Black Doves, The End, Part 2

Holland’s entire body shook, but not with fear. Holland began to get angry. He had been told this all his life. He had been telling himself this all his life. No, he was not going to let Raziel push him into this life, push him further down into the grave that he had been living in all these years. Holland began to rise from the ground; knees bent, and reached a trembling hand behind his back. Feeling the pistol he had hidden against his back, Holland grasped the butt of the gun. Raziel’s eyes opened wider, connecting Holland’s motions in his head. He straightened his back, and cocked his eyebrow at the shaking small man before him. Holland pulled the gun from behind his back, hands trembling, finger on the trigger, staring down it at Raziel. Raziel smiled. “What? A gun? You think you can kill me with a human weapon?” Raziel laughed. Doubt crept into Holland’s mind as he grasped the gun, the gun won’t work, Raziel will kill you…he thought. Raziel threw his head back, laughing at Holland, watching the fear creep into his features. Holland furrowed his brow, steadied his hands, “Raziel,” he whispered, Raziel raised his head to look at him, still smirking, “what have you done?” And with that, Holland squeezed the trigger, sending a 9mm silver pullet gliding through the night air, burying deep into Raziel’s chest. Raziel’s smile widened, and reached his hands up to touch the tiny hole in his chest. A fire of rage lit in his eyes, and his wings extended in righteous fury, his body seeming to grow in height, towering over Holland. He began to step forward, when his wings collapsed, his face contorted in pain. He looked down at his chest. A black liquid was flowing from the bullet hole. “What?” Raziel questioned aloud, “Holland!” He looked down at Holland, his face contorted in a sudden burst of pain in fear. “HOLLAND! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” Raziel bellowed as black blood began to flow steadily.  His wings began to disappear, along this his legs, dissolving into black dust. His large frame falling, Holland stepped back, in shock. Raziel was dissolving into a thick ash, his upper body now beginning to dissolve. That was when Raziel opened his mouth and let out the most earie, screeching shriek ever heard, it was inhuman, the most awful noise on the planet. Holland gazed on with fear, as the rest of Raziel exploded into dust. It was eerily quiet. The night breeze that had been flowing was gone. The sun had begun to peak over the tops of the buildings, a hazy light illuminating the street where Holland stood. In front of him, the pile of ash stirred. Holland stepped back in fear of what might come from it. From the ash, a beak appeared, then the body of a dove appeared attached. The dove shook itself from the ash, and Holland watched as the black dove fly over the buildings.

Bibliography 

Jacobs, William Wymark , and Gary Hoppenstand. The Monkey's Paw: And Other Tales of Mystery and the Macabre. Chicago : Academy Chicago Publishers, 1998. Print. 

Excerpt from Black Doves, The End Part 1

Because my story was so long, I decided to pot the ending of the story for you to enjoy!

Black Doves, The End, Part 1


It was 2:45. Raziel was no where to be found. The rubber soles of Holland’s shoes crunched against the wet pavement, in hot pursuit of a six foot eight demon from heaven. He was passed by a drunken bum, stumbling down into the street clutching a bloody nose, and hobbling on one leg, the other mangled. Raziel was here. Holland turned on his heel and grabbed the bum by his collar. With wide eyes the bum stared into Holland’s face, which beheld an expression of unbridled rage and fear. “Who did this to you?” Holland shook the bum, blood from his face splattering onto Holland’s sleeves. Still holding his nose, the bum gasped out “He…he was a man with wings like…like a bird.” Raziel had definitely been there. Holland released the dirty man, and stepped back. He was no match for rRaziel, with his scrawny five foot nine bank teller frame; he didn’t stand a chance against Raziel’s brute force. The bum had disappeared, the street was empty again. Holland flexed his hands, palms clammy. He had to do something about Raziel. He had to find him. There was no way to save the almost innocent people that Raziel was undoubtedly mauling as he made his way through the underbelly of Chicago. Holland couldn’t think. He couldn’t move. He knew he couldn’t face something so powerful. He wasn’t strong enough. His mind wasn’t strong enough. A newspaper page tumbled down the street on heavy summer breeze. Sweat clung to the back of Holland’s shirt, and Holland collapsed into a crouch in the middle of the dark street. Palms against the asphalt, Holland pressed his chin to his chest and fought back tears. He was too weak, he’d always been. And now everyone was going to die because of him. Raziel, the thing he had asked for, the avenging angel he had needed that hot June night, was no angel, and he had released it into his city. People would find out Raziel had come from him. People would learn that he had released a demon onto the city of Chicago. The police that had arrested him previously had let him go on the basis of insanity. This time, when everyone saw Raziel and his evil, Holland would be jailed, incarcerated for life, he would be tortured by the government, his life as a depressed bank teller, over. God, thought Holland, what have I done? Then he heard it. Footsteps from an alley perpendicular to the street he was crouched in. Holland raised his head; cheeks wet with sweat and tears, and sank to his knees. Standing not five feet away was Raziel. He was a sight like no other. Taller then the average man, and built like a lanky linebacker, razor sharp wings folded behind his back, Raziel clenched his wide hands in fists. Holland trembled “Ra…Raziel….” He choked out. Raziel twisted his neck, brought a large arm up to run his fingers through his short brown hair, with every movement Raziel practically glowed in an humanlike way. “I knew where you were.” Raziel growled. “I…I was looking for you…” Holland said, in barely a whisper. Raziel’s attitude changed then. The righteous fury in Raziel’s eyes glowed, “You are a coward,” he barked out, pointing his hand at Holland’s kneeling form.

Bibliography 

Jacobs, William Wymark , and Gary Hoppenstand. The Monkey's Paw: And Other Tales of Mystery and the Macabre. Chicago : Academy Chicago Publishers, 1998. Print.

Do Comic Books count as Literature?

I've always been curious if my beloved comic books count as literature. Ever since I was a kid I have been reading comic books and trade paperbacks. I consider comic books to be literature, and have found some comics that rival some great books I have read!
Alternativley, a large amount of books we read in class have been turned into graphic novels and comic books, check it out! Marion Mousse created a Frankenstein comic.

We mustn't forget Marvel's homage to Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, 

Are you Alice, a Japanese graphic novel, draws it's plot from the classic story Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. 

There is also, for sale, a graphic novel based on the book The Hobbit by J.R. Tolkien. I'd be really interested to read that one, seeing as the movie based on the book by Tolkien is coming out soon!

As far as I can tell, there aren't any Harry Potter Graphic novels, nor have I heard of any in the works, (which is probably for the best.) Likewise, I have not seen any How to Train your Dragon comic book. I am pretty sure that I have seen a How to Train your Dragon Mad Libs game in Walmart. That would be a fun Mad Lib, I'd play it. 

Movie Posters

Using photographs I found through Weheartit.com, I created a couple movie posters for two of the books we had read in class, as well as one movie poster for Wuthering Heights, which is by Emily Bronte, the author whom I wrote about for my critical biography.

Since I love art and typography, I thought it would be appropriate to mix my love for digital art with my love for literature. I hope you enjoy these!

I Could be your Villain - What makes a Hero an Anti-Hero

          Our society today is crawling with heroes. All one would need to do is look at the docket for the upcoming summer blockbusters, Thor, Captain America, and Green Lantern. Each movie is about a muscular, spandex bound super hero parading the streets with his morals and his strong jaw line, hunting down the bad guys and throwing them in jail. They're heroes, they have broad shoulders and are untainted. They have super strength, super eyesight, no physical or mental imperfections. They battle their arch enemy and save their sweet damsel in distress, and they win every time. It is time we stop recognizing the heroes, and start recognizing the little appreciated anti-hero. An anti hero is described as "a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities" (anti-hero). Within Mrs. Watson's English class, my classmates described an anti-hero as someone that was missing the hero package.

          What I found most curious about most personal definitions for an anti-hero focus mainly on physical attributes. I have noticed many of my classmates using these attributes as the reason why their character is an anti-hero. For example, describing an anti-hero solely based on the fact that they can not run fast or perhaps they wear glasses. Since these attributes are not very hero-typical, attributes like this have been cited as the only reason a character is an anti-hero. This is not a bad thing, but many people over look the other attributes that can make a hero an anti-hero.  

          When I first hear the term anti-hero, what came to my mind was a villain. I assumed that because of the prefix, I assumed an anti-hero would be the opposite of a hero, which to me, is a villain. An anti-hero is a some what of a villain! He doesn't have to be a unsuccessful man with curious lucky streak but legs of Jello. An anti-hero can be a bad man, a corrupt man, or woman if it is applicable. In the article titled "What is an Anti-hero?", an anti-hero is described as "...someone with some of the qualities of a villain, up to and including brutality, cynicism, and ruthlessness, but with the soul or motivations of a more conventional Hero" ("What is an Anti-Hero?"). An example of an anti-hero is Rorschach, a character from a popular graphic novel. He is a short, scrappy, ginger haired middle aged man with a disturbing psychological view of the world. While Rorschach borders on the line of hero and villain, he also is great representation of how an anti-hero can be described by his actions and beliefs. Rorschach sees the world in black and white. To him, there are good and bad people, and that is it. He kills the "bad" people, and in his warped sense of justice, is doing a heroic deed. While Rorschach is busy getting rid of the world's criminals with violence and raw anger, a regular hero finds himself apprehending villains and taking them to justice. Rorshach, and anti-hero, brings justice to the criminals. 

          An anti-hero can not be defined only by his physical appearance and lack of spandex pants. The idea of an anti-hero can become far more complex in literature and movies then many people imagine. Now when movie goers are out to watch that summer block buster, they will be able to identify the anti-hero, separate him from the hero, and make sure to separate him from the villain. This can be tricky, as an anti-hero just might masquerade as a villain. 

Works Cited

"anti-hero." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2011. Merriam-Webster Online. 30 April 2011

"What is an Antihero? ." FlowerStorm. N.p., 15 Mar 2010. Web. 30 Apr 2011.      <http://www.flowerstorm.net/disa/Gallery/anti-explain.html>.

Lab Rat Blues : My Anti Hero

Name: Holland

Age: 24

Description: Scrawny, mousey brown hair that curls around his ears, long face, wide eyes, has the appearance of a choir boy with a baby face. Discontent with life, antisocial, dislikes his friends. He is a coward filled with cryptic anger.

Plot: Holland is angry and discontent with his life. He has works at a bank, and is rather plain and washed out. He spends his days longing to change himself, but never makes any effort. He avoids his friends because he dislikes confrontation; he is filled with cowardice, and thus resents himself. Holland is mugged and beaten, left to bleed out in the gutters of the city. Rather then praying for a savior, Holland prays for angel to get revenge for him. He is then rescued by an ethereal being that has an air of power and danger, this is Raziel.  And this is where Holland’s adventure begins. He learns over time, from Raziel, how to defend himself and begins a sort of “super hero” routine with Raziel, cleaning up the streets, ridding the city of the “scourge of the city”. Raziel being the fallen angel he is, begins to become overly righteous and mad with power, and begins a killing spree, destroying the criminals of the city. Holland is highly disturbed by this, as it goes against the law, and knows he has to stop Raziel before he goes to far. After a brief stint in jail and in a Psychiatric Ward, Holland finds himself face to face with Raziel, and is forced to destroy him.

Setting: Downtown/Inner city like Houston or Chicago in mid 2000.

Master: Raziel- In the beginning of the story, Raziel appears as a good guy to Holland, helping him realize a change in him is possible.

Villian: Raziel – In the end of the story, Raziel becomes over powerful and attempts to destroy the city, in a twisted way of ridding the city of what Raziel calls “evil”.

How Holland is an Anti-Hero: Holland is weak and cowardly, and not very strong; he does not act like a hero and for the most part does not think very pure heroic thoughts (as evident in his desire for revenge). In the end, Holland must choose to either rise up against Raziel, a dangerous choice, or sit by as the creature he accidentally brought into his world begins to destroy it. Holland finds it inside himself to stand up against Raziel, after freeing himself from jail, and successfully rids the world of Raziel, thus saving everyone in his city from an avenging fallen angel.

Bibliography 

Jacobs, William Wymark , and Gary Hoppenstand. The Monkey's Paw: And Other Tales of Mystery and the Macabre. Chicago : Academy Chicago Publishers, 1998. Print.

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Londom: Bloomsbury , 1998. Print.

Tiffany, . "Anti-Heroes in Literature." LearnHub. N.p., 15 Dec 2008. Web. 30 Apr 2011.

Homemade Toothless!!

I absolutely loved the movie How to Train Your Dragon. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I was watching the movie. I also love love love to make things (if you guys don't already know, you can check out my work with plushies here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53353835@N02/sets/72157626487143041/). Usually over the summer I pick one or two big projects to do to keep me occupied. This summer I know what I'm making!Drum roll please.....it's a Toothless plushie!! It will hopefully look like this when I'm done:

 After hearing Kimberly talking about looking that the plushies on the internet, and remembering my own dissatisfaction with the cheaply made Walmart merchandise for the movie, I've decided to make my very own giant dragon. I'll need one to take with me to college! (What else will protect me from all those dashingly good looking college bad boys?) Anyway, I'm so excited for finals to be over so I can get started making my own Toothless! I can't wait to have my very own giant dragon to drag around my room.