Intertextuality

The example of intertextuality that I found was actually kind of easy because I was listening to this song was stuck in my head when I came to class. The song, “Love Story” by Taylor Swift is a really obvious example of intertextuality in music.
The song references Romeo and Juliet because it describes a typical love between two young people whose love is forbidden by the father of the girl.

“That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles,
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
And I was crying on the staircase
Begging you please don’t go.

And I said, Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I’ll be waiting all there’s left to do is run
You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess
It’s a love story, baby just say yes.”

Another intertextuality used in the song is the scarlet letter. The idea is that the girl is a scarlet letter because the boy isn’t supposed to be with her. I’m not sure if the scarlet is supposed to represent that it is a sin to be with her or more of the idea of anyone who wears a scarlet letter is untouchable; not really that she is untouchable in a bad way because the original idea was to show that someone committed adultery. I think it is more of the idea that she is different because he dad loves her so much so no one should be able to have her.

“Cause you were Romeo, I was the scarlet letter
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
You were everything to me
And I was begging you please do go.”

So overall, this song has two references to another story. Also, the whole concept of the song is taken from Romeo and Juliet whether or not it was referenced.

Blue Highways Response

When first beginning to read Blue Highways, I was very unimpressed and found it rather boring. I felt as if he would drag out every little detail and overall, I really didn’t care. William Least Heat-Moon seems to have a very different personality; one I rarely encounter. He is one with out of the ordinary questions and filled with responses that have a deeper meaning (if that makes any sense). So in the beginning, I was just really annoyed with his style of writing and I actually set down the book for a few days.
After a few days, I began reading where I left off, but this time with a new perspective and having a more open mind. Now I enjoy the book a bit more, however it’s still not at the top of my list. I think now that I am getting into the book he is meeting more interesting characters, so it makes the book more bearable and interesting. My favorite has been the man who carries the bullet in his pocket and the couple who is building the boat. I loved their outlook on life.
I am still lost as to why he is going on this trip. Maybe it was said at the beginning when I hated the book, so I didn’t absorb anything from the first few pages. He seems like a very lost man, hoping to find himself (or someone else…a grave or person he was looking for? I didn’t get that part). So anyways, the book isn’t too bad, but this Heat-Moon is odd; there is something about him that I feel kind of unsure about. However, I think everyone can relate to the feeling on trying to find something, but not knowing where to begin or look.
Even though I consider Heat-Moon odd, I am actually slightly jealous of the fact he has no boundaries; he just picked up and left. I wish I could travel the country and see everything America has to offer. I actually think I would approach it like him too. I have always hated the tourist aspect of big landmarks and cities, so I would travel to small, unknown towns and find their glories. Each one has a story, probably just as good as any other tourist attraction. So I suppose I will keep giving this book a chance and hopefully he finds what he is looking for.