How much power do formal institutions have in our society?

    I think that certain formal institutions have a good bit of power in our society. For example, a church plays a major role in a society or in a neighborhood. Churches can have different organizations going on at many different times. For instance, my church does a lot of cook outs, church plays, youth get togethers, and meetings. I also think that our government plays a big role on our society. Our government is basically our lay out for the laws we have to follow and rules we are governed by. If our government makes a decision, then it affects all of the citizens in our society.

Can one be to determined with persistence?

        It is not really a bad thing for someone to be persistent. If you are persistent, then you are more than likely going to achieve something or get things done. Persistent people don't stop trying to reach a goal. I think that it is possible for one to be too determined. If someone is so persistent with something and does not know when to stop then it can become unhealthy. Persistence cane become an obsession. I personally don't think that it is healthy for a person to be obsessed with anything. However, I do believe that persistence can be a good thing for one to have. You just have to know when to stop before it becomes an obsession.

Do you agree that there is darkness within us all?

         I personally believe that everybody has a dark side. It doesn't matter who you are there is something that can make or break you. I know that I personally have a dark side even though it takes a good bit to make me get there. Some people are really good with controlling their anger and temper. Anyone can be pushed to their breaking point and show you their dark side. Darkness lies within us all. For some of us darkness is deeper within us than it is for other people. Everyone has their breaking point.

Most Important Quality of Gothic Stories

     There are certain things that a story needs to be able to get and keep the readers attention. If someone doesn't find interest in a story, then they probably won't take their time to read it. In a gothic story, I think that the most important quality for the author to have is the ability to create suspense and mystery. The reason I think so is because if something is suspenseful then it keeps you "on your toes" and makes you want to read through to the end. Also, if something is a mystery, then it leaves you wanting to know the outcome. There are many other different qualities that a gothic story can have to make the reader interested. To me the ability to create mystery and suspense grabs my attention. If I read a story and it's suspenseful, I have to read till the end because I always want to know what is going to happen next. If I read a story that creates a mystery, then I want to read it all the way to the end because I have to know the result or the outcome.

Example of a dreamlike clip

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ORneQd87xXs
This is a clip from Alice in Wonderland

Elements of gothic lit in The Fall of the House of Usher

Bleak or remorse settings: 

The house of usher is remorse.

Macabre or violent incidents: 

Roderick predicts the Madeline will die, and she does. 

Character sin psychological or physical torment: 

Roderick appears to be a sick man. 

Supernatural or unworldly elements: 

As the narrator reads the story on the stormy night, all the sounds from the story comes to

life. 

Strong language full of dangerous meanings: 

Roderick feels he will die from the fear he feels. 

Dreamlike settings in literature and films

       Dreamlike settings make something seem fake and unreal like fiction. Dreamlike settings can make a work powerful because it reaches you in a different way. If something is unreal or fake, then you're usually interested in it because it's something that you're not familiar with or that you're not use to seeing. Something fake draws your attention and makes you want to know more about it. I think that authors use dreamlike settings in their work to get our attention and to make us interested in their work. If they can interest you into their work then they are satisfied because they have achieved their main goal. If you think about the movie, Alice in Wonderland, then you know that not everything in that movie makes sense or relates to real life situations because it's all made up.