Category Archives: Discovery Assignment

Discovery – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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Ashley Rubin 

14 April 2024

Discovery

Pressman

https://www.google.com/search?q=harry+potter+mermaid+scene&oq=harry+potter+mermaid+scen&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgAEEUYOxiABDIJCAAQRRg7GIAEMgYIARBFGEAyBggCEEUYOTIGCAMQRRg7MggIBBAAGBYYHjINCAUQABiGAxiABBiKBTINCAYQABiGAxiABBiKBagCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:34f5d935,vid:QSqNJVR8blE,st:0

The mermaid scene from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire displays the main character Harry Potter feeling fearful of the mermaids and then shifts to the mermaids being fearful of the sharks. This creates a connection between humans and merpeople by displaying the emotion of fear through both species. Creating a similarity between the species upholds the idea that people are not so different from mermaids as both species experience emotion. This idea proves that the boundaries between humans and oceanic life have been created by mankind from a place of fear. These boundaries can be broken by connecting humans with nature through further discovery and research of the ocean. 

The scene begins with Harry Potter jumping into the depths of the lake to complete the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. As he is swimming he encounters a group of mermaids, a creature he has never seen before. The sight of these mermaids wielding spears fills Harry with fear. It is a fear born of the unknown as he doesn’t understand their intentions or capabilities, and the threat they pose adds to his sense of vulnerability. Just as Harry fears for his safety in the presence of these beings, the mermaids in turn react with fear when a shark suddenly appears. The group instantly swims away as they are now in fear for their life and want to escape the potential danger. The mermaids’ reaction to the shark mirrors Harry’s initial fear, emphasizing the unpredictability of the underwater environment and the instinctual response to perceived threats. 

The importance of both Harry Potter and the mermaids experiencing fear in this scene lies in the fact that the species are more similar than different. When Harry initially encounters the mermaids he is experiencing fear not only because his life is being threatened, but also because it is being threatened by an unknown species. Harry does not know much about these creatures, which leaves him questioning what they are capable of. When the scene shifts and shows the mermaids also experiencing fear the creatures are humanized, creating a similarity with Harry. Both species are trying to survive in this circumstance. While they differ in the fact that the mermaids tried to harm Harry and he had just been completing a task for the tournament, they have the same end goal which is to make it out alive. Humans see unknown creatures, especially those of the ocean, as a threat due to their potential to inflict harm. The lack of knowledge surrounding these creatures is what poses them as a threat. This scene specifically shows the mermaids threatening Harry but it could have been out of fear that he would harm them. Mermaids are shown to experience the same feelings as humans in terms of the unknown. Just as Harry did not know their capabilities, they did not know his nor the sharks. Their initial instinct with Harry was to defend their own lives and when a more apparent threat showed up, they chose to leave. This feeling of fear is what makes these species so similar. By portraying fear as a common thread that connects disparate beings there is an emphasis on the similarities between individuals, regardless of their species or background. Both species are trying to survive in this circumstance and experience the same feeling of fear. 

The similarities created between these species serve as a powerful commentary on the artificial boundaries that humans have created between themselves and the natural world, particularly the underwater world. The fear experienced by Harry and the mermaids underscores how these boundaries have been shaped by human perception and apprehension, rather than inherent differences between species. This prompts a deeper reflection on the origins of these boundaries and the potential for breaking them through greater understanding and connection with the ocean. Only around 5 percent of the ocean has been explored by the human species. This lack of knowledge and understanding creates a sense of mystery surrounding the water, leading to boundaries between life on land and life in water. As humans evolve in advancements of technology and scientific research there is great potential to break these boundaries down and create a world where we live in harmony with nature. Through initiatives such as marine conservation efforts, educational programs, and ecotourism, humans can create a deeper sense of connection with the ocean and its inhabitants, leading to empathy and respect for marine life. While it might not involve the discovery of mermaids, the understanding of the ocean can allow for a healthier environment and appreciation for the water which takes up 71 percent of the Earth. The fear of the ocean by mankind has stemmed from the lack of discovery. Humankind has been capable of exploring space for years due to the amount of money and effort that has been put into research. While there might still be technological advancements to be made before the ocean can fully be explored, there should be a more consistent effort put into these explorations. There is technology that is capable of exploring deep depths of water and it should be prioritized. Due to the current climate crisis, it is important to emphasize understanding the ocean and the impact these waters have made on humans along with the impacts humans have made on these waters. Putting the fear of the unknown aside here is extremely important to understand both history and the current state of planet Earth. 

The mermaid scene in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness between humans and the natural world, particularly the ocean. The shared experience of fear portrayed by both Harry Potter and the mermaids highlights the similarities between species, challenging the artificial boundaries that humans have imposed between themselves and marine life. While only a fraction of the ocean has been explored, there is potential for humanity to break down these barriers through technological advancements and concerted efforts in research. In the face of the current climate crisis, prioritizing the exploration and understanding of the ocean is important. By overcoming the fear of the unknown and embracing curiosity, humanity can uncover the mysteries of the ocean and create a harmonious relationship with the natural world. This discovery is not only essential for the preservation of our planet but also for our understanding of history. 

Changing the Narrative Around Sharks

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Casey Meyer

14 April 2024

Professor Pressman

Literature and the Environment: Mermaids

Changing the Narrative Around Sharks

Following the publication of the movie ‘Jaws’ in 1975 directed by Steven Spielberg, sharks have been notoriously known for their bloody, gruesome, and intimidating presence in the ocean. In recent years, scientific and statistical research has proven quite the contrary, with one beautiful piece of media by Hannah Fraser standing as one of the most influential works of art on the topic. The short film, Tigress, released in 2020 on YouTube and various news channels, depicts a mermaid dancing and swimming alongside the most deadly sharks in the world. This video was released in an attempt to bring an end to shark hunting and convince scared ocean-goers that sharks are not the threat that they have been made out to be through the use of costume choice, setting, and physical movements. This video encourages viewers that sharks can be friendly and in some cases, even cuddly and attention-hungry. 

Being that sharks can’t speak the human language, Hannah Fraser and her team have taken it upon themselves to fight on their behalf to protest shark culling in their community. Dressed like a mermaid and painted blue with an airbrush, Hannah demonstrates a respectful infiltration to the sharks home and habitat while maintaining a peaceful energy towards and from the sharks. In a setting unnatural to humans, Hannah demonstrates a lighthearted and positive attitude. This is done with the intention of demonstrating harmony with these beasts, and her sense of coolness simply reinforces the fact that they do not aspire to kill and hunt humans, and that shark attacks are rare and truly are unfortunate accidents. Another interesting aspect pertaining to clothing choice is the fact that she is wearing a black wig, airbrushed blue, and possessing mermaid paint strokes prompts the idea to step away from a terracentric perspective. This embodies a hybrid view, that although underwater it is still half-human which makes it more relatable to humans while still giving half of the respect to the ocean, and more importantly the sharks. Combined, the overall clothing choice was strategically selected to invoke feelings of unity and relatability in the viewers, ultimately with the hopes of swaying consumers into the concept that sharks are not as scary as they have been portrayed previously. 

With the use of six pound leaded boots, she dances alongside these great beasts. Had Hannah even wanted to, she would not be able to swim towards the surface, demonstrating her undoubted faith and belief that they were not attempting to hunt and eat her. To further reinforce that point, she is without a mask nor any protective gear, relying entirely on her team and trust in the process running smoothly as can be–without being bitten. In ABC news’s behind the scenes video, they mention that even one small nudging bite would result in death before they could even make it back to the boat. With such intense repercussions following one slight error, it makes the viewer wonder whether it was calculated beyond belief, or if sharks just might not be the human frenzy-eating monsters they have been depicted as for so many years in the past. Another important aspect of the setting in this video is that it could have been filmed in an aquarium or more controlled atmosphere where they could ensure full safety and have amenities for a bite had something gone wrong. Instead it is filmed at the bottom of the ocean in an area in which they chummed to draw as many sharks as possible. This means that the amount of sharks that showed up that day was unknown until they started filming, and that these sharks are as real as it gets. These aspects combined translate the idea that Hannah and her team’s faith in the sharks being harmless should be translated to the viewers as to lessen their fears around these animals. 

Another important aspect of this video is that Hannah Fraser–who on stage name is Hannah Mermaid–is underwater performing various dancing maneuvers. When one typically thinks of humans and sharks interacting, the humans are normally in full dive gear and very brief in their contact if they even touch the sharks at all. Another common way humans interact with sharks is with the utilization of cages or tanks, something the shark would not be able to penetrate with if a shark indeed were to attack. To further this, humans rarely interact with sharks at the bottom of the ocean floor, and especially not while they are dancing. Both chum and humans float, meaning that to perform this protest dance both would need to be weighted as to sink to the bottom of the ocean. To further this, the way that Hannah performed would not be possible on the surface nor somewhere in between the seafloor and surface. This again reinforces that she is in shark territory, and has full faith in not being attacked. Another important aspect of her doing an underwater dance performance is that sharks sense movement through their lateral line, and dance movements similar to hers would most certainly be detected by all of the sharks. Originally, Hannah had intended to wear a mermaid fin, but the day of the shoot decided against it as to not appear like shark prey and make an excuse for the sharks to eat her, ultimately disproving their overarching goal. Although lacking a tail, Hannah still resembled a mermaid, again proving that this was methodical and done with the intent of being fair to the sharks and proving that humans should have little to no fear of their presence in the Ocean that we share together. 

In conclusion, Hannah Fraser and her team have gone to extreme lengths to stop the misinformation being spread around sharks. Through the use of costumes, location, and dance routines, Hannah and her team have used the video ‘Tigress’ to convince consumers that sharks are not the threat they are perceived as, and to put an end to shark culling across the globe. In the years to come, it is important that sharks are treated with a new level of respect and appreciation in our oceans, similar to the way mindsets around whales have been shifted. Without sharks in our ecosystems, the entire balance could be thrown off, resulting in consequences mankind does not have the technology or ability to deal with. 

Discovery – Hidden Stories

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Karina Garcia 

Jessica Pressman

ECL 301

14 April 2024

Hidden Stories

In the short film The Water Will Carry Us Home by Gabrielle Tesfaye shows the demonstration of how selected stories portray what is known to be history. Tesfaye conveys this message through the use of stop motion art which is able to produce a story. This is significant as it shows a side of history that is not told or paid more attention to and it also shapes viewers thinking about the history that is already known. 

One of the first scenes that sets up for more thinking to take place is at 2 minutes and continues until 2 minutes and 20 seconds. In this section there is a man who is entrusted with the key almost as if he’s the only beholder in this story, and with this key he is able to unlock a never before seen or heard of story. The man seems to be portrayed as someone important or a powerful being to be trusted with this key, dressed in all white with two eyes on his hands, accompanied by only a rooster instead of a human, the key is able to jump and move around his body in order to unlock a singular story from the many that were portrayed on the wall. The key shows a way in which there are beings that are able to hide or make visible stories about the ocean but it’s a “pick and choose” which they believe should be told. The man in this story is Yoruba Orishas and in the southwest Nigerian culture orishas are “other more minor”gods ” or”spirits ” (Ogunniyi, 2022). This plays a significant role in knowing who this man is as he is now serving a purpose to the storytelling as he is presented to have great authority and power for those who are listening.  

Another section in which goes to show how stories are being portrayed is at 1 minute and 30 seconds when Yoruba Orisha is first being presented and behind him there is a wall of locks in which can be assumed to be untold stories. On the wall behind him there are multiple locks of all shapes and sizes and are spread out all across the wall; it’s hard to say how many locks there are if the viewer was only able to see a selected amount. The main lock that is being unlocked is to show the story of the Middle Passage with African American slaves being transported by ship to show the origin of how African American mermaids came to be. A single story is being told which can only leave curiosity to peak and wonder if there are more stories like such. Discovering these singular stories lets more questions arise as to what other stories are not being told today, it opens and pushes for new questions and further curiosity to be asked as to which stories have not been told yet? Which stories are credible or not? Which stories are being hidden away from society? And why does this happen?

Finally as the story is coming to an end at 5 minutes and 57 seconds, the door is closing and the lock is coming into play to close up the story for good the key is back in play but has never left Yoruba Orisha. After the entire story being told about the origin of African American mermaids is one of the first times in history that these kinds of mermaids are presented, Tesfaye is able to do so with the use of stop motion animation to attract the attention of viewers. The key continues to be a significant factor into this story that is being told and shows which are still being concealed. The ending of the film also leaves a sense of mystery as to now know what’s the next story that will be told and have the question of how many stories are still out there that are not being told. Tesfaye is able to spark the curiosity of viewers into questioning the history that they learned and to be more open about learning new history that will be able to change what they already know. 

Many cultures today around the world all have stories that define and make up their society, but not all are being told due to a number of reasons. Without these stories being told it is shaping history to be portrayed one way, shaping minds to think one way, and to also conceal controversial aspects of history. This film by Gabrielle Tesfaye is clearly depicting otherwise, it is showing the hidden part of history that is being neglected and not taken into account as it is going against what fits the criteria for “history”. The Water Will Carry Us Home is able to convey the otherwise of what has already been taught of history, the ugly and more brutal part that shows the original “heroes” as doing more harm than good. 

Work Cited

https://theconversation.com/a-long-view-sheds-fresh-light-on-the-history-of-the-yoruba-people-in-west-africa-162776#:~:text=The%20Yoruba%20are%20among%20the,history%20have%20attracted%20numerous%20studies.

https://guardian.ng/life/yoruba-mythology-the-orishas-of-the-yoruba-race

Discovery Assignment: ‘She Told Me the Earth Loves Us’

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Thavanh Pais

ECL 305

Professor Pressman

14 April, 2024

She Told Me the Earth Loves Us

In the poem “She Told Me the Earth Loves Us,” Anne Haven McDonnell delves into the profound link between mankind and the natural world, exposing the Earth’s ability for love and compassion. Through vivid imagery, emotive language, and subtle shifts in perspective, McDonnell encourages readers to reassess their relationship with the environment and acknowledge the reciprocal bond that exists between humanity and the Earth. 

The title of the poem, “She Told Me the Earth Loves Us,” captures the poem’s fundamental idea and establishes the tone for the speaker’s narrative journey. By giving the Earth an identity and speech through the pronoun “she,” the title personifies the natural world, implying a reciprocal link between humanity and the environment. This personification gives the Earth a sense of action and autonomy, contradicting traditional views of nature as passive or inactive. Furthermore, the verb “told” conveys a sense of communication and intimacy between the speaker and the Earth, implying an ongoing dialogue or revelation. Overall, the title evokes a sense of intimacy, familiarity, and mutual fondness between humans and the Earth, establishing the groundwork for the investigation of love, interconnection, and environmental stewardship that unfolds throughout the poem.

In the first stanza, McDonnell writes: “She said it softly, without conviction or romance.” After everything? I asked, embarrassed.” McDonnell’s portrayal of the speaker’s reaction to the Earth’s pledge of love depicts a complicated emotional terrain marked by bewilderment and shame. The speaker’s response, “After everything? I asked, ashamed,” reveals a deep sense of incredulity and unworthiness in the face of the Earth’s unchanging compassion. This reaction reveals the speaker’s internal conflict and fragility as they grapple with their personal relationship to the Earth and the consequences of embracing its love. The passage’s tone is introspective, inviting introspection and self-examination as the speaker considers the tremendous implications of the Earth’s pronouncement. 

As we continue, McDonnell presents a subtle shift in viewpoint, urging readers to examine their position as inhabitants of Earth. The remark “That’s not the kind of love she meant” is a watershed moment, highlighting how humans frequently anthropomorphize the environment, regarding it as “mother nature” and expecting loving, maternal love in exchange. However, McDonnell’s subtle shift in perspective calls into question this romanticized notion of love, forcing readers to examine humanity’s impact on the Earth as well as their own role in environmental destruction. This moment of reflection asks us to evaluate our relationship with the natural environment, acknowledging the interconnectedness of all living things and our shared responsibility as Earth stewards. By highlighting the reciprocal nature of our relationship with the environment, McDonnell urges readers to reevaluate their actions and recommit to fostering a more sustainable and harmonious coexistence with the Earth.

Throughout the poem, McDonnell employs rich sensory imagery to evoke the Earth’s love and embrace. In the fourth stanza, she writes, “Today I learned that trees can’t sleep with our lights on. That they knit a forest in their language, their feelings.” She paints a poignant image of trees unable to sleep because of human interference, conveying a profound sense of vulnerability and disruption in the natural world. The metaphor of trees “knitting a forest” not only conveys the intricate interdependence of ecosystems, but it also implies a collective consciousness and communal spirit among living beings. This visual urges readers to reflect on the significant relationship between humans and the environment, emphasizing the interconnectedness and mutual reliance that sustains life on Earth. By characterizing trees and attributing them with “language” and “feelings,” McDonnell gives the natural world agency and emotional depth, encouraging readers to see the Earth as a sentient and responding being worthy of care and devotion. The rich sensory imagery serves to deepen our understanding of the Earth’s love and embrace, while underscoring the urgent need for environmental stewardship and conservation efforts to preserve the delicate balance of the natural world.

In the final line, McDonnell conveys a message of hope and redemption, implying that, despite humanity’s flaws, the Earth’s love endures. The image “I walk through the dark gates of the trees” evokes a profound sense of forgiveness and acceptance, similar to returning to a maternal and protective hug after admitting past faults. McDonnell generates a sense of humility and appreciation by depicting the Earth as welcoming mankind with outstretched arms, encouraging readers to reconnect with the natural world. This last image is a stunning reminder of the Earth’s enduring potential for compassion and renewal, emphasizing the poem’s primary themes of love and reconciliation. It invites us to consider our relationship with the environment and embrace a sense of responsibility and reverence for the Earth’s boundless generosity and resilience.

Anne Haven McDonnell’s poem, “She Told Me the Earth Loves Us,” depicts the intricate tapestry of humanity’s relationship with the natural world, exposing the Earth’s tremendous ability for love and compassion. McDonnell takes readers on a voyage of introspection and environmental awareness using rich imagery, evocative language, and nuanced shifts in viewpoint. The poem’s title, “She Told Me the Earth Loves Us,” captures its fundamental subject and sets the setting for a narrative examination of love, interconnectedness, and environmental stewardship. As the poem develops, McDonnell encourages us to evaluate our position as Earth’s occupants, challenging romanticized conceptions of nature and calling for a more in-depth investigation of humanity’s impact on the ecosystem. McDonnell’s rich sensory images and expressive language invite us to consider the Earth’s enduring affection and embrace, while highlighting the critical necessity for environmental conservation and preservation initiatives. Ultimately, McDonnell’s poem serves as a painful reminder of humanity’s reciprocal relationship with the natural world, asking us to love and safeguard the Earth’s unlimited generosity and resilience for future generations.

Discovery Assignment: “The Crane Wife”

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Myles Wright

ECL 305

Professor Pressman

6 March, 2024

The Crane Wife

The Crane Wife is an ancient Japanese folktale, which tells the story of a marriage between a supernatural, shapeshifting crane and a man. Although there are variations of the story, in most, a man witnesses a white crane shot down from the sky by hunters. When he helps it recover, the crane flies away. The next day, a beautiful woman appears on this doorstep, offering herself to be his wife. Unbeknownst to him, she is the crane he rescued. He tells her he has no money to support them, but the woman vows this will not be an issue, and they marry. However, she makes her husband promise that while she is weaving in the closed room, he must not enter. The crane wife creates beautiful woven fabrics that the husband sells, making them rich, but the husband grows greedy, urging his wife into the closed room to weave more and more. Eventually, his curiosity overcomes him and he opens the door to the closed room only to find the crane at the loom, plucking her own feathers from her body to create the fabrics. Upon seeing how the man has broken his promise, the crane flies away and never returns. 

“The Crane Wife 1 & 2” and “The Crane Wife 3” appear on the album The Crane Wife, debuted in 2006, by the band The Decemberists. The songs retell the Japanese folktale through a three part song. Part 1 of the man helping the injured crane, part 2 of the marriage and discovery, and part 3 of the man’s remorse over his broken promise. Across many countries and cultures we see recurring stories of supernatural or shapeshifting women marrying human men. One of the most popular, the medieval French legend of Melusine, closely resembles the story of The Crane Wife. Why is this narrative so common? What ideas might these stories across lands, seas, and cultures share? Through diction and imagery, “The Crane Wife 1 & 2” and “The Crane Wife 3” reveal the ways in which marriage for a woman is essentially a loss of self. 

Similar to many other countries, in early Japan women had few rights in marriage.The two songs express this struggle for women through the crane wife’s story, but from the perspective of the man. It should be considered that both the original folktale and song are from the perspective of the husband, though the story is titled after her and she is the one to endure suffering. The first line of the song introduces the setting, both literal and figurative, “It was a cold night, And the snow lay ‘round”, he is in the midst of a snowy winter season (The Decemberists). He later states he has neither wealth nor fame; his life seems empty until the appearance of the crane. After the white crane falls from the sky, the chorus repeats “And all the stars were crashing ’round, As I laid eyes on what I’d found” (The Decemberists). Now with the crane in the man’s life, the stars are around him, signifying light, hope, and good fortune. In Japanese culture, the white crane is a symbol of long life, prosperity, and happiness. The crane wife provides all of these before the man is overtaken by greed and curiosity. Upon seeing the crane, he describes it as a “helpless thing” (The Decemberists). In early culture, women were viewed as helpless, incapable creatures. In early Japan, the decision of who they were to marry was left to their families, and after marriage their lives were dictated by the husband. 

The crane appears at the man’s doorstep as a beautiful woman and offers herself to him. The two “were married and bells rang sweet for our wedding” (The Decemberists). The bells ring as a sign of joy in the marriage for the newlyweds. After the discovery, the bells ring again, but signify a different meaning. Though the man is poor, the crane wife vows to make him prosperous. As the man’s wealth grows, so does his greed as he “forced her to weaving, On a cold loom, in a closed room” (The Decemberists). Though the man recognized how “she grew thin” from the weaving, he overlooked her appearance. He knows she is losing herself in her room weaving, but does nothing about it. After his discovery and her departure, the chorus repeats “Sound the keening bell, And see it’s painted red, Soft as fontanel, The feathers in the thread” (The Decemberists). The Oxford English Dictionary defines Keen as “An Irish funeral song accompanied with wailing in lamentation for the dead”. The motif of the bell appears again, only this time not only for the man’s loss of his wife, but for the crane’s loss of self. The crane used her feathers, though bloodied and weakened, to provide for her husband, yet he still broke his promise. The Decemberists use the line “Soft as fontanel”, fontanel being the membranous gaps between the bones of the skull in infants. Fontanel represents the fragility of a woman’s position in a marriage, dangerous and easily damaged. 

In “The Crane Wife 3”, the man is remorseful as he realizes he has taken advantage of his wife and driven her away. He reflects “And under the boughs unbowed, All clothed in a snowy shroud” (The Decemberists). Boughs are the limbs of trees which are often stripped off, similar to the crane wife who has stripped parts of herself. This further reveals how marriage for a woman is a form of self-annihilation. As for “clothed in a snowy shroud”, a shroud is a white cloth or sheet which a corpse is covered in for burial. This line could represent a few things. From the man’s perspective, it could be interpreted as a shroud for the death of their love and marriage, or a shroud for the crane wife as she has lost herself to their marriage. It is important to note that a shroud holds some resemblance to a wedding veil. This shows how the crane wife was doomed from the beginning, her wedding was the beginning of her end. 

Across cultures, women have endured loss of self in the face of marriage. This could be one possible explanation for the recurring supernatural bride across a variety of cultures. These stories are so common because they reflect a shared sense of loss of oneself for women throughout various histories. 

Works Citied:

The Decemberists. “The Crane Wife 1 & 2”, “The Crane Wife 3”. Genius. https://genius.com/The-decemberists-the-crane-wife-1-2-and-3-lyrics

Discovery Assignment

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Lixia Peña

ECL 305

Professor Pressman

March 2nd, 2024

Considering Environmentalism in Ponyo

            Thesis: In his 2008 movie, Hayao Miyazaki, re-imagines the deceptively simple story of the little mermaid to consider our current with the natural world. His movie uses the children as a device to consider a different way to co-exist and respect the natural world.

The plot of the story would not be kickstarted without the presence of a man meddling with the natural world. It is the father of this little mermaid, initially named Brunhilde, who has forgone the human world in order to become a wizard focused on healing the ocean from human destruction. Ponyo is his child and the sea goddess’s child. Immediately it is explained that her magic ability comes from the human and the natural world coming together. Ponyo acts, like so many mermaids in folklore, as a bridge between the human and natural world. This little mermaid is brought within proximity of the human world after being caught in a human fishing net and being hurt by trash polluting the sea. Here Miyazaki immediately begins his criticism of the detrimental effect that human presence has had on the ocean. This daughter of the environment is partly exposed to the human world by human’s presence and destruction of the ocean.

Ponyo is then saved by a little human boy Sosuke who immediately aids and takes her into his care, declaring that he is responsible for her. I found this interesting because Miyazaki immediately does away with the Christian tones of so much mermaid folklore. Sosuke takes her in exactly in her fish’s form and never turns on her for being of the sea. Much of the folklore that we have studied, the man comes into contact with the mermaid when she is not in her true form. When the man and the mermaid come into the marriage contract we are often told of the riches that the mermaid provides for the man and his curiosity and need to control this being of the natural world inevitably lead to the man’s betrayal. It is important that Miyazaki imagines his own male and female characters as children. It’s is because of innocence that Sosuke readily accepts Ponyo, an extension of nature, wholeheartedly as she is without feeling the needs to control her. Ponyo is impulsive, adventurous and free and Sosuke never tries to change this. This is contrasted with Ponyo’s father who immediately snatches her back into the ocean against her wishes. He tries to, quite literally forces Ponyo back into the shape of a fish and trap her; hear reaction is to run away and create a Tsunami so she can find Sosuke. I believe that here Miyazaki is stressing the importance of doing away with thinking that nature is something that has to be controlled. Harmony can exist when we cohabitate with the environment and nature. To try to dominate it is useless and detrimental to all.

I found Miyazaki’s decision to depict a Tsunami to have been a very conscious choice. Only four years before this movie was released a Tsunami had devastated coastal cities of Japan. Japan has a long history with Tsunamis and so it was interesting that he would present a natural disaster within this children’s story. It is not presented with the horrifying images that we imagine when we think of tsunamis. This could be easily explained away with saying that this is a children’s movie. I believe that he chooses not to display the destructive power of the ocean so overtly because he is trying to comment on the nature aspect of the natural world. Nature after all, is functioning exactly as it is in its nature to do so. Instead the weight of destruction is mostly blamed on humans. It is used to depict the carelessness in how humans treat their environment. Through Sosuke, Miyazaki proves that it is possible for humans to interact in a more harmonious manner with the natural world. If we accept it as it is, without trying dominate it.

I also noticed, throughout the movie, that the figures of power within the story were were mostly women. Ponyo, her mother the sea goddess an Sosuke’s mother. These three figures all draw their power from nature itself. This is most noticeable with Ponyo and her mother given that they are magical creatures. Lisa’s power is not as noticeable initially. As a woman mostly raising her son alone, her husband is a ship captain, Lisa is often thrust into the position of, not just a nurturer but also a protector thereby subverting our expectations of gender roles. She is just as willing as Sosuke to take Ponyo into her care. Miyazaki is clearly commenting on the power of women to influence younger generations. It is interesting that Ponyo’s wizard father, for all his magic, is unable to exert his power over any of these women.

Midterm Discovery Assignment

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Ana Dilan 

ECL 305 

Professor Pressman

3 March 2024 

“Poor Things”: Your New Favorite Mermaid Movie 

Satirical black comedy, a Victorian Gothic fairy tale, or a loose and surrealist retelling of Frankenstein–Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Poor Things” (2023), a film adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s novel of the same name, is a multifaceted story with an equally multi-faceted protagonist. Played by Emma Stone, Bella Baxter, though blatantly marketed as a Frankenstein’s-monster type of creature, possesses the curiosity and wisdom akin to the mermaids of mermaid folklore. As such, the character herself and the projection of her arc adds the film to the expansive shelf of mermaid folklore and makes “Poor Things” a mermaid movie. 

Like mermaids, Bella is a hybrid creature of sorts. She is a reanimated corpse composed of the body of an adult woman and the brain of an infant. The doctor who reassembles and reanimates her and acts as her father figure tells Bella that he pulled her body from the river, a body of water and what would be a mermaid’s dwelling place. This state of hybridity exposes not just Bella’s multifaceted nature but the nature of the men around her. Bella’s naivete is exploited by a corrupt attorney named Duncan Wedderburn, but this same character detests her curiosity and thirst for knowledge while appreciated by her father and the friends she makes. 

Bella’s appearance has very mermaid-like characteristics. The most obvious characteristic is her long black hair, reminiscent of the portrayal of many mermaids before her. Her fashion and clothing choices also set her apart from the rigid Victorian-era fashions she is surrounded by. Holly Waddington, the film’s costume designer, chose to forego the use of the corset for Bella and instead decided to dress the character in “a constant state of deconstruction,” akin to “a child dressing from a parent’s wardrobe.” (Whistles, 2024) One of the costume pieces Bella wears earlier in the film is called a lobster bustle, a piece which she wears over her clothes instead of under. This undergarment was used to give the wearer the archetypal Victorian silhouette but in this case, makes Bella look off-putting because of the order in which she wears it and because it gives her bottom half the appearance of a sea creature rather than a human’s. 

Bella takes on both a physical and symbolic journey towards self-discovery as she is taken on a cruise ship headed for Athens, a city known for its philosophers, and befriends two passengers who introduce her to philosophy. It is on the sea where she becomes more conscious of herself, the world, and its people around her. She questions societal norms and the roles of individuals in enforcing these norms, seeking to improve society by improving herself through knowledge and sharing said knowledge. Later on in the film, she also decides to follow in her father’s/creator’s footsteps to become a surgeon and even joins a socialist club. Through this, Bella invokes the traits of the Babylonian myth of Oannes and his ability to share his knowledge towards the ancient Babylonians. (Bacchilega, et. al., 3)

Works Cited

Bacchilega, Cristina. Penguin Book of Mermaids. Penguin Publishing Group, 2019. 

“In Conversation with Holly Waddington: Costume Designer of the New Film ‘Poor Things,’ on Working with Yorgos Lanthimos and the Concept behind the Captivating Costumes: Inspiration: Whistles |.” Whistles, 26 Feb. 2024, www.whistles.com/inspiration/interviews/in-conversation-with-holly-waddington-costume-designer-of-the-new-film-poor-things-on-working-with-yorgos-lanthimos-and-exploring-the-concept-behind-the-captivating-costumes.html. 

Midterm Discovery Essay: Analyzing humanism in Disney’s Luca

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Lina Rau

Jessica Pressman

ECL 305: Literature in the Environment

3 March 2024 II Discovery Essay on Disney’s Luca

Analyzing humanism in Disney’s Luca

Disney’s Luca is an animated movie set in the seaside of the Italian town of Portorosso at the end of the 1950’s. The sea monster Luca, whose parents forbid him to approach human surface in fear of their son being hunted, one day gets to know another sea monster child called Alberto. The boys soon start to sneak out of their natural environment to travel around the world with a Vespa. On their journey the two young sea monsters meet the young and compassionate human called Giulia, who they soon get friends with. In fear of Giulia having prejudices, too, the two young boys hide their identity. However, Giulia uncovers their secret and responds with empathy and understanding. All together they continue their journey, showing that them looking differently does not make a difference in their friendship. At the end of the movie the townspeople discover the sea monsters’ secret and their former perception on them change. They start to live together and allow the sea monsters to be on land.

In the movie one scene that is crucial to analyze is the situation where the townspeople discover that Luca and Alberto change into sea monsters after it starts raining (Disney’s Luca 1:14h – 1:17h). Alberto first decided to sacrifice himself because Luca did not touch water yet and still looked like a human. When the townspeople saw Alberto in his fish form, they started to hunt him and wanted to catch him, having in mind that they can receive a prize as a reward for catching a sea monster. Even though the sea monsters are not humans they seem to portray different human like emotions and characteristics the townspeople cannot. The question one must ask is, what it exactly means to be human. Are the sea monsters just any beasts that do not have anything in common with humans? Or can we actually see the monsters as creatures that resemble humans and even have better characteristics than humans? Although we as humans are attributing non-human characteristics onto monsters, they should be more seen as being human-like creatures whom humans have something in common with. In the case of “Luca”, the monsters are showing more human like emotions than the townspeople do. Disney’s Luca thus teaches on humanism.

Before analyzing the lack of the townspeople’s humanism, a closer look should be taken on how the sea monsters are perceived in the movie. In the town a lot of rumors have spread that there are sea monsters in the water lurking out. The townspeople are suspicious about their existence and therefore have negative perceptions on anything which they do not portray as being humans. They are gossiping around the sea monsters and have many negative stereotypes connected to the creatures. When the Townspeople see Alberto’s and later Luca’s real form, they initially start a mob with torches and pitchforks in their hand, signalizing that they feel threatened by the sea monster’s existence. Even though Giulia and Luca try to educate the townspeople that sea monsters are not dangerous, they first remain unwilled to listen.

As shown above the townspeople have a deep fear against the unknown. Throughout our classes we have seen that humans have always feared the unknown- especially the unknown sea. The sea was always seen as an environment that poses unforeseeable threats to humans as it has mystical features. The same attributions are put onto monsters. The definition of monster is, apart from that, a creature that deviates from social norms. Furthermore, the word derives from the Latin word “monstrare” meaning to demonstrate or to warn, which means that monsters have a demonstrative quality. Keeping that in mind, a bigger “so what?” of the movie and a lot of interesting aspects can be pointed out.

The first aspect that can be pointed out is the establishment of a class system. The townspeople see themselves as the elite and, compared to that, see the sea monsters as creatures that should be hunted. If the townspeople catch a sea monster they would be celebrated like kings and would keep the dead body of the monster as a trophy, in belief that they have the right to do so and dominate not only the living beings on land but also the living beings in the sea. Similar things can be seen in society up to today where people or animals are exploited or hunted for the benefit of others. One similar example to the one in “Luca” in the real world is e.g. the poaching of big animals such as lions or elephants in African countries just for people’s pleasure. The movie thus deliberately confronts the viewers with the topic of marginalization.

The next point is how the townspeople actually treat their surroundings and especially the environment. Most of the townspeople are fishermen, which shows that they are exploiting the sea without taking care of it. The young sea monster Luca in comparison is taking care of his surroundings and he does not try to violate the nature on land. Him being respectful towards a place on earth he did not really know before makes him be a person that has better morals than the townspeople do.

Referring that back to the pivotal scene mentioned earlier similar results can be found. The most interesting fact is that the townspeople’s fear of the unknown is used as an excuse for them not being open minded. The townspeople more or less believe that it justifies them having prejudices and unreasonable hate against the sea monsters. Apart from that both Luca and Alberto possess emotions or relationships (e.g. their friendship) that are similar to the ones humans have. Alberto even considers sacrificing himself for the safety of Luca. When Luca’s and Alberto’s real identity is discovered, the townspeople instantly start to objectify the young boys as something they want to hunt and to capture, even though they got along with them before the boys transformed into their natural skin. With their weapons in their hand, the townspeople are quite literally the monsters of society: their willingness to destroy, to murder and to being ignorant, is more monster like than anything else.

The movie in general therefore uses the figure of the sea monster to show (just like in “monstrare”) that it covers more humanism than humans do. In reality, the real monster in the movie is the human that destroys and exploits the environment or other living beings. The scene in the movie must thus be seen as a self-reflection of society today. We humans need to be aware of the importance of ecosystems in the sea again and need to work on the problems society has today (greed, hate, egoism…). Instead of thinking about the difference between sea monster and humans, sea monsters should be seen as an extension of humans that could possibly portray what humans do wrong.

Discovery: The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea

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Sierra Suelzle

Dr. Pressman

ECL 305

3 March 2024

Axie Oh’s book, The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, is a modern feminist retelling of the Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong” in which the main character, Mina, sacrifices herself to the Sea God by jumping into the ocean for her village. Mina is then guided to the spirit realm by a dragon where she discovers the Sea God has been placed under a spell. She embarks on a journey to free the Sea God from the spell to save her community by stopping the extreme weather and famine ravaging her land. Axie Oh’s The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea (2022) reveals the symbiotic relationship between humans and the ocean and how the fragility of that connection can lead to either’s destruction. Through the development of nuanced character relationships and rich symbolism, young readers in the United States are urged to recognize that their relationship with the ocean is threatened by environmental instability. 

The relationship between humans and the ocean is established and changes multiple times throughout the novel. The connection between humans and the ocean is explained and revealed by the string of fate that ties Mina to different characters throughout the novel. Oh uses this relationship to showcase how dependent we, in the United States, are on the ocean and how our relationship with the ocean has to shift with the changes in the environment. When Mina first enters the Spirit Realm, she is left alone with a red string tied around her palm, realizing it is the Red String of Fate. The “Red String of Fate ties a person to their destiny” (Oh, 2022, p. 21) or “to the one person [their] heart desires most” (Oh, 2022, p.21).  Following the string to discover her destiny or her person, she is led to the Sea God’s palace and finds the other end of the string attached to who she believes to be the Sea God’s hand. Later on, the string attaches itself to a character named Shin whose job is to protect the Sea God. This shift signifies a change in humans’ link to the ocean. Mina is initially attached to the Sea God to protect her village from the storms of the sea but that changes when it is realized that the ocean itself needs protecting. In this novel, the Sea God is a physical representation of the ocean and the ruler of all nature, but Shin is his protector. Oh utilizes this connection between both men as a way to demonstrate to young readers that as the instability within the environment and the ocean has increased, they need to take on a protective role to enhance their association with the ocean. Humans are not separate from the ocean, we are tied to nature but our actions have to change depending on the problems that we encounter, such as climate change.

The relationship between oceans and humans is threatened by the refusal of humans to change or limit their actions that are harming the environment. Oh creates the relationship between the emperor of the land and the Sea God to showcase how fragile human relationships truly are with nature and the environment. The Sea God was said to love the emperor and even blessed the emperor’s people, but the emperor was defeated in battle, and that angered the Sea God. When the Sea God was angered, first “rivers and streams dried up” (Oh, 2022, p. 31) causing a horrible drought, then “rain fell from the sky in sheets of icy water” (Oh, 2022, p. 31) which caused flooding and for some people to drown in their sleep. Oh uses the wrath of the Sea God as a symbol of the environment fighting back against human actions. The anger the Sea God had over losing the emperor represents the consequences of not treating the environment with care and respect. This manifests in both the real world and the story as unpredictable and extreme weather conditions that are made worse by the continuation of polluting the earth.

 In addition, in the story, the emperor decides to sacrifice women to the Sea God as a way to solve the problem. Instead of relinquishing power and restoring it to someone whom the Sea God loves, he chooses to hold onto his position and sacrifice his citizens. Humans have come up with a similar solution because, in the past few years, we have seen how the environment has been affected by human selfishness, but we are not doing anything to stop it. Especially in the United States, people propose solutions that target the symptoms, not the problem itself. One example of this is trying to prevent coral reef bleaching, but continuing to mine oil and dump waste into the ocean. Oh utilizes this relationship as a way to warn her audience that our reliance on the ocean cannot be trusted if we are not treating it with the respect it deserves and making the climate crisis worse by abusing our natural resources. 

Comparatively, the role of the environment in the daily lives of people in the United States has been routinely underappreciated. The environment provides people with most goods, food, travel, and a place to live. Oh shows how a lack of appreciation and care for the environment leads to an inability to live in harmony with the world. The people of Mina’s village consistently pray to their gods who take care of all parts of nature, but these gods are not eternal. It is said that: “when rivers are polluted and the forests burn, the gods fade and disappear” (Oh, 2022, p. 250), and when a god fades, “all [the] memories of [what they] once [were], of what [they were] meant to protect” (Oh, 2022, p. 250) are lost. So, when humans are careless with the environment and do not cherish the natural resources they have for them, the environment turns it back on them. When humans start to take advantage of the environment and all that it provides for us, there is a shift in mindset from working with nature to working against it. This pressures our relationship with the ocean, specifically, because it controls the production of so many resources humans use constantly. The relationship with the ocean in the United States becomes even more fragile than it already is and is put more at risk when people disregard its importance to overproduce. 

The relationships between characters and groups of characters, as well as the symbolism of connections, in this novel, are vital to demonstrating the importance of the ocean. Mina’s village is shown to rely heavily on the ocean and the esteem that the people hold of the ocean is high. Axie Oh displays this feeling of the ocean to an audience that normally does not put much thought into how paramount this body of nature is in their lives. People, especially young people, in the United States are encouraged to shift and value their relationship with the ocean at a time when the environment is experiencing drastic changes. 

Work Cited

Oh, Axie. The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea. Feiwel & Friends, 2022.

Midterm Assignment: Japanese Mermaids

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Sophia Fugazzotto 

ECL 305 

Professor Pressman 

March 2nd, 2024

Japanese Tales: The Mermaid 

During the latter half of the 19th century, Japan made the transition from a feudal military country to a colonial power under the Meiji Era. Along with the adoption of Western ideas came the industrialization of the country (“A Brief History”). The Meiji Era ushered in coal and chemical plants, mills, refineries, copper mines, and pollutants (Seagrove 2). These new technologies brought new language too–the coining of the word “kogai” which Seagrove (1) describes as “industrial pollution that damages human health and the environment” (p.1). Despite the awareness of the negative environmental costs of industrialization, Japan continued to prioritize economic development as they gained global power. In the Japanese tale The Mermaid, the middle-aged man’s decision to release the mermaid reflects this human-first attitude adopted during the industrial revolution in the 1890s. 

The Mermaid follows the story of a middle-aged man who lives by himself, having never married. When fishing one day, the man catches a mermaid. On page 206 of The Penguin Book of Mermaids, the passage reads: “ ‘Desinit in piscem mulier formosa superne.’ The mermaid’s face was tearful, for the hook was in her cheek, and there was also the shame of being forcibly dragged out of her native element; and the angler was a man of tender heart” (p. 206). The strong use of imagery in this quote, of the hook in the cheek and forcible dragging, represents the strong hand of the Japanese in trying to conquer the environment through technological advances. The usage of the phrase “native element” also reveals the use of a mermaid as a symbol for the environment, and the relationship between this man and mermaid represents interactions between Japanese and the environment. The Latin words, at the beginning of this quote, and presumably stated by the man, loosely translates to ‘the beautiful woman ends in a fish’s tail’. The structure of this sentence (and in the quotation) reveals how he sees the mermaid as a human first, and then secondly an element of nature, reflecting the human-first frame of mind this story was written in. 

The man then contemplates what to do with the mermaid. The way that he ponders about what to do with her represents the commercialization of the environment that Japan was undergoing: “Gently extracting the hook from her jaws, he held her in his hands and meditatively speculated on the money which he could gain by selling her to an itinerant exhibition, or the long life which he might obtain by eating her flesh” (p.206) Many new technologies, such as power plants and mines were sources of economic gain from the environment in Japan. Not only does this quote represent commercialization and the commodification of nature, but it also illustrates the tensions in the transitional period that the Meiji Era brought. Choosing to sell the mermaid to an exhibition may have resulted from the newfound international trade brought in by the new era, while eating the mermaid comes from a Japanese belief involving immortality, and is more connected to the traditional eras of Japan. The man’s struggle between this choice represents the economic tug of war between an isolated, feudal Japan and the new, colonial Japan that was developing. In addition, the imagery of the man holding her in his hands contributes to the idea of Japan dominating and controlling nature, through how small and powerless it makes her appear.

Despite the two initial choices presented, the man decides to release the mermaid back into the water. However, his reasoning behind the release is not of respect for nature, or pity. The author states: “But his soul revolted at the thought of eating this fair creature, that whimpered and cried like a human being, and so after another long gaze he threw it back into the waves, when the mermaid, waving its grateful adieux, speedily dived out of sight” (p.206). The man does not choose to release the mermaid for any reason but that it reminds him of himself. This reflects the human-first attitude that the Meiji Era brought as it prioritized human advancement over preservation and respect for the environment. Had the mermaid not “whimpered and cried like a human being”, the man would not have returned her to the water, and would have made the choice between selling or eating her. Although the text describes the man as “a man of tender heart”, it seems his tenderness only extended to those who look and act like himself, not to all living beings in the world. This description of the mermaid also reflects how nature is at the mercy of the industrialization of Japan, since the man is the one in control. The mermaid’s gratefulness also contributes to this power dynamic. 

Interestingly enough, this tale was published in English in a magazine in Tokyo. This decision to use the English language, as opposed to Japanese, may be another hint toward the Westernization of Japan at this time–as many citizens were sent to Europe to learn about how their country operated. Whether this story can be considered propaganda for the government and modernization, or perhaps a tale created from integration of European ideas and the story of Melusine, is unknown, but it does comment on many concepts of the Meiji Era–of modernization, power, transition. This developmental era in Japan’s history brought about much change for all of Japan, and this tale is an important representation of the attitudes toward nature in Japan during the Meiji Era.

Works Cited

Bacchilega, Cristina. Penguin Book of Mermaids. Penguin Publishing Group, 2019. 

Japan, Heartland. “A Brief History of Japan from the Late 19th Century to the Early 20th 

Century. – Heartland Japan.” Heartland Japan – Your Gateway to the Heartland of Japan. 

Heartland Japan Offers Unforgettable Experiences for Walking, Cycling, Hiking, and 

More., 15 Jan. 2024, 

heartlandjapan.com/a-brief-history-of-japan-from-the-late-19th-century-to-the-early-20th

-century/#:~:text=Throughout%20the%201870s%20and%20reaching,without%20benefit

ing%20the%20common%20folk. Accessed 02 Mar. 2024. 

Seagroves, Amy, “Environmental History of Japan” (2009). Student Theses 2001-2013. 69. 

https://fordham.bepress.com/environ_theses/69