Luke's

As a Kansan, The Wizard of Oz has always been a familiar part of Kansas’s culture. I have only seen the film once though, and it was when I was in grade school- I thought it was corny... no pun intended. But since taking this class, I decided to rewatch it and do some research on the symbolism of witches throughout the film. The films portrayal of Kansas as a quiet, dark world stands in contrast to the vibrant land of Oz. One personal connection I made early was to Dorothy- a laid back, down-to-earth Midwesterner. Though the movie is often celebrated for its imagery of home and adventure, let’s take a look at how witches and magic are portrayed within. The contrast between the Good Witch of the North, Glinda, and the Wicked Witch of the West is an obvious one- very stark. Glinda embodies beauty- wearing pink and sparkles and offers guidance to Dorothy. While the Wicked Witch, well it’s pretty obvious with her green skin, offers a menacing demeanor and represents evil. This dichotom...

A few nights ago, I re-watched The Prestige, one of my favorite Nolan films. If familiar, you know it revolves around two rival magicians in 1890s London who try to outdo each other. While watching, I began to think of how magic portrayed in the film contrasts with the idea of magic in witchcraft. The Prestige presents magic as a craft- an illusion perfected through skill, misdirection and a relentless pursuit of spectacle. But this got me wondering- how did we get from the dark, fear-driven magic of witch hunts to the awe-inspiring performances we see in films, shows and on the street today? During the witchcraft trials, magic was far from entertainment. Those labeled as witches were believed to have sinister powers granted by the Devil, of which, these powers were usually just misunderstood practices like herbal healing or fortune telling, but they threatened the order of society. Magic was feared- an accusation often leading to torture and death. Women were often targeted the most...

Swimming still has not left my mind since reading about it. Like others in the class, the concept makes little to no sense. If you are guilty, you drown, if you are innocent, you drown. It is a true lose-lose. Since it fascinated me so much, I wanted to write a blog about it, but did not exactly know where to go with it. I began to think of analogies to swimming in our world today, and the biggest one that stood out to me was social media backlash/ cancel culture. The growth of social media has much evolved over the course of our generation’s lives. It has grown into something many people admit they can’t live without. Sure, social media has its perks- news outlet, check in on other peoples lives/show others what you have been up to. But I believe the cons outweigh these. Everyone has a permanent digital footprint. Everything you say will always be there, and if you delete it, someone who disagreed with what you said probably has it. In recent years, cancel culture has become a promine...

Today is the First of October which means “spooky season” has begun. The fall has always been my favorite season, I love the cooler weather- though we have not experienced that yet in Texas- the leaves changing colors, pumpkin scents and flavors and fall-esque music. Because of this, I naturally enjoy Halloween. Dressing up in costumes and trick-or-treating as a kid will always be a lasting memory for me. As an innocent kid, I never thought about what Halloween was, nor did I really care. I was just excited to run around and get free candy. After a long night in the neighborhood, my sister and I would come home, dump our overflowing pillowcases on the floor and offer candy trades to each other. Looking back on this, being a kid was fun. Since I have matured, it’s finally time I look into Halloween and learn/share what it actually represents. Halloween’s origins lie in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrated over 2,000 years ago in modern day Ireland, the UK and northern Fran...