To grace a glisten

King Rudes stood puzzled as he inspected his small kingdom. Below him was his domain filled to the brim with citizens who he called “Students.” He gave them this name for he believed he had something to teach all of them. At the sight of their king above them, the students bowed respectfully, careful not to raise their heads. They quickly filled out at the toll of a large bell to tend to their daily assignments. King Rudes was left alone with not even the sight of his students to keep him company. All he had now were his thoughts.

       The king had spent years trying to decide how to leave his mark on the kingdom. He prided himself on the work he had done but knew soon his reign would come to an end. He needed to find someone trustworthy to ensure his work would not be tarnished upon his death. It was this thought that caused the king to assemble three of his highest “Student” Councilwomen. The three councilwomen entered the throne room apprehensively. The king sat in a trance almost and when he finally spoke the councilwomen were shocked to hear his proposition.

   “Ladies,” he spoke. “My time ruling over this kingdom is nearing an end. I must find someone capable of seeing it to its full potential. So I shall ask one question to see who can replace me.”

       The councilwomen squirmed in their seats awaiting the test. King Rudes looked to the first councilwoman.

   “Councilwoman, how much glisten do you grace?” The king asked powerfully.  

   “Enough to sing a song my king.” She responded.

The king seemed pleased with this answer and moved on to the second councilwoman.

     “Councilwoman, how much glisten do you grace?” He questioned again.

     “Enough to dance a dance your highness.” She whispered timidly.

Again, the king seemed delighted with the answer. However, when he posed the question to the third councilwoman she responded, “Enough to pursue my dreams and allow all dreamers to pursue their dreams as well.”

        The king became infuriated by the answer and had the final councilwoman banned. The councilwoman left quickly and the king began to explain how he would decide between the final two councilwomen. Downstairs, the third councilwoman was prepared to storm out of the kingdom but a mysterious woman cut off her path.

    “Do as I say and you will have your own kingdom.” The stranger told the councilwoman. All she could do was nod and the stranger gave her first instruction.

    “Cover your face and go to where the common students reside. Then I will give you the next instruction.” The councilwoman did as she was told. After cutting her hair short and changing her clothes she snuck into the residencies of the students. The stranger appeared again and gave her second instruction.

    “Find a job and once hired paint three murals on the wall. The first shall be a woman singing, the next of a dancer dancing and the final one of an actor acting. Then you shall have a kingdom. Again the councilwoman did as she was told. The Hombre de la Luna employed her after the normal work hours, which the kingdom called the detention shift. When he wasn’t looking she painted the three pictures. The completed murals caught the attention of any student who passed them and inspired them to sing or dance themselves. Soon a creative uprising began and the king had to be notified. Upon arriving at the scene, the king was shocked to see the students practicing all aspects of art and doing things he didn’t think they were capable of. In the midst of it all stood the third councilwoman who had shed her disguise. The king fell to his knees in front of her before speaking.

     “I never knew my students were capable of such feats but you have opened my eyes.” He stood and took her by the hands.

     “I beg for your forgiveness. This kingdom would do better in your hands than mine. Would you accept my kingdom?” He asked. The councilwoman gave a slight nod and the king let go of her hands.

      “Then it is decided. I pray for good fortune and prosperity in the future.” The king suddenly turned into a Pegasus and flew off into the distance. The last thing anyone heard before he disappeared was a triumphant “Fly high pegasi!”

The decent of Risenpool Allegate

A beard to go with Lysette's drawing.

Dear employer: January 5^th, 1873

Well we have arrived, and the natives have remained docile. Loafus Cramwell and Red Beard wish to press the natives for their resources, bleed them dry. I personally do not feel this is right but the violent start ended in our favor. Despite our aggressions, the natives and weather were both kind to us, so I am in no place to complain. I just hope our decisions do not come back to haunt us.

Sincerely

Risenpool Allegate

       To My Employer: February 5^th, 1873

This month has proven to be quite fruitful with us gaining even more resources. I began to see the appeal of forcing the natives out of what they had, which earned even more rewards. Sadly, the weather did not follow this trend of good luck. It called for drastic measures resulting in us taking even more from the them. The nights are cold in this remote place and the recent floods make it hard for anything to grow. We take more than we need to compensate for these conditions but somehow the natives still accept us.

Yours truly,

Risenpool Allegate

       Dearest Employer: March 5^th, 1873

I swear, all of this rain is doing a number on my favorite hat. To add insult to injury, things are beginning to get out of hand here. Things seem off in my camp but I can’t quite put my finger on it. It’s as though Loafus and Red Beard are becoming cautious of me. They whisper when they believe me not to be around. The natives grew hostile by the end of the month, straining our already delicate relationship. They threatened to take what we had and I confided in my comrades. I attempted to get them to rally behind me and show the natives who’s really in charge. Loafus spoke to me at the days end, saying I have changed. I failed to see her concern arguing that certain situations require the use of violence. In the end we lost nothing more than the native’s trust.

Yours always.

Risenpool Allegate

      Dear Employer: April 5^th, 1873

This weather has my comrades worried. Even in the face of such adversity, I try to remain positive refusing to show any signs of fear. When we go to discuss business with the natives, I can feel suspicious eyes on my fellows and I. No. Their suspicions do not lie with my friends but with me. I fear they are watching us, tracking our every move closely. I may just be paranoid but this month's ending relations would prove my fears correct. They can’t watch for long though. A great storm is approaching and I fear many will die.

Risenpool Allegate

      Good evening my employer: May 5^th, 1873

I found myself thinking the other evening that I have not received a single response from you. Never mind that now, I’m sure you’re a busy man and have no time for such things. I do not know how much longer I can stay on this island. The distance from civilization is beginning to drive me mad. Loafus attempts to offer me solace, but his concerns fall upon deaf ears. Even if the weather has begun to turn around, I fear conflicts are about to erupt. Against my wishes, we stopped forcing the natives out of what they had. Even so, it appears their patience with us has been spent as they were hostile towards us again. Red Beard suggests we ease up on them and enjoy the nice weather. But after a heated debate she cut ties with me. She says my judgment can no longer be trusted, the fool.

Here’s to hoping you write back,

Risenpool Allegate

      Your monthly update: June 5^th, 1873

Those imbeciles are destroying what we, what I worked so hard to build. These months in the remote wilderness have made them weak where it has only made me stronger. When the natives launched an attack, they surrendered without a second thought, telling me to do the same. I suggested we retaliate for the attack and spare no one, but I was quickly dismissed. The weather outside may be sunny, but I sense storms brewing within my camp. I’m certain those two are conspiring against me, Even Loafus.

Sincerely

Risenpool Allegate

      To my dearest employer: July 6^th, 1873

Why am I expected to apologize for my actions? I’m trying to revive this group while the others are trying to run it into the ground. While following my advice to take, we have done nothing but increase our revenue. Sitting back and waiting for the natives to like us will get us nowhere. I went against my friends and took what I could from the natives and was rewarded with forgiving weather. The natives received my authority well and we had no conflicts this month. Perhaps they’ve grown to respect my strength and vigor. Perhaps they’re wishing me a happy birthday.

Yours hopefully

Risenpool Allegate

       Dear employer, where are you? August 5^th, 1873

I am still yet to hear form you sir. I understand you are busy, but I need some type of guidance if I am to get through these final few months. Things are truly crazy here. I feel eyes on me everywhere I go and if that wasn’t bad enough the weather has gotten even worse. After a small incident in the market, the natives despise me. There was a child that has been following me. He swears that he has been nowhere near me but I know he has been spying. He probably reports to the village elders so they can convene on what to do about me. I grew tired of his lies and struck him, which caused a small uproar in the busy market. Loafus calmed the dispute, apologizing for me. I don’t see why she did that; I had nothing to apologize for.

Yours truly,

Risenpool Alegate

      September 5^th. 1873

Why are things turning out this way? I am on edge now due to the village oracle bringing me a warning. She explained that the coming storm will bring my downfall. I refuse to believe her. Until the storm comes I will bleed these natives dry. They will not have food in their mouths if I have anything to do about it. They yell of my tyranny as dark clouds travel overhead. Red Beard looks at me with disgust while Loafus looks at me with concern filled eyes. She doesn’t need to worry, for I believe everything will be fine. Outside my small room I hear rain. Seems the storm has come.

Yours, Risenpool

      Please employer, write back: October 5^th, 1873

The rain is coming down so hard it is difficult to venture outside. This storm has caused us to loose all of our resources. All the things we worked so hard to gain, washed away by the storm. With the loss of the resources, I felt something shift inside me. I don’t know what to do anymore. Why won’t you write back? Are you there?

Risenpool.

       To the bloodthirsty leech: November 5^th, 1873

I’m beginning to question why you sent us here. Nothing seems to grow. Even the natives appear to struggle with the climate. I’m not sure if you know this dearest employer, but there is a chance that we could die out here. Are you really filled with such greed that you would let three good men fall like pawns at your feet? I feel that you see this all as some big game. Or maybe, you’re not even real. I’ve had dreams of three women, similar to us save for our glorious beards. It’s like they’re controlling us. Basing our lives on some frivolous game of chance. These changes in our relationships and weather are otherwise unexplainable. It’s like a storm is nothing but a bad card in these women’s hands. This must sound crazy. I believe our growing hostilities with the natives are causing my troubles. No matter. It’ll all be over soon.

-Allegate

      To Whom It May Concern: December 5^th, 1873

If this really is just all some big game, then I have lost. We had nothing. Loafus and Red Beard were prepared to leave this god forsaken place empty handed, but I refused. In a fit of rage I brandished my weapon, demanding something, anything. But…

    My apologies. The blood loss is making it hard to finish this letter. I know this was not done by a native’s hand. I could recognize that blade even protruding from the front of my chest. I’m glad that Loafus was the one to end this. In this sick game, she is the only thing I consider to be real. The storm seemed to end right as she stabbed me, leaving a beautiful sunset in place of black clouds.

    I feel my time approaching. I regret many things from this expedition. While I wish I could undo the things I have burdened the natives with, I am most saddened that I will not live to see Christmas. Hopefully Loafus and Red Beard get the gifts I had made for them.

Hopefully they can find it in their hearts to forgive me.

Yours Finally

Risenpool Allegate

Literature is Filled With Redshirts or Nver Stand Next to the Hero

   

  For whatever reason, Mercutio is my favorite character from Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio in my opinion is the best character from the play because his wit can cut you like a knife and his shade is extraordinary. The fact that I grew to love his character so much made it that much more difficult to come to terms with his death. This wonderful character had to die as a redshirt all because Romeo needed something to bring his anger to the next step. Most literary redshirts die to give the main character something to seek vengeance for. While this happens in books often, it also occurs in a lot of movies, shows, or video games.

        Foster’s explanation on our attachment to literary characters help bring some clarity to my emotions surrounding Mercutio’s death, but why did he have to die in the first place? Redshirts like Mercutio only have one purpose in their literary lives and that is to die solely for plot advancement. Foster makes it seem that these characters could die just for comic relief as well. Normally theses characters are close to our main hero, so their deaths send them into a bloodthirsty rage. Foster makes a really good example of Patroclus and Achilles. I imagine that while writing the Iliad, homer had to contemplate on ways to get Achilles his divine armor. The solution to this problem was simple. Kill his best friend. Not only did it cause Achilles to seek vengeance for his best friend, it also awarded him some cool new armor.

         Redshirts can be found everywhere in literature but they’re also all over the place in video games as well. These characters serve both the plot development and comic relief purpose Foster talks about. In Far Cry 3, you start the game following the main characters older brother around like a shadow. Grant Brody is after all much tougher, stronger, and way better at fighting than the main character Jason. His leadership skills and military background make your character, the still unproven protagonist, completely useless in comparison. You know what would help turn this whiney younger brother into a fierce island warrior? Killing his older brother. It also doesn’t help that Grant is actually wearing a redshirt. This leads me to believe that the writers knew exactly what they were doing when coming up with plot and story lines.

         Do the main characters always need to know these redshirts on a deep emotional level? No say the writers of books, movies, and video games. I doubt Hector knew the life stories of each charioteer he got killed. Yet they all died simply from being in his immediate area. Foster jokes that even an uninvolved bank president can get whacked for no true reason. The healthy guard in one of the Hitman games is a good example of death for comic relief. He’s standing in front of a window happily telling someone that he does not have testicular cancer and is destined to live a long healthy life. It doesn’t take a professor to guess what happens next. These characters are expendable and writers use them at their leisure, which can sometimes turn into the most memorable plot twist of a story.

Is the seed of the prophet really god?

Biblical symbolism is everywhere in literature. It serves to create allusions between characters and their religious counterparts. Foster lists a set of characteristics for a Christ figure ranging from being 33 years of age to being wounded on the hands, feet, or sides. Not all Christ figures have to follow these rules however. There’s no requirement for the figure to be 33 years old or even male. They also don’t necessarily have to be good. Turning away from literary examples of this, I’ll be focusing on a girl in a city among the clouds.

        

       Living in the clouds seems pretty Christ-like to me but Foster doesn’t include this in his list of determining factors. I say it’s up for debate One of the main characters in Bioshock Infinite is Elizabeth, a girl trapped in the floating city of Columbia. Throughout the game she is often revered as the “Miracle Child,” or most notably, “The seed of the prophet.” She also possesses some amazing powers, able to see the past, present, and future through multi-dimensional portals called tears. The game has a very religious tone but does not scream “Jesus!” in your face. It’s not a biblical tale and Elizabeth isn’t always the good guy. Foster points out that no Christ figure ever meets every criteria because that would make him boring old Jesus. Our Christ figure can shoot guns, stab people with scissors, and even drown a man while still being interpreted as god. 

      I believe it’s safe to assume Ken Levine and his team at Irrational games knew exactly what they were doing when coming up with Elizabeth. If anything can be learned from Foster, it’s that writers almost always know what they’re really saying. Going down the “Check any that apply list,” 4/5 of these things could be attributed to Elizabeth. The main one that can be connected to her is the “Wounded or marked in the hands, feet, or side.” A key factor throughout the game is Elizabeth’s missing pinky. Her pinky is connected to her powers and when she eventually looses her powers it reappears making her “A normal girl with a normal pinky.” Even without her godly powers, she can still be considered a Christ figure.

   

       There are multiple instances of Elizabeth being tempted or, “Accosted by the devil.” It is hard however to determine which one is the most appropriate for the situation. I originally placed Booker DeWitt, her companion for the game, in this role. He is known as the “False Prophet,” throughout Columbia where they believe his sole purpose is to lead the “Lamb of Columbia,” astray. However, a more appropriate example would be Andrew Ryan. He gives Elizabeth the choice to come work for him, where she’ll be treated as a valued employee, or be killed there on the spot. The prospect of not being brutally murdered is very promising even coming from someone we know isn’t to be trusted, but Elizabeth refuses the offer. He isn’t present for long in the game but when he appears, he’s trying to tempt or kill Elizabeth. Booker DeWitt falls more into the “Company of thieves,” category since he steals everything.

     Two other important items on the list are “Good with children,” and “Sacrificing yourself in some way for others.” I’ll try not to go into the entirety of Burial at sea while explaining the connections I found. In a nutshell Elizabeth gave up all of her god-like powers to rescue the orphan Sally after feeling agonizing guilt for leaving her to die. Foster states that agony doesn’t always mean crucifixion. In this case it was the mental torture that drove Elizabeth back. Not only does she willingly sacrifice her powers for this but ultimately sacrifices her life. No one can understand why Elizabeth would do so much for the little sister since many view them as monsters or currency. While a little sister isn’t an entire “Unworthy world,” she is still something unworthy redeemed by Elizabeth.

      The example Foster uses for an unlikely Christ figure is June from “The Bingo Palace.” She managed to affect the lives of those she left behind so profoundly without being an important figure. Similarly, Elizabeth questions whether she’ll be able to make so much as a dent in the predetermined universes she can see. She believes that if the same story is doomed to repeat itself in infinite universes then what hope is there to change it. If you read into the story a little more you realize that without Elizabeth doing all the things in Burial at sea, none of the events from the previous games would’ve taken place. Major battles would never have been fought, major characters would never be introduced, and Sally never would’ve been saved. If that doesn’t sound like something only a god is capable of then I don’t know what is.

Mindless violence or something more?

Many novels include some amount of violence, even if it’s just a miniscule amount. What if that small violent act could be an overarching plot point for the novel in question? In my opinion, it’s hard to believe that every stabbing, gunshot, or car accident could mean something. Foster however, points out that even the routine killing off of a character can mean something.

In Truman Capote’s novel, In cold blood, the violence of the murders isn’t described until the very end. The long, drawn out chapter serves as the climax to the book. Perry, one of the book’s main antagonists, gives a very detailed confession to the murders in this chapter, bringing the mystery of what happened to the Clutter family to a close. So what does this violence symbolize? It’s hard to find the meaning behind a murder that only happened out of poor planning. (Seriously, you don’t find a safe so you decide to murder an entire family?)  Foster explains that mystery novels are exceptions to the symbolism of murder because authors tend to litter the pages with bodies simply to move the story along, but does In Cold Blood fall into this category? Foster explains that the murder victims of mystery novels are usually despicable and hard to feel sorry for. That’s why we hardly notice their deaths.

So where does the Clutter family fit into this theme? They don’t. Their death, in my best assumption, was to show the ruthlessness of the murderers. Dick and Perry are after all the main focus of the novel so their development is needed. This hidden meaning is harder to grasp than Foster’s example from the book Beloved. Or maybe it’s just easier to understand with the step-by-step analysis help Foster offers. Symbolic deaths are commonplace among books, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest features one of these deaths. McMurphy’s death could be thought of as his defeat at the hands of nurse Ratched. Instead, it proves to be more of a victory. It’s similar to Foster’s analysis of Beloved. He explains that the act of Sethe killing her daughter is unforgivable on the surface. However, if you were to be in the same position as her you would somehow agree with the decision. That she felt her only method of escape from slavery was death. McMurphy’s death is presented in a similar way. Although the symbolism of his death is presented as a sacrifice akin to Jesus, his sacrifice is symbolic in another way. He had another method of escape but he chose instead to become a sort of martyr. Bibbit’s death also serves this purpose. His suicide was, in a way, his triumph over nurse Ratched and her authority. It is also considered a major cause for the chain of events that follow his death. It could be assumed (or at least I assume) McMurphy would’ve escaped with everyone else instead of lash out against Ratched. His attack on her is another mentioned act of violence that has deeper meaning. He may have been trying to go against the force that was constantly shattering his confidence throughout the book. Then again, I may be trying to find symbolism where there isn’t any.