The+Observer

In the world, there are those who accomplish things, those who aid others, those who do everything they can to disrupt the people on a set path, and the people that fall in between. One group of people that are not usually recognized in literature and reality are the observers. Even though events may occur around them, the Observer is one who quietly takes in all aspects of the scene from afar. They gather all of their information and keep silent with the knowledge they gather. Although the Observer is often characterized as greedy, rude, and confined because they observe things wordlessly, in reality, they see themselves as inferior at times and vessels for information; all the while trying to be self-sufficient. From the outside, the Observer appears unwilling to share information, which usually gives them the image of being greedy, rude, or confined. In general, humans are a race that crave knowledge and smarter ways to finish things. Humans frequently try and cooperate with others to get information out of them. Usually, their actions are committed for their own personal gain. The Observer is repeatedly in a situation where they are being hammered for answers, and so they retaliate by being silent or by not giving in. In the TV show //Lost//, when a plane crashes on a lone island, the survivors have to find ways to sustain themselves and look out for one another. Among the survivors is the Korean couple, Sun and Jin. They immediately stray away from the main group and pretend they do not understand English when one of them actually does. They stay on the side watching what the other characters do and do not associate with the others as much as possible. They come off as rude because even though certain individuals are in trouble and the couple has the skills to help, they keep to themselves and watch from afar. Another example of why some may see the Observer as being rude is because in addition to not giving information, observers may seem as if they believe that they are more superior than others. In the book //The// //Odyssey//, the immortal Fates watch over human life for all eternity and observe their actions to then determine how long one will live. They observe people so they can determine when to cut their life thread and end their life. Although it may seem like they are physical beings for taking a persons life, they really are not for a majority of the time because they observe and pass silent judgment on mortals. Because the mortals know what the role of the Fates is in their everyday life, they frequently blame them for their own problems. A phrase that goes with this is “Curse the Fates!”or "Curse my Fate!" from old Greek literature. media type="youtube" key="sgMlrLwStT8" width="340" height="282" align="left"One exception to the basic actions of the Observer takes place in the TV series //Gossip Girl.// In the show, the character Blair Waldorf observes other people to learn of their secrets. Then, she posts the newfound information onto Gossip Girl, therefore, revealing it to the world. Blair Waldorf is the basic evil Observer type because she uses the information she finds out and uses it for her own plots to feel secure in society. An extra example to why Observers may seem confined or negative is because they observe events silently. Observers have a natural detachment to the world around them and are not willing to share either their own social or private lives, or their feelings with people. The song “Mad World” by Gary Jules is an example of the detachment. In the song, the composer speaks of events that are occurring all around him and how people in general are in a mad world. An example would be when he sings about “familiar faces, worn out places, worn out faces… when people run in circles it’s a very very, mad world.” media type="youtube" key="4N3N1MlvVc4" height="216" width="294" align="right"In //StarCraft,// there is a character that goes by the name “The Dark Voice” and that is literally what he is. He watches and waits for heroes to fail in their journeys and adventures. Though he, like the Fates, does not take any physical action towards any other character, he waits to get the last laugh because he is eternally connected to the Void. Overall, Observers are mainly not bad on purpose. Their actions are not intentionally committed because they want to offend anyone, but because that is the way that makes the most sense to them. In reality, Observers, at times, see themselves as inferior to others and only as vessels of information. They often feel as though they are not good enough and that is one of the common occurrences that peeve them the most: being useless, or watching useless things happen. In the novel //The Wrinkle in Time//, a character by the name of The Happy Medium, takes the role of the Observer. When she comes into the story, she is found looking into a crystal ball, watching only the happy lives of people. The Happy Medium prefers good over bad because she sees evil as something useless and fears the part of humanity that is corrupted by it. media type="youtube" key="mwoeli9A_eg" height="218" width="369" align="left"The movie //Bully// provides an example of how Observers feel inferior to others. There is a scene in the movie where a student is being bullied by another, and the people surrounding them who observe the situation do nothing. They fear that if they intercept and try to make a difference, no one will listen, or worse, they might become the one being picked on. In the Greek tragedy, //Medea//, the Chorus serve as vessels of information to others. They observe Medea’s plotting and actions against her family and talk amongst themselves to find out more. They become a channel of information to Jason who later asks about his sons. If there is ever a time when an Observer does not know something, and they are presented with an obstacle they must overcome, they use whatever means necessary to find out that information. Observers see and process happenings habitually, so they usually have others coming to them for information, though they are not always willing to share. In the movie //Edward Scissorhands//, the main character, Edward, begins on the outside of society as an outcast no one pays attention to. He simply slips into the background, and observes how people live from his quiet home. After he becomes “discovered” by the local people, after their initial shock he is asked questions that he does not reply eagerly to. Observers are reliable people if one wants to know something; but they do not go and tell just anyone the information they know. This happens because people are always demanding too much information from them and give so little service or appreciation in return. Once that happens, they usually just fade into the background and disappear from view. Nevertheless, when people ask Observers for help, they usually have a clear objectivity and give worthy advice if needed. Observers like to sink into the background and not be noticed because they want to avoid people seeing them as incompetent, or just someone to go to for information. Out of all of the things Observers want the most, it is to be completely self-sufficient. They like to be on top of things, so everything ends up perfectly and all things have a purpose. In the movie //Mulan 2//, the eldest princess Ting-Ting is one of those characters who want everything to be purposeful and perfect. She watches out for her younger sisters and notices when suitors come their way because of her responsibilities as being the oldest and most experienced. media type="youtube" key="qOEwigEiRJY" height="219" width="392" align="right"She immediately disapproves of the love triangle she is faces and keeps silently detached from the mingling. Ting-Ting strives to keep her fathers orders in check so her actions are justified and purposeful in guiding her sisters. As the proper Observer would do, Ting-Ting individually attempts to find a way to end her sisters’ budding romances because she saw what was happening and could not rely on them to follow their father’s orders of marrying others. She looks for the logic in the situation and does not find any because what she is dealing with is love. In the end, she eventually breaks away from the archetype by overstepping boundaries. Another way Observers like to be self-sufficient is by watching and gathering information and then implementing that information in places that may need it. In the book //Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix//, [|Mrs. Arabella Figg]embodies the archetype of the Observer by implementing information to a place in need of it. She keeps an eye on the protagonist, Harry, by observing the events that go on in his life at home away from Hogwarts, and mainly just keeps to herself. She keeps her true identity a secret throughout most of Harry’s childhood, but at the moment Harry needed support, she came out and served as a witness in his trial by implementing information she gathered on an attack to support Harry’s claims. In the movie the //NeverEnding Story//, the Old Man of Wandering Mountain is the main Observer. He watches the world and documents his findings down in a book called the Chronicle. When the Childlike empress needs his assistance, he reads his observations from the chronicle to her, which then shows her the way to go. The book //The Gestapo: A History of Hitler’s Secret Police 1933-45//, shows an example of how the Observers insert newly found information to sources in need of it. [|The Gestapo]are basically what the title suggests they are: Hitler’s secret police. This group was not widely known, but they would make observations and report any suspicions to Hitler. Although they did observe people and spotted out possible suspects, they did it for the completely wrong reasons. They also did not keep to themselves much, but generally remained a secret to the public at the time. The book series //The Chronicles of Narnia// has a few examples of the Observermedia type="youtube" key="vc1X7Obj4do" height="250" width="447" align="left" archetype, but the tree spirits show how the Observers take their information and experiences and implement it into their mission. When Narnia is taken over by the Telmarines, the spirits and human characteristics in the animals and plants start to die off. The Pevensie children soon return to find the land changed by this invasion and fight to bring it back to the Narnians(skip to 7:00 in video). In battle to gain Narnia back, Lucy Pevensie asks the tree spirits to come back and help the Narnian side to conquer the land. The trees that had continued watching the Telmarines destroy the land and its brothers and sisters agreed and caused the turning point in the war for the Narnians. The trees implemented themselves into the cause and helped the side win. This archetype likes to know all they can to implement it other places or later on because everything has a purpose and anything can be saved if the effort is made. Many things characterize an archetype for what it is and the actions it may take. The Observer is one that is underestimated most of the time because of its outward appearance. They are able to get information by watching events as they happen and strongly favor the idea of being self-sufficient. All in all, the Observer is an archetype that simply serves to understand, find, and further their knowledge in the world by waiting and watching events as they take place.

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