I Might Be a Vampire

I never really noticed a sexual appeal involving vampires until Foster’s mention of it; maybe it has something to do with being a disinterested teenage guy. I find it very interesting how Foster views vampires on an allegorical level, specifically Dracula. I feel like the strangest part of this whole idea is how accurate it really is, considering the animalistic characteristics of vampires and their intimate appeal to the audience. My aunt and mother are huge fans of the show Supernatural, which features all sorts of mystical and demonic characters and settings; furthermore, it never truly occurred to me that a majority of the attraction and appreciation for the show is derived on a physical and seductive level. The way the show illustrates vampires is always very bruiting and tempting to the audience, making the loss of innocence seem more appealing or intimate. I believe it was in Mrs. Chapman’s class when we discussed how intimate and profound murder, or in this case vampires, can truly be. Foster also discusses how this strong romantic relationship with vampires doesn’t necessarily detract from vampirism itself. “So vampirism isn’t about vampires?” I found this statement very intriguing along with Foster’s mention of selfishness, exploitation, and a refusal to respect the autonomy of other people. This may just be my disinterest with vampires and things of that nature, but I always viewed vampires and monsters in a very mundane and kind of simple manner, simply adding to the fright factor that vampires are usually associated with. I also found that the dual characteristics found in ghosts and vampires to be incredibly interesting and something I’ve never explored until now: however, I find that monsters have multiple purposes besides scaring the audience more predominant in slightly older works of literature. I can definitely appreciate those interpretations of monsters far more than a shimmering and romantic vampire found in Twilight. I personally really enjoy Interview with the Vampire, which is kind of funny considering my distaste for vampires in more modern times. I also found that Foster’s statement “Ghosts and vampires are never only about ghosts and vampires,” to be very unique, especially considering how little I truly thought of vampires and monsters. I never considered vampires and ghosts to have such a broad interpretation by Foster himself and most writers, the fact that Foster states that the truly terrifying vampires are ones that can be human is fairly strange to me. The idea of a vampire to me has always revolved around traditional characteristics like immortality or fangs or sucking blood, not merely the principal of corruption and a loss of innocence. Foster also mentions that vampires tend to use other people to get what they want. He also says that placing desires in front of the needs of others, especially the more despicable and unpleasant ones can fit under the category of a vampire. This really made me reflect on how open the definition of a vampire can be, considering I’ve prioritized myself in front of other’s on multiple occasions.

Now, Where Have I Painted You Before?

I’m a very visual learner, growing up I could always recognize the finished result of connect the dots very early on. I have a hard time relating to Fosters’ connect the dots issues; however, he makes a good point regarding practicing. I had a very gradual progression when it came to reading literature because I always struggled comprehending the material the first time reading, let alone recognizing archetypes and recurrences. I continue to focus on very minimal attributes of literature, sometimes forgetting to look at overall themes and patterns. As with literature, there’s now wholly original work of art. I recently visited the John Singer Sargent exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where I was encouraged to focus on his original techniques and use of atmospheric perspective; however, its difficult to overlook similar techniques performed by Diego Velazquez and other artists prior to Sargent’s fame. This; however, doesn’t detract from Sargent’s manipulation of oil paint, in fact it adds to the composition and character of his work, similar to O’Brien’s Going After Cacciato. Sargent also recognizes the similarities in his work to that of Velazquez and openly illustrates his inspiration in his work. Unlike O’Brien’s inspiration from Lewis Carrol and Ernest Hemingway, Sargent is much more subtle. I’m very intrigued when analyzing specific characters in literature because I never considered the author’s development of each person. Sarkin Aung Wan’s correlation with Sacajawea is a very impressive display of diligence and thought on the author’s part. Aside from a well-written novel, subtle indications of history and past works embodied in characters and settings are fascinating. This is a fairly amateur example, but Breaking Bad offers so many indistinct references to science and literature. One profound example is the sixty-two episodes the series had. The sixty-second element on the periodic table, Samarium, is used to treat to lung cancer. I can agree with O’Brien when he says, “there’s only one story.” Art revolves around the same principles and elements of design, regardless of the medium or working space. All art is derived around color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value and there are so many varying concepts that are executed based on these elements. Similar to art, literature is derived from basic concepts of archetypes and a general storyline, which I believe is what O’Brien is saying. He is also depicting literature as a continuing sequence of stories and poems, each containing different attributes of the work before it. I find this to be a very beautiful experience when the reader recognizes the literary precursors. I continue to struggle with finding many of these subliminal hints, but the occasional “aha!” moment for me is so gratifying, especially when nobody else recognizes the precursor. I recently attended a pre-college intensive at MICA where I was assigned the task of making a body of art that included a past narrative relating to the modern era. I decided to incorporate Jack and the Beanstalk in a metaphorical sense with a car representing the beanstalk as a means of traveling from point A to point B. I thought it was amusing to see how this idea discussed in the chapter had a very direct impact on my art and everyday life.