LITERARY CRITICISM Chavez, Ariel P. February 7, 2012 3 SED 3 Prof.

Jewel Sasuya

A comparative view of El Dorado and The Road to El Dorado Both criticism of the poem and the movie specifically the road to El Dorado focuses on 3 points first the technicality, the shifting of events and the morale of the piece.
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Technicality in terms on how it was written for the poem and the cinematography in reference to the film. As per Washington from scribed.com states that the poem has much to offer in its meaning due its symbolic and somewhat reflective nature. The poem also is a response to the current events during the time in which it was written. The poem also uses a variety of literary devices. The poem Eldorado is a bountiful source of symbols, historical perspective, and literary techniques, while on the animated film the producer literary chose old actors to voice the main characters Tulio and Miguel as well as for the main villain.

Shifting of events pertaining to the sequence on how the poem flows from a young persistent man to a hopeless old man along with events as he searched for the place called El Dorado, while on the film how the two protagonists learn a significant lesson towards their journey to El Dorado.

Morale of both pieces only reveals that The world has to learn that the actual pleasure derived from material things is of rather low quality on the whole and less even in quantity than it looks to those who have not tried it. By Oliver Wendell Holmes

Here are the complete references;

Eldorado Analysis The poem Eldorado by Edgar Allan Poe has an underlying meaning and can be interpreted if closely analyzed. The poem surrounds the journey to the mythical city of Eldorado which promises many riches in gold. The knight begins his journey with much enthusiasm but after searching in vain, he grows old and insane as well. During his period of insanity he questions his shadow to the road to Eldorado. His shadow replies and tells him the road to the riches of Eldorado is Over the mountains, Of the moon, Down the Valley of the Shadow. The poem has much to offer in its meaning due its symbolic and somewhat reflective nature. The poem also is a response to the current events during the time in which it was written. The poem also uses a variety of literary devices. The poem Eldorado is a bountiful source of symbols, historical perspective, and literary techniques. The poem has a deep, profound moral within its contents. Poe uses the term shadow within each of its four stanzas which all have six lines. In the middle of each line the term is used to represent something different. The first shadow represents the shade under the sun, the second represents the darkness that has overtaken the knights heart, the third represents to the living figure of his shadow, and the fourth refers to the Valley of the Shadow, which may be a reference to the Valley of Death. The fact that the knight and had become old, and he must pass through the Valley of the Shadow at the end of the poem can be seen as a symbol of death. The

knight sets off in search of physical riches, yet after finding nothing but insanity, reaches the end of his life. The moral can be seen as to avoid the constant search for the riches of this world for it leads to nothing but despair. Poe published his poem during his final year, and the knight could have been a reference to himself, since the knight was both aged and mentally unstable, as he was. Also, the knight during the journey never felt accomplished, as did Poe during his lifetime. The knight, however, was most likely a reference to the many subjects to the Gold Rush, which took place in the same time period as the poem was published, 1849. The poem could have been a moral warning to the many who would suffer the same fate as the knight in the search for worldly riches. Poe uses many literary devices in this poem, including symbols such as the knight for the subjects of the Gold Rush, the Valley of the Shadow for death, or the journey for life. Symbols enhance the poem by engaging the reader to think more in depth. He also uses internal rhyming throughout the poem, which can be cited in nearly every line. Rhyming helps engage the reader by appealing to their level of interest. Poe also uses the mood of the poem through emphasizing the irony surrounding the journey of the knight. Setting a mood to the poem enhances the poem through helping the reader more clearly understand how the subjects and events within the poem might function. Conclusively, the poem presents the reader with the use of symbols, historical perspective, and literary devices. The poem Eldorado in essence has a deeper, core significance than its outer story. He primarily uses the knight and the shadows as a way to convey a deeper meaning. He uses it in such a way to signify a reflection and moral outlook on the world. He takes into account the Gold Rush through his poem as well when looked as from a historical perspective. He also uses literary devices to enhance the poem and engage the reader. He uses these literary devices such as symbols, internal rhyming, and mood. Undoubtedly, the poem is a great foundation for the use of

many different techniques to engage the reader in deeper thought in from an analytical, historical, and literature viewpoint. Kareem Washington from scribed.com

The Road to El Dorado (2000) DreamWorks SKG's second feature-length animated film blends comedy and drama in an unusual historical adventure. Two genial swindlers working as stable hands stow away with Cortez, the legendary Spanish conquistador, as he searches for El Dorado, the lost City of Gold. Luck smiles on the two con men, and they happen to find a settlement in Mexico that they believe is El Dorado; however, while the two exotic strangers are at first embraced by the Mayan people, they've also arrived just in time to be offered up as the next human sacrifice. The Road to El Dorado was directed by Don Paul, who helmed the first DreamWorks animated feature, The Prince of Egypt; Will Finn, a featured animator on Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin; Bibo Bergeron, who worked on Ferngully: The Last Rainforest; and David Silverman. It features new songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, and the voice cast includes Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Rosie Perez, Edward James Olmos, and Armand Assante. ~ Mark Deming, RoviLiterary Criticism from rottentomatoes.com