hey! i'm moving the longform blog to wordpress. https://witabif.wordpress.com/
however i'm keepign this blog as an archive. the posts that have been reposted on the wordpress include my asoiaf analysis posts, and my posts about lorde. most everything else will stay here.
the original long blog. now on wordpress.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
asoiaf read: catelyn in a game of thrones
i didn't take any notes on this chapter so we're going straight to the analysis.
Just like with Bran, I wondered what exactly Catelyn's arc in this book was. Across her eleven chapters, Cat's journey takes her many places. In the end, I think a lot of that had to do with shattering expectations and confronting reality, which parallels with Sansa in ways we'll discuss later.
I determined this because so many of Cat's chapters are spent thinking of the way things used to be. In her introduction, she reminisces about Riverrun and it's godswood in comparison to the one in Winterfell, and notes how different they are. This is something that happens often, especially once she travels south to find the owner of the dragonbone dagger. Cat will begin relaying her memories of a place or a person upon thought, but then she is confronted with the current reality and how it's changed.
However, one of Cat's best traits is her ability to adapt. Unlike Sansa, who is beat down by the constant shattering of her songs and stories, Catelyn simply shifts herself to what the time is offering her. That's not to say that she doesn't get clouded by the past - her putting her trust in Petyr and Lysa are evidence of this - but she tries her best to adjust when she can.
Something I want to note about Cat as a character is the fact that she is allowed to exist as more than just a mother and wife. This is something I haven't forgiven the show for, making Cat's entire character revolve around her motherhood to the point of it making her do foolish things. In this book Cat adheres to all three of the Tully words: family, but also duty, and honor.
The only time we see Cat turn into this flattened character is when after Bran's fall, and even then it's much more complex. Cat is in shock and extremely stressed by the events, and it is clear that this is not her usual mode of being. The previous chapter as well as the reaction of her and others shows this. Unlike the show, where Cat begs Ned to deny the king's wishes, in the books she urges him to go, to protect his family and Robert's. Cat is the one who realizes that she is the best candidate to go south to search for the dagger's owner. When confronted with the man she believed to have put a hit on her son, she took action against him. And when it comes to war at the end of the book, Cat gives Robb just as much council as his bannermen, without overstepping in a way that she thinks might take away his agency. She is also allowed her flaws, such as her thoughts on base born children, and trusting the past when she ought not to. She is so much more than just a weepy, nagging mother, and I can't wait to see where her journey takes her in the next book.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
asoiaf read: analysis of bran in a game of thrones
okay, so I've decided that i need to come back and talk about bran's chapters and arc in this book more in depth.
When i first finished reading, i was a little unclear about what Bran's character arc was supposed to be in this book. He only has seven chapters, which doesn't seem like enough time to establish and go through any change. That mistake is easy to make, especially if you don't know the amount of time that passes in this book. All that being said, Bran definitely does have an arc.
Bran's first two chapters are used for establishing - both his character and the world he lives in. The first chapter, in particular, spends more time on world building than it does on Bran, at a glance. The beheading of the Night's Watch deserter seems more like a background for introduction to the ways of the Northerners and our characters, as well as a set up for the boys finding the dead direwolf and it's pups. Of course, that's if you're looking at this chapter outside of the context of the prologue, which we're doing just for now. The second chapter, in contrast, speaks about Bran more directly as it relays the many stories about his climbing. I think it is safe to say that Bran's love of seeing the castle from above is foreshadowing to his next chapter.
The end of the second chapter throws a wrench into everything we've been set up to believe would happen to Bran later in the book. The next time we see Bran he's in an extended dream, filled with surreal imagery and symbolism. This is our first glimpse into his endgame, and the truth of what this entire series is about: not the politics or the wars or the conquests, but the battle for survival in the face of winter. From this point onward, we are reminded again and again that this is the focus, but subtly. It is no mistake that Bran doesn't remember the circumstances of his fall except in the vaguest terms.
Chapter four chronicles Bran's introduction back into the world after his accident. Multiple times we come face to face with Bran's feelings of inadequacy due to his paraplegia. No longer able to conform to the ableist standards for which Westerosi society has set forward for him as a boy, Bran is frustrated with his lot. Yet, he insists he is not broken, a subtle push against this. But unlearning oppressive ideology is hard - when presented with his saddle plans, Bran's mind goes to war and how he could learn to fight on horseback pretty quickly. I think it is important that it is Tyrion, a fellow outcast due to ableism, that provides the plans for Bran's saddle. I think it means a lot more coming from him, another person who has spent much of his life looking for ways to be mobile in this oppressive society. It's a genuine attempt at help, rather than someone trying to fit Bran back into the mold in anyway they can.
This continues into his fifth chapter, where, after finally riding out of the walls on his own, Bran feels inadequate again when he can't defend himself against the Wildings that attack him. However, I think this experience works to let Bran know that a warrior's life is not for him - not because he is paralyzed, but because he isn't cut out for it mentally. He is no Theon, and no Robb, even keeping the age gaps in mind. He is no Arya. Hopefully, he will realize that this is fine. Of course, it will not happen in this book. Unlearning oppressive ideology takes time. Once chapter 6 comes around, it is shown that Bran is beginning to become more comfortable with himself and his disability.
Throughout these two chapters, we have subtle reminders of the real threat, in the way of Old Nan's story about the Others, and even the Wildlings raiding in the woods. These come again in chapter 6, where Osha, the captured Wilding woman, tells Bran that Robb needs to march his army north, not south - toward the true problem, and not the distraction. Of course, we know he does not listen, but that is not Robb's fault - he doesn't have much to go off of. What's important is that Bran is listening, and that the things he saw in his dream, and what the crow has told him, haven't fallen on deaf ears. Bran is no longer afraid of the weirwood tree.
Bran's last chapter brings us to the climax of his arc in this book, away from the traditional male role. Again, we see that Bran does cling to some vestiges of this other path, reminiscing about his sword practice with Prince Tommen and wondering if he could go to war riding Hodor's back - remember, unlearning oppressive ideology is hard. But this chapter is also the beginning of a new journey for Bran. His dream of the crow, and his father in the crypts, is the first of his green dreams that he actually remembers. His father's death hangs over his head before it even happens. From this point forward, Bran's life will be led along by prophecy, an aspect he shares with many characters that lived before his time. Slowly,we begin to see how Bran will be directed away from Winterfell and toward the far north, as he learns about the First Men and the children of the forest. Bran's new journey that begins with this chapter, is that of the greenseer.
When i first finished reading, i was a little unclear about what Bran's character arc was supposed to be in this book. He only has seven chapters, which doesn't seem like enough time to establish and go through any change. That mistake is easy to make, especially if you don't know the amount of time that passes in this book. All that being said, Bran definitely does have an arc.
Bran's first two chapters are used for establishing - both his character and the world he lives in. The first chapter, in particular, spends more time on world building than it does on Bran, at a glance. The beheading of the Night's Watch deserter seems more like a background for introduction to the ways of the Northerners and our characters, as well as a set up for the boys finding the dead direwolf and it's pups. Of course, that's if you're looking at this chapter outside of the context of the prologue, which we're doing just for now. The second chapter, in contrast, speaks about Bran more directly as it relays the many stories about his climbing. I think it is safe to say that Bran's love of seeing the castle from above is foreshadowing to his next chapter.
The end of the second chapter throws a wrench into everything we've been set up to believe would happen to Bran later in the book. The next time we see Bran he's in an extended dream, filled with surreal imagery and symbolism. This is our first glimpse into his endgame, and the truth of what this entire series is about: not the politics or the wars or the conquests, but the battle for survival in the face of winter. From this point onward, we are reminded again and again that this is the focus, but subtly. It is no mistake that Bran doesn't remember the circumstances of his fall except in the vaguest terms.
Chapter four chronicles Bran's introduction back into the world after his accident. Multiple times we come face to face with Bran's feelings of inadequacy due to his paraplegia. No longer able to conform to the ableist standards for which Westerosi society has set forward for him as a boy, Bran is frustrated with his lot. Yet, he insists he is not broken, a subtle push against this. But unlearning oppressive ideology is hard - when presented with his saddle plans, Bran's mind goes to war and how he could learn to fight on horseback pretty quickly. I think it is important that it is Tyrion, a fellow outcast due to ableism, that provides the plans for Bran's saddle. I think it means a lot more coming from him, another person who has spent much of his life looking for ways to be mobile in this oppressive society. It's a genuine attempt at help, rather than someone trying to fit Bran back into the mold in anyway they can.
This continues into his fifth chapter, where, after finally riding out of the walls on his own, Bran feels inadequate again when he can't defend himself against the Wildings that attack him. However, I think this experience works to let Bran know that a warrior's life is not for him - not because he is paralyzed, but because he isn't cut out for it mentally. He is no Theon, and no Robb, even keeping the age gaps in mind. He is no Arya. Hopefully, he will realize that this is fine. Of course, it will not happen in this book. Unlearning oppressive ideology takes time. Once chapter 6 comes around, it is shown that Bran is beginning to become more comfortable with himself and his disability.
Throughout these two chapters, we have subtle reminders of the real threat, in the way of Old Nan's story about the Others, and even the Wildlings raiding in the woods. These come again in chapter 6, where Osha, the captured Wilding woman, tells Bran that Robb needs to march his army north, not south - toward the true problem, and not the distraction. Of course, we know he does not listen, but that is not Robb's fault - he doesn't have much to go off of. What's important is that Bran is listening, and that the things he saw in his dream, and what the crow has told him, haven't fallen on deaf ears. Bran is no longer afraid of the weirwood tree.
Bran's last chapter brings us to the climax of his arc in this book, away from the traditional male role. Again, we see that Bran does cling to some vestiges of this other path, reminiscing about his sword practice with Prince Tommen and wondering if he could go to war riding Hodor's back - remember, unlearning oppressive ideology is hard. But this chapter is also the beginning of a new journey for Bran. His dream of the crow, and his father in the crypts, is the first of his green dreams that he actually remembers. His father's death hangs over his head before it even happens. From this point forward, Bran's life will be led along by prophecy, an aspect he shares with many characters that lived before his time. Slowly,we begin to see how Bran will be directed away from Winterfell and toward the far north, as he learns about the First Men and the children of the forest. Bran's new journey that begins with this chapter, is that of the greenseer.
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