Becoming Maleficent: November 2014

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Becoming Maleficent: Intro

Becoming Maleficent

Did anyone ever ask for Maleficent's side of the story? Are we to assume she is an evil witch just for the hell of it? How did Maleficent BECOME Maleficent? In becoming ourselves we must learn to become authentic. Sometimes that means being a little naughty or crossing the lines, and sometimes people might assume we are something we are not. Like Jessica Rabbit said, "I'm not naughty, I'm just drawn that way". So go out and do what you need to do to be who you are meant to be. Play by the rules. Or don't. Whatever you do, don't let soldiers, thorny bushes, broken hearts, or sleeping spells put you under or keep you down. Become yourself, be a bit of a badass, write your own fairytale, and make your own happy ending. This is what Maleficent has taught me.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Becoming Maleficent: Art

Art

Solley, Cat. Wing. 2014. Acrylic, Mixed Media. N.p.

This piece of art, Wing, represents the heroine's journey that Maleficent travels. In the background of the painting are the original lyrics from the song presented in this blog, The Pretender by the Foo Fighters. The lyrics "not like the others" is a testament to Maleficent having the desire to stand out and stand up for herself. She is not like the other fairies in the Moors, nor is she like other girls who may have fallen apart under similar circumstances. The shimmery gray color throughout the artwork gives off the mood of the painting, clouded yet hopeful. The circular shape lends itself to the path along the heroine's journey, not unlike Dorothy's yellow brick road from Wizard of Oz. The jewels underneath the feathers represent the glimmer of hope momentarily shrouded underneath the feathered wing. The white feathers represent Maleficent's innocence and purity. The twisted metal into a single red feather signifies the agonizing pain from the removal of Maleficent's precious wings. The black tar feathers represent the darkness that encompasses Maleficent's heart when she seeks vengeance. The green swirls demonstrate her magic, as seen in the movie, that work both for evil when she casts the sleeping spell, and for good as she uses the magic to protect the child as she is growing up. The various fairytale elements tell more of her story, the clocks signify Aurora's impending death sleep on her sixteenth birthday, the sword represents the battles Maleficent faces, a symbol of true loves kiss from mother to child is placed along the journey, as well as hearts that are symbols of love. The sparkling white jewels are the path to redemption, which lead to the book with the silver wings, and the final stage of Maleficent's journey, where she is resurrected and is able to write her own story.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Becoming Maleficent: Song

Song

Foo Fighters Greatest Hits. Roswell Records, 2009. MP3.

The song, "The Pretender", by the Foo Fighters captures the essence of the fight against oppression. It is a call to overcome that which holds us back and, therefore, become what we are intended to be. This song captures the mood and temperature of Maleficent's struggle to push through and endure hardships, all while continuing to maintain her personal integrity. The use of the police force in the video represents the soldiers of the kingdom who come after Maleficent in the Moors. The forceful tone of the lyrics strike chords of resilience and empowerment, and are reminicent of Maleficent's desire to stand up against her enemies. The shattering of the glass and the spilling of the red water in the video is representational of Maleficent's spread of wrath and bloodshed. The chorus of the song embodies individuality and gives it a fiery independence. Maleficent may have said these very words to her oppressors, "What if I say I'm not like the others? What if I say I'm not just another one of your plays? You're the pretender. What if I say I will never surrender?"

Becoming Maleficent: Psychosocial Relevance

Psychosocial Relevance

Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1993. Print.

In today's world, so many people are lost and are seeking an external source of happiness. The answer lies within us if we only stop to empower ourselves and investigate what it is we seek. In the movie Maleficent, Maleficent dreams of true love, and although the dream is seemingly spoiled by her oppressors, through various trials, she is finally able to realize the dream, find her true love, and she did it just by being herself. Paulo Coelho's novel, The Alchemist, is a story of a shepherd boy who travels along the hero's journey only to find, at the end, that the hero he was seeking was within himself all along. Maleficent's story begins not unlike most people's story, with her being a self assured young child. Due to the cutting of her wings, Maleficent developed prejudice and fear, as well as the realization that the man she loved was the one who had betrayed her. She then goes on to sacrifice the love and affections of all the creatures in the Moors, abandons her dreams, envelops hate, and dispenses fear. In the end, with the the mother and child love she experiences with Aurora, she finds herself worthy of true love and understands her purpose. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and sometimes life takes people on journey's they never expected. The Alchemist teaches readers to do as Maleficent did, who ended up writing her own fairytale and made her own happy ending.