In How I Learned to Drive, there is the repeated titling of scenes as something to do with driving. The whole show is given as a broken up driving lesson. The title reflects what you can expect in that scene. For example, a scene entitled "You and the Reverse Gear" will be in the past. A scene titled "Shifting Forward From First to Second Gear" will be about Lil Bit and Peck's relationship developing further. It isn't the exact same everytime but it always uses a metaphor with a car to show what will be happening. Driving is used as the overlaying motif because Uncle Peck and Lil Bit's weird messed up relationship started with him taking her on a drive and teaching her how to drive. They got their alone time when driving somewhere, they had special (creepy) moments in a car, and eventually a car gave Lil Bit the freedom to get away from her family, and move on from Uncle Peck.
A motif in Harry Potter is "the chosen one." This is throughout all 7 books and 8 movies. Harry Potter was the chosen one before he was even born because of a prophecy that actually could have been talking about 2 different people. But, because of who Voldemort went after Harry Potter's life was decided from the beginning. He would have to be the one to defeat the Dark Lord or die. The "chosen one" is repeated often through out both whether it be in a mocking fashion or in an encouraging, praiseful fashion, both J.K. Rowling and the script writers kept it in play the entire series because it was really by chance that Harry was the chosen on rather then Neville.
I had no idea how nerdy that would sound until I reread it, hopefully it's a good example of a motif.
This is the motif that I noticed. I guess this is therefore and example of a great motif in that we both see it :)
ReplyDeleteI like how you expanded on Harry Potter. I find it funny how people try to right it off as bad literature. Rowling knows what she is doing and prooves it with how she writes those books.