I think this is a topic we all probably understood before we read this chapter--we just may not have recognized it.
The weather in a story or poem (or movie) definitely helps set the mood. In Macbeth, the weather plays a huge role--a major storm and earthquakes occur on the night of a murder. The weather is a reflection of what the characters are doing and feeling.
So what about what you've read before? Can you think of any stories where the weather was a factor? What about the novels you've read? I have begun reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It takes place in a very dry part of California, and the quest for water is very important. The characters can't wait for the rain. It reminds me of their lives--for the most part they are very dry--but every once in a while something major happens (a rain storm????) and things get very interesting.
So now it's your turn. think of a story, poem, or movie where rain or snow is a factor and/or a reflection of what's going on.
Even though I haven't seen Shutter Island (maybe we should fix that) I know that at many points in the movie it is raining. The raining towards the end of the movie could represent Leo's character as cleansing himself or mourning whatever losses he has had to go through. Another movie is Snow White. When the dwarfs are chasing after the witch, it begins to storm. That represents her evil, yet the rain leads to her death because she slips and falls off a cliff. Clumsy witch. Rain also appears in The Lion King after Simba defeats Scar and takes back Pride Rock. Not only does the rain put out the actual fire that a drought caused, but it also put out the "fire" Scar caused by being a bad leader.
ReplyDeleteWeather definitely is not a coincidence in writing. The author always has an intention when he makes it rain, storm, or snow. In the Twilight series, it is almost always raining in Forks, the town where Bella and her father live. In New Moon when Edward leaves Bella after breaking up with her, there is constantly storms through the night when she is having nightmares and through the day when she is depressed.
ReplyDeleteWeather plays a huge role in writing. It helps set the mood for the scene. I am going to use the example of The Cinderella Story again. The whole book/movie they are in a drought, but towards the end when Cinderella finds her prince it just starts to pour. In that book the California area was in a drought searching for water. The water is the allusion for Cinderella's prince, and when she finally found him, her "water" was found.
ReplyDeleteWeather sets the whole mood for the story. I cant help but think of Holes. Everything is fine until he gets blamed for stealing "sweet feets" shoes. Then he goes in to depression and is not happy at all. After being convicted of stealing them, he is sent away to a camp. This camp is in the middle of a desert. This goes along with his mood perfectly. Then when him and his newly found friend, Hector climb up a mountain and drink water out of a stream (water represents cleansing in this situation btw) the curse is broken and it rains in the town for the first time in about 100 years. This water also represents cleansing.
ReplyDeleteWeather is never just a coincidence, in either stories or movies. I remember last year when we watched The Crucible in Mr. Mcelrath's class that almost every court hearing they had it was raining outside. Which is kind of symbolizing the downpour in Abigail's heart.
ReplyDeleteWeather is the setting of any book and sets the mood of many events that may occur. I know everyone knows about Harry Potter and in the first one after all the strange events start happening to him they go and stay in a house away from everyone and that night a huge storm comes in which of course tells you something is bound to happen.
ReplyDeleteOne of the movies that I can think of that no one else has already used where weather is a factor is in the movie Mulan. Mulan receives word that her father has to go into the war that raging in her country, and doesn't him to have to go. When she makes up her mind that she is going to disguise herself as a man and go into war as a male, it is storming outside. The rain and the storm represent a new beginning for Mulan, as she cuts her hair and puts on her father's armor.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie The Crucible right before the main trials start of the salem witches it rains. The rain in this case isn't a purifying rain it makes everything muddy and in the scene people are even shown falling and slipping, this is the type of rain the symbolizes a worsening of a conflict. About anytime in literature if you stop when you see a rain scene and take note, afterwards you will find something new or different. Authors use this archetype to signify a change, whether it be for the better or worse.
ReplyDeleteThe last book that I can think of that the rain set a mood was in The Hunger Games where they were in the cave and it started raining, it was a relief because the other people wouldn't look for them in the rain. A movie that has rain to set a mood is in Never Back Down when Jake's friend was in the hospital and Jake has an argument with his friend/trainer before he goes to a fighting tournament.
ReplyDeleteWeather helps set the mood as in both books and movies. One movie I can think of is Shrek. Shrek and Donkey drink the Happily ever after potion and on their way home it starts to storm so they find shelter in a barn. This represents something bad is going to happen.
ReplyDeleteIn the book My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult at the end when the sister who is pressing charges against her parents for medical emancipation, the day of the final trial in court it is raining and storming. This represents change because after court she ends up dying in a car crash and gets to save her sister who is dying of cancer by giving her a kidney.
ReplyDeleteOne movie that comes to my mind is Cast Away with Tom Hanks. At the end of the movie when he finally gets home after being stranded on the island for so many years he returns to his wife only to find that she has remarried. His wife tries to leave her current husband and take Tom's character back but Tom's character instead of taking her back, lets her go and during that scene, it just so happens to be raining (not so coincidentally). The rain in this scene is very symbolic Tom Hanks' character letting his wife go and leaving her for good.
ReplyDeleteUgh as much as i hate to say it... Twilight is my first thought It rains when belles sad !!!! wait its always raining that girl is never happy. But in the small occasions when she is. like that fairy little meadow place the sun shines down and beautiful not manly edward flippn sparkles. Now that is some serious weather/mood help
ReplyDeleteI recently watched the movie Inception. In case you haven't seen it yet, it's about a group of people trying to incept an idea in someone else's head though a dream. Every time person dreaming emotions would change so would the weather. While the person was calm the weather wold be sunny and bright, but if something sparked confusion, nervousness, or anger could would form in the sky and it would start storming. These archetypes are used in a lot of different movies and books to evoke emotion of the audience.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that comes to my mind is The Crucible. When we read this last year, Mr. McElrath spent sometime on this subject. When it started to rain in the town, we could tell that there was going to be a new beginning and cleansing. Later on when Elizabeth Proctor was testifying a stream of light came in through the window, the light is symbolizing the "light of reason."
ReplyDeleteIn Mr. McElrath's class, we learned the significance of archetypes and fun stuff like that. I remembered we talked about how weather played a part in literature and movies to signify certain things. Unfortunately, my mind also immediately thinks of Twilight, and how it always is cloudy/rains in Forks. The constant cloudy/gloomy nature of Forks depresses Bella, especially when Edward leaves her in whatever the second movie is called.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie The Matrix Revolutions Neo and Mr. Smith have an epic battle that is fought during a massive thunderstorm and it is raining heavily. The rain could represent the cleansing of the dream world that Mr. Smith has taken full control of, and the peace that will be brought between the Machines and Zion.
ReplyDeleteThe book that automatically came to mind was the Crucible. In the Crucible when it started raining it was a symbol of the rain purifying the characters and the confusion and stuff in Abigail's heart in the book/movie.
ReplyDeleteImmediately i thought of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In the beginning when just lucy visits, the second time when lucy and edmond visit, and the time when all 4 of them visit, it's snowing. This reminded me immediately of peace and calmness, they don't suspect that anything is wrong. When Aslan returns it starts to turn summer, indicating the change between a hold of evil(winter) by the white witch to a hold of good(summer) by Aslan. This book/movie also has many religious archetypes and references.
ReplyDeleteWeather is very important, we talked about weather a lot AP Language. I think of Harry Potter and how when Harry Potter is rescued from his Aunt and Uncle by Hagrid it is storming. The rain is washing away the bad and bringing a new start for Harry. And when the Troll gets into the school on Halloween it is storming. This can be the same thing, Harry and Ron are getting a new start with Hermoine. Both of theses "Storms" can't just be coincidences because why else would the author/directors take the time to include them at these important scenes.
ReplyDeleteAn example of a novel where weather is reflecting on what is happening is The Shining. During the book, it is continually snowing. This symbolizes isolation and depression, key themes to the story.
ReplyDeleteA movie that was very good that i watched over the weekend was White Squall. This movie is about a group of boys who go out onto a boat for schooling. During this time they learn to become sailors as their captain urges them on and keeps on them so they can achieve. Near the end of the movie a white squall occurs on the boat which is just a huge white tipped wave, that a storm brews up. This symbolizes the tests and the triumphs the boys must go through as well as the hard ships that comes with these tests. The white squall killed three of the boys and the captains wife. In turn the military tries to compensate for the families losses by trying to take away the captains boating license so he can never sail again. The boys then go through another trial (storm) to persuade the military to let him keep his license.
ReplyDeleteIn "Killing Mr. Griffin" the wind is talked about over and over and how the wind was blowing and it made me think that change was coming, that something bad was about to happen
ReplyDeleteDisney's The Lion King uses rain at the end of the movie to symbolize a new beginning, the old is being washed away leaving everything purified. This makes since because Scar has just been banished from the Prideland and Simba takes his rightful place as king.
ReplyDeletethis makes me laugh! mr mcelrath use to talk about rain in movies all the time. it sets a tone and usually he said when i rained it was either a bad thing, or like washing away a sin or something bad more like a rebirth. In the crucible when it started to rain it was a sign that bad things are going to happen
ReplyDeleteWhen I think about this it makes me think of the movie sipderman. When the upside down kiss takes place after he saved mary jane.Throughout the whole adventure of him saving her it pours rain. It is an action filled part of the movie.
ReplyDeleteIn the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, at the end of the first, a main character dies. It's snowing when she does, storming. The day of her funeral, it's just rained, and is sprinkling lightly. Looking back, we know two things. One, that she will become the snow. She will become cold, she will love the Winterlands (place in the Realms, of evil and cold-heartedness). Secondly, her death is the new beginning. From then on, nothing in the books is ever the same, as you can guess.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, (and I hate giving spoilers, so I'll be careful) a very big event happens while it storms. From that point on, nothing in the series is ever the same. Ever. It's quite depressing to think of it now, actually. Another example is Percy Jackson. He gets his power from the water because he's Poseidon's son. If you read the books, you learn his life before then wasn't the best by any means. In the water though, he was at peace. When battling, the water lends him strength, makes him greater than he could ever be without it. Mythology and symbolism, right there. Oh yeah.
We also have the famous quiet before the storm. Right before hell breaks loose, everything gets eerily silent, like all the animals can feel it coming. This happens in every book and piece of piece of entertainment. It's why entertainment exist. Because right before the storm broke loose, nothing was happening. That's why they tell a story about it.