband three meals a day, and give him children, and vacuum under his ass, then…then you’re crazy.”
As the story progresses, the viewer will also witness the subtle growth of love between Vianne and Roux (Johnny Depp). This romance theme, however, starts only to become visible in the middle of the story when the “river rats” are introduced.
Theories
Feminism (Chocolat, Practical Magic, and The Sound of Music)
According to Laura Mulvey, there is a “patriarchal society” dominant in many narrative films. Male characters look down on women and treat them as objects. They consider them as inferior and, therefore, should be subservient. “The masculine subject emerges through two primary processes working in tandem: narcissistic identification with male characters and objectification of female characters. These processes transform ‘the look’ into a sexual ‘gaze’ (Mulvey).” This is because it is what the status quo has taught men—that women need to be taken care of and so, they can do whatever they wish with them.
However, D. N. Rodowick refutes this by saying “the structure of vision which is the foundation of pleasure in looking both contains active and passive components. This structure is maintained not only in the act of the look, but also in the return of the look.” In here, it is implied that the privileged idea in feminist films is that women are equal to men and they do not need men to take care of them. Women now are more active and know how to “return the look.” This idea is not only applicable to movie characters but to female viewers as well. As movies are a reflection of society, Ellen Seiter notes that “women openly and enthusiastically admitted their delight in following stories of female transgressions which destroy the ideological nucleus of the text: the priority and sacredness of the family.” Female characters and movie viewers now have a choice whether to follow the norm and prioritize family life or be a deviant by doing something that they think is better for them.
Postmodernism (Practical Magic)
In contrast to the modernist view of tradition, rationality, and function, postmodern works exhibit intertextuality, the use of pastiche, and fragmented ideas. It promotes a network of ideas that are not really connected with each other. It also exhibits a play on numerous signs included in the film.
Borrowing Jim Collins’ terms, there is a “bombardment of signs” and one will see an “increasing surplus of texts in postmodern works.” This means that a person who watches a postmodern film may probably experience confusion in determining the specific function and meaning of the movie. As David Boje said in his web article Stories of the Storytelling Organization, “postmodern discourses de-center the human agent and defend living and social bodies against the grand narrative, mechanical harmony, and functional order.” In effect, a postmodern film only has what seems to be a grand narrative or a fixed story. But if the viewer will look at it closely, he will realize that the film he is watching is only a montage consisting of signs taken from other artistic or literary works. Although the viewer can argue that the movie still makes sense, it is only because of the cause-and-effect flow of the plot. In reality, there are several meanings that the viewer can make up of the film because of the numerous references used by the artist.
Narrative Theory (Chocolat)
Roy Stafford in his web article Narrative and Genre: Key Concepts in Film and Media Studies, defines film narrative as a “chain of events in cause-effect relationship, occurring in time and space.” A traditional film narrative is very much like a story being told by one person to another. It begins with a state of equilibrium or balance, which is eventually disturbed. As the film progresses, the effects of this disturbance are revealed until a resolution is made. In the end, a new state of equilibrium is achieved. According to Stafford, “narratives are constructed around conflict.” And this makes narrative films much like a reflection of reality.
However, it should be noted that it is only in real life that “things can happen totally in random” (Kozloff, 1995). The story in a film narrative has to have a progression made by cause and effect relationships. It has a beginning-middle-end system. This is so that a viewer can clearly understand the film he is watching. It is also through this “formula” that a film becomes so predictable.
Genre Criticism (The Sound of Music)
In “The Genre Approach: Analysis of Formula Films” (1989), John Cawelti defines genres as “structures of narrative conventions which carry out a variety of cultural functions in a unified way.” “[These] genre films surely depend far more on repetition for their effects than on novelty.” Joining the bandwagon has never been difficult for filmmakers. They just change the names of the actors and characters, find a new location, and set another time, but the flow of the story is essentially the same. As Debbie Reynolds said in the movie Singin’ in the Rain, “When you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all.”
Watching genre films leaves the viewer in a state of being expectant because he can easily predict what will happen next or how the story will end. He will easily notice the similarities of one movie to another. Nevertheless, people still watch formula films because they are clear representations of culture. They say things about a certain society, which the viewer does not tire of knowing about because he gets values from them.
Robert Warshaw (1989) said, “One goes to any individual example of the type with very definite expectations, and originality is to be welcome only in the degree that it intensifies the expected experience without fundamentally altering it.” In here, Warshaw explains the kind of attitude a viewer possesses when it comes to watching films—ironic. The viewer is hopeful of being able to watch something new, yet expects that he would watch a movie similar to all the others he has previously seen.
Semiotics (Chocolat, Practical Magic, and The Sound of Music)
Semiotics or the study of signs, their meanings, and how they relate to other things is a common technique used in film criticism. According to Stuart Hall, signs or texts are polysemic. “They contain multiple meanings that need to be actualized by audiences, involving the culturally competent application of codes governing the text.”
After finding out these signs and their meanings, the viewer is then led to further levels of signification: the connotation and myth level and the ideology level. This is where he forms associations or refers the signs to other types of narratives or “myth,” as Roland Barthes said. In the end, the viewer will be able to recognize the privileged ideology or principle dominant in the film.
Film Analysis
The Sound of Music
In the beginning of the movie, the viewer will see that one of the rules at the abbey and at the mansion is that singing is not allowed. And so, the very act of singing is a signifier for freedom. It means that the character is giving in to his/her desires. One scene that illustrates this is that of the nuns telling Mother Abbess (Peggy Wood) that Maria has been singing in the abbey. Another is when Maria asks Mother Abbess for an apology because she has been singing. The same is true for the Von Trapp family when the children tell Maria, “Father doesn’t like us to sing.” The Von Trapp family mansion is also used as a symbolism for prison—a ship, in the case of Captain Von Trapp. This is proven true when Frau Schmidt tells Maria, “He runs this house as if he were he is one of his ships. Whistles. Orders. No more music, no more laughing.” Bringing the music back in the house is like making the house a home, and giving children their freedom.
Another sign is Max’s (Richard Haydn) description of the Baroness (Eleanor Parker) as “Baroness Machiavelli.” This is in reference to Niccolo Machiavelli and his famous treatise, The Prince. The treatise says “the end justifies the means” and so, this is just what the Baroness plans to do in order to ruin Maria’s and Captain Von Trapp’s relationship.
In the movie, the abbey is used as a signifier for protection. One of the scenes that demonstrates this is that of Maria running back to the abbey when she discovers that she has feelings for the Captain. She uses the abbey to protect herself from the feelings she has for him. Another example is when the Von Trapp family hides in the abbey when the Nazi soldiers are looking for them.
An outstanding example of binary opposition in the movie is the Baroness and Maria. The former is rich, not fond of children (“Darling, haven’t you ever heard of a delightful little thing called boarding school?”), manipulative and reserved. She does not openly talk about her opinion. Maria is exactly her opposite—the children love her and she is outgoing. She is also opinionated and assertive, as seen in her argument scene with Captain Von Trapp.
With regard to the film belonging to the musical genre, Stanley Solomon’s theory should be taken into account. In his book Beyond Formula (1976), he said musical films have “certain strengths that permit them to move back and forth between a realistic presentation and a metaphorical musical presentation. Within a metaphorical presentation, a song or dance becomes a symbolic revelation of an entire plot situation, or a disclosure of a character’s inner feelings and deepest intentions.” For The Sound of Music, the song and dance performances have been the medium, which the characters use to express further what they have to say. This is particularly shown in the songs: “I Have Confidence,” “Edelweiss,” which the Captain sings for his fellow Austrians, and “So Long, Farewell,” which the children sing before they went to bed and before they are about to escape the soldiers.
Unlike other musical films wherein the performances are actually part of the film, the musical part in The Sound of Music is a way to reveal other meanings. As Solomon said, “the outstanding characteristic of the musical is its capacity to communicate different levels of meaning simultaneously.” Through the in-between performances, the viewer does not only learn of what the character feels, but he also learns more who the character really is.
Some parts in the movie can also be seen from a feminist point of view. An example is the scene wherein Liesl (Charmian Carr) and Rolf (Daniel Truhitt) are singing “Sixteen Going on Seventeen.” The lyrics of the song (“You need someone older and wiser/Telling you what to do/I am seventeen going on eighteen/I’ll take care of you//”) explicitly says that Liesl needs Rolf to tell her what to do. It implies that she cannot think and act for herself, and therefore, needs a man to guide her. However, it should also be noted that there are certain parts in the film wherein the “patriarchy grants women a position of some power” (Fiske, 1987). This is shown in the scene wherein Max asks help from Maria to convince the Captain to let the children sing in the festival. From there, it can be said that the female character is trusted with enough authority that she can persuade a man to change his decisions.
Practical Magic
There is also a signifier for freedom and protection in Practical Magic—the use of spells and magic. This is visualized in several scenes: it is used by Maria (Caprice Benedetti) to escape death, Sally and Gillian use it to escape Jimmy’s (Goran Visnjic) abuse, and Sally uses it again to free Gillian from Jimmy’s spirit. Maria and Sally also use magic to free and prevent themselves from being hurt. Ironically, it is magic that has also brought them heartache.
Another sign is Jimmy Angelov’s surname. Angelov is a Bulgarian name that means “son of angel.” This is what Gillian probably thought of him at first: that he can be her angel and save her from the curse. However, he proves to be otherwise. His character eventually turns from a bad person to an evil spirit. Jimmy’s desire for Gillian is also manifested through a sign—roses. Ironic as it may seem, roses are usually equated to love. But in Jimmy’s case, the rose is a sign for his obsession to Gillian.
Other signifiers include frogs and moon. Frogs are used as a warning for the sisters that Jimmy’s spirit is present. This means danger, and possibly death, which is also the symbolism of frogs in witchcraft. Meanwhile, a full moon is shown while Sally is writing a letter to Gillian. Right after she puts her letter by the fence, hoping that Gillian will be able to receive it, the phone rings and Sally immediately feels that Gillian is in danger. This is because full moon in witchcraft is a time wherein the psychic ability increases. Similarly, when Gillian sees a reddish moon (“Blood on the moon” as what she calls it), she becomes scared and anxious. In witchcraft, and as implied in the movie, blood on the moon is a sign of death.
Practical Magic can also be seen as a postmodern film because of references to other works. As Claude Levi-Strauss said, “no particular myth could be comprehended unless it is connected to intricate webs of other myths, symbols, and cultural codes and practices.” Except for their appearances (which do not really provide a notion that they are witches), there are several references to witches’ rituals, such as dancing naked during the summer solstice and the use of animals in casting spells. There is also a reference to the Salem Witch Trials at the beginning of the film wherein Maria is about to be hanged. Aside from being thrown stones at (which the sisters also experienced when they were younger), hanging is another traditional way of punishing witches. Another reference is that of the mention of American author Louis L’Amour whose works are usually about cowboys. And this is what Jimmy refers himself as. The Wizard of Oz is also used as a reference. At the end of the movie, one will see the Owens family is all dressed in black robes and is wearing red-and-white stockings. It is the same kind of stockings the Wicked Witch of the East wears in The Wizard of Oz. Nevertheless, there are also fragmented ideas included in the film which further proves that it is a postmodern work. Some of these fragmented ideas, which does not really connect to any myth or cultural practices, is the midnight margarita drinking and the frog throwing out Jimmy’s ring.
“Though women play principal parts in the narrative sections of the film, their depiction as totally dependent on men for approval and love ultimately transforms them into mere images of beauty without the capacity for self-determination” (Bywater and Sobckack, 1989). This may be true. As one will see in the movie, both sisters are desperately looking for love despite their strong will and independence. They even resort to magic just to find the right man. However, it should also be noted that they have demonstrated their resilience, independence, and strength all throughout the movie. Sally has shown that a woman can move on and still be happy despite being a widow. As for Gillian, she has shown that women should not let men abuse them. Her case is also an example of being able to “return the look” and create a feminine space. With her carefree attitude and lifestyle, it is implied that she has the “ability to facilitate and control relationships.”
Chocolat
The first apparent signifiers in Chocolat are the red coats Vianne and Anouk (Victoire Thivisol) are wearing amidst a grayish blue background. The background gives an impression of dullness, while the red coats immediately tell the viewer that these newcomers will create a stir in the peaceful village. Aside from the red coats, Vianne’s red shoes are also a sign of liberalism. In one scene, Anouk asks her, “Why can’t you wear black shoes like the other mothers?” This line implies that Vianne is different and defiant.
The signifier of freedom is in the form of chocolate. Very few people are brave enough to try Vianne’s chocolates, and so these are the only people who are able to give in to their desires. In the movie, chocolate is made to look as a symbol of evil and sin. The Comte even regards them and Vianne as “enemies.” This is shown in the scene wherein the villagers who have eaten her chocolates are confessing for doing such act.
Another is the village statue. In the movie, the statue is a signifier for tradition. It serves as a reminder to the villagers that they should always keep their traditions. In one scene, Vianne is so mad at the Comte that she starts kicking the statue. This implies that Vianne is mad and frustrated at the traditions that the village adheres to. At the end of the movie, the viewer will see the statue with a red balloon. This scene means that the village has finally learned how to accept changes and take risks.
Chocolat follows the traditional narrative style, which makes it predictable. It starts off with a state of equilibrium, showing the peaceful village with people going to Mass. Then, a disturbance occurs with the arrival of Vianne, Anouk, and their chocolates. From then on, the lives of the villagers have never been the same. They have become more passionate, risky, and happy. There are other conflicts presented such as the village versus the river rats, Josephine versus her husband, and Caroline (Carrie Ann Moss) versus her Armande (Judi Dench). In the end, a resolution is achieved as the Comte learns to accept that their village needs to finally embrace new traditions. The film used a character-narrator: Anouk. However, it was not until the end that the viewer would realize Anouk is also the narrator. The story developed progressively, although flashback techniques were used in the middle part of the movie. This allowed the viewer to take a peek into the history of Vianne and Anouk and better understand their lifestyle.
The movie is indeed feminist in nature, and this theme is particularly visualized in its female characters. Vianne is a single mother who does not go to church—a total deviant in the eyes of the villagers, especially the Comte. Her daughter is always outside the chocolaterie playing with the boys. When inside the shop, she can be seen playing pirate games. While Josephine and Armande are strong-willed female characters who do not really care what the townspeople say about them. Josephine is also another character who finally learns how to create her feminine space. She does this by leaving her abusive husband, Serge (Peter Stormare). In one of their dialogues, Serge tells him that she should go back to him because they “are still married in the eyes of God.” Josephine simply answers him with: “Then he must be blind.”
Comparison
The most obvious similarity among the films is the romance element in their stories. However, this does not weaken the fact that these movies generally belong to distinct genres. Another similarity is that women are major characters. The female characters play a different role for each film, and each character functions differently. However, they have their own identities and they do not allow themselves to be undermined by other people. The movies are also family-oriented.
As mentioned, all films employ certain signs as signifiers for freedom. Varying only in form, but these signifiers functions only as a means to be free and being able to unleash hidden desires.
Religion also plays a role in the three movies. This is apparent in The Sound of Music because Maria is a former nun. In Chocolat, it is one of the opposing poles as it forms a tag team with tradition. This is in conflict with the new and carefree lifestyle that Vianne wants to impart to the other villagers. While religion is evidently used in The Sound of Music and Chocolat, its function is only implied in Practical Magic. In the movie, religion is posed as a counter to witchcraft. When Jimmy’s demonic spirit possesses Gillian, Sally, her aunts and friends try to exorcise her and drive the spirit away. This is in contrast to the traditional Catholic way wherein a priest administers exorcism through prayer. But in Practical Magic, brooms and chants are used instead.
Summary
Using the Feminism Theory, one can say that the female characters in all three films are clear examples of women who are independent, strong, and defiant. Even Maria, who is supposed to be perceived as submissive because she is a nun, knows how to break rules and orders.
As for The Sound of Music, the Genre Criticism is used. It reinforces how formula films “stay” in the mainstream because, although predictable, viewers never fail to imbibe the cultural values it exhibits. Utilizing a musical format, the movie is still able to reflect reality and even give a hint of historical perspective. The same is true for Chocolat, which is critiqued using Narrative Theory. Although it leaves the viewer in an expectant state because it follows the narrative film format, the movie still mirrors everyday society.
Lastly, Postmodern Theory is employed for the film Practical Magic. It is considered such because of the signs it used, which are references to other works. In addition, a plethora of signs (moon, frogs, etc.) has become overwhelming for the viewer. As well, there are some fragmented ideas included in the movie.
Synopsis
The Sound of Music
The movie is about a hard-headed nun, Maria, who is sent to be the governess of the Von Trapp children. Although she has had a difficult time at first connecting with the children, they eventually become friends.
Meanwhile, as the story progresses, Maria and Captain Von Trapp slowly fall in love with each other. This, however, is not favorable to the Baroness, who at that time is the Captain’s fiancée. To make sure that she will be the Captain’s wife, the Baroness talks to Maria and convinces her to go back to the abbey. In the abbey, Maria realizes that she has to face her feelings for the Captain. She then returns to the mansion. The Captain eventually reveals his feelings for Maria as well, and they wed.
At that time, the Nazis occupy Austria. The government asks Captain Von Trapp to return as a naval officer for the Reich. Knowing that he has no other choice, the Von Trapp family devises a plan to escape. They join the music festival, and right after their performance, they will go to the abbey to hide. From there, they will hike over the mountains to Switzerland to escape the Nazis.
Practical Magic
Due to an unfortunate historical event, the Owens family is cursed: The man that they love will die. To avoid the heartache and the curse, Sally casts a spell about his ideal man—someone whom she thinks does not exist. Since then, she has decided to live a normal life. As years pass, Sally’s aunts cast a spell on her so that she would fall in love. She falls in love, marries Michael, and together they build a family. Unfortunately, Michael dies. Sally and her kids return to her aunts.
Meanwhile, Gillian leaves the house and goes out into the world. She meets Jimmy, who later on becomes abusive. Gillian decides to ask help from her sister. However, the sisters have gotten themselves into trouble as they accidentally kills Jimmy. They decide to bring him back to life, knowing that he may return as an evil spirit. Jimmy does become an evil spirit, and Sally tries to kill him again. They bury his body afterwards.
Just as when Jimmy’s soul starts to become restless and haunt the sisters, Gary Hallett, a police officer, appears. He is looking for Jimmy, and is able to trace Gillian and Sally. Sally and Gary eventually fall in love with each other. Sally also realizes that the man she wished for is Gary.
In the meantime, Jimmy’s soul becomes even more violent that it possesses Gillian. Luckily, with the help of her aunts and neighbors, Sally is able to get rid of Jimmy’s spirit and save her sister.
Chocolat
The movie starts off by introducing the village. Its villagers are conservative and traditional. It is during the start of the Lenten season that Vianne and Anouk arrives. Much to the surprise of the villagers, especially the Comte, Vianne puts up a chocolaterie. For the Comte, this is a big act of defiance of their tradition. He starts to spread rumors and bad things about Vianne, thinking that this will drive her away.
But Vianne is persistent and determined. She befriends the villagers, particularly those whom the village thinks are crazy: Josephine and Armande. Through her chocolates, she is able to unleash some of the people’s hidden desires and passions. Because of this, the conflict between Vianne and the Comte grows. However, none of them wants to concede.
In the meantime, the river rats arrive to the village. The townspeople think of them as immoral, as people whom they should not welcome. Again, Vianne defies orders and befriends them. She later falls in love with one of them, Roux.
When the Comte learns about this, he becomes even more frustrated and mad at Vianne. He goes to her chocolaterie, and destroys her shop. Accidentally, he tastes one of her chocolates. The Comte is not able to help himself but eat all the chocolates. The next morning, Vianne finds him. He apologizes and they have become friends since then. That also paves the way for the village to learn to accept changes.
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