Guess what, you guys? This coming Wednesday is my ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF BLOGGING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :O Whoa! How did I not notice that earlier?? What should I do? You tell me! I'd love some ideas of what you'd like to see :)
So, today I got a hair cut :D Y'all know how I looked before...
and here's how I looked after!
:D I love having a photographer-computer-savvy sister :) <3 href="http://thoughtsofashieldmaiden.blogspot.com/">Thoughts of a Shieldmaiden. Earwen does not hold a very high opinion of the series (although she hasn't read it yet). I'd like to say a little about what I think.Some common complaints about the Twilight series are:
1. It portrays vampires as the "good guys".
2. It contains sexuality.
3. It encourages girls to go for the "bad boys".
4. It portrays effeminate guys as being hot.
5. It is completely unchristian.
The "Twilight" series is not an incredibly complex story when one tries to explain it briefly. The entire plot line can be summed up in one sentence: "It's about a girl who falls in love with a vampire."
Whoo hoo.
It's actually much more complex and intriguing when you get into it, though. The main character, Bella, and her vampire "boyfriend", Edward, have to fight the constant battle of their two worlds. Edward and his family are "vegetarians", meaning they do not drink the blood of humans, but animals only. However, the call of Bella's blood to Edward is uncannily strong, making for an interesting relationship.
The first accusation to examined, that vampires are portrayed as "good guys" does have some merit. Yes, the vampires ARE portrayed as the good guys. Some of them are.
Oh, you mean how there are good and bad people?
Yes.
There are good and bad vampires in the story, just as there are good and bad humans. Being a vampire does not immediate classify someone as being "evil" or the "bad guy". What you are doesn't make you good or evil, it's your choices. The "good" vampires make good choices. They make the best with what they have. They were turned into vampires against their wills, and are now struggling to be the best they can be under the circumstances. The "bad" vampires make bad choices. They embrace their blood lust instead of fighting it, and think of humans as nothing but snacks.
I've heard the idea of a "good vampire" compared to a "good homosexual". (This post is not about homosexuality. If you want to see my thoughts on that, go to Carpe Noctem. I am just speaking about this subject from a Christian point of view because that's where most of the complaints are coming from.)
That comparison does not computer at all. Homosexuals CHOOSE to be what they are; vampires are "born" that way. Calling all vampires "evil" is like calling all Americans selfish, all African-Americans rude, or all Asians smart, for that matter!
The second complaint about the Twilight series, that the books are full of sexuality, is not true. There are a few pages in the third book, "Eclipse" that have some suggestive behavior, but Edward quickly puts a stop to it. While Bella has no problem giving herself away, Edward has firm principles governing abstinence and makes it clear to Bella that if they were ever to have a physical relationship, they would have to get married FIRST.
Another commonly-made accusation is that the books encourage girls to go for the "bad boys". Edward is not a "bad boy". In fact, at some points he is so good that I turned away in disgust. (Bella did, too, lol!) As I said before, Edward refuses to sleep with Bella (a good thing, not a bad thing), upholds his principles, tries to be the best he can be under the circumstances, respects parental authorities, and tries to do what's best for Bella.
If there is a bad boy in the series at all, it is Jacob Black (my favorite, of course :D). Jacob helps Bella to deceive her father, aids her in dangerous activity, swears (mildly), is the Innuendo King, and tries to break up Bella and Edward.
I don't know about you, but Jacob definitely seems to err on the side of "bad boy" MUCH more than Edward.
Accusation #4: The Twilight books portray effeminate guys as hot. It doesn't, really. I mean, I guess I can see how Robert Pattinson looks girly, but I think the casting of Twilight was TERRIBLE anyway. Edward is the picture of masculinity if you read the books; it's why I fell in love with him the first time through the books. I mean...wow, honestly, he is not girly. Not at all.
The complaint that Twilight is completely unchristian comes from people who have not read the books. For the record, the Bible says nothing about vampires or werewolves. Twilight mentions God several times and all in a positive light. Edward and his family are Christians. Edward's father's father was a medieval priest. The values of good and evil, right and wrong are clearly mapped out through the book in a most Christian manner. I mean, even abstinence is there, y'all! Like I said, complaints of the books being unchristian clearly come from people who have not read the book, or who are determined not to like it.
And that's my rant for the day :) Maybe I'll publish this to Carpe Noctem later...
Thoughts, questions, opinions, arguments welcome, as always! Oh, and don't forget to vote on the serial poll, and don't forget to give me ideas for my ONE YEAR BLOGGING ANNIVERSARY!!
~Kendra
14 comments:
Good grief. I think our brains work exactly the same way!!! :) :)
I know SO many people who hate Twilight, and SO many people who love it. I've only read a little of the third [I think?] book.
and YES YES YES on the whole vampires-are-bad question!!! regarding, made that way not a choice. and yah, Edward has got some major conservative values :)
lol, be prepared for some epic heated comments on here...thought I'd pop in my two cents now :)
and I was SO surprised on your last post to see that you don;t like purple, i thought i was the only female on the face of the planet to hate it!
i've no idea why my blog background is purple o_O
Yay! Glad you agree!
Haha, I am ready. I love any kind of "debate", so I'm good.
I know, it seems like everyone loves purple, doesn't it? I think the reason I hate it is because I hate the flavor grape. I like actual grapes and grape juice, but for some reason I find the artificial flavoring nasty.
You're welcome!!
And GREAT post! I mean... wow. Exactly. I blogged about vampires recently.
http://my-ink-spot.blogspot.com/2009/10/magic-and-vampires.html
Just scroll down and ignore the bit on magic. lol
Fantastic blog! I'll be sure to follow. ;)
Hmmm. Yes, I would be on the side that hasn't read it and that won't. I also am not here to argue, I'm here because I like your blog. I think you brought up some really good points, and I understand where you are coming from. SO many of my friends have read the books. I can't say I hate it, because I honestly haven't read it. I'm just not reading it because I need to make sure that there isn't anything against it in the Bible, and I'm trying to be safe.
By the way, I like you haircut A LOT!! It looks so cute!
_Jillian
I like to think of it this way: If Jesus came again, would you want him to find you reading 'Twilight'?
Chris: Wow, thank you! I read your post as well and I agree with it. Although, I was a little thrown off when you said that Black and White magic were the same thing, and both evil. Maybe I should just go back and read that part again!
Thanks again!
Jillian: Whatever you feel is best for you, that's cool! I'm usually a "There-Is-No-Such-Thing-As-True-For-You-But-Not-For-Me", but in this case, it really is a personal choice. I wouldn't blame anyone for feeling that they shouldn't read "Twilight". I just don't want people to dismiss them immediately without really looking into it.
Thank you!! I love it.
Izori: That's a good way of looking at it! But my answer is "yes", I suppose, or at least "I wouldn't care". I don't think Jesus has a problem with Christians reading "Twilight" as long as they don't allow themselves to get obsessed or confused.
homosexuality is a choice?
I don't have anything against twilight, as you might've guessed ^_^"
can't really think of something awesome for your one year anniversary... ^^ I've been on blogger since over 5 years and I never did anything about it :S
Thanks a lot for your thoughts on this subject. I have had a lot of struggles with these series, and I still don't know what to think about them. I mean... I used to be against them because I saw every one around me literally ADDICTED to them. To the point of not feeling well and settled if they weren't reading them. So I completely ignored the series: I didn't want that to happen to me.
Then I thought that with God's help, I was sure I would be able to read them without getting addicted, like, reading them as any other book. And I did, and I liked the first book, although sometimes it got a little bit cheesy to my taste. Then, I started reading reviews on the series, both positive and both negative, and my struggles started. I don't know what to think, so till I'm sure, I don't feel ready to read the next books. But thanks for this post! And I agree... in the first book, Edward is descrived as a muscular, manly character, and I was very disappointed with the film's Edwards!
And by the way, you are so pretty! :D
Oh, and as a p.s.: a friend asked all her followers what colour was their tooth-brush for her blogoversary... I found it rather funny!
Yeah, the totally addicted girls are irritating, and it can't be healthy, lol!
Aw, gosh, thank you! I always thought my nose was too big :O)
Ooh, what color your toothbrush is? I'll have to remember that...
Whoah. Happy early bloggerversary!
You and your haircut are both very pretty. :)
Hrm... Those don't house too much of my problems with Twilight. Honestly, I wouldn't have so much beef with the series if fangirls weren't so adore-the-book-or-I-shall-KILL-YOU about it. That was a major turn off...
I'm reading at least Twilight once my sister is home, and I shall have a complete opinion then.
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in [a] the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God. - Deuternonomy 18:10-13
So they are dead, and I want to be blameless...but I do love vampires. Do we idolize them because of their allure and power? That's in the way not right category.
But this is old testament, and our new covenant with Christ states we are no longer under the law, but under grace. But if we continue to do what we know in our hearts isn't right how much grace do we deserve?
Lots to think about, love that you think!! Thanks for some great reading!
Thank you for leaving a comment in my blog :)
And btw: Twilight is amazing! The books are seriously addictive...
I have an objection to Twilight on several grounds, one of which is how obsessive Bella is over Edward, that is unhealthy in any book, and it is only magnified by the fact that so many teenage girls (literally) worship the books.
Another, is that Twilight re-defines Vampires from the norm, just like Eragon re-defines dragons from the standard Tolkien set. However, there comes a point when you are trying to redefine something too far from what it is to most people, and it becomes a bad thing. (As in the Dark Materials Trilogy by Phillip Pullman, when character's "souls" are portrayed as animals called Daemons)
For example:
Dragons are broad, they have been portrayed so many different ways now, it is hard to define them in a way that has not already been done. Good, bad, magical, mundane, fire breathing, or just bad breath, it’s all been written.
Vampires on the other hand, are very specific, they are nearly ALWAYS portrayed as being evil, plague-bearing monstrosities who must slay others in order to live. In our misguided world, they are also portrayed as sexy, cool, masculine(or feminine), and independent. Redefining that is not possible, and when you think about it, what are you getting from the book? It is not a Christian book, (to those who claim Edward is a Christian, I have not read the books, but that sounds like an attempt to placate us, rather than an actual plot point.) its value is purely entertainment. In absorbing that entertainment, you allow your world view to be influenced, whether you realize it or not.
If I wrote a book in which I choose to define Demons as perfectly ordinary people with wings and horns, would you buy the idea? Maybe, but I would hope not. Words have power, and when the concept you hold for a name or word begins to fade due to the cultural ‘softening’ of that idea, you are on your way to compromise.
Sure, quote Dumbledore, I say the fear of You-Know-Who’s name was a good thing, it reminded people of the atrocities he committed, of the terror of when he was in power. What happened when people lost that memory, even a little? Bureaucrats became powerful, and the evil came back.
Look at our country today, used to be Communism and Socialism were seen for the horrible things they are. Hitler was a name that still brought tears to the eyes of some. Now, after decades of “Redefinition” and “softening” we are nearly a socialistic country ourselves, and Hitler is just a name you call any politician you don’t like.
There are lots more (probably better written from what I hear) books out there, which should more than satisfy the appetite of a Christian teen, I have not read Twilight, but I am happy. For the record, I read more than anyone I know, sometimes as many as two to three novels A DAY. I have still not run out of good books to read, and would gladly provide a summarized list of “good ones” for anyone who would be interested.
Are we so starved for entertainment that we must make heroes of creatures once thought to be the ultimate villain?
Hope I do not offend anyone with this post, but I think this needs to be addressed by Christians everywhere. Words have power, we must be more careful with them.
Thanks for this post Kendra, I have been wanting to debate Twilight for a while now I took you at your word when you said "he more and longer the better", Hope you don't mind;)
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