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.