“How to Train Your Dragon”
1. Hiccup is the main character of “How to Train Your Dragon”. His function is to primarily push along the story, considering he is the person that the film is centered around. He is also a main factor in revealing the morals of the story, which have to do with not judging a book (or dragon) by its cover and reconsidering your original presumptions.
2. Stoick the Vast is Hiccup’s father, and his function is acting as a source of conflict. He holds the traditional belief that all dragons are bad and need to be killed, so Hiccup has to prove to him that he is wrong and show Stoick that dragons can be friends instead of foes.
3. Toothless is the Night Fury– a dragon– that Hiccup befriends, and he’s another main character in this film (even if he doesn’t speak at all). He serves a similar function to Hiccup, acting to show that the vikings are wrong about dragons and leading them to reconsider how they treat dragons.
4. Gobber is a close friend to Stoick who often looks after Hiccup, and he has even taken Hiccup under his wing as an apprentice in his blacksmith shop. His function is to act as a sort of middle-ground or moderator between Hiccup and his father, encouraging Hiccup to succeed and encouraging Stoick to look at things from Hiccup’s point of view. This role Gobber plays further pushes the story along by providing the guide that Hiccup and Stoick need in order to understand one another and come to a mutually beneficial resolution.
5. Snotlout is a violent brute for much of the movie, really portraying the stereotypical viking. He’s always excited to kill dragons and he constantly flirts with Astrid, both of which are aspects of his personality that conflict with Hiccup’s journey. Thus, he serves the functions of 1. pushing Hiccup to become more self-assured, resilient, and assertive, and 2. illustrating the outcome of Hiccup’s journey because even he is changed by the realization that dragons can be companions.
6. Fishlegs is a bit of a nerdy character who geeks out over dragon facts. He becomes one of Hiccup’s best friends who helps show the rest of the vikings that the dragons are actually good rather than just dangerous and violent. However, he also serves the function of teaching the audience and other characters about the dragons from the statistics he spouts during training, providing insight into the behaviors that will help Hiccup understand the dragons and eventually present them as friends.
7. Astrid is the romantic interest of Hiccup, the lead character, and she helps to push along his character arc as well as portray the overall solution to the film. At first, Astrid is everything Hiccup wishes he could be– a good dragon fighter and a brave viking in particular. However, through the course of the film, he finds that he’d rather befriend than kill the dragons, and Astrid actually changes to be more like him, which displays the magnitude of change in perspective that Hiccup enacts.
In the film “Stand By Me,” there are four central characters the film focuses on, as well as several more secondary characters to the coming of age film. Gordie LaChance, the film’s protagonist, serves as the voice-over narration, as he looks back on his last true adventure with his friends. Gordie’s narration gives the film a very personal, emotional feel, and his interactions with other characters really give insight to both the mind of a writer (he tells stories and grows up to become an author) and the mind of a quiet, introspective, grieving (in reference to his brother Denny) twelve-year-old boy growing up and reconciling with the terrors of change, touching on many of the movie’s themes.
Chris Chambers serves as the film’s deuteragonist, but also undergoes a notably character arc of his own throughout the film, as shown by him enrolling in the “college classes” with Gordie and defying the “predetermined fate” his family’s reputation had given him. He reflects the way that society views children of “bad families” or bad homelifes, but also encourages Gordie to never shy away from who he is. Chris acts as the voice of reason amongst the main group of kids, brings out confidence in the others, while also demonstrating the vulnerability that comes with being young (and human).
Teddy DuChamp is one of the supporting characters and a member of the friend group that Gordie and Chris are in. He is an opposite to Gordie in lots of ways, contrasting his (and Vern’s) gentleness with a brash, often foolish and mean, manner to him giving some more tension to the film due to his often hostile interactions with others. Due to his past traumas with his Dad, he also has a layer of complexity that reflects both the naivite of being a child and the confidence (or arrogance) that comes with it.
Vern Tessio is one of the supporting characters and a member of the friend group that Gordie and Chris are in. He is often the odd one out of the group, partially due to his passivity, but he is the one who introduces the film’s main plotline (the adventure to find the dead body of Ray Browers), as well as showing the anxiousness of growing up, again, much like the other boys, tying into the film’s central coming-of-age themes.
Denny LaChance is Gordie’s older brother, and though he has very little screentime due to his prior death, he acts as a kind, supporting figure in Gordie’s life. His death serves a reminder to the audience that life is short and can end unexpectedly (as he was 18), while tying back into the themes of grief, death, and maturity that the film centers itself around.
Richard “Eyeball” Chambers is Chris’ older brother and a gang member, who encapsulates the reason why the whole town of Castle Rock believes Chris will “be no good” no matter what. He serves as an antagonist to the main group of characters.
John “Ace” Merrill is the leader of the teenage gang and the primary antagonist of the film. He serves as a contrast to both Chris and Gordie, as they are kind while Ace is cruel, even to his own friends, and exploitative, wanting a reward for finding the body of Ray Browers and threatening the boys so he can claim it.
“Titanic”
1. Rose is the main character in the Titanic, the entire story is about her experiences on the titanic, she is the narrator telling the story to the scientists after they find Jack’s drawing of her. She is a young socialite heiress engaged to a man she doesn’t love, and the story is about her making choice for herself and putting her happiness first above the wants of her mother and fiance.
2. Jack is the main character secondary to Rose, he is her love interest and the catalyst for her change and growth throughout the story. He is the antithesis to Rose, she is rich and feels trapped in her life, and he is poor but free. He is her other half and shapes all of her choices, shaping the story itself.
3. Cal is Rose’s fiance, besides the iceberg, he is the main antagonist to Rose and Jack. He is both the emotional and physical force keeping Rose tied down, and towards the end of the story threatens not just the emotional states of the main characters but their lives as well. He is everything Jack is not.
4. Ruth is Rose’s mother and another antagonist in the story, serving as an opposing force to Rose and Jack’s budding relationship. She is overbearing and harsh to Rose, whom she wants to model after herself.
5. Brock is the main scientist/treasure hunter looking for the heart of the ocean, the necklace that Cal gifted Rose on the titanic. He sets the story into motion when he retrieves the drawing of Rose from the bottom of the ocean and invites her to tell her story, which the entire movie is the visualization of Rose telling her story on the titanic to Brock and the other scientists.
6. Molly is another socialite on the ship who is friends with Ruth and Rose, she serves as the antithesis to Ruth when it comes to what high society expects of Rose. She is kind to Rose and Jack, despite differences in class, contrasting the behavior of Ruth and the other socialites.
7. Thomas Andrews is the architect and engineer who designed the titanic, and serves as the voice of reason when it comes to issues with the ship. He is the expert on the titanic and is our source for information on the ship, particularly when it is sinking. He also serves as a kind helping hand to Jack and Rose.
“The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”
1. Blondie (AKA The Good)
Blondie is considered “The Good” in the movie, and usually stands for right and justice. But, as we see through his escapades with Tuco and his greed driven motives, it paints a more gray image of what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s ugly. Blondie is the main driving point of the underlining idea that the movie is trying to give us which is “The world isn’t black and white, it’s shades of gray.”
2. Angel Eyes (AKA The Bad)
Angel eyes is considered “The Bad” in the movie, and he lives up to his name. A stone cold, un feeling killer, he will torture, kill, assault and use anyone he feels like to be able to get what he wants. He is the driving evil of the plot, our pinnacle “Bad guy.”
3. Tuco (AKA The Ugly)
Tuco play a different role than the other two, arguably the most relatable and likable character (despite his crimes), and not only has the most screen time out of the three, but also the most character development. In all technicality, he is the true main character. He is another gray character, and adds a lot of depth to the whole story.
4. Bill Carson
Bill Carson is the inciting incident in the story. He is only in one scene, but his name is referred to through almost the entire movie, and he is the one who keeps Blondie alive and forces Tuco to save him, keeping our main characters going. It also drives the entire rest of the movie, pushing our three main characters together into one final battle.
5. Father Pablo Ramirez
Pablo Ramirez is Tuco’s brother, and reveals a lot about Tuco’s life and his personality. It shows us that Tuco has a soft spot for family, and can be a really emotional person, but covers it up a lot. This character helps the audience to connect with Tuco and feel for him.
6. Alcoholic Union Captain (Yes that’s his name)
The Alcoholic Union Captain is fighting in a battle for a bridge against the confederates when Blondie and Tuco appear. This character is a commentary on war and the pointless-ness of conflict, with him saying that “Whoever has the most liquor to get the soldiers drunk and send them to be slaughtered, he’s the winner.” This man shows us the true horrors of war and the ways it affects those that send men to die. The drunk captain is severely depressed by ordering his men to die and all he wants is an end to the battle, which, as he dies on the doctors stretcher, Blondie and Tuco give it to him by blowing up the bridge.
4 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 17”
“How to Train Your Dragon”
1. Hiccup is the main character of “How to Train Your Dragon”. His function is to primarily push along the story, considering he is the person that the film is centered around. He is also a main factor in revealing the morals of the story, which have to do with not judging a book (or dragon) by its cover and reconsidering your original presumptions.
2. Stoick the Vast is Hiccup’s father, and his function is acting as a source of conflict. He holds the traditional belief that all dragons are bad and need to be killed, so Hiccup has to prove to him that he is wrong and show Stoick that dragons can be friends instead of foes.
3. Toothless is the Night Fury– a dragon– that Hiccup befriends, and he’s another main character in this film (even if he doesn’t speak at all). He serves a similar function to Hiccup, acting to show that the vikings are wrong about dragons and leading them to reconsider how they treat dragons.
4. Gobber is a close friend to Stoick who often looks after Hiccup, and he has even taken Hiccup under his wing as an apprentice in his blacksmith shop. His function is to act as a sort of middle-ground or moderator between Hiccup and his father, encouraging Hiccup to succeed and encouraging Stoick to look at things from Hiccup’s point of view. This role Gobber plays further pushes the story along by providing the guide that Hiccup and Stoick need in order to understand one another and come to a mutually beneficial resolution.
5. Snotlout is a violent brute for much of the movie, really portraying the stereotypical viking. He’s always excited to kill dragons and he constantly flirts with Astrid, both of which are aspects of his personality that conflict with Hiccup’s journey. Thus, he serves the functions of 1. pushing Hiccup to become more self-assured, resilient, and assertive, and 2. illustrating the outcome of Hiccup’s journey because even he is changed by the realization that dragons can be companions.
6. Fishlegs is a bit of a nerdy character who geeks out over dragon facts. He becomes one of Hiccup’s best friends who helps show the rest of the vikings that the dragons are actually good rather than just dangerous and violent. However, he also serves the function of teaching the audience and other characters about the dragons from the statistics he spouts during training, providing insight into the behaviors that will help Hiccup understand the dragons and eventually present them as friends.
7. Astrid is the romantic interest of Hiccup, the lead character, and she helps to push along his character arc as well as portray the overall solution to the film. At first, Astrid is everything Hiccup wishes he could be– a good dragon fighter and a brave viking in particular. However, through the course of the film, he finds that he’d rather befriend than kill the dragons, and Astrid actually changes to be more like him, which displays the magnitude of change in perspective that Hiccup enacts.
In the film “Stand By Me,” there are four central characters the film focuses on, as well as several more secondary characters to the coming of age film. Gordie LaChance, the film’s protagonist, serves as the voice-over narration, as he looks back on his last true adventure with his friends. Gordie’s narration gives the film a very personal, emotional feel, and his interactions with other characters really give insight to both the mind of a writer (he tells stories and grows up to become an author) and the mind of a quiet, introspective, grieving (in reference to his brother Denny) twelve-year-old boy growing up and reconciling with the terrors of change, touching on many of the movie’s themes.
Chris Chambers serves as the film’s deuteragonist, but also undergoes a notably character arc of his own throughout the film, as shown by him enrolling in the “college classes” with Gordie and defying the “predetermined fate” his family’s reputation had given him. He reflects the way that society views children of “bad families” or bad homelifes, but also encourages Gordie to never shy away from who he is. Chris acts as the voice of reason amongst the main group of kids, brings out confidence in the others, while also demonstrating the vulnerability that comes with being young (and human).
Teddy DuChamp is one of the supporting characters and a member of the friend group that Gordie and Chris are in. He is an opposite to Gordie in lots of ways, contrasting his (and Vern’s) gentleness with a brash, often foolish and mean, manner to him giving some more tension to the film due to his often hostile interactions with others. Due to his past traumas with his Dad, he also has a layer of complexity that reflects both the naivite of being a child and the confidence (or arrogance) that comes with it.
Vern Tessio is one of the supporting characters and a member of the friend group that Gordie and Chris are in. He is often the odd one out of the group, partially due to his passivity, but he is the one who introduces the film’s main plotline (the adventure to find the dead body of Ray Browers), as well as showing the anxiousness of growing up, again, much like the other boys, tying into the film’s central coming-of-age themes.
Denny LaChance is Gordie’s older brother, and though he has very little screentime due to his prior death, he acts as a kind, supporting figure in Gordie’s life. His death serves a reminder to the audience that life is short and can end unexpectedly (as he was 18), while tying back into the themes of grief, death, and maturity that the film centers itself around.
Richard “Eyeball” Chambers is Chris’ older brother and a gang member, who encapsulates the reason why the whole town of Castle Rock believes Chris will “be no good” no matter what. He serves as an antagonist to the main group of characters.
John “Ace” Merrill is the leader of the teenage gang and the primary antagonist of the film. He serves as a contrast to both Chris and Gordie, as they are kind while Ace is cruel, even to his own friends, and exploitative, wanting a reward for finding the body of Ray Browers and threatening the boys so he can claim it.
“Titanic”
1. Rose is the main character in the Titanic, the entire story is about her experiences on the titanic, she is the narrator telling the story to the scientists after they find Jack’s drawing of her. She is a young socialite heiress engaged to a man she doesn’t love, and the story is about her making choice for herself and putting her happiness first above the wants of her mother and fiance.
2. Jack is the main character secondary to Rose, he is her love interest and the catalyst for her change and growth throughout the story. He is the antithesis to Rose, she is rich and feels trapped in her life, and he is poor but free. He is her other half and shapes all of her choices, shaping the story itself.
3. Cal is Rose’s fiance, besides the iceberg, he is the main antagonist to Rose and Jack. He is both the emotional and physical force keeping Rose tied down, and towards the end of the story threatens not just the emotional states of the main characters but their lives as well. He is everything Jack is not.
4. Ruth is Rose’s mother and another antagonist in the story, serving as an opposing force to Rose and Jack’s budding relationship. She is overbearing and harsh to Rose, whom she wants to model after herself.
5. Brock is the main scientist/treasure hunter looking for the heart of the ocean, the necklace that Cal gifted Rose on the titanic. He sets the story into motion when he retrieves the drawing of Rose from the bottom of the ocean and invites her to tell her story, which the entire movie is the visualization of Rose telling her story on the titanic to Brock and the other scientists.
6. Molly is another socialite on the ship who is friends with Ruth and Rose, she serves as the antithesis to Ruth when it comes to what high society expects of Rose. She is kind to Rose and Jack, despite differences in class, contrasting the behavior of Ruth and the other socialites.
7. Thomas Andrews is the architect and engineer who designed the titanic, and serves as the voice of reason when it comes to issues with the ship. He is the expert on the titanic and is our source for information on the ship, particularly when it is sinking. He also serves as a kind helping hand to Jack and Rose.
“The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”
1. Blondie (AKA The Good)
Blondie is considered “The Good” in the movie, and usually stands for right and justice. But, as we see through his escapades with Tuco and his greed driven motives, it paints a more gray image of what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s ugly. Blondie is the main driving point of the underlining idea that the movie is trying to give us which is “The world isn’t black and white, it’s shades of gray.”
2. Angel Eyes (AKA The Bad)
Angel eyes is considered “The Bad” in the movie, and he lives up to his name. A stone cold, un feeling killer, he will torture, kill, assault and use anyone he feels like to be able to get what he wants. He is the driving evil of the plot, our pinnacle “Bad guy.”
3. Tuco (AKA The Ugly)
Tuco play a different role than the other two, arguably the most relatable and likable character (despite his crimes), and not only has the most screen time out of the three, but also the most character development. In all technicality, he is the true main character. He is another gray character, and adds a lot of depth to the whole story.
4. Bill Carson
Bill Carson is the inciting incident in the story. He is only in one scene, but his name is referred to through almost the entire movie, and he is the one who keeps Blondie alive and forces Tuco to save him, keeping our main characters going. It also drives the entire rest of the movie, pushing our three main characters together into one final battle.
5. Father Pablo Ramirez
Pablo Ramirez is Tuco’s brother, and reveals a lot about Tuco’s life and his personality. It shows us that Tuco has a soft spot for family, and can be a really emotional person, but covers it up a lot. This character helps the audience to connect with Tuco and feel for him.
6. Alcoholic Union Captain (Yes that’s his name)
The Alcoholic Union Captain is fighting in a battle for a bridge against the confederates when Blondie and Tuco appear. This character is a commentary on war and the pointless-ness of conflict, with him saying that “Whoever has the most liquor to get the soldiers drunk and send them to be slaughtered, he’s the winner.” This man shows us the true horrors of war and the ways it affects those that send men to die. The drunk captain is severely depressed by ordering his men to die and all he wants is an end to the battle, which, as he dies on the doctors stretcher, Blondie and Tuco give it to him by blowing up the bridge.