Ben Schmollinger – Story Power

Symbolism in The Murder of Meishan

On March 10, 2025

This film has plenty of symbols of power, hierarchy, and the suppression of women within a system, but the house on the roof is one of the most powerful examples. Because of the system set in place by the master, Songlian is constantly fighting with the other mistresses for his attention. The murder of Meishan is the final turning point in the movie and it highlights the deadly consequences of working against the system. Meishan’s death and Songlian going mad are the final tragic outcomes of this system

The lingering shots of Songlian watching the men from a distance symbolize her isolation and helplessness. She feels alone in her passive role in the system. In this house, she is always an observer and never doing actions of her own. The distance between Songlian and the men represents the suffocating nature of her environment, where she is distant and feels powerless to do anything to stop the men or change the system.

The house where Meishan is killed becomes an embodiment of the oppressive system. Its isolation and the rumors surrounding it reinforce the system and its control. The constant reminder of the house’s rigid rules and the fear of being ignored by the master led to constant torment among the mistresses. The house itself is both a literal prison and a figurative prison as a threat of what will happen if the girls attempt to break the system, thus keeping them in line to exactly what the master wants.

Satire of Kyle Gordon’s “We Will Never Die”

By Ben Schmollinger

On February 28, 2025

In Music

Kyle Gordon, a satirical influencer, recently released this popular song poking fun at and imitating old 2000s pop songs by bands like the Lumineers or Mumford and Sons. He copies the way these songs appear to spread positivity and optimism, but they are really only interested in the money. His music video and lyrics are excellent parodies of the way those songs sounded and what they did in those videos, even down to the way people dressed in the 2000s.

The song attempts to appeal to young people with lines like “We’re all young we’ll never die!” and “My mom and dad will never die!” This extreme example of hyperbole is a hilarious way to exaggerate the way these songs preach overenthusiastic optimism and are against worries. The video also parodies the common trope in music videos where bands will throw around those packets of colored smoke against each other. It’s hard to describe in words, but when you see it here, you’ll remember how you’ve seen it dozens of times before. Finally, Kyle uses an example of dramatic irony in the video as he goes up to a homeless person and gives them money on camera while grabbing their face and condescendingly patting their head. His character seems to think this makes him look like a great guy, but the audience understands how superficial it is, and he only does this to make his song bigger.

This song is trying to criticize the way music artists often preach insincere optimism. One of Kyle’s lyrics sings out “Check your laptop did you hear the news? Because our love went viral!” He only cares about how well his song does and not actually about the positivity and only wants the money. This use of satire is an attempt to change the way that art, specifically music, is made and the intentions behind it.

Nobody is Who They Say They Are

By Ben Schmollinger

On January 31, 2025

In King Lear

The motif of disguises and the way it connects to seeing/blindness is very fascinating to me. Just about every character in King Lear is different under the surface compared to what they seem to others. Every character is either in a literal disguise, being deceptive about who they really are, or believing they are someone different from who they really are.

In King Lear, both Kent and Edgar use disguises to hide themselves from being persecuted by the kingdom. They knock themselves down a few pegs and appear lower class. They use this disguise to aid the people close to them. Regan, Goneril, Edmund, and their husbands put on a metaphorical disguise as they pretend to side with their family and instead betray them for personal gain. Finally, even Lear is in disguise from himself as he is entirely unaware of what kind of person he is. He saw himself as a commanding, powerful figure that could do no wrong but as that disguise slipped away from him he began to go more and more mad.

This environment bred total chaos throughout the kingdom and created the famous tragedy of King Lear. Certain characters, like Gloucester, stay true to themselves and their morals, but we know how that turned out for him. Because he was unable to see through the people in the castle, his eyes were stripped from him. Almost nobody in the play is who they say they are and everybody suffers for it.

Is “Doomsday” by MF DOOM Poetry?

By Ben Schmollinger

On December 8, 2024

In Music, Music Poetry, Poetry

MF DOOM’s “Doomsday” from his debut studio album “Operation: Doomsday” should undoubtedly be considered poetry. In the song, he uses devices like allusions, juxtaposition, and metaphors to illustrate the meaning of his fear of mortality and the position he was in as a rapper.

Firstly, MF uses an allusion to the TV show “Jeopardy” with the line,

Um… what is MF? You silly I’d like to take “Means to the End” for two milli′ “Doo-doo-doo-doo-doo!” That’s a audio daily double

With this line, he is saying that his persona as MF was a means to end for him as a career. He uses the Jeopardy format of answering as a question and the onomatopoeia of the sound when you get a daily double to draw attention to the fact that MF was a way for him to make money.

Next, he uses juxtaposition in the chorus when he writes,

that′s what my tomb will say

Right above my government, Dumile

Either unmarked or engraved, hey, who’s to say?

In this quote, he juxtaposes two possible outcomes when he dies. One with an unmarked grave where he is not remembered, and another with his grave engraved. This juxtaposition of the different reactions comes up a lot in the song but this chorus does especially, with it being repeated four times. It illustrates his understanding of his own mortality and his uncertainty about where he will end up.

Lastly, MF uses metaphors like comparing himself to the Pied Piper:

A pied piper holler a rhyme, a dollar and a dime

Do his thing, ring around the white collar crime

He uses this comparison to demonstrate how his rapping was a show that he put on to earn money from people. While also an allusion, this comparison shows that he felt that he was rapping out of necessity. The second line illustrates by rapping, he avoided a life of crime.

MF DOOM uses these literary techniques to display his fear of his own mortality and why he became a rapper. These techniques display why the song “Doomsday” should absolutely be considered poetry.

Is Beloved a Horror Novel?

By Ben Schmollinger

On November 20, 2024

In Beloved

Beloved is a very complex novel that could fit into many different genres. Its complex themes and tone could be easily seen as a thriller or almost fantasy, but I believe that it is a horror book under the surface, if not on the surface.

There are many moments, especially after Beloved arrives, that show similarities to common horror tropes. While there is obviously a baby ghost at the beginning, the eerie moments of Beloved recounting her past and curled up talking about the face she wants are extremely unsettling. Every scene with Beloved has an uneasy feel to it as you are never aware of her intentions or what she is capable of. She seems upset at Sethe yet also wants to consume all of her time and energy. Sethe’s transition to becoming weak and frail, almost like an infant, contrasted with Beloved growing bigger is another scary example of Beloved hurting the family. Not to mention the horrifying imagery in the reveal of what Sethe did to Beloved and the rest of her children.

These moments are not the type of thing to happen in a typical historical fiction book. The book most likely could have been written without these scenes, but the uneasy dread and buildup throughout the book with the payoff at the end are essential to making the book as well-written as it is. These moments all combine to create a gripping atmosphere and cement Beloved as a horror novel.

The Stranger Inspired Calvin and Hobbes

By Ben Schmollinger

On November 6, 2024

In Albert Camus, Uncategorized

Calvin and Hobbes, a comic written by Bill Watterson in 1985, features the main character of a young boy named Calvin and his imaginary best friend, a stuffed tiger named Hobbes. In the comic, Calvin is a very rowdy and wild child who refuses to do his schoolwork or chores and would much rather spend his time outside in nature with his tiger.

I believe that Calvin’s character traits have been inspired by Meursault. Meursault is a man who hates the systems set up by society and prefers to live in the moment and enjoy his life. In my all-time favorite Calvin and Hobbes strip, Calvin and Hobbes are walking on the sidewalk when Calvin imagines that life is one specific square of the sidewalk where you are born on one side and die on the other. He says that they are in the process of walking out of the square and realize that their time is fleeting. He wonders if their quick experience is pointless and if anything they say or do really matters. He wonders if they have done anything important to make the most out of those precious few footsteps. The comic ends with a wordless panel of the two of them standing in silence in the same sidewalk square at nighttime, implying their wish to stay where they are in life and never move forward.

Calvin is a much smarter child than he appears to be. He often has introspective and philosophical comics like this one. His thoughts here seem to mirror Meursault’s philosophy on life. Both of them wonder if anything they do really matters and choose to spend their time doing things they enjoy. They both dislike society’s systems like school or work. The only real difference is that while Meursault seems to be more indifferent about life and death, Calvin clearly values his childhood and desperately does not want time to move forward. Bill Watterson was clearly inspired by Meursault and put his own childhood spin on it.

Why Did Matthew Carry the Hand Grenade?

By Ben Schmollinger

On October 12, 2024

In Film

In the film, Trust, by Hal Hartley, Matthew carries a hand grenade that his father brought back from the Korean War. When asked why, he responds, “Just in case.” I believe, that in the beginning, Matthew had given up on life before he had met Maria. He had become disinterested in life and upset with society and its systems. He was already disillusioned with getting a job doing something he hated and was likely considering using the hand grenade as he carried it with him at all times.

The grenade is also an example of Chekov’s gun. Chekhov’s gun is a literary principle where an element is first introduced in a story that appears to not be very relevant but will later take on a lot of significance. If you remembered the hand grenade, you were likely waiting for it to come back and how it would be used. I know that I was very interested in what would go wrong as Matthew only seemed to carry it when he was without Maria.

I think that the grenade represents his disinterest in life. When he meets Maria and she asks about how it works, he decides to leave it in the cabinet. Maria reignited his interest in life and motivated him to participate in society for her. He is willing to do things he hates and doesn’t agree with. However, when Maria says she won’t marry him, it is the last straw for him and he decides to attack the institution he hates. Specifically he decides to pull the pin at the television factory.

Why did the Elephant disappear?

By Ben Schmollinger

On September 25, 2024

In Short Stories

In the short story, “The Elephant Vanishes,” by Haruki Murakami, the elephant living in a Tokyo suburb mysteriously disappears. Nobody in the town can figure out where the elephant went or what happened to it. However, the main character revealed that he saw what happened and he watched the elephant shrink and shrink until there was nothing left.

The elephant was treated as some extreme novelty from the day that it arrived. The town had become extremely monotonous and unified according to the main character. The mayor acquiring an elephant broke the unity and normalcy of the town. This caused a massive stir in the town where news articles were written, people would visit the elephant, and it was all people could talk about.

I believe that the elephant shrinking is a metaphor for the town losing interest in it. Over time, the novelty of having an elephant wore off. The people of the town were no longer interested, and the elephant, this huge, unique animal, had simply become a part of the town. To the townspeople, the elephant might as well not have been there. The town’s interest in the elephant shrunk down into near nothingness, and that caused the man to see the elephant shrink down into nothingness.

While there must be some sort of logical explanation for the disappearance, I believe that the town’s indifference to this elephant that he was so interested in caused the main character to see the elephant shrinking.

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Story Power

Blogging the Lit Life

Author: Ben Schmollinger

Symbolism in The Murder of Meishan

Satire of Kyle Gordon’s “We Will Never Die”

Nobody is Who They Say They Are

Is “Doomsday” by MF DOOM Poetry?

Is Beloved a Horror Novel?

The Stranger Inspired Calvin and Hobbes

Why Did Matthew Carry the Hand Grenade?

Why did the Elephant disappear?

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