Entry 4.0 - Final project as of 11/18

So I created a new blog called "Super-frog Saves Tokyo" so I can put all of my work together separated from this blog.

Here's a link.
http://harukisuperfrog.blogspot.com/

I made three entries so far, first I pasted the original story. I was going to link it to another page but since it's a short story and it's easily readable I thought it'll be better to put the original story up there so people can just click and read without moving to another website.

Second one is a general description of the writer. I am a big fan of the author but since there are people who don't know about him so I wrote a little about him in my own words from what I've known. This second entry is about 80% done.

Third entry is supposed to be a brief information about the book called "after the quake" which is a collection of short stories that includes this Super-frog story I've chosen.I only put the picture so I can start writing the analysis and my interpretation of the story.

Then rest of the time I started to write the poem, and waiting for a bigger and clearer inspiration to come.

Entry 3.5. Coraline - In class essay

As a fan of the animation film “Spirited Away”, it was very interesting to read “Coraline” since they seem very similar in many ways. They are both tales of young heroes with an Eastern and Western point of view. Even though their story line is very similar in a big picture, I found it quite different with some details that make them different from one another. They are both good stories for children and adults of both Eastern and Western world, letting us learn good lessons from both worlds.

One of the most interesting I found was that even though that the details of the stories were different, the symbols were quite universal. It was surprisingly similar and made me want to learn more about universal symbols in literature. When Coraline and Chihiro went to the other world, they both went through a significant pattern. Coraline opened the door and Chihiro walked through the dark tunnel. They could both stop and go back but they actively went to the other world and that’s how their long journey began.

Another symbol was the food. When they went to the other world, at first they refused to eat the food. Chihiro’s parents turned into pigs because they ate without permission. Coraline refused to eat the food in the other world even though she was hungry - maybe something could’ve happened if she did.

In the other worlds, the animals ruled the world and act as humans. In Chihiro’s case, a lot of staff members were animals include the frog who managed the bath house. In Coraline’s story it was the dogs who were the audiences of the human circus. It means the other world is opposite of the real world - it’s out of control and humans don’t have powers as much as they do in the real world.

Also when they were taken to the other world, the evils try to take their identities by taking their names or souls or even eyes. The original title of Spirited away is “Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi”, which means “Sen and Chihiro’s Hide and seek”. In coraline the three kids lost their souls and they were confused about their identities, not even knowing whether they were a girl or a boy.

The biggest similarity is that “Spirited Away” and “Coraline” are tales of two little girls, Chihiro and Coraline. They are typical young girls that doesn’t seem so different from any other girls we see everyday. Chihiro complains about moving to a new town and Coraline wants to wear green gloves to school. They both live modern lives being an only child, but not so spoiled and even mature for their ages.

In the beginning of the story they happened to cross over to a surreal world to save their parents that were taken by creatures that has more powers than any humans do.Yubaba is a witch and a master of the bath house who can control everybody. The Beldam - the other mother is a creature with a black buttoned eyes who created and controls the other world. Luckily they both meet mentors who used to be in the real world as them, Chihiro meets Haku and Coraline meets the black cat who guide them in the new world.

Through their journey they meet someone else other than their parents to save which is Haku and the three children. Coraline and Chihiro find out about them during the task, which shows they both grown up enough feel responsible for other people around them; became more of a hero from a young ordinary girl. At the end of the story they both save their parents and went back to the real life, became stronger and thankful than before. Even though their parents didn’t realize and act like nothing ever happened but the leaves fell on Chihiro father’s car and Coraline’s bloody knee let us know it DID really happen.

Even though the two stories are similar in big pictures, there are a lot of differences due to the cultural differences. When they went to the other world, Chihiro refused to walk through the tunnel, she then try to stop their parents to eat the food from the empty restaurants. Most of the Asian countries are built on Buddhism where they say “good triumphing over the evil”, in Asian language it means more like “encourage the good and punish the bad”. Chihiro’s parents were being punished for eating the food without permission. Coraline on the other hand, went to the other world out of boredom when her mother left her alone. Coraline was an explorer and liked to explore around where Chihiro wanted to be cautious and play safe like the good child supposed to be.

Another difference is that when Chihiro went to the other world, it was much tougher than the real world. She had to get a job and work very hard just to stay in that world to get a chance to save her parents. Her tasks were very physical and she had to make many decisions to go through all of them. She was very honest and hardworking while she worked there and that’s what people in that world and even Yubaba approved her. Here again it shows the virtue of life in Asian culture - being steady and honesty wins at the end.

In Coraline’s case it was a little different because when she went to the other world, everything was better than the real world. Her parents were nice and willing to play with her and the food was so much more delicious than what her real parents made for her. But Coraline didn’t let any of them fool her and she refused to stay with them which was her task she had to go through. There we can see in the Western culture it is important to be independent as an individual and not fall for evil’s candy coated words. She is also very brave and straight forward when she talks to the other mother, where Chihiro would’ve been punished for talk to an older person that way.

Coraline could come back to the real world by tricking the other mother saying her parents are behind the door in the room while she knew they were in the snow globe on the mantle. She was being clever and it was successful which shows the virtue of life in Western culture is not just to be steady and honest.

Entry 3.4 : My Final Project

For my final project, I've decided to create a new blog about a novelist Haruki Murakami. I will do a research on his short stories, pick one or two of them that fits the theme of this course and write a tribute poem for that particular short story.

Then, if I have enough time I will try to make a song out of it. Songwriting, producing and recording it is a time sensitive process so I won't say it's a definite but it's a possibility and I am up for a challenge.

1. What I've done:

I've read two of his Short story books called "After the Quake" and "Blind Woman Sleeping Willow" and chosen a story called "Super-frog Saves Tokyo" from "After the Quake".

2. Steps to get it done:

First I need to open a new blog page, it will be about 3-4 blog entries. Link to the original story so people can read, and a second entry about my thoughts on the author and the book "After the quake". I will also analyze the story I chosen based on the symbols and archetypes I learned during this course, and third one will be the poem I'll write. (Additional 4th entry will be added if I get to write a song for it)

3. Approximate schedule

By 11/16 I'll create a blog page named after the short story, write a first entry link to the original story.

Before the class on 11/18 I'd have started with my poem.

In class on 11/18 I will start writing the second entry about the author and the analysis of the story.

By 11/23 I'll finish the poem and make a third entry.

During the Thanksgiving weekend I will try to write a song and produce music for it, and record it, and mix and master it.

During class on 12/2 I will go over everything I've done and polish them.

Before 12/8 I will make a page on youtube with the song.

Entry 3.3 ideas for Final project

For my final project for this course, I will be doing research on Haruki Murakami and his work.

He is one of the most successful writer in Japan, whose work is published all over the world.

I have been always interested in his novels and short stories. As an aspiring writer I have so much respect for his imagination.

I will pick couple of his short stories that are supernatural -which a lot of his short stories are- and analyze the archetypes and symbolisms, how they connect with each other and how they stand out from his other work. Then I will write a poem that has a same title with one of the short stories. I will be writing a poem out of a short story as a tribute to the original author.

What I'll do is I'll create a new blog page that is linked to this one, it'll be a couple of different blog entries. One will be about the author and the story and the second one containing my poem. I will try to make it rhyme and I might even put a melody and make it a simple song and publish on Youtube if I have enough time for it.