‘Edward Scissorhands’

The film Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton is a modern day retake of the gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, the disney film Beauty and the Beast and can be related to the biblical saga of creation and Adam an Eve. This is because the film is about an unfinished, isolated monster who was created for the purpose of companionship, but instead tries to fit into society, falls in love and gets rejected, leaving him to live alone. The movie uses the film codes and conventions of characters, setting and plot/theme to achieve it’s gothic classification.

 

The characters in the film include Edward, Kim and The Inventor. Edward is the creation of the inventor and therefore is depicted as a something, rather than a someone who can feel and go through all the emotions of a human. Edward is an innocent person who hasn’t been subjected to the cruelty of society and because of that he is viewed as the underdog; someone who the public supports and loves. Edward is taken into the small town by Peg, the mother of Kim who found him in his castle alone. The use of the castle in this instance, was done to show how Edwards was isolated and cut off from the ‘real’ world. It creates the feelings of mystery and foreboding as you don’t know what to expect from Edward in any given situation. Edwards response to different situations is shown and contrasted with that of the people in the community. It is derived that Edward is, as a matter of fact, the better ‘person’ overall. He knows how o act and treats people with the respect they deserve, regardless of their actions and situation. Because Edward is depicted as the better person in comparison to the towns people it causes the viewers to reflect upon themselves and their actions, asking how can they do better. This truth of society is shocking and shows the viewers what it has done to corrupt them in their treatment of others and their feelings towards people. Creation was used here to create the feelings of fear, judgement and foreboding. Although the film put an unusual spin to the normal context; showing that it is not the created that is the monster, rather that, we the humans, are.Edwards creator; the Inventor is a representation of God. This is because he creates a person who was meant to be perfect, without sin, but the situations turns sour and he ends up dying. In the story of creation (in the christian sense) Gd doesn’t die, Satin simply intervenes and gives Adam and Eve the knowledge of good and evil. In a similar way Pegg Boggs does this to Edward. She takes him out of his secluded castle (his garden of eden) and exposes him to the corrupt society of her town (the knowledge of good and evil). Edward is know left with the decision of choosing sides. Ada and Eve chose evil, by choice (choosing to eat the apple) but Edward was exposed to it, and decides to choose/do good. This is shown through his actions. In the second last scene of the film, Edward attempts to save Kim’s younger brother from a drunk driver. Unfortunately due to his scissor hands his attempts to help her brother only result in more cuts on his face (more injuries). The towns people only see his actions, not his intentions and judge him accordingly. These examples of creation tie the film Edward Scissorhands into the gothic genre as they propose feeling of fear, foreboding and unforeseen events as well as raising certain ethical issues.

 

Kim is a a young girl who has been raised within the town and thereby society. However she is seen as the exception among the town as she becomes friends with Edward, falls in love and excepts him for who he is. Although this does not happen immediately the viewer is able to see her perceptions change as she gets to know Edwards and realises the truth about her own society and people. As Edward forms this attachment with Kim, her former boyfriend becomes jealous and angry. Therefore when the opportunity presented itself he seized it, not regarding the dangers and implications of the situation that arose. Kim and her ex find themselves in the castle, looking for Edward. Kim to protect him, and her ex; Jim to kill him. In the end the situation unfolds and Kim becomes the damsel in distress. This implies the emotions of love and possibly death/injury. In order to save his love; Kim, Edward has to kill Jim, bringing death into the story. This can be related to the gothic disney film; Beauty and the Beast. The Beast is selfish and gets punished by an elderly woman, who turns out to be a witch.She turns him into a monster, allowing the only way to reverse the spell to be a woman falling in love with him. In order for this to happen the beast begins to change, while in her presence, and soon realises how wrong he was initially. The same happened to Kim with her realisation and change in perspective about Edward, although the roles were reversed and Kim was only a monster because of what society did to her. She became a better person through spending time with Edward. This is shown through her actions in the last scene where she lies and says that Jim and Edward killed each other. She does this to save Edward, although the repercussions are tragic. The situation implies forbidden love; as Kim and Edward can no longer see each other, as it risks both her and his lives. These elements of forbidden love, damsels in distress and creation help to attach Edward Scissorhands to the gothic genre.

 

Edward Scissorhands is set in a colourful small town situated bellow a dark, black castle. The colourful town allows for the perception that it is filled with happy people who are caring and like each other. Whereas the castle being dark and isolated, depicts the ideas of death, dislocation and danger. The contrast between the two allows you to see what is on the surface and not the ‘real’ story beneath the covers. This can be related to the moral don’t judge a book by it’s cover as the viewer looks at the town and the castle and decides upon only seeing how it looks (colours, space around it and shape; big or small it is) what society it contains within their walls. In this situation it is an oxymoron, the colourful, small town contains many people who hide behind words and accusations to cover their own faults and the castle contains one man who is innocent, kind and not judgmental. He is the exact opposite of not only the viewers initial thoughts, but also of the towns people. What they lack in character (way they treat others) he has. The setting of the climax in the castle, conjures up ideas of forbidding and danger. This is because the castle is isolated, meaning that if anything goes wrong help is far away. It is also dark and big; giving the impression that danger lurks beneath the shadows. The size of the castle gives the reader a better idea of the isolation of Edward and helps with the contrast of the town and castle. Because the town is so small, everyone within it knows everything that is going on, giving the false impression of closeness between the people. The truth is that the castle is the better place to live; it keeps you away from the corrupt society of the little town and the malicious nature of the towns people. The setting can be related to that of Beauty and the Beast. The castle wherein the Beast lives in large in size, dark in colour and isolated from the town and it’s people. Except in this case the ‘monster’ living in the castle deserves to be isolated because of his bad nature and treatment of other people. This time the depiction of the castle is correct as it is foreboding and does hold a monster, and thereby has danger attached. The conventions of colour and setting allude to the films gothic genre as they set the scene for the film and give the viewers their initial responses/feelings to the story and people involved.

 

The plot/ theme of the film is also used to determine that Edward Scissorhands is a gothic movie. This is achieved because the plot includes the elements of creation, castles, death and forbidden love. It is about a created human who goes into the society of a small town and turns out being a better representation of a human being than the people themselves. This is significant as it points out the deficiencies within our society, because we, as a population are represented to be malicious, judgmental and dismissive. The characteristics that these people are attached too shock the viewers as they are usually related to that of a monster. But because Edward is depicted as the innocent one, who treats everyone with respect, it creates a turn of events.The film provides the viewer with a new perspective on life and achieves this through it’s use of emotion, feelings and expectations of a human. Edward is accepted in the beginning but as things happen the townspeople’s view on and about him begin to change.They judge him on his actions rather than his intentions and soon the whole town is against him. It all begins when Edward decides to do something for Kim; in order to gain her trust and respect, but it doesn’t work and instead he gets arrested and the overall view of him is changed. The only person who knew his intention was Kim because she asked him to steal for her, knowing he would because of his feelings for her. She is now associated with feelings of deceit and manipulation, giving her a negative depiction. She becomes closer to Edward and asks for forgiveness and tries to prove herself worthy of him and his love through breaking up with Jim and apologising. Slowly the viewers ideas about her are changed as her true intentions are revealed. As she is he only one who knows the truth about Edward and what he really tries to achieve through his actions, she is soon the only one who still accepts him and loves him regardless of his actions. The whole town now has a different view about Edward and Kim, thinking that Edward is a danger to themselves and their families and Kim is an idiot for loving someone who could hurt her so easily. Kim soon realises this and when put on the spot decides that the only way for Edward to survive would be to let everyone think that he died. This action shows Kim’s true, deep feelings for Edward and he viewers feelings towards her are changed once and for all, and she becomes the exception within the community. This situation of forbidden love is an element that is used in many gothic stories such as Beauty and the Beast and to some extent Adam and Eve. It is relatable to Beauty and the Beast because Belle fall in love with the Beast. It is relatable to Adam and Eve because they both had a want for the forbidden fruit. The feeling attached to this element include those of sympathy and empathy. Sympathy because the viewer feels sorry for Kim and Edward, as they cannot be together and empathy because the viewer sees Kim and Edwards actions as acceptable and blame it on their situation. The viewer accepts them as they know they would do the same in a similar situation.

 

Edward Scissorhands uses the filmic codes and conventions of character, setting and plot/theme to achieve it’s gothic ties. This is concluded through the comparison of Edward Scissorhands to the well known gothic stories of Beauty and the Beast and Adam and Eve. The conventions allow for the point of comparison as well as the feelings and ideas comprised from them. The characters have the ties of gothic elements of creation, love and death, where the setting allows for dislocation isolation and atmosphere for mystery and suspense and lastly the plot/theme gives the elements of forbidden love and death.

 

By Kirstin Stobbe

Blogger Review

The origins of blogging came from people wanting to express their ideas about any situation/person freely without being judged for it. They not only wanted to do this but also in a form that was easy to write and didn’t take long therefore creating a blog. The benefits that present themselves in blogging include being able to freely express your opinion and letting go of your feelings. This can help with stress and also management of your emotions. The dangers of blogging however include people finding out about your personal ideas and thoughts, this can be a way of getting to know someone without talking to them directly, possibly a way of slaking. The other dangers include becoming susceptible to cyber bullying and receiving hate mail from the people who read your bloggs, this I think is the exact opposite that a blog should be aiming to do. The purpose of this blog is not stated on the weblog page, however it can be derived from the entries posted. The bias presented by the blogger is that of a person who likes the environment and is a fan of sport. This is evident through their posts as they write about their travels as well as the things they have achieved, for example climbing a mountain and going to the Caribbean. This particular blogger only considers different points of view when they become relevant to his blog. For instance he gave the point of view of the person who sits at home, exploring/ finding out about the world through a book. “I have been challenged to make what I do seem assessable to thousands of armchair travellers..” This shows that he considers the other persons point of view and tells the reader what they would like to achieve by reading a blog or a book. The values and attitudes expressed by the blogger include, seizing any opportunity that presents itself to you, taking chances and always striving to do your best this is shown through the quotes “Convinced that films, books, and scripts didn’t actually come from real life, I set about my life to make them reality.” “Things change when you care enough to grab whatever you love, and give it everything”, “If I had a million dollars, I’d walk out of a cinema, jump on a plane and go live in the coolest parts of that movie.”. Although the titles are obscure they don’t indicate the exact message of the blog by just reading the title. They make more sense once the post is read. The way in which the blog is represented and written gives off the idea of professionalism and someone who cares about punctuation and being precise, indicating that they know haw to write. Throughout the blog the grammar, spelling and punctuation is accurate and rightly so, the blogger has expressed his interests in becoming a writer and so far there is yet to be a punctual error to find. Lastly the quality of the comment posted on and about the blog/posts aren’t to spectacular. Mainly they are personal comments to the writes, I presume that the commenter and the blogger are friends. Students have learn’t a way to express their feelings easily without being judged and also that there are many people who have opinions about situations and people which are can often be more extreme than expected. Also that many others share their opinions and they are able to write a better quality story, giving their opinions within the text.

 

‘The Lottery’

After reading the short story “The Lottery” written by Marjorie Barnard, I have concluded that my reading was dominant. This was concluded by discussing the different reading within the class and comparing them with each others and determining the feelings/ideas that were the most popular/most expressed. The dominant reading of “The Lottery” included feeling sympathetic for the wife; Grace Bilborough and finding that the ideas expressed by her husband; Patrick to be self absorbed and arrogant. Although we feel this towards Patrick, there is also sympathy felt for him because of the situation he finds himself on and what that know asks of him. The resistant reading included feeling that Grace was completely in the wrong and that Patrick had done everything right in conjunction to the treatment of his wife, family and his duties as a father. It also suggested that the thoughts of Patrick were to be expected and the readers felt sympathetic for him and couldn’t understand the reasons behind Grace’s actions; shaping their feelings towards her.

The reasons for my personal reading of “The Lottery” include living in a 21^st century society and the implications and changes of the time period between now and when the short story was set in. Living in a 21^st century community implies that everyone should be accepted, that everyone has free will and divorce is more orthodox than before. It is no longer frowned upon and everyone has their own personal reasons for divorce which are accepted. Because of this viewpoint we focus more on the reasons of Grace’s decision to divorce Patrick rather than the action of divorce itself. “His mind darted here and there suspiciously. There was something secretive in Grace, and he’d thought she told him everything.” This quote alludes to the thought that their marriage didn’t have much trust and Patrick wasn’t fully in control, shown by how meticulously he had planned their finances. As Patrick was used to being in control and knowing everything to do with his family, the surprise of winning the lottery didn’t sit well with him. This caused him to become judgemental towards Grace accusatory. “He took her awkwardly in his arms” this shows that there wasn’t much love in their marriage either, no affection. This caused Grace to feel alone and uncared for. “I’m going away. By myself. Before it’s too late. I’m going tomorrow.” This indicates that Grace thought that the money that she would win in the lottery was her last chance to get away, away from their ‘cold’ marriage and her current life situation. Because she had tagged the money won, as her last hope, it shows that she had felt trapped and that she believed that winning the money was going to be here only way out, instead of trying to work it out with her husband.

 

The reasons for Grace leaving her husband urges us to sympathise for her as she felt isolated and alone, rather than accepted and loved. As being loved is something that everyone wants to feel as well as being accepted, the reader feels sorry for Grace as her marriage (something that is portrayed to bring love and acceptance) had the opposite effect than that which was expected. A the reader feels this way towards Grace her actions are accepted and she is not thought of as the person in the wrong, rather her husband is. This is because of the things he thinks of and how he views and treats his wife. Living in an era where men and woman are accepted as equals and treated accordingly also shapes your ideas towards Patrick and the way he treats her. “She’s like ice’ he thought” this suggests the type of things that he thinks about her because he no longer finds it easy to connect with her. He also only really starts to pay attention to her again when she wins something that he can use to improve his image and lifestyle. This alludes to the idea that he only tries to know/talk to her when she has something that he wants. This is read/viewed to be selfish and rude, causing the reader to have a negative view of patrick. “He’d always expected in a trusting sort of way to be rewarded, but not through Grace.” “He’d worn better than Grace, anyone could see that, and yet it was he who had had the hard time.” This furthers the idea that the reader has of Patricks thoughts towards Grace; that he doesn’t think too much of her and had accepted the fact that she was nothing too special and wouldn’t really further him in any kind of way. Because of this perception he has of his females have a negative view of him, as they want to be thought of as equal and that they have the opportunity to be anyone and achieve things as great if not greater than men.

 

Although Patrick is viewed more in a negative way we also sympathise for him. This is because his wife left him with nothing to go on with and she left her children without a mother. You sympathise for Patrick as the role of a mother isn’t something that is expected from the father/male and therefore you feel. Grace is also viewed with digression as she leaves her children. This can be seen as her abandoning her motherly duties; which include caring for the children and raising them. This is the only reason that Grace isn’t liked to an extent nor sympathised with so highly. We have this view as we know what is expected of a mother and recognise woman (in general) as the more caring and considerate gender. This view makes it more unacceptable for Grace to leave her children and therefore the readers perception of Grace changes. Overall the reasons for my reading of “The Lottery” include living in the 21^st century and the implications and changes of this time period.

 

‘Looking for a Rain God’

After reading “Looking for a Rain God” by Bessie Head, I have determined that my response of to the story was that I had negative feelings towards the family who killed their children, however I did understand the reasons that they had for doing this. I also felt that although they did kill their children they were punished unfairly by the Christian society that ruled their tribe/town. My reading of this story was dominant as the rest of the class felt the same way and were all also able to relate to the families feelings of despair and desperation due to the seven year flood they had experienced prior to the death of their children. The resistant reading was that it was societies fault that the family had been sentenced to death because of the crime they had committed. The feelings were that their heritage was invaded by that of a christian belief and they had been wrongly accused of murder under the current belief system. It was expressed that they should have been tried under their native rule because their actions were that of their former tribal rituals.

 

The reasons that I believe influenced my reading of ‘Looking for a Rain God’ include coming from a western society where the law is based upon that of a christian belief. Also the way that I have been raised to perceive the ideals of other God’s and laws, because of my religion and the policies of the society I live in. Western Society has shaped my views on other law systems as a western society is based upon what the majority of the population accepts as right and wrong (allowing no room for discrimination and having a fair rule for everyone). This basis has shaped my reading as it pushes me to believe/think that my own societal law is correct and the law of the tribe in the short story allows for many more crimes to be overlooked and/or accepted. This makes the killing of the children be read in a negative light and therefore the parents, in my view, are in the wrong and are classified as malicious because of their actions.

 

My personal upbringing has shaped my reading and ideas of the characters in the story as it has influenced what I believe and think about other Gods and what peoples actions should be towards others. Being brought up in a christian household shaped my ideas of how people should treat each other, for example the overused phrase; treat others as you would like to be treated and love thy neighbour as thy self. These concepts urge me to think that the ‘right’ thing to do is respect other people and their beliefs as well as putting others needs above your own. Because of these concepts I think what the parents did was wrong regardless of their former, tribal beliefs as well as feeling sympathetic for them, due to their desperate situation. Killing the children in my opinion was wrong as they took someone else’s life, and in doing this put their needs above the children’s. Also they didn’t treat the children with the respect they deserved as shown by “You stupid thing, when I send you to draw water, why do you spill half of it out of the bucket! You stupid thing!”. This quote is one of many examples where the parents of the children yelled at them and criticised them when they only needed guidance. This lack of respect for the children causes my initial respect for the parents to diminish and eventually become non-existent.

 

My view of other Gods is shaped due to my faith. Being a Christian requires you to accept and declare that there are no other Gods besides the one that you believe created you. This does not mean that God’s whom other people have accepted as their creator, will be shamed and discriminated. Christianity is about acceptance and therefore we simply accept their choice of religion and beliefs and treat these people according to our belief system. Because of these beliefs the tribal laws, although accepted, are viewed by me as unnecessary and in some aspects ‘wrong’. Now I don’t mean to offend anyone when I use the word wrong this is simply my opinion of a specific law of theirs, in the context of life and death, specifically that of sacrificing children to the rain God to make it rain. My reading is influenced so that my view/opinion of their God is judgemental. This is because I cannot fathom the idea that a God; who is meant to want to help his people and further their life quality, would say that a tribe have to kill their innocent children for their own benefit. This therefore shapes my reading so that I perceive the tribal laws as ‘wrong’ and shouldn’t be practised.  

the Fox and the Grapes

The main character the fox is famished from being unable to locate food in a long time. She spots some grapes up in a tree, she tries to get them but unfortunately she is too small to gather them. This causes her to gain the mindset that the grapes are sour and she didn’t want them anyway. The fox is therefore a character that is desperate for food and so tries with all her might to get the food. However when she is unable to get it she becomes spiteful and disappointed in herself. Her actions cause her to be the archetype of a shapeshifter. This is because I the beginning of the fable the fox is desperate for food and tries to get it. But at the end she changes her mind, and therefore her objective of obtaining the grapes. The change in mindset is what leads the reader to believe that she is in fact a shapeshifter.

 

The moral of this story is that ‘it’s easy to despise what we cannot have’. This is due to the fox’s emotions and change of feelings towards the grapes. It can also be related to the modern day society, especially with girls. One girl will see another and only look at the things the other has, thereby judging her by her ‘cover’ and not by her personality. The first girl will have a negative portrayal of the other just because the other has what the first desires to have. This is the case with the fox and the grapes as the fox desires to have the grapes but they are out of reach, causing her to therefore have a negative portrayal of the grapes or a negative feeling about them.

 

The Sower and the Seed

The characters in ‘The Sower and The Seed’ include the sower and the seeds that represent different types of christians and their faith. The Sower represents God and the seeds his followers (christians), the different terrains where the seeds land represents the different obstacles each seed has to overcome and the differences in each of their faiths.God (the sower) fits into the archetype of the Herald. He is the person who initiates the journey that the seeds have to take, their journey of faith. The action of him throwing the seeds on the ground or sowing them, is the initiation of the event. “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled underfoot and the birds of the air ate it up.” This shows how the sower (God, Jesus) is the herald and how he initiates the journey the seeds have to take.

 

Jesus is represented as the mentor as he tells the parable of ‘The Sower and The Seed’ to explain faith and how it works. He gives advice and wisdom to his disciples by telling them their faith has to be build upon a solid foundation “But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.” He tells them that they have to be and honest believer, someone who has chosen the path of God on their own terms and not just because everyone else has. That they have to hold his word steadfast, believe forever and not only just for a short period of time and then change their mind. He also says that there are different obstacles one has to overcome while believing. “The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are chocked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life. “The thorns are the difficulties; the pleasures of this life and the worries that have overcome them. These are the obstacles that they have to conquer in order to be a faithful believer. Jesus is a character who cares more for others than he does himself and is a faithful follower of God. He also gives wisdom and advice to those who listen and helps them on their journey of faith.

 

The moral of this story/parable is ‘If it’s worth doing it’s worth doing well.’ This is because Jesus asks you to believe, but if and when you decide to follow him, he asks you to do it well. To start in the ‘good soil’; so make your believes clear, concise and steadfast. He also asks that you do it honestly/wholeheartedly and mean that you do and say for and to him.  

Bear Man

In the Cherokee folktale “Bear Man” the main character is a man who isn’t afraid of the wildlife, simply curious. He follows a bear into it’s cave and lives with it while learning it’s ways, until they get discovered by the villagers and the bear is shot. The man returns to the town but not before he sees the bear come back to life. The man fits the archetype of being more the side-kick rather than the hero. This is because he doesn’t really do anything heroic, rather he listens to the bear and learns from his ways. This allows the man to then become a better person as well as becoming more conscious of the wildlife and their importance in life. The man/hunter represents the moral truth of trust and how far it can get you in life. Although it may be helpful it can also be misjudged and giving it to the wrong person(s) can lead to great disappointment or trouble. Th man choice wisely and decided to trust the people who were good company and wanted the best for him.

 

The bear however, fits the archetype of the mentor. This is because he shares his wisdom with the man (hunter) and teaches him his ways of living. “The hunter lived in the cave with the bear all winter, until long hair like that f a bear began to grow all over his body and he began to act like a bear; but he still walked like a man.” This shows how the man learn’t the bears ways and how it effected him physically. “The hunter thought to himself “he may kill me”: but the bear read his thoughts and said “No, I won’t hurt you.” This shows how powerful the bear was and also the amount of control he had, as he knew he was able to kill the man easily but decides not to. It also shows how trusting the man is as he knows that the bear can kill him but decides to trust him regardless. The important fact of life he represents I listening to your elders. This is because although the bear is old, he is also wise and you can lear a greta deal from listening to other peoples experiences and their opinions and ideas of what they should have done. They can provide great insight into your problems and give you ideas on how to fix them. The bear also represent the moral ‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover’. This is because although the bear looked harmful and dangerous, he merely wanted companionship and teach others how their way of life works and what can be benefitted from it. The bear ends up being kind, and has a good heart; which is the complete opposite of what the Hunter and the readers presumed him to be.

 

The villagers are the enemy/antagonists as they kill the bear, without giving it a second thought and take the man away from his ‘home’. They represent society as they think they know best and therefore act according to their thoughts, not caring what happens to the subjects involved. This is evident through “The hunters came and looked inside and saw the bear and killed him with their arrows.” It’s shows no consideration from the hunters in regards to their actions. They represent ‘survival of the fittest’ as a fact of life as they had more resources in regards to weapons and were ruthless in being the ‘fittest’ and best species to survive. They realised what they needed to do in order to survive and didn’t hesitate with the requirements of this action.

 

Samson And Delilah

In the biblical saga “Samson and Delilah” the main character Samson is depicted as a godly, fearless man that will do whatever it takes to free his people and whatever God asks of him. This is shown through his actions. God tells Samson never to cut his hair as it his source of strength and as his hair grows so will his strength. But because of Samson’s weakness; woman, he tells his current wife; Delilah, what his weakness is. She being a temptress and a shapeshifter, takes advantage of his trust and tells the Philistines how to defeat Samson. With this information they take Samson hostage and keep him captive. These events occur because Samson is too trusting. He tells Delilah his weakness, believing that she won’t do anything with the information bestowed upon her. But because her loyalties lie with her people and not Samson she takes advantage of him, and deceives him.

 

Delilah’s actions determine that she is categorised as a shapeshifter and a temptress. She is depicted as a shapeshifter as the reader is uncertain of where her loyalties lie. Because of her relations with Samson it is believed that she would be faithful to him, but in the end it becomes clear she was only deceiving him and only wanted to discover his weakness to help further defeat the Israelites and better her peoples position in society. A temptress because she gives Samson what he desires to get what she wants. Essentially she manipulates him, by using her charm, for the benefit of herself and her people. “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have deceived me these three times and have not told me where your great strength is.” This is an example of Delilah playing on Samson’s emotions, where she tries to deceive him.

 

Samson is the classified as the hero in the story as he saves his people from the captivity of the Philistines. He does this by using his strength, so when he looses his strength it has a follow on effect to the position/freedom of the Israelites (Samson’s people). As he no longer has his strength they are helpless and the Philistines van take advantage of them. While in captivity Samson prays and asks God for his strength back, offering up his life to help the Israelites. “O Lord GOD, please remember me and strengthen me this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.”. Samson cries out to the Lord and therefore he is able to kill a great amount of Philistines, fulfilling his purpose; freeing the Israelites. Because of Samson’s courageous actions on behalf of the Israelites his is depicted as a hero.

 

The Philistines are viewed as the antagonists as they take the Israelites captive and keep them as slaves, overpowering and restricting them. This makes them the antagonist as the are viewed as being ‘wrong’ or doing things that aren’t acceptable, this including forcing people to do what you want them o do. Because of our position and the society we live in, where a democracy and free will is encouraged, we view slavery and people not being equal as wrong and so therefore the Philistines are categorised as antagonists. The Moral or life story of the biblical saga “Samson and Delilah” is that you should never give up and to a certain extent believe in God, because he will strengthen and equip you to overcome the obstacles that you face in your life. When Samson decides to try one more time to overthrow the Philistines and succeeds this alludes to never giving up and he asks God for his strength back and believes that he will come through shows you that good things come from belief in God and also that God will answer you prays and your questions.

 

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