Rebellion's Positives

Our Enriched English course's first quarter has dealt a greatly with the prospect of rebellion and its effects on the individual and society. Often times, our culture likes to view rebellion as an immature phase of childhood and adolescence where a child is simply over-exaggerating the situation or upsetting circumstances. Therefore, rebellion is negative to both sides according to the status quo. On the contrary, rebellion sometimes evolves into a choice that makes sense and can alter one's future by boosting their confidence, improving their intelligence, even benefiting others.

Lyra, nearing the end of the journey has succeeded in crowning Iorek Byrnison as the king of the north succeeding Iofur following brutal bear-on-bear battle. To achieve that, she lied to Iofur saying that she was in fact Iorek's daemon and wanted to be freed to live with Iofur and rule the land (354). That lie was a result of newly achieved confidence. In addition she rescued many children and their daemons from the wretched Mrs. Coulter and her evil child-murdering Oblation board, leading them to safety which obviously benefited others (300). She improved her intelligence with the knowledge of the alethiometer and its symbol readings and future predictions (276). The ending will most likely reveal yet more revelations and accomplishments. Bottom line: Lyra escaped Jordan College with anxiety and succeeded with newfound abilities.

Precocious protagonists-lit comparison

As like many other young adult fiction, authors tend to portray teenagers and children as precocious individuals whom often face domestic struggles and unfortunate pasts. Death in a family is quite common, divorced parents, anti-social personalities, and of course...rebellion (haven't heard that before). These major groupings exist, because they are down to earth examples that many kids can relate to. In our enriched English literature and film content throughout the years, we have witnessed many of these topics and analyzed their importance.

In Extremely Loud and Incredibly close we have Oskar Schell who carries quite the intrepid personality. He feels un-daunted when stepping into strangers' houses inquiring as to if they know about a key that belonged to his father. However, he does this soliciting with careful grace and actually makes a difference in somebody's life, like Mr. Black by returning him to the joy of life outside his apartment. Lyra, the protagonist of The Golden Compass takes her kindness and confidence a step further by helping a large group of kidnapped children to escape from the hands of a ruthless leader, Mrs. Coulter (295).

Escaping authority, evident in the memoir, Black Boy, and the film, The 400 Blows is also a prevalent concept in this novel. As Richard (BB) rebels against his over protective parents and their ridiculous standards, he finds his true goal in life while working. He obviously wants to play the bread winner in the family, but also yearns to avoid such a conservative and restricting atmosphere in the household. Antoine, the protagonist of 400 Blows receives poor adult guidance at home and in school. In addition he is neglected and reprimanded often arbitrarily, which leads him to run away from home, grow exposed to mature elements, and finally arrested. Lyra didn't have a strong parental relationship because they were divorced, and her father was too busy in the university to take care of his daughter. She in turn leaves Jordan College and is eventually placed on a quest to save her country.

Analyze this!

Seeing, Struggling, Succeeding

What are the major struggles and conflicts that your characters encounter? How do the characters face the conflicts and how does going through these conflicts help the characters to learn more about themselves?

Throughout the middle chapters of The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, characters, (particularly Lyra) begin to encounter struggles that affect them and their futures. Lyra, whom joins the quest along with gyptians Farder Coram and John Faa to rescue the kidnapped children from the witch "gobblers," meets new individuals and animals. Iorek Byrnison, a white polar bear was banished from his clan of other warrior bears/men after killing a fellow soldier and was stripped of his armor. Lyra approaches him in pursuit of help on her journey, but he denies her of any assistance without his sky iron armor, ..."get me back my armor. Do that and I shall serve you in your campaign, either until I am dead or until you have a victory," (Pullman 182). She views this bear as a very credible force, but Lord Faa dissents and from past voices hears that Iorek is corrupt and will not be of any service. Lyra is forced with a split decision; to help a poor animal with a potentially rotten future and receive assistance, or obey her gyptian leaders. She eventually decides to help Iorek, and all three benefit from his presence.

Lyra is growing independent, and the quest is reliant mainly upon her success and personal decisions. Once Lyra is kidnapped by tartars and brought to Bolvanger, she must rely on herself to discover her whereabouts and whom she can trust. The boys/girls and their daemons present there are actually part of a scientific experiment that is part of the Gobblers' plot. Disguised under the name, Lizzie, Lyra is protective over her belongings, especially the rare alethiometer, and her identity. The adults ("nurses") behave like respectful employees, but the children gossip and speculate on their real purpose in Bolvanger. Lyra's instincts lead her to a forbidden room where she witnesses the horrible tests being taken on daemons. She understands that if she is caught that she would lose all chances of escaping, and also recognizes the consequences of her fellow friend's daemons if she resists (260). With help from Roger, they release the animals and run off. She learns now that helping others will help her to both gain the respect of her peers, but also gain assistance in her future pursuits.

Human Emotions in a Fantasy World

The Golden Compass is a bizarre but engaging fantasy adventure story; one that defies the realities in our world. It involves fictional creatures, like deamons (shape shifting animals) whom adapt to their surroundings by changing constantly. In addition, there are gobblers whom kidnap children to the northern points of the earth using them to plot evil doings and advance themselves. Lyra, the protagonist loses her friend to the gobblers along with her father, Asriel. She then must protect herself and embark on a quest to rescue her loved ones. These elements are a couple of the fantasy portions, however, most of the story deals with humans and their struggles to cope with life and relationships.

Lyra longs for a better life, and soon receives it as she lives with Mrs. Coulter. She gains traditional feminine gifts like makeup and clothing, but soon realizes Mrs. C's corruptness and her true identity as the head of the Gobblers. After fleeing her house, she is stranded and hopeless. However, after being rescued by Tony and his mother Ma Costa, she feels a sense of love that she never received. This family understands her situation and is aware of the Gobbler status in London. Farder Coram, a wise man introduces Lyra to the aliethiometer (another fantasy element) which tells the future through images. The comradery between the two is reminiscent of curiosity in general and the desire for understanding mystery and decoding your past and predicting your future. Once prepared for her quest, she experiences fear and apprehension; feeling isolated, but also feeling protected. All of these components reflect daily life in general and express how everybody expresses the same emotions regardless of differences.

Characters--Confident to Condescending

a. Who are the main characters of your book? Describe their personality and what seems to motivate them.
In the novel, The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman, the author uses several compelling characters to further the plot and engage the audience. His protagonist, Lyra, orphaned at a young age is a lonely young girl isolated from much of the community. She lives on the Jordan College campus amongst many students and professors as well as her authoritative uncle Asriel. Her observant and inquisitive personality is demonstrated through the numerous eavesdroppings on scholarly meetings and courses. She adventures around the corridors and grounds with her best friend Roger and her Daemon, a shape-shifting pet, by the name of Pantalaimon, but yearns to experience the outside world. Uncle Asriel understands Lyra's intellect, yet never permits her accompany the men on quests or in major projects; she is motivated to prove them wrong.

Uncle Asriel, another main character has not been explained to the extent of Lyra, but his mysterious demeanor provides enough fodder to understand his personality. He is a very demanding man who relishes in authority. The steward and butler are only a few of his servants who carry out his whims and feel threatened by his arrogance. He loves his niece Lyra, but because of work and his chief role at the university often neglects her and excludes her from major projects and quests. Yet, his determination and desire to make peace among surrounding countries makes the reader respect him.

Memoir: A self-reflective account

Each day of our lives is truly a page in a book. We fill them never ending struggles and accomplishments; some memorable, some typical, and some life changing. Every individual has their own collection, many are exposed, many are concealed. Praised authors write fictional stories that appeal to wide audiences; they succeed generally because they are relatable to all human beings. Most find inspiration in their personal lives and relationships with others (characters are often crafted identical to friends of the writer).

On the contrary frequent readers find that real life accounts (memoirs) are the best form of literature because they capture raw emotion that only a real person can feel. Authors find memoirs challenging because they cannot fictionalize an actual experience like a typical novel. However they find solace in such writing because it allows them to describe an instance that they know absolutely everything about and can put in their own words. Memoirs are generally very original. The lessons learned are all very realistic and relatable and the laughs and pains are felt equally. A powerful story is one coming straight from the heart; memoirs succeed.

Hunger from Morning Till' Night

Richard is a hungry young boy...he is starving inside his stomach and starving in his emotional and personal needs. Obviously, as he begins to work in his several jobs, his weight drops. The stale bread and molasses he receives from a white woman does not suffice, in fact he turns it down (147). His scrawny 100 pound body is not the only factor affected by hunger; he also longs for love/acceptance and freedom. His mom, and God-fearing grandparents force Christianity upon him, and in his heart, he does not feel prepared for such a pious lifestyle. For example, during the baptismal service, Mom guilts him into baptism, "If I refused, it meant that I did not love my mother, and no man in that tight little black community had ever been crazy enough to let himself be placed in such a position" (154). This does not necessarily mean that he rejects religion all together, but rather he wants to take personal responsibility in making choices. He wants to discover the wonders of the world around him: fictional stories, school, relationships, and profit.

Hunger keeps and individual focused on their prize or their eventual goal. One will go to outrageous lengths to "make their dreams come true" and will place that factor at the center of their life. Richard is obviously very confident. His confidence is demonstrated through his numerous brawls with his family members, and the weapons he does not hesitate to use (159). Through his focus, he lands himself with several decent jobs for white families, (newspaper writing, yardwork, etc.) bringing him spare cash to spend. On the contrary, personal hunger sometimes creates conflict. Rich's parents reject his choices of working by never helping him succeed or encourage his pursuits. And through their constant name calling and "beating," he feels less inclined to rely on them.