Nothin' but Nihil

 So last night, I was watching the classic horror movie Alien (1979) directed by Ridley Scott, and, to say the least, I really enjoyed the film. I was on the edge of my seat (well, bed) the entire time and the suspense during every scene was almost unbearable. When I woke up this morning and began brushing my teeth, it soon struck me on how different Alien was when compared to other horror movies of that time period, and even today. I was quickly reminded of Nancy Mairs' piece on disabilities and about how minority groups are very rarely represented accurately in the media, but instead of playing into these stereotypes, Alien was one of the very few horror films that actually manages to subvert them.  Before you continue on, I would like you to know that this article does contain spoilers for the movie because I can't really talk about the characters without giving some of the plot points away. So... keep that in mind before you proceed onwards. With that being said, let'

 If there is any word that can encapsulate the theme of The Color Purple , it would be identity. Many of the characters in the novel go about their day-to-day lives, trying to to find themselves or straying away from who they truly are. This can most evidently be seen in our protagonist, Celie. In the beginning of the story, Celie doesn't have a clue as to who she really is. She becomes emotionally shut off from the world after the abuse she endured from her own father, and as a result, she turns to writing. She writes her letters to god because he's the only one she trusts. She also believes that he's the only one who can save her. However, she soon learns that help doesn't need to come from outside: it can come from within her. After meeting new friends such as Sofia and Shug, she realizes that resistance is inside her. She doesn't need to live her entire life controlled by the abusive Mr. __. She learns this from Sofia, who is stronger than Harpo is and has spent