PD 2 AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Excellent discussions for the past few days!
Let's think about archetypes and how they are significant in Wiley Cash's writing. Remember, an archetype is a common pattern repeated throughout many stories (example: Christ Figures, the battle between good and evil). Below is a list of common archetypes in stories. The Quest or Journey The Task The Hero The Blind Character The Shared Meal Death and Rebirth Battle Between Good and Evil The Unhealable Wound The character who thinks they are normal until told they are a hero The Return Home Mentor-Pupil Relationship The Threshold Guardian (Gatekeeper) Father-Son Conflict Hunting Group of Companions The Side-kick The Evil Character with an Ultimately Good Heart The Creature of Nightmare The Outcast Damsel in Distress The Beautiful but Dangerous Lady Friendly Beast The Shadow The Devil Figure The Unfaithful Wife Light vs. Darkness Nature vs. Civilization The Underworld What archetypes do you recognize in your Wiley Cash book?? In the comments below, choose one or two or two archetypes and explain how you see them played out in your book. Make sure to explain why you think the use of this archetype is significant to the story/overall themes of your novel. Your response should be at least 5-6 sentences. After posting, you should reply to two of your peers with a quality 2-3 sentence response (add to the discussion). Your initial reply is due by Saturday night (12 midnight). Your replies should be completed by Monday night (12 midnight).
31 Comments
Natalie Newland
9/1/2017 06:20:33 am
I think the "Unhealable Wound" archetype is a recurring theme throughout this novel. We first see an unhealable wound when Molly is attacked by one of the snakes Chambliss often brings to church. She is bitten and dies because of the poison. Stump is also fatally wounded when he is held down during service by Chambliss and his men. His ribs are broken and his lungs are punctured. These wounds are the direct result of Chambliss and his church services that have spiraled out of control.
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Lexiey Maynard
9/5/2017 03:40:33 am
I only thought of stump as having an unhealable wound never looked at it this way. But makes since now that I think about it and think deeper.
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David otto
9/5/2017 05:34:35 am
I definetely agree with you that the "unhealable wound" is a major theme throughout the novel. The death of the Sheriffs son is another example of a wound that can never be mended. He tries to forget the past but that never works, so instead he holds onto this mistake and it begins to affect his own life and decisions. Throughout the story many characters try and fix the mistakes they previously made but none of it can be taken back, none of it can be undone.
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Anna Berwanger
9/1/2017 06:20:48 am
I think both the archetypes "unfaithful wife" and "blind character" describe Julie throughout the entire novel. She was unfaithful to Ben, because she was having an affair with Chambliss. In doing so, among other things such as going to church, she was very blind and brainwashed. Chambliss convinced her that everything he preached was right, and she constantly defended him and looked up to him. As a result of this, she lost both Chambliss, Ben, and Stump, and she left Jess.
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Natalie Linton
9/3/2017 09:30:34 am
I like how you associated two archetypes to Julie alone. It is important to recognize how she was in the middle of all characters. Much of this can be put on Chambliss, however.
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Leslie Colandrea
9/4/2017 07:59:28 pm
I agree with you, and like Natalie said, how you used two archetypes for one character. Julie was a middle character and I feel many of these archetypes can be associated with her but these two are definitely fitting.
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Natalie Linton
9/1/2017 06:30:05 am
Although many archetypes can be identified in the novel, the two that stand out the most as far as importance to the overall message are "The Outcast" and "The Devil Figure". As we discussed in our Socratic Seminar, character traits result in many events occurring a certain, which probably would not have been able to happen if their characteristics were different. Stump's muteness resulted in ongoing questions, such as what he thought about going to church. He, in my opinion, is the outcast, but his muteness is very critical. It also caused Julie to seek attention. We talked about how many she felt ashamed of him, so she went to Chambliss and had the affair. Chambliss is the devil figure, because he told Julie to do many things that resulted in huge tragedies. Both put together, I believe they support the theme of good versus evil.
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Natalie Newland
9/4/2017 05:00:59 pm
I like your thoughts on "The Outcast" archetype. I never thought of Stump as an outcast while i was reading the novel, but now I think that he must have gotten some negative feedback from his peers.
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lexiey maynard
9/1/2017 06:31:35 am
In Wiley Cash. A Land More Kind than Home there were many archetypes used to portray the story line. the first one i noticed was the unhealable wound which was Stump. He was mute, had never said a word in his life or interacting with those around him. Which caused a burden to form over the family but what drew them apart was that Julie didn't want to believe that stump was mute so she pushed and took him to church and tried so hard to believe that he could speak. The other archetype I came across was tthe battle between good and evil. Chambliss represented the devil and Stump was god. Chambliss had the snake which becomes significant when he leaves the women lay in her garden to make it look as if she has bitten by a snake while gardening. That ties into the garden of Eden and the serpent. Stump is god and Jess and his family are the disciples who are to take his word and spread it as they can but some of them spread it wrong.
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christina starr
9/4/2017 07:26:28 pm
I like that you reference Stump to have the unhealable wound. Quite ironically, when they try to "heal" Stump it is the cause of his death. Literally making him unhealable.
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Leslie Colandrea
9/4/2017 08:55:07 pm
I enjoy the way you connect the archetypes you used to the book. I hadn't thought about the Evil being Chambliss and his snakes signifying the snake and the garden of Eden. When you put it that way, the connection makes lots of sense.
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Boni Macias
9/2/2017 07:10:09 pm
There were many different archetypes throughout the book but the two that stuck out to me were the evil character with the ultimately good heart and the creature of nightmare. Jimmy, who was the father of Ben, was abusive to Ben when he was young and was a total drunk leading to him in a conspiracy of killing the sheriffs son Jeff. He was viewed as a terrible person and basically the scum of the earth thus putting the evil character motion onto him. The once he came to see Ben and talk to him and after Stump died, Jimmy tried to connect with Jess and make a connection with him, but once Ben died Jimmy took the responsibility to take care of Jess. Miss Lyle even pointed out that he stopped shaking so he stopped drinking, which gives him the archetype of evil character with a good heart. The creature of nightmare goes to Carson Chambliss my reason being is he was the one who started all the drama and deaths. I describe him as the creature of nightmare because it was his fault that Stump was killed and the whole mess between him, Julie, and Ben. He ruined a family and countless people using them to his advantage because he thought he was some sort of god. Another way you could see him as a creature of nightmare is because of the scar on his body, but that is more of a physical characteristic.
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Natalie Linton
9/3/2017 09:28:54 am
Chambliss being the "character of nightmare" is very interesting. I agree with your points that support this, such as how he ruined Julie's family. The scar on his body supports this as well, physically and metaphorically. He tries to hide this thoughout the book, just like he hides his true intentions.
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Gwenith Martz
9/4/2017 04:52:07 pm
I think that both of your archetypes are very true to the character Jimmy. He was an evil person who in the end really tried to show a better side of himself.
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Anna Berwanger
9/4/2017 04:57:44 pm
I agree that Jimmy was ultimately good at heart, particularly how he stepped up to take care of Jess. His past does associate him with being evil, but he tried his best in the end and I think that says a lot about him as a character
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David Otto
9/2/2017 08:30:42 pm
I think Stump can be used as an example of a "blind character" archetype throughout this novel even though he is a mute not blind. Most often times in stories, the blind character may not be able to see through their eyes but they can "see" others ways or they have some sort of ability to substitute for their sight. Or in other words, they can see beyond what others can see thus making them crucial to most stories. Like the blind character archetype, Stump is not able to do something that others are able to do but yet the ironical twist is that it enables him to use that very thing more than any other character. For Stump, he is not able to speak, but later on in the story his "voice" or his influence has a larger impact than any other character in the story. Also similarly to the "blind character" he saw things that no one else could, such as the affair with Chambliss. Furthermore, there is the expression "Justice is blind" and in the novel Stump is a symbol of both Justice and Morality and his death leads to the resolution of both.
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Natalie Linton
9/3/2017 09:23:50 am
I agree with your view on Stump's "blindness". Although he is mute, he is way more intelligent and observant than we think. Also, his death is significant in resolutions of many circumstances in the novel.
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Gwenith Martz
9/4/2017 04:54:40 pm
I too agree with your choice of a blind character. I think that many of the characters are blind to a lot of things that go on through the community.
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Anna Berwanger
9/4/2017 04:59:31 pm
I think that's a really good observation that I haven't really thought of before. Stump was able to observe and witness things that happened, but he wasn't able to speak about them. It's almost as if he held all the secrets.
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Josue Arrucha
9/4/2017 06:30:40 pm
I admire your use of the word "blind." The manner in which you associate Stump with this characteristic gives him a sense of being both superior and inferior.
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Lexiey
9/5/2017 03:43:29 am
Very well said. I agree with this statement very much. Although stump was a mute he still had a very strong message to the people at the end of the book.
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Leslie Colandrea
9/3/2017 07:29:58 pm
The two archetypes that I chose were "Death and Rebirth" and "Beautiful but Dangerous Lady"'I associate the "Death and Rebirth" with Jimmy Hall because in a way, to the town, he was a lowlife and was dead to them as well as his son Ben. His rebirth would be after Ben died and he took Jess in. Jimmy Hall became a new man for his grandson because he stopped drinking and picked himself up, it was him starting all over again, signifying his rebirth. The archetype, "Beautiful but Dangerous Lady" would be Julie. In the book, she is described numerous times as a, "beautiful girl" by Miss Lyle. In reality, Julie was dangerous because she ultimately, as well as willingly put her son into danger. She also had an affair with Pastor Chambliss, when she was supposed to be a good Christian woman, and, even though it wasn't clarified in the book, aborted her own child. Julie was a hidden character who seemed innocent, but as the story unfolded, she yielded many dangerous lies.
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Natalie Newland
9/4/2017 05:05:06 pm
I also think the the "Death and Rebirth" archetype can be applied to Chambliss. After he "died" spiritually, he was reborn into his faith, and showed up to the town and began to preach.
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Boni Macias
9/4/2017 07:57:21 pm
I agree with your correlation of the beautiful but dangerous lady with Julie because in the beginning she was described as beautiful and a good Christian, since she grew up in a highly religious family. Then as we go through the book we learn she isn't what everyone think she is, but has a dark twisty side.
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Gwenith Martz
9/4/2017 04:48:37 pm
In A Land More Kind Than Home i see the archetype " trustless " and " Blinded". I feel as if many of the characters are blind to each others opinions. I also believe that because there are so many false statements between all of the characters that there is no trust. With that being said not all the characters have that problem but many of them do and it is very noticeable. In the novel you get to see many different sides of the characters and i believe that all of the character have trust problems and that they are blind to events going on around them.
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Josué Arrucha
9/4/2017 06:36:35 pm
I absolutely agree with your perspective on the characters not having an ounce of trust between one another. I believe that this is a major contributor to the various traumatizing events that appear throughout the story.
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Josue Arrucha
9/4/2017 06:02:08 pm
I like to associate this novel with the "Death and Rebirth" archetype. While I am going on a limb here, I find the town of Marshall to represent it quite clearly. It should be noted that by town I am talking about everything that it contains. In the story the town seems to be in distress, almost suffering without the company of a pastor, that is until Pastor Chambliss comes into the town as a symbol of hope and renewment. Deeper into the story however, the darker side of Chambliss is revealed and that leads to the issues that the main characters face. The story comes to an end by both the shootout scene and the funeral. I view the whole story up until the shootout scene to serve as the "death" portion of this archetype, with the funeral scene serving as the "rebirth" portion, looking at the fact that the people have left the church after the events that they had just gone through which it almost resembled a blindfold being taken away from them.
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christina starr
9/4/2017 07:06:03 pm
I love your analysis of this. When one thinks of "Death and Rebirth" they think of it as a beginning and an end. However, there are various examples throughout the book that show that this concept is a never ending cycle.
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David Otto
9/5/2017 05:54:23 am
I couldn't agree more. When Chambliss came the people thought he was their "rebirth" or the hope that will change their lives for the better. However it turns out to be quite the contrary because he is ultimately the death of them.
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christina starr
9/4/2017 07:20:29 pm
The archetypes I chose to distinguish from this book is The Outcast and The Friendly Beast. I believe the sheriff makes the perfect example of an outcast. He is one of the seldom few not born and raised within the small town. He comes from much different origins than the rest of the townspeople. This allows him to put the pieces of the puzzle together due to his opposing outlook and perspective. The Friendly Beast in this novel for me was Jimmy. He has a dark past and for a while in the book we know little about who he truly is, but as we find out more he was given a biased, negative connotation. However, as the story continues we can see him trying to come out of that negative personality to do good by Jess. Especially in the end when he changed his ways completely to raise Jess the best way he can.
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Boni Macias
9/4/2017 07:36:30 pm
The connection you made with the outcast being Sheriff Clem is one that really stuck out to me because you are right when you say he is different from everyone else. In a way to me it seems as if because he isn't from town that he isn't trusted by the townspeople.
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