Gothic Project Virtual Gallery Walk 2020

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of God Emperor of Man by John Blance

In God Emperor of Man, John Blance uses colours to convey the gothic theme that people need to change the way they enact government. The way he does this is by using an oppressive mood with colours to convey that the world is bleak. The element of the skeleton is to show the undeath of government, the supernatural helps with the fact that government knows all. The colours, violence, chaos, pain, and violence all help to convey the oppressive feeling of the 41st millenium that the universe is set in.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

The Fall of Man

In the grim darkness of the 41st millennium there is no peace, no happiness, and no hope. There is only war, a galaxy wide campaign by the Imperium of man and the God Emperor on his golden throne. The hope of a race upon his ancient shoulders, a title he did not want in life was God Emperor. But after his death at the hands of his traitorous son Horus upon his capital ship Vengeful Spirit the emperor was inturned on the golden throne upon Holy Terra. In a decline the race of man faces many threats from foul xenos to their own race, the never ending race has ruined many worlds and killed countless trillions. The Imperium in it’s stagnancy sits there like the emperor on his throne, though he’s not dead he’s not alive. He sees all with his mind, his mind may be there or in another fall away. As his body sits rotting away the cult of the emperor defiles his memory with their need for a deity, he may have been a champion of logic and reason but now he’s an object of his own disgust. The religious fueled government kills all who disagree with them, they smite the innocent and the guilty equally. The Imperium of man has taken a dream and corrupted it with it’s own ideas.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Splice by Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo del Toro’s Splice is dark, mysterious, and overall negative, outlook on genetic manipulation presenting an eerie mood and the theme that is necessary for people to be careful and know how far is too far throughout most of the film. This is done effectively with the use of dark eerie mood throughout the movie, having most of the movie be scenes in the dark with suspenseful music playing at every right time. Being present when it counts, the music only adds to the theme that people need to be cautious and know how far is too far which is very clearly shown as things go wrong and slowly get worse as the movie progresses. The eerie mood, devine theme, and foreboding author's purpose all come together in order to contribute to just how gothic the film Splice, warning people to be careful of which lines they have and which line they should cross. The author's purpose of the film is to bring up the possibilities of humanity's future in genetics and how we’re slowly catching up with what would be or should be common science fictions.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III : Artist Statement

The film Splice presents a further developed point of view on genetic manipulations when compared to many sci-fi movies. The important part of the movie being when everything goes wrong and the creature known as Dren turns male and falling to primal instincts slaughters a team of men as well as takes advantage of his “Mom.” Bringing around a tense feeling with a sudden burst of blood and ungodly actions. I decided to take Dren in his male version with almost no moral compass and compared this beast with how he started as a more domestic version of himself when he was instead a she and had basic emotions and in appearance and emotions was almost human. Dren starts with emotions and even feels compassion for people and creatures then, due to no fault of her own, only having primal instincts. I was unsure how to present the theme of how far is too far because when you finally figure that out scenes immediately become gory and rather inappropriate. Doing what I felt I could I showed Dren from before being almost human with emotions and decency to clothe herself to having only the aspect of looking the part.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Dracula by Bram Stoker

Throughout Dracula, Bram Stoker explores the theme that some people are willing to do anything to avoid death, even if it means taking one’s life in order to do so. In an attempt to find new blood, Dracula leaves his castle and spreads soil around London which would be used as graves to replenish his strengths between his hunts. There is a mysterious and tense mood as a group of men and women attempt to kill him and render the boxes of soil useless by using bread. Stoker uses gothic elements to enhance the mood by presenting Dracula as a sinister force, making the mood all the more ominous. Stoker also uses a castle, which is common amongst medieval times, presumably when the story is set. Stoker’s purpose is to expose people’s persistence to avoid death and how it relates to people wanting to live forever.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

The gothic novel Dracula by Bram Stoker was the inspiration for the piece I painted. In the novel, the theme revolves around the never ending battle of Good vs. Evil, and the distance some are willing to go in order to avoid death. In my painting, I used dark colors such as black, gray and red to create a gothic undertone which is found throughout the book. The painting portrays a hand reaching from inside a box, a safe haven for Dracula in which to gain the strength to find more victims to prolong his life. To the left of the box was his most recent victim, likely to awaken as another vampire. I used the hand coming out of the box and a single light illuminating the area to convey an ominous setting that is found throughout the novel. A brick wall is in the backdrop, similar to gothic architecture.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of The Mist by Stephen King

Stephan King’s novella, “The Mist” examines the gothic theme that extreme fear and uneasiness reverts people to a more barbaric state and shows everyone’s true nature. The use of the mist throughout the story is only the catalyst in order to force everyone in the Federal Store to stay together and play off of each other to show everyone’s true nature. Mrs. Carmody, for example, accrues a group of people to spew her ramblings to, Myron and Jim get Norm killed by the monsters, and Ollie Weeks even kills Mrs. Carmody. With the mist being secondary to the real story about how people devolve into a more uncivilized state, Stephan King is able to work a depressing and foreboding mood into the story. The mood then helps build the gothic theme of a person’s true nature by establishing an air of tension and apprehension, even leaving the story on a cliffhanger and leaving the reader unsatisfied because the reader does not know if David and the rest of the escapees survive. In addition, King does not explain the mist, the monsters, what is happening to the rest of the world, whether everyone else is dead, and leaves most things partially explained. This lack of knowledge, combined with the killing of Norm, the deaths of Norton and his posse, Billy Drayton constantly being scared, and Mrs. Carmody’s speeches all lend to the gothic air of the story. Stephan King’s purpose in writing “The Mist” is to warn readers that they can never really know someone until they go through an extreme example of fear bordering death and to be wary of those we do not know in tense, dangerous situations.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Humanity’s Truth

Never really knowing someone
Until death’s uncertainty, one does approach
Near the end of each earned run
Does the true nature of someone encroach
Creeping, crawling only in mystery and terror
Only to reveal what is beneath the facade
With tragedy as its faithful bearer
Breaching the gates of realization with its own petard

Upon David Drayton is this truth made clear
Never to trust those without trials and tribulations
Even those ones that we call “dear”
For their true nature known naught, might present aberrations
Only the worst of cases can one be made known the truth
So be wary of anybody and everybody, even in the best of times
Or when it matters you may be the one in the booth
Doomed only to begrime

When a mist clouds all judgment and knowledge
And only fear remains
The weight of mystery haulage
Akin to those infernal chains
The revelation can never be sought, only found
What is perceived is reduced to a mere pissant

Part III: Artist Statement

The novella “The Mist” by Stephan King was the inspiration for my original poem “Humanity’s Truth.” My poem was based on the theme, gothic elements, mood, tone, and originality of “The Mist.” The major theme of “The Mist” is that only extreme fear and uneasiness can revert someone into a more barbaric state and reveal a person’s true nature. Another major idea in the novella was that the mist that brings the monsters is only a catalyst to devolve people into the more hedonistic state that everyone is capable of in Stephan King’s mind. Therefore, these ideas were the main concept that my poem is based upon. Next, I attempted to mirror the gothic elements of “The Mist” including the ambiguity of his descriptions, the deaths of various people in the store, and Mrs. Carmody’s incoherent ramblings. I tried to replicate the air of ambiguity that Stephan King and the other gothic elements he uses in my poems by not explaining everything and leaving room for the reader to interpret the poem. I also incorporated King’s mood of uncertainty and anxious mood to help build on the gothic elements of the poem to create a more despairing tone to my poem. These gothic elements and Stephan King’s unique theme all contributed to the overarching question I wanted my poem to present.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Pet Sematary by Kevin Kölsch

Throughout Pet Sematary, Kevin Kolsch conveys the theme that becomes more and more clear, making a good decision for yourself doesn't always mean it's good for other people. When the dad decides to bury his daughter in an indian place, he does it because it's what he wants, even though he has been warned. This will prove to have a negative effect later on not only Louis but the entire family. Once the theme was established, the movie works toward backing up the theme, after the daughter is buried, everything seems to be going all right for Louis, but for other people everything is getting worse. Eventually the girl kills all the family minus the baby and buries them in the haunted indian burial ground. Completely solidifying the theme over the movie.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

In this image titled “Reflections” which I based off of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary and created using traditional crayola markers and sharpie, Louis is seen looking deeply into a mirror. He asks himself, “What did I do?” because his actions have ultimately ruined not only his life, but also his family’s. Church is seen in the reflection as well looking maliciously at his former owner. The ideas of deep guilt and sorrow play a large role in this scene and an overall dark tone is expressed through the particularly dark background and the use of muted colors. A very depressed mood is portrayed through Louis’ self-reflection as he realizes the damage he has done. I chose to illustrate the scene as I did in order to showcase the message behind the film - do not attempt to play God or you will pay the penalty. I included the rabbit figure as an ode to the pet sematary itself and to showcase a figure who played a role in sparking Louis interest in the pet sematary to begin with. The dark, ominous background, which is an example of a gothic element and consists of the tree, owl, and grave marker, helps to create and reinforce the gloomy and depressing mood of this scene. Overall, through my use of gothic elements, I was able to portray the regret and disappointment Louis feels towards himself and showcase how his surroundings influence his decision.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of “Sleeping Beauty” by the Grimm Brothers

The Grimm Brothers use darkness in “Sleeping Beauty” to convey the gothic theme that you should be careful who you wrong in life.The mood goes from light to gloomy for example how the castle had no vines o n the wall, now there is. The gothic elements are the deteriorating castle and that everyone went into a deep sleep and nothing was going on when one of their rulers went into a deep sleep. The author’s purpose is to warn audiences to be careful who they trust and wrong.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Family Betrayal

On a sunny fall day, a young man named Sven stood along the road. He worked as a fruit salesman from dawn to dusk everyday. He had been saving his money to buy a store in town, so he could make more money. He hoped to buy it before the major snowstorms hit so he would be in a well heated building and not the road...

Part III: Artist Statement

The “Family Betrayal'' is based off of the fairy tale “The Sleepy Beauty.” The main character is Sven who is a fruit salesman. He has been saving money for his dream store but when he went to buy it he found out that all of his life savings was stolen and he was devastated. The people who stole the money were his own family.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of “27” by Machine Gun Kelly

The song “27” by Machine Gun Kelly conveys the theme that troubles of being or chasing fame take more of a toll on people then what is believed. The song talks about the demons and temptations being part of his journey. The road to fame is undervalued and overlooked by media and fans. MGK talks about how heartbreak was his drive and it turned him into a drug addict and turned towards addictions and bad decisions. He said it felt like there was a feeling beyond him that drove him to addiction, almost like a sinister motive. MGK uses a The gothic feature behind this song is the dark inspirations, like his addictions, and experiences that happen to rich and famous people. In the song, MGK talks about giving everything he has for his walk to fame. He even expects to die at 27 and is okay with it because at least he would have made it. MGK wants everyone to know what actors, artists, athletes etc… go through to make it to the top and risk a lot for their dreams.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

The gothic song “27” by MGK was the inspiration for my art piece, “Evils of Fame.” The descriptive wording and dark, gothic theme of the song lead me to the dark and horrific inspirational painting. The theme that MGK wants to show the listeners is that there is evil behind the walk to fame and so much more people have to go through even after the fame. The piece I made shows that aspect of the theme where once you get past fame you are drug into all these different hardships; some being drugs. I then focused on the mood and the transitioning of colors to show that the light slowly fades into dark. I wanted to not just paint something that shows the meaning but also gives off a gothic and emotional feel to it.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Will-o’-the-Wisp by Arnold Böcklin

The painting Will-o’-the-Wisp by Arnold Böcklin conveys the idea that the desire to believe in the supernatural is foolish and dangerous. In the painting, a young man is approaching a dark forest as sunset approaches, guided by what is assumed to be a will-o’-the-wisp. The longer the painting is studied, it becomes more obvious that the spirit has a captivating, ethereal presence that urges the man to follow. Strange, almost humanoid shapes in the trees and foliage and ground also become apparent with continued observance, subtly hinted at with lighter shading combined with inconsistent, vague, dark outlines. The young man’s body language is also brought to attention with closer inspection. The uncertain shapes, the dark forest, and the man’s body language play off of eachother, creating an apprehensive, foreboding mood. The impending sunset, the promise that true darkness will soon come, only adds to the unnerving feeling the painting emanates. The mist drifting from the will-o’-the-wisp, along with the glow she gives off, indicates that she is not a mortal being; she is something that would inspire awe and curiosity, and possibly a slight bit of fear in a normal human being. This magical aura she casts seems to ensnare the young man into following her; even though he is obviously afraid, he continues to pursue the spectral being in front of him. Böcklin’s purpose in creating this painting is to warn the viewers that things that are not understood, that are supernatural, are temptatious, and should be avoided to ensure the safety of one’s mind and body.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

The Man and the Myth

Will gazed up at the night sky, shimmering with stars and blotted with shadows from the leaves and branches obscuring his view. The sharp bark of the tree stabbed at his back, making it impossible to stay in one position very long. He didn’t mind. Every time he shifted, he was provided with a new and breathtaking view of the sky. The sky, especially at night, was Will’s safe place, the one place where he could forget the constant hunger and the struggle to make ends meet. Often, he wished he could leave his own miserable life behind and join the ranks of the stars. At least then he would be doing something useful, he thought, providing light and beauty for others. Shaking off the morose thoughts, Will turned his face upward again. A shooting star flitted across the inky blackness. Squeezing his eyes shut he whispered “Please, please get me out of this place. I don’t care how, just get me out.” He remained in the tree for another few minutes, enjoying the freedom and promise the darkness offered, then clambered back down the tree and slipped into the dark, drafty shed he alone called home...

Part III: Artist Statement

In my short story “The Man and the Myth,” my goal was to show that trusting myths and legends, no matter how appealing they are, is foolish and dangerous. The story is set in mid 1800s London with major distances between the social classes. Will, who is meant to represent anyone who chooses to put their faith in a supernatural legend or being, works at the docks in London, and is part of the working class, barely scraping through life. On his trek through the forest back to his dilapidated house, he encounters an ethereal, glowing woman promising him a better life if he follows her. Completely enamoured by her beauty and promise, Will misses her cold eyes and cruel smile. As the story continues and night falls, he follows the woman, Scilla, deeper into the forest, the trees changing and becoming denser, creating an ominous and foreboding feeling. At last, they reach a clearing with a cave. When he sees the absolute darkness of the entrance, Will begins to have doubts, but they are quickly dismissed when Scilla tells him to enter. Upon entering, there is screaming and a glowing light, and Will and Scilla trade places; him becoming a star, and her becoming a human. The overall purpose of the story is to emphasize the theme that believing in the supernatural is useless and foolish, and will ultimately cause harm to the believer.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of "The White Ship" by HP Lovecraft

The short story “The White Ship” by HP Lovecraft explores the idea that greed prevents humanity from experiencing joy in life. In the piece, a lighthouse watcher gets on a mystical white ship that shows itself under the full moon, which creates a mysterious mood. It shows him islands that people have never returned from because of the temptation. The lighthouse watcher gets off on an island that is the manifestation of joy, and according to the ship captain, is a safe island. While the lighthouse watcher was on that island, he heard of an island of the gods beyond the basalt pillars in the west. When the lighthouse watcher tells the captain of the white ship that he wants to go there, the captain issues a warning. No one has ever seen it, and those who have gone to seek it have never returned. These ominous warnings continue the entire voyage. They reach the basalt pillars shrouded in mist, only to find that the land beyond them does not exist, and instead a giant waterfall awaits them. The lighthouse watcher closes his eyes, waiting for the impact that would kill him. Instead, when he opens his eyes, he is back at the lighthouse. The light had broken, and a ship had crashed upon the shore. The story warns the reader of the effects of greed, and not only how it impacts you negatively, but others as well.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

The piece I based my photo off of was H.P. Lovecraft’s The White Ship which had a main theme that greed prevents humanity from experiencing joy in life of greed, and an overall dark mood which I tried to incorporate into this piece. The light source is behind the ship in the bottle, as is gold. This represents the main character passing up an infinity of bliss in order to try and find something better which he had only heard of. Instead, the ship is heading into the dark part of the photo, in the background there is an hourglass which represents the dwindling time the main character has in this realm of sorts. The main focus of the photo is the dragon which represents ruin upon a black piece of coal which is in reference to the black pillars that marked the edge of the world. I tried to visually capture the idea of greed, without using usual stereotypes for the feeling.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of "The Colour out of Space" by HP Lovecraft

HP Lovecraft uses poisonous light that can’t escape in “The Colour out of Space” to convey the gothic theme that there are some things that man is not meant to know, and if he tries, death and chaos are sure to rear their heads. “The Colour out of Space” is a nice story by a not so nice man, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, who creates a mood of uncertainty then terror. The story is about a man who owns the farm, then a meteorite arrives. The cows and plants are poisoned by whatever was inside the meteorite so the farmer moves the cows. The meteorite color then starts feeding off of him and his family and eventually kills them all. Lovecraft accentuates the irreversibility of what this unknown color can do when really it just seems that the easiest option was just for the family to move away. Lovecraft’s purpose is to scare audiences by bringing out the fear of the unseen using the unseen spectrum of light. Color does not usually act this way, and can’t, but since we cannot see this color, we don’t know how it could act, and therefore he plays off the fear of the unseen.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

Signified in rot and decay, The Unusual shapings of your surroundings, lights that you cannot identify with colors unseen by man; All shall cower beneath the old ones and none shall stay sane within their grasp. I based my piece off of HP Lovecraft’s “The Colour Out of Space.” I wanted something that really showed what Llovecraftian horror was, even though the image isn't exactly horrifying, it still works to demonstrate the terrifying mood what Llovecraft's thought to bring out. The theme of the original piece is that there are some things that man is not meant to know, and if he tries, death and chaos are sure to rear their heads. Likewise, I represented the gothic element of the irreversibility. It took me a while to figure out the colors that I wanted and the background that would go best with it, but after a few days I think it turned out well.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of The Corpse Bride by Tim Burton

The movie The Corpse Bride by Tim Burton explores the gothic theme of life after death. A young man accidentally marries a corpse bride instead of his real bride. He is then stuck in a trail to be able to be free from the accidental wedding and to be able to marry his real bride. Even though a mistake was made there was still hope for him to be able to marry the women he wants to. The theme seems to be very depressing as the movie goes on but as well as using a frightened and romantic mood throughout the development of the movie. There is a frightening mood when Edward is arrested and then a romantic mood when there is love. But it still sticks to the more mysterious, depressing theme throughout the movie. Tim Burton was trying to give his readers a fairy tale that wasn’t necessarily a fairy tale.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

The Corpse Bride is a very well known movie and very well love because it shows life after death in a creepy yet intriguing way. It sets a tone of mystery and darkness. As an artist, I took the mystery and darkness and put a little bit of a spin on it in my piece. The movie shows life after death and a whole new world so I wanted to show that in my painting. The border has dark colors and makes an arch. I wanted this to be like the audience walking into a new world after death. And the moon is shining and there are dark clouds and it leaves with an unknown feeling of what is going to happen and if it will be good or bad. The more gothic side of this painting is the dark unknown surrounding the new life you are about to enter. In the Corpse Bride Emily is with living people as she has already died showing the theme of life after death.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe

The short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe explores the theme that guilt weighs heavily on a person’s conscience, no matter their initial feelings about their actions. A man with a keen sense of hearing is planning how he will kill an elderly man who lives with him. A mood of suspense and tension builds throughout the story as the murderer plans out how he will deal with the old man. The mood is enhanced by the authors continuous use of gothic elements such as dark settings, cryptic action, and the continuous dread of murder. After successfully killing the old man and hiding his body in the floor of the house, the murderer is calm and collected. The police eventually show up to question the man, and he allows them to sit in the house and converses with the officers for some time. However, as time goes on the murderer hears a constant thud and ringing in his ear until he finally tears apart the floorboards to reveal the old man’s body which he claims to still hear the beating of the dead man’s heart. Poe’s purpose in this work is to warn the reader, that no matter how confident they may be, guilt will always weigh on them and could lead to their psychological downfall.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” takes the readers into the dark suspense and dread of murder along with the psychology of the ensuing guilt on a person’s conscience. Using dark settings and an ever present dread, Poe enraptured the reader. As the artist, I have created a piece which demonstrates how no matter who a person is, they are guilty of something and to demonstrate the weight guilt can play in a person’s conscience until they descend into madness. The ball and chain around the man in red’s neck is to represent guilt as it is pulling him down in a hellish abyss which would be mental insanity. The cracks under the three others in the picture serve to show their varying levels of guilt that lurk just below the surface but could open into abysses at any moment, ready to claim their mentalities. The man on the edge of the cliff is there to demonstrate the gothic element of the finality of the murder and the psychotic episode which appear in the story. The dread and suspense build until the dark moment where the old man is killed and cut into pieces and the murderer experiences that same feeling of helplessness as the old man did when he died. The theme of the weight of guilt on a person helps to urge people to lead lives of less guilt so they could have less weighing on their conscience.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Untitled by Zdzisław Beksiński

In his untitled painting, Zdzisław Beksiński uses a dark and chaotic atmosphere to convey the gothic theme that although leaving a dangerous situation may be necessary, doing so without a set destination can be fruitless. Throughout this piece, anyone could sense the mood feeling terrified and desperate, considering the contrast of dark colors and not knowing where this creature could be going. In the background of his painting, the buildings are dark black with flames dancing everywhere and they look as if they are starting to decay. The central focus of this piece is the creature crawling around on the ground on all fours with claw-like hands and feet. This creature is faceless and has bandages wrapped around its entire face with blood coming out where the nose and eyes should be. Beksiński’s purpose for this artwork is to warn audiences about the destructiveness of a post-apocalyptic future.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Experiment 626

Russia was known for having dark secrets. From the cold war, memes, stories, and even ex-scientists that were suddenly going missing started to spread the horrible experiments happening to war criminals. Experiment 626 was one of them. They injected the subject of this experiment with multiple serums, trying to figure out how he would react. One of the experiments caused him to claw his eyes and nose out. One of them even made his hands and feet into what looked like chicken feet. By far, Experiment 626 had looked and acted the scariest to all of the scientists; although there were ones who were even larger than him (up to seven feet tall or even over five hundred pounds), they still feared him most. Their fear grew when one afternoon a scientist named Katya went to check on him, only to find his room bloody and the glass shattered into pieces.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Children of the Corn by Stephen King

The film Children of the Corn directed by Fritz Kiersch and based off of the short story “Children of the Corn” by Stephen King conveys the gothic theme that the loss of authority leads to anarchy. During the film, the characters Burt and Vicky are driving through Nebraska and come upon a small town that seems rather empty. Soon, Burt and Vicky find out that all of the adults were murdered by the children which is why they cannot find any adults. Eventually, the children capture Vicky, and Isaac, the leader of the children, demands that she is sacrificed on a corn husk cross to “He Who Walks Behind the Rows” (HWWBtR) in order to appease him. Further adding to the chaotic mood, Malachai, Isaac’s right hand man, turns on Isaac and puts him on the cross intended for Vicky. While this is happening, Burt crashes a cult ritual of a 19 year old preparing to sacrifice himself to HWWBtR because he is now too old to be a child. Shortly after, Malachai summons the demonic creature, HWWBtR, using Isaac as the sacrifice. After everyone important is in safety, Burt discovers a bible verse that belonged to the last person who attempted to defeat HWWBtR. Burt realizes in order to end the chaos, he must burn down the cornfield that HWWBtR lives in, and will consequently kill the demonic deity. Stephen King and Fritz Keirsch’s purpose it to caution viewers about the rise of anarchy and to keep authority in life to prevent it.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

He Who Walks Behind the Rows

He Who Walks Behind the Rows,
No one has seen, yet everyone knows,
The driving force to end all order,
Isaac’s faith had known no border.

Isaac spoke to He Who Walks,
And relayed the message to juvenile flocks.
The children supported great sacrifice,
At age 19 came the ultimate price.

A cross of corn for those too old,
Nothing to save them, nothing to hold,
The man in blue was the first to go,
To He Who Walks Behind the Rows.

Then along came outlanders, Vicky and Burt,
Who Isaac, the leader, wanted to hurt,
He sent out his goons to hunt them down,
But Vicky and Burt fled through the town.

Vicky was caught after being swarmed,
She was put on a cross and a crowd then formed.
Put on a cross, and erected to the sky,
Vicky had no choice but to hope and cry.

Burt came in with fire in his eyes,
And then saved Vicky from her demise.
Burt ran off with Vicky and two kids,
Then the kids showed Burt where they usually hid.

During this time, rebelion has struck,
Isaac was betrayed, all out of luck.
Crucified on the great corn cross,
Isaac was waiting, his life was lost.

There it comes, He Who Walks!
Everyone is speechless, only silent gawks.
The shadowy figure moving fast,
Isaac breathed heavy until his last.

A Bible passage that burt had found,
From the man in blue, had come back around.
Burts last task, with gas and fire,
Was to light a blaze to the field as if a pyre.

With a spark and a flame the corn was lit
Scorching the earth, to every last bit.
Without the corn, his life runs low,
He Who Walks Behind the Rows.

Part III: Artist Statement

The gothic movie Children of the Corn by Fritz Kiersch, based off of the short story “Children of the Corn” by Stephen King, was the inspiration behind my poem “He Who Walks Behind the Rows.” I used the theme, mood, tone, and gothic elements from Children of the Corn in my poem. Children of the Corn possesses the theme that the loss of authority leads to anarchy. A prominent motif in the movie is the chaotic kid run society. This then encouraged me to keep the chaos alive throughout the poem using the mood. Both in the movie and my poem things are chaotic. However, my tone was very mysterious. I left a few details, such as what HWWBtR looks like, to enhance the mystery and leave interpretation for the reader. A couple of gothic elements I heavily played into were sacrifice and religion. I made sure to mention that the following Isaac had resembled a cult, and that the group of kids would sacrifice adults on a corn cross to the demonic entity. Elements such as these were the main inspiration behind my poem.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton

The movie Edward Scissorhand by Tim Burton explores the gothic theme that dealing with self-discovery and isolation can make a different person appear to the public. The creepy boy that has been locked in an old abandoned castle that is dark and poorly lit. The castle has an eerie and menacing vibe, while also having ruined sections, dark staircases, and rugged with over growing plants. The fact that Edward is an unfinished creation that wears dark clothes and has quirky looks makes him be judged and made fun of in the world around him with “normal” people. People judge him because he looks different which forces him to be isolated and misunderstood by the whole world. However, the mood becomes more known when a girl named Kim comes into Edwards' life. Kim started living with Edward and did not accept him at first; however, then Kim sees past his outer appearance to eventually defy the town's thoughts on him. In the time that Kim is staying with Edward she starts to fall in love with the person that Edward is on the inside. She is the only person that actually sees Edward for who he is on the inside because she is the only one that tried to see the good in him. In the beginning of Kim and Edward's relationship Edward was in love with Kim, but the feeling's not mutual for Kim; however, as their story goes on, so do Kim’s feelings for Edward and eventually she realizes that her feelings for him are the same. Their relationship comes to a tragic end because Edward has to stay in the castle, due to the fact that he knows he will never fit into Kim’s society and will never be accepted by the citizens. Edward and Kim have this love that nobody gets to see because everyone else in her society is uneasy about him and will just never accept him into their world due to him being different then them. Tim Burton’s purpose in making this film is that he wants to show people that even though one person can accept a person who looks a little different into their lives, that it doesn’t mean that when everyone else sees him as an isolated freak; eventually, it will get the best of the people that are accepting too.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

The movie Edward Scissorhand by Tim Burton was the inspiration piece for my original photo collage. The images in my collage stand for the theme and mood of being in love, but instead of fitting in he is forced to be put into isolation because he isn’t like the other people in society. My purpose for creating this piece is to show people that even though bullying and people putting themselves into a “bubbly” happens in movies, doesn’t mean that it can’t happen in real life or that it hasn’t happened in real life. I used the gothic elements of there being a creepy background with red tones along with it being isolated from society. The other gothic elements I used are that she thinks she is in love with him and that he is in love with her but in real life they can never be together out in public. I used the theme in my collage of self-discovery and isolation can make a person appear different to the public. The mood is the fact that everyone is uneasy with the fact that Edward is in love with Kim and she feels the same however in my piece the couple is just ripped apart at the sight of them being seen together because people can’t handle the fact that someone that is different can have someone who is normal be in love with her.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber

The Phantom of the Opera, the musical, by Andrew Lloyd Webber conveys the theme that horror is a metaphor to show the unfairness in social class and its unbendable differences. Longing is the word used to describe the mood of this film. Each character in this story is longing for something or someone. The gothic elements brought into this story is the music and the phantom himself. The music consists of hard rock which gives eerie vibes to anyone listening and on top of that adding a phantom who haunts the guests of the opera gives the story an evil and haunting twist. The original author, Gaston Leroux, wanted to create this story because of the unfairness of social class. The author used a haunting figure, the phantom, to create a line where rich and poor meet. The phantom was a way for the rich to finally see the importance of a lower class. Webber’s purpose in making this a musical was to give us a sense of tension between classes and how someone so feared and looked down upon can make the biggest difference in changing that.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

The Reality of the Opera

The message of the show is on his face
The rich are beautiful, the poor, disgrace
And if you watch the show, then you will find
The phantom of the opera is there to draw the line
Between tension and love that's brought to mind.

The phantom of the opera is there to draw the line
The masked side of his face hides what they fear
When they all see his face, it’s screams he hears
The power of his voice is left behind
The phantom of the opera is there to draw the line
It’s there, the reality of the opera
He's there, the phantom of the opera
It's there, the reality of the opera

There was no place to go except the sewer
He was in hiding there for several years
And once more he was there to find a bride
The phantom of the opera was there to draw the line
The chandelier was hung inside the theater
It’s there to represent the house grandeur
It fell because the phantom realized
The feeling of love he had was his demise
The phantom of the opera is there to draw the line
It’s there, the reality of the opera
He’s there, the phantom of the opera
It’s there, the reality of the opera

The phantom of the opera is there to draw the line
The masked side of his face hides what they fear
When they all see his face, it’s screams he hears
The power of his voice is left behind
The phantom of the opera is there to draw the line
It’s there, the reality of the opera
He's there, the phantom of the opera
It's there, the reality of the opera

Part III: Artist Statement

I parodied the theme song of The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber to bring out the gothic base of this show. The show uses rock and opera to express the feeling and emotion of it. What better song to use than the actual theme. In the parody I included the symbols of the show and how they make it even gloomier and darker. The phantom is the biggest symbol of the show because one half of his face is disfigured while the other is handsome. He uses a mask to cover the one half because he wants to make it seem as though he is all handsome and not a monster. The good looking side symbolizes the rich side of society while the mask covers up the poor side seeming as he wants to hide it because it is shameful. The rock feel of the song gives it an eerie vibe and a completely scary and gothic feel throughout the whole show. The phantom is the line of good and bad because he proves that bad things can eventually go right.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of "Hades and Persephone"

The myth “Hades and Persephone,” translated by Laura Strong, uses the gothic theme that looking at things from a different perspective can help people get through tough times. At first, the mood seems gloomy or even sinister because Hades kidnapped a woman and took her from her mother to the Underworld. At the end, however, the mood is more accepting because she decides being the Queen of the Underworld isn’t all that bad and she gets to see her mom every year now instead of being stuck in the Underworld. They use the negative meaning of kidnapping, the god of the underworld, forced marriage, and supernatural being to illustrate the coming and going of the season.The story of phasilla and hades shows the reader that just because something bad has happened that does not mean there can not be a positive behind it all. The myth “Hades and Persephone” urges readers to look at tragedies from a different perspective like Persephone did and to explain the change in seasons.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Undesired Farm

Joe Mias went from living in ohio on his family farm in the 1920 but when he decided that he was going to go out and set up his own farm be did so in texas.by the time joe got down to texas not very many land plots where left and he bout the smallest one but along with buying it people gave him concerning looks. Joe found an old man sitting on the side and asked him why people were how they are and the old man told him a story of the undead raising and destroying everything on that land.

Part III: Artist Statement

The gothic myth “Hades and Persephone” was the inspiration for my story, “Undesired Farm.” The story is set during the Great Depression. A man named Joe Mias was desperate, so he bought a farm away from town to try to start a new life. He didn’t realize it was cursed and at first he wanted to sell it but then he decided to reverse it all. The mood of both stories is gloomy and Joe being at an all-time low after buying the cursed land shows that. The gothic elements I used from the myth were supernatural beings, the undead, and curses. In the myth, supernatural beings were Hades and the undead Persephone guided to the Underworld. She at first saw it as a curse. In my story, the curse is the plot of land and the supernatural beings are the undead that come up on Joe’s land.The theme of the myth was looking at things from different perspectives can help in tough times, and Joe took his cursed land and saw it as an opportunity to learn about the undead coming out of the ground.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of "Air" by Ann Radcliffe

The poem “Air” by Ann Radcliffe explores the theme that all people can experience enchantment only to be snapped out of the beauty through the mysterious gothic mood of imagined magic. The poem uses descriptive words to create a mood of curiosity and the feeling that there is magic. . Today there are many hardships, and the mind can wander to beautiful places only to be shattered by daily cares. The author uses the setting of “Moonlight’s fairy hour”, the idea of “magic power”, the feeling hope, fairies, all to create a gothic poem. The author exposes the curious, mystical hopes and thoughts of human beings, proving they allow a person to escape their current world and obligations. The poem analyzes the idea of day-dreaming, adding in faires, to create an idea that everything is wonderful even though people know many things in the world and not. This daydreaming mood leads the reader to feel the urge to believe in magic and fairies and hope they could do some good in our lives. Also, the poem touches on the mind being ‘lulled’ to sleep. This implies that the mind is not present to everything happening in real life, but scheming of a world where fairies lead people to rejoice. Radcliffe’s purpose is to caution of the balance of worldly stress and wishful thinking.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

I used water color paints and watercolor pencils to create a feeling of something beautiful and perfect and filled with magic getting taken over by the evil and darkness that come with daily life. I wanted to show the pleasurable experiences, but then the mind gets overtaken with worries, problems, trials, tribulations, and all the not perfect attributes of life. From my inspiration piece I used the gothic elements of singing fairies, the whimsical time of evening, and the darkness seeping in. I tried to show the idea of magic, with the colors and brushstrokes, to create the theme that all people experience enchantment only to be snapped out of the beauty but worldly problems. The mood of curiosity is created in my painting by singing fairy creatures, and the two halves of the painting contrasting each other. All in all, the idea of false magic and hopes is created making the viewer wonder about the dark cloud enchanting the person.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas conveys the theme that the grass isn't always greener on the other side the gothic, uninspiring, loss of hope, theme continued. The theme being that . Jack Skellington feels completely lost and ready to try something new. His old life was getting very repetitive. When Jack goes on to try being a part of a different holiday, he fails and ends up right back where he started. Jack ultimately creates a depressing mood throughout the film. The song he sings, ¨Jack Lamet¨, goes on and on about Jack's occupational depression. Gothic elements are widely arranged throughout the film, the characters are just gothic looking in themselves. From their clothes, and faces, to Jack being known for scaring children. Tim Burton's purpose is always dark and misleading. After truly understanding his film, the intent seems as it was for children, but children would not understand his lesson or message. Tim Burton uses his dark humour to convey the reality of life, that grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

Tim Burton's The Nightmare before Christmas was the inspiration for my photo. I wanted to create a ¨dark¨ image recreating one of the main characters from the film. The depressing mood throughout the film gave me the idea of using a mirror. The mirror represents that things aren't always as they appear, going with the theme that the grass is not always greener on the other side. To represent the character ¨Sally¨, I did my models' makeup and hair to look like the character. My goal was to create an eerie image. Tim Burton is known for his dark films, and my image is meant to represent his style of art. I think overall, my adaptation showed the theme and mood very cleary, and turned out close to how I wanted it to.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of “Bring Me To Life” by Evanescence

The gothic theme that Evanescence creates in the song “Bring Me To Life” is that people are numb to the darkness that happens in one's mind. This song starts out soft but then gradually grows into a grunge rock sound with the powerful lyrics. When creating the gothic mood, Evanescence sang about the darkness inside of one's life. These lyrics translate into a cry for help. Someone can look right at you and not know how much someone is truly hurting. People's lives have grown stone cold with no purpose yet not one is there to help rescue them. The singing style was growly and rough and the sound was very grunge. The band is referring to the parts of life that people are uncomfortable talking about. The dark times of despair or being alone with nowhere to run or go. Internal darkness can lead people down a path of destruction. People think that they might know someone well in their opinion, but on the inside that person is screaming for help. No one notices or reaches out to help ease the pain because they keep this feeling so secluded from the rest of the world. However, the mood of the song shifts to the perspective of trying to help and save these people from the darkness whenever the male vocalist sings. The men vocalist is almost acting as the people trying to help and bring them back to their life. Evanescence’s purpose for writing this song was to make an awareness of other people and the dark part of life that is not usually talked about.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

The Evanescence song, “Bring Me To Life” inspired me to make this gothic photo collage due to the lyrics telling of the story of one's deep internal struggle.These photos represent someone who feels like no one can see them and the self destruction that can come with one's thoughts. People tend to hide what is truly going on inside so I captured these images with a dark tone using only black and white images only. The water represents the negative thoughts that can drown out the positive thoughts. I also used words with a darker meaning to describe how people can feel when they think no one can see them or that they are alone. The overlying theme of this piece is that the struggle within can often go unnoticed among others.Inner thoughts can be well hidden by people who you would never expect to be feeling this way. I wanted to make this mood clear in the collage because people should be more aware of the people in their lives and how there is a story behind each face. I realized when finishing this project that it had brought an awareness to me about the people around me during a time of sadness.These photos depict how society today neglects these issues. Reaching out to someone could mean the world and could give them their life back. All in all these photos should make you think about how you perceive people and how there is truth and hurt behind someone's eyes.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Corpse Bride by Tim Burton

The movie Corpse Bride by Tim Burton explores the gothic theme that love is not always pure and social status plays a role in marriage. All of the characters experience social discrimination based on where they stand and thus also feel forced into marriages within or above their social ranking ; yet, most of the characters ultimately end up married and the cycle starts over again. Arranged marriage and impure love was common in the Victorian age. Tim Burton creates a mood of envy throughout each scene where everyone is trying to gain social status by marrying into a family with social hierarchy which dates back to hundreds of years ago. Gothic elements are apparent in the entire movie with the dark setting, the Victorian time, and homes people live in. Another obvious gothic element is the living of the undead--dead people coming back to life--represented by Emily, the corpse bride who was killed by her husband. The last gothic element of monsters can be found in the antagonist, Lord Barkis Bittern when his only intentions are not only to kill his wives to gain social status, but their wealth as well. Tim Burton’s purpose for creating the gothic Victorian era movie is to highlight the past and scare us that this is how things could still be, even though people stretched farther and farther away from that way of thinking.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

Corpse Bride was a breakthrough film in the horror and thriller industries that has shocked children and adults with its edgy entertainment for years. Specially in the movie an unforgettable scene that is stamped on the minds of viewers, is when Victor, in a worrisome state, places the ring on Emily’s hand, accidentally asking her to marry him. Creating pressure and a sense of fear as Emily rises from the dead and accepts the proposal. As the artist I have taken this scene and incorporated it into my makeup. The makeup itself was painted onto my face referring to the undead like structure of Emily’s face being. The ring is shown on a branch around my eye. My facial expression is serious, since Emily was serious about the marriage proposal. Darkness seems to consume my face. Showing that Emily is a victim of murder and is now apart of the undead, which further shows the theme that people only look out for themselves and their sole purpose is to gain social and financial status.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti

The poem “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti explores the gothic theme of temptation engulfing the weak-willed. Laura finds herself charmed by the goblin’s fruit and, though she is warned of the goblins’ cunning ways by her sister Lizzie, Laura soon indulges her curiosity and approaches the goblins who continue to entice and flatter her. Laura soon gives into her desires and consumes the fruit. Laura never encounters the goblins again. She promptly becomes infatuated with the fruit and desires nothing more than to taste it again. However, when discovering she has been abandoned by the goblins Laura then attempts to plant the pit she found within the fruit to no avail. The mood becomes increasingly more sinister when Laura can think of nothing but the mysterious fruit and even prioritizes it over her sister. Laura, having plunged into emotional and physical disarray, falls at the mercy of Lizzie who, despite being abandoned by her sister, quickly pursues the goblins to gain the fruit her sister desires. The goblins try to entice Lizzie in a similar way to that of Laura. Lizzie resists the urge to engage in the goblins and promptly returns with the fruit for her sister. After, once again, indulging herself in the fruit, Laura falls into a comatose state and wakes up to find herself appalled by the fruit. Through the sacrifice of her sister Laura finds salvation. Rossetti’s purpose is to demonstrate that when one indulges temptation, though it can be extremely pleasant at first, it is short lived and will soon lead an individual into a world of chaos and destruction, but through the selfless act of another temptation can be avoided and resolved.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

The gothic poem “Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti is an eerie piece of literature that specifically outlined the adverse effects caused by an individual giving into temptation. The eerie tone of the poem produces a sense of unease among readers, especially within the young audience in which the poem is directed. As the artist, I have taken the ongoing theme of the weak-willed giving in to temptation within the poem and integrated the idea of enticement into my painting. The painting itself was created using a dark themed palette, using colors like black, blue, and dark red, in order to assimilate the gothic elements that were found throughout the read. The central aspect of the painting is the large apple in the center which contains two halves, one of which is red and the other black. The contrasting colors demonstrate the enticing ambience of temptation and the dastardly effects that proceed it. The apple has been used to symbolize temptation throughout history, the most notable being “The Bible” when the serpent is attempting to convince Eve to consume fruit from the tree of knowledge. Demonstrating how Laura gave into the desire to consume the fruit in which the goblin’s were selling and soon becoming consumed with her fascination of the fruit further displays the ongoing theme of temptation engulfing the weak-willed and absorbing all aspects that compose an individual.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas

The poem, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas sets a tone of passion and determination. Dylan Thomas repeatedly writes,” rage rage against the dying of the light..”, he uses this context to emphasize the meaning of not giving in to death but fighting it. The author believes that men should not give in to death but fight as much as they can to stay living. The author is challenging death by putting multiple types of men in his poem to fight against death to not give in but get everything out of life. My painting was inspired by this piece by having the darkness closing in on a figure that is bright and filled with light. The red helps bring context to the painting like fire in the dark, it is bright and clears up the gloom background. In the painting, I will express the thought of having the figure overcome the darkness with bright colors.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

My painting was developed by the poem, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas. The poem has many ways to interpret it, it all depends on the person. For example, for an old person, they may think it’s about death. For a younger person, they may think perseverance is something they’re going through. For the painting, I painted the background as a blurry gloom present because, in any situation, nothing is for sure to happen. In the poem, Dylan expressed the thought that whoever is going through something they need to fight against it and that’s what I presented in my painting. The fiery figure in the middle represents two things: the light overcoming the dark, and the person overcoming their situation. The fire makes the gloomy, Luminus presents clear up just like a person in a situation. Fighting against a problem and winning not only helps build the person but it also gives them reassurance of knowing that they can overcome something if they just persevere and rage against the condition.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of "Cinderella" by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

The fairytale “Cinderella” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm sends a message to it’s readers about good and bad karma. A girl nicknamed Cinderella is treated cruelly by her family, but she keeps her “pious and good” heart like her mother taught her before she died. Cinderella sneaks out, meets a prince, and soon enough the prince has to find her, saying whoever fits into the shoe she left behind will be his bride. Both step sisters cut off pieces of their feet in order to fit in the shoe. After the prince finds Cinderella, the step sisters try to win her favor, but end up getting their eyes poked out by pigeons, making them forever blind. This gives off an uneasy, fearful mood because of the consequences -- a mix of the blood and the outcome of karma. The step sisters were mean, so karma came back and made their sacrifice meaningless and made them blind.The intense punishment for their actions gives a fear mood, seeing as it was nearly unexpected. However, Cinderella, who remained kind, got wealth and a husband. The Brothers Grimm wanted to give a warning to readers about how powerful karma is and how it affects the outcome of one’s life in a positive or negative way.

Creative Adaptation (fake blood):

Part III: Artist Statement

Cinderella by the Brothers Grimm, is an age old tale retold in different variations for different audiences. Although many are more aware of the Disney version, the Brothers Grimm contain more gory details, such as the step sisters cutting off their toes and inevitably getting their eyes gouged out by birds. This difference created more of an uneasy and fearful mood to the tale. I decided to use the tree of the story as a background and then focused on blood. This goes along with the theme of karma determining what happens to us, or in a more broad idea, cause and effect. You do something good, you get the good. Do something bad, something bad happens. Inevitably, if you cut yourself, you’re going to bleed, hence why I took a picture of a bloodied hand. I used black and white as my goth element, seeing as it eliminates color, but I kept the red to add an uneasy feeling and represent the step sisters harming themselves. I mostly used the significance of gorey details as my inspiration for this photo.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Edward Scissorhands by Tim Burton

Throughout Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton explores the theme of how innocence and lack of common sense can lead to a new beginning but also a great danger in someone’s life. An old woman starts off by explaining how snow is made to her daughter, and it immediately goes to her flashback of Edward Scissorhands. An artificial man that is found in a Mansion basement and then brought up by a family. His feeling of isolation his whole life and the way he is perceived (because of the way he looks) brings a major gothic element. He also means no harm, but sometimes can’t help it because of his hands that will never be right again. His awareness of reality is underdeveloped, therefore making him extremely vulnerable and easy to manipulate. Tim Burton created a mood of many sorts. He has brought up a scary mood when Edward is introduced, and a frightened mood when Edward gets arrested for something he hasn’t done. The mood gets eerie when Edward messes up and accidentally cuts 2 people. The story ends with how Edward's past love is explaining to her daughter that he made snow out of ice sculptures with his hands. His purpose was to shock the readers about how Edward was actually very innocent inside, almost like he wasn’t supposed to be in the body that he was in. They would want to convey the theme because it brings a new look to what horror is about and almost is scarier because of the unexpected.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

Edward Scissorhands is one of the most unique horror films out there. It can be described as almost innocently scary. He is an artificial man with hands that aren’t normal, and a very chilling appearance. Specifically, in the movie a personality that shapes Edward (vulnerability) creates the world scary in his mind, and by the way he looks, scary to others. The act of him not knowing what he is doing, creates slight terror and has the viewers on the edge of their seats. This picture shows Edward holding a mask because it explains his personality vs. how others see him. Others see him with his distant eyes, and scars on his face. But he, in reality, has a very unguarded personality and a lack of common sense. His “real face” has tears going down his cheek to show how much sorrow he feels because he could never show people he was harmless. To explain more of the horror in the movie, this painting has an Edward's mask, that has scars and deep black eyes. His scissorhands are drawn to show what's holding him back. And his black hair is everywhere to show the distraught in his life and how this so-called ‘grudge’ is holding him back. Showing how Edward has a different side to him, explores the theme of how innocence and lack of common sense can lead to a great danger in someone’s life.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of ¨Success is Counted Sweetest¨ by Emily Dickinson

The poem ¨Success is Counted Sweetest¨ by Emily Dickinson explores the gothic theme that those who have tasted failure can truly feel the real essence of success. The speaker explains that failure can understand the meaning of success. She uses soldiers to express her ideas, she goes on to say soldiers who have won the war still do not understand the real meaning of success because they have never experienced failure. However, the mood became more sympathetic when the author explains how soldiers who are on the battlefield dying and can hear the other soldiers celebrating their victory. The one losing the battle can sense the try spirit of success. It appears that the meaning of success is sometimes captured when people have to experience fate or lose. The speaker said that soldiers who are still laying out in the battlefield taking their last few breaths are looking back at everything they did to fight and protect, and can see the spirit of success for them, even though it was not the true success. Emily Dickinson´s purpose is to provide a warning to the readers that success comes with a cost.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

The poem Success Is Counted Sweetest is an indepth look at how people get to achieve success. And that people who have truly suffered defeat can truly understand success. As the artist I have taken this piece from the poem and incorporated it into a picture college. The picture college demonstrates how it takes time and hardships to achieve success. That you have to take risks in order to have success. The poem overall serves to show the theme that success comes with a cost.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood” by Charles Perrault

The fairy tale “The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood” by Charles Perrault explores the gothic theme that people are deceitful and jealous when seeing someone happier than themselves and will try to take that away. A king and queen struggle to have a child for many years, and when they finally have a daughter they throw a banquet and invite 7 fairies to come. But they forgot about another fairy, who had been forgotten and thought dead. But she came to the banquet and placed a curse upon the daughter. This creates a somber mood, with the thought of her imminent death. But the last fairy had yet to bestow their gift on the girl. Which changed the death to a hundred years of sleep, creating a more hopeful mood in the fairy tale. A hundred years went by, and then there was a prince in a nearby kingdom who heard of the palace. He went in search of it and discovered the princess. After marrying and having two children, the prince had to leave his wife and kids with his mother. But the mother had other ideas, she requested to eat each child. And then the mother. But the man who was told to kill them, could not do it and replaced it with an animal instead. But the mother found out and very publicly was going to kill them. But the prince came home and caught the mother and the mother then killed herself. Perrault’s purpose in writing this story was to warn the reader of people who may seem trustworthy and are very close to you, but want your pain instead.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

The gothic short story “Sleeping Beauty” by Charles Perrault was the inspiration for my painting. I used themes, tones and gothic elements in the story to help me create my painting. You can see seven wings of the fairies that came to the gathering and flowers coming out of the top of Sleeping Beauty’s head. A theme of “Sleeping Beauty” is how people prey on the most beautiful and good people. This is shown in the painting by having the flowers in place of her face to show beauty and the dark background to contrast that and make it more somber. The tone of the story is somber with an edge of danger towards the end, shown in the painting by having the dark background to make the face seem more pure. There was not a very prominent mood through the story, mainly one of love. But otherwise it was very secretive. Shown in how her face is straight, showing no emotion. The gothic tones in the story were of cannibalism and murder, creating a dark part of the painting but with Sleeping Beauty coming out in the end just as pure as in the begininnig. All these combined, inspired me to make my painting.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

The novel Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalo explores the theme that people’s fear creates a stigma and distaste of knowing the truth behind the matter by causing constant paranoia. Audrey Rose and her companion Thomas Cresswell are repeatedly bombarded with murder after murder while on their way and throught out their time at Vlad the Impaler’s castle. The mood had already been in a gloomy state from the death of Audrey’s brother who met a very violent end. The perils intensify as bodies are beginning to pile up with almost no surface level reasoning for their untimely deaths. Most victims are either missing all of the blood or have a stake impaled through their hearts. People are being controlled by the fear of strigoi returning and the families who were once rumored to be vampire hunters are disappearing. The castle where the murdered bodies are kept and used under the name of science to study the victim's demise. The journey for clues to uncover the deaths, were constantly stopped by the Headmaster by fear of retribution from the outside world regarding the circumstances of the deaths. Kerri Manoscalco’s purpose is to promote us to follow the truth even if the situation is not ideal and the consequences may lead to being singled out as a scapegoat by people's fear.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

My inspiration for my painting, “Light in the Dark” was the gothic elements of the novel Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalo. The painting itself is of a landscape entrapped in darkness the only light is that of the moon. There is a black sand beach leading to a silvery-green tented forest and a ruin like church in the background. The novel uses the fear of the unknown in what the forest holds to prevent others from seeking the truth. There are hints of religious control by people fearing they won’t make it to heaven but will be damn to walk through hell. The waters of the painting are the color of blood coming in waves upon the dark sand. The use of blood in this instance was to relate back to my inspirations continuous use of blood or more over the lack of blood in the bodies found by the main character. The mood is that of anxious despair, like a nightmare wishing that the truth is not real, with the shadowing feeling of depression. My painting incorporates the ideas from my inspiration that fear of the unknown and the truth stop people from investigating. By Audrey Rose being stopped by a multitude of different people for trying to find the truth about how the victims were murdered and who that murder is. The forest and ruines represent where people hide from the countering views from beyond the safety of their own ignorance and fear. That fear is the same fear that stops people from finding the truth behind the lies and that foreshadows the promise of retribution once the truth is discovered.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen

The story “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen explains the gothic theme that changing yourself to get what you think you want or to please others will not end in the way you hope. The youngest of the six sisters was eager to know about the life of the humans and finally when a ship crashed she had gotten her window. The mood is set by how the little mermaid longed to know the world above and all of its treasures but knowing she could only get so close. The gothic elements of this story is the mermaid going to the sea witch and trading her voice for legs to meet her prince because with every step he took it felt as if she was walking on glass. Meanwhile the prince did not know who she was she had either kill him or face the pain and suffering her legs brought her and become sea foam. Hans Christian Andersons purpose is to provide a warning to the readers that no love is worth dying for.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" was the inspiration for my drawing. I drew the barrier in the middle of the page with the girl pressing against it, showing she knows who the prince is but is unable to speak to him. The prince is on the other side facing away because he is unaware that the girl is the one that saved him. I drew the girl standing on nails in the ground showing the pain she feels but no one knows she is feeling in each step she takes to show the suffering she puts herself through to try and meet the prince. The sense of longing is created when the former mermaid wants to be on land to be with the prince. As the artist i have taken a scene from the story and incorporated it into my picture.The inspiration for this drawing can from the mermaid see the prince but she has so way of telling him who she was. The drawing itself shows how the girl and the prince are separated by a barrier of silence and a lie told to the prince.To add to the gothic elements of the story the girl had her hands pressed against the barrier trying to get the attention of the prince while the prince is turned away unaware of her presence and continues on with his day. The theme of “The Little Mermaid” is eminence longing soon destroys you from the inside out by showing the girl putting herself through the agony of loving the prince but then him not knowing shes the one who saved him or knows who she is at all.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of “Tulips” by Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath uses metaphors in “Tulips” to convey the theme of isolation. The mood was peaceful yet tired. The winter represents the hospital, the color red from the tulips which usually represent love but she struggles to feel that “love” and that's why they’re too much of a bother for her. She sees the nurses and doctors walk in and out and see them do things but not exactly what they're doing and they all look the same. While reading the poem everything seems peaceful as the narrator explains she just got out of surgery making her feel tired physically but mentaly as well as out of all the nameless and faceless nurses that she feels disconnected from, only some red tulips stand out slightly disturbing the peace of the hospital room. She seems to not mind being isolated though, even with slight disturbances.

Part II: Creative Adaptation:

Part III: Artist Statement

People have been creating meaning in nature for a long time now, and how we see or use that meaning depends on the person. If you look at the different colors of a certain flower like the tulip for example, we can see that the different colors have different meanings of emotions. LIke how red tulips mean true love, yellow symbolize cheerful thoughts and sunshine, and blue usually represents peace and tranquility. But as humans we can’t always know these “true” meanings because sometimes we simply see some colors as different emotions than others and sometimes we just want the colors to mean what we want them to mean even if we already know the true meaning. In my painting I decided to keep some things the same and change some things up, like the red tulips in the painting still mean love, or romance. with the blue tulips I decided can have two meanings the first is the original meaning which is peace and tranquility but the second meaning is misery and I decided to put the two together to represent how some people by nature like to romanticize sadness and feel miserable in something that has nothing to do with those kinds of feelings at all.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of "The Story of William Wilson" by Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe uses doppelgangers in “William Wilson” to convey the gothic theme that people are inherently immoral but if we continue to shed all of our morality then we will be a husk of who we really are with no hope of redemption.William Wilson is a story about a boy who finds out that there is someone else at school who matches him perfectly even in name and even exceeds his own ability, but he can only speak in whispers, and this leads them both into a bitter rivalry all throughout school, and when Wilson leaves the school to pursue his more hedonistic desires all while his doppelganger foils his plans in secret until one night they meet again where Wilson confronts and kills his double, but after the doppelgangers demise it even says in it’s whisper that is also indicative of one's conscience “yet henceforward art thou also dead- dead to the world, to heaven, and to hope!” The first proof that it’s a gothic tale is that it is written by the face of gothic literature, Edgar Allen Poe, but it is also set in a dark gloomy castle, but it also has supernatural elements with the doppelganger who disappears leaving only a mirror and the protagonist in his blood stained clothings to look at himself and reflect on all his life that is representative of human conscience. Poe uses this to urge his readers to not brush off their own conscience because then it will lead them to lead wicked lives from which there is no returning.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

The Sinner's Lament

Oh the sinners hinderance
Is but a shadow or my reflection
And yet it insistent on moral adherence
As if they were me done to perfection

What once was a relationship so brotherly
In the waning years of childhood turn to enmity
And the relationship that had turned so bitter
Was ruined by their patronizing whisper

And as I seek my revenge while they rest
I realize even then they are I at my best
As though they are not weighed by sin
So downtrodden I run to find solace in my viceful kin

And yet through all the darkest pieces
of my wickedness
Yet the doppelganger still remains
in silence though I do not feel their presence
Then the whisper returns with a wave of awareness
And through it comes wrath that must end it all
and with fury I killed my conscience.
But it was all but too late when I realized
the mistake I had made
And before my eyes with the death of my shadow
my true self also began to fade.

Part III: Artist Statement

For my creative adaptation I wrote a poem and it is about the narrator’s wrestle with his conscience in the form of his doppelganger,and I wrote it as a sort of recreation of the original story. My inspiration piece was “William wilson” by Edgar Allan Poe, and my poem shares the same theme and plot dark mood, some of the same gothic elements as the original short story. I used words that I thought someone would find in a story made in the golden age of gothic literature, it also has an unsympathetic first person perspective that is a common motif in Poe's stories. I also use words with darker connotations to help add to the poem’s dark tone, it also shares the main theme, that you should try to be a moral person, with the short story and the same as well as the same gothic element of magic used as an allegory to help teach that theme. All of these shared elements helped inspire the poem.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of BeetleJuice by Tim Burton

Throughout the movie Beetlejuice, Tim Burton emphasizes the supernatural world through the theme of death. The author believed that death opened the door to the darker side of life. Burton also believes after death, people are stuck in their old lives with nowhere to go except “home”. How did they die? They swerved to avoid a dog. The mood is caused by Betelgeuse causing panic in people's lives. Betelgeuse is a big trickster throughout the movie, who often tricks people throughout the movie to say “Beetlejuice, beetlejuice, beetlejuice”. Saying his name three times would either summon or send him away. Although Beetlejuice isn’t always physically present, he still is effective towards the people through his ways of manipulation and lechery. This substantially creates an emotional atmosphere. The movie Beetlejuice is a gothic due to the devious poltergeist named Betelgeuse. The author's purpose in creating this piece was to scare the people in and out of the movie, by creating the poltergeist Betelgeuse. This topic is an American Comedy Horror/ Fantasy film. Therefore, the whole point of this movie is to cause panic in people's lives along with the urge to say “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice”.

Part II: Creative adaptation

Part III: Artist's Statement

BeetleJuice would be classified as a dark comedy portrayed in a Gothic style.The colors in my painting symbolize four gothic characteristics. The color black represents darkness and mystery and symbolizes death in the movie “Beetlejuice”. The color white represents peace and non judgment that the Gothic people give to different religions and lifestyles. Red is the color of blood which is often associated with death and misery. Red also represents bravery and the courage to face situations or experiences others would consider frightening. Those who live a gothic lifestyle are known to be some of the happiest people in the world. The color yellow represents this quality. The color yellow represents happiness. Jane, who played the role of a young gothic girl in the movie “Beetlejuice”, represents all of the colors that characterize the gothic beliefs and lifestyles.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of “Little Snow White” by The Brothers Grimm

The fairy tale “Little Snow White '' by The Brothers Grimm explores the gothic theme that envy and jealousy can drive to blood-thirst. Shortly after young snow whites mother died the king married a very proud and arrogant queen. She knew of her extreme beauty and to satisfy her she would ask her magic mirror who was the fairest in the land having the mirror confirm it was her. However, as her step daughter Snow White grew older she also became incredibly beautiful. The mood flips becoming fighting when one day the mirror responds to the queen that Snow White was the fairest horrifying the queen and causing her to send a huntsman to kill her. The queen even orders him to cut out her liver and lungs for her to eat later verifying she was the fairest and Snow White was gone leaving the audience uneasy at the thought. Of course the beauty of Snow White saves her life from the huntsman and lands her in a safe cottage belonging to 7 dwarfs. Due to the fact that Snow Whites heart was still beating, the mirror continued to tell the queen that she was not the fairest. Anger and envy pooled in the evil queen causing her to make many repetitive attempts at ending Snow White life. She attempts to trick Snow White giving her the chance to lace her up so tight she stopped breathing and used a poison comb. Finally, she got Snow White to eat a poisoned apple that left her dead in the Dwarfs house. The dwarfs placed her in a glass coffin on a mountain to display her remaining beauty to all who wanted to mourn. Until one day the apple is dislodged from her throat awakening her and finding her in the prince's arms. Again the mirror relays that the new princess is the fairest in the land. At the royal wedding the queen is shocked to find that Snow White has risen from the dead. The story ends with the queen being forced to dance the whole wedding in burning coal shoes until she was dead. The Grimm Brothers’ purpose is to expose that some envy and jealousy is so strong and can cause people to do horrifying things to one another.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

The fairytale “Little Snow White,'' similar to the beloved Disney character, is nothing short of disturbing due to the style of its creators, the Grimm brothers. The beautiful yet envious and self absorbed Evil Queen is full of hatred towards Snow White and only wants her dead. This character inspired me to create an art piece portraying the Evil Queen's true personality. Due to the Queen using the iconic poison apple as her final attempt at ending pure Snow Whites life, I decide to use it as a symbol for the queen. She may appear beautiful, but when looking in the mirror all you see in the reflection that she is in reality rotten to the core. This mirror is another iconic symbol from the story that only tells the truth. When the queen is searching for resensurance of her beauty it has never failed, but within my art the mirror is now delivering the true message that the queen's looks are deceiving and she is only ugly on the inside. Surrounding this the gloomy and dullness of the brick walls belonging to the castle castle that feeds into the rotten apple helping with my gothic element. The whole piece is covered in the ugly truth that people are deceiving and when envy takes over people are foul.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of “The Sleeper” Edgar Allan Poe

The poem, “The Sleeper” written by Edgar Allen Poe, portrays the message of transcendental love. Meaning that the love someone shares in their life is brought with them to their afterlife. Poe creates a romantic yet eerie mood within the piece. The piece related to the topic of gothic due to the idea of afterlife. It is dark, unknown, and in some cases, supernatural. While writing about topics like this, Poe wanted his readers to wander off to other places while reading his work. Poe created this piece to urge the readers to reach their afterlife and bring as much love as possible in the present, and carry it throughout their life, and after.

Part III: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

My gothic project is based on the first stanza of the poem, “The Sleeper” by Edgar Allen Poe. I painted the first scene based on the moon and visual description Poe displays. He describes a very gothic and dark scene, yet natural and lively. With that, I painted a very dark yet starry sky. With a full moon, connecting with the gothic style. I incorporated love transcending life to afterlife by showing progression from the view of nature. I used bright colors to create a sense of warmth and love at the bottom, leading to the trees and nature representing life on earth, converting to the starry night sky with the bright moon representing afterlife. The hills represent the bumps in the road with love and growth, smoothing out into the sky.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Halloween (1978) by John Carpenter

The movie Halloween by John Carpenter exemplifies the theme that fate is an immovable destiny that every person has to deal with. The setting of Haddonfield is an ordinary suburban town in which the main antagonist, Michael Myers, will roam the streets and take the victim of whoever he decides is next. John Carpenter filled this early slasher film with a constant momentum of suspense. The ominous music, almost always in the background, and the viewer never quite knowing when or where Myers would be seen. It would leave one questioning. Is he behind the bush or around the corner? Or maybe he’s under the bed like the boogie man he is loosely based off of. The setting of the movie made it very relatable to the audience. Just a normal, standard little town. This made it appear that what happens in the movie could also happen to whoever was watching, which made the events taking place all the more unsettling. The simple yet disturbing mask he would wear made it uneasy to view him as it created an uncanny valley effect while also making us dehumanize and devalue his relationship with being an actual human being and something completely different. Michael Myers's persistent killing and inability to be killed made him represent not a single human but a representation of fate and death in itself. Much like fate, this psychotic killer was filled with uncertainty. He was inescapable to his targets no matter how well prepared one might be. When the protagonist, Laurie Strode and Dr. Loomis, think they have him beat somehow Myers manages to escape and in actuality, they have only briefly stopped this unavoidable concept. John Carpenter’s purpose in creating this unkillable and unescapable maniac, besides providing a franchise with ten plus sequels, is to make the viewer realize that no matter what course of action we take we are all destined to our own fate.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

The movie Halloween by John Carpenter was the inspiration piece for my artwork, which consists of a stippling rendition of the side profile of the main antagonist in the film, Mike Myers, and an slightly altered quote from the movie wrapped around the borders. The theme of Halloween is that fate is an immovable destiny that every person has to deal with. To convey this in my artwork, I picked a quote from the movie where the teacher states, “No matter what course of action he took, he was destined to his own fate, his own day of reckoning with himself.” This text wraps around the piece to symbolically tie everything together not only for physical completeness but to tie the main message with the whole picture with which the movie encompassed. To keep with an important gothic element of being devoid of life I kept his facial features, specifically his eyes, dark and crude. Another part of this piece was to keep the ominess and creepy mood that was so heavily present in the movie and adapt it into a different media which I implement with the use of using only black and white colors. This way the sense of life and color is drained from the paper. I would have incorporated more black if it was not for the unbearable tediousness of stippling. Yet, I thought it was crucial to restrict myself to only stippling so that the picture can resemble the process of fate, an immense amount of insignificant dots coming together to form a bigger picture. Literally in this sense.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King

Throughout the novel Sleeping Beauties Stephen and Owen King explores the idea that life is not a fairy-tale, even at its best, and the darkness of reality will always be evident. In a society where everyone is living their best lives, women start falling asleep and never waking up. A mysterious woman, Evie Black, shows up from a large tree in the woods with animals that talk to her and obey her, and a large swarm of white and brown moths that cast the plague over the land. When the women fall asleep they become cocooned in a white dewy mist, and if the men try to cut them out they become demons and kill everyone they see. This element of the book starts to create the dark, fearful mood for the men of the society and the readers. The men of the society enter into a state of panic and fear, and the world becomes a fearful mania. The women wake up in a parallel universe through the tree in the woods while their bodies remain cocooned in the real world. King uses the women in the alternate society to bring a feeling of loneliness to the readers. The remaining women try to keep themselves awake, and the men hunt down the mysterious woman to get answers on how to wake up the women. The society crumbles into darkness without the women, and the men turn on eachother and wars break out all over the world. The women’s society also starts to fall into darkness and they start to fight. Some men go crazy and try to wake the women up, but once they are woken up from their sleep they have to be killed and are permanently dead. The women figure a way to get back to reality, and the woman leaves through the tree and the moths of sleep follow her. When the women come back to society it is ruined and their lives will no longer be perfect because the darkness and fear instilled by the sleep still lives within everyone. Stephen and Owen King’s purpose is to warn society that the darkness in society will always be present even when life is at its best, life is not a fairy-tale.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Part III: Artist Statement

The book Sleeping Beauties by Stephen and Owne King was the inspiration for my gothic photo collage. The book is about a plague where the women fall asleep and leave the men living in a fearful society. I used gothic elements from the book as well as the mood, tone, and the theme. King uses many different gothic elements including moths, cocoons, a tree, death, a plague and a mysterious woman to convey the idea that life is not a fairy-tale, but I chose to isolate a few of them to emphasize their meaning to the story. The moths appear on and around the women as they start to fall asleep. The cocoons appear as a fine mist and follow the moths. I used the moths and the cocoons to bring out the darkness of the theme. I used real moths to create a type of fear in the visualizer. I created a type of cocoon that followed the moths but was very light, and this highlighted the fear and darkness. When the moths appear in the story death and destruction follows. I used these details to create a dark and fearful mood as well as incorporate the darkness of the theme. The mood of the book is centered around darkness and fear. I focused on the panic and fear of the story to create a dark mood in my piece, but I also brought in some light to help show what the society was like before the plague. I used a lack of emotion, different facial expressions, and blank stares to make the pictures eerie and darker to help incite fear in the visualizer. I used another one of King’s gothic elements to create the darkness element of the mood. I used the tree which represents the door to the alternate universe where the women reside when they are in their cocoons, but I made it appear dead and black to create more darkness throughout the collage. I wanted to capture the fear that King uses through the story and the gothic elements, and I combined most of these elements in my piece.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Scream by Wes Craven

The movie Scream by Wes Craven explores the gothic theme that the killer seeks retribution for a perceived wrongdoing. The wrongdoing could’ve been the killer themselves or someone related to them. Craven was inspired by the slasher-horror genre, but took a twist on it. He reinvented a modern horror that managed to be funny and scary using a fright-masked knife maniac that stalks high-school students in middle-class suburbia. A year after the murder of Sydney Prescott’s mother, Maureen Prescott, she is terrorized by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game. As Sydney escapes the house she finds her other friend Kenny, but he gets his throat slit in front of her. As she’s running in panic, Gale escapes in her van and runs off the road and crashes avoiding hitting Sydney. This creates an emotional atmosphere because there is so much tension going on everywhere and no matter where anyone goes there’s death. Craven wanted to create this to not only create a mystery, but to create tension in that mystery to make the movie terrifying. Billy was eventually shot due to becoming the fright-masked knife maniac which was the retribution for a perceived wrongdoing. They wanted to create this because the author wanted tension between the students and adults in the movie, but also whoever was watching it. No one knew who the killer was, even though he was in plain sight, but everyone began suspecting each other which created the killing of random students and chaos.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Silent Scream

Look at me, look at me, look at me
Please just look at me, can’t you see I
need your help
Can’t you hear my silent scream
Well, I guess, what was it that fooled you?

Was it the fake smile I put on for you
Everyday
Was it the way I confided in you
Was it the way that I told you ‘it would all be
alright, I’m fine’
Don’t you hear my tormented thoughts that
only surface at night?

They bother better, they yell pay attention
they anguish me they haunt me, till I get to
weak to fight and just brave down and cry
This tangled web I weave, for you are really
Not the one I’m trying to decieve.

Look at me, look at me, look at me
Please just look at me, can’t you see I
Need your help.
I wish you could hear my silent scream
For that I am calling to you ‘can’t you see
I need your help!’

Friends were strangers, hopes dead
Soon I became depraved and unwanted
Dark but whole, broken yet sane
And when all the love was lost
The need to rise again triggered the man within
The wait is over.

Part III: Artist Statement

The gothic movie Scream by Wez Craven was the inspiration for my original poem “Silent Scream.” I based the mood, motif, and tone in the “Silent Scream” on those I found in the movie. The theme of Scream is seeking retribution for perceived wrongdoing to bring closure from an individual; whether it be the killer themselves or someone related to them.Similarly, the two motifs in the movie are retribution and wrongdoing and the relationship between the two. Thus, creating the plot for my poem. Next, I focused on the tone set in the movie for creating the suspense of the phone calls. It started as one then increasing more and more making the audience feel uneasy. I found that the unknown mystery, why the ghostface went on a killing spree, the uneasiness and being uncomfortable, who was the ghostface, sets that whole typical gothic area. The mood is similar because this movie is known as a metafiction meaning it calls attention to the cliches of a typical slasher film and subverts them. As this film is meant to create a comedy horror feeling, the suspense remains beginning to end still creating that uneasy feeling. I mirrored the mood and tone in my poem. Another element of the movie that I reflected in my work were the gothic elements. As said before the movie was created to make a suspenseful and uneasy feeling. Making a mystery to see who is the true ghostface. This includes the dark music and suspense leading up to the murders. Also, the tragic deaths create sadness among the other actors in the movie; yet anger to reveal the ghostface. Lastly, that similarity in the mood and tone creates another supernatural element and mystery to the entire film. All these elements inspired my poem.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Corpse Bride by Tim Burton

The somber Victorian era of the movie Corpse Bride by Tim Burton presents a theme that love is an emotion that prevails even beyond the grave. Victor Van Dort is anxiously in an arranged marriage with Victoria Everglot who Victor has never met. After a brief moment alone with his bride to be, he discovers the love that they share. Explicitly, the film is full of dark colors, accompanied by no sun and common rain with no visible happiness in the face of any character. Along with a gloomy and depressing background to the story, the music itself was full of darker tones that set a melancholy mood that only got darker. Once Victor had mistakenly betrothed himself to the corpse of Emily, he was taken to the underworld-land of the dead-and was introduced to an array of living remains and his new corpse bride. Victor wants a way out of this but does not see an escape until he convinces his undead wife to return to the land of the living so he may tell his parents of the news. He uses this opportunity to sneak to Victoria and explain his absence and tell her that he loves her. Emily finds out and drags Victor away and back to the underworld. Victoria searches for answers to help her man but ends up disregarded as her family decides she will marry someone else. Not long after, Emily discovers that for their marriage to be true, Victor must give up his life. After he learns that Victoria is to be wed without him, his new found love for Emily persuades him to finalize their marriage. After the undead guests make their way above ground to attend the wedding, Emily notices the heartbreak in Victoria’s eyes and stops the wedding. Her love for Victor allowed her to see that he should be with the bride he was meant to have, not the one he accidentally vowed to. Tim Burton’s purpose is to give the viewers a gothic world full of depressing and dark moods in order to reveal that love has power to overcome even the darkest of places.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Rejection, Magic, and Love

Once upon a time, there was a family that possessed the lands of Fillory, a mythical world full of magic creatures and endless possibilities. The animals and creatures are either amazingly large, or unbelievably tiny. Their sizes are inversely related to their equal dangers. The small creatures are often very territorial and venomous. Whereas the larger things look as though they are just boulders or trees or even mountains, but once they are awoken or bothered they react swiftly and violently. One moment you could be throwing rocks into a river, the next you’d be in the grip of tree limbs constricting you to your last breath. Then next week someone discovers your splintered, lifeless corpse in the river, rocks stacked on top of your body…

Part III: Artist Statement

In my fairy tale “Rejection, Magic, and Love”, I captivated my moods, tones, theme, and other gothic elements from the movie Corpse Bride by Tim Burton along with some extra elements that I added to those topics of my tale. The theme I pulled from the Corpse Bride was that love is stronger than death. My story takes place in a magic world full of dangerous creatures and constant war that creates moods of melancholy, fear, and dread for the characters. As the main characters-the prince and the traveler- start to discover their feelings for one another, his mother forbids their marriage. At this point in the story, a more suspenseful mood develops and only turns darker. The girl finds a way to wed them and realizes the consequences of her actions very quickly which results in her giving her life for the man that she loves. Once the prince realized his bride was missing, he decided to set out and find her. His mother tells him he is not allowed to go, but as he left, she banished him from the kingdom and the family. The love he had for the traveler trumped the opinions of his mother. This fairy tale is meant to show the readers that love is much more powerful than even death.

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Part I: Inspiration Piece Analysis of Portrait of Pope Innocent X by Francis Bacon

The painting Pope Innocent X by Francis Bacon highlights the gothic theme that even those who are deemed innocent have evil in them. Pope’s are supposed to be leaders of a holy church but in this painting he is being shown as evil. The painting has the pope screaming and the shape is distorted because space is overlapping. The horizontal lines create confusion and fright. This creates a very frightening mood because people want to look up to the pope as an example for all catholics but if he is evil then why are they following him. The piece displays many gothic elements which are shown through the black and purple colors and because it is a pope being shown as demonic. Francis Bacons’ purpose is to persuade people to think that everyone in this world is evil in some way and no one is perfect.

Part II: Creative Adaptation

Innocence

There once was a boy who lived with his parents in a small town off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Everybody knew everybody--so much so you couldn’t buy a bottle of liquor without the town wives gossiping. There were many rivalries among the town. The Huchens hated the Cleadores, while the Flintsones hated the Clarks. There were many more but for the sake of space and importance, I won’t go into much detail…

Part III: Artist Statement

In my short story “The Innocent Boy” I was highlighting that there is evil in everybody even in those deemed innocent. The story is about a boy who grows up in an evil town where everyone does very mean things to everyone but he is the only one that does not participate. This is why everyone thinks he is innocent, but one day a kid shoots a nail into the innocent boy’s foot. The story starts to get dark and evil after this because to get revenge, the innocent boy makes himself unrecognizable, using black and purple paint which makes him look demonic, and then kills the boy that harmed him. The story’s theme is that even the most innocent people have an evil darkness inside of them.

DMU Timestamp: May 06, 2020 21:48