Adult Suppression and Distortion of Children

Carcass

"Buried Dreams"

Welcome, it's a world of hate

Your life of buried dreams

Smothered by the soils of fate

Welcome to a world of pain

Bitterness, your only wealth

The sands of time kicked in your face

Rubbed in your face

When aspirations are squashed

When life's chances are lost

When all hope is gone

When expectations are quashed

When self esteem is lost

When ambition is mourned

And all you need is hate

When aspirations are squashed

When life's chances are lost

When all hope is gone

When expectations are quashed

When self esteem is lost

When ambition is mourned

And all you need is hate

In futility for self preservation

We all need someone

Someone to hate

Welcome to a world of hate

Hate

When aspirations are squashed

When life's chances are lost

When all hope is gone

When expectations are quashed

When self esteem is lost

When ambition is mourned

And all you need is hate

Hate

Though out "The Ocean At The End Of The Lane" adults are shown as attempting to instill their version of reality, and suppress the creativity of children. The adults are always seen as over powering figures destroying the child's reality, as the boy thought "The door was locked. Locked doors stopped people coming in [...] The door exploded inward" (71). The main point of power of the adults comes from their age, which is seen as the source of power. This is seen as Ursula Monkton states "You're just a little boy. I'm a grown-up. I was an adult when your world was a ball of molten rock. I can do whatever I wish to you." (86) The power of age is further depicted as the little boy thinks "She was an adult – no, more than an adult. She was old. And I have never felt more like a child"(118). As the song "Buried Dreams" depicts, as one grows up they lose their beliefs, their fantasies, and their self esteem. This causes many adults to be hateful, and within this book the hate is caused by an endless cycle of recreation of the same hateful adults. The picture above represents the statement of Lettie Hempstock, the little boys magical friend, who states "Oh, monsters are scared [...] That's why they're monsters. And as for grown-ups [...]  Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're bug and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. The truth us, there aren't any grown-ups. Not one, in the whle wide world [...] Except Granny, of course." (112) This relates to the idea that everyone has an inner child, and although it may be abused, there is hope of it reappearing and arising fantasy and wonder once again. The inner child must be kept alive in order for creativity to flourish.

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Unknown 19:27  No comment

Children's Fantasy In Books

Earth, Wind and Fire

"Fantasy"

Every man has a place
In his heart there's a space
And the world can't erase his fantasies
Take a ride in the sky
On our ship, fantasize
All your dreams will come true right away

And we will live together
Until the twelfth of never
Our voices will ring forever, as one

Every thought is a dream
Rushing by in a stream
Bringing life to the kingdom of doing
Take a ride in the sky
On our ship, fantasize
All your dreams will come true miles away

Our voices will ring together
Until the twelfth of never
We all will live love forever, as one

Come to see victory
In a land called fantasy
Loving life, a new degree
Bring your mind to everlasting liberty

As one, come to see victory
In a land called fantasy
Loving life for you and me
To behold, to your soul is ecstasy

You will find other kind
That has been in search of you
Many lives has brought you to
Recognize, it's your life now in review

And as you stay for the play
Fantasy has in store for you
A glowing light will see you through
It's your day, shining day
All your dreams come true

As you glide in your stride
With the wind as you fly away
Give a smile from your lips and say
I'm free, yes I'm free, now I'm on my way

Come to see victory
In a land called fantasy
Loving life for you and me
To behold, to your soul is ecstasy

You will find other kind
That has been in search of you
Many lives has brought you to
Recognize, it's your life now in review

Within the book "The Ocean At The End Of The Lane" the little boy often finds himself living in fantasy, especially in books, rather than in "reality". This desire to live in a world of fantasy is often seen in children, but it is lost as they mature into adults. The little boy loves living in fantasy as he states "Narnia books, which I took upstairs. I lay on the bed and lost myself in the stories. I liked that. Books were safer than other people anyway" (9). This depicts the sadness of what adults believe to be reality. Adults choose to live within a world where everyone is plotting and scheming against each other, while children are free to frolic in happy wonderlands. As depicted within the song "Fantasy", everyone has a dream world to which they wish they could travel, and it is only a matter of deciding to go, not suppressing yourself, and all your dreams will come true. As seen in the picture above, it is books that take children into fantastical lands and that expand their minds. These books also help to develop the personalities of children, and make them better and more open minded adults. This is seen as the boy thinks "Growing up, i took so many cues from books. They taught me most of what I knew about what people did, about how to behave." (77) Through out the book, Neil Gaiman is reasserting that adults are too close minded, and those that read books and fantasize as children will have a better chance of retaining their childhood fantasies and accomplishing them as adults.

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Unknown 19:27  No comment

Pursuit of False Happiness

Stabilo

"Flawed Design"

When I was a young boy

I was honest and I had more self control

If I was tempted I would 

Run

Then when I got older I began to lie to get exactly what I wanted when I wanted it

And I wanted it

Now I'm having trouble differentiating between what I want and what I need to make me

Happy

So instead of thinking I just act before I have a chance to contemplate the consequence of

Action

And I will turn off

And I will shut down

Burying the voices of my conscience hitting ground

And I will turn off

And I will shut down

The chemicals are restless in my head

Cause I lie

Not because I want to

But I seem to need to all the time (need to all the time)

Yeah I lie

And I don't even know it

Maybe this is all a part of my

Flawed design

And ever since I figured out that I could control other people

I've had trouble sleeping with both 

Eyes closed

And if I ask permission if I make sure it's ok I promise I won't slip up this time you can 

Trust me

But never take advice from someone who just admitted to being devious and just confessed to 

Treason 

And I would also never ask a question that I cannot ask myself for it might dirty up your

Conscience

Cause I lie

Not because I want to

But I seem to need to all the time (need to all the time)

Yeah I lie

And I don't even know it

Maybe this is all a part of my (flawed design)

And how can you say those things why can't you just believe

And how can you say those things and keep a straight face

And how can you say those things why can't we just believe

And how can you say those things and keep a straight face

And I will turn off

And I will shut down

Burying the voices of my conscience hitting ground

And I will turn off

And I will shut down

The chemicals are restless in my head

Cause I lie

Not because I want to

But I seem to need to all the time (need to all the time)

Yeah I lie

And I don't even know it

Maybe this is all a part of my (flawed design)

Cause I lie

And if I could control it

Maybe I could leave it all behind (leave it all behind)

Yeah I lie

And I don't even know it

Maybe this is all a part of my 

Flawed design

Adults and children have very different perspectives upon what happiness means and how to obtain it. As seen within "The Ocean At The End Of The Lane" children have simple desires, such as the little boy's companionship of a cat. The ambitions of adults however, are on grander scales, as when you grow up you obtain more power and see that you have more control over the world. The majority of the adults begins to desire money, as they believe this is what will bring them happiness. As said by the little boy "All the fighting and the dreams. It's about money, isn't it?"(31) Ursula Monkton goes on to try and tempt the boy with money, as she wants him to be under her control as she says "Everyone wants money [...] It makes them happy. It will make you happy, if you let it."(58) However the boy rejects this, which is depicted within the song "Flawed Design" as it states that children are more certain of what happiness is, and are better able to resist false desires. The song also states "Now I'm having trouble differentiating between what I want and what I need to make me Happy". This states that as children turn into adults, they lose sight of true happiness, and begin to search reality for material things that will fill this hole inside them. As seen in the picture above, there are many hooks within life that will bait you into following them and committing yourself to various illusions. However, as seen in the picture, the is a very solemn mood, and the person himself looks very unhappy, showing that this bait will bring nothing but sorrow, and makes a person feel empty on the inside. Sadly, people are willing to do many horrible things in order to achieve this false happiness, as Ursula Monkton in the book says "I ONLY GAVE THEM WHAT THEY NEEDED [...] I MADE THEM HAPPY [...] I NEVER MADE ANY OF THEM DO ANYTHING, it told me. For a moment I thought it was laughing at me" (128) Overall, the lose of true happiness and the pursuit of false wishes due to a distortion of reality is greatly depicted within "The Ocean At The End Of The Lane".

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Unknown 17:13  No comment

The Venomous Desception of Adulthood

3 Days Grace

"Animal I Have Become"

I can't escape this hell

So many times i've tried

But i'm still caged inside

Somebody get me through this nightmare

I can't control myself

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?

No one will ever change this animal I have become

Help me believe it's not the real me

Somebody help me tame this animal

(This animal, this animal)

I can't escape myself

(I can't escape myself)

So many times i've lied

(So many times i've lied)

But there's still rage inside

Somebody get me through this nightmare

I can't control myself

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?

No one will ever change this animal I have become

Help me believe it's not the real me

Somebody help me tame this animal I have become

Help me believe it's not the real me

Somebody help me tame this animal

Somebody help me through this nightmare

I can't control myself

Somebody wake me from this nightmare

I can't escape this hell

(This animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal, this animal)

So what if you can see the darkest side of me?

No one will ever change this animal I have become

Help me believe it's not the real me

Somebody help me tame this animal I have become

Help me believe it's not the real me

Somebody help me tame this animal

(This animal I have become)

Within "The Ocean At The End of The Lane" many adults are depicted as having a darker side hidden within them. This appearance vs reality is especially seen within the character of Ursula Monkton, who is in fact a monster from another world that poses as a sweet young lady that is taking care of the little boy and his sister. The boy goes on to say "but I wondered what would happen if Ursula Monkton pulled off her face, what would be underneath that?"(63) As it is depicted in the song "Animal I have Become" many people develop a darker side, especially as they grow up and transfer from child to adult. It is depicted within the book how children act as who they truly are, but as they grow up, adults put up a fake personality in order to hide the evil that resides within. This is seen as the boy's father is seduced by Ursula Monkton, and the boy thinks "He didn't know what she was. She was a monster, and he just thought she was a normal person, and he was being nice to her." (66) The book goes on to state a linking comparison between adults and monsters as the little boy states "Grown-ups and monsters aren't scared of things" (112). It is also shown in the picture above, that inside a normal looking person, there may be a monster hiding right beneath the skin. This idea of the innocence of children and the warping of adult reality is seen throughout "The Ocean At The End Of The Lane".

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Unknown 17:01  No comment

Open Mindedness VS Burial of the Soul

Paramore

"Brick By Boring Brick"

Well she lives in a fairy tale
Somewhere too far for us to find
Forgotten the taste and smell
Of a world that she's left behind
It's all about the exposure the lens I told her
The angles are all wrong now
She's ripping wings off of butterflies

Keep your feet on the ground
When your head's in the clouds
Well go get your shovel
And we'll dig a deep hole
To bury the castle, bury the castle
Go get your shovel
And we'll dig a deep hole
To bury the castle, bury the castle

Ba da ba ba da ba ba da

So one day he found her crying
Coiled up on the dirty ground
Her prince finally came to save her
And the rest you can figure out
But it was a trick
And the clock struck twelve
Well make sure to build your heart brick by boring brick
Or the wolf's gonna blow it down

Keep your feet on the ground
When your head's in the clouds

Well go get your shovel
And we'll dig a deep hole
To bury the castle, bury the castle
Go get your shovel
And we'll dig a deep hole
We'll bury the castle, bury the castle

Oh whoa oh whoa oh whoa oh whoa

Well you built up a world of magic
Because your real life is tragic
Yeah you built up a world of magic

If it's not real
You can't hold it in your hand
You can't feel it with your heart
And I won't believe it
But if it's true
You can see it with your eyes
Oh, even in the dark
And that's where I want to be, yeah

Go get your shovel
And we'll dig a deep hole
To bury the castle, bury the castle
Go get your shovel
And we'll dig a deep hole
To bury the castle, bury the castle

[x2]
Ba da ba ba da ba ba da
Ba da ba ba ba da ba ba
Ba da ba ba da ba ba da
Ba da ba ba ba ba ba ba

Child and adult realities often conflict as children are more open minded, and open to exploration, while adults constrain their minds and seek to make reality as uniform as possible. As Neil Gaiman wrote "Adults follow paths. Children Explore. Adults are content to walk the same way, hundreds of times, or thousands" (56). This open mindedness is seen as even the main character, who is refereed to as the little boy, is never given a name. It is known that he has a name, but what his name is is open to the reader's imagination, and is not constrained to a set parameter. The boy also shows a comparison between the freedom of the wild, in which children feel at home, and the constraints and uncomfortableness of adult control as he states "The meadow was easier on my feet than the flint lane had been. I was happier, and felt more real, running on the grass"(80). These attempts by adults to change reality can be compared to those of the Party in 1984, as although these actions are not as severe, it shows unwillingness to succumb to the change and wonder of nature and a desire to set a concrete world. The wonder and fascination of a child's world is seen as Lettie Hempstock returns from a magical trip saying "Mandrakes are so loud when you pull them up, and I didn't have earplugs, and once I'd got it I had to swap it for a shadow-bottle, an old-fashioned one with lots of shadows dissolved in vinegar" (111). Although this is portrayed as something that truly happened in the book, even if its is just the imagination, this still brings wonder and joy to the world. The suppresion of the childish freedom by adults is shown within the song "Brick by Boring Brick" by Paramore, as the child wants to live a world of fantasy, but as she grows up she is required to "bury the castle". In the video a grave is dug, in which all her fantasy's are buried as she becomes an adult. The adult version of herself walks away as her child form false into the grave and is buried. The song states how it is believed that you cannot live in fantasy, that the adult world requires you to come back down to  "reality". However, the novel "The Ocean At The End Of The Lane" states that it would be amazing if adults could stay as children, because these fantasies add wonder to the world. The picture I have chosen is a collage of two pictures that show the comparison between the happy and wild world of children, and the bleak world of adults. This comparison is seen through out the book as the boy constantly wonders why adults cannot live happy lives like children, and why they do not see the wonder in exploring new lands and discovering hidden fantasies.

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Unknown 15:49  No comment