Baudelaire, Disney, Mean Girls and Lord of the Rings... say what?

Reading Baudelaire’s Get High at first I couldn’t help but laugh. I thought it was comical that this famous man wrote such a short piece with most of the phrases being “get high.” However, at first I was taking his words in a literal sense, which I blame on growing up and going to High School in Santa Cruz, but after contemplating it a bit more I realized that Baudelaire was not being literal… well maybe he was for some people. BUT I believe he was calling people to go after what excites them- things that move them and make them want to be in the world actively, constructively doing something that makes them happy. Whether it be sports, helping others, reading, or travelling if you want to be constantly happy you need to do what you love and not listen to negative people telling you that you can’t. It is clique, but sometimes those phrases are true.

 It’s like any Disney movie really when you think about it. But I have been enamored by Disney’s Tangled for the past few years, so we will go with that. So… It’s like when Rapunzel and Flin Rider go into the Snuggly Duckling Tavern with all of the criminals. They sing a song about their dreams and all decide in the end of the movie to go after their dreams. And because of their decisions to do that everyone is much happier and crime in the kingdom diminishes substantially. Now, I am not saying anyone is a criminal, but I will say that usually with constructive happiness typically good things result. Therefore, through Baudelaire’s Get High, we are encouraged to follow our dreams, the activities and events in our lives that make us happy and feel like our life is full and satisfying.

               

The next story that struck me was Cake. This was a very vivid and grotesque piece of literature for me turning quickly from a snippet in “Aladdin” to “Mean Girls” and Lord of the Ring’s Gollum. Most girls have seen and memorized “Mean Girls”, so boys if you haven’t here is a recap. It’s a movie about this girl who goes to a High School where one of the most prestigious and thus snobby groups are some girls called “The Plastics.” Cady, aka Africa, gets into the group initially to bring down the Queen Bee, Regina, only to want to be Diva #1 for some time in the film more than anything. All hell breaks loose with a burn book and every girl turns into raving primitive animals. There is a trust fall, Regina gets hit by a bus, Africa goes back to her old self and The Plastics are no more.  The End.

  

Next, I think it is fair to say we all know who Gollum is from "Lord of the Rings", the little half-man half- something-past-human-almost-demonic who is obsessed with “his precious” also known as The Ring of Mordor. Gollum is so enamored by this ring that he puts in exhaustive efforts to terminate anyone who is holding it as seen by Bilbo Baggins, Frodo, and Sam. This grueling life struggle ultimately isolates him beyond repair damning him to his doom. 

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But I think a lot of us can, in a limited sense, relate. We all have something we are crazy for, something we must have at one point in our life and we will do everything and anything to get it. Yes, Baudelaire is a man for extreme flair, but I know quite a few people that want something and they will do anything to get it. It could be a job position, a guy or girl, a car, even a great deal but somewhere I think everyone goes through a time, or will, when they feel like they will do anything to have it. And I think Baudelaire is also saying that we should also keep in mind that something we have and take for granted is beyond precious to someone else. In the story Cake or "Aladdin", bread was precious to the boys and "Aladdin" (remember the song?), in "Mean Girls", acceptance, admiration, and popularity, for "Lord of the Ring" it was power.  Yes we should strive for better things, but not at the expense of ourselves or others around us. Like in each of these stories, when the characters took their lust too far everything got destroyed and there was nothing left to have for anyone. Therefore, one of the lessons we can learn from this story is that progression and obtaining things that we dearly want are great- drive is good- but in excess and by any means possible is too far. Moderation is key. And also realizing that maybe something we have is something that someone else wants too. So be thankful for what you have and the talents you were gifted with.