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.