Concrete Angel

Martina McBride is a famous singer, well known for her inspirational and heart wrenching songs.  One of her most popular compositions, Concrete Angel, definitely qualifies under that category.  This tear-jerking song is about a strong, little girl who is abused at home by her own mother.  Martina McBride uses many literary devices and other effects of make this beautiful song even more captivating.  

In Concrete Angel, McBride tells the story of a young girl who is severely, physically abused by her cruel mother.  The beginning describes the girl packing her own and walking herself to school.  She is wearing the same dress she wore the previous day, trying to hide bruises with the lace.  That night the neighbors hear a scream but just ignore it.  We discover that her fragile body could not take anymore of the beatings and she passed away that night. 

There are many literary devices included in this song.  For example, “...she stands hard as a stone” is a simile.  She is comparing the girl to a stone because she is so strong and brave despite everything that is happening to her.  Foreshadowing occurs when McBride says, “When morning comes it will be too late.”  By saying that we can infer that the poor girl will not make it through the night.  Alliteration is portrayed in the verse. “bearing the burden of a secret storm.”  The title itself is a metaphor because even though she is not really made of concrete, it’s describing her inner strength.  

Concrete Angel is affected significantly by certain effects, such as the video.  Although the lyrics are powerful enough on their own, the music video intensifies it even more.  It shows a superior amount of imagery.  The video portrays another story not apparent in the lyrics of a little boy, who in the end is revealed to be the abused girls guardian angel.  Martina McBride’s southern drawl also gives the song a warm sort of feeling.  One can almost hear a slight bit of hope in her voice for the girl.  

In conclusion, the lyrics of Martina McBride’s song Concrete Angel are amazing on their own but would not be the same without the clever literary devices she used or the effects, especially the video.  Combining all three of those elements creates a wonderful, well put together song.  

Other View of Odysseus's Heroism

Odysseus is the main character of Homer’s famous poem, The Odyssey.  In the poem, Odysseus is faced with many challenging obstacles throughout his journey home from the Trojan War.  He is considered by many scholars and readers to be an epic hero. Although some do believe this, many disagree and think he has several characteristics that are not admirable.  An epic hero embodies the ideals of a society, overcomes obstacles, and is courageous, intelligent, and honorable.  Although many do consider him to be an epic hero, many disagree.  Even though Odysseus does have some characteristics of a hero, he has many characteristics of an anti-hero as well.  

          When Odysseus and his men are on the ship they get stuck between Charybdis and Scylla.  Odysseus sacrifices six of his men to be eaten by the monster.  He tells them to stand on the deck of the ship but does not tell them why or that they will soon be consumed by the beast.  During this ordeal, Odysseus hid himself below the ship like a coward.  

          Another reason Odysseus is considered to be un-hero-like has to do with his extreme hubris.  During the scene with the cyclops, his crew suggests to either just steal some cheese or to walk away without food.  However, Odysseus stays to see the cyclops so he can take a gift and get bragging rights.  This caused a much bigger ordeal  than what 

needed to happened and many of the men were devoured by Polyphemus.  Perhaps if he would have just swallowed his pride and listened to his men, many lives would have been saved.  

          The whole time Odysseus was on Calypso’s island, he was cheating on his wife, Penelope.  True heros are supposed to be honorable and faithful.  Even though he was captured by Calypso, he still could have resisted falling in love with her.  It is quite apparent that Odysseus is not the perfect example of an epic hero.  Although he does have some characteristics of a hero, his flaws seem to outweigh the good.  

Odysseus's Heroism

 In The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus is the main character and hero.  He is portrayed as a very strong and handsome man.  Although he does have many physical heroic characteristics, his heroism is even more apparent through his actions.  Throughout the poem,  Odysseus remains courageous, cunning, and dedicated in times of fear and doubt. 

         One of the most common attributes in a typical hero is courage.  Odysseus is faced with many frightful events throughout his journey but remains courageous the whole time.  For example, when Odysseus and his men are on the Land on Cyclops it is probably one of the most scary places they have been on the journey.  Any ordinary man would be petrified of a monster of that size.  Although Odysseus may have been terrified on the inside, he kept his cool on the inside and by doing this he was able to save himself and his men.  

         Odysseus is also very intelligent.  When he and his men travel to the Land of Cyclops, he is not only courageous but also very cunning.  The crew runs into Polyphemus who devours two of Odysseus’s men on the spot.  Although Odysseus wants to kill the giant beast right then, he knows he will not succeed.  The next day he comes up with a plan to intoxicate Polyphemus with wine.  Before passing out, Polyphemus asks Odysseus his name and he replies “Noman” so when he awakes he screams out, “Noman is trying to kill me!”  This made everyone think he was saying no man was trying to kill him and therefore no one came to his rescue.    

         Lastly, Odysseus is dedicated.  He is dedicated to reaching his main goal: getting back home.  After living on Calypso’s island with her for ten whole years he started to consider that his new home and was not sure if he wanted to leave.  However, he knew he had a family back in Ithaca waiting for his return.  Odysseus is determined throughout the entire poem to get home to his family and does not let anything or anyone stop him from doing that. 

         Heros are known to be courageous, intelligent, and dedicated, and Odysseus shows superior amounts of every one of these qualities.  His experience on the Land of Cyclops is when his heroism became extremely noticeable. He showed courage by staying calm through the frightening situation.  He also showed intelligence by tricking the cyclops and saving his men. He proved his dedication by fighting through all the rough patches in his odyssey to get home to his family.  It is apparent that Odysseus is essentially the epitome of an archetypal hero.  

Hero Essay

The journey of heroes in literature and movies have not changed much at all over 

time.  Even if the journeys themselves are not similar, the sequel of events that happen 

over the course of the journey are almost identical. Any two hero stories can be 

compared and they will most likely both begin with a call to adventure and end with 

either them heading back home or saving the day.  The Odyssey, by Homer, was written 

hundreds of years ago.  The main character, Odysseus, has many of the same 

characteristics of heroes in todays world, such as from the movie Spiderman.  Not only 

do they both share many of the same physical characteristics, but they also both travel 

similar journeys. 

 One extremely common characteristic of a hero is strength.  Odysseus is 

described several times as being very strong.  Although in the beginning of the 

Spiderman, Peter Parker is very weak, he becomes significantly stronger after being 

bitten by the spider.  Strength is also associated with power and both of these 

characters show powerful behavior.  Spiderman is faced with many challenging tasks 

involving saving people from danger.  These tasks require not only physical strength, 

but mental strength as well.  When the Green Goblet throws the cars off the bridge, 

Spiderman has to figure out exactly how to save them by using his brain.  Odysseus 

faces many similar obstacles, such as when he was fighting the cyclops.  

 The journey of both of these heroes are very similar as well.  The first step of the journey 

is the departure when they are both called to their journey in some way, whether they know it or 

not.  This would be when Spiderman is bitten by the spider and starts to change and when 

Odysseus has to leave and sail Troy before the Trojan War.   Another step is the reward.  

Odysseus's reward is his homecoming to his wife and son and for Spiderman it is getting to kiss 

Mary Jane.  

 Although Spiderman and Odysseus have many similar characteristics, there are  

a few main differences as well.  One of the main and most obvious differences are the settings.  

The Odyssey takes place several hundred years ago in the Mediterranean.  Spiderman is set in 

modern day New York.  This means that Spiderman also has many more advancements in 

technology. Although in some ways this is an advantage, it is also a disadvantage.  If there was 

not any modern technology in Spiderman, Spiderman would have no problem taking down all of 

the bad guys.  Odysseus would have probably had a much easier time fighting the cyclops of he 

had a big gun to kill them all quickly.   In conclusion, even though Spiderman and The Odyssey 

were written centuries apart, the journey and characteristics of the heroes are still very similar.  

This also proves that the role of the hero archetype has barely changed from some of the very 

first hero stories ever written. 

Penelope's Perspective

     Penelope’s husband, Odysseus, is one of the only Greek heroes who have not returned home from the Trojan War.  What she does not know is that Odysseus was captured by Calypso who falls in love with him and refuses to let him go for ten years.  No one in Ithaca knows where he is, however many believe he is dead.  Penelope was devastated at first when her husband did not come home but now that he has been gone for so long, she is just getting lonely.  With all the talk around Ithaca saying he is probably dead, she almost starts to believe it.  
      She can not stand the fact of betraying Odysseus in case there is a small chance of him still being alive.  Meanwhile,  several suitors are living in her house, eating all the food, and trying to take Odysseus’s place.  Not only that, but they are even trying to marry Penelope.  Penelope is unaware of what they are really trying to do and allows them to keep living there.  
       During the assembly in book 2, Penelope is accused of seducing all of the suitors but refusing to marry any of them.  Penelope thinks, “I was not trying to seduce them, I was just trying to be nice.” They also accuse her of saying she will choose who she will marry when she finished weaving a burial shroud and unweaving it every night so it would never be completed.  They say that if she does not make a decision on who she will marry, she would be sent back to her father, Icarius, and he will decide her next husband. Penelope does not want to be sent away and she does not want to marry a suitor.  She still has hope that her true love, Odysseus, is still out there trying to find his way back.  

Lowell's Adventure

   Once upon a time, there was a girl named Lowell.  Life was not easy for her and she was made fun of all the time; not only by other kids, but even her own family.  When Lowell was just a baby, her parents left her at a doorstep because they were unable to take care of her.  The family who lived in the house she was left at were cruel and evil to her.  They treated her horribly.  She was forced to scrub floors and clean windows all day and if she wasn’t respectful, which she almost always was, she would be hit.  
          Lowell was kind to all living things no matter how mean they were to her.  Her only friend was a rag doll named Binny, which was left with her in the basket.  Binny was like a sidekick to Lowell and they would often go on adventures together, which usually consisted of wandering around in the backyard watching different species of animals.  One day Lowell decided she wanted to go on a real adventure.  She wanted to explore new places and go somewhere she had never been before.  She grabbed up Binny, some snacks, and a jacket, in case she got cold, and off they went.  
         As she walked through the front door, her evil mother just so happened to be pulling through the driveway.  Panicked, she ran back inside and made a quick escape through the back door.  All there was was woods but she did not care.  She walked through the woods for hours and hours and wasn’t even scared for a second.  All of the sudden appeared a giant castle.  She was so astonished she could barely breathe and ran right to the door.  She knocked but no one answered so she decided to see what was inside anyway.  Wandering through the house she began to feel very dizzy and passed out.  
        When she came to, a boy around her age was standing over.  “Thank God, she’s ok!”, he said.  Lowell was startled at first but then she was very happy because she had never gotten to spend too much time around boys her age.  “My name is Taylor”, he said. “I have a surprise for you.”  Lowell followed him through a long hallway until they reached two giant doors.  Behind the doors was a magical room with everything Lowell had ever wanted in life.  The only thing missing was her biological parents.  However, Taylor gave her a gift that was almost just as good; a small bird. 
         This bird was not only a cute, little pet, but also could transform into a fairy godmother.  “Whenever you feel sad or lonely, just make a wish to this bird and it will come true”, said Taylor.  “Thank you!”, said Lowell. “I love it!”  She thought this was so sweet and liked Taylor so much she wished for them to become closer.  The fish then magically turned into an older woman and said, “I think you two would make a lovely couple.  Here’s two tickets to the magic ball tonight and I want you guys to go together.”  Neither of them could stop smiling because they were so happy.  They went to the ball together that night and spent the next many years of their lives growing closer and closer each day.  

Archetypes

       An archetype is a universally known symbolic pattern or type of person.  Archetypes can be found in almost all modern books, movies, and television shows.  One very common archetype is the soul, or Anima or Animus.  This is the when someone meets their complete opposite.  Males will meet their Anima and females will meet their Animus.  The Anima can range from anything to a beautiful young woman to an ugly old hag. The Great Oz, from the famous movie, “The Wizard of Oz”, is a perfect example of this.  

In the beginning, everyone thought the Great Oz was a big, powerful guy.  Many were terrified of him and thought he had dangerous powers.  Later, it was revealed that he was actually a very small, weak, and shy man.  “I even scare myself sometimes”, he says.  This archetype represents his complete opposite.  

This archetype is also very important to the movie.  Dorothy and her friends travel to see the Great Oz in order to find things they are looking for.  They think he is extremely powerful and capable of everything.  Finding out he is just a small man hiding behind a curtain was very disappointing to them and really discouraged them.  However, in the end they realize it is really not about how powerful he is and they end up getting what they were looking for.  

Mythology Changing Over Time

     Things change over time.  Just about anything that can be thought has most likely been altered over a period of time.  One example of something that has changed greatly is the practice and roles of myths in society.  The two main ways myths have changed involve how they are told and spread, and the importance of them.  

    Before there was a real written language, myths were mainly spread by story telling.  Parents would tell their children stories their parents told them and those children would grow up and tell their children.  These myths were usually either made up or based on true events and they would travel from generation to generation.  This also means that sometime the myths would be altered or parts would be left out of added on.  However, today, most myths can be found in story books. specifically for children.  It is more rare today for parents to tell these stories to their children memory.

    Several years ago, myths were often considered a way of life.  Myths usually have morals in them and people would use them in their everyday lives.  These myths were extremely important to them.  Today, myths are told more for entertainment purposes.  Parents may read myths to their children as a bed-time story.  Myths are now considered fairy-tales that never actually happened, but they used to be thought of as true stories.  The importance value of myths has dropped significantly over time. 

About Me

First of all, my name is Brooke Hammond.  My birthday is November 17th, I am 15 years old and I attend Lake Mary Prep.  My favorite colors are teal blue, light pink, and lime green.  I play soccer in the Winter and lacrosse in the Fall. My favorite type of food is German food.  I have an older brother, an older sister, and a little sister.  I also have two very loving parents.  My dad is a semi-retired professional golfer who loves sports and cars and my mom is a stay-at-home mom who loves to cook.  My brother just graduated from Florida State University and my sister is taking classes at Valencia.  My younger sister, Halle, is in 8th grade and goes to Lake Mary Prep with me.  I have two dogs; a Maltese named Nellie and a Jack Russell Terrier named Hunter.  I also have two grandmas and a grandpa, all who live within 15 minutes of my house.  I am especially close with my dad’s mom because she lives so close and I see her all the time.  Some things I really enjoy to do in my free time are water sports such as tubing, wake-boarding, and jet-skiing.  I also like hanging out friends and watching movies.  A few on my best friends are Amanda, Allie, and Lauren.  My favorite movies are Titanic, Bridesmaids, and 21 Jump Street.  My favorite class in school is ceramics because it’s really fun making things out of clay.  That is just a little bit about me.