Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Scream "Magic"

What would you do if a wave of magic washed over you and your family? In "Mary Poppins," based on the book written by P.L. Travers, and directedc by Robert Stevenson, magic comes to the whole city of London. From the Banks family to the poor chimney sweeps, Mary Poppins brings Magic. She brings joy and wonder to the young and old. This is a story of fantasy and joy.

This story, "Mary Poppins," is a true romance. In the very beginning the first mild conflict occurs, all of the nannies leave the Banks family in search of a new one. Mary Poppins solves that issue by becoming the new nanny. In the next part of the story there are many minor conflicts. Near the very end of the movie, the second mild conflict arises. When Jan and Michael (the children) go on a rare outing to the bank with their father, Michael refuses to give up his money to the bank. Michael and Jane start a huge frenzy, yelling, "Give me my money back!" People take this as not being able to deposit money and start attacking the bank, trying to get their money out, like sharks fighting for the last fish in the sea. The story ends with a family in love. With Mary Poppins' help, Mr. Bnks realizes he needs his kid. He is happy living a loving, caring life with his wife and children in the end.

The main character is obviously Mary Poppins. She is magical in every way under the stars. She brings joy to anyone around her. They don't alwasy know it, but she mends their hearts so that they are merry. Mary Poppins can do this, because she stays joyful no matter the mood around her. Michael and Jane Banks play basically the same role as one another. They are both children to the strict, formal Mr. Banks. They both have the woundrous nanny of Mary Poppins. Both children are stuck to the other's side day and night. Where you find Jane, you find Michael; where you find Michael, you find Jane. These two are adorable, concerned and innocent about everything.

We next move to symbols. The woman that the children and Mr. Banks see on their outing; the woman with the birds, she is a symbol herself. She symbolizes that even though the main family, the Banks, is rich, there is still, very much, poverty in the town of London. The umbrella which Mary Poppins uses is a symbol of Mary Poppins herself. Bert's chalk drawings are symbolic to the magic of the story, for through those drawings, they entered the fantasy, cartoon world. There are many symbols in "Mary Poppins," so these are just to name a few.

In conclusion, Mary Poppins left in triumph. She stayed until the wind changed, as she had promised. She left after her duty was done, after she made the family come closer together. Mary Poppins left a strict father merrily singing, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" with his loving wife and adoring children.

Monday, January 11, 2010

A Comedy

Wouldn't it be hard moving every time a season changes? Wouldn't it be hard working in the fields from sunrise to sunset? A two word answer: It would. It would also be hard keeping a roof over a large family's head, keeping food on the table, earning five dollars a day. It would of course be hard and it would cause a struggle, but this is every-day life for the struggling, migrant family in the short story, "The Circuit" by Francisco Jimenez.

This short story should be considered a comedy. The begins when the workers in the family come home from working in the fields all day. This is an example of their normal, every-day life. The three men of hte family, not including hte young boys, work in the fields from daybreak to dawn. Slaving under the hot sun, where if you drink too much water, you'll be sick. After that long day of labor, their earnings don't exactly seem worthwhile, each of them making only five dollars for all of the hard work they put into harvesting.

It may bbe hard for a young boy to work in the fields all day, but that is not the last of Panchito's troubles. A conflict arises when he realizes his English is not that great when it's his turn to go to school, but when he tries to enroll in the principal's office, he struggles for the right English words. The conflict is fully realized by Panchito in hte classroom. This language issue is fully realized when Panchito is asked to read page 125 of a book out loud to the class. He is engulfed in embarrassment when his classmates and teacher look at him expectantly and he doesn't speak a single word from the book. Luckily, the teacher is understanding, and lets him skip his turn at reading. This makes Panchito feel himself stupid and mad at himself for not reading when asked to.

Almost immediately after the conflict comes into realization, the resolution occurs. The resolution is well, it's the teacher himself. The teacher is of a good heart, and understands Panchito's case. He helps Panchito on a daily basis. The teacher was the resolution, but he was quickly tossed aside by fate.

Finally, Panchito goes back to his every-day life, disappointed. He didn't get to play the trumpet. He didn't get to spend more time with his closest friend. Instead, he had to move again and his chances for friendship and knowledge were ripped from his hands once more. He went back to moving, back to work, back to everything there was; everything there ever will be. Panchito's story, in my eyes, is in fact a comedy.