blog #8: reader response.

I chose the song "A Long December" by Counting Crows. This song is pretty much about someone reflecting on their life and seeing that things might be changing for the better. The implied reader in this song would be that the author wants you to understand this song is about self-reflection and about moving forward. He says "it's been a long december, and there's reason to believe maybe this year will be better than the last." He wants the reader to have hope for the future and for a better life.

The actual reader, or what I bring to the text, would probably be a few memories. I remember my friend and I would always listen to Counting Crows when we went on road trips and this song would always come on, and how we talked about going to a concert of theirs, but we never did. Also it brings me back to new years eve a year ago, I was having a rough time and i listened to this song and it made me think about things, things that have happened in my life, things that were changing at the time, and things that could make the next coming year better than the last one. It just gives the song a whole new meaning for me and makes it relatable. When I can make connections like these to a text it just enhances it even more. And lastly, when I think of this song, I think about the CD that is currently sitting in my car with this song on it.

I think it is important for the author to consider the reader because the readers are the people who are supposed to listen. They shouldnt write anything that would be really offensive to them or bad. They should also try to make the text relatable to many people. I've come to realize that if there is nothing in a text I can connect with or find interest in, I wont have an interest in reading it. That is why I believe it's important to at least consider the reader a little bit when writing something.

Blog Post #9: The Classics, Revisited

When examined through the Feminist lens and the Marxist/Economic lens, The Great Gatsby can be understood and interpreted as more than just a classic piece of literature, but a novel that brings about many issues in society in the past and in the present. While exploring this text through the Feminist lens, it is illustrated to the reader that women are not equal to men. The Marxist/Economic lens depicts that money has a great influence on who holds the power, and that there are superior and inferior groups of people presented by this novel.

The first indicator that women are not equal to men in this book is a quote from Daisy Buchanan, “I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (p. 21) Daisy is describing her hopes about her daughter and she basically states that the best way to go through life for a girl in their society is to be beautiful and simplistic.  Towards the beginning of the book, Tom’s mistress, Mrs. Wilson, was repeating Daisy’s name to show him that she could say whatever she wanted and that he couldn’t control her. “Making a short deft movement Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.” (p. 41) When Mrs. Wilson tried to challenge Tom’s “authority” over her, he broke her nose as if it was nothing. Even more, the only people who reacted to it were the women; the men proceeded on as if nothing had happened.

In this book I believe a large issue that really portrays men and women as unequal is both Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s extramarital affairs. When Tom has an affair with another woman, society doesn’t make a big deal out of it, nor do his friends, it is considered to be almost a normal thing. When Daisy and Gatsby’s love is rekindled, Tom blows up and it is considered to be some ridiculous thing. In general the women are also portrayed as very fickle and inferior to men. In this book they live in a society that finds no value in the women’s intelligence, and it is okay for men to cheat, but unacceptable for the women. These issues that are brought about by looking through the Feminist lens are issues that also sometimes appear in our modern day society as well.

Through the Marxist/economic lens it is apparent that the most power is distributed among the people who have the most money, and the least power to the less fortunate. Tom Buchanan’s ego about his power is made clear within the first 20 pages of the book. “’Well, these books are all scientific,’ insisted Tom, glancing at her impatiently. ‘This fellow has worked out the whole thing. It’s up to us who are the dominant race to watch out or these other races will have control of things.’” (p. 17) Tom thinks that he is better than everyone else, and that even merely people of his race are superior and they need to remain in control of things and people. This is also illustrated by the way that Tom treats Mr. Wilson. He treats him the way he feels and considers him unimportant because he is someone that does work for him and he is not wealthy.

It is clear throughout the novel that both Tom and Daisy are in love with money. I believe the main reason Daisy stays with Tom even after both of their affairs, is because he gives her security, wealth, and everything that comes along with it. It’s almost as if both Tom and Daisy retreat to each other and hide behind their money as a sense of security for them. More evidence on the emphasis of importance of money in this book is that money is Gatsby’s motivator. Mr. Gatsby hates poverty and has a strong desire to be wealthy, which is why he acquires his wealth in illegal ways. He is desperate for wealth and desperate to win Daisy back, he believes that if he has money, then Daisy will want to be with him. Because after all, everybody wants money. Even in modern society this is the case for many, people are fueled by money and security, and do not want to be with someone who cannot provide that for them.

Overall, when examining The Great Gatsby through the Feminist lens and Marxist lens, many societal issues are explored and revealed that are apparent in the characters’ society set in the past, and our modern-day society. How women are portrayed in the book, unequal and fickle, and especially how Daisy is portrayed is illustrated and understood at a much deeper level. While looking through the Marxist/Economic lens, it is understood who has all the power and control, and who knows it. The importance of money is explored through Gatsby’s motives, and Daisy’s desire and love for money, security, and the materialistic way she lives. These issues about money are still present in our society today, because money is what makes the world go ‘round.

Blog Post #6: House Pilot Episode

In the pilot episode of House, House portrays himself as someone who doesn't really have a lot of morals. He pretends as if he doesn't care about the patients and really just acts as if he doesn't like doing his job. He comes off as cold and elusive. He wants people to believe he doesn't have very many morals because that would crumble the front he puts up for everyone.

I believe deep down that House has morals, however he just puts on a front and puts up a wall to seem like he is tough and doesn't care. He seems to portray himself this way to almost hide his insecurities about his own life. He has problems of his own to overcome in his life which may have an influence on his morals.

House also takes risks in the pilot episode. He misdiagnosed and treated, and did this a few times until finally he was right. Sure in the end he was right and fixed the problem, but is it morally right to experiment with a patient's life? His job should not be about trial and error and that is what he was doing. He displays that it is okay to take bad risks and in my opinion it isn't. Playing with someone's life to me is not morally just and right. His demonstration of this provides a negative model to the viewer.

Blog Post #7: "The Social Network"

In the movie, The Social Network, it is interesting to look at Mark's motives for even starting Facebook. It all starts with Erica. Erica Albright was Mark's girlfriend, but broke up with him in the very beginning of the movie. After he gets home, he starts blogging while under the influence of alcohal. He is bothered by the fact that Erica broke up with him and starts to bash her on the internet. He proceeds to come up with an idea to make a site called facemash where mostly the women at Harvard were compared to eachother.

After this Mark has finally been led to making Facebook. Evidence that his ex girlfriend is what originally fueled him to do this comes later on in the movie. He encounters her and starts babbling and then mentions Facebook. She blows it off and blows him off and won't go with him to talk somewhere. He walks away upset and all he says is "We need to expand." Even in the middle of the movie, Mark's new friend Sean Parker admits that the reason he started Napster was originally because of a girl. This is something the two share in common.

At the end of the movie, it is brought full circle to conclude that Erica is the stem of Mark's ambitions for Facebook. After meeting with lawyers and such for the lawsuit, he stays after alone. He goes on to Facebook and looks up Erica Albright. He requests her as a friend and continues to stare at her page and refresh it. I thought it was a good way to end the movie because it all started with her, and then it ended with her as well.

Another interesting aspect of The Social Network is how women are portrayed in the film. From beginning to end it is made to look like women are inferior to men. In the beginning of the film when Mark's facemash goes online, the guys are all into it because it is bashing mostly the women. When you look at all the females reactions they are rolling their eyes and just annoyed and offended. The whole facemash idea is degrading to women and people in general. Their faces were shown more than men's faces.

More evidence to show that women were portrayed inferior in the film is more toward the middle when Facebook was still in the making. Both Mark and his friend Eduardo went out with two girls and later on came back to their apartment. They were all talking about facebook. Then Mark started telling all the guys what needed to be done and what they need to do. The girls asked "Well what can we do?" And Mark replied, "oh nothing, nothing." He blew them off because they were women and didn't need to be in business with the big guys.

Blog post #4: Into the Wild, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and the Psychological Approach.

In both Fantastic Mr. Fox and Into the Wild, main characters are driven to a more adventurous lifestyle by issues stemming from their families, more specifically: their fathers. While Ash is consistently looking for attention and approval from his father, Chris is avoiding his at all costs. Ash would practically do anything in a desperate attempt to gain his father's praise. Chris, however, does the opposite. His father will say one thing, and purposefully and knowingly, Chris will do another.

Ash feels like his father fails to recognize him. He tries to impress him on a consistent basis but he does not take notice. When his cousin, Kristofferson, arrives, the hypothetical distance between Ash and his father is greater. Ash feels resentful and jealous of Kristofferson because Mr. Fox praises him and takes more interest in his accomplishments than his own son. Ash feels inferior to Kristofferson because he seems to be good at everything he's not, or rather better than him. People pay more attention to him and like him. He seems to have all the qualities he desires to have. Ash is hurt when his dad will not let him go to steal chickens with him. Ash and his father's relationship gets increasingly strained but he never gives up on trying to gain his approval and have a father-son bond. This leads Ash to more adventure and he begins to be what his father claims they truly are, wild animals.

Chris McCandless is driven to his adventurous lifestyle by his strained relationship with his father. Though their relationship is strained in a different way than that of Ash and Mr. Fox's. Chris struggles with accepting his father's past and infidelity, which leads him to resent his father and completely detatch from him and the rest of his family. Chris would not accept critiquing of any form from his father, it only made him pull away more. "Chris had so much natural talent, but if you tried to coach him, polish his skill, to bring out that final ten percent, a wall went up. He resisted instruction of any kind." (111). Walt proceeds to tell us that Chris refused to listen to him. Chris knew the stress his adventures put on his parents and continued to let them feel that way. That just goes to show how much resentment he really had towards them.

Overall, Ash and Chris had contrasting family issues that lead them to their adventurous lifestyles, but are similar in the way that family is what drove them there. It was Chris's resentment for his father that fueled his adventurous spirit, and Ash's need for approval from his father to fuel his adventures.

Blog #5: the lottery

I think Jackson wrote this story because she wanted to illustrate how all societies can conform and go along with whats happening because its the popular vote. The characters in this story act as if the lottery is necessary, although most of them dont even realize why they are doing it. They all seem to agree with the idea until they themselves are chosen. For example Tessie Hutchinson completely conforms to the idea of the Lottery because no one dare challenge it. However when it is her that is chosen, she says it's unfair. 
Old man warner expresses that it is important to stick with tradition. When people were talking about how some people were stopping the lottery, he claimed it was just a bunch of young idiots. These people's morals compared the morals of our society are much different. We would never find it just or right to stone somebody to death. I think this story expresses an importance of sticking with tradition, but traditions can be changed, evolved, adapted. Our society would not be so dedicated to keeping with tradition at the expense of a life. These ideas presented in this story represent conformity and keeping with tradition at an expensive cost.

Into the wild #3

My understanding of Chris has not really changed, I think learning more of his background just reinforced how i already perceived him. I think Chris is motivated to complete his adventure by his passion and intensity to feel like the world is good and right. Chris is also driven by his resentment toward his parents. The more they expressed their concerns, the more he pulled away and did whatever he wanted. Chris has the desire to find meaning behind things. He questions things and ideas that a lot of people don't even think about. Chris's personality is complex yet intriguing. He is one of those people who don't fit into society well because he questions it, has the desire to make a difference in some way. His adventurous yet stubborn personality aspects give him determination to complete his adventure. An illustration of Chris's adventurous side from an early age is in chapter 11 when Walt describes their mountain climbing. Chris was twelve and wanted to keep going, whereas Walt said it seemed dangerous and they needed to stop. Walt says, "If he'd been fourteen or fifteen, he would have simply gone on without me." This shows that the older Chris got, the more independent he got and did what he wanted to do. An example of Chris's desire to make a change in the world is when his friend from highschool talks about him. He says, "McCandless took life's inequities to heart. During his senior year at Woodson, he became obsessed with racial oppression in South Africa. He spoke seriously to his friends about smuggling weapons into that country and joining the struggle to end apartheid." This concludes that Chris cares about bettering the world and cares about national issues, and these are some of the things that drive him throughout his adventures.