The End is Near

This class has been one of the more difficult classes I have ever taken. It was definitely a challenge for me to not give up just because I didn't understand everything. I am proud of myself and feel that I have learned a great deal!

Analysis # 7

Langston Hughes in “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain” talks about how there is a conflict in the African American artist community to act white yet also be true themselves.   In a disturbing conversation between Hughes and a young poet, the poet says "I want to be a poet--not a Negro poet," meaning, I believe, "I want to write like a white poet"; meaning subconsciously, "I would like to be a white poet"; meaning behind that, "I would like to be white." Langston Hughes says, “no great poet has ever been afraid of being himself”  (1192).  I agree with this, but also there is the promise of success that in some cases one sacrifices who they are for monetary gain.

This reminded me of the “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”, a popular television show when I was growing up. The show is about a wealthy African American family living in Bel-Air, and their nephew from Philadelphia that has to adjust to his new life. Will Smith’s character is more connected to his African American roots, yet he is taught to behave “less black” in order to gain acceptance into the wealthy, predominantly white society. Carlton is the opposite of Will and fits in and often times gives Will lessons on how to behave. This show is a comedy so often times not looked at for what it is, an encouragement for people to “melt into” the dominant society.  It can be argued that “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” gained its popularity because it tells the story of a black man adjusting to a white society. Had it been the story of Will’s character growing up in Philadelphia, would the show have been as successful?

Hughes is attempting to tell people to be themselves and create out of what they know. In the scene below Will and Carlton get pulled over because they are driving a Mercedes and “look suspicious. This is a valuable lesson to Carlton as it opens his eyes past the white society he has grown up in and introduces him to the harsher realities of the world.

http://youtu.be/qQtDXxXyPYQ

Works Cited

"Carlton Learns about Discrimination." Youtube. Web. 15 May 2011.

Hughes, Langston. "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain". ed. Leitch, Vincent B.      The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.

Anaylsis # 6- Gender Studies

Susan Bordo in “The Body and the Reproduction of Femininity” discusses how “they body- what we eat, how we dress, the daily rituals through which we attend to the body is a medium of culture” (2240). Our society today functions through what Bordo calls the “norms of cultural life” (2240) Whether it is television, magazines, or movies society is telling us how we should look, what we should like, and how we should behave.

I agree with Bordo greatly when she sees that “it is difficult to avoid the recognition that the contemporary preoccupation with appearance, which still reflects woman far more powerfully than men… may function as a backlash phenomenon” (2241).  Eating disorders run rampant in our society. The pressure on woman to be powerful yet also fit the mold of femininity becomes a struggle for many. This is shown in many movies where there is a female superhero.  What is she wearing? The answer is close to nothing, because in our society in order for a female to be powerful she must also be sexy.

“The Voice” is a new reality show that has celebrity mentors Christina Aguilera, Cee-Lo, Adam Levine, and Blake Shelton pick the new up and coming music sensation, based on nothing but there voice. They cannot see the singer and must choose who they want to mentor without seeing them. This is relevant because they are trying to show that these people will be picked based on their talent and not their looks. This is a novel idea, but the outcome I think will only serve Bordo’s point. By the time the mentors are done working with their talent, I am sure they will be “hollywood ready,” meaning new hair, makeup, clothes, and diets. It is also interesting to note that three out of the four judges are male.

Works Cited

Bordo, Susan. "Unbearable Weight". ed. Leitch, Vincent B. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.

"NEW NBC "The Voice" Promo." YouTube. Web. 15 May 2011.

We Are Being Watched! - Analysis # 5

            After listening to today’s presentation on postmodernism I feel I have a better understanding. The reading is so dense that it is hard for me to wrap my head around it. It was very helpful to have a clear lecture about this subject.  “Discipline and Punish” was most clear to me because I could think of past and modern examples.  “Monarchial Punishment” I can see being used more in the past when they would hang and lynch people to set an example for everyone. But like we said in class through the examples of “Braveheart” sometimes the punished gets sympathy. I often times feel that way when I watch movies and they are trying to make an example out of someone. It backfires because I feel bad for the person instead of being scared that it could happen to me.
          I see "Disciplinary Punishment" exemplified in my work place. We are left alone in the store, yet we have video cameras so that our bosses can see what were doing at anytime. It is the same idea as the “Panopticon” where we feel we are being watched at any given time and therefore behave our best. 
        Currently I am reading a book called The Hunger Games where the idea of the panopticon is shown. The book is about a society where the government is so scared of the population overthrowing them that every year they hold "hunger games" to show the people just who is in charge. The Hunger Games is a game where two children from each of the twelve districts is sacrificed and put in essentially a cage where they fight until there is only one child remaining. What made me think of the panopticon is because the government is watching the whole time, as if it is a television show. They also have the power to interfere with the games. 


Works Cited


Leitch, Vincent B. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.

Week 10- Marxist Theory

I definitely agree with Andrew Ross’s explanation of the “labor problem” of the arts. There are not enough people that are willing to get paid less for what they love. Instead they get a job that pays more and they do not enjoy. In his first example he explains what he calls the cultural discount.  This is the idea that instead of monetary rewards, the worker receives nonmonetary rewards, like the happiness they get from the work. I see this in celebrities that do charity work. They are not getting paid to go there, but they get nonmonetary rewards. The public gets to see that they are doing a good thing, and in return like them more. While it is not for money, they are still gaining something. Independent films exemplify the cultural discount as well in a more positive light. Many times in independent movies actors are not paid what they are accustomed too. In doing an independent film you are sacrificing money for a project that you believe in.  The cultural discount is apparent in many ways and for me stems from the fact that people cant afford to do things for free just because it is their art. That is a luxury that many Americans cannot live by. It would be great if everyone could do things they love instead of working at jobs they are not passionate about but our society does not make that a priority. The priority is to get a stable job and provide for your family. 

Analysis # 4- Marxist Theory

            Throughout my education I have heard the name Karl Marx but never really knew what he was about.  This weeks reading helped with that. In many ways, Marx’s theory is relevant today. I see him as being realistic, even though what he says can be a little unsettling to someone who wants to be an individual and critiqued by their own merits. In Marx’s world, a person is only worth as much as the product they put out. This sounds harsh, but it’s actually true. Jobs work in this sort of structure, where the people that society views as producing the most get the raises. It is the people at the lower end who don’t get a chance to show their value. Look at Hollywood for instance. Our society is obsessed with celebrities, but what about the people that made them famous. Their agents, writers, make up team. None of them get acknowledged because it is only the celebrity that matters.

            In my American Literature class we have been discussing Karl Marx in relation to Thoreau. We talked about the use value, what people are willing to pay for certain things. The value of an object is based on the amount of time it takes to get it. Thoreau says “but lo men have become the tools of their tools” relates to this idea because it is the idea that you are what you own. In the Communist Manifest Marx talks about class struggles. The lower class is the base because they provide the necessities to enter the superstructure, where the rich take over. The idea of an equal society sounds ideal in theory but is unrealistic.  There is always going to be a hierarchy in our society because that is how we survive. It is unfortunate but true. 


Works Cited


Leitch, Vincent B. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.

Group Reflection- Phew it's over!

For our group presentation we did Phenomenology, Reader-Response Theory, and Psychoanalysis. My portion of the presentation focused on Freud and Fetishism. We were originally supposed to present a week earlier, but got pushed back. I was grateful for this because I felt that I wasn't fully comfortable with my topic and wanted more time to perfect it. I was perhaps the most anxious in my group about presenting. I didn’t want to say penis and phallus every other word. But, I did, and actually think my presentation went well. I was second after Stephen whose slide was super fancy, so besides being nervous about saying phallus and penis, I was nervous that my slide looked like a junior high power point.

            Once I started my presentation, my nerves went away. For the most part I actually enjoyed teaching the class about Fetishism. I think the subject matter worked to my advantage because it kept the class interested. I was grateful that the class responded to the questions I asked and the discussion that followed my power point. I

            As far as putting the power point together, Stephan definitely took the reigns. He was the one that contacted all of us through email and made sure everyone was on top of it. I stayed in touch with Stephan through email throughout the weeks to make sure I was on track with everyone else and to see if there was anything else to be done. Stephan also put the power points together, which was an extra job that he happily took on. While our group did not have much interaction prior to our presentation, I think everyone took care of what they needed to do and we gave an informative, interesting presentation. Or so I hope!

Week 8 "The Death of the Author"

 The reading that most resonated with me this week was Barthe’s “ The Death of the Author,” mainly because I could clearly understand what he saying, or I think I could.  I think it is hard to dissociate a piece of work from the author. Barthe wants the reader to not think about the author, their background, history, or psychology. By doing this, I think the reader is missing many things that the author intended.  Contrary to what Barthe says, that an author puts limits on the text, I think it does the exact opposite. It not only allows the reader to better understand the author’s intentions but also provides them with knowledge to draw their own conclusions.

A perfect example for me would be when I read “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams. I read about half the play before I started wondering about Williams. After reading a little about Williams and his family and what was going on at the time of the book, I could see so many relevant connections that brought the play to life for me. For instance, that Williams had a sister who suffered schizophrenia or that he was an alcoholic. Just those two facts helped me better understand that characters of Stanley and Blanche. Without knowing William’s background and what was historically going on at the time the play was written does the author and the play a disadvantage. I do not think this means that we can assume an author’s intentions or draw conclusions on a text because of an authors history or background, but I also don’t think we should completely ignore it.

Mamma's Boy- Analysis # 3

I am not sure if I believe Freud’s theory. I have always been intrigued by Freud and was excited to learn a little bit more about his ideas.  Freud believes that we are aware of our motivations. I don’t know if people are insightful enough to know that the reason they hate their dad is because they want to sleep with their mom. I think there is some definite truth to the power of male/female relationship in any variety.  Yet I do not think that some of Freud’s theories can be the definitive answer for every mother/son scenario.

           

Learning about Freud in class this week, and watching the clip from Hamlet I realized that many entertainment outlets have Freudian ideas, specifically the Oedipus Complex. Psycho is the first movie that comes to mind. Though it differs a little from the Oedipus Complex, there is no denying that Norman Bates does what he does to win his dead mothers affection. Bates kills his mom’s boyfriend, and many other people that he feels get in the way of him and his dead mom.  Bate does not function in the normal society because of his repressed feelings for his mother. 

One of the things we discussed in class that I think makes sense is Fetishization, the idea that people use fetishes as a replacement for something else. In the theory of Freud, it would be fear of castration.  Most people are trying to hide some sort of pain or memory. Freud is simply saying that in order to do so you must replace that pain or memory with something else. This idea reminds me of a movie called Secretary in which the lead female cuts herself.  After not being satisfied through cutting, she finds someone that will give her pain through spanking and dominatrix. Through this action she is able to heal her pain...through pain.



Works Cited


"Secretary." YouTube. Web. 20 March 2011.

New Criticism- Analysis # 2

         This is a painting done by Banksy in the West Bank on a security fence. To me, this painting tells a story of two kids who are painting a wall and stumble upon a whole, which leads them to paradise. They are working kids, painting the wall for money but instead of working, find a utopia where all their dreams are going to come true. The kids look happy and their is optimism on their face that life has more to offer them. After just watching the film “Exit Through the Gift Shop,” I believe that Banksy’s work is done to make people happy and provoke questions about society. 

  If I were to look at this painting from a New Criticism perspective I would have to erase what I just watched about Banksy in “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” In New Criticism, a piece of art or writing is self contained, the biography of the artist and the historical context are unimportant.  From this perspective I would say that the painting is of two children who are painting a wall. As they are painting the wall they see a hole and discover that there is a beach.Their is irony and paradox in the painting. The paradox is seen by looking at the color contrast and the children’s lives in front of the wall as opposed to what is behind the wall. The color contrast also emphasizes irony because the wall and children are black and white and “paradise” is very colorful. Taking a New Criticism perspective, I did not include any background on Banksy and, I resisted telling what the painting means to me. Along with historical and biographical context, New Criticism does not rely on psychological or sociological impact. I think that this perspective is not as effective. I find it impossible to get everything I can get out of a piece of work without knowing some background information on the artist or historical context. For this piece of work, from a New Criticism perspective, the audience has no idea that Banksy is one of the pioneers of street art or that his paintings often time get erased because what he does is illegal. The context is crucial to understand the painting as a whole. I understand why this technique is effective though because often times in works, people rely to much on the author or historical context for analysis. Once in a while it is interesting to see what you get just by reading the work or looking at the painting and analyzing the form. 

word count: 427

Week 5 Enlightenment

           In this week’s class we discussed Enlightenment Theory which began in Western Europe in the 17th century. The period of the Enlightenment introduces rationalism, empiricism, and skepticism. Rationalism is the idea that through reason, knowledge is gained and understood. Empiricism believes that knowledge is gained through the senses and experiences felt through the senses. Skepticism says that true knowledge is impossible. 

  Rationalism is the idea that through reason, knowledge is gained and understood. Empiricism believes that knowledge is gained through the senses and experiences felt through the senses. Skepticism says that true knowledge does not exist. This theory begin with Rene Descartes who famously said “I think, therefore I am.” This was the birth of rational thought. The idea that all we need is our mind and common sense. 

  This theory begin with Rene Descartes who famously said “I think, therefore I am.” This was the birth of rational thought. The idea that all we need is our mind and common sense. In Alexander Pope’s Essay on Criticism he lists things to be aware of when giving criticism. His criticism is a neo-classicist reprisal, which means upholding rules and conventions. 

  Immanuel Kant introduced German Idealism which is the idea that how a person perceives an object is based on the properties we discover in them. I like this idea because I feel that people can look at one object but everyone can see something different based on their experiences or knowledge. Kants German Idealism is a mixture of rationalism and empiricism. 

          This painting reminds of me of what Kant talks about. This is a paint by Mark Rothko. I think it provokes a lot of emotion but it is abstract and different for everyone. This one painting does not mean the same thing for everyone just because it is painting. 

Analysis # 1

         Aristotle defines rhetoric as “the ability to see the available means of persuasion.”(86) Aristotle’s rhetoric emphasizes three important types of talking; deliberative, forensic, and epideictic. The key to rhetoric was to keep it short and keep it memorable. Along with that there are mechanics that can be used such as induction, syllogism, ethos, pathos, logos, and style. 

          For this analysis I will be focusing on an example of deliberative speech. A deliberative speech is one where you are persuading people about what is going to happen next. The clip I found is from the 2005 film “Thank You For Smoking,” in which Aaron Eckhart plays chief spokesperson, Nick Naylor, for a large tobacco company. What is interesting about this clip is that even though most of the general public can agree that smoking is bad, Nick Naylor persuades his audience that smoking is in fact “cool.” The below clip illustrates the power of persuasion seen in Naylor’s speech.

  What makes Naylor’s speech so persuasive is the mechanics of rhetoric he uses. Like the clip in class from “Wall Street,” both Gekko and Naylor know that it is not just what they say but how they say it. Their use of ethos is extremely effective. He walks around the table, making sure to look everyone in the eye. He does not act as if he is above them or knows more, but instead finds ways to include them by asking questions.  He clearly is trying to sell an idea, but his conversational tone makes it a more comfortable environment. His use of ethos comes through in his look too. His attire helps him be taken seriously. He talks with confidence and conviction and makes his audience want to listen to him.

  His use of induction and logical fallacies are seen when he discusses films of the past. He makes a correlation between films and what made them cool. His first premise is that movie stars are cool, the second being movie stars smoked in films, the conclusion being that smoking must be cool. This is really the key to his speech. While this may not be true, by putting it in that format helps emphasize his point.

  Nick Naylor’s speech in “Thank You For Smoking” has the two key components of rhetoric that was discussed in Kevin O’Neill’s lecture, it was short and memorable. The clip is only one and a half minutes and yet all of his points were made and are clear. He talks in a way that is easy to understand and does not dwell on any one idea for too long. He wants to keep their attention and to do that he moves quickly so that his audience doesn’t bore.

  As a spokesperson for cigarettes, Nick Naylor has to have good rhetoric. Because most of the time he is dealing with people that do not agree with him, his arguments must be convincing and logical. The power of Aristotle’s rhetoric is displayed in the scene above. He employs induction, logical fallacies, ethos and style to form a persuasive argument.

Works Cited:

Kevin O’Neill Lecture

Leitch, Vincent B. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &,

2010. Print.

YouTube 

March 14 2011 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBdbldsnSxE

word count: 547

Week 3- Kevin O'Neill Lecture

I expected to be confused when I walked into the lecture room to listen to Kevin O’Neil speak about rhetoric, theories and their origins. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised that I understood and was able to follow what he was saying. He was extremely charismatic and he proved that if you know how to relate to your audience, you will make a bigger impression. Between his different accents, pitches, and references I couldn’t help but listen and be intrigued. It was great that he gave us a brief history of what type of people the greeks were. I should have guessed, but never knew just how much weight they put on speech. Its actually very impressive. It really helped to have someone put into clearer terms the ideas that we had previously read. I walked out feeling a little bit more comfortable with the theories jargon. 

The clip from “Wall Street” was a great example how the things talked about in the lecture are applied. What made Gordon Ghekko’s speech so convincing was his use of rhetoric compared to the man before him. He made himself part of the crowd like he was “just like them.” He made certain not to seem of a different caliber so that the people would trust him. He points fingers at the shareholders even though he is the biggest shareholder. Looking at movies or even the news you can see how rhetoric is used to encourage, persuade, and manipulate people. I think that the use of good rhetoric is a very powerful tool as seen in your example of “Wall Street.”

More Then Just “A Doll on a Music Box”

In this weeks class the clip from “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “A Doll on a Music Box,” really intrigued me and caught my attention. While we were watching it, I thought to myself that this was a really weird scene and didn’t understand its significance to our studies. In the past, I felt that I needed to know the whole story in order to understand a particular part. So with that idea in mind, I looked at the scene skeptically, thinking that it was impossible to analyze without knowing the rest of the film. As is turned out, that was definitely not the case. I was blown away by all the theories my classmates had come up with. I am somewhat naive to theories and how to analyze them, but after that class, I came out with a different perspective on how to approach theories. I think that you can’t always use the same theory for everything your read or watch. My theory turned out to be insignificant for this particular occasion. I didn’t need to know the whole movie to see what was going on. “A Doll on a Music Box” was a great lesson for me in that there is always more than what appears at the surface. More then anything, this week got me over my fear of now knowing as much as other people in the classroom. I am extremely eager to learn more from everyone and look at new perspectives to approaching literature and film. 

Introduction

Hi everyone, and welcome to my first-ever blog post. I have always wanted to start a blog, but my insecurities about putting my ideas in a public forum have prevented me from doing so. I will be honest; I am a little apprehensive about writing this blog because I recognize that some of you are more educated than I am on literature theories. However, my hope is that this blog will help me reach some personal goals that I have been putting off. For one, it will force me to not to be insecure about expressing my ideas, even if I think someone elses may be better. Secondly, it will allow me to learn from my classmates’ knowledge and understanding of critical theory. And three, it will help me overcome my fear of writing a blog and ultimately motivate me to start a film critique blog.

Now, a little about my background: I grew up in Malibu, California and am currently living in Venice, CA. I work at a boutique on Abbot Kinney Boulevard, a trendy and popular neighborhood located in Venice. I have attended several different colleges, beginning with University of Colorado at Boulder, then Santa Monica College, and now finally to CSUN. It has been a long journey that led me to question whether or not college was the right option for me. After taking a hiatus from college for six months, during which time I did some traveling through Europe, I eventually came to the realization that I wanted to return to school and get my degree. I am only 23, but I can’t help but think that if I stayed on track I would have graduated by now. I fit the cliché of the perpetual student; it feels like my college experience will never end. While I do have a strong desire to learn, it sometimes takes me a little longer than most to act upon it. I started off as a Film major, and have since moved from Psychology to Criminology and now to English Literature. Some may say that this demonstrates that I’m indecisive, but I honestly struggled to pick just one area of focus. Ultimately I am happy with my decision to be a Literature major, as I feel it can branch off into other areas of interest and be widely beneficial. My ultimate goal is to be a film critic, which often involves applying theories of literature to the medium of film. There are many ways to approach film criticism, and I have no doubt that the knowledge of Critical Theory I gain from this class will be useful in my chosen career path.

As far as this class goes, I will say that I’m slightly intimidated by many of my fellow students. In my opinion, the objective of a class is to learn as a group. But as is often the case, many students know so much about the subject before the class begins. This leads me to wonder, when and how did these classmates become so much more knowledgeable about this subject matter? I know the primary issues pertaining to Literature Theory, but I am looking forward to learning from, and being challenged by, Professor Wexler and the class. I am excited to prove to myself that just because I may not initially know as much as my classmates doesn’t mean that I am at a disadvantage, both in this class and throughout the course of my education.

Looking forward to a great year!