Please click on the link below and read the short article, an article that revisits the D.C. Sniper story after the fact.
http://thefatherfactor.blogspot.com/2010/08/dc-sniper-story-revisited-before.html
Then, in a comment, explain to us one way that John Muhammad is an anti-type to Mentor (refer to the text if possible). Can you think of any other types and anti-types on television or in the news?
P.S. Also study for your reading quiz, Books 18-20!!
I think John Muhammad is definitely an anti-type to Mentor, because where as Mentor leads Telemachus on the right path and wise journey, Muhammad leads Malvo on a dillusional journey based off his own experiences in war. Everyone blames both of these men, but Muhammad pretty much raised Malvo and taught him these things. Malvo never knew any other life. He was raised to think this is ok. This shows just how important mentors are in the transfer over the threshold from boy to man. The article poses the question, "what would it take to turn [Malvo] into someone who would shoot a woman in the face with no remorse?" Well, if all you have ever been taught is to shoot and kill, like in the military, your life is pretty much a war. Malvo's fate could have been completely different if he had been taught by a positive, peaceful mentor.
ReplyDeleteI believe that John Muhammad must be seen as an anti-type mentor, for he influences Malvo in a negative way, and teaches him thins a normal "type" mentor never would. I agree with Emily that the statement "What would it take to turn him into someone who would shoot a woman in the face with no remorse?" is important, and that it is horrifying how much Muhammad truly did influence Malvo. You can see how terribly true the fact that whatever your mentor tells you, you are inclined to do, no matter how horrible the circumstances of that direction is. On the other hand, Telemachus is raised by a very similar father figure to Muhammad: Mentor. It is symbolic that Athena chose the form of mentor to speak to Telemachus, because she knows that Telemachus will trust Mentor, and believe in him to know what the right thing to do is. Mentor guides his pupil in right direction; Muhammad, who is clearly not fit to be a mentor, does not. This fact shows that whoever your mentor is, and whatever their personal ideals are, if you look up to them, then you are prone to follow whatever direction they give you, no matter good or bad. Some other "types" are Yoda, compared to the "anti-type" the sixth lord. Another is Dumbledore, who is the "type" mentor, compared to Voldemort, who was a sort of "anti-type" mentor to Malfoy.
ReplyDeleteJhon Muhammad is the anyi-type of Mentor for a fwe different reasons. first of all Mentor is a freiend of Telemachus and Telemachus knows he can trust him. Jhon is someone that Malvo meets later in his life as an adolesant.Also Jhon plays on Malvo's weekness to form a fake trust betwen them. Also Mentor was trying to benefit Telemachus and help him to mature and become a great man. Jhon is minipulating Malvo almost like a pawn and in the end Jhon's bad mentorship and fake promises fallthrough and the real him is revealed. In the end Mentor wants to help Telemachus and help him on his own journy while Jhon only uses Malvo and wants to manipulate him to get what he wanted. Some Anti-types we see on T.V are like in Tom and Jerry. When the Devil form of the cracter and the angle form of the caracter on the other. The angle form is more like Mentor and The devil form like Jhon Muhammad.
ReplyDeleteJohn Muhammad is absolutely an anti-type mentor. A mentor is someone who is supposed to help. Someone who will help you become the best that you can be. John Muhammed did the exact opposite. At first it seemed as if he was their to help. He comes in and fixes all the families problems. No more poverty, no more pain, a life of luxury in a sense. He gained the trust of Malvo and then he destroyed both their lives. Instead of helping Malvo become successful, John trained him to take a life without feeling regret. Now John is dead and Malvo will be in jail for the rest of his life. I believe that the war the John was in caused him to lose his sanity. I think we can see that today a lot. Soldiers come home and are so mentally scarred that they can never forget what happened. This causes them to stay in a state of adrenaline that never leaves. Just a couple of weeks ago their was a marine on wall street who went off on cops for arresting protestors. I think that you can tell that he was mentally scared and that the war had changed him.
ReplyDeleteNOTE: I tried to click on the link, but it said that the page was not found. It could be something wrong with my computer, but I'm not sure. I just thought I would let you know.
ReplyDeleteA quintessence of an anti-type of Mentor would definitely be John Muhammad. An anti-type is an example of a foil character that contrasts with someone else and heightens their good qualities. More specifically, an anti-type is the "evil" or "bad" version of a person. For example, Mentor from the Odyssey being the type and John Muhammad being the anti-type. They are similar in that they are both "mentors" in a young boy's childhood, and they help them though the threshold of boyhood into manhood. Although, they are influential in VERY different ways. Muhammad was a father figure for Lee Boyd Malvo, but he was harming him and was not a good example of a real man. On the other hand, Mentor was a good father figure for Telemachus, and he aided him in a positive way throughout the transition of boyhood into manhood. As a result, Malvo killed thirteen people and was arrested at the age of seventeen, but Telemachus matured and evolved into a nice and respectable man who could make his own decisions and fend for himself. This just shows us that having a terrible murderer as a father figure can really affect a young boy's life.
Another anti-type to Mentor could be Phillip and Nancy Garrido who kidnapped Jaycee Dugard. She was kidnapped at the age of eleven and was raised by a bunch of crazy people for eighteen years. They are anti-types of Mentor, because Phillip and Nancy are parent figures that guide Jaycee in a negative way and cause harm towards her. Most of her life she was trapped by her parent figures much like Lee Boyd Malvo by Muhammad, because she was forced to believe them and learned to follow their terrible ways of life.
John Muhammad was very clever. (In an evil genius out to conquer the world kind of way.) He knew that Lee Malvo was "malleable" and would do anything he asked [him] to do". That kind of power is dangerous and should only be in the hands of a good mentor like Athena or a good father. Mentor/Athena genuinely wants to help Telemachus and be a good father figure while Odysseus is away. I feel like Malvo is not nearly as guilty as his crimes make him appear. (Though they were horrible and grievous crimes.) Who wouldn't do what they were told to do by someone more important than their own family? I know if I were in Malvo's position it would be a difficult decision, and I hope he was given a chance to get mental help, so he could see the error in his choices and feel genuine regret. Don't worry! I'm not a crazy murderer!) To lose the love and favor of someone who you look up to and model yourself after could be a heart-wrenching choice. However, Muhammad is twice as guilty and should be ashamed of his sick mind. Someone who tries to use fear like that to make money in order to create a "perfect community" must be insane or deranged. I think other anti-mentors could be celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan who have had to go to jail and have alcohol (and other) problems are creating a bad image for young girls who see them in movies and other media.
ReplyDeleteA mentor who is the "right" type is a good hearted person. A person who wants the child or person who comes to them for help to succeed in this world. John Muhammad was a war veteran like Odysseus and he obviously had some serious issues when he came home. Instead of having many years to re-civilize before returning he had to come home and face these problems or try to forget about them for the time being. His two ruined marriages and restraining order show that he did not get past these issues. When he went to Jamaica, Lee Malvo and his mother were in a tough position and Lee definitely was searching for a father figure since they abandoned his biological one. John convinced them somehow that he was a good guy and he gave love and care to Lee. Though it was all a fluke, John was taking this innocent boy who wanted a father figure so bad he would accept anyone. And John abused the power he had over Lee. He made fake promises and was obviously using him in ways that would not help him succeed in the world. He was selfish and all these facts show that he was the anti-type. I think his need to use a young boy in these very wrong ways were still caused from issues he never worked out upon returning from war. I also think this same issue happens with girls who don't have fathers they sometimes look to other guys for attention who may be much older and into bad things. But the same way they can mold the girls like John did to Lee.
ReplyDeleteThe article would not open for me so I will just respond to the questions without it.
ReplyDeleteJohn Muhammad is the perfect anti-type for Mentor. An anti-type is someone who contrasts someone else's strong characteristic. The anti-type does so by being an extreme example of the exact opposite characteristic. John Muhammad is anti-type for Mentor because John raised/trained Lee to do bad things and be a bad person, but Mentor trained/taught Telemachus to live a mature and good life. Muhammad is so much the opposite of Mentor, that he makes Mentor look even better. When you just look at Mentor on his own you still think he is good, but when you put John Muhammad next to him, then Mentor looks like one of the best Mentors on the planet
Two other types/anti-types on television or in books are in Pretty in Pink, Duckie versus Blane, and in the musical, Little Shop of Horrors with Seymour versus Orin. In Pretty in Pink, Duckie is so dorky that he simply enhances Blane's perfect looks and personality. In Little Shop of Horrors, Orin is so evil that he manages to make even Seymour, who is scrawny and shy, look like a hero in the story.
In literature, a type is a mentor figure who wants to help guide another character into greatness, and thinks of their well-being and worry about the greater good. Anti-types, on the other hand, work for the 'bad side', and are often the leaders of the 'bad guys'. The anti-types are trying to bring harm to another character, often by mastering the ancient art of manipulation, and think selfish thoughts; worrying only about themselves and their missions. In many ways, John Muhammad is the anti-type to mentor. While it's true that both Mentor and Muhammad were stand-in father figures for boys who lacked a father in their lives, the direction in which they steered the boys' future and what they encouraged were extremely different. I myself feel bad for Lee Malvo, the victim of Muhammad's manipulation. "He was a kid who was brainwashed. He was a malleable teenager and lacking love in his life," And Muhammad used that against him. He knew he was Malvo's paternal figure, and used that against him in order to "[influence] him to become a killer." Mentor, on the other hand, used his influence over Telemachus to help guide him on the road to manhood. He urges him to "think how to drive [the] suitors from [his] hall" (Book 1, line 312)and tells him that "[he] must not cling to [his] boyhood any longer" (Book 1, line 341). Mentor is, essentially, telling Telemachus to grow up and be a man. He encourages him to become the man of the house and stop the suitors from overwhelming his mother. In the media, many examples are found of both types and anti-types. For example, I feel as though Mr Schue from Glee acts as a type for the teenagers of Glee club, since he encourages to be themselves and love who they are, rather than become a piece of clay for society to shape and mold into whatever it pleases. Coach Sylvester on the other hand, is constantly putting them down, sabotaging them, and manipulating them. By being so maleficent and spiteful, Sue Sylvester makes the students feel worse about themselves, and acts as their anti-type throughout the series.
ReplyDeleteJohn Muhammad is a great example of an anti-type of mentor. He leads Lee Malvo down the wrong path, the one headed straight for jail. John obviously takes advantage of Lee since he is from a different country and doesn't know all of the laws. Muhammad was the exact opposite of a good mentor training and teaching Malvo to do these illegal things. Unlike in the Odyssey when athena in the form of mentor helps Telemachus become a man and helps him through the times his father is gone.
ReplyDeleteSome present day anti-types could be Charlie in 2 and a half men. He could be and anti-type because he is a bad example for the son of his brother which lives in his house with him.
John Muhammad is a good example of an anti-type for Mentor. They generally play the same role to Telemachus and Lee Malvo, but have different intentions and different thoughts on how they should give guidance to these people who need help in their life. Mentor had the intentions of leading Telemachus through a passage and helping him become a man with good values to live by. He wanted to teach him how to be independent and how to run a country. On the flip side, Muhammad found Malvo very vulnerable and when a child is vulnerable, they will do anything for love and comfort, even if it is not real. Malvo needed a person in his life to teach him things that he could not teach himself without the presence of his father there. Muhammad teaches Malvo the wrong things and the wrong morals to live by just for himself. Some could debate on whether Muhammad was a mentor or not to Lee Malvo. I think it was so easy to influence Malvo because “He was a kid who was brainwashed. He was a malleable teenager and lacking love in his life...John Muhammad supplies the love and influences him to become a killer, and he becomes a coldblooded killer at the age of 17" (see article). Many people when vulnerable will want advice from anyone that makes their future seem better, even when it will not be. Mentor in "The Odyssey" gave Telemachus advice on how to deal with Penelope, the suitors, the absence of Odysseus and how to manage the island of Ithaca while Odysseus wasn't there. Mentor taught him useful skills and tricks to use. There are many other types and anti-types in the media. Many show up in heroic stories, the villain against the hero. We see them all of the time.
ReplyDeleteJohn Muhammad is the quintessence of an anti-type for Mentor. In both scenarios the mentors come to the boy in the absence of a father. Their philosophies that they share with their students are completely different. Mentor gives Telemachus a quest to find the whereabouts of his father. This is a difficult task but in the end will help Telemachus. Mentor is allowing Telemachus to grow up. Instead of learning how to be a man from his father he is forced to live in the real world for several years and when he returns he is a changed man. I stress the word man because that is a very common task for mentors: teaching boys how to become men. John Muhammad on the other hand, does not lead Lee Boyd to success. Instead Muhammad provides him with many challenges to overcome. However, Muhammad is doing this for his own personal gain. And in the end Lee Boyd gains nothing from the mass murders.
ReplyDeleteJohn Muhammad is an excellent demonstration of an anti-type for Mentor. Firstly, instead of helping Lee Malvo, he took advantage of the fact that he had no father figure in his life, and that he was from a different country. John basically trained the kid for his own personal gain and the led the kid to believe that he was doing the wrong thing. Instead of being a type of Mentor, someone who guided someone on the right path, he took the boy and turned him down the wrong path. He is doing the opposite of what Mentor did for Telemachus, which is the definition of anti-type.
ReplyDeleteIn Harry Potter, Dumbledore becomes Harry's Mentor which makes it a type.
John Muhammad is the perfect example of an anti-type for Mentor. He basically takes Lee Malvoy in as his own son. But instead of giving good advice and "letting the gods speak through him", he mislead Malvoy into thinking that he was his mentor. Instead of helping him make the right decisions, he takes advantage of the fact that he doesn't have his parents with him. He knows that since he is in a new country and he doesn't know where his parents are, Malvoy was desperate for advice. He is an anti-type to Mentor because Mentor convinces Telemachus to go on his journey and guides him through the difficult times, both with and without his father.
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ReplyDeleteJohn Muhammad is an anti-type, because he is put in a very important, powerful position where he easily could be a influential mentor to Lee. Instead of guiding Lee into becoming a strong man with good morals, he takes advantage of his position and misleads Lee for his own selfish endeavors. I personally believe that the mother of Courtney Stodden (the 16 year old bride marrying a man who is 51) is an anti-type. Since Courtney Stodden is only sixteen her frontal lobe is not yet totally formed so she is not totally matured and could greatly regret getting married at such a young age. Although her mother probably thinks it will help her daughter become the aspiring singer/model/actress that she wants to be. I think her mother definitely led her in the wrong direction by approving of her relationship with a 51 year old man.
John Muhammad is an anti-type Malvo because he assumed a leader’s position. He assumed a position in which he could strongly influence Malvo’s life. However, instead of being a helpful mentor to Malvo he was an anti-type to him. He taught and trained him skills he learned during the war, all leading up to a terrible, horrible plot to kill innocent civilians. A mentor in Muhammad’s position would raise Malvo up to be a bright, young individual. He would teach him life lessons and other fatherly things. He would assume the role of a caring father to Malvo, what he needed all along. In the article it says that “Malvo had a mom who seemed to care about him but what he didn’t have was a loving father. Indeed, Muhammad did more than “supply” love. He became the father that Malvo longed for much of his young life.” But like the article states, Muhammad did none of these things and instead “…supplies the love and influences him to become a killer, and he becomes a coldblooded killer at the age of 17.” In short, Muhammad, being an anti-type, brought out the worst in Malvo, whereas a mentor would have brought out the best.
ReplyDeleteOne possible anti type may be Lotso from Toy Story 3. If I remember correctly, his owner left him at the park with a few of her other toys. After this they were all scared and I feel that Lotso, being the “oldest” of the other toys could have stepped up and been a mentor to them, and helped them through the tough time. But instead he was an anti-type. He took a negative outlook on the situation and turned evil and made his fellow toys believe they were never loved, turning them into sad, negative toys.
Mentor is a type; he attempts to mature and help Telemachus as Telemachus tries to cope with all the suitors ("You've counseled me with so much kindness now, like a father to a son."(p.8)) John Muhammad, on the other hand, is an anti-type. He manipulates a child's mind by giving the child the thought that he is helping him, that he is a mentor, someone that will do him good. Unfortunately he is all but a mentor, and leads Lee Boyd Malvo on a roller coaster of a life until they are captured and sent to jail. I believe we all consider this as a negative outcome, therefore John Muhammad is an anti-type. The emperor corrupts Anakin, while Obi-wan-kenobi is a mentor to Luke Skywalker.
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