Blog Entry 14: Spirited Away

 

Option 3: What No Face represents in our daily life.

In Spirited Away, the character No Face was very interesting. He represented many aspects of our daily life, covered by a mask of deception. When I first saw this movie, it was at the age of nine or ten. To a child at that age, the movie seems very frightening because of the character No Face. He can’t speak, is invisible at times, follows Chihiro around, and swallows the employees because of the greed they persist.   

No Face is a perfect example of a greedy shadow following all of us around, because no matter how charitable we might be, there is always something we cannot resist. Greed is a common shadow that can swallow us into a big black hole if it’s not stopped. A child at that age might just think that taking something from a stranger will result in being swallowed at night by a big monster. To an adult, if we don't control our greed, it can make us selfish and bitter to people around, we will be lost in our shadow of greediness.  Greed does not talk; it cannot be stopped because we all lack the effort to control it, especially in the case of competition.  When adults compete for a position at a job, or in any competition, their greed resurfaces by doing cruel task, saying bitter words to each other. Greed wears a mask and is invisible at times because we want to control it in our daily lives. 

If many of us cannot control our greed, the world would be in a situation of war and combat every day; there will be no rest, no peace. It wears a mask because sometimes our greed can be unnoticeable to us and others. Humans have infinity wants every day, we are not satisfied with what we’ve got and always want things we don’t need. Therefore No Face creates a frightening image not only to children, but to adults as well.

Blog Entry 13: Clean Draft

Christian's Adventure to True Self: As Pearson's Wanderer Archetype Going Through Campell's Monomyth

Jean Ferris has made Christian different from other normal children in her novel Once upon a Marigold. Being a child bought up by a troll made Christian different; in a way he saved the mind-reading Princess from her evil mother. Watching the royal family across the river with his newly invented telescope and sending pigeon mails (P-mails) to the princess was Christian’s only intentions, until he crosses the river and decides to get a job in the castle just to see the odd, mind-reading Princess Marigold. Christian’s purpose was innocent until he found out the plot of Queen Olympia to overthrow King Swithbert and kill Marigold. Christian, as a Wanderer Archetype has to save the princess with his unusual hero’s quest in order to reunite several families, and reveal his true and forgotten identity. Christian's accomplishments are symbolic to adolescents in revealing their own true identity through the lonesome journey of adulthood.

As a natural writer, Jean Ferris kept a diary since the age of seven. Her talent of literature did not occur to her until one of her children's friend try to commit suicide which establish the novel Amen, Moses Gardenia (1983). "I had what I now realize was the perfect childhood for a writer" she says. She kept a diary of what she saw, heard and felt because of constant moving, thus the developing stories she write to herself. She attended Stanford University, got a B.A. and M.A. in Speech Pathology and Audiology but didn't enjoy her field of study. Her interest in English has never fade, as she kept piles of stories in her home until one day her publication began.(see jeanferris.com) According to Wikipedia, her awards includes: American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults, American Library Association Popular Paperbacks for Young Readers, American Library Association Quick Picks for Young Adults, IRA Young Adult Choices, NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and California Young Reader Medal.

Christian symbolizes great characteristics of a wanderer in the novel. As a boy, he escapes his original home as a Prince (which he later finds out) because of many rules he needs to follow. Wanderers hated rules that bound them from their freedom, but it is also a way to set them into their hero’s quest; to “find a treasure that symbolically represents the gift of their true selves.” (pg.65 Pearson). Also Christian doesn’t seem to be too concern about his family not able to find him, but about running away from the cage he was trapped in. Christian is bought up by a troll named Edric (Ed) in a cave, although he’s not “‘captive’ by a witch, ogre, dragon, or some other fearsome beast” (pg.67 Pearson), the place he lived and the way Ed raised him (very independently) made him a natural wanderer that trigger the start of his destine heroic quest to find “something bigger, something other.” (pg.34 Ferris). When the time comes for Christian to leave Ed, he doubts his decision while hiking up to the castle “whether he was making a horrible mistake, trading the dull-but-comfortable known for the scary, unpredictable unknown.” (pg.82 Ferris). Wanderers are likely to be scared of changes, of never going back, and of the unknown, but his craving for adventure surpasses his doubts and worries of the foreign path.

Christian's call to adventure might not be so clear in the beginning as he already started to run away from his real family to find foreign "treasure" or "land" that he later called home. Christian's departure actually started when the urge to communicate with the Princess across the river grew stronger as he grew older.  According to Campell "This fateful region of both treasure and danger may be variously represented: as a distant land, a forest, a kingdom underground, beneath the waves, or above the sky, a secret island, lofty mountaintop, or profound dream state" (Monomyth). Christian's fateful region became the castle across the river which lie his treasure, the heart of his beloved Princess Marigold and danger, the villainess Queen Olympia. At the age of 17, and being raised by a troll might contribute to the fact that he know nothing of love since he had not encounter a woman all his life. Christian's intentions might be just the love of Marigold, but he also possess the desire to achieve something greater, since he thinks “increasingly, the sense that he no longer fit so well where he was.” (pg. 34 Ferris). 

Christian crosses the threshold (a river between the castle and his cave) with a silver coin he found and kept for years (seems like he was prepared). When Christian arrive at the castle's gate, he had trouble with the gatekeeper. The guard named Rollo gave him a hard time going into the castle for his job, luckily Hayes Centaur, the king's game keeper helped him with the situation, but this lead to future complications between Christian and Rollo. Campell claim that crossing the first threshold can be "dangerous; to deal with them is risky; yet for anyone with competence and courage the danger fades."(Monomyth) To Christian, crossing the threshold is dangerous, because of the unknown and the terror of facing a guard eight feet tall. Although he obtain help from someone, he was not going to give up even if Rollo did anything he threatened. (see pg.83 Ferris) 

Wanderers forget they are not alone most of the time, they have friends and support; in this case his family. When Christian was thrown in the dungeon with Ed, Bud and Cate (the two dogs), he exclaim to Marigold in their conversation “Sorry? I’m glad. They’re my family. I’ve missed them terribly.” (pg.167 Ferris). This stage that Christian encounter signifies a treasure that he has been looking for to represent his true self. Not only did he find a piece of belonging, but also a step towards the inner warrior (adult) he’s developing.

 "Once having traversed the threshold, the hero moves in a dream landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms, where he must survive a succession of trials." Campell says(Monomyth). Christian's main quest are to save Marigold from Queen Olympia's evil deeds. His side quest would be to prevent Marigold's wedding to Sir Magnus, her distant relative. His third quest, a hidden quest was to find himself, as the future king of Zandelphia.

In Campell's words, "The meeting with the goddess (who is incarnate in every woman) is the final test of the talent of the hero to win the boon of love, which is life itself enjoyed as the encasement of eternity."(Monomyth) In this stage, Marigold act as the Goddess in the story, very clearly because Christian's love for her caused him to abandon his independent life in the forest and become a servant just to see her. His love for her also risks his life getting shot by an arrow when he crashed on the flying contraction he build in the dungeon just to stop the wedding of Marigold and Sir Magnus.(pg.223-225 Ferris) All of the task mentioned above are fulfilled to win Marigold's love, thus becoming one of the boon he receives.

"When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return."(Monomyth) When Christian got out of the dungeon using the flying contraption he build, the Queen ordered her guards to shoot Christian in order for her to continue with her plans. Christian got shot with a poison arrow which leaves him with death. Marigold then saves his life, giving up her fairy birth gift (the ability to read another's thoughts) and healing Christian's wound. After being saved by Marigold’s fairy birth gift, Christian enjoy a moment of reunion with Marigold to know that everything he needed was right where he is. "in the deepest part of himself, he knew this was what he'd been headed toward for as long as he could remember"(pg.245 Ferris) 

"The ultimate boon is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is what the person went on the journey to get."(Monomyth) Christian's ultimate boon was to eliminate Olympia, which his two dogs gladly helped with. The two dogs, along with Marigold's three dogs forced Olympia over the terrace wall and into the river. No one ever found the trace of Olympia, except for her shoe. It gave peace and satisfactory throughout the kingdom. Nevertheless, Christian rebuild the cave across the river into his own kingdom of Zandelphia after finding out that he was the lost prince eleven years ago. "he'd been preparing for a life with Marigold--and for a life as a good king"(pg.245-246 Ferris)

Campell claims the master of the two worlds would be "Freedom to pass back and forth across the world division, from the perspective of the apparitions of time to that of the causal deep and back—not contaminating the principles of the one with those of the other, yet permitting the mind to know the one by virtue of the other—is the talent of the master. "(Monomyth) After a year, Christian build a bridge over the river between King Swithbert's castle and his own castle (the cave) to make communicating more convenient, "linking our two kingdoms in friendship and commerce"(pg.263 Ferris). His invention of 'p-mail' has spread over the world that everybody seems to be using it. The rules that he and Marigold came up benefit every class in their kingdom.

Christian's boon lead to satisfying life with Marigold. "This is sometimes referred to as living in the moment, neither anticipating the future nor regretting the past."(Monomyth) Upon completing the set of quest and gaining the love of his life, Christian and Marigold are known to be the role model of all royalties. Living their day "watching the sunrise, eating vegetarian, wearing a single diamond earring, and using part of their residence as a home for unwanted children" (pg.265). 

Christian's journey let to his treasure, not only did he receive a kingdom but also a lovely princess's hand in marriage. Being a Wanderer throughout the story has lead to the formation of Christian's Magician archetype, where he creates and invent the technology the kingdom has never had. Although his fairy birth gift is useless to his royal family, it's what revealed him as an unique individual who can use his talent for a specific purpose in life. The adolescent learns to improvise his skills to be who he was meant to be, even if it takes to be locked in a dungeon and shot by an arrow.

Works cited:

Ferris, Jean. Once upon a Marigold. San Diego: Harcourt, 2002. Print.

Ferris, Jean. "Words From the Author." A Brief Look at the Author. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 09 Nov. 2004. Web. 06 June 2012. 
<http://www.jeanferris.com/bio.htm>. 

"Monomyth." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 06 June 2012. Web. 06 June 2012.             <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth>.

Pearson, Carol. The Hero Within: Six Archetypes we Live By. 3rd Edition. New York: HarperOne, 1986.

Blog Entry 12: Readable Draft

Title:

Intro:Jean Ferris has made Christian different from other normal children in her novel Once upon a Marigold. Being a child bought up by a troll made Christian different; in a way he saved the mind-reading Princess from her evil mother. Watching the royal family across the river with his newly invented telescope and sending pigeon mails (P-mails) to the princess was Christian’s only intentions until he crosses the river and decides to get a job in the castle just to see the odd, mind-reading Princess Marigold. Christian’s purpose was innocent until he found out the plot of Queen Olympia to overthrow King Swithbert and kill Marigold. Christian, as a Wanderer Archetype has to save the princess with his unusual hero’s quest in order to reunite several families, and reveal his true and forgotten identity. Christian's accomplishments are symbolic to adolescents in revealing their own true identity through the lonesome journey of adulthood.

Bio: As a natural writer, Jean Ferris kept a diary since the age of seven. Her talent of literature did not occur to her until one of her children's friend try to commit suicide which establish the novel Amen, Moses Gardenia (1983). "I had what I now realize was the perfect childhood for a writer" she says. She kept a diary of what she saw, heard and felt because of constant moving, thus the developing stories she write to herself. She attended Stanford University, got a B.A. and M.A. in Speech Pathology and Audiology but didn't enjoy her field of study. Her interest in English has never fade, as she kept piles of stories in her home until one day her publication began.(see jeanferris.com) According to Wikipedia, her awards includes: American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults, American Library Association Popular Paperbacks for Young Readers, American Library Association Quick Picks for Young Adults, IRA Young Adult Choices, NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and California Young Reader Medal.

Wanderer:  Christian symbolizes great characteristics of a wanderer in the novel. As a boy, he escapes his original home as a Prince (which he later finds out) because of many rules he needs to follow. Wanderers hated rules that bound them from their freedom, but it is also a way to set them into their hero’s quest; to “find a treasure that symbolically represents the gift of their true selves.” (pg.65 Pearson). Also Christian doesn’t seem to be too concern about his family not able to find him, but about running away from the cage he was trapped in. Christian is bought up by a troll named Edric (Ed) in a cave, although he’s not “‘captive’ by a witch, ogre, dragon, or some other fearsome beast” (pg.67 Pearson), the place he lived and the way Ed raised him (very independently) made him a natural wanderer that trigger the start of his destine heroic quest to find “something bigger, something other.” (pg.34 Ferris). When the time comes for Christian to leave Ed, he doubts his decision while hiking up to the castle “whether he was making a horrible mistake, trading the dull-but-comfortable known for the scary, unpredictable unknown.” (pg.82 Ferris). Wanderers are likely to be scared of changes, of never going back, and of the unknown, but his craving for adventure surpasses his doubts and worries of the foreign path.

Departure: Christian's call to adventure might not be so clear in the beginning as he already started to run away from his real family to find foreign "treasure" or "land" that he later called home. Christian's departure actually started when the urge to communicate with the Princess across the river grew stronger as he grew older.  According to Campell "This fateful region of both treasure and danger may be variously represented: as a distant land, a forest, a kingdom underground, beneath the waves, or above the sky, a secret island, lofty mountaintop, or profound dream state" (wiki). Christian's fateful region became the castle across the river which lie his treasure, the heart of his beloved Princess Marigold and danger, the villainess Queen Olympia. At the age of 17, and being raised by a troll might contribute to the fact that he know nothing of love since he had not encounter a woman all his life. Christian's intentions might be just the love of Marigold, but he also possess the desire to achieve something greater, since he thinks “increasingly, the sense that he no longer fit so well where he was.” (pg. 34 Ferris). 

Crossing the first threshold: Christian crosses the threshold (a river between the castle and his cave) with a silver coin he found and kept for years (seems like he was prepared). When Christian arrive at the castle's gate, he had trouble with the gatekeeper. The guard named Rollo gave him a hard time going into the castle for his job, luckily Hayes Centaur, the king's game keeper helped him with the situation, but this lead to future complications between Christian and Rollo. Campell claim that crossing the first threshold can be "dangerous; to deal with them is risky; yet for anyone with competence and courage the danger fades." To Christian, crossing the threshold is dangerous, because of the unknown and the terror of facing a guard eight feet tall. Although he obtain help from someone, he was not going to give up even if Rollo did anything he threatened. (see pg.83 Ferris) 

Belly of the Whale:
Wanderers forget they are not alone most of the time, they have friends and support; in this case his family. When Christian was thrown in the dungeon with Ed, Bud and Cate (the two dogs), he exclaim to Marigold in their conversation “Sorry? I’m glad. They’re my family. I’ve missed them terribly.” (pg.167 Ferris). This stage that Christian encounter signifies a treasure that he has been looking for to represent his true self. Not only did he find a piece of belonging, but also a step towards the inner warrior (adult) he’s developing.

Initiation: "Once having traversed the threshold, the hero moves in a dream landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms, where he must survive a succession of trials." Campell says. Christian's main quest are to save Marigold from Queen Olympia's evil deeds. His side quest would be to prevent Marigold's wedding to Sir Magnus, her distant relative. His third quest, a hidden quest was to find himself, as the future king of Zandelphia.

The Meeting with the Goddess:In Campell's words, "The meeting with the goddess (who is incarnate in every woman) is the final test of the talent of the hero to win the boon of love, which is life itself enjoyed as the encasement of eternity." In this stage, Marigold act as the Goddess in the story, very clearly because Christian's love for her caused him to abandon his independent life in the forest and become a servant just to see her. His love for her also risks his life getting shot by an arrow when he crashed on the flying contraction he build in the dungeon just to stop the wedding of Marigold and Sir Magnus.(pg.223-225 Ferris) All of the task mentioned above are fulfilled to win Marigold's love, thus becoming one of the boon he receives.

Apotheosis: "When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return."(Wiki) When Christian got out of the dungeon using the flying contraption he build, the Queen ordered her guards to shoot Christian in order for her to continue with her plans. Christian got shot with a poison arrow which leaves him with death. Marigold then saves his life, giving up her fairy birth gift (the ability to read another's thoughts) and healing Christian's wound. After being saved by Marigold’s fairy birth gift, Christian enjoy a moment of reunion with Marigold to know that everything he needed was right where he is. "in the deepest part of himself, he knew this was what he'd been headed toward for as long as he could remember"(pg.245 Ferris)

 

The Ultimate Boon: "The ultimate boon is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is what the person went on the journey to get."(Wiki) Christian's ultimate boon was to eliminate Olympia, which his two dogs gladly helped with. The two dogs, along with Marigold's three dogs forced Olympia over the terrace wall and into the river. No one ever found the trace of Olympia, except for her shoe. It gave peace and satisfactory throughout the kingdom. Nevertheless, Christian rebuild the cave across the river into his own kingdom of Zandelphia after finding out that he was the lost prince eleven years ago. "he'd been preparing for a life with Marigold--and for a life as a good king"(pg.245-246 Ferris)

The Crossing of the Return Threshold/Master of the Two Worlds:
Campell claims the master of the two worlds would be "Freedom to pass back and forth across the world division, from the perspective of the apparitions of time to that of the causal deep and back—not contaminating the principles of the one with those of the other, yet permitting the mind to know the one by virtue of the other—is the talent of the master. " After a year, Christian build a bridge over the river between King Swithbert's castle and his own castle (the cave) to make communicating more convenient, "linking our two kingdoms in friendship and commerce"(pg.263 Ferris). His invention of 'p-mail' has spread over the world that everybody seems to be using it. The rules that he and Marigold came up benefit every class in their kingdom.

 

Freedom to Live:
"This is sometimes referred to as living in the moment, neither anticipating the future nor regretting the past."(Wiki) Upon completing the set of quest and gaining the love of his life, Christian and Marigold are known to be the role model of all royalties. Living their day "watching the sunrise, eating vegetarian, wearing a single diamond earring, and using part of their residence as a home for unwanted children" (pg.265).

Blog Entry 11: Ugly draft

Title:

Intro:Jean Ferris has made Christian different from other normal children in her novel Once upon a Marigold. Being a child bought up by a troll made Christian different; in a way he saved the mind-reading Princess from her evil mother. Watching the royal family across the river with his newly invented telescope and sending pigeon mails (P-mails) to the princess was Christian’s only intentions until he crosses the river and decides to get a job in the castle just to see the odd, mind-reading Princess Marigold. Christian’s purpose was innocent until he found out the plot of Queen Olympia to overthrow King Swithbert and kill Marigold. Christian, as a Wanderer Archetype has to save the princess with his unusual hero’s quest in order to reunite several families, and reveal his true and forgotten identity. Christian's accomplishments are symbolic to adolescents in revealing their own true identity through the lonesome journey of adulthood.


Bio: As a natural writer, Jean Ferris kept a diary since the age of seven. Her talent of literature did not occur to her until one of her children's friend try to commit suicide which establish the novel Amen, Moses Gardenia (1983). "I had what I now realize was the perfect childhood for a writer" she says. She kept a diary of what she saw, heard and felt because of constant moving, thus the developing stories she write to herself. She attended Stanford University, got a B.A. and M.A. in Speech Pathology and Audiology but didn't enjoy her field of study. Her interest in English has never fade, as she kept piles of stories in her home until one day her publication began.(see jeanferris.com) According to Wikipedia, her awards includes: American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults, American Library Association Popular Paperbacks for Young Readers, American Library Association Quick Picks for Young Adults, IRA Young Adult Choices, NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and California Young Reader Medal.

Wanderer:  Christian symbolizes great characteristics of a wanderer in the novel. As a boy, he escapes his original home as a Prince (which he later finds out) because of many rules he needs to follow. Wanderers hated rules that bound them from their freedom, but it is also a way to set them into their hero’s quest; to “find a treasure that symbolically represents the gift of their true selves.” (pg.65 Pearson). Also Christian doesn’t seem to be too concern about his family not able to find him, but about running away from the cage he was trapped in. Christian is bought up by a troll named Edric (Ed) in a cave, although he’s not “‘captive’ by a witch, ogre, dragon, or some other fearsome beast” (pg.67 Pearson), the place he lived and the way Ed raised him (very independently) made him a natural wanderer that trigger the start of his destine heroic quest to find “something bigger, something other.” (pg.34 Ferris). When the time comes for Christian to leave Ed, he doubts his decision while hiking up to the castle “whether he was making a horrible mistake, trading the dull-but-comfortable known for the scary, unpredictable unknown.” (pg.82 Ferris). Wanderers are likely to be scared of changes, of never going back, and of the unknown, but his craving for adventure surpasses his doubts and worries of the foreign path.

Belly of the Whale: Wanderers forget they are not alone most of the time, they have friends and support; in this case his family. When Christian was thrown in the dungeon with Ed, Bud and Cate (the two dogs), he exclaim to Marigold in their conversation “Sorry? I’m glad. They’re my family. I’ve missed them terribly.” (pg.167 Ferris). This stage that Christian encounter signifies a treasure that he has been looking for to represent his true self. Not only did he find a piece of belongingness, but also a step towards the inner warrior (adult) he’s developing.

Christian has always looked at Ed as his guardian, constantly taking advice from Ed, even away from Ed he thinks of advice Ed would give to make his decision.

Departure: Christian's call to adventure might not be so clear in the beginning as he already started to run away from his real family to find foreign "treasure" or "land" that he later called home. Christian's departure actually started when the urge to communicate with the Princess across the river grew stronger as he grew older.  According to Campell "This fateful region of both treasure and danger may be variously represented: as a distant land, a forest, a kingdom underground, beneath the waves, or above the sky, a secret island, lofty mountaintop, or profound dream state" (wiki). Christian's fateful region became the castle across the river which lie his treasure, the heart of his beloved Princess Marigold and danger, the villainess Queen Olympia. At the age of 17, and being raised by a troll might contribute to the fact that he know nothing of love since he had not encounter a woman all his life. Christian's intentions might be just the love of Marigold, but he also possess the desire to achieve something greater, since he thinks “increasingly, the sense that he no longer fit so well where he was.” (pg. 34 Ferris). As a Wanderer archetype, Christian's lonely adventure started as he he cross the threshold without the help of others. The gatekeepers, the cyclops and guard Rollo

Blog Entry 10: Notes

Departure--

Call to Adventure:
Christian starts to write to Marigold using P-mail (pigeon mail) and gets encourage to go across the river because of an unsure/unspecific feeling he has for her (love). His goal is to stop Marigold's arranged marriage to one of the last two suitors that were chosen. His other quest is to stop Queen Olympia from overthrowing King Swithbert (her husband) and from killing her daughter Marigold, who found out at the end that she was adopted like all her three other sisters.

Crossing of the first Threshold:
Going across the river with the encouragement of Hayes Centaur, the king's gamekeeper and the will to see Marigold. Gatekeepers: the cyclops, Rollo the castle guard. Is not able to come over the threshold unless he earns a silver coin (forgotten goal).

Belly of the Whale:
The dungeon that Christian got thrown in by Queen Olympia which has never had a prisoner because of King Swithbert's generosity. Christian needs to find a way to get out therefore using his talisman?? (his birth gift from his fairy god mother) of inventing skills to build a flying machine in order to stop Marigold's wedding.

Talisman??:
Locket with a Phoenix on it to symbolize he's the Prince of Zandelphia  
Fairy birth gift? Not sure what it was, assuming his ability to invent

Initiation--

The Road of Trails:
Quest 1-Offend Rollo when Meg (Rollo's girlfriend?) kissed Christian, and blames him for seducing her. Which lead to his imprison later on because of Rollo's jealousy. (Quest?)
Quest 2- Have the courage to talk to Marigold and tell her who he really is. Cannot talk to her because he thinks of himself as a peasant. (Not sure if this is a quest??)
Quest 3- Over-hearing Queen Olympia's conversation with her ferret, Christian tries to make Marigold believe that her mother, Queen Olympia was planning to kill her and her father if she married her very distant relative--Sir Magnus. Christian then needs to think of ways to save Marigold.

Goddess:
Clearly, Marigold is Christian's Goddess in the story. His love for her caused him to abandon his FREE life in the forest and become a servant just to see her. Christian risk his life getting shot by an arrow when he crashed on the flying contraction he build in the dungeon.

Atonement with the Father:
Christian's foster father, Edric (Ed) was thrown in the dungeon with him and his two dogs as well when Christian was being accused of plotting an invasion of the castle. The moment Ed got thrown into the dungeon is when Christian really felt like he wasn't alone and he can get out with the help of his foster father. Ed didn't really gave Christian good advice, most of the time being very pessimistic about the way they will end. But Christian kept his optimistic ideas and didn't gave up because he have to first save them and stop Marigold's wedding.

Apotheosis:
When Christian got out of the dungeon using the flying contraption he build, the Queen ordered her guards to shoot Christian in order for her to continue with her plans. Christian got shot with a poison arrow which leaves him with death. Marigold then saves his life, giving up her fairy birth gift (the ability to read another's thoughts) and healing Christian's wound.

Ultimate Boon:
Christian's boon, of course would be to spend the rest of his life with Marigold after finding out that he is actually a Prince that ran away when he was six. At the end, they both got married and spend their life in the cave that Christian grew up in.

Return--


The Crossing of the Return Threshold/Master of the Two Worlds:
After a year, Christian build a bridge over the river between King Swithbert's castle and his own castle (the cave) to make communicating more convenient. His invention of 'p-mail' has spread over the world that everybody seems to be using it. The rules that he and Marigold came up benefit every class in their kingdom and soon, other royalties started to do the same, but some of the ideas died out quickly.

Freedom to Live:
Upon completing the set of quest and gaining the love of his life, Christian and Marigold are known to be the role model of all royalties. Living their day "watching the sunrise, eating vegetarian, wearing a single diamond earring, and using part of their residence as a home for unwanted children" (pg.265).

Christian as a Wanderer Archetype:

Cave--where wanderers are trapped, in this case where Christian was raised up.

Travelers/Wanderers are mostly very lonely people, in the story, Christian didn't interact with anyone but Ed and Marigold because of the fear he have talking to other people about the love he have for the Princess. Even when Christian was with Ed, he didn't tell many things to Ed, but hide most of his feelings and thoughts he have until he met Marigold.

Christian is a very stubborn person, just like wanderers are. But his stubborn lead to great results like the food they eat, and the invention he build.

Christian ran away from home to find a better place without so much rules (wanderers hate rules that bound them from their freedom). He enjoys his temporary land that he found but sets off onto another adventure to save Marigold. Near the end, christian knew that it's what he's meant to do his whole life.

Princess Marigold-- according to Pearson's Hero Within, the princess is a person who exists as goal and often recognizes and marries hero and or punishes villain.

Telescope- Christian uses the telescope that Ed found in the forest the day he found Christian to look over the river at Marigold. He then builds a bigger telescope to help enhance the sight over the river. To a traveler, a telescope is most important to explore and overlook places they've been to.

Christian was feeling guilty leaving Ed, afraid of what was going to happen over the river, afraid of never coming back, afraid of change. The common feelings of a wanderer or traveler.

Blog Entry 9: Overview of Critical Approach

The reason of my critical approach for Once Upon a Marigold is because of how the main character, Christian started out as a wanderer at the beginning of the story. Although he 'rested' until the age of 17, his quest as a wanderer has never stopped. I will be describing Christian as a wanderer archetype going through the hero quest. There will be three main stages described--departure, initiation, and return. I will be using Monomyth from Wikipedia to implicate the stages of Christian's heroic quest. I will also be using The Hero Within by Carol Pearson as a reference to Christian's characteristics as a wanderer.

Blog Entry 8: My Critical Approach

To better understand Christian's characteristics, I will be using Campbell's Monomyth, and Carol Pearson's Heroic Archetypes to describe Christian's journey as a wanderer to save his dear princess. I find the novel to be interesting in how so much aspects of comedy, modern love can be combined into the story, thus demanding more thoughts in looking into Christian's journey.

Blog Entry 7: My Book Choice

             The book Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris is an addiction for any age. I chose this book because of it's magical principles as well as the humor Jean Ferris presents in the story. The plot of the story started out with a troll and his normal daily routine in the forest, which was not so normal after he picked up  six year old Christian and brings him home unwillingly for shelter. He then became Christian's foster father, and life was balanced out until Christian strive for adventure across the river to meet the love of his life, Princess Marigold. The quest to save the cursed princess awaits, for Christian had to save her from Queen Olympia, Marigold's evil mother who tends to plot a scheme to eliminate the king and Marigold once and for all. The whole story brings me into a fantasy that felt modern and yet magical, but funny. It keeps the reader reading, and that's the whole point of a good book. Who doesn't love a good book?

Blog Entry 6

          Wanderer is the result of many positive reflections of oneself being independent and a leader who thinks about wide possibilities that contribute to his or her adventure. The negativity about a wanderer is also his or her independence. Wanderers tend to keep away from relationships being too close and have trouble keeping relationships, as well as trouble fitting in to groups. They tend to be alone most of the time, but in an adventure, there will always be support throughout the wanderer’s journey, therefore changing the personalities of a wanderer. 

           The picture consists of three people walking the rocky road of a mountain facing the sun. The three people in the picture don’t have to travel together, and yet they are all following the path towards the sun. They can all be single wanderers that are independent and choose to go on this journey towards they destiny, but notice with each other’s help, the journey can be less hardship.
            The character I pick as a resemblance of a wanderer would be the Golden Sparrow in the movie Forbidden Kingdom. The character of the Golden Sparrow is to plot revenge on Jade Warlord who murdered her family. She travels alone until she met the hero, Jason, who's mission is to return the magical staff to the monkey king, thus freeing him from the curse. With the help of Jason and his sword masters, the Golden Sparrow got her revenge but died at the end. The characteristics of a wanderer is resembled in the Golden Sparrow, independent, but always lending out a helping hand if their partner is in any danger. A wanderer's goal can be hardship, but they will do anything to achieve it just like the death of the Golden Sparrow.