The Cultural Question

         

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            The culture of one's parentage should not have to be forced upon him.  A person is his own not what others desire him to be.  For if the child did not come from the society of his parents, then what possible direct connection could he possibly possess.  This a dilemma that modern day children struggle to face today in America.

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           Most people struggle to decide whether or not to embrace their cultural heritage, like Maggie, or to alienate themselves entirely to become something new, like Dee.  Neither of which are without benefit or without downsides.  The struggle of choice is one that happens in everything, but is one of the biggest issues with this uncertainty.  Some are ambivalent and others indecisive.  But there may be a third option to this ordeal.

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         The third option is to obtain the hybridization of both options, where certain aspects of your heritage are reflected in your everyday self.  You shouldn't have to decide on whether to be yourself or to take part in where your family is from.  The way your parents raised you should have had an impact on who you are and what you will become.  This is regardless of whether you embrace their roots or not.

 

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           What I personally do to be the third option is nothing.  Parts of the culture of my parents are reflected in my manner and in my actions.  I don't have to try to embrace my heritage, nor do I alienate myself from it.  I chose the third path simply by being me.  Isn't that how culture grows without a revolution having to take place?  So for now I will continue walking down the third path, unworried by the triviality of ambivalence over my culture.

The Definition of the Horror Story

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      Here are a list of things I would incorporate from the Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe into the writing of a horror movie.

• The dark ominous setting.  The setting sets the mood in any story.  A dark setting with creeping, pale, obscuring fog, ancient architecture, and shifting, deep shadows adds to the effect of the unnatural.  Poe did this in the House of Usher to great effect. I would use this to plant the seed of fear and suspense in my audience.   

•  The portryal of characters.  The characters of a horror story are as equally important to the story as the setting.  Pale, mysterious, brooding characters help to reinforce the unnatural, unsettling the audience.  Roderick Usher is one such character.  Poe depicts him as unnaturally deathly and makes his appearance and mood detached and ethereal.  I would create my characters in such a way as to ensconce the peculiarity of the story, unnerving the audience.

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• The supernatural or ethereal is a key part in a horror story.  Poe uses this when the Mad Tryst is being read and the sounds of the story happen in reality.  This sows fear into the characters and, further, the audience.  I would use the abnormal and supernatural in order to establish the plot and aid it along.

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• The fear of the unknown is a primal fear found in all.  It is a very useful tool in acquiring the basis of a horror story.  Poe gives brief unsettling instances of the narrator seeing Madeline even though she is dead.  The noises during the Mad Tryst are another example of that.  I would use the fear of the unknown to create suspense in the story.

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• The creation of doubt and mystery at the end is another good item to use.  Poe destroys the house in a flash of light and the house sinks.  This raises the question of the reality of the situation.  Did it really happen?  Am I delusional?  This would leave a disturbed feeling in the audience and would further facilitate the fear in the story.

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