The Word Of The Day

The word of the day is stockholm syndrome. Stockholm syndrome is defined as feelings of trust or affection felt by a victim toward a captor often in the instances of a kidnapping or hostage situtation. Victims often take a lack of abuse from their captures as a gesture of kindness. Victims typically go through 4 stages:

The first stage is simply the act of being held hostage. The victim learns that the only way to survive is to be compliant. Stage two is getting to know your captor's moods and behaviors so that you can avoid upsetting him. If you upset your captor, he may harm you. Naturally, you avoid this. The third stage is taking any act of kindness, even if that act is simply not killing you, as a sign that your captor is a good person. The final stage is when you think of the captor as your friend and those who try to rescue you as your enemies.

Patty Hearst is often used as an example of Stockholm syndrome. Patty was a newspaper heiress who became a kidnap victim and eventually a bank robber. After her kidnapping, she ultimately ended up joining her captors and furthuring their cause, a classic example of Stockholm syndrome.

An example of Stockholm syndrome hidden within a childhood classic can be found in Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Belle exhibits all of the signs and goes through all of the stages. Hostages have been known to fall in love with their captors in order to keep from losing their grip on things, and Belle does exactly this. Although it is a love story, she is being held hostage. She traded herself for her father's freedom, and the Beast is her captor. She learns not to anger him, and she takes his 'gift' of the library as the best thing in the world. In reality, the library was always there, and he simply showed her where.

Although Disney had a love story in mind, Stockholm syndrom is not far behind.

Creative What? Nooooo!

Have you ever heard the words 'Creative Writing Assignment' and wanted to scream? Does the thought of writing poetry or creating a short story make you want to head for the hills? Ever English student has had to face the dreaded creative writing assignment, and every student has had to deal with writers block.

When writing a short story, one can often stare at a blank sheet of paper for hours on end with no results. Don't be discouraged! Simply start with an idea. Whether it's a theme such as love, a crazy character, a feeling, a chilling setting, or simply a random object, anything can get the creative juices flowing. Once you have an idea to go off of, prewriting can be extremely helpful. This way you are able to briefly sketch out your ideas as well as ensure your writing has direction and fulfills all requirements of the assignment.

Before you finish your writing, make sure you spice it up with figurative language. Even the simplest piece of writing can become sophisticated with a complex metaphor carefully inserted into place.

So, the next time you hear the words 'Creative Writing,' it might not be so bad.