Ayanna I. – Story Power

Author: Ayanna I.

Let It Go!

On March 11, 2026

Frozen is a Disney animated film about 2 princesses/sisters, Anna and Elsa, who’s relationship was tested when Elsa progressively lost control of her magical powers and put the kingdom in jeopardy. While the movie follows a magical fairy tale structure it also challenges many fairy tale expectations. The use of satire in the movie is used to criticize unrealistic ideas about love, heroism, and gender roles.

Traditional gender roles and heroism is challenged in this film by showing that Anna did not need a prince to save her, but instead the true love and sacrifice of her sister. Elsa’s whole persona is extremely ironic because she is the exact opposite of what she intended. All her life she lived in fear, restricted and desperate to hide her powers and protect her kingdom, yet the moment she let herself go she unintentionally caused a disaster. This situation satirizes the unrealistic expectations of leaders, especially women, to remain perfect and in control. By showing Elsa’s struggles throughout the movie viewers gradually understand that true strength comes from accepting imperfections and learning to face challenges instead of running from them. The idea of an eternal winter is a hyperbole, representing the exaggerated effects of Elsa’s fear literally causing an endless winter across the kingdom. For so long she concealed her feelings and anxiety out of fear of being rejected by the world, when she was no longer able to hide her true feelings they exploded, thus highlighting the importance of confronting your emotions. The eternal winter was not on purpose but it was an accidental masterpiece reflecting her own misery.

What’s more ironic than a young queen causing chaos? Another young princess extremely eager for love. Anna’s excitement to finally gain freedom led her into a dangerous situation opposed to the fairy tale ending she expected. After meeting Hans on the first day Anna immediately believes he is her true love and agrees to marry him. Their relationship is a direct parody of the “true love at first sight” narrative where characters instantly fall in love without even knowing the others true objective. The movie exaggerates this through various characters making fun of how unrealistic it is and even an adorable song to top it off. When Hans later reveals that he never truly loved Anna the typical fairy tale prince charming persona quickly fades and she realizes that he wasn’t who he seemed to be. The irony of the situation is that in the midst of searching for love she delivered herself to the main person who had it out for her. While she thought their similarities was fate, he was was simply mimicking her to gain trust and status. In conclusion, don’t trust men and don’t forget to let it go!

Cranes in the Sky

By Ayanna I.

On December 12, 2025

In Uncategorized

Solange Knowles “Cranes in the Sky” is the 4th song on her album A Seat at the Table. The song was released on September 30, 2016, by Saint Records and Columbia Records and was deemed the most popular song from the album. The song talks about the many ways people try to distract themselves from sadness and internal conflict. It touches on the importance of properly healing from your hardships and using it to build upon rather than restrict yourself. Through vivid imagery, repetition, and metaphors she shows the unique, slow process of emotional healing.

I tried to drink it away
I tried to put one in the air
I tried to dance it away
I tried to change it with my hair

I ran my credit card bill up
Thought a new dress make it better
I tried to work it away
But that just made me even sadder

Solange starts the song off by naming multiple things she’d done in attempts to distract herself from her feelings. She emphasizes how she kept cycling through different ways to avoid her feelings but nothing seemed to work. This is being used to show that covering up your feelings is easy but truly being able to sit and deal with them is the more challenging part. The repetition of “I tried to” shows the constant attempts to run from her emotions which only made her feelings deeper. The singer actually said she’d just went through a tough breakup when she was writing this song, naturally she was distraught and forced to deal with the emotions of losing someone she was close to.

Away, away, away, away, away
Away, away, away, away, away

But it’s like cranes in the skySometimes I don’t wanna feel those metal clouds

The repetition of “away” appears multiple times throughout the song to show her trying to push her negative emotions away. The repetition almost serves as a plea to get away from the distractions and the urge to want to work on yourself. She gets louder with each repetition which shows her growing strength towards fighting for her well-being while also giving a soft, graceful delivery. “Cranes in the sky” could have a couple different meanings. To me I took this line literally as in the crane birds in the sky. Cranes are said to represent longevity, peace, and fortune across many cultures so using this could show her need to find ground after facing constant distractions. Cranes in this line could also be referring to tower cranes which are also used in construction sites. This could also explain the next line “sometimes I don’t wanna feel those metal clouds”. Her emotions are big and inescapable, forcing her to work on herself and towering over her like cranes at a construction site. She uses this analogy to represent the constant changes that goes on in our everyday lives but the ability to sit back and watch growth happen if you let it.

We <3 Denver

By Ayanna I.

On November 25, 2025

In Beloved

Denver is an underrated character in Beloved by Toni Morrison. Throughout the book Beloved gained my attention, her arrival was a distraction for both Sethe and the reader. In the book Beloveds reappearance triggered Sethe’s memory of her traumatic past, making her the center of attention. The trauma caused her to lose herself completely, literally being drained by her ghost daughter. Denver was often overlooked because of this but I think her character made her the most memorable.

At the beginning of the story Denver was very quiet, when she spoke she asked questions and she spent a lot of time observing her mother. Although Sethe isolated Denver a little bit, it was likely out of love and fear because of what she had been through. Although Sethe was present their relationship lacked communication. Denver felt like she couldn’t truly connect with her mother so she just observed, and when someone Sethe was more familiar with appeared her attention was completely shifted. As the story progressed she literally watched all her mothers attention and affection shift. She watched her mother chose others over her multiple times but I think because she was such an observer she knew the patterns of her mothers and she understood that the pain was apart of her identity at such a young age. When Beloved returned Denver may have been happy at first because of the thought of finally having someone to connect with, but when she realized the damage she was doing to Sethe all she could do was observe.

I love Denver simply because she was able to cope with the fact that everyone heals their own ways and she didn’t let it restrict her in the end. From being isolated your whole life to suddenly having no one and taking accountability into your own hands takes courage and she was brave enough to do just that. To me she represents the possibility of healing and hope.

A Manipulative Mother

By Ayanna I.

On November 16, 2025

In Film, Trust (film) - Hal Hartley

Maria and Matthew were a cute couple. Although they had their differences, their relationship allowed them to slowly heal and flourish through the feelings they had for each other. I couldn’t believe my eyes when Maria’s mother, Jean, got him drunk and laid him in Peg’s bed. The whole act of her setting up a scene for Maria to walk in on was so sick and bitter of her to do as a mother. This made me think about the impact motherly relationships can have on a child’s mindset and independence.

The conversation between Matthew and Maria’s mother right before he passed out stuck out to me because she expressed her hate for her husband before he passed, but she also kicked Maria out because of the resentment from causing his passing. She says she thought Maria was a genius for eliminating him so quickly, but why treat her badly and emotionally neglect her? Also throughout the movie she constantly expressed disappointment in Maria for being pregnant, encouraging her to get an abortion, and was very opposed to Matthew and Maria being together. Jean’s actions made her seem like a hater, working to create a wedge between Maria and Matthew, along with her sister Peg. She was very controlling and manipulative towards Maria but I believe she thought she was doing what was best for Maria.

She never showed much affection throughout the movie, never offering Maria any kindness or support but instead working to control her decisions. After leading Maria to go upstairs she was surprised to receive a kiss on the cheek goodnight after seeing Peg and Matthew because she expected the complete opposite reaction. She assumed the betrayal would have a bigger reaction from Maria, as she intended for her to hurt and be angry about the situation. Not knowing how Maria would actually react, the gentle kiss on the cheek showed the vulnerability in the relationship between mother and daughter, and in that moment it showed Maria’s reaching out for comfort despite their distant relationship. After this moment the resentment Jean had towards Maria began to deteriorate and she was there to offer her comfort after her she’d gotten her abortion. Even after all of this Maria still chose to be with Matthew in what they thought were their last moments and the love they had for each other was still there.

Ultimately, Jeans actions were horrible but I do think she believed she was doing the best for Maria even if she had to hurt her first. Maria’s relationship with her mother slightly got better but in the end she still ran towards love, which proves that the power of a controlling parent over a child’s life is strong, but the child’s ability to build independence and emotional stability through experiences and choosing their own path is stronger.

Stranger – Jhené Aiko

By Ayanna I.

On October 1, 2025

In Existentialism

In 2011, on her 23rd birthday Jhené Aiko released an album called Sailing Soul(s), which featured a song called “stranger”. Throughout the song Jhené is expressing her feelings towards many of her relationships failing and how she feels about the people she surrounds herself with (specifically men). She mentions repeatedly meeting the same guy over and over again and constantly getting the same outcome using lyrics like “Stranger, I cannot tell you how many there has been that were just like you” or “familiar time, familiar place, starting to feel a familiar shame”. She is singing about the times she found comfort in a person because of how alike they were to someone in her past, highlighting the feeling of having something familiar yet so different.

When I first read the title of Albert Camus’s novel I immediately thought of this song. In the book Meursault does not put in efforts to live up to social expectations and he doesn’t care to please those around him, hence him being a “stranger” to society. The song relates to the book because it reflects on Aiko’s encounters with meeting someone who is distant and emotionally unavailable much like Meursault. The idea of human experience and all the absurd things you go through in life is reflected through both of these pieces, showing that it is both unexpected and unavoidable.

Although the artist is singing about her unpleasant experiences with these said strangers, and Meursault embodies the stranger, they both are used to reveal the discomfort that comes with facing reality. Aiko related the idea of existentialism to being stuck in a constant cycle of hollow relationships and being forced to find yourself while Camus reflects it through Meursaults differences from the world, regardless both emphasize the importance of self understanding.

Good Country People: Hulga… Joy?

By Ayanna I.

On September 28, 2025

In George Saunders, Jessica Benjamin

In Flannery O’Connor’s “Good Country People” we are introduced to the main character Hulga, who has a wooden leg due to a hunting accident from her childhood and also is very intelligent with a PhD in philosophy. At the beginning of the story we learn that her name was not always Hulga, but at one point her name was Joy.

Joy was the name given to her by her mother. Not only is Joy a beautiful name, but it is a noun used to describe happy emotions, displaying connotations of innocence and brightness. Compared to her mothers name choice, Hulga is a more straightforward and uncommon name, which is deliberately meant to be harsh and off-putting. This stuck out to me because it emphasized her attempts to reject her mothers attempts to give her a cheerful, feminine persona as she developed in life. The accident, and life through college was enough character development to embrace a persona that reflected how she felt as an act of rebellion.

In changing her name it also shows the pride she takes in her own character. With her PHD she see’s herself as superior to “good country people” and she wanted her name to set her apart from everyone else. Her name became a shield; a way for her to portray a different persona that is more rough and independent compared to the expectations people have for women. She didn’t want to be seen as weak or defined by the things she’d went through in life, so the name change represents her determination to take control of her own life and insecurities. Her openness and vulnerability towards Manly Pointer ultimately left the identity that she built for herself damaged, and brought her back to the persona she is trying to escape.

I think it was interesting how Hulga’s name change couldn’t change how she was perceived by others but, it gave her the comfort in being able to bury and dissociate from the past version of herself.

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Story Power

Blogging the Lit Life

Author: Ayanna I.

Let It Go!

Cranes in the Sky

We <3 Denver

A Manipulative Mother

Stranger – Jhené Aiko

Good Country People: Hulga… Joy?

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