Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with character

Test My Mettle

kaizen — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:16:47 -0800

How can I test and build up my strength, tenacity, and courage. As far as I can see, there are limited opportunities to test my mettle in the corporate world ( besides calling out some a**hole in the boardroom ). I am looking for things to do that will put me to the test and see what I am made of. I am thinking along the lines of CrossFit, 'Man vs. Wild', high stakes negotiation, or skydiving. The only time I can really remember being tested was a fight in 10th grade and the hazing I went through in University. How can I earn a badge of honor when I spend most of my time in a cubicle. I would prefer answers that would not involve the risk of certain death, although I wouldn't mind getting the living sh*t scared out of me. I also wouldn't mind pushing my mind or body to the limit. I am willing to travel, spend money, bleed, and cry.

Say it aint so, C.G.: What kind of man was Jung?

bunky — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 00:57:17 -0800

I recently heard a rumor that Carl Gustav Jung would rape female patients and hypnotize them so they would have no memory of the attack. Is there any truth to this, or is this the sort of story professional rivals spread to discredit his ideas?

Jungian literary criticism

leibniz — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:49:45 -0800

Help me find examples of literary criticism adopting the Jungian idea that all the characters are aspects of the same person. I am researching character from the standpoint of analytic philosophy of mind/emotions and aesthetics of literature. I am interested in exploring the idea that every character in a book is really just different aspects of one person. I take this to be derived from Jung's claim that everyone in your dreams is really yourself. So first of all, can anyone point me to an exact reference to this idea (preferably accessible online). And if not in dreams, then in literature, or even in real social life? Related to this is of course the stuff about archetypes, but I consider that idea completely secondary to the first one about distributed identity and I am much less interested in it.

Second, I am interested in finding examples of literary/film criticism that use this basic assumption to analyse a work. I am personally applying it to the work of Herman Hesse (who was analysed by Jung and where the connection to his works has been made before). But can anyone provide references to scholarly articles that do this (again preferably accessible online)?

By the way, I don't know much about the literary criticism tradition, and am generally sceptical of their style, so tips regarding that are also welcome.

Who is the author of this quote?

Delfena — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:51:48 -0800

Help me identify the author of this quote: "It is not hatred that is wrong; it is hating the wrong thing that is wrong. It is not anger that is wrong; it is being angry at the wrong thing that is wrong. Tell me your hatred and I'll tell you your character." I've been stumped by someone in my house. :) Thanks!

Voices you either love or hate...

grumblebee — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 11:26:33 -0800

I like singers with strange voices. I don't like novelty songs (e.g. Betty Boop) and I don't like "songs" that are so avant-garde that they're basically noise (e.g. someone screaming into a microphone). So I'm not looking for strange music. I'm looking for traditional (melodic) music sung by singers with non-traditional singing voices. Examples of what I like: Joanna Newsom, Leon Redbone, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Elaine Stritch. This is obviously a matter of personal taste and interpretation, but I want to find singers with a lot of eccentric character -- not singers that are just putting on a weird act.

You have been weighed and found wanting. Really? Show me.

rubberfish — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:05:21 -0800

You have been weighed and found wanting. Really? Show me. I need an example in popular culture or film. I'm looking for an example in film of the concept of the whole of someone's life being weighed, and they are found insufficient. I'm not talking about a single bad act being exposed, but the whole of a life being exposed, and seen as "light" - or simply not enough.

I'd love to find something that can be illustrated in a single scene, not an entire film... any ideas?

Are there any OCR programs that can process Syriac?

perpetualstroll — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 20:16:34 -0800

Are there any OCR programs that can read Syriac? This one's a pretty straightforward one, I'm just looking for an OCR program that can recognize Syriac and output it into a digital document. Anyone have any leads on software that may do this?

sublime deaths

leibniz — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 07:55:31 -0800

Looking for fictional deaths which might be described as 'sublime'. I am trying to find examples in art (films, novels, poems, paintings, operas etc.) in which a character is depicted as having a noble or happy death as a result of a sublime experience (sense of awesomeness of nature/universe). The best examples would have no other reason, but ones where the character sacrifices themself for some purpose (e.g. to save loved ones) and then has additional experiences of the sublime are also useful.

To give you an example of the sort thing I am looking for. Here's the end of H.G. Wells short story 'The Country of the Blind':

From where he rested the valley seemed as if it were in a pit and nearly a mile below. Already it was dim with haze and shadow. The mountain summits around him were things of light and fire, and the little details of the rocks near at hand were drenched with subtle beauty - a vein of green mineral piercing the grey, the flash of crystal faces here and there, a minute, minutely beautiful orange lichen close beside his face. There were deep mysterious shadows in the gorge, blue deepening into purple, and pulse into a luminous darkness, and overhead was the illimitable vastness of the sky. But he heeded these things no longer, but lay quite inactive there, smiling as if he were satisfied merely to have escaped from the valley of the Blind in which he had thought to be King. The glow of the sunset passed, and the night came, and still he lay peacefully contented under the cold stars.(Online text)

Please quote passages or give online links if you can. Descriptions of happy deaths in general are also welcome.

Is it me or is it you?

gadha — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:41:48 -0800

I am having difficulty figuring out whether our arguments are normal in a relationship or whether they're poisonous. I'm in my late 20's in my second serious relationship with a girl, the relationship has been going for about six months so it's still fairly new. I have some questions regarding arguments/discussions/conflict resolvement in a relationship. These questions are very difficult to formulate clearly so I will try and use specific examples to illustrate my points. I am looking for general advice (any level) drawn from literature and/or personal experience.

We generally get on well, however, sometimes arguments are triggered on perceptions on her part of what I *might* be implying

Example: Last week where I went to see her for valentines -- we were sitting at a table in a restaurant and I had been with her for 2 days.

I asked her "how much have I spent in the last 2 days?" and went on to recount. The idea being (honestly) that as she was with me she would be able to plug any holes in the recount.

I then proceeded to total up (verbally) the amounts. Her reaction was a very sharp, spiteful "don't worry, I'll pay you back", at which point I reassured her this had nothing to do with me outlining my spending it was just me working out numbers so I have a rough idea of what's in my account.

While this is a specific example, I find myself having to defend myself on many similar to this -- where I have no ill intention and it seems to be perceived as a direct attack and/or accusation.

b) Actual arguments. There are some things about the arguments which I find a little bit insulting:

i. She will always call me to attention like I'm a schoolboy. "Come here right now, stand here and tell me what you meant about x,y,z".

I have talked to her about this but it doesn't change. My hackles rise considerably when I'm addressed like I'm a little kid. However, I'm open to the idea that this may actually be the way she initiates a discussion/argument. She says it's so.

ii. Arguments always seem cyclical and never-ending. I hate to say this but I sometimes feel like no matter what the starting issue I am going to end up hammered. Usually she starts off on something small and recent then progressively brings in things that happened longer and longer ago, some of which have been discussed and (allegedly) resolved long long ago.

It only ever stops when it turns into a blazing row where I take a time-out to go sit somewhere else as that changes the focus of the argument. Then, a regroup is called for, and things slowly sorted out.

iii. Nothing is ever let "go". I grew up in an environment where my parents would let small petty issues or arguments just go without discussion of every single detail. Example, a discussion/argument on the dinner table about my dad getting home late may end up in a change of subject and generally forgotten. With her she will bring up every single small issue for MAJOR discussion, sometimes weeks later. Again, I accept I have seen one p-o-v and other argument/resolvement models may work this way.

iv. In the argument she will attack me transitively. "Oh, you think because you went to XXX you are soooo clever" or "oh, you think you're the only one who can do ABC" etc... -- these attacks are SHARPLY attacking me as an individual and my character/personality.

Sometimes I take the bait (more out of frustration) and respond with "yes, yes I can -- so what?" which escalates things a lot.

v. The thing bothering me the most -- when we argue, she often ends up in a flood of tears and very very distraught when in actual fact the argument is NOWHERE as serious.

Case in point, the above example of the money count had her crying almost hysterically and me feeling really bad but not knowing why she was so upset about it. Even worse, sometimes she strikes out (half-heartedly) when upset. It's never intended to hurt so I'm not accusing her of being an abuser but I can't help feeling a little bit shocked at how upset she seems to get over seemingly not-so-serious things. Her response to this is that she is a very passionate person who feels deeply about things, which again, I am willing to accept because it seems plausible

I realise this is a long, open-ended question but I would ask for advice. Have other me-fites been with people who have exhibited this sort of behaviour? I would like to think yes, this is normal and she just comes from a different background/upbringing as myself. However, the reason I ask is because I'm not so sure anymore.

Flawed heroes?

A dead Quaker — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:35:40 -0800

An individual already possessing strength, intelligence, and skill is recruited and developed by the Government in ways that fuck up his/her mind but give him/her superhuman abilities. She/he eventually turns and uses her/his abilities to bring about the downfall of those who trained her/him. I'm looking for movies that have characters like this. Movies like this that I've already seen and enjoyed include Serenity and The Bourne Ultimatum. So much the better if the vendetta consists not of killing their antagonists but rather exposing their crimes to the public. Killing in revenge is a cliche; working (and OK, sometimes fighting and killing) to bring injustice to light is more what I'm after.

"He always plays himself."

amyms — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 23:02:56 -0800

What are some examples of actors "playing themselves" (not someone purposefully featured as themselves, but someone whose personality is so powerful that it overwhelms the character he/she is supposed to be playing)? For instance, some people say that no matter what movie he's in, Jack Nicholson always plays "Jack Nicholson." Other people say the same for Robert DeNiro or Clint Eastwood. I'm looking for some actors and roles that are the embodiment of this notion.

What's my motivation?

I_Love_Bananas — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 10:58:23 -0800

"Forum" (Sondheim)Filter: What's my motivation? Yes, it's the cheesiest acting question out there, but... a little help in that area.

"Forum," is, granted, low comedy, farce, etc., and as such requires less of its actors in terms of character depth, development, etc. In fact, for pretty much everyone who isn't Pseudolus, I think the stronger the sterotypes are portrayed, the funnier it can be- very commedia dell'arte, where each character's behavior stays within the confines of his/her role to ensure maximum laughs.

Of course, this means that the actors must take the effort more often reserved for that deeper work and apply it to the also quite difficult requirements farce demands in terms of comic timing and physical expression. As we all know, dying is easy; comedy is hard.

That being said, I can't wholly abandon the need to work on some sort of objective. In the character of Domina, Senex's shrewish wife, I struggle with exacly how to present her and, yes- her MOTIVATION.

In her scenes, she's obnoxious, bossy, cutting, etc. But in her solo song, "That Dirty Old Man," she alternates angry outbursts at Senex with dramatic, swooping declarations of love. Comedy comes from juxtaposing these diverse vocal styles in one song. After all, in a musical, inner emotion that cannot be expressed in spoken dialogue comes out in the musical numbers. Therefore, I have to assume that the "bipolar" nature of the song is indicative of Domina's _real_ feelings.

She states that she knows he messes around. But does he really? All we see is a somewhat impotent guy chasing after the virgin Philia. We never really see him DO anything. It's only referred to by Domina in her song. Is the shrew secretly THAT insecure?

Since at the end of the show, Domina THINKS she's won him back (due to the mistaken identity plot devices), so she's happy. If she's happy because she met her goal, then getting Senex back must be her goal otherwise she wouldn't be happy. ??

If I choose to play her as if she's a bitch on the outside but really loves her man on the inside, will that destroy the comedy? Stereotypes can't have subtext.

Am I overthinking this? In this case, should I just keep repeating, "The right choice is the one that gets the most laughs?" Because this show is nothing but laughs. I'm willing to look as foolish as necessary to get them!

There's nothing to be gained in trying to garner the audience's sympathy. I think I'm doing the show a disservice if I try to do that.

Where is this idea from? "You can be a connoisseur of anything, even driveway gravel"

k7lim — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 17:49:31 -0800

Where is this idea from? "You can be a connoisseur of anything, even driveway gravel" I have this paraphrased idea in my mind that I swear I read somewhere. However, I can't seem to remember its source. It goes something like this: "One can be a connoisseur of anything. Look at this pile of gravel in my hand. I could pay attention to every facet common among pieces of gravel, and every nuance unique to a piece of gravel and become a gravel snob." I THINK it's from a book. Specifically a fiction book. I think a character said it to another in some urban setting. Maybe it was "Murray" from _White Noise_? This character is one that might (unfortunately) cause a casting director to call Jeff Goldblum.

It is also possible that it is from a movie or that one of my wise friends originated the this idea (though these are unlikely, I remember it being delivered as word on page). It is also possible that I dreamed someone saying it or that I dreamed reading it (Though has that ever been documented, reading novel text in dreams?). If no one has ever heard of this, maybe I'll claim it as my own little rant.

More candidates:

Vonnegut?
_Nation of Rebels_ by Heath and Potter?
_Birth of Plenty_?
_Jurassic Park_?????

Is there a way to set the keyboard character repeat rate to zero in Ubuntu?

zouhair — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:57:53 -0800

Is there a way to set the keyboard character repeat rate to zero in Ubuntu? Following Cool Papa Bell's question:
Is there to lower the character repeat rate or to shut it off altogether, so that if you press and hold a key, you get only one character? In Ubuntu of course :)

Is there a way to set the keyboard character repeat rate to zero in Windows?

Cool Papa Bell — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 22:03:55 -0800

Is there a way to set the keyboard character repeat rate to zero in Windows? You can lower the character repeat rate (the speed at which a character is repeated when you hold down the key) via the standard control panel. But is there a way to shut off character repeat altogether, so that if you press and hold a key, you get only one character?

Help me find suspense/horror books whose characters don't suck!

misha — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 10:53:55 -0800

I just finished reading Scott Smith's "The Ruins" and loved it. I want to read more books like this (and his original "The Simple Plan"). Basically, I want all the suspense and horror, but the people have to seem real to me. I don't have to like them, I just want to know what they are thinking/feeling/fearing so that they aren't just numbers on some gorefest scoreboard. Bonus points if the author is semi-prolific, so I have choices for further reading. Help me, hive mind!

Very Specific Character's Job Title?

np312 — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:53:46 -0800

Help me ascertain the correct job title for a character I’m writing who deals in high stakes international finance. Difficulty level: I have a limited understanding about stocks, bonds, or securities. Hi there—now there are several plot points that can’t be changed that I must work around, so it would be a great help to find a job title/description for this character that fits the following constraints.

The character I’m writing needs to be a high-paid person in finances, the type who might get sent down to Argentina in the months immediately preceding the 2001 Corallito/2002 Bankruptcy in order to broker some sort of high-stakes financial deal involving a US firm (hers) and an Argentine company of some sort.

Here’s the most important part: she’s trying to get these Argentinean businessmen to come on board with her JP Morgan-ish company in some way (invest abroad? Partner up for some reason?) and they are all set to do so –until- the country’s fiscal crisis spirals out of control in the fall of 2001, and she loses the contract/client because of it.

Some job titles that seem to fit are Emerging Markets Bond Trader or Financial Analyst, but I’m still a bit unsure of what those jobs actually entail. So! Any ideas of what this character’s job is and what kind of financial deal is she could be responsible for in this particular situation?

Thank you for all help/ideas!

borked character encoding, firefox

juv3nal — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 17:22:49 -0800

Did I do something to mess up character encoding in firefox? Comments like this one don't seem to be rendering correctly no matter what encoding I pick, and auto-detect just goes with utf8. For someone that sees it properly, what encoding do you have for it?

The uber bit in "Ein Realplayer. DRM, DRM, Ã¼ber alles!" bit gives me an A with the curly accent over it and a 1/4 symbol instead of what I'm guessing to be an accented U, which ain't right. Help!

Running FF2.0.0.6
addons:
adblock plus
colorzilla
customizegoogle
download statusbar
fasterfox
fontfinder
text/plain
long titles
locationbar^2
minimize to tray
tab mix plus
measureit
linkification
tiny menu
greasemonkey: mefinavigator, mefi comment dividers, gmailto

The problem is not specific to mefi, I've seen it on other sites, it's just the latest instance that prompted me to ask.
This is another one that I can't seem to get to render right (the accented character in flaneur is messed up) despite fiddling about with encoding types. I distinctly remember that page, in particular, looking fine at some point in the past.

ID anime character

GlowWyrm — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 16:43:23 -0800

ID anime character Does anyone happen to know who this anime character is and what anime game (or perhaps show) she is from? It appears to be from KID productions which is a game creator but can't seem to find anything more than that. My daughter (the anime fan) has been trying to find out who the character is and wanted me to see if any mefites knew the character. Thanks. Photos of character are here and here .

how to search for English pages with Chinese characters?

MonkeySaltedNuts — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:27:52 -0800

Any way to search for English web pages that contain specific Chinese characters? For example in Google when I set my preference to English pages only and then search for Huamei with the characters 话梅, I get mostly all Chinese pages. I would just like to see pages that are mostly English but know enough about 'hua mei' to include the Chinese characters. Google does not think the results it gives are English because it offers to translate the pages.

I've tried adding (ume OR plum OR prune OR apricot) to the search but this still gives mostly all Chinese pages and seems to miss some generated by the simple search.

Google help does not seem to address this.

Examples of unsympathetic, unchanging protagonists in film?

np312 — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 15:50:59 -0800

Do you know of any films where the protagonist is not only unsympathetic, repressed, emotionally closed-off, etc, but does not change his personality throughout the course of the film? Bonus points for films based on a real person/story. I realize this is kind of a tall order because the whole point is to have the protagonist change, have realizations about his self, go through a character arc, etc. The closest thing I can think of is Matt Damon's character in "The Good Shepherd," but even his character has moments of catharsis and change, however slight.

But I really need some examples of films, preferably bio-pics or movies based on true events, where the protagonist is kind of a dick (for whatever reason) and stays that way throughout the course of the film, yet is still compelling, due to his drive, talent, events of his life story etc. Every unsympathetic protagonist I've encountered in film has gone through a major change of character within the course of a film. Help me find the exceptions!

Stand Upright Young Man

kaizen — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 10:00:43 -0800

How can I strengthen my integrity and virtue? As I have become older, I feel that I am not as virtuous as I would like to be. I am moving into leadership roles at work, and also into parenthood soon, and I feel it in important to exercise my moral muscles. Is my upbringing going to dictate how virtuous I am as an adult, or are there things I can do to stand more upright in character?

S'il vous plait - what's the deal with accented characters in Firefox?

DandyRandy — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 10:54:53 -0800

I'm reading through some instructional material regarding the French language from About.com, and am running up against some inconsistencies in the way accented characters are being rendered in Firefox. Some pages render correctly, and others do not - the accented characters are replaced by question mark characters (these pages render correctly in Safari). Why would there be a difference between pages like this?

Who would sacrifice their reputation for the sake of the world?

Sticherbeast — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 16:56:18 -0800

Who would sacrifice their reputation for the sake of the world? I'm looking for characters in both fiction and history who allowed themselves to be either completely forgotten or despised in order to perform what they perceive to be the greater good. I'm interested in characters who are correct, incorrect, and/or ambiguous with regard to what constitutes the "greater good." Examples off the top of my head include Judas from Borges' "Three Versions of Judas" and John Smith from The Dead Zone, as well as some characters from Joss Whedon's stuff.

Modern ways of testing character

mjklin — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 13:11:19 -0800

"Therefore a gentleman sends a man to a distant mission in order to test his loyalty..." What are some modern ways in which to discover others' true character? Recently reading Montaigne, I came across his suggestion that children be taught to "sound" everyone they meet, no matter who he or she might be, in order to discover his or her true character. And I came upon this quotation from Confucius:

Therefore a gentleman sends a man to a distant mission in order to test his loyalty. He employs him near by in order to observe his manners. He gives him a lot to do in order to judge his ability. He suddenly puts a question to him in order to test his knowledge and makes a commitment with him under difficult circumstances to test his ability to live up to his word. He trusts him with money in order to test his heart, and announces to him the coming of a crisis to test his integrity. He makes him drunk in order to see the inside of his character, and puts him in female company to see his attitude toward women. Submitted to these nine tests, a fool always reveals himself.

What are some modern ways of carrying out this sort of thing? I am thinking not only of people who might work for you, but of anyone you might like to know better.