Cassandra in the Modern Era

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Subject: Cassandra in the Modern Era Thu Sep 21 2006, 13:41

Cassander In the Modern Era:

The word Cassandra has become widely used. In modern usage, however, a "Cassandra" tends to describe someone who makes true predictions which are disbelieved.

The Cassandra Syndrome is used to describe someone who believes that he or she can see the future but cannot do anything about it. A fictional character Dr. Kathryn Railly explores this syndrome and those who suffer from it in Twelve Monkeys - a 1995 science fiction film written by David and Janet Peoples and directed by Terry Gilliam. The movie deals with time travel and memory and is inspired by the French short film La Jetée. The film stars Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt.

Cassandra is also known as Alexandra. In the video games Soul Calibur II and Soul Calibur III, there is a character named Cassandra Alexandra, the sister of Sophitia Alexandra. In Soul Edge, however, Cassandra's name was mistranslated as Kathandra.

In more modern literature, Cassandra has often served as a model for tragedy and Romance, and has given rise to the archetypical character of someone whose prophetic insight is obscured by insanity, turning their revelations into riddles or disjointed statements that are not fully comprehended until after the fact. Notable examples are the character of River Tam from the science fiction TV series Firefly and the science fiction short story "Cassandra" by C. J. Cherryh.

The story of Cassandra was also used in a song by Norwegian goth band Theatre of Tragedy, entitled "Cassandra" on the concept album Aégis, and also in multiple songs by epic metal band Blind Guardian.

Folk and popular music group ABBA also used the story of Cassandra in one of their last recorded songs entitled "Cassandra".

Down in the street they're all singing and shouting
Staying alive though the city is dead
Hiding their shame behind hollow laughter
While you are crying alone in your bed

Pity Cassandra that no one believed you
But then again you were lost from the start
Now we must suffer and sell our secrets
Bargain, playing smart, aching in our hearts

Sorry Cassandra I misunderstood
Now the last day is dawning
Some of us wanted but none of us could
Listen to words of warning
But on the darkest of nights
Nobody knew how to fight
And we were caught in our sleep
Sorry Cassandra I didn't believe
You really had the power
I only saw it as dreams you would weave
Until the final hour

So in the morning your ship will be sailing
Now that your father and sister are gone
There is no reason for you to linger
You're grieving deeply but still moving on
You know the future is casting a shadow
No one else sees it but you know your fate
Packing your bags, being slow and thorough
Knowing, though you're late, that ship is sure to wait

Sorry Cassandra I misunderstood
Now the last day is dawning
Some of us wanted but none of us could
Listen to words of warning
But on the darkest of nights
Nobody knew how to fight
And we were caught in our sleep
Sorry Cassandra I didn't believe
You really had the power
I only saw it as dreams you would weave
Until the final hour

I watched the ship leaving harbor at sunrise
Sails almost slack in the cool morning rain
She stood on deck, just a tiny figure
Rigid and restrained, blue eyes filled with pain
Sorry Cassandra I misunderstood
Now the last day is dawning
Some of us wanted but none of us could
Listen to words of warning
But on the darkest of nights
Nobody knew how to fight
And we were caught in our sleep
Sorry Cassandra I didn't believe
You really had the power
I only saw it as dreams you would weave
Until the final hour

I'm sorry Cassandra
I'm sorry Cassandra

From what we know of the tale of Cassandra in Greek mythology this is a depiction of what occurred in troy. No one in Troy believed her predictions and therefore it led to the destruction and fall of Troy.

~*~*~*~

Sources for this essay include:

http://www.loggia.com/myth/cassandra.html
http://www.experiencefestival.com/psychic_abilities
http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/e/esp_extrasensory_perception.html
http://skepdic.com/esp.html

Subject: Re: Cassandra in the Modern Era Fri Sep 29 2006, 03:20

Well done! You have written this essay well and have earned 50 housepoints in the process!

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