Unusual Romance

Since I am not what we would call an 'old soul', I figured it'd be a good idea to focus on modern romance (20's onward). It turns out that modern romance is more oriented towards love between humans and supernatural creatures. The first example that comes to my mind is 'Angel', a TV show that depicted the relationship between Angel--a 200-year-old vampire--and Cordelia Chase, a former high school cheerleader; despite the fact that Angel is a vampire, Cordelia quickly finds herself attracted to him, and together they live a relationship just as normal (with their ups and downs) as any regular love relationship between humans, and that's how romance is being created here.

In the same way, the twilight saga (film series) and MTV's new TV show 'Teen Wolf' respectively illustrate the story of Bella Swan--a young and beautiful lady living in Forks, Washington--and Edward Culler, a 104-year-old vampire, and the story of Scott McCall-- a highschooler who  recently turned into a werewolf--and his human girlfriend Allison Argent. Even though they might get killed at any given time, both Allison and Bella have absolutely no trouble falling in love with a werewolf and a vampire; they also learn how to love and accept those creatures just the way they are, and that's part of what make these stories romantic. Besides the concept of supernatural creatures being in love with humans, the other thing that makes these stories romantic is that Edward and Scott both have to permanently fight against their desire to devour their sweethearts, which also creates a lot of suspense.

On the other hand, the romance in the movie 'Avatar' by James Cameron works in a different kind of way: Here Jake Sully, the human character, turns his back on the human race and permanently becomes an avatar/Nav'vi so he can live happily ever after with his newly found love Neytiri, a wild, charming and lovely creature from Pandora (planet where the Na'vi and many other extraterrestrial tribes live).

Modern romance definitely pictures romance as something unusual, extraordinary, exceptional: Bella, Cordelia and Allison all find love in super supernatural creatures' arms while Jake, a guy from the 'civilized world', abandons the human race and falls in love with a creature from the rural world. Modern romance also suggests that falling in love is all about following one's heart--rather than reason-since Bella, Cordelia and Allison have no logical reason to fall in love with those creatures; they actually put their lives at risk by doing so. Also, later on in the story, we discover that it's their innocence that helps them intuitively learn how to love such creatures, which implies two things: The first thing is that romance is about intuition ans innocence rather than knowledge and experience since none of them has no prior experience or knowledge of what it's like to be in relationship with a supernatural creature; the last thing is that women are more likely than men to have that kind of romance (in 3 out of the 4 examples shown above, women are the ones falling in love with supernatural creatures).

You're The One - A Thorn for Every Heart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74LUN3frAdI

Getting away from dating and relationships, “the romantic” is everywhere including music.  I listen to many genres of music from folk-rock to dubstep, but my all time favorite is music around the punk-rock genre.  I chose to look at a song from one of my top bands, A Thorn For Every Heart.  I’d like to point out that there is “anti romantic” in their name.  The song I chose is You’re the One.  I have posted a link to a Youtube video with the lyrics above.

From the title you can tell that it is a sort of “romantic” song.  I assume the song is being sung to a girl. The song starts off saying how nothing is changing and everytime he gets his hopes up they are let down.  But if she would give him the chance, he would do his best to make things better.  The refrain is saying how she means everything to him.  He sings that she can run away, but he will find her and try to convince her to stay.  The second verse, he sings that she’s his vessel with an anchor that will never stray meaning that he doesn’t want to be with anyone else.  So the “romantic” in this song is constructed by the strength of the singers love for this girl, although most love songs “romantic” is constructed like this one.

This song conveys a love message, just like every other love song.  It conveys that he would do anything, even track her down, to get back to her... “You can run, you can run, you can run away.  I would find you and convince you to stay.”  The title, “You’re the One” is saying that she is the one for him and i previously state, he would do anything to get her back.

Forrest Gump

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pI_IUibds8

This American comedy/drama is among the favorites of many individuals and is loved by people of all ages. Forrest Gump is an Alabama simpleton who travels the world, experiencing many ups and downs. The movie follows several decades of his life as well as various historical events. Just like many other Hollywood movies, Forrest Gump has a love story embedded as well. Forrest is in love with his childhood sweetheart named Jenny. However, what is different in this movie is that the romantic, love story is not your typical one in which there are two individuals that are in love, with some type of conflict that is resolved and the end result is happiness between the two individuals staying and continuing to love each other.

Forrest Gump story is more romanticized by the fact that he loves Jenny so much, but yet she somewhat kicks him to the side and only finally complies with the typical romantic love story in the end. However, we as the audience are angry and saddened by this due to the fact that we ‘feel’ for Forrest. His tough adolescence years and life in general add to the fact that although he is slow, his heart is pure. Our feeling are not only effected by the fact that from the young age we have been taught to respect and pity those that are not quite as ‘normal’ as us. The notion of collective sympathy is a genetic factor as well, because we feel for those that are frail and less aware overall. We feel sad for Forrest because we see true love and it is rejected by the blindness of Jenny. Even when it might be that she realizes what she has been dodging it is a little too late, and she passes. Once again Forrest is left saddened and with out everything that he truly deserves. In return the audience feels even more towards Forrest and the feeling of pity is aggravated. What is important in this movie is the things we associate with and what should be. You are taught to be nice to others and they in return should be nice to you. If you love someone unconditionally then they should love you back the same. These and many more examples are embedded in our culture, but yet their validity and actuality is sometimes unreal. The story of Forrest Gump points this out in way that shows that romantic love should be ideal and everything should flow perfectly but yet despite all of this, sometimes its just not the case.

Titanic will always be one those movies that will be listed as hopelessly romantic. These two scenes from Titanic, I believe, displays two different ways of romance and

love. The first picture displays the usual image thought of when Titanic comes to mind. The fairytale of never-ending love and literally being wrapped in the arms of "love". It constructs the view that being in love should construct of being worry-free, happy, warm and safe, even if you're standing on the edge of the world, you will never fall if you are in love. This scene just about makes any viewer melt wishing it was them. To me this notion is nice and I want to believe it but it's almost too cheesy to bear it anymore. Personally when I think of Titanic the second image usually comes to mind, the moment that Jack is about to die. He's floating in the freezing cold ocean water. I love the idea that when faced with death Jack essentially chose love. He chose to keep Rose on the float, completely forgetting about his well being. He probably knew full well that there was no way he would able to survive in the cold ocean water but at that moment that wasn't important to him as long as Rose was okay. From the Romantic short list, I thought this scene fits the "feeling or emotions over reason or fact". It leaves the audience in awe of the sacrifice that was made and wondering whether they would ever do so for someone else.

Cars are the box of Nature

J.M. Cougar riding @ Palomar Mountain©2010

"Cars are like sitting in a movie theater, motorcycles are like being in the movie."

-BRC Instructor

When some one asks me what I think is beautiful, the first thing I can think of is riding down a mountain trial looking out over endless curves lined with trees or cliffs that extend my view out to the horizon. However this was not at all my view on nature before I sat down on that two wheeled journey.

My instructor would go on and on every day about how beautiful it was to ride out in the mountains, how even with people on the road you felt alone. You could feel the air, smell the wind and had a first hand panoramic view of the earth as you winded down country roads. Nothing could be more refreshing and soul vitalizing that one of this types of rides. He was a role model, a leader to me as I learned everything I could in my basic rider course about motorcycles. His politics on what is truly the soul of nature rubbed off on me, as I yearned to experience what he felt. What was natural to me, was Alaska. Standing out on my porch and just surveying the ice capped mountains that lined my back yard. That was true beauty, and I planned on swooning a girl with this gorgeous views. As I fell in love with riding, my natural thoughts switched, believing that riding into the country side and viewing it through the turns in a road was truly romantic. How I wanted to take a girl on the back of the bike and show her the beauty that could be viewed from the seat.

My instructor argued that true nature was viewed from the road, and I followed along. That from the quiet murmur of my backyard was no longer as vitalizing as riding into it. This shows us how we can easily be taught to love something that had no relation to use at all. By simply using words and ideas like going to the movies, the instructor cast a view on what beauty is. I had no romanticism of the open road, but found myself absolved in it after his stories and then personally riding a motorcycle.

I didn't even have curves of road in my vocabulary for vigorous soul jump starts. After my experience I find myself using all sorts of words and descriptions that blend easily with the same crowd who enjoys riding, but may seem foreign to you. Our views on beauty and nature can be changed without us even giving it second thought. I know that I didn't really realize it until I thought about this blog. By reading, listening and experiencing another's view on what is beautiful, it can skew our beliefs and we can find ourselves now dreaming about things we never thought of before.

Much like our poet Wordsworth, there was no such thing as a heart leaping before he wrote about it. There was no such thing a the beauty of the road until my basic riders course instructor told me.

(In relation to the picture, that is a personal shot of me traveling along one of California's mountains.)

In Sickness

(This picture is not of the actual couple mentioned in my blog. Its just for good looks)

This weekend I was hunting with my dad, sister, some of my dad’s friends and some of my friends.  We hunt in Winona, MN, on my dad’s best friend’s property. Steve was the best man in both of my dad’s weddings and has been like an uncle to our family. His sons are some of my close friends and I wouldn’t trade deer hunting weekend for the world!

This weekend was wonderful in many ways, but one thing made the weekend quite strange, Steve was sick. He had a high fever and slept all day Saturday and most of Sunday.  The rest of us were fairly successful, managing to bag 9 deer without our main guide (Steve). But while we were out chasing deer, something simple and completely romantic was happening inside. Steve’s wife, Margret was taking care of her sick husband.  She made sure he had enough blankets to sleep under and made him food whenever he was feeling ready to eat.  She cared for her husband out of love, and as obscure as it may be, it’s romantic.

                She put her husband’s health before her own wellbeing. Logically, surrounding yourself with sick people will often cause you to be sick as well. Because romance is still alive in their relationship, Margret ignores the logic, and risks her health.  She is able to care for her husband because her intuition tells her that she cannot leave him alone. Granted he is not a child and could probably survive the sickness without the care, Margret will not allow it. Something makes her DESIRE to help him strong enough to care for him in sickness.

Let’s all be honest with ourselves for a moment, the PASSIONATE, INTENSE, TOUCHY-FEELY, MOVIE-Y, love isn’t going to last forever. Sooner or later that raw excitement and desire will fade and the two people that are in love are left with trust and security.  After 25 years of marriage, 3 kids and endless hours spent together, trust is the base of love. It is what keeps two people yearning to be with one-another. 

The simple act of caring for a sick spouse shows how deep love can be.  It demonstrates that romance and “the romantic” do not die with age, but instead change motives.  The goal switches- late nights and steamy nights turn into working side by side and discussing big decisions. What Margret did for Steve this weekend wasn’t anything HUGE, but rather something small.   And with that small act, Margret proved that “the romantic” doesn’t disappear, but rather changes forms. It no longer coincides with love songs or movie love, but rather argues that habits and things that may seem second nature to most, are actually the things that show the most love.   

I Sing, I Swim

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pWTVwoecog

The song I chose to demonstrate romanticism, I Sing I Swim by Seabear, is not one I would normally consider the most romantic, but after looking at it from all angles it seems to me like the perfect choice. It argues the position of romanticism by using some more mature and poem-like lyrics with a slightly innocent simple melody that subtly hints at the new and childish feeling found in loving someone. Nature imagery is also used to fortify the romantic sensation of listening to it. Looking at the list of ‘the romantic’, you can definitely see innocence over experience, feelings over reason (the lyrics don’t all make a whole lot of sense), and rural over urban in this song. It embodies much of what we have defined as our culture’s ‘romantic’.

The song starts off with delicate guitar strumming which is used for nearly the entire song and develops to more complex sounds with some sounds that would normally probably be considered annoying or abrasive, but put in context with the rest of the music blends rather nicely and results in a noticeable tinkling. These noises prevail throughout and give the song an airy and shiny feel, like a bright new bell, like snow falling on the beloved head of your special person. Even if you merely look at the music rather than the lyrics you get a gentle romantic feeling, suggested by the apparent frailty of the melody (towards the end it even pauses for a while and you only hear a series of whistles, laughing and tinkling noises). This is not the romanticism proposed by The Notebook, Rihanna, or any cheesy pop songs, but something much more innocent, like a first crush or the simple romantic feeling of the first snow.

The lyrics of the song are not quite so innocent, but sung in the dreamy style of Seabear and balanced by the instrumentation they are barely noticeable. The lyrics, as well, convey romanticism in an unexpected way. It’s about winter, which is highlighted in lines like “Trails lost in the snow…Make way for winter’s eerie glow” and “you left you winter clothes, And your teeth marks in my skin”. These lyrics remind someone of holing up with a loved one to avoid winter’s harsh cold, and despite their more mature appeal they still have a more childish feel in the context of the song. Although the harsh weather and numbing cold is clearly not something enjoyed by everyone, much enjoyment can be had from listening to this song and meditating on its approaches to ‘the romantic’.

Hopeless Romantic

In the television show “How I Met Your Mother” the characters Ted and Robin are in a new relationship that has just started to branch out. Robin wants to tell Ted that she has fallen in love with him but she cannot get up the courage. Ted is a very Romantic man that loves the romance in the world. He treats her with flowers and a string quartet one evening before they go to dinner. He tries his hardest to be romantic when all Robin thinks about the situation is that he is being over the top and almost “weird.” When Robin was talking to an older woman about the situation she explains to Robin that he is trying to be romantic and that it is a beautiful situation. She also mentioned that her entire life she has always been a “hopeless romantic” and that Robin is lucky to find a man that will take time to put the romance into the relationship.

This situation is seen in many ways because when thinking about relationships one hopes to live the classic romantic partnership between two people, but when watching this you the different viewpoints of what people think about romance. You are either the hopeless romantic type (like me) or you think romance is over the top and unnecessary. I feel that without Romance people would try to look for things in a relationship and this would not be able to provide the spark that keeps the relationship alive. You also get to see the differences that people may think about when talking about romance. That people see romance on different levels and the ideas about it can be in different forms and on different levels.

Romance can be imagined in many different ways. That some people may think a card is romantic while other will consider romance to be a candle light dinner with a late night walk on the beach. People can view difference instances as romantic or “adorable.” Even if it’s a very small act of romance it can be counted to emphasize the relationship and show how or if romance is important in that certain relationship. This scene from “How I Met Your Mother” is a great way of showing the differences between how people may view romance and how it can affect relationships.

One-way love is just a fantasy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLW8w9v2uAM

This is a song done in collaboration by Massive Attack and Madonna and fits in nicely with the discussion of 'structure of feeling' with respect to romantic feelings. Until posting this blog I had not bothered to see the music video for the song (I'm not so big on music videos) and I found that it actually had a lot of fantastic scenes to pick apart for the purpose of this blog. What was especially interesting though is how well the lyrics can give us the 'structure of feeling' that the video portrays.

Firstly we'll look at the lyrics for how it portrays the 'structure of feeling', and then move on to the visual aspects (which in this case do a fantastic job of intensifying the effect). When just listening to the lyrics, the feeling that the listener is supposed to extract is one of longing and desire that is not reciprocated for some reason. The line 'you don't want me no more' gives us the feeling of sorrow and loneliness of the structure, which is backed by the slow beat to the song. You cannot help but be overwhelmed by the emotion being described, and as the song progresses it simply intensifies this feeling of a more hopeless desire.

As stated before, I had not seen the video for the song but due to the nature of the structure of feeling for our time period, I was able to envision a pretty accurate idea of what the video would be like before seeing it. Firstly, it is done without color and touched with very soft edges in each scene, which strengthens the feeling of emotion 'without color', or essentially the feeling of sadness. We see our subject (of the video) pick up the phone and carry it around, make like they will call what we assume is the subject of the lyrics, but never seems to be able to and continues to be overcome with grief and emotion.

Thus we can say that together the lyrics and video convey a message that love and romanticism is the most important part of life ('don't play with something, you should cherish for life') and that the feeling of mutuality in these situations is the most powerful part ('to share is special'). These lyrics and argument are then backed by seeing the individual completely consumed by their fantasy, and spending their time lost in loneliness and only wishing that they're love interest would be reciprocating in their feelings. To argue why this is such a powerful structure of feeling, we need only to look at just what extent individuals may go to in their actions when they feel love in some way or another, whether mutual or not. Further, to bring some data to our argument, we can say that this is a very common occurrence for our society and time as the average relationship lasts approximately four years (and yes, that includes marriage) for individuals between 20 and 30 years of age and thus to be able to appreciate the feeling being put forth by the song. Even if the audience has never experienced such a drastic feeling of loss, no doubt they have witnessed it from the other side or from a third-party view.

Edward Scissorhands

One of my favorite films from childhood and of all time is Edward Scissorhands. A story of a man, more like a boy, who was created by an old inventor and was never finished. He lived his life as a man half finished with scissors for hands, all alone in a castle. The story picks up when a woman from this seemingly perfect town brings him into her world. This results in much interest from the townspeople, and eventually havoc. This story intertwines the idea of judgment, trust, right and wrong, and above all, love.

When we were speaking in class about nature, then people in nature, common people without education, rural life, and elementary feelings, the first connection that came to my mind was this story of Edward Scissorhands. To start with how this film connects with so much of what we have been discussing in class, I have to go back to the concept of body and the other and how they are represented. Edward is made to look as if he is not fully a person, he is made to be the other. He is pale and scarred, his hair is disheveled, and his body isn’t even complete. He is also dressed in a very constricting leather outfit that is almost made to seem like it is his version of skin because it is never taken off. When he is brought into the town, he is put in regular clothing to cover up his strange outfit to make him less like the other.

Now that we have his body down, the biggest connection is to this new concept of nature and structure of feeling. Edward is kept in a castle by himself for almost all his life. The only view to the outside world that he had was his inventor speaking to him and reading to him. This lack of exposure comes out when he is trying to assimilate with the “normal” townspeople. His lack of knowledge of the outside world creates conflict with the townspeople. He is almost like a child, a person of full innocence, with no knowledge of any other world but his rural lonely one. This innocence connects to nature. Edward, though he was created and not born, he is about as natural as one can get. He has had no real guidance that would shape him and his ideas as a person. Without this guidance, he is in a state of total natural innocence.

The story comes down to love. Edward falls in love with a girl and is willing to do anything for her. He trusts completely and struggles with what is right and wrong because of this blind trust. What I find interesting is that, though he is practically a child in this natural state, he is capable of loving another. He loves in a way that almost all of us as viewers can relate to, even though his character isn’t supposed to be the easiest to relate to. The structure of feeling that is seen in Edward Scissorhands is this concept of innocence and love. This makes it no wonder why this film has made such an impact.

Sweet Home Alabama

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5304851417233161809

I chose this clip from the movie Sweet Home Alabama because it's the perfect example of what a romantic story should be. The movie starts off with Reese Witherspoon (the main character) dreaming about her and her childhood lover. She's portrayed as an adorable innocent little girl while he's portrayed as an equally adorable young boy. The two are seen running through the woods out into a meadow on a stormy day. Then the two see lightning hit the ground only yards away. So they run up the spot because lightning never strikes the same spot twice...right? As they're analyzing the ground the young boy says something along the lines of; "I want to marry you someday, so I can kiss you anytime I want." Then, just as the two young lovers are about to kiss, lightning strikes the both of them and Reese wakes up from her dream.

Now what is it that makes this opening scene so attractive to the viewers? Well for one it's something that most of us would never get the chance to do, run wild with our childhood lover during a lightning storm. It's very romantic in the sense that it's a rarity, not only the scenery but also the fact that they're two childhood lovers. Many of us don't have a memory like this so it's easy to want it, and this scene makes it a reality for us. The other thing that I think really makes this so attractive is the fact that the young boy is able to come up with a set of words that is so appealing and smart for his age. It just makes the audience go "Awww!'. I mean, I don't think I've ever met an 8 year old that can formulate such a sentence! It's adorable, it's romantic, it's risky it's everything we as humans want in a love story.

The scene is making the audience just eat all of this up. With the incredible scenery, the adorable young lovers, and the words that come out of their mouths, even the southern accents make your heart melt. Also, what I found interesting, was the contrast between the darkness of the weather/surrounding area and the lightness of the music and sweetness between the two kids. I think it sets a tone to the story of the two lovers. It shows that there's something unique about the two, unique that they're so young and in love, or in "love", unique that they're running through a storm, and most of all unique that the lightning strikes the same place twice. All of these things makes this a memory that we all wish we had. The scene makes us fall in love with them falling in love! It's the perfect mix!

Pretty Woman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIl-h6IQKn0

Everyone has seen the classic romantic- comedy Pretty Woman. The movie about a wealthy business man who falls in love with a stripper. The unlikely pair is played by Richard Gere and the famous Julia Roberts. The scene I chose to analyze is the very end of the movie when everything comes together to make the ‘happy ending’. In the scene Richard Gere’s character Edward, has his limo driver take him to Julia Roberts’ character Vivian’s apartment complex. As they pull up, Edward has opera music loudly playing from the play they had seen during the week prior. Here Edward concurs his fear of heights by climbing the fire escape with an umbrella and flowers in his hands, he charges up the stair case Vivian climbs down to meet him. He says to her “So what happens after he climbs the tower to rescue her?” and Vivian replies, “she rescues him right back.”

This scene SCREAMS hopeless romantic. To fill in the blanks some more for this scene, earlier in the film Vivian tells Edward when she was a little girl he fantasy was that she was a princess and she is waiting to be rescued by a prince. Obviously Edward takes this into consideration and makers her fantasy a modern day reality, the limo is his white steed, the umbrella is his mighty sword, and Edward is the ‘knight in shining armor’. This scene creates a “structure of feeling” that makes the viewer feel happy and fulfilled, Watching the scene fold out creates comfort for the watcher. By this I mean the music sets the mood, Edward is yelling for Vivian to hear him, and Edward then concurs his fear to be with the one he loves. This scene is set up to create the perfect ending for a true love story. The “structure of feeling” is intended to make the audience feel hopeful, happy, and comforted knowing the couple can be together, the scene is arguing that these two individuals should be together.

The scene doesn’t realistically show what their relationship will entail; she’s a prostitute, he’s a business man, enough said. In the real world it is very unlikely for this type of arrangement to actually work out.

You Had Me At Hello ♥

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSqYlGCd5AE

Typically, when I think of "the romantic," beyond dating and relationships, my thoughts drift to music. I lack any musical ability, but I love listening to music. So, I chose to look at the song "You Had Me At Hello" by A Day to Remember, one of my favorite bands. I attached a link with a lyric video for this song. I am not the best at identifying music genres, so in honor of our impending project, Wikipedia defines their style as a combination of "metalcore and pop punk." This implies that the majority of their songs are more fast paced, which I like, but this song is a nice change because it is much more slow, soft, and romantic. Not exactly the type of music that you would expect from a band that has been culturally labeled with "metalcore and pop punk."

As you can guess from simply reading the title of the song, the lyrics are a bit cliché, but I still find it adorable and love it. Even though we tend to groan at cheesiness, I still think that the structure of feeling in this song still evokes a positive, happy, romantic feeling for those of us that don't let the cheesiness dominate our impression of the song. It is of course impossible to have one universal reaction, but I believe that these are the feelings that the band intended to induce. I feel that this all ties back to the result of "cultural construction" as well as the "ideological position" that we have had engrained into our heads: romantic = cute, romantic = happy, and so on. Of course, going back to the lack of universalism in any structure of feeling, there are always those that will assert their opinion that "the romantic" is stupid, doesn't exist, is a lie, and whatever other negativities they throw around. Lyrics such as "I'm missing you so much," "None of that ever seems to matter when I'm holding you," "I've never seen a smile that can light the room like yours," "You gave me butterflies," and "Would it be ok if I took your breath away?" contribute to the overall romantic feel of this song.

Looking at "The Romantic - a short list" included in the posting assignment, I believe that this song, especially its lyrics, can be looked at both with the "feelings or emotions over reason or fact" and "intuition over learning or knowledge." The song centering around the line "you had me at hello" constructs it to be about the feeling, or myth (depending on your opinion), of love at first sight. This feeling tends to be only that, a feeling. Because is it "first sight," one does not know the person they are "falling in love with," implying that there is little knowledge or fact to rationalize this feeling.

A Great Love Story

Nicholas Sparks has written many love novels but one book that has captured many hearts in motion picture was THE NOTEBOOK. This film was created in 2004 and it tells a love story of a young couple, both from two different social classes, who fell in love despite their differences during the 1940s. This picture captures the most famous and memorable scene in the film when Allie and Noah confessed they still loved one another and finally got the chance to embrace one another after almost seven years since their separation. How does this scene portray such a strong romantic yet intimate connection? We can analyze this through Allie and Noah’s body language and the setting. The two individuals are attempting to kiss in the rain. Allie is embracing him by touching his face and leaning downwards to kiss him. Noah on the other hand is holding her above him and moving up to embrace her with a kiss he has been waiting for seven long years. He holds tightly and strongly onto her waist and is keeping her relatively close to him. The heavy downpour of rain still keeps her form and appearance elegant and feminine in a blue dress. Noah’s body and masculinity is revealed through his soaked white collar shirt from the heavy rain and facial hair. She remains the beautiful Allie he remembers her by and Noah remains the man he once promised her. The setting is made plain and simple with a heavy downpour of rain. This makes them appear to be ‘alone at last’ despite everything they had gone through and the big ring on her finger. The glowing aura outlining Allie and Noah makes this scene very dreamy and unforgettable. Like a moment that you would want to just last forever. A plain and simple background of a blue sky and tall green grass draws attention only to the two lovers embracing one another despite whatever nature is pouring down at them. No matter how different people are, there is no limit of affection towards one another when they are romantically in love. The Notebook does a great job at this and this scene shows that ‘Behind every great love is a great story”. How do we know how romantic we can be? You will know that answer the day you find that special someone you have been waiting on. They will be the one you are willing to put up with, the one you find worth fighting for, and the one you would want to grow old with in sickness and in health.

Stone Arch Bridge

I’m a hopeless romantic at heart. I very rarely express it openly but can admit it. After learning about “structure of feeling” and contemplating my own actions, this personal tendency became even more evident to me. This last Friday I was feeling overwhelmed by all of the projects, papers, and exams that need to happen before Thanksgiving, and I went to the place pictured to the left. Having been there once before, I remembered how it brought me back to myself and a clear state of mind. Like I said… hopeless romantic without meaning to be at all. I went by myself in the morning, insisting I would walk the while three-and-a-half miles from my apartment, and I turned off my phone. [No technology, only nature, and also a bit of “infantile narcissism” that this place was mine and mine alone to go to.]

This picture I took from a side of the bridge that a path does not lead down to. Yes, I swung a leg over a low chain fence and climbed down a steep hill to the riverfront. [Whoever designed Toms was not a romantic and clearly expected everyone wearing them to be walking on flat, sturdy pavement.] Even though the bridge is man-made, its old architecture and the little bit of city on the horizon just adds to the beauty and made the very place I was standing feel more rural. The flowing water, the bright sunlight, the few remaining greens I found, all contribute to the effect; the feeling I get of complete awe, raising goosebumps on my flesh, but at the same time obtaining a sense of being entirely at peace. This whole process happens within a matter of seconds of seeing the scene, and my mind is silenced. I don’t think about anything, I only know that it feels really nice. As William Wordsworth would describe it, I’m “in a state of vivid sensation.” I think I took the picture unconsciously trying to portray this feeling as best I could. I went to the side of the bridge off the beaten path just so I could get the sunlight; the branches sort of frame the scene in a way that makes the beholder want to part them and go in; and the fact that no people are around portrays how it seems to all be for the viewer and the viewer alone.

I believe I went to this place, knowing I would feel calm again because it was less urban than what I had been in for the proceeding weeks and, here, William Wordsworth says: “...the essential passions of the heart find a better soil in which they can attain their maturity, are less under restraint and speak a plainer and more empathetic language…our elementary feelings coexist in a state of greater simplicity, and, consequently, may be more accurately contemplated.” Here, bits of nature win over the full-blown city, the body overshadows the mind, and there is really no specific reason or proof for this feeling. I was simply able to find truth through my own conscience in a sensible way and didn’t need to make an analysis of what I was doing in order to understand that place of comfort and ease.