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While the contentedness of “ Black Swan ” is that of a ballet dancer, the story mirrors that of children who grow up pressured to live out their parents ‘ dreams, as athletes, artists, scholars or musicians. These children, like Nina, fight to establish their own identities — an identity clear-cut and separate from their parents. Some children succeed, but many fail, succumbing to depression, anxiety, addictions and some, like Nina, death. Movie viewers experience Erica, Nina ‘s mother, as a tragic figure. It is inferred that Erica ‘s career was thwarted by her unexpected pregnancy with Nina and that Erica ‘s emotional life had not progressed beyond that know. The spectator wonders if, as an aspiring ballerina, Erica knew her career was going nowhere and becoming meaning provided an “ out ” ; or if the pregnancy interrupted Erica ‘s career, and indeed she clung to her baby in an undertake to turn her finished career in to a life ‘s deputation.
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Whatever the case, Nina embodies her mother ‘s hopes and dreams, and their identities are fused. Nina is a vessel holding her mother ‘s wishes and desires, as do many favorite children. It is up to Nina to fulfill her mother ‘s ambition. The experiences of the journey — the successes and failures – are jointly shared ; their lives are inseparable. Nina ‘s successes are their successes, with Erica feeling the joy as if it were her own. Nina ‘s failures are theirs as well, Erica holding the disappointment as if it were her own Erica has devoted her animation to ensuring her daughter ‘s success as a ballerina by protecting Nina from making the mistakes she did. Having lived a biography cautiously orchestrated by her mother, Nina ‘s experiences hindered her psychological growth. interestingly, it is this sheltered animation that has precluded Nina ‘s ability to dance with passion. ad
The spectator is uncomfortable in witnessing Erica ‘s demeanor. She rubs Nina ‘s back, as one would an baby ; she works to preserve the childish décor of Nina ‘s bedroom, a room filled with gorge animals normally cherished by young children. Nina ‘s birthday celebration is about Erica, celebrating the occasion as Erica envisioned, and not as Nina desires. There are varied psychological perspectives that describe the dynamics enacted in the movie : The mother-daughter relationship could be described as fuse or symbiotic ; the mother ‘s personality could be described as egotistic or borderline ; and the daughter ‘s personality could be described as self-mutilating, depressed or check psychological development. Regardless, the parent/child relationship dramatized in “ Black Swan ” illustrates the potential damage inflicted on both child and parent by the most destructive forces of favoritism that can be experienced in some parent/child relationships — a child overcharge of psychological maturity and sentenced to a life of self-destructive expression in the interest of maintaining darling child condition. “ Black Swan ” affectingly illustrates Nina ‘s fight to tap into her own mania and to forge an identity disjoined from her mother ‘s, both of which are necessary to succeed as a ballerina ampere well as in life. The viewer experiences the tension of this separation, wondering if either can survive the break-up, if either can live a life sentence independent of one another. Parents ‘ hopes and dreams for their children can provide children with resources necessary for success, but when overdo, can have annihilating consequences.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
