Cultural identity

   A common challenge faced by today's youth is cultural identity, am I this or am I that? We're all bound to adopt new culture while living in America. Is there a third option? Where we celebrate our ancestry and branch out into our own identity? Absolutely.
   My parents are Salvadorian, a small central american country, which for the most part, is plagued by violence. Violence that forced my mom to seek refuge from civil war and forces many today to seek refuge from gang warfare.

We obviously find little value in that past, but we do value what little positive culture we have. We don't go to any festivals or events of that nature, but I know where I come from.

I enjoy Salvadorian dishes, in particular pupusas, a thick tortilla with a meat or cheese filling, among others. I also support our sub-par national soccer team.

I must admit, the way I dress, talk, do my hair, and the music I listen to is completely westernized, my hobby is american adopted as well, straying away from the traditional soccer and picking up skateboarding.

Cultural diffusion is inevitable, from taco trucks in America, to McDonald's in Mexico. There is nothing wrong with this picture. In terms of a middle ground, the majority of people in this country from a back-round being non-american, with non American parents are living this reality. A logical blend of foreign customs and american customs.

Photo Courtesy:http://from-ashes-we-rise.tumblr.com/post/28889571927/imagesofwar-salvadoran-civil-war-guerra-civil

http://discover-centralamerica.blogspot.com/2011/11/salvadoran-pupusas.html

Anti heroes (late)

   An anti hero is a character in a story lacking hero qualities, such as courage and morality. Ichabod Crane is a perfect example of an anti hero, he lacks courage and seems to have a bit of a greedy side.

   Mary Shelley's Frankenstein featured Victor Frankenstein, another example of an anti hero, Victor's negligence led to the creation of a monster.

Both characters featured a lack of courage, with Victor running away from his creation and Ichabod just being scared of the supernatural, both have outcomes of what is speculated by most, DEATH.

Both Ichabod and Victor were fond of a significant other, while the intentions were different, they still pursued a female. Victor's lover is murdered at the hands of his creation, despite his efforts, the outcome wasn't so good. On the other hand, Ichabod pursued Katrina for her soon-to-be wealth, he also ended up losing the battle.

Lastly, both Victor and Ichabod shared a lack of morals. After all, Victor's negligence led to the deaths of his loved ones, and he still wondered why do all the misfortunes happened to him. Ichabod's greed led to his demise, while pursuing his lady, he's 'heart-stricken' and falls to the hands of the headless horseman

   Edgar Allan Poe can be regarded as one of America's best writers, and by some, even the original goth kid. Poe seems to enjoy being in a dark state of mind, which is deemed perfect for writing horror stories. Poe is the modern day inspiration for many modern stories, even making appearances in the satirical South Park.

Poe's short story Fall of the House Usher features many characteristics ideal in a horror story. For instance his use of an ominous setting creates the mood for the story, and creates foreshadowing of misfortunes about to occur. I would use this tactic the very same way.

Poe's use of death in his stories is another great example. Death creates obvious suspense and a sense of fear. I would use death to establish a very dark tone, give the story a mournful feel to it.

The use of the supernatural elements gives the story a very peculiar feel to it. By the means of logic it's obvious the dead don't rise in a decayed state, but it sure scares many readers, and may incite them to leave their nightlight on, after all, we have an obsession for the occult. The supernatural will surely hook the reader and which is why I would use it.

Diction is surely an essential way to express your standpoint, you're choice of words certainly set a mood for a story. Poe's use of strong words such as dark, dull, and soundless create an image of a desolate place. I would peruse Poe's work to use strong words that effectively express what I want to say.

Poe's use of cliffhangers make the reader interpret the ending or resolution in whatever way they want, after all he's dead he can't write a sequel to Fall of the House of Usher. To have my work venerated and become a cultural phenomenon I would adopt Poe's use of cliffhangers.

Poe's elements have him regarded as the quintessential mystery/horror writer, with great reason, it's evident throughout all of his work. His work seems to have these elements implemented to create the ideal story.