Character Interview: Lord Rupert of Flamegon

Name:                                  Lord Rupert of Flamegon

Birthday:                             June 25

Introvert or Extrovert:    Introvert

Favorite Color:                  Starlight White

5 Things I Love:                 Astronomy, Books, Visitors, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Baths

Beach or Mountains:        Mountains

Dream Job:                          Astronomer

Favorite Music Style:        Bird Song

Biggest Fear:                       Spiders

Prize Possession:              My Telescope

People Call Me:                  A Gentle Giant

I Will Always:                     Strive to love and to learn

Book:                                    The Legend of Hobart

Teen Talk Barbie and Other Mistakes

In 1992, Mattel released Teen Talk Barbie, who spoke the now infamous phrase, “Math class is tough.” Or as she says in so many memes, “Math is hard.”

I doubt that the Mattel company was attempting to brainwash girls into thinking they were bad at math. (Not only does research show the exact opposite, but the Mattel executives aren’t that stupid). In all likelihood, they had listened to what girls were saying and were trying to meet them where they were. They were trying to relate. Instead, they ticked off a whole lot of people and were forced to recall the doll and publicly admit that they had made an error.

For me, Mattel’s mistake wasn’t the phrase, “Math class is tough.” Their mistake was stopping there. They used a period when they should have used a semicolon. Barbie professed that math was hard. Done. End of story. That’s just the way it is.

What kids needed was a character who said, “Math is hard for me; but I’ve got this.” Or, “Math doesn’t come as easily to me as it does for my sister; but I’m not giving up.”

Barbie needed to face her giant with her bedazzled calculator in hand. It didn’t have to be quick or easy. But in the end, she needed to win. Why? Because she was talking to kids. And kids don’t need a voice whispering to them that they can’t do it, that they’re a failure waiting to happen, that nothing will ever get better. They need hope.

And as people who speak into their lives, through conversation, books, or plastic talking dolls, we have a responsibility to remind them that things really can better.  

So grab your AP Calculus book, Barbie, and show them how it’s done. High heels are optional.

Famous Pen Names

Pen names, or noms de plume, are a literary tradition. These famous authors all used pen names for various reasons. My favorite bit of trivia is at the bottom of the page, how Samuel Clemens chose the name Mark Twain.

A. M. Barnard = Louisa May Alcott

The Little Women author also published stories in periodicals under the androgynous name A. M. Barnard. This pen name was a literary secret until the 1970s when historians discovered letters between Alcott and her publishers.

Richard Bachman = Stephen King

The king of horror publishes his most twisted stories under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. I’m not sure I want to know what is included in tales that are considered too disturbing for King’s name.

Robert Galbraith = Joanne Rowling

The name J. K. Rowling was so strongly tied to the wizarding world of Harry Potter, that when Rowling wanted to write other kinds of stories, she chose to take on a pen name, Robert Galbraith. Another interesting tidbit, Rowling’s publisher asked her to use her initials for the Harry Potter books out of concern that pre-adolescent boys wouldn’t read books written by a woman. Rowling didn’t have a middle name, so she borrowed an initial from her grandmother Kathleen.

Mary Westmacott = Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is often referred to as the Queen of Crime, and for good reason. She is the best selling novelist of all time and ranks third (after the Bible and William Shakespeare) for most books sold in English. Christie’s name was so closely tied with crime, that when she wanted to publish romance novels, she had to do so under a pen name, Mary Westmacott.

George Orwell = Eric Arthur Blair

Eric Arthur Blair chose to write under a pen name so that he wouldn’t embarrass his family. He picked the name George after the patron saint of England, and Orwell after the River Orwell, a popular sailing spot that he liked to visit.

Stan Lee = Stanley Martin Lieber

Stanley Martin Lieber started out writing comic books but wanted to save his real name for the more literary novels he hoped to write later. So he wrote comics under the pen name Stan Lee. But he achieved so much success as a comic author, that Lieber eventually legally changed his name to Stan Lee.

Mark Twain = Samuel Clemens

Thanks to our high school English teachers, most of us know that Samuel Clemens wrote under the pen name, Mark Twain. But I just learned why Clemens chose his famous nom de plume. Mark Twain was a river boat term meaning measuring two fathoms: Mark (measure) Twain (two).