Archetype or Stereotype?

So all of us pretty much know what a stereotype is, right? A generality or classification about a group based on something we know about a certain aspect of that group, and it's usually negative. But how many of us know what an archetype is? Well, an archetype is a pattern or mode that serves as the basis for different versions of a literary institution such as a character, theme, or story. Archetypes serve the basic human desire and want. So what's the difference? I believe stereotypes generally have more of a negative connotation associated with them and deal with real people and real groups. Archetypes apply more to literature and parts of literature. They have more of a positive emphasis and deal with recurring themes that humans feel are critical aspects of a story. For example, a tale of chivalry is not a tale of chivalry without bravery from a knight or something along those lines. Classifying all Asians as smart is not an archetype because it really has nothing to do with literature and satisfies no human desire. We're not going to be extremely disappointed and empty if we met an Asian person who isn't smart. Archetypes are just something we feel are always going to part of the story or associated with it in some shape or form. They are part of the tradition and have more of a positive connotation, rather than stereotypes with a usually negative connotation. 

Writing....why?

Prompt 1:  As far back as I can remember, I've been able to read and write. I know, of course, this isn't true and I had to have learned it somewhere, but as far down as I can grasp into the reaches of my memory, I know how to read and write. It just seems like a natural part of my daily life and society. It seems like society has been reading and writing for millenia. But like me, it had to start somewhere. So what made the first writer pick up that pen or quill or rock or whatever he/she used and start writing?  Writing reflects the voice, power, ambition, feeling, tragedy, and uniqueness of the human soul and spirit.
             An author writes to convey the what's going on about his or her time period. Each piece of writing reflects in some way the experiences and struggles that have shaped that author, whether consciously or subconsciously. And a piece of writing doesn't just have to be a book, it can be a poem, novel, movie script, play, blog, etc. When we have so many different people writing down literature and reflecting who they are, human society is encapsulated throughout time. Writing preserves and holds up society. Writing is the sole preservation of human society and the trials and endeavors of many different, unique spirits. It is the spur of creativity and thought and shapes each different person. Writing can be a conscious or sub-conscious effort. The writing shows us something about that person in whatever shape or form that writing has come in.

            To take us back to the main point, why write? Because the great authors and maybe not-so-great authors realize this. They realize society and human beings need writing in whatever form to thrive. The writing process has just become natural over time and stabilized in society to a point where we don't even question it. 

Prompt 2:

                Allende's section about writing as an act of hope makes a strong case for magic realism as a reflection of the craziness and insanity of real, South American life. But a very interesting picture is added to the text. It is "Our Waiting" by Alfredo Castañeda. I interpret the picture form left to right, so I first see the man looking at the house and then being teared apart as the picture "goes on." On the left side of the picture, there are three dots sort of holding the man together and then as they move apart, he is broken up. I feel as though these dots represent ideas of thought and in the  first section, they are very rigid and straight. As these so-called ideas of thought move far apart, the picture becomes more fluid and man moves apart. This connects to the short story and idea of not being rigid in your writing. South American life is crazy and so are the ideas of thought that surround the writing that originates from there. The man moving apart shows that anything can happen and there is less of a certain, known structure. Allende shows any elusive thing can happen in magic realism, the laws of physics as we in the Western World don't pertain. Both Allende and Castañeda demonstrate that things break up over time, even after "Our Waiting."

All Quiet on the Western Front: Adventure, Accusation, Confession

In the novel, Remarque doesn't wish one to think of the book as either an adventure, accusation, or confession because he wants the audience to think of the novel as the story of the struggle of that "lost generation" as he remarks in the opening. I believe Remarque concedes that a true war story will contain an adventure, accusation, or confession and I believe he deliberately mentions all three to tell a good war story. He doesn't want the reader to isolate the story out as one of these, but instead, combine them o tell the good war story that tells of the generation of war.