Writing Assignment #2 - True Grit

When Western books and films are usually stereotyped as male-influenced, over the top and has a lackluster story quality, Charles Portis' "True Grit" breaks the mold by having a dominate female lead and a strong narrative structure.

Charles Portis has a lot to say under Mattie and Rooster's vibrant dialogue. To me, there's a direct contrast between both these characters. Our hero Mattie is an assertive teenager hell-bent on revenge while she follows the law everywhere she goes. On the other hand there's Rooster, the wild-card archetype which usually supplies the brawn...and no brains. While Mattie is the wise and careful character, Rooster basically acts as her sword and, specifically in the end, savior. With that said, does Portis mean the best way to achieve to one's goal is to have balance?
LaBoeuf, the Texas Ranger, made me question my previous theory. Maybe he represents that balance. For example, he had his guard up and was an ass towards the beginning, but then after all the conflict, learned to eat his pride and appreciate Mattie for her maturity and self-sufficiency and gained a right mind to help Rooster when he needed it most, just like when the roles were turned. It may be over-reaching, but for half the novel, LaBoeuf was bad, and the other good.

On another note, "True Grit" reflects greatly on the ideas of Western mythology. Classic Western tales from hundreds of years still have an effect on modern-day reality: how people act, it's popular in literally every medium and is a successful source for advertising.  Usually, a story revolves around a western male, or "cowboy". They tend to be a self reliant outsider, unwilling to conform to society. Cowboys also prefer friendly intimacy with comerads over women while they live on the wild side. Some more characteristics are intelligent and experienced in conflict and combat, fit and handsome, unable to be domesticated and usually have a heavy disdain for authority.

Rooster clearly fits this hero-type...minus the handsome part. Our hero, Mattie, doesn't quite fit this cowboy role, but is more intact with the "Child Savior Myth". This myth is essentially innocence teaching experience.

Prologue About Me

Hey everyone! My name's Daniel G. Gorham, a film senior at Ringling College of Art & Design. I was born and raised in central New Jersey.

In my childhood, I played a lot of soccer starting from the recreational level and worked myself up to join the top club team in my town. I usually played left wing even though I'm right-footed.

In middle school I picked up my first camcorder: a digital JVC with standard definition. I made embarrassing shorts with my friends (looking back at it now) and called the YouTube channel "Top Hat Productions". When I entered high school, I deactivated my account and created a new one: "DanG Films". Recording ping pong trick shot videos, air soft games and more narrative shorts, I gained up to 450 subscribers locally. I even worked with the school to make some videos to broadcast for HSPA testing and the annual "Spirit Week".

In my junior year, I directed a short film called "Ghost" about an unstable young man who blames himself for the death of his brother, and because he's prescribed too much medication, he sees glimpses of his brother throughout the film. I was awarded a scholarship from JK Design.

When I began furthering my education at Ringling, I decided to drop my YouTube channel so I could focus on classes. As the years went on, I found myself more and more fascinated with developing something out of nothing: story. How life influences could effect ones writing, how much one word could describe a thousand through subtext, and how much emotion an audience member or reader receives from viewing it. I want to make my audience feel pain, nastolgia, despair, happiness, and most importantly learn from the mistakes I've made, which will most undoubtingly be lined underneath everything I write.

As an audience member, I enjoy all types of film, from thirty-minute sitcoms to forty-five minute dramas to feature-length psychological thrillers. As a screenwriter, I wish to wet my feet in every genre to see what I'm best at and what's the most enjoyable. My middle goal is to become a staff writer for television like "Rick and Morty" and / or video games like "Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series" and my end goal is to become a screenwriting professor at the undergraduate level.

I've wanted to be a teacher since I graduated high school. I was never the best student. I had a short attention span and I could never really wrap my head around problems that were too big. To add, I have a large amount of anxiety. In short, I was limiting myself. Now as a senior, I've worked passed what I thought was the impossible and want to assist students that have the same difficulties as me. Seeing the next generation prosper and make even stronger content then us and our elders would be such a beautiful sight. I want to be apart of that push.