Author: SAMUEL LUBINUS

Indiana Jones and the Orientalism in his movies

On By SAMUEL LUBINUSIn Film, OrientalismLeave a comment

Orientalism is the concept of the western view of the eastern world. This is mainly seen with stereotypes about eastern nations and by describing those civilizations as far away and magical. In the film series, Indiana Jones, there is Orientalism seen in each one of the original three films (in the fourth there isn’t orientalism but there are still stereotypes about Latin American nation so I guess South-Americaism?). Right away in the first movie, this is seen. in the Ark of the Covenant, one of the first locations that Indian Jones goes to is the country of Egypt. Now, even though Egypt in the real world is a very prosperous nation with several large cities and its people have very wide and common access to several high end and modern technologies, Indiana Jones and the Ark of the Covenant still shows the country as being a place where everyone fights with swords and lives in dirty mud huts. In fact, t the beginning of the movie they call Egypt a land of magic and mystery and the perfect place where the Ark would be.

In the second movie, the stereotypes just got worse. The second movie, Temple of Doom, takes place in the country of India. This movie is filled to the brim with stereotypes. Right away we see that the first civilization they encounter is a village filled with sheepherders. These villagers all talk about how they have their children stolen and how there is a mysterious royal family that lives in a palace up on the mountain (they don’t even try to hide the mystical faraway land part). The directors then try to emphasize the separation of reality and further perpetuate stereotypes when some of the food that is served is monkey eye soup. The big wammy, however, is with the cult in the basement of the palace where the priest will rip out the hearts of his victims.

The real cherry on top with Orientalism is with the third movie, The Last Crusade (except not really). In this movie, we get to see how the writers of Indiana Jones portray other foreign countries (other foreign white countries) such as Italy and Germany before it goes back to the middle east with Jordan. If one was to compare the ways that the European countries were described compared to the middle eastern countries, one can clearly see that one is shown as more modern and more civilized while the other is seen as thrid world and more old fashioned. Case and point, in Germany, the characters get around in cars and motorcycles while in Jordan, they get around in camels.

Edmund: Accepting the Unacceptable

On By SAMUEL LUBINUSIn King LearLeave a comment

Throughout every part of Edmunds’s life, Edmund is treated as either a monster, an outcast, or a joke by his father. His father views him as not a legitimate son and instead as a burden or consequence of a mistake. Gloucester’s feelings toward Edmund are immediately shown in the first scene of the play.

But I have, sir, a son by order of law, some year

elder than this, who yet is no dearer in my account:

though this knave came something saucily into the

world before he was sent for, yet was his mother

fair; there was good sport at his making, and the

whoreson must be acknowledged. 

(Act 1, Scene 1, Line 19-24)

The unacceptance is very public to the point where his father shows no shame in expressing it. This cuts off any sort of fuel for Edmund to want to receive any acceptance from Gloucester. Edmund, however, is human and all humans have a need to receive acceptance from others. This causes Edmund to pursue acceptance from the citizens of the land that his father controls. This is very much expressed in the famous monologue.

Well, then,

Legitimate Edgar, I must have your land:

Our father’s love is to the bastard Edmund

As to the legitimate: fine word,–legitimate!

Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed,

And my invention thrive, Edmund the base

Shall top the legitimate. I grow; I prosper:

Now, gods, stand up for bastards!

(Act 1, Scene 2, Line 15-22)

He does in the end receive this acceptance which is absolutely great for him, but it does not replace the acceptance that he would have received from his father. Nothing is equivalent to the love of a parent and when Edmund doesn’t receive that love and acceptance, he begins on a neverending quest to receive it from as many people outside of his family as possible. This leads to him pursuing both Reagan and Goneril. This quest for acceptance leads to his downfall as he is later found by the people who would not accept him whom he betrayed.

We All Need a Burning Pile

On By SAMUEL LUBINUSIn PoetryLeave a comment

“Burning Pile” is a song by Mother Mother and was on the album “O My Heart”. The song is about how us as people go through struggles all the time and sometimes we fell as though we are drowning in a pile of shame and anxiety that has been pushed onto us by the world. However, we can all prosper if we throw all of our problems into a theoretical burning pile.

Throughout the entirety of the song, the band describes different scenarios in which the main character of the song is describing that things that they do and how they believe that they are a horrible person for doing them.

All my money been a long time spent

On my drugs, on my rent

On my saving philosophy

It goes, one in the bank, and the rest for me

Mother Mother, “Burning Pile” O My Heart

Immediately after each of the stanzas where it talks about the shame, the song then switches the tone and says how there is hope for the main character and all they need to do is throw them in a burning pile and they will start to be happy.

all my troubles on a burning pile

All lit up and I start to smile

Mother Mother, “Burning Pile” O My Heart

The song gives the reader a feeling of hope. That even though things seem bleak, we all still have the ability to be happy and at peace with ourselves. All we need to do is throw our problems at a burning pile and forget about them.

The Happy Sad Ending

On By SAMUEL LUBINUSIn Exit WestLeave a comment

Exit West follows the journey of two lovers, Nadia and Saeed, trying to escape their war-torn home country. While they do this, they go through many struggles as a couple. They go from being two heads of the same coin to struggling to be together, to completely going two separate ways. Most people would consider this to be a very said ending. Two people that seemed like they were meant for each other, only to end up leaving each other forever. However, this is ending is the exact opposite. It is in fact, a very happy ending for both of them.

Their relationship was a part of their old life. A life filled with struggles and war. Throughout the entire book, both characters have been trying to leave behind their old lives to peruse something better. That relationship that they had is a part of their old life. Once they can go their separate ways, that is them finally leaving the last part of their old lives to peruse something better in their new home.

happiness in horror

On By SAMUEL LUBINUSIn Stranger1 Comment

there is no happy ending in the stranger. this is not a thing you really have to dig into. In fact, I m pretty sure anybody who reads the book once can tell you that the story is actually very sad. Not only is it sad because of the fact that he dies in the end, but it is sad because of everything else that he goes through emotionally. One of the main themes of the stranger is the fact that he does not have any attachment to anything in his life. However, I´m telling you that he does and he shows it several times through the weather. In the beach before he kills the arab he mentions the weather as well when he says “I had the whole sky in my eyes and it was blue and gold” (20). He also connects the weather with the death of his mother when he says “The sun was the same as it had been the day I’d buried Maman, and like then, my forehead especially was hurting me, all the veins in it throbbing under the skin. It was this burning, which I couldn’t stand anymore, that made me move forward” (59). however, he does find happiness later in the story toward the end. Even though i said this is not a happy story, which it isn´t, he still is able to find peace with his emotions when he is finally able to express them without the weather.

The Empathetic Apath

On By SAMUEL LUBINUSIn StrangerLeave a comment

Meursault is seen to be a person who has very little empathy toward the people in his life. even toward the people that he supposedly has a strong relation ship to like Marie. he has a way of talking with people that shows that he is trying to be reserved and he is trying to not have any sort of connection with the people in his life like once again Marie. even with things that are serious with Marie, he still does not show any attachment emotionally to Marie like when he says “I explained to her that it didn’t really matter and that if she wanted to, we could get married” (41). even with his won mother he is seen as somebody who does not care when she dies as he is more focused in other aspects of life like the weather where it says ”the sky changed again. above the rooftops the sky had taken on a reddish glow” (23). however when his mother does die he feels lonely in his house and says that the house feels empty and unbusy. this shows that even though he tries not to have any sort of relationship with the people in his life, he is still seen with some attachment to the point where he feels lonely when his mom is dead. he is lying to himself and it is yet to be seen why.