Practice Blog Task 9/14 Tuesday

To practice blogging, respond to this question. Leave your last name in the window with your response. You will have blog tasks due throughout this year, most due on a Tuesday before midnight.

Of course little kids do not analyze The Lion King like we scholars do, but subconsciously and subliminally, do they become racist, sexist, bigoted while viewing this popular film? (First time hearing/seeing a Hispanic man they associate that voice with a hyena, the only Hispanic voice they've ever heard. Hyena=bad. Then, Hispanic=bad. Right?)

Similarly, doesn't advertising have subliminal effects? You cannot help it sometimes--you just have to buy those Abercrombie & Fitch clothes, even though they are absurdly overpriced. Right? Subliminal messages have deep, lasting impacts on the mind, right? They make you feel bad that you don't look like their models, then sell you the solution to your depression/negative self-esteem: their disgustingly-overpriced clothes!

Type 150+ words and think hard. Consciously, you only noticed the poised, petite, comfortable, confident, cute girl in the sweater that costs $183. Subconsciously, though, you also noticed the reason she is so happy: her sweater got her a hot guy whose eyebrows, hair, jaw, and style (also Abercrombie gear) are also flawless!

• At what are those three pictured together gazing?
• Who leans together to stare at something like they are?

More like "Aberzombie & Witch"...

My Favorite; How About Yours?

Life of Pi is my favorite book because it has math, philosophy, religion, spirituality (different from religion), science, nature, ethics, adventure, and everything else anyone could look for in a novel. I found and read this book when I was hungry. I was hungry for the steaks I sold and for knowledge I sought. I remember the summer when I was working as a butcher (at Hy-Vee) and a book-seller (at Barnes and Noble). I'd combine the two jobs to work 15 hours most days, including weekends, trying to get a good start paying my students loans. It was a maddening pace, during which I actually spent a lot of my wages on the two products I peddled: steaks and books. One book that caught my eye had a tiger and a boy on a boat together. It was eye-level on the shelf in the bookstore's new release and staff recommendations section. Once I owned it, I couldn't sleep because my mind was so activated. This is my favorite. What's yours?

(And by the way, Martel is the ultimate "thought criminal"--he sends various books to political leaders to remind them they have the power to influence and create change.)

Advertisement Analysis: Ads & Art--Due Friday, December 12

You all remember the short story by Kurt Vonnegut entitled "Harrison Bergeron"? Do advertisements "handicap" our thinking? I think they do, if we are following a show closely or if we are driving carefully or if we are focusing on __________, then have our focus interrupted by the ubiquitous ads.

Listen to this audio clip from "On the Media," then post a 200+ word reaction (just click the play button). Is this audio clip interesting? What good points does it make? You may include your reactions to what Greta Beller and Whitney Moser presented--or any other exercises, presentations, or discussions we have held in class. First, consider the following questions carefully, then begin typing. At what point does advertising become intrusive? How can we possibly think/buy/decide for ourselves, if we are continually bombarded with messages? How much mind control does the media wield? Is the whole industry corrupt? Why do we obsess over the lives of celebrities? Are the self-esteems of people affected, really, by advertising? This comment is due Friday, December 12, at 11:00 p.m. and is worth 30 points. Remember to type your class period number at the beginning of your comment.

(This ad depicts two young people who, because they use VO5 hair products, are able to find the courage to rebel against Communist China. Seen it on television? The line between movie and advertisement has become a blurry one. Movies have ads in them. Advertisements try to be as much like movies as they can be. Is it good that advertisers attach such major concepts like individuality to their products? Can doing so ever be harmful?)

Cuckoo's Nest Link & Reason for Popularity Due Tuesday, November 4

Find an interesting site--one that enlightens your understanding/thinking of Cuckoo's Nest--and post its address here. You could search using the book's title, a character's name, an aspect of the movie, anything related. Your site link may not be the same as another student's. In 100+ words, explain why the site you found is enlightening. Plus, in 100+ words, speculate about this book's popularity. Why is this book so colossal in American literary and actual history? What makes it better than others? Do you like it? This exercise is due on Tuesday, November 4, at 10:00 p.m. and is worth 20 points. (I took this image from www.thedock.ie)

To See More Vocabulary Quiz Definitions

Do you get the connections we made to the films The Terminator, The Matrix, I, Robot, and others involving the Man vs. Machine theme? Have you seen other movies or read other material that includes this Man vs. Machine theme? Do you like these books and/or films? Are they interesting? We need and fear technology at the same time! Type your class period number in front of your comment, which will help you see more vocabulary quiz definitions now and in the future. (This is not the homework blog post, which is below. This comment is voluntary and made with the hope of seeing more definitions.)

In-Class Blogging Monday, October 13

Today, during class, you have three options. You must do two of the three options today. You must type 40 minutes worth. Here are your options: (1) You are Nurse Ratched. Type using first person. Become her. What are your thoughts of McMurphy? What is your home like? What is your life like outside the mental institution? (2) Have you been programmed to think, believe, hate, love something? Who programmed you? How have you been programmed? (3) Who are the enforcers of conformity in our school? At social events? At games? At work? Is it possible to be a nonconformist? Do you conform, entirely or slightly? Intentionally? Remember to type your class period number in front of your comment.

The Working Poor

What are the core problems for Willie and Sarah Goodell (from the yellow handout)? Who should be in charge of making their situation better? At which point does the government need to step in? Do you want to borrow this revealing book to read about the rest of the cases?

Remember to type your class period number in front of your comment.

Show your parent(s) this handout. What do they think of Willie and Sarah Goodell's situation?

The House on Mango Street Life Connection

Select one vignette that relates closely to a life experience you've had. Explain how your emotions were like Esperanza's.

1984 Task 1 Options (20 points, 84+ words due Saturday, March 22, by 10:00 a.m.)

Using 30+ quoted words from George Orwell's 1984 and 84+ words of your own, respond to one of the following options--

Option 1: How has your mind been controlled? Similar to the ways used by the Party of Oceania?

Option 2: In what ways has Winston committed thoughtcrimes so far?

Option 3: What critical reading skills are necessary to understand and analyze this book?

Whose Fault?

Whose fault is it, ours or the media's? Is it our fault for only wanting to watch and hear about the terrible things that occur here and around the world (the media wants ratings, you see)? Or is it the media's fault for only giving us the terrible news?

Epstein Analysis (80+ words due Saturday, March 8, by 10:00 a.m.)

(1) Find and read E.L. Epstein's essay on Lord of the Flies in the back of your Lord of the Flies book. It is on pages 203-208. (2) Using 25-35 quoted words of Epstein's, respond to his assertions with 80+ words of your own. Epstein is respected throughout America as a preeminent literary scholar. What do you think about Epstein's ideas?

Please email me or come see me if you have problems.

Lord of the Flies Task 2

Golding knew Freud's theories very well and incorporated them into his novel. Ralph represents the superego. Jack represents the id. The ego, then, is within the reader's mind. Find and copy text here from the novel that makes these connections between the characters and psychoanalysis. What part(s) show(s) that Ralph is acting like the superego of the collective mindset of the boys? What part(s) show(s) that Jack is acting like the id of the collective mindset of the boys? (One comment here from each of you is due February 14.)

Art in Literary Analysis

What role can art play in the analysis of literature? This is a painting that reveals a lot about the boys of Lord of the Flies. A critical reader and viewer can make a lot of meaning from combining art and text.

Harvard's Implicit Association Tests

How much do these Implicit Association Tests uncover? Everyone admits that there is a lot of mental activity occurring that we "are not aware of." With so many brilliant people on campus, the Harvard creators of these IATs must know what they are doing, right?

Film in Literary Analysis

Why are movies so popular? How can movies be applied to an English course? What role can film play in the analysis of literature? This is the cover of the DVD Grizzly Man, a psychological investigation that connects closely with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The House on Mango Street. Psychology is salient in each book. Consider this website (a wiki), then respond:

http://honors.rit.edu/amitraywiki/index.php/Film_as_Literature,_Literature_as_Film

Super Bowl Advertisements

What is your thesis statement? Is it arguable? Could there be a counterpoint? Is it clear and direct? Is it a statement and not a question? Is it your most profound declaration? A good example: Advertisements like Old Spice's "Get noticed" body spray make men think they can/will be irresistible to women; this creation of false bravado leads to objectification of women and, moreover, distorted notions of what healthy relationships should be.

WHAT TECHNIQUES ARE BEING USED DURING THE SUPER BOWL? ARE THESE ADS EFFECTIVE? (ADVERTISERS SPENT $2.7 MILLION TO GET 30 SECONDS OF TIME DURING THE COMMERCIAL BREAKS!) THESE ADS PROVED EFFECTIVE FOR GODADDY.COM, WHICH SAW A MAJOR BOOM AFTER THEIR PROVOCATIVE SUPER BOWL ADS AIRED WHILE MILLIONS WATCHED.

Othello and Orientalism

What is Orientalism? Search the web for a clear definition; Edward Said is the primary source for this topic. How does Orientalism apply to Shakespeare's Othello? Orientalism is a way of studying how the "West" looks down upon, and misjudges, the "East." The West (The Occident--Europe and North America) writes about its notions of the East (The Orient--Africa, The Middle East, Asia) and misrepresents people and customs of the East. Applying this theory to the play: Shakespeare is showing a bias against the East in the way he makes Othello inferior, rash, illogical, overly passionate, even animalistic. The ethnocentric Elizabethans would think the Spanish and Italians were backward and uncivilized, but the Elizabethans would have believed that Africans or Arabs were barely human. Is this an interesting concept to you? I think Orientalism is highly useful when looking at today's world. It is applicable to any war with the Middle East, that is certain.

Advertisement Analysis Essay

How does the media (television, film, radio, billboard, magazine, newspaper...) affect our impulses, decisions, value systems, and culture at large? Is everything you wear a type of advertisement, because it says something about you? Is your car? Is your hairstyle?

Othello

If we are rational, thinking beings, how can jealousy and other emotions get the best of us?