Hugh V – Story Power

Author: Hugh V

How Literature Changed My Life

On May 23, 2025

In Power of Stories/Storytelling, Uncategorized

I have not really been a big reader since middle school. It has been something that has really bothered me as I used to read every single day and would burn through books throughout the year. Even as you had to read more for the various English curriculums, I just had no interest in reading anymore. It always seemed that I was far too busy with sports, clubs, and other schoolwork to set aside enough time to get drawn into a book past any reading requirements that are due for homework. This year, I feel, has really changed my perspective on literature and what we can derive from stories. My personal favorites were the short stories/”Tenth of December” section and the “Exit West” novel.

I really enjoyed the short story sections, specifically The Elephant Vanishes and Escape from Spiderhead, because of their pacing and the ideology behind them. I like the science fiction aspect of Escape from Spiderhead and the ending in particular. Having the ending revolve around the main character’s death helps wrap up the story and doesn’t leave me wanting any more from the story. Conversely I think my favorite piece of literature that we went over in class was The Elephant Vanishes. I strangely love that the ending is very vague and leaves up the interpretation to the reader. This is one of the few pieces of literature that I brought up at my house to talk about with my family. I think it is cool that it was translated from Japanese and is seemingly a very uninteresting story, but I consistently think back on it for whatever reason. I have no idea why, but I actually really enjoyed this read and hope people share my enjoyment. I enjoyed the discussions in class and everyone’s reasoning behind the main character’s fixation on a somewhat interesting but not crazy story. This is what this class has taught me the most, you do not have to like reading large books to find meaningful and enjoying conversations or connections with others. I will take this with me as a move into college and even after that.

A Tree too Weak to Stand / Ozymandias

By Hugh V

On May 1, 2025

In Music Poetry, Poetry, Romanticism

“Ozymandias”, a poem written by Percy Bysshe Shelley, describes a traveler who encounters the remains of an ancient Egyptian statue of a pharaoh named Ozymandias. The statue was once grandeous and represented the king’s powerful status yet now it is sunken in the sand in a desert and is being overtaken by nature. The central theme of the poem that human’s accomplishments are often impermanent or fleeting and nature will out last all human activity. “A Tree Too Weak to Stand“, a song written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot, has an inverse central theme about the fragility of nature using the metaphor of a tree that is too susceptible to external forces and is eventually going to fall/perish.

Both of these works show the impermanence and futlity of life and the inevitable loss of power. “Ozymandias” describes the remnants of a once great statue in a desolate desert, showing how time erodes even the most powerful of leaders and their legacies with them. The inscriptions on the pedestal of the statue that boasts of Ozymandia’s greatness contrasts sharply with the reality of the statue now and its current state in the poem. In “A Tree Too Weak to Stand”, the song reflects on the fragility of those who are vulnerable and is shown through the imagery of a week tree. The tree itself is destined to fall and appears to not be able to stand on its own, symbolizing facing adversity and the inevitability of life eventually moving on from you. Although life will go on and eventually you may be forgotten, your impact on the Earth right now can still be felt right now.

Gordon Lightfoot uses repetition, vivid imagery, and a metaphor to symbolize people’s ability, or lack thereof, to cope from an event that creates long-term depression or damage. The repetition happens at the end of the song by repeating the phrase “And foolish I would climb once more a tree too weak to stand”, sealing the metaphor and leaving the listener with the final image of the tree hunched over sideways not being strong enough to climb. The vivid imagery is seen as a tree struggling to remain upright, highlighting its fragility and futileness of it all. The tree’s weakness could be seen as a metaphor for people’s lack of strength and its inability to stand representing the inability to overcome a problem in the face of adversity. Both “Ozymandias” and “A Tree Too Weak to Stand” represent the futileness of life and how people internally deal with this struggle.

Women’s Roles in Power Structures According to Shakespeare in 1606 and The World in 2025.

By Hugh V

On February 3, 2025

In King Lear

King Lear, written by William Shakespeare, has several reoccurring themes that all connect with each other to give a modern-day reader a coherent story of the “norms” or stereotypes about women’s role in a power structure that are still very present today. Much of the story is about Goneril and Regan, two of King Lear’s 3 daughters, betraying their father in an attempt to seize the power of his status and the land of his kingdom. Of course this results in reoccurring themes of emasculation and failure within the King, unnatural order with the women in power, and madness brewing within the kingdom under the rule of Goneril and Regan.

I think Shakespeare intentionally created Lear and wrote him to be a father of three daughters to make it seem more conniving and villainous that they eventually take Lear’s power and banish him from the kingdom. There are often two roles that, especially in older works of literature or film, women are type-cast into. You have innocent and honest princesses or the evil, wicked witch that is the villain to route against. Here we see that Goneril and Regan are the wicked, selfish, and plotting villains that are only seeking power for their personal benefit while Cordelia is brutally honest and eventually is appreciated after she comes back from her banishment. Lear constantly is in his own head about his loss of power and his descent into madness is only made worse by the fact that he lost his power and was manipulated by his daughters. Not only is the whole ‘family is all you’ve got’ unspoken motto betrayed here, but Lear feels emasculated because they are now women in power. Of course this is very on the nose for politics in America and just now as the election season has just wrapped up, with lots of far-right Americans questioning former V.P.’s ability to be a successful president, just based on her gender. It does not help the situation that as soon as the kingdom is in the hands of these two women, it goes into shambles and war immediately unfolds. This further reinforces misogynistic viewpoints that women are not “natural born” leaders and only reinforces negative stereotypes about women. The sister’s very being or importance to their father is only through their own obedience to him, giving them no autonomy or authority right from the beginning of the play.

It is extremely hard for anyone to get both sides of the political spectrum on their side nowadays, especially women, that are seen as either too cutthroat or not cutthroat enough. As we continue to try and get closer and closer to equality we should use King Lear as an example of negative rhetoric regarding women that only reinforces misogynistic stereotypes about women in power.

Poetry in Kanye West’s “Violent Crimes”

By Hugh V

On December 2, 2024

In Music, Music Poetry, Poetry

Despite Kanye West’s recent falloff of both discography and seemingly sanity, it is hard to ignore the brilliance he had within the music industry for a long time. His release of Ye, a “self-titled” album released in 2018 marks a time of reflection and transformation in his career. This album was his return to music after 2 years of absence after his hit album, The Life of Pablo, which is widely regarded as one of his greatest works, and right before his album JESUS IS KING, which was a seemingly random gospel album from Kanye. With this in mind it makes sense that Ye doesn’t shy away from drama nor personal problems Kanye is facing in his life. Problems like his bipolar disorder, suicidal thoughts, and controversies he’s been dealing with at the time. Kanye writes about his family too, namely in “Violent Crimes”, a beautiful piece about his daughter, and how she reshaped his thinking and values of women in general.

In “Violent Crimes”, West reflects on his personal growth with the way he perceived and treated women, with a new lens now with his daughter’s adolescence. His previous lens of women is one of objectification and mistreatment. West understands his previous ways and is fearful that other people might view his own daughter with the same lens. West writes:

Father forgive me,
I’m scared of the
karma

‘Cause now I see
women as somethin’
to nurture

Not somethin’
to conquer

to further express his own mistakes in the past, and his regret that his own “karma” will catch up to him and potentially negatively affect his family. His paternal instinct to protect his daughter reminds him of how he used to continuously sexualize women and only care for their bodies. As a parent he feels the responsibility to keep his children out of sight from people, especially in over sexualized industries like Hollywood, or even activities like yoga or Pilates. West writes:

Don’t do no yoga,
don’t do pilates

Just play piano and
stick to karate

I pray your body’s draped more like
mine and not like
your mommy’s

with reference to his current ex-wife Kim Kardashian, a famous model who is often sexualized by the industry and only viewed as an object.

The song features prominent hip-hop/rap artist Nicki Minaj, who is one of the top artists in her field, but also dealt with “Violent Crimes” as a child in her own home. Her father was severely abusive to her mother and was an addict, so having Nicki Minaj on the song ties her experiences as a woman into Kanye’s experience with how he treated women together. All together Kanye West dives into his personal growth and ever-evolving perspective of life with this heartfelt track, where he states his desires to protect his daughters from the sad realities of our world, but also his regrets of being a part of the problem when he was younger.

Searching for Humanity Within Slavery

By Hugh V

On November 26, 2024

In Beloved, Mutual Recognition, Toni Morrison

A reoccurring motif of Beloved, written by Toni Morrison, is the main characters finding humanity within themselves and their community within the context of slavery. The people enslaved at Sweet Home, the infamous plantation that cannot escape the minds of those who were there, have a mutual recognition between each other. A prime example of this is how the men of Sweet Home treat Sethe, and respect her marriage with Halle. After Sethe chooses Halle, the rest of the men respect her decision and do not intend on disrupting their relationship. Despite any urges or extreme feelings the men do not act on them because of the underlying recognition that this community of slaves is built on. The book gives us an example of the Sweet Home men having sexual urges or frustrations as they are watching Halle and Sethe have sex in the corn fields describing them “erect as dogs” as water douses them from the hill above the corn fields. Toni Morrison makes several clear comparisons or references to animals throughout the book to further the disconnect between slaves and the rest of the community, showing how people believe that they are superior to slaves. Even mentioned in the scene where Sethe and Halle are having sex in the cornfield, it is mentioned that Mr. Garner plants corn because the animals and the humans can both eat it showing his priority with the animals being mentioned first. The slaves on Sweet Home, out of near necessity, have to come together as a community themselves as both a defiance and as a way of showing their humanity. They all see each other as equals while the entire community around them sees them as less than that.

Sethe informs Mrs. Garner, one of the plantation owners, that she plans on marrying Halle and asks her if there could be a ceremony for their wedding. Mrs. Garner pretty much overlooks Sethe’s request and says she is “one sweet child” (31), essentially dismissing her and believing that Sethe is naive for requesting something that Mrs. Garner believes a slave doesn’t have the right to. It is interesting how she doesn’t punish nor get frustrated that Sethe requested this, she just figured it was foolish for her to even ask for some aspect of humanity that Mrs. Garner thought she would never have nor would get because she was a slave. Compared to other plantation owners, like Schoolteacher, who lash out on the slaves on Sweet Home and ounish them with physical and mental torture, Mrs. Garners reaction is equally as heartbreaking because she is dismissing Sethe’s right to humanity. She’s not in any mood, or taking any rage out on Sethe, she just is saying that she doesn’t get something that she wants. because of her status as a slave. This is a core aspect of slavery that Morrison portrays in the movie, slavery strips people of their humanity and treats them as though they are not humans.

Satisfaction Within the Ending of Exist West

By Hugh V

On November 3, 2024

In Exit West

An interesting topic of conversation among peers was the ending of Exist West, written by Moshin Hamid. Many disagree with the seemingly rushed aspect of the ending, however I find that irrelevant to the main story. The purpose of the ending of Exit West was to show the changes people make for their self interests and the betterment of their own personal lives. Obviously I enjoyed reading about them being a couple throughout the hard ships of their immigration, however they just weren’t compatible enough to make things work. And that’s okay. I salute Hamid for making this ending purposefully unsatisfying for the readers who expect a “romcom” ending where they grow old together, but that is unrealistic and takes away from the personal growth that the characters had within the story. The small piece of closure that Hamid does give us shows us that they are both satisfied with their lives and decisions they have made, and are grateful for the time they had together. I think people may see this as a hint at them growing closer together and rekindling their relationship, but it just shows that they lived full and complete lives. That is where the satisfaction of the ending is derived from, and I don’t think enough people realize that. They come back to their home country where there is no turmoil nor war, and exchange stories of the beautiful lives they have, showing gratitude for it all. Their personal growth made them split apart but also made them happier in the long run throughout the rest of their lives.

Parent’s Effects on Children’s Relationships/Decisions

By Hugh V

On October 15, 2024

In Trust (film) - Hal Hartley

An interesting characteristic of the 1990 film “Trust”, written by Hal Hartley, is how the main character’s parents embody different ways people act in times of stress which projects onto their children and affects their emotional state. A lot of the protagonists’ decisions may be subconsciously made because they either want to stray away from how their parents acted or want to be like them in one aspect or another.

Matthew’s father Jim plays a major role in his decision-making and choices throughout the film. He is seen as a stereotypical stern, crabby, and old man who is working-class to provide for his family. Jim switches his attitude between wanting Matthew to leave the house and become an independent man, and wanting him to stay home to care for him as he gets older. Matthew actually brings this paradox up, right before they get into a physical fight inside Maria’s house. Jim is clearly abusive and manipulates Matthew into feeling beneath him, or in service to him for raising him. I think another aspect of this power dynamic is that Jim seems to be revered around the town and an influential person. I don’t think he is influential because of his job or any money he has, but everyone respects him because he is a working-class man who tries to provide for his family. This weight is definitely felt by Matthew throughout the film, and how he interacts with Maria, thinking he must get a job and live a nuclear/normal family life to raise a child “properly”.

Maria’s home life isn’t any better as she lives with her grieving mother and her sister who has divorced her husband and lost her children in the settlement. Maria had recently killed her father, by accident, so she is hit with a massive wave of guilt as her mother blames her and can’t come to forgive her. Maria sees how much effect parents have on their kid’s upbringing and the person they become in the future, possibly a concluding reason for her decision to get an abortion in the end. In her mind, Maria sees several examples of bad parenting coming from a bad marriage, unhappiness, or abuse. The woman stealing the baby because her husband didn’t want children, her sister becoming robotic ever since she lost her kids, and how her mother treats her as well as Matthew’s father treats him may have played a role in her decision. I think this is why Maria starts to have a change in personality and considers going back to school. She wants to focus on herself and being a good person before she raises a kid of her own.

Is it Really That Hard to Talk to Women? – The Stranger

By Hugh V

On September 27, 2024

In Short Stories, Stranger

An important aspect of The Stranger, written by Albert Camus, is the main character’s monotone narration and his relationships with his surrounding environment. His nonchalant attitude towards the circumstances around him, particularly regarding his mother and the love interest of the story, Marie, add to the dehumanization a reader may feel about him. His attitude and emotional disconnect throughout the first part all but enforce the idea to the reader that Mersault is a husk of a man, without anything keeping him emotional connected to the real world. Some may say that his coping mechanism is valid, and to a certain extent I would agree as it is not my place to judge, however he isn’t sure how he is supposed to feel as made evident by is interaction with the man at the retirement home.

So throughout this story we are given a protagonist that is essentially a robot, made evident by his internal narration through short, cut sentences and his interactions with Marie. He constantly shows that he has no emotional investment with Marie, after she persistently asks if she loves him to his dismissive tone. However the narration in Mersault’s head becomes vivid when he is talking about nature, specifically the beach, to separate his mood from his usual monotone and seemingly disinterested self. It is unclear so far if this is something that makes him feel more alive or human, or just vivid narration intermittently sprinkled throughout the book, however this could be the key to Mersault becoming more of a human in the reader’s eyes.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30

Story Power

Blogging the Lit Life

Author: Hugh V

How Literature Changed My Life

A Tree too Weak to Stand / Ozymandias

Women’s Roles in Power Structures According to Shakespeare in 1606 and The World in 2025.

Poetry in Kanye West’s “Violent Crimes”

Searching for Humanity Within Slavery

Satisfaction Within the Ending of Exist West

Parent’s Effects on Children’s Relationships/Decisions

Is it Really That Hard to Talk to Women? – The Stranger

Recent Comments

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives

Other Class Blogs