Bulls n' Bears

 

Life Script Topics, Origins II

Life scripts within literature are more easily adapted to fit the goals of one author, whereas fairy tales are shaped by the entire culture and generations of editing. Cinderella describes the girl who dutifully keeps house despite abuse, waiting for her prince to call her to the castle. Hans Christian Anderson created his own version of “The Little Mermaid” that became a dominant version of the fairy tale because it reached more people, flooding and covering over the original versions.

•    Movies
Some modern life scripts can be traced to movies.  Movies are often accepted as a form of life script in that we see the characters within them and can relate the story to ourselves. However, movies commonly ignore the consequences of poor decisions or are based upon fairy tales that do not allow for anything to go wrong. Movies also offer a glimpse of life scripts for alternate ways of life, whether they are of a different social class or distant part of the world. Movies sometimes take their plot line for fairy tales, such as the Disney princess movies. Movies also trace their origin to literature such as Dickens in inspiring rags-to-riches movies.

•    Songs
Songs can provide life scripts, especially in narrative or saga form. Songs also contain in depth descriptions of emotions and when emotional changes occur. How do you know if it is true love or love at first sight? Plenty of modern musical hits describe this feeling. How should someone react when seeing a lover with another? From country music songs describing ripping up his leather seats and slashing a hole in his tires to rock songs describing a broken heart and then kicking the person out, the acceptable reaction in the heat of the moment has already been etched into the back of the person’s mind, script ready to be followed when the moment happens.


(continued from part I)