Review
So, lets review what we learned about race. The concept of otherness involves the definition of another's identity based on his/her differences from oneself. This relates to the concept of ethnocentrism in which one identifies oneself as normal, good, and true and another as abnormal, bad, and false. (An easy example was the American people's rationalization of the slavery of African Americans).
The other concepts attempt to address the issue of racial division in a society. The separatist approach (exemplified by the Black Nationalism movement), seeks to solve social inequality by the intentional separation of people groups. Each group, in this case each race, would establish its own community (or "nation"). Integration (exemplified by Martin Luther King) is the opposite approach, in which inequality is overcome through the incorporation of oppressed people groups into the mainstream. Multiculturalism is a concept that refers to cultural pluralism, or the peaceful coexistence of different people groups in the same community. No group is dominant, each "agreeing to disagree," in a sense. Finally, hybridity is a concept that acknowledges the influence different people groups have on each other. So, rather than assume that the dominant group necessarily asserts its culture on the oppressed group (or assume that the oppressed group must integrate themselves into the dominant order), hybridity acknowledges the influence the groups have on each other.
Film and Gender Assignment
So, let's try it again this week. You did a great job last week at addressing the complexities of the correspondence between text and concept. This week, in addition to your usual discussion, be sure to include a brief example from the plot (and film language, if possible) that supports your discussion.
Texts
Death Proof
Invincible
300
Wild Hogs
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Sex and the City
The Sopranos
Big Love
Entourage
Desperate Housewives
Gossip Girl
24
"Cupid's Chokehold/Breakfast in America" by Gym Class Heroes
"Can't Hold Us Down" by Christina Aguilera
"Figured You Out" by Nickelback
Concepts
femininity and masculinity
patriarchy
misogyny
the male gaze
objectification
feminisms
And if you would like to read more:
Laura Mulvey's "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"
Assignments will be due Friday, Nov. 16th at 11:59pm.
Quiz
From the Houston article on psychoanalysis, define Lacan's concepts of "the real", "the imaginary," and "the symbolic order."
Presentations
WHAT is going on guys? We have only TWO weeks left to present (this week and the week of Sexuality and Film), and only ONE student has done a presentation. PLEASE do this assignment, for the sake of your learning and your final grade. If you have questions about the presentation, look back at the blog post from the Class and Film week and read the assignment description. Then, if you have any questions, let me know ASAP.
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25 comments:
I'll do a presentation. Just this very morning, in Film Theory, Sharon Q. Swenson taught us on Mrs. Mulvey and the very same article. Rock.
300 and Patriarchy
Patriarchy is basically the idea that men are the dominant sex in a community. Men are in charge of the family and support them. Also, they play the main roles in society. The movie 300, men dominate the spartan society. They are in charge of taking care of both their own families and protecting their community. An example of this in the movie would be when the men of society go off to war to protect their home lands. Also that when the community comes together to make palimentary desicions, they are all men and there are no women(except when the queen speaks, which is unusual).
Zach S.
"Figured You Out" Nickelback and Misogyny
Misogyny is basicaly the degrading of women or in simpler terms the hatred of women. This song by Nickelback starts out with the lyrics "I like your pants around your feet, And I like the dirt that's on your knees, And I like the way you still say please, While you're looking up at me." These lyrics are incredibly degrading to women and shows them as a sex symbol. But later on in the song they say the lyrics "And I hate the places that we go, And I hate the people that you know." Nickelback is just hating on women left in right in their song just describing how reckless and unresponsible they are. How they are just there to please men and how men are above women. These two subjects could not have a clearer connection between them. I used to like this song and know that I have taken the time to listen to it I have noticed how screwed up it really is torwards women.
PRESENTATION
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker grew up as a child actress starring in many small roles and then in larger movie roles later on. She attended a school of performing arts and she was able to get the part of a few roles in Broadway plays and musicals. Before she started the Sex and the City series, she starred in movies such as Hocus Pocus, Honeymoon in Vegas, and Mars Attacks! Her career did not take off until she signed with HBO to begin the Sex and the City series. At first she did not think that this show would ever gain the recognition that it has today, and it launched her career not only as an accomplished actress, but a huge fashion and feminine icon.
Today she takes the stand for many issues involving feminism. Growing up, she had many siblings and that forced her to be incredibly independent. She believes that every woman should be a little bit feminist so that they can show that they should not be looked down upon and they deserve every opportunity that life has to give. Parker also made a statement on political issues saying that no matter your gender, you should always have a voice and it is everyone’s job to try to government officials to take stand and give the public choices. She helped produce Sex and the City and that show signifies a huge message from women to the public. That show helped everyone realize so many things about women and how they cope with everyday life. Women have had a rough past and many women today, like Sarah Jessica Parker, work hard to improve that image of women. They do not believe that women should receive any less respect that a man. Sex and the City has given light to so many issues that women have been dealing with and it has allowed the public to be more accepting of women and what they deal with.
Objectification and Entourage
"Objectification is the viewing of people solely as de-personalised objects of desire instead of as individuals with complex personalities." This exact definition is perfect in describing the hit HBO series "Entourage." Entourage follows a famous actor, his struggling actor brother, and two of his best friends while they stomp around Hollywood completely objectifying every women they lay their eyes on. Throughout the series beautiful women(most actresses and models) are seen as peices of meat that the stars of the show can have sex with. The show makes no effort to give a complex personality to these women, but makes every effort to show that these women are nothing but objects of desire and horny lust.
300 and Femininity & Masculinity
Over time, gender roles outlining masculinity and femininity have been scattered. Masculinity can be physical, sexual, emotionally stoic, and intellectual. While in contrast, femininity can include gentleness, patience, and kindness. In ancient Greek, it was seen how Spartan men respected their women. Although later history shows the deterioration of this and gives women lesser roles than men, Spartan men left their women on the same level as them. The movie 300 shows the Battle of Thermopylae between the Spartans and the Persians during the time of King Leonidas and Xerxes. This historical event shows the masculinity of men who fight to protect the rest of their society. Filmmakers show this masculinity characteristic of strength by the way they portrayed the men. All the men in the movie show extreme masculinity even when they are near their defeat. On the other hand, the women in the movie show a slight amount of masculinity because the way they are viewed in their society. Like Queen Gorgo, she stands up to the Persian messenger because she has almost the same rights as the men.
PRESENTATION
Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep was born June 22, 1949 in Summit, New Jersey. Later in life she went on to receive her B.A. in Drama at Vassar College and earn a M.F.A. from Yale University.
Her first role in a film was Julia (1977). Her second film was The Deer Hunter (1978) for which she would receive her first Academy Award nomination. Streep’s powerful performances during her start secured her place as a sought after female lead. She is noted for choosing strong female lead roles including Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), in which she played a dissatisfied housewife that leaves her husband to pursue her own career. She also starred as a Holocaust survivor living in Brooklyn in the film Sophie’s Choice (1982). Both films earned her Academy Awards and currently she is the most nominated female actor in history. Recently she starred in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) as a dominating boss over a famous fashion magazine. Off screen, Meryl Strep has pursued many feminist causes including trying to end the gender apartheid in Afghanistan, insuring equal pay for women in the film industry and being a member of the Equality Now organization. Meryl Streep has continued to use her fame to spearhead equal rights for women as well as representing strong female characters on the silver screen.
Toni Morrison
Chloe Anthony Wofford, better known to the world as the great author Toni Morrison, was brought into the world on the 18th of February, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio. Morrison grew fond of storytelling and literature at a young age, as it was a valued part of her childhood. Morrison attended Howard University, where she picked up the nickname “Toni,” (it derives from her middle name), and graduated in 1953 with a B.A. in English. She later earned a master’s degree in English from Cornell University. Following her divorce from Harold Morrison in 1964, Morrison began to write what would soon become her first novel, The Bluest Eye, the tragic story of Pecola Breedlove, a young girl who struggles with the acceptance of her own personal beauty.
The majority of Morrison’s novels recount tales of female protagonists liberating themselves from social ideals while exploring and coming to terms with their race, sexuality, and womanhood. Morrison’s juxtaposing of feminist and racial issues was her claim to fame. In 1987 Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Beloved, based on the true story of a slave who murdered her child to spare it from a life of slavery. Morrison later became the first black woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
Morrison herself doesn’t identify her work as feminist, afraid that it may constrain other themes her works explore. Wikipedia notes that, “She has stated that she thinks ‘it's off-putting to some readers, who may feel that I'm involved in writing some kind of feminist tract. I don't subscribe to patriarchy, and I don't think it should be substituted with matriarchy. I think it's a question of equitable access, and opening doors to all sorts of things.’” Regardless of her intended aim, her work does help to empower her readers, African American women especially, whom are able to identify with her characters on some emotional level.
300 and "the male gaze"
The "male gaze" is the theory that movies are made for the POV of a heterosexual male. 300 quickly glorifies this principle by the fact that it is a war movie with men killing and fighting to protect queen and country. The women are all beautiful and silenced by their men. But, in taking a second look, the movie breaks the "male gaze" by prominently featuring a bunch of half naked men with powerful, sexual bodies as something most men would ignore but women would enjoy. Also noteworthy is that Queen Gorgo breaks the code of silent women by attempting to speak to the council for King Leonidas. Falling back into the role of a submissive woman, she is then raped for speaking by the councilman who betrayed Sparta for Xerxes. 300 exemplifies the debate around the "male gaze" because while proving that it exists, it simultaneously provides for its gay male and female viewers.
"24" and Patriarchy
The concept behind Patriarchy is that within the structuring of society men take primary responsibility for the welfare of others or the community. The males are viewed as the strongest and play the main role and provide for others. In "24", Jack Bauer is a CTU agent, who is always having to risk it all to save the day. He is constantly taking all the risk and shouldering all the responsibility. There are women who help him in the show, such as Chloe, but she does it from a computer desk and does things, such as give him coordinates to destinations. Jack Bauer fits right in as a character that resembles patriarchy because his character is constantly the man who saves the United States daily and shouldering all responsibility.
Objectification is the process of solely viewing an individual for desire and not trying to get to know their inner self. This is when people only think of women for their bodies and physical attractions. The show Sex in the City, is about women and their sexual experiences with the guys. The definition of objectification is for males looking as women for only pleasure but the opposite can be some what applied to this show. The women go around town meet guys and in some cases just have one night stands then they tend to talk about their night with their female companions. All of these women seem to live the same lifestyle as live all these different sexual experiences then converse about them. This show however does not show the women as inferior but almost shows the men as inferior because the females are running the situations with the males.
Gym Class Heroes and th Male Gaze
The song by Gym Class Heroes is discussing all of the lead singers different escapades with his girlfriends and how all of them seem to end up in heart break until the end of the song when he finds his dream woman and stays with her. In Jonathan Schroroeder’s notes he says that film is a product of the male gaze. He said that everything represents the male’s good life, sexual fantasies and conquests, and male representation of women. This is exemplified in the video because the whole song is following all of these events through the eyes of the guy. This video has flashes of all of the perfect male instincts about how a woman should be. The first woman is a good cook, a representation of how women should be from a male’s perspective. The second woman exemplifies the sexual conquest of a man, while the third woman he ends up finding perfect.
PRESENTATION
Pedro Almodovar
Pedro Almodovar grew up in La Mancha, Spain, a rather dingy portion of Spain. He always wished to be a filmmaker, but not only found himself incapable of affording equipment, but incapable of taking classes, due to the film schools having been, in the 70s, closed by the Franco regime's government.
Almodovar worked for years to afford a Hi-8 camera. Throughout his life, Almodovar had always shown a passion for storytelling, and with his Hi-8 camera, began shooting short films which mostly dealt with strong female characters and transsexuals, both controversial yet prominent subjects in almost all of his work. Eventually, Almodovar's short films gained a cult following, and thanks to the Spanish counter-culture movement, he became wildly popular across Spain. His first feature length film to be screened in theatres was "Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del monton". The film featured three strong female characters as the leads, each capable of violence, each capable of outsmarting the men (here represented by police) who attempt to hold them back. It was still highly unlikely at the time for a Spanish film to feature such strong female characters, and this began the New Spanish cinema movement.
Almodovar continued to produce films which featured insightfully and thoughtfully developed female characters, something considered quite a feat for other male filmmakers. Throughout his career, Pedro Almodovar has received numerous awards, many for his screenplays, which feature such powerful characterization.
In 2002, Almodovar won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for "Hable con ella". He was also nominated for Best Director. The film dealth with the subject of man's need for female companionship, it revolved around women in comas and the men they leave behind.
Another milestone for Almodovar was his 2004 film "La Mala educacion", on which he spent ten years of his life writing. It was a semi-autobiographical film, reflecting his time in the presence of sexually-abusive priests at school. The lead was a transsexual, still taboo in many areas of the world, and a daring choice on Almodovar's part. Despite the film's controversial lead, it won numerous awards for best feature, including a Best Film Not in the English Language nomination at the BAFTAs. In addition, awards were heaped upon the film's lead, Gael Garcia Bernal.
Most recently, Almodovar released "Volver", a film about the strength of women and their relationships with one another. Almodovar created a family of mothers and daughters, vividly detailed, that few male or female writers could craft so realistically. The family was, as usual, made up of strong females. In one scene, a young girl even murders a would-be rapist, and she makes it through this incident thanks to the strength of her bond to her mother.
Pedro Almodovar is an innovator who has single-handedly pushed the role of women in Spanish film leagues further. It's no wonder that he is now known to be as universally popular as Luis Bunuel.
PRESENTATION
Pedro Almodovar
Pedro Almodovar grew up in La Mancha, Spain, a rather dingy portion of Spain. He always wished to be a filmmaker, but not only found himself incapable of affording equipment, but incapable of taking classes, due to the film schools having been, in the 70s, closed by the Franco regime's government.
Almodovar worked for years to afford a Hi-8 camera. Throughout his life, Almodovar had always shown a passion for storytelling, and with his Hi-8 camera, began shooting short films which mostly dealt with strong female characters and transsexuals, both controversial yet prominent subjects in almost all of his work. Eventually, Almodovar's short films gained a cult following, and thanks to the Spanish counter-culture movement, he became wildly popular across Spain. His first feature length film to be screened in theatres was "Pepi, Luci, Bom y otras chicas del monton". The film featured three strong female characters as the leads, each capable of violence, each capable of outsmarting the men (here represented by police) who attempt to hold them back. It was still highly unlikely at the time for a Spanish film to feature such strong female characters, and this began the New Spanish cinema movement.
Almodovar continued to produce films which featured insightfully and thoughtfully developed female characters, something considered quite a feat for other male filmmakers. Throughout his career, Pedro Almodovar has received numerous awards, many for his screenplays, which feature such powerful characterization.
In 2002, Almodovar won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for "Hable con ella". He was also nominated for Best Director. The film dealth with the subject of man's need for female companionship, it revolved around women in comas and the men they leave behind.
Another milestone for Almodovar was his 2004 film "La Mala educacion", on which he spent ten years of his life writing. It was a semi-autobiographical film, reflecting his time in the presence of sexually-abusive priests at school. The lead was a transsexual, still taboo in many areas of the world, and a daring choice on Almodovar's part. Despite the film's controversial lead, it won numerous awards for best feature, including a Best Film Not in the English Language nomination at the BAFTAs. In addition, awards were heaped upon the film's lead, Gael Garcia Bernal.
Most recently, Almodovar released "Volver", a film about the strength of women and their relationships with one another. Almodovar created a family of mothers and daughters, vividly detailed, that few male or female writers could craft so realistically. The family was, as usual, made up of strong females. In one scene, a young girl even murders a would-be rapist, and she makes it through this incident thanks to the strength of her bond to her mother.
Pedro Almodovar is an innovator who has single-handedly pushed the role of women in Spanish film leagues further. It's no wonder that he is now known to be as universally popular as Luis Bunuel.
The Sopranos and Patriarchy
I believe that Patriarchy have alot to do with each other because Tony is the head of the family and provides for everyone. He also provides for his crime family to and everyone looks up to him. When the father (Tony) gets in trouble the whole order of things gets messed up. Tony is the main character also and this makes sense since he's the head of everything in the show.
the male gaze and 300
When discussing the male gaze it is important to discuss ideals as seen through male eyes. The movie consists of large amounts of action, violence, and some sexuality. The Spartan men in the movie were represented as physically and emtionally masculine, whereas the Persian king was represented as powerful yet at the same time somewhat homosexual. The Spartan women in the movie were represented as being very strong women who were not submissive towards their husbands but rather were supportive. This may seem opposite to the male gaze, but it is not too far off and there is also the fact that all of the Spartan women were shown to be extremely beautiful.
Presentation
Alanis Morrissette
Alanis Morrissette was born in Ottowa, Canada and began her career at an early age recording her first song at the age of 10. She made her acting debut on the Nickelodeon show "You Can't Do That on Telivsion" and was introduced to the world on star search. In high school she suffered from eating disorders and eventually learned to express her feelings through her music. She considered retirement due to the superficial nature of her career, but stuck with it. Upon her engagement that was later ended, Morrissette gave an interview in which she discussed her previous homosexual relationships as well as her drug use.
Morrissette has been a major contributor to the change of social discourse during her time. She proved that women could write music that was deeper than just dance music or about stereotypical relationships. She was able to use her own personal angst to boot her career and make songs that other angst-ridden people could relate to. She became an ordained minister, something that many female vocalists cannot say that they have done. She has always taken her career down paths chosen by her, not letting anyone stray her in another way. Although some view her as just another angry woman singer, there is so much more to her work and the messages behind it all. She is a woman who is not afraid of her image or what people will think of her, something that proves her to be a strong and indepenent woman. Her ability to be open about her own relationships, both hetero and homosexual gives encouragement to those who are afraid to do so. Because of this, as well as the success she has found by just expressing herself, Morrissette's own life has been an inspiration to both her music and fans.
article
http://www.alanis.com/
Sorry, I forgot to post a link for my presentation.
SARAH JESSICA PARKER
Patriarchy and Big Love
I think that this comparison fits well because it’s talking about the father unit or leader of a family. Although this isn’t the prototypical family unit, the patriarch has 3 wives and 7 kids, it still works in that all the wives and children look to the man for leadership. I feel it’s important to look at because it’s outside of the customs that are generally accepted by American culture. This behavior is considered illegal but yet this unit is merely practicing their religion. The set up can have its advantages and disadvantages depending on whose perception in the relationship you look at, but it still can be correlated to patriarchy.
Big Love and Patriarchy
Big Love is a television series about a group of polygamists that live in Utah. The main character, Bill, has three wives. He owns three houses right next door to each other so each wife has there own place. Every night he stays in a different house with a different wife. I think Big Love and patriarchy go hand in hand. Patriarchy is a family, society, or community that is governed by men. This is exactly what the show is about. The entire polygamist society, in the show, think that men should solely govern the community and family.
In the show Entourage, the male gaze is used to show the lives of rich, successful, Hollywood men. Their daily lives are shown and through what we see on the show, we see what their lives are like, and how they go about certain situations. The show is focused around several friends who act as many men would act if in the same situation. Sex, partying, and alcohol all play a big part in the show. A glimpse at the good life is shown, and by seeing firsthand how these men act, we can interpret each situation through the eyes of these men. In one episode, Turtle gets ragged on for talking to a girl that the other guys think is ugly. This is something only guys would experience in real life, and is one of those things hidden to girls or other people.
Zora Neale Hurston
Presentation
I am sure most people now are familiar with Zora Neale Hurston, but this was not always so. She was an African American, educated woman, who studied largely anthropology. Hurston also dedicated herself as a writer to many issues of race and feminism. Her most famous work is “Their Eyes Were Watching God”. Other works of hers include Man of the Mountain; Dust Tracks on a Road; Seraph on the Suwannee; Jonah's Gourd Vine; Mules and Men; Moses; Every Tongue Got to Confess; as well as many short stories. In her time she was passed over as a writer, and it has only been recently since the 1970's that her work as a writer has been revived. Hurston is important to our discussion because of the circumstances of her life. She lived and died fairly unrecognized for her work. Critics did not view her as an influential figure largely on the condition of being a woman and even more an African American woman. For me this is a prime example of how the conditions of racism and attitudes towards women (patriarchy of society) can have a negative impact on the artistic and cultural achievements of a nation. It is only through other committed authors, for example Alice Walker, that her work has been resurrected and republished. According to Wikipedia, at the time of her death Hurston was buried in an unmarked grave, perhaps somewhere in Fort Pierce.
Until I transferred to Tallahassee, I drove by Eatonville which is the setting of “Their Eyes Were Watching God” everyday, about four times a day, for the past three years. I have seen the old worn down houses, and have spent time wandering the town graveyard; so I feel a unique connection to her work, even though I am a white male. What I also feel is that many people often simply see concepts of race and feminism as definitions. I think about a black female writer like Zora Neale Hurston, and it gives me a reason to know why these issues are important. How many writers/artists like Hurston were not so lucky, at least after death, to become known, simply because of their gender or skin color? How many great works have been lost to these issues?
Femininity and Masculinity- In the movie "300"
Femininity and Masculinity is surly shown in the movie "300". At the beginning of the movie the tell the story of how boys ae taken from a young age, and are put through these tests to see if they have what it takes to be a spartan soilder. The boys grow up surrounded by voilence. If they make it throught they are consider a man.In Sparta dying for your familiy was a sign of Masculinity. Usually when one talks about Masculinity, the women is down played and don't recieve alot of respect. In this movie the Spartan women are seen as the men, they are equal. The Spartan men were in great shape, very brave, and very smart. The Persians were seen as more femininie, in character, from their clothing, gestures, and their language.
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