Mimi Zycherman
James DeRogatis
Review of the Arts: Honors
12/9/13
The Obstacles of Life
A Greek, a fighter, and a poet walk into a bar. The Greek says, “I’ll think I’ll have a craft-made IPA, but only if it’s from Greece.” The fighter says, “I’ll have a warm PBR in a can.” The poet says, “I’ll have whatever hops is on tap, but put it in a broken wine glass.” So many stipulations just to get a beer! Why struggle when all you need to do is order a cold one?
Man vs. Self has its roots in Greek mythology, and has been a common theme in modern-day media. Man’s inner struggle is as common today as it was in the past. In the Greek epic, “The Odyssey” by Homer, the movie “Rocky” starring and written by Sylvester Stallone, and “Just Kids” by Patti Smith, each main character pursues an improbable goal with pitfalls along the way. However, he or she who overcomes so many obstacles becomes the person they want to be.
“The Odyssey,” tells the story of the Greek hero Odysseus and his 20-year journey home after the fall of Troy. The epic poem begins with Odysseus trapped on the island of Ogygia by the nymph Calypso. After escaping he attempts his journey home, telling people along the way of his adventures. After ten years of fighting in the Trojan War, it takes him another ten years to get home to his kingdom of Ithaca. Since it takes Odysseus so long to get home, his family believes he is dead.
This ancient narrative poem and its theme, Man vs. Self, is one of the oldest known written narratives. Odysseus struggles physically and mentally and overcomes obstacles he faces day after day. Life is uncertain, the future is an unknown, do we keep going despite the massive amounts of crap and negativity, literally and figuratively, that gets in our way? Do we give up? Why does one person keep going and another give up? What is Man seeking?
This epic poem is filled with mythical lands and troublesome creatures who distract Odysseus and get in his way, but it creates an adventurous life and story. Who doesn’t long to be favored by mythical gods like Odysseus is favored by Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, not because he is a hero but because of his courage and wit? Spectacles of how to outwit a hungry Cyclops or a beautiful nymph trying to trap you on a mythical island. For Odysseus, it is all hardships, yet the epic poem is a visual stimuli. He overcomes it all to succeed and return home to his love Penelope and his son. Life is an adventure, sometimes difficult, yet worth the reward of love and happiness.
While cyclops, sirens, nymphs and gods seem utterly unrealistic there are human emotions -- a desire to be home; undying love; maternal love; and the need to grow up faster -- that can be relatable to any reader. Any soldier can identify with Odysseus’s longing to be home with his family when away at war, and any young son or daughter can relate to Odysseus’s son, Telemachus, wanting to grow up faster so that he can have his own adventures and become an adult. The Odyssey contains universal themes dealing with Man’s weakness and struggle while searching for Self.
Like Telemachus, Rocky Balboa, an older, underdog, down-and-out boxer (played by Sylvester Stallone) is given the chance to prove himself by fighting the heavy-weight champion, Apollo Creed (played by Carl Weathers), his Poseidon. With the support of his girlfriend, Adrian, his friend, Paulie Pennino, and his coach, Mickey Goldmill, he wins, improbably, the boxing match, self-respect and pride. All the years he’s spent fighting within himself, questioning his abilities, wondering if he’d ever succeed in his goal to win.
Burgess Meredith plays Rocky’s coach, like Athena in the Odyssey, helps Rocky by being supportive and positive, and training him the become the best boxer he can be. Like Stallone, he has a rough voice that makes him sound tough yet he also gives the impression of a grumpy old man with a soft side to make him lovable and someone we care about.
Rocky would be lost without his supportive friend Paulie Pennino, played by Burt Young. Young usually plays street wise guys who make shady business deals, but he plays the role perfectly. Like Eumaeus, a loyal shepherd to Odysseus, Paulie provides food and a place to train to Rocky and also helps him get “home.”
Without Rocky’s love interest, Adrian Pennino (Talia Shire), he wouldn’t have that extra drive to want to better himself and become a champion. Adrian is Rocky’s Penelope; she loves him unconditionally, but he feels out of her reach. Though not physically separated like Odysseus and Penelope, Adrian believes in him and like Odysseus, Rocky must prove to Adrian that he is not weak and also that he cares a great deal about her. Penelope shares that commitment of love by fending off suitors and locks herself in her room believing Odysseus will come back.
Stallone, while not the best of actors, uses his sad, puppy-dog eyes and gravelly voice to become the sensitive boxer who acts tougher than he feels inside. Of course, the only reason he got the part is because Stallone wrote the script for “Rocky.” He wouldn’t let anybody else play the part of Rocky. Ironically, he fought against the producers just to get the part. Even Stallone’s road to becoming Rocky was a journey to prove himself to others.
One of the greatest boxing movies, Rocky appeals to both boxing and non-boxing fans. With a killer workout montage and heart-thumping fight scenes that seem realistic and maybe a bit flashy, but you are cheering for Rocky all the way. Many viewers identify with an underdog succeeding against all odds.
John Avildsen who directed Rocky also directed all the Karate Kid movies. The fight scenes are exciting and keeps the viewer anticipating the outcome. The best part of the movie is watching Rocky jogging through the streets of Philadelphia and at the end of his run sprinting up the steps to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This iconic scene will have you humming the Rocky theme song composed by Bill Conti for a long time.
Anybody can empathize with Rocky’s story of wanting to reach their potential and trying their best to reach their life goals. However, without the support he was given by his friend, coach and girlfriend he probably wouldn’t have pushed and believed in himself enough to win. Sometimes people need help outside themselves to become the person they strive to be.
In her autobiography, “Just Kids,” Patti Smith writes about her childhood leading up to her very close relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who supported and inspired her. Smith begins and ends with the death of Mapplethorpe, her lover, friend and her obstacle in life.
Like Athena, Mapplethorpe supports Patti Smith and wants her to be happy. He loves her just as much as Penelope loves Odysseus even if she doesn’t know if he is alive or not. However, the hold he has on her is as dangerous as the one Poseidon has on Odysseus.
Mapplethorpe was a someone who had a lot of identity issues and drug problems which any teenager and addict can understand. He was Patti Smith’s lover but he was also gay and a prostitute for many years. However, Patti Smith loved him so much and stayed with him until she finally realized she couldn’t change him and that was her biggest obstacle in life. Having to let go of someone you love so much so that you figure out who you are is an obstacle in life that nobody should go through. Anybody who has been in a relationship where you are more focused on the person you are with that you forget about what you want in life. Patti Smith had a ton of support from Mapplethorpe and she thought by letting him do whatever he wanted was the right way to show her support. However, every time he would do drugs or pimp himself out she would worry about him and nobody should worry about someone for the rest of their life.
For many Patti Smith fans, this book will give insight to not only her life in New York but also a relationship that gave her support in pursuing a career of writing poetry that was a dream of hers. Even people who are not fans of Patti Smith or don’t know who she is, would be interested in reading about her stay at the Chelsea Hotel which housed many well known artist such as Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Leonard Cohen, etc. Her insight and perceptiveness of the New York music and art scene of the 1970s is fascinating.
The style of Smith’s writing is fluid and musical. Some of her writing can be a little strange and you may have to think hard on the meaning but when understood there are thoughts and feeling that you can empathize with. Like any artist, she had thoughts of uneasiness and low self-esteem but also gained instantaneous floods of inspiration from other people’s art.
It takes a lot of courage to leave everything you know and love like Patti Smith did. She moved to a city she hardly knew and had hardly any money. However, she found a friend in Mapplethorpe, like Telemachus does when visiting the king of Pylos, that supported her and believed that she would become somebody important in to the art world. Anybody who moves to a completely different country or state can understand how lonely it can be in the beginning. However, finding a friend who can understand the reason for the move and also understands your dreams can help with discovering the person you strive to be.
For Odysseus, it can take ten years worth of mythical obstacles to reach the place that he not only calls home but a place where he can be the person he was meant to be; a king, a father, a hero and a husband. Someone can reach their potential by being given a chance to prove their skill as a boxer like Rocky Balboa. Odysseus and Rocky had support just like Patti Smith did which also gave her inspiration to push the boundaries of art so that she could become the artist, poet and musician that she is today. In life there are many obstacles that these characters and artists had to go through that might of held them down for a bit, but they overcame those obstacles of life and proceeded to become their best selves.