Evaluation of Pan's Labyrinth

Pan’s Labyrinth is a sinister fairytale only suitable for adults and it is about a young girl that has one foot into reality and another foot into the fantasy world. The film won awards and praises from dozens of critics around the world. The director of Hellboy I and II and Blade II, Guillermo Del Toro’s serious dedication to the making of the film seemly affected its outcome as a brilliant film, visually and story-wise. It is brilliant because it is a creatively written, vivid film with a fantastic cast of actors. Since directors are the heart of films with their decision-making and direction, they usually are responsible for the outcome of their films.

Del Toro, who wasn’t just the director but the writer as well, added a prologue to the film which explained how the making of the film impacted him. It was brief, disturbing, and moving. He simply described, “Hi, this is Guillermo Del Toro and you are about to see the movie Pan’s Labyrinth. Er, this movie almost destroyed me…almost killed me. And it took away forty-five pounds of my body…many sleepless nights and, er, a lot of love. And, er, I hope you enjoy it, and get lost in it.” This showed how serious his dedication for the film was, for it ravaged him mentally and physically.

For a film to be considered an accomplishment, it needs an interesting plot with a pull in and keeps you at the edge of the seat, a cast of actors that are immersed into their role and are able to act their part aptly and send out a vibe to the audience with their role, appropriate, realistic visual effects that is suitable to the story and smooth organization of the entire film.

Pan’s Labyrinth was frequently nominated and won dozens of awards, which includes the Oscar, the Saturn Award, and the Golden Palm. Del Toro won awards for best original screenplay and best director. The actors for the main characters were often nominated and they all won awards for their acting skills. The young actress of the ten year old main character won awards for best young actress. The realistic graphic violence and the colorfully illuminated fantasy world filled with attention-grabbing creatures earned several best visual effects awards. With all of that, Pan’s Labyrinth also won awards for best film. The film is also highly appraised among movie critics. Pan’s Labyrinth made number one on acclaimed Roger Ebert’s Top Ten List for 2006. It also got positive reviews from distinguished newspapers such as Los Angeles Times and USA Today.

Pan’s Labyrinth is a hard-worked film that won approval by the entertainment industry in many ways, with awards and reviews as verification. Obviously, Del Toro’s hard work paid off. If you are a lover of somber drama and fantasy, Pan’s Labyrinth could be the movie for you to enjoy.

List of awards and nominations: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/awards

OWL Website

While looking through the Purdue OWL website that was designed for writing students, I saw that it could be an extremely helpful tool for anyone with their writing. There were few sections that would be really helpful for the GSR 102-01 class because it covered what we are learning now with a better description than that Lunsford et al. 2008 provides; structuring arguments, thesis, rhetorical analysis, and evidence. There also was English as a Second Language section which would be very helpful for students that are struggling with written English.

The website provides clear instructions and examples. For example, the thesis section is especially made to help writers make a strong, not feeble thesis for their writings. There are examples of typical mistakes writers make. What I really like about this is there are examples for each kind of mistakes, not just one general mistake. The explanations are clear, not too complicated. These are useful for me because making a strong, clear thesis is not one of my strengths. I might find myself visiting that certain section occasionally to improve my thesis.
The rhetorical analysis section explains the use of pathos, ethos, and logos in arguments. Lunsford et al. 2008 explains the importance of pathos, ethos, and logos but not as clear as OWL does. OWL explains more in depth, along with examples of dos and don’ts.

The research and evidence section was really important in my opinion. It showed the importance of the source of evidence, using evidence that best suits your audience. Evidence is based on the credibility of the source. OWL warns the use of Wikipedia on the internet, which is a popular source, for it is open to change by general viewers so it is not as accurate as sources from credible companies and writers. I personally tend to go to Wikipedia for sources. Now that I’ve read this, I will be trying to find other better sources.

The article I appreciated the most was the ESL (English as a Second Language) because I do struggle some with the grammar structure in writing. I was born almost profoundly deaf so sign language was my first language. English came later with my parent’s encouragement. This section provides grammar lessons that could improve understanding of the grammar structure for anyone, especially deaf people with sign language as their first language.

The OWL website in general would help Gallaudet students write their papers based on the Gallaudet University writing rubric because the main points of the rubric are citations, grammar, critical thinking, organization of ideas, and audience awareness. The OWL includes all these important points with a simple, depth explanation instead of the basics. This is why I recommend this website, it is very useful for this GSR 102-01 class and possibly for any papers that needs to be written in the future.

Pan's Labyrinth

Before starting the movie, Pan’s Labyrinth, we watched the director, Del Toro’s, prologue. His comments about how making the movie ravaged him mentally and physically made me want to watch the movie even more. When a director is so dedicated to the making of a film, the movie will most likely end up wonderful.

What appealed to me before I watched this movie was how it is rated R and the main character is only ten-something years old. As the movie started, I was drawn in with the style of the movie; the plot, the serious acting and the visual images. The plot started out nicely, with a pull in. The pull in was the ten-something year old girl, Ofelia, laying down with some blood coming out of her face, which is obviously a sneak peek into the ending. After that image is shown, the story starts back into the beginning. This keeps me in the edge of the seat, wondering how events would lead to that ending. Would there be a happy ending at all?

Then the story is introduced, Ofelia has a sick, pregnant mother that is newly married to a cruel captain that is a part of the fascist society. From there, I keep wondering how Ofelia ends up badly, possibly fatally, injured. Did the captain harm her or did the anti-fascist people do it because she is the captain’s step-daughter? Then I am immersed into the story after the mythical creatures are involved with Ofelia. Now I am wondering if it all is just a child fantasy that protects her from reality, which is dark and filled with hate. Or is it real?

The visuals are amazing, lots of color, rich in details, and the mythical creatures look real. Some movies have pathetic, corny visuals, which can ruin the movie. Also, the graphic violence was definitely not sugar coated for the audience. The violence was not overly done, but appears realistic. These images can make people wince and look away. I have seen overly done graphic violence in other films so I wasn’t affected much with this movie.

Some characters in the movie are inspiring, especially Mercedes and the doctor. They have the intimidating role of spying inside the enemy zone, for the sake of their people. They didn’t crack under pressure and did their best to stay composed. They kept Ofelia safe from the captain and tried to shield her from the ugly events happening in the area.

When the ending unfolds with the captain killing Ofelia and she ends up with her family in the underworld, like she wanted, I am left sad and wondering if the mythology in the story was just Ofelia’s fantasy or was it real? I have decided that the mythology involved with Ofelia was real, for there were events throughout the film that indicate reality. With the disobedience everyone that was against the fascism disobeyed in their own ways; Mercedes and the doctor with the spying and Ofelia with her youthful nature and the stubbornness and hate towards the captain.

The movie in general is fascinating with the well-planned plot, the weaving of the awful reality and the “fantastical” mythology, and the colorful visual effects and the theme of disobedience. Del Toro’s serious dedication pulled off.

Rhetorical Analysis #2 on "The Culture of Thin Bites Fiji"

In her article, The Culture of Thin Bites Fiji, Goodman (Lunsford et al. 2008) supports the anthropologist and psychiatrist, Anne Becker’s claim that “going thin” is not a social problem anymore but a necessity among females to be successful by their own means. Fiji, a small island in the southwest pacific, is used as proof how the American media and the Western culture can cause a cultural 180 degree turn then reinforces her argument with statistics as startling evidence.
Goodman opens her article by telling her audience to imagine a place where people view weight gain as a beautiful thing, and then introduces that place as real-life Fiji. She uses the before and after technique to impact readers. For the before, she describes the Fijians’ culture belief that fat was beautiful. For the after, when televisions entered their lives, she uses statistics that says it all; within 38 months the numbers of eating disorders among teenagers rose to 29 percent, bulimics increased 15 percent, and 74 percent of the girls thought they were too fat.
Becker’s other claim is that the blame cannot be put on the entertainment industry entirely, but how the western culture can inflict insecurity among people. This creates the argument to be of social and cultural context. Goodman’s use of the hard statistics and Becker’s claims establishes credibility for the article, because she is incorporating facts and sources instead of pulling it out of her head and based the article entirely on her opinions and views.
In the middle of the article, there is a picture of a painstakingly thin actress, Calista Flockhart, who carries the generic image teenagers are obsessed with nowadays. The picture was presented to visually show how appalling the situation is. I believe the targeted audiences for this article are those concerned with the situation, those that have loved ones that are dealing with it, and those who are struggling with the disease first-hand.
In the very last paragraph, Goodman creates pathos and logos approach to wrap up her argument and tell what she hopes to get out of it. She uses the Columbine massacre, a tragically fatal event, as an effort to convince readers to take the situation, which is prevalent, more seriously before it gets out of hand.
The technique Goodman used to write this article works well except I find it a bit weak for only females are focused as the victims of eating disorders, Goodman and Becker fail to incorporate the fact males are victims as well. Also, I believe she should have provided information on how to fix the problem. In general she did a good job, showing how solemn the situation is.

Rhetorical Analysis on "The Culture of Thin Bites Fiji"

Goodman (in Lunsford et al. 2008) on her piece “The Culture of Thin Bites Fiji” explains about a culture one-eighty degree turn which occurred in Fiji. As she explains, before 1995 in Fiji, the culture believed big meant beautiful; the reverse image of the American culture. As American television entered their lives after 1995, the belief turned into an opposite, fat is repulsive. Goodman’s argument is the western culture corrupted the Fijian culture and made “going thin” not a social disease but a necessity.
Goodman presents the argument by describing before and after of Fiji’s culture values, providing facts and uses logic to persuade readers. Before television entered their lives, the women would flatter each other with remarks of weight gain. Eating was a cultural thing, a symbol of hospitality. Now the after, the statistics say it all. Goodman shows evidence with statistics that within 38 months of the arrival of American television, percentage of eating disorders among teenagers doubled to 29 percent, bulimics went up to 15 percent, and 74 percent of girls said they felt too fat.
With the girls watching popular American shows, they are constantly seeing the same generic image among the actors; young, good-looking, and thin. When they see they are not in the category of that generic image, they gradually see themselves as repulsive. This is becoming more common around the world that Goodman says it is not a social disease among people anymore, but a perceived requirement to be successful by their own means. Her style of presenting the argument makes readers open their eyes for the reality of these facts is harsh.
The purpose of Goodman’s argument is to persuade readers to be more vigilant about what is happening with girls now before it gets out of hand. She uses the example of Columbine massacre as an emotional reinforcement to her argument. Before Columbine, violence in schools was not a big deal until it got out of control, hence Columbine. Action wasn’t taken until it was too late. Action needs to be taken in order to protect the girls falling victim to eating disorders.
I believe that not only women are affected by the media image, but men and the actors as well. The percentage of eating disorders among men is not as high as the women, but men suffer too. And I believe the actors are so thin because of the pressure they feel with all eyes on them. Some may keep their weight in control but some end up struggling like Mary-Kate Olsen and Karen Carpenter for example. Mary-Kate, a famous child actor, felt the pressure to be pretty since childhood. After she turned eighteen, she entered rehab to treat her eating disorder that developed over time. Karen Carpenter was a singer, she gradually lost weight then eventually it turned fatal before anyone could help. The media is one big chain reaction that can affect anyone involved.

List of Things I Believe

Ten Things I Believe In

· Truth- If everyone could be truthful to each other, this world wouldn’t be so corrupt and messed up. Honesty is very important so everyone can be understood a bit better.
· Expressive Art- Everyone has feelings and emotions that are bottled up inside them. They should not remain bottled up, instead they should be released. Some people choose to release them into various forms of art. Poetry, visual art, music, etc. I believe it is good for your well-being.
· Beauty- There is beauty in almost everything. Being able to see beauty in little things helps turn the world in a better place. Acknowledging beauty leads to happiness.
· Freedom- Freedom is the most important, the ability to stand up for your beliefs and values, whatever they are.
· Imagination- Imagination makes the world interesting, it makes you alive, and without it the world would be dull.
· Communication- Communicating, making yourself and others understood, makes life go smoother.
· Self-Care- Taking good care of yourself is essential, we all have only one life to live, we should be able to live it to our fullest.
· Happiness- Happiness makes life easier. Having negative emotions is a burden to yourself and others.
· Family- Family is important; the bond with family members can guide you through life.
· Learning- The sky’s the limit. You can’t stop learning, there is always something new to learn every day. Without learning about yourself and the world, you wouldn’t be able to handle the ways of life.

Nafisi in Lunsford

Azar Nafisi, the author, believes in empathy created through imagination. Empathy is defined as understanding and entering into another's feelings. (http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=empathy). She argues with emotion and values in order to persuade her audience to step in others’ shoes. “When writers and speakers can find the words and images to evoke certain emotions in people, they might also move their audiences to sympathize with ideas they connect to those feelings, and even to act on them (Lunsford, 2007)” This is what Nafisi is doing. When she refers to Huckleberry Finn creating empathy towards Jim, his slave friend, it is an emotional reference. Finn was able to get himself in Jim’s shoes, to see him as who he is (human) not his label (slave). It allowed him to see from another perspective in his imagination, which helped him make the decision of not turning Jim in. Imagination is linked to your emotions, it makes you feel and a majority of time an individual will make decisions based on his/her feelings. Nafisi’s empathizing with others’ suffering that is posted on the news or a newspaper makes her feel their pain, instead of just seeing it as mere informal reports.
Angelina Jolie, a famous actress, could have just enjoyed her stardom and attention by posing for pictures and sticking to her lavish job and lifestyle. Instead she began going to third-world countries, helping the people living in poverty. She empathized with them and took advantage of her recognition to inform the world of what is really happening out there. She is one of many that broke the stereotype of models and actors being drowned in their fame that they are blind to everything else except themselves. She chose to empathize and make a difference.
Empathizing with others make us not ignorant of the harsh facts in this world. Choosing heaven could mean you are living a pointless path in life, not standing to what YOU believe, but what you were taught and told. Choosing hell could mean living life to your satisfactation because you are living with many perspectives which enable you to understand what you believe in. When you know what your values and beliefs are, you can act to make a difference. If you choose to go with the flow in this world instead of standing by your values, you are choosing heaven instead of hell. The best way to live and complete your life in this world, in my own personal opinion, is to choose hell.