Women in general historically have been inferior to men. This is necessary true but it’s how they are viewed. Men are always viewed as stronger, tougher, and smarter in society. It is only natural when portraying women in film that this stigma appears. There have been many movies where women can be seen with “penis envy”.
A great example of women being envious of men is Charlie’s Angels. The women posses many male qualities. They use all the qualities to in turn defeat their enemies and make them feel inferior. They humiliate men by “kicking ass”. The three women in the film obviously suffer from what Sigmund Freud would call “penis envy”. They all have something to prove because they are women and they sure do.
Another film that shows women envious of men is Catwomen. She is a villain who is always causing havoc on Gotham city. Catwomen despises Batman and continually tries to fight and take away is masculinity. She seduces him as if she was a man and even has extreme power trips like a male would. “Catwoman gets the idea that if there is a "bat" why can't there be a "cat"?”.She doesn’t see why she can’t be Catwoman if a man can be a superhero. The constant comparison to a male shows her enormous envy of them.
On television “penis envy” is everywhere. Even from the start women were shown as inferior and with something to prove like in I love Lucy. She wears the pants in the family. She is constantly undermining her husband and playing tricks on him. Lucy reverses the roles and makes her husband feel as though he is the wife. As you can see her name is the show. It’s all about her and her superiority.
The Matrix has two women in it. One is an oracle another is a “sidekick”. The oracle only tells the future and really pushes the stereotype of woman just being smart and helping men. The sidekick” Trinity on the other hand almost acts like Neo’s right hand “man” but she’s a woman so she never does as much as him. Trinity tries to be his equal. The audience knows she a woman and Neo will always be stronger, faster and better than her. Trinity per say does not have “penis envy” but woman watching may get that feeling and perhaps that was the intent.
The movie “Teeth” speaks for itself. A woman with a vagina bites penises off. She has anger towards men. She envy’s and hates men for their power so she removes their penis. Men are said to have nightmares about that same idea.
The whole idea of “penis envy” is exaggerated. Film and television thrive on stereotypes. Granted woman may have some resentment towards men but entertainment amplifies it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catwoman
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Blog 22
In the book The Matrix and Philosophy Cynthia Freeland says “The Matrix and Existenz that The Matrix, though "sleeker" is actually more "infantile" emotionally and philosophically and that, really, we have very little that is new to learn from the film.” She believes the Matrix is a concept that has been done before and very amateur. Cynthia gives a range of reasons for her claim. The Matrix to her is a film that has a little to no message to offer the audience besides its special effects.
Cynthia Freeland first mentions, “The Matrix reveals an adolescent fear of the body as something that can veer out of control”. To Freeland The Matrix plays on the theory about young boys and there bodies which is typical and direct. She goes on to say how in the movie the “body can be delightful and disgusting”.
Freeland points out the multiple penetration scenes. How vulnerable and uncomfortable Neo the main character is. She talks about how the penetration scenes are nothing more than the fear of men being feminized. Neo appears very feminine in the film she says “hairless” and “pink”.
The women in the film are stereotyped Freeland states. Trinity, Neo sidekick, is the “babe”. She “kick ass” and looks good. She’s his love interest and kisses him to bring him back to life. The only woman is an Oracle who is your typical prophet. She is a “ black woman with insight and wisdom of a tribal sage.” Nothing according to Freeland that hasn’t been done may times already.
I strongly disagree with Cynthia Freeland’s claims about The Matrix. The film to me has many philosophical ideologies and meaning. The movie has many bible references and many more philosophy ideas. Everything from names to movements has meaning. One of the last things she states is how “The movie celebrates, not freedom from the natty, but the indulgence in exciting cinematic simulations.”. This is just not true. Yes granted there are many special effects but they tie into many deeper things.
Cynthia compares The Matrix to Existenz. Existenz revolves around a video game that can be accessed by a port in the spine thus entering a virtual world. The characters know there in a game and can return to the real world when they want. Theirs is not much more to the movie.
There is however a gender aspect to Existenz. One of the main characters Ted becomes feminized throughout the film much like Neo in the Matrix. Cynthia says, “ Jude plays his scenes with seeming relish, as wimpy, fussy, and hysterical. It is no wonder that a mainly male adolescent audience would find nothing to identify with here”. She later says how Allegra, the game creator, is not your typical “babe” like Trinity from the Matrix. That statement couldn’t be farther from the truth.
As a female Cynthia cannot understand what a male audience feels about males being feminine or as she states “whimmpy” or “relish”. Its ludicrous to assume a male audience cannot identify with Ted. It makes many of her opinions less credible. Not all adolescents’ boys are “macho” and “tuff”. On the contrary they have many questions and emotional changes. As for Allegra not being the typical babe that’s also very untrue. Allegra is portrayed as a strong, dominating, and smart woman as most women are when they are main characters such as Catwoman or Charlie’s Angles. It’s nothing new or thought provoking.
Cynthia Freeland’s opinions on The Matrix and Existenz do not reflect mine sin the least. At the core the Matrix can be linked to many deep meaningful things. Existenz on the other hand does not offer much more. It’s right to the point and simple. We know where reality lies and the virtual world. In the Matrix you have to think a lot more into everything.
Cynthia Freeland first mentions, “The Matrix reveals an adolescent fear of the body as something that can veer out of control”. To Freeland The Matrix plays on the theory about young boys and there bodies which is typical and direct. She goes on to say how in the movie the “body can be delightful and disgusting”.
Freeland points out the multiple penetration scenes. How vulnerable and uncomfortable Neo the main character is. She talks about how the penetration scenes are nothing more than the fear of men being feminized. Neo appears very feminine in the film she says “hairless” and “pink”.
The women in the film are stereotyped Freeland states. Trinity, Neo sidekick, is the “babe”. She “kick ass” and looks good. She’s his love interest and kisses him to bring him back to life. The only woman is an Oracle who is your typical prophet. She is a “ black woman with insight and wisdom of a tribal sage.” Nothing according to Freeland that hasn’t been done may times already.
I strongly disagree with Cynthia Freeland’s claims about The Matrix. The film to me has many philosophical ideologies and meaning. The movie has many bible references and many more philosophy ideas. Everything from names to movements has meaning. One of the last things she states is how “The movie celebrates, not freedom from the natty, but the indulgence in exciting cinematic simulations.”. This is just not true. Yes granted there are many special effects but they tie into many deeper things.
Cynthia compares The Matrix to Existenz. Existenz revolves around a video game that can be accessed by a port in the spine thus entering a virtual world. The characters know there in a game and can return to the real world when they want. Theirs is not much more to the movie.
There is however a gender aspect to Existenz. One of the main characters Ted becomes feminized throughout the film much like Neo in the Matrix. Cynthia says, “ Jude plays his scenes with seeming relish, as wimpy, fussy, and hysterical. It is no wonder that a mainly male adolescent audience would find nothing to identify with here”. She later says how Allegra, the game creator, is not your typical “babe” like Trinity from the Matrix. That statement couldn’t be farther from the truth.
As a female Cynthia cannot understand what a male audience feels about males being feminine or as she states “whimmpy” or “relish”. Its ludicrous to assume a male audience cannot identify with Ted. It makes many of her opinions less credible. Not all adolescents’ boys are “macho” and “tuff”. On the contrary they have many questions and emotional changes. As for Allegra not being the typical babe that’s also very untrue. Allegra is portrayed as a strong, dominating, and smart woman as most women are when they are main characters such as Catwoman or Charlie’s Angles. It’s nothing new or thought provoking.
Cynthia Freeland’s opinions on The Matrix and Existenz do not reflect mine sin the least. At the core the Matrix can be linked to many deep meaningful things. Existenz on the other hand does not offer much more. It’s right to the point and simple. We know where reality lies and the virtual world. In the Matrix you have to think a lot more into everything.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Blog 21 Part 2
We are pretty much done with the ideas for our final. We need to get a white background, paint and cut magazine images out. We are going to finish the filming tomorrow. The next step will be editing and finding more footage on youtube.
Blog 21 Part 1
We will discuss what we need to do for tomrrow. We are pretty much done with all the dieas. We will watch youtube videos and try to get ideas and footage for the final.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Blog 20
In the book The Matrix and Philosophy Cynthia Freeland says “The Matrix and Existenz that The Matrix, though "sleeker" is actually more "infantile" emotionally and philosophically and that, really, we have very little that is new to learn from the film.” She believes the Matrix is a concept that has been done before and very amateur. Cynthia gives a range of reasons for her claim. The Matrix to her is a film that has a little to no message to offer the audience besides its special effects.
Cynthia Freeland first mentions, “The Matrix reveals an adolescent fear of the body as something that can veer out of control”. To Freeland The Matrix plays on the theory about young boys and there bodies which is typical and direct. She goes on to say how in the movie the “body can be delightful and disgusting”.
Freeland points out the multiple penetration scenes. How vulnerable and uncomfortable Neo the main character is. She talks about how the penetration scenes are nothing more than the fear of men being feminized. Neo appears very feminine in the film she says “hairless” and “pink”.
The women in the film are stereotyped Freeland states. Trinity, Neo sidekick, is the “babe”. She “kick ass” and looks good. She’s his love interest and kisses him to bring him back to life. The only woman is an Oracle who is your typical prophet. She is a “ black woman with insight and wisdom of a tribal sage.” Nothing according to Freeland that hasn’t been done may times already.
I strongly disagree with Cynthia Freeland’s claims about The Matrix. The film to me has many philosophical ideologies and meaning. The movie has many bible references and many more philosophy ideas. Everything from names to movements has meaning. One of the last things she states is how “The movie celebrates, not freedom from the natty, but the indulgence in exciting cinematic simulations.”. This is just not true. Yes granted there are many special effects but they tie into many deeper things.
Cynthia Freeland first mentions, “The Matrix reveals an adolescent fear of the body as something that can veer out of control”. To Freeland The Matrix plays on the theory about young boys and there bodies which is typical and direct. She goes on to say how in the movie the “body can be delightful and disgusting”.
Freeland points out the multiple penetration scenes. How vulnerable and uncomfortable Neo the main character is. She talks about how the penetration scenes are nothing more than the fear of men being feminized. Neo appears very feminine in the film she says “hairless” and “pink”.
The women in the film are stereotyped Freeland states. Trinity, Neo sidekick, is the “babe”. She “kick ass” and looks good. She’s his love interest and kisses him to bring him back to life. The only woman is an Oracle who is your typical prophet. She is a “ black woman with insight and wisdom of a tribal sage.” Nothing according to Freeland that hasn’t been done may times already.
I strongly disagree with Cynthia Freeland’s claims about The Matrix. The film to me has many philosophical ideologies and meaning. The movie has many bible references and many more philosophy ideas. Everything from names to movements has meaning. One of the last things she states is how “The movie celebrates, not freedom from the natty, but the indulgence in exciting cinematic simulations.”. This is just not true. Yes granted there are many special effects but they tie into many deeper things.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Blog 19: Ashley Fernando
The Game involves the part of the library that has photographs by W. Eugene Smith. The card game will be every much like the game memory. All his photos will be laid out. There will be another stack of cards that describes each card. One player will have to match the description with the photo. After the first player tries to match the description with the photo the next player goes. The player will know if he is right or wrong by the name in the back of the photo that is also on the description card. The person who has collected the most photos wins and also learns a lot about W. Eugene Smith.
Blog 18
Ashly, Fernando and I are working on a music video. On Friday we are going to get all the props. We found two locations to film and two songs we want to mix together. Our idea involves the media and liberation from it. We need to come up with a better outline of what we want in the music video. Its going to be full of shots. We are all going to do some acting in it and have five to ten other actors. There isn't much more research to do.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Blog 17
For my finale in Mass Media class I have to present a project that has to do with something related to the media. My project will center around a song I made. I'm going to make a music video. First I have to break down the song. There needs to be a message/story line. Than I have to make a story board. I have a camera at home. I have a friend who edits video very well. The music video is going to be how veryone is surrounded by media constantly.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Blog Entry 16: The Matrix Possibility
David Mitsuo Nixon claims that it is possible that we all live in the Matrix. He goes on to explain that beliefs can be false and we can all be living in a false reality. Nixon says that we justify our knowledge and until we are not fully justified it won’t be knowledge, therefore false. I do not believe we can possible reside in the Matrix.
I would like to begin by saying that Nixon is presenting the probability of living in the Matrix not the possibility. He says “But not everything that is possible is something that we have good reasons to believe is actual.” (Pg. 32). Right from the start you can see there is no real chance we possibly live in false reality. The probability is also very low.
Writing this essay at this moment proves I am in the real world. If I were in the Matrix there is no way I could question it or write about it. I am acknowledging there is no possibility of a Matrix. It’s nonsense. There is no way to prove we are living in the Matrix. The beliefs I form are from the real world. The shape who I am and how I wiew the actual world I live in.
My beliefs are based on experiences. I know that some of my beliefs are true but some may be false. Knowing that I can question my beliefs proves I am not in the Matrix. I can decide at any moment to get up and search for it. The truth is I won’t find that I live in the Matrix. I have the power of thought and questioning.
Nixon mentions that false cannot exist without truth. The truth is there is not a possibility there is a Matrix. When we go about our daily lives we have the ability to think about anything we want. In our minds we are free to imagine any possibility but it will not transcend into reality, but at least we have the ability to think it.
Nixon states that in the Matrix the machines program us to believe things and not question it.I can at any moment decide I don’t believe something, which I do often. No one has that control over me. Without a doubt I have influences and my experiences but, no one is feeding me beliefs through plugs in my body. I live in the real world.
Nixon says, “We can only make sense of a person’s having false belief against a background of her having other beliefs we take to be true.” (Pg. 39). In other words a person can only say something is false if they have true beliefs to combat it with or compare. This isn’t true. I myself can say something is true to me without other beliefs backing it up. It’s called intuition. My feelings are real because I feel them.
My five senses hold the key to my reality. Nixon says “…the Matrix Possibility implies the following: It’s possible that a heck of a lot of my beliefs right now are false.” (Pg.29). I know that many of my beliefs are true and a minority are false or not yet fully developed. When I experience daily life it’s real and true. I can question and do things out of the ordinary if I choose to.
Nixon purposes a good argument but it’s obvious it’s not possible. Granted we may have false beliefs but not a “heck” of a lot of them to the point where we live in “The Matrix”. This life is as real as it gets. The possibility of us living in the Matrix is none.
I would like to begin by saying that Nixon is presenting the probability of living in the Matrix not the possibility. He says “But not everything that is possible is something that we have good reasons to believe is actual.” (Pg. 32). Right from the start you can see there is no real chance we possibly live in false reality. The probability is also very low.
Writing this essay at this moment proves I am in the real world. If I were in the Matrix there is no way I could question it or write about it. I am acknowledging there is no possibility of a Matrix. It’s nonsense. There is no way to prove we are living in the Matrix. The beliefs I form are from the real world. The shape who I am and how I wiew the actual world I live in.
My beliefs are based on experiences. I know that some of my beliefs are true but some may be false. Knowing that I can question my beliefs proves I am not in the Matrix. I can decide at any moment to get up and search for it. The truth is I won’t find that I live in the Matrix. I have the power of thought and questioning.
Nixon mentions that false cannot exist without truth. The truth is there is not a possibility there is a Matrix. When we go about our daily lives we have the ability to think about anything we want. In our minds we are free to imagine any possibility but it will not transcend into reality, but at least we have the ability to think it.
Nixon states that in the Matrix the machines program us to believe things and not question it.I can at any moment decide I don’t believe something, which I do often. No one has that control over me. Without a doubt I have influences and my experiences but, no one is feeding me beliefs through plugs in my body. I live in the real world.
Nixon says, “We can only make sense of a person’s having false belief against a background of her having other beliefs we take to be true.” (Pg. 39). In other words a person can only say something is false if they have true beliefs to combat it with or compare. This isn’t true. I myself can say something is true to me without other beliefs backing it up. It’s called intuition. My feelings are real because I feel them.
My five senses hold the key to my reality. Nixon says “…the Matrix Possibility implies the following: It’s possible that a heck of a lot of my beliefs right now are false.” (Pg.29). I know that many of my beliefs are true and a minority are false or not yet fully developed. When I experience daily life it’s real and true. I can question and do things out of the ordinary if I choose to.
Nixon purposes a good argument but it’s obvious it’s not possible. Granted we may have false beliefs but not a “heck” of a lot of them to the point where we live in “The Matrix”. This life is as real as it gets. The possibility of us living in the Matrix is none.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Blog 15
Human Nature
Pick up a history book and its guaranteed you’ll read about violence almost instantly. It’s part of our human existence. We all naturally have tendencies to become violent. Its how societies are possible and how empires were built. Fear and violence play a major role in our lives. Violence to me is something we are born with internally naturally and nurtured by our environment as well. Television plays a role in increasing violence but its not the main cause by far. To solely blame television is ludicrous or assuming it’s the main reason.
The word television was first uttered between 1922 to 1927. It is considered by far the most influential device in the media. Television made its first debuted in the RCA Pavilion of 1939 World’s Fair located in New York City. The following next two years were followed by the regulation of television by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). They granted the first television station license. Three major networks were operating by the late 1940’s early 1950’s they were CBS, NBC, and ABC in the United States. At that time about nine percent of Americans households had television this equaled to about six million people. This was after World War Two where television began to boom. A decade later about 60 million households had television than by 1965 about 93% of Americans had at least one televisions in their home.
Television became phenomena rather quickly. It was always closely examined even from the very beginning. People have always speculated about it and its content. Some believed very early on that specific programming that was violent influenced children. The government even stepped in and started making investigations with the White house Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. They held meetings on radio and television violence as early as 1952.
Violence and television have always coexisted. “Violence on television may be presented in many different forms and settings. It may be performed by heroic characters or by villains. It may be rewarded, or it may be punished. Violence may occur without much victim pain or suffering, or it may cause tremendous physical anguish. It may be shown close-up or at a distance.” (pg18). Under this assumption about violence on television it may appear that anything on the small screen is violence or therefore anything in life as well. It almost isn’t fair to blame television for increase in violence if to some degree even a positive gesture shown can have traces of violence. As I child I remember watching my favorite super heroes such as batman and super man defeating evil forces through violence to send a positive message. Whether a good or bad message it can be easily seen how children can be influenced to imitate their heroes or villains.
It is a well known fact that violence sells. “Media executies know it. More viewers means higer ratings, which add up more advertising dollars. So, as the National Institute of Mental Health has found, 80% of all television programs contain violent acts. But the violence is like a drug: viewers delevope a tolerence for it, so media “pushers” give them steadly more”(pg26). Today when you trun on your t.v there are numerous crime shows such as CSI, Law and Order and 24 . They all exhibited death and violent acts.
At a young age you cant tell fiction from fact. “Psychologist agree that up to ages 3 and 4, children cant distinguish fact from fantasy on T.V. For them, T.v is a reflection of the world, and it’s not a friendly place. Still, juvenile viewership is high.” (pg 26). This is parenting skills must come into place. You must talk to your child about what is fiction and what is reality. When I was growing up I could distinguish from the two. I knew and understood that television was entertainment but I cannot speak for everyone. I witnessed children who took television literally.
Parents play a major factor between televion violence and their children. My mother personally spoke to me about how entertainment and reality were separate things. I watched many violent cartoons and shows because my televion was never censored by my mother but I always had her guiding me and telling me what was right and wrong. The television was not my educator my parent was. Even if parents don’t have good judgment of televion exposure to their children there are ratings.
Televiosn 13 inches or larger are equipped with a microprocessor called the V-chip. “The FCC has adopted rules requiring all television sets with picture screens 33 centimeters (13 inches) or larger to be equipped with features to block the display of television programming based upon its rating. This technology is known as the "V-Chip." The V-Chip reads information encoded in the rated program and blocks programs from the set based upon the rating selected by the parent”. This helps in the efforts for decreasing any possible way of television creating more violence in society. T.V ratings are also given to all programs to show what age groups are appropriate to watch them. The ratings are TV Y (all children), TV Y7 (directed to older children), TV Y7 FV (directed to older children-fantasy violence), TV G (general audience), TV PG (Parental guidance suggested), TV 14 ( parents strongly cautioned), and TV MA (mature audience). As you can see the ratings go across the whole spectrum of content on TV.
I have to shift the attention to a factor I think is more influential to violence in society and that would have to be music. From personal experience I can say music plays a major in peoples lives. People indentify with music and even dress and act as their idols do as well as behave. Televsion has played a role in music too. There is MTV which is a televison music station. “The rock video is genterating the beat for todays youth”, [ Barry L Sherman and Laurence W. Etling state. They also agrue that] the risee of youth culture over the past thirty years “has been one of the most dramatic aspects of a culture change in American society since the adoptation of motorized travel,” and the music video as displayed on cable channel MTV has been extremely influential in shaoing that culture.” (Pg150). Music has great power in societies. Some can send positive messages and other send violent negative ones. An example of that can be metal rock. Many songs depict killings, bloodshed and fighting. Many concerts have moush pits, which are, people dancing while hitting each other which has become very popular.
Some have said that television no longer is the driving force in influencing today’s youth’s behavior. “In 1989, the American Medical Association released a report that concluded that music is greater influence in the life of a teenager than television.” (Pg151). Music is everywhere. Today it can literally be very single place you are with the introduction of mp3 players. In this case parental control is much harder. “Historically, older generations have railed against supposed decadent and immoral influences in the music their children listened to…such as jazz and rhythm and blues, were once condemned for immoral messages…today the focus is on rock and rap, and major concern is that some songs in these genres encourage and incite young people to violence.” (Pg28). It’s a cycle in every generation. Music and behavioral acts can be linked especially when examining teenagers.
Teenagers who are insecure or have low self-esteem usually turn to music for direction. “Dr. king compared music preferences with participation in violent behavior for 470 adolescents patients over three years. Heavy metal music was the choice of 59 percent admitted for chemical dependency. Of those, 74 percent were involved in violence, 50 percent in stealing, and 71 percent in sexual activity”(pg153). This data from the research shows how much music can promote negative activity by insinuating or out right saying that its okay to do drugs, sexual activities and commit violence. On a much more sad note there have even been suicide notes with lyrics on them. One teens parents went as far as to suing the artist Ozzy Osbourne “ after their son committed suicide while listening to his song:
Where to hide, suicide is the only way out
Don’t you know what its really about.
(“Suicide Solution,” Ozzy Osbourne)
There’s overwhelming evidence that music can be much more impactful than television and they can even work together as I mentioned with MTV. Another growing greater violence advocate is video games.
Pick up a history book and its guaranteed you’ll read about violence almost instantly. It’s part of our human existence. We all naturally have tendencies to become violent. Its how societies are possible and how empires were built. Fear and violence play a major role in our lives. Violence to me is something we are born with internally naturally and nurtured by our environment as well. Television plays a role in increasing violence but its not the main cause by far. To solely blame television is ludicrous or assuming it’s the main reason.
The word television was first uttered between 1922 to 1927. It is considered by far the most influential device in the media. Television made its first debuted in the RCA Pavilion of 1939 World’s Fair located in New York City. The following next two years were followed by the regulation of television by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). They granted the first television station license. Three major networks were operating by the late 1940’s early 1950’s they were CBS, NBC, and ABC in the United States. At that time about nine percent of Americans households had television this equaled to about six million people. This was after World War Two where television began to boom. A decade later about 60 million households had television than by 1965 about 93% of Americans had at least one televisions in their home.
Television became phenomena rather quickly. It was always closely examined even from the very beginning. People have always speculated about it and its content. Some believed very early on that specific programming that was violent influenced children. The government even stepped in and started making investigations with the White house Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. They held meetings on radio and television violence as early as 1952.
Violence and television have always coexisted. “Violence on television may be presented in many different forms and settings. It may be performed by heroic characters or by villains. It may be rewarded, or it may be punished. Violence may occur without much victim pain or suffering, or it may cause tremendous physical anguish. It may be shown close-up or at a distance.” (pg18). Under this assumption about violence on television it may appear that anything on the small screen is violence or therefore anything in life as well. It almost isn’t fair to blame television for increase in violence if to some degree even a positive gesture shown can have traces of violence. As I child I remember watching my favorite super heroes such as batman and super man defeating evil forces through violence to send a positive message. Whether a good or bad message it can be easily seen how children can be influenced to imitate their heroes or villains.
It is a well known fact that violence sells. “Media executies know it. More viewers means higer ratings, which add up more advertising dollars. So, as the National Institute of Mental Health has found, 80% of all television programs contain violent acts. But the violence is like a drug: viewers delevope a tolerence for it, so media “pushers” give them steadly more”(pg26). Today when you trun on your t.v there are numerous crime shows such as CSI, Law and Order and 24 . They all exhibited death and violent acts.
At a young age you cant tell fiction from fact. “Psychologist agree that up to ages 3 and 4, children cant distinguish fact from fantasy on T.V. For them, T.v is a reflection of the world, and it’s not a friendly place. Still, juvenile viewership is high.” (pg 26). This is parenting skills must come into place. You must talk to your child about what is fiction and what is reality. When I was growing up I could distinguish from the two. I knew and understood that television was entertainment but I cannot speak for everyone. I witnessed children who took television literally.
Parents play a major factor between televion violence and their children. My mother personally spoke to me about how entertainment and reality were separate things. I watched many violent cartoons and shows because my televion was never censored by my mother but I always had her guiding me and telling me what was right and wrong. The television was not my educator my parent was. Even if parents don’t have good judgment of televion exposure to their children there are ratings.
Televiosn 13 inches or larger are equipped with a microprocessor called the V-chip. “The FCC has adopted rules requiring all television sets with picture screens 33 centimeters (13 inches) or larger to be equipped with features to block the display of television programming based upon its rating. This technology is known as the "V-Chip." The V-Chip reads information encoded in the rated program and blocks programs from the set based upon the rating selected by the parent”. This helps in the efforts for decreasing any possible way of television creating more violence in society. T.V ratings are also given to all programs to show what age groups are appropriate to watch them. The ratings are TV Y (all children), TV Y7 (directed to older children), TV Y7 FV (directed to older children-fantasy violence), TV G (general audience), TV PG (Parental guidance suggested), TV 14 ( parents strongly cautioned), and TV MA (mature audience). As you can see the ratings go across the whole spectrum of content on TV.
I have to shift the attention to a factor I think is more influential to violence in society and that would have to be music. From personal experience I can say music plays a major in peoples lives. People indentify with music and even dress and act as their idols do as well as behave. Televsion has played a role in music too. There is MTV which is a televison music station. “The rock video is genterating the beat for todays youth”, [ Barry L Sherman and Laurence W. Etling state. They also agrue that] the risee of youth culture over the past thirty years “has been one of the most dramatic aspects of a culture change in American society since the adoptation of motorized travel,” and the music video as displayed on cable channel MTV has been extremely influential in shaoing that culture.” (Pg150). Music has great power in societies. Some can send positive messages and other send violent negative ones. An example of that can be metal rock. Many songs depict killings, bloodshed and fighting. Many concerts have moush pits, which are, people dancing while hitting each other which has become very popular.
Some have said that television no longer is the driving force in influencing today’s youth’s behavior. “In 1989, the American Medical Association released a report that concluded that music is greater influence in the life of a teenager than television.” (Pg151). Music is everywhere. Today it can literally be very single place you are with the introduction of mp3 players. In this case parental control is much harder. “Historically, older generations have railed against supposed decadent and immoral influences in the music their children listened to…such as jazz and rhythm and blues, were once condemned for immoral messages…today the focus is on rock and rap, and major concern is that some songs in these genres encourage and incite young people to violence.” (Pg28). It’s a cycle in every generation. Music and behavioral acts can be linked especially when examining teenagers.
Teenagers who are insecure or have low self-esteem usually turn to music for direction. “Dr. king compared music preferences with participation in violent behavior for 470 adolescents patients over three years. Heavy metal music was the choice of 59 percent admitted for chemical dependency. Of those, 74 percent were involved in violence, 50 percent in stealing, and 71 percent in sexual activity”(pg153). This data from the research shows how much music can promote negative activity by insinuating or out right saying that its okay to do drugs, sexual activities and commit violence. On a much more sad note there have even been suicide notes with lyrics on them. One teens parents went as far as to suing the artist Ozzy Osbourne “ after their son committed suicide while listening to his song:
Where to hide, suicide is the only way out
Don’t you know what its really about.
(“Suicide Solution,” Ozzy Osbourne)
There’s overwhelming evidence that music can be much more impactful than television and they can even work together as I mentioned with MTV. Another growing greater violence advocate is video games.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Blog Entry 14
I went to library and got a few books on media and violence. The books I got appear to be exactly what I need. I also found some more articles to research my topic. For homework I’m going to highlight the sections of the articles that support my claim. I need to do an outline to help me with this process. I'm going to work on that when I get home. As for film class I’ll do an outline as well.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,147986,00.html
http://www.enotes.com/media-violence-article
http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2003/03/media-violence.aspx
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,147986,00.html
http://www.enotes.com/media-violence-article
http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2003/03/media-violence.aspx
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Blog Entry 13
In this essay I’m going to prove how everything in the film Sunrise directed by F. W. Murnau has an opposite and clashing force. Throughout the film you can see direct polar opposites. They tend to collide as these worlds intersect. F.W Murnau uses many techniques to portray the opposites. This black and white film uses lighting, superimpositions, shots of city and urban life among other things to show opposites.
Sunrise, directed by F.W Murnau revovles mainly around three characters: the husband, the wife and the mistress. A woman from the city, (the mistress) arrives to a small rural town for a vacation. she begins a love affair with a married man and stays longer than she should have. It becomes obvious to everyone exactly what is happening.
The first interaction we see with the husband and mistress is near the swamps. Initially, the directer begins to compare the city and small town. As the mistress begins to entice the vulnerable husband with the city life, the director introduces us to images of a metropolis. We see the bright lights, buidings, fast moving cars and big bands playing. At fist, there's a superimposition of the city on the swamps as the two forbbiben lovers lay on the grass. There, we see two completely different places being joined to show the immense difference. The city and rural are also comapred with the husband and wife. In a shot where the husband and wife are walking together in the city the scenerary changes into the woods and than back to the city later on. We see them walking in a busy city full of people, then the background changes to the peaceful and isolated woods.
The film, Sunrise by F. W. Murnau begins with a text that says “…For wherever the sun rises and sets in a city’s turmoil or under the open sky on the farm life is much the same; sometimes biter, sometimes sweet.” Right from the beginning there are many comparisons. The audience gets a feel for where the direction the film is going. The text mentions sunrise and sunsets, which is very popular in the movie. The next polar opposites that are mentioned are the city life and farm life. That’s a theme that is constantly being compared through various ways by the director. The last thing in the text is about both places being bitter and sweet at periods of time. As you can see, the movie sets the tone for comparisons.
Night and day play an enormous part in the entire film Sunrise. The night generally associted with evil and mischief. It's when all the bad things occur, and this certainly rings true in the film. When we see the infidelity first happen it's at night. This is also when drowning the husbands wife is proposed by the mistress. The husbands image is then tarnished, he now begins to appear like a monster. He's shown as bareric, hunched backed and demonic. The next time the night is depicted in the Sunrise the husband and wife are on a boat. It almost seems as if though the night is going beautiful and everything is perfect as the husband and wife are in bliss. All of a sudden a storm begins. the boat tips over and the husband and wife are seperated. The town goes looking for the wife, along with the husband who survived. She appears to have been drowned but is found barely alive.
Another thing that occurs at night is that we see the mistress a lot more. She is portrayed as evil so it would be only fitting to see her at night. The vamp can be seen at night with dim lighting in the swamps and in the town trying to seduce the husband. F. W. Murnau places close attention at night. The set placed under a dim light.
The opposite to night was day in the film Sunrise. In the day we see the wife more often. She is assicated with good. In the day time the husband takes the wife for a boat ride to drown her. Since it's morning which is linked to positivity in the film she survives and the husband changes his mind. They later have an experience similar to a honey moon in the city, after the incident on the boat. The morning is full of happiness and a significant change of heart for husband and wife.
Right aorund the time when both husband and wife had a change of heart they sat and watched a couple get married. The pastor says " God is giving you,in the holy bond of matrimony a trust... she is young and inexperienced. Guide her love her." These are two things he did not do for her since the vamp entered there lives. Instead of guiding he was been tricked and mislead and instead of loving her he was cheating on her. He goes on to say"... keep and protect her from all harm". He did the exact opposite to his wife. He was putting her in harms way and inflicting pain and suffering on her.
One other major parallel comparison was the wife and the mistress. The wife was a loving mother. A devoted, wholesome, innnocent, traditional, good wife. The mistress on the other hand was all the opposite. She was a single, misbehaving, malicious, negative vamp. The wife was a caring mother who was very sensative with light clothing and never seen doing anything negative. Every time the vamp was seen she was up to nothing good. She could always be seen smoking a cigarette and in dark clothing. In a parallel editing sequence we can see the mother embracing her baby crying while the vamp is huging and seducing her husband smiling.
Sin and redemtion are compared plently of times in Sunrise. The hunsband continually cheats on his wife. Besides that he also tries to kill her. He commits many sins but he is able to redeem himself. When he finally gets forgiveness from his wife she almost dies. At the end of the film when it is apparent she is alive they embrace and kiss in the final shot. He was to redemption after all the sins he committed.
The film Sunrise was a ground breaking film that used many techniques still used today to show extreme opposites. It won two Oscars in the first Acamedy awards ever. It was among the first sound films. The theme of polar opposites is seen vivdly .
Sunrise, directed by F.W Murnau revovles mainly around three characters: the husband, the wife and the mistress. A woman from the city, (the mistress) arrives to a small rural town for a vacation. she begins a love affair with a married man and stays longer than she should have. It becomes obvious to everyone exactly what is happening.
The first interaction we see with the husband and mistress is near the swamps. Initially, the directer begins to compare the city and small town. As the mistress begins to entice the vulnerable husband with the city life, the director introduces us to images of a metropolis. We see the bright lights, buidings, fast moving cars and big bands playing. At fist, there's a superimposition of the city on the swamps as the two forbbiben lovers lay on the grass. There, we see two completely different places being joined to show the immense difference. The city and rural are also comapred with the husband and wife. In a shot where the husband and wife are walking together in the city the scenerary changes into the woods and than back to the city later on. We see them walking in a busy city full of people, then the background changes to the peaceful and isolated woods.
The film, Sunrise by F. W. Murnau begins with a text that says “…For wherever the sun rises and sets in a city’s turmoil or under the open sky on the farm life is much the same; sometimes biter, sometimes sweet.” Right from the beginning there are many comparisons. The audience gets a feel for where the direction the film is going. The text mentions sunrise and sunsets, which is very popular in the movie. The next polar opposites that are mentioned are the city life and farm life. That’s a theme that is constantly being compared through various ways by the director. The last thing in the text is about both places being bitter and sweet at periods of time. As you can see, the movie sets the tone for comparisons.
Night and day play an enormous part in the entire film Sunrise. The night generally associted with evil and mischief. It's when all the bad things occur, and this certainly rings true in the film. When we see the infidelity first happen it's at night. This is also when drowning the husbands wife is proposed by the mistress. The husbands image is then tarnished, he now begins to appear like a monster. He's shown as bareric, hunched backed and demonic. The next time the night is depicted in the Sunrise the husband and wife are on a boat. It almost seems as if though the night is going beautiful and everything is perfect as the husband and wife are in bliss. All of a sudden a storm begins. the boat tips over and the husband and wife are seperated. The town goes looking for the wife, along with the husband who survived. She appears to have been drowned but is found barely alive.
Another thing that occurs at night is that we see the mistress a lot more. She is portrayed as evil so it would be only fitting to see her at night. The vamp can be seen at night with dim lighting in the swamps and in the town trying to seduce the husband. F. W. Murnau places close attention at night. The set placed under a dim light.
The opposite to night was day in the film Sunrise. In the day we see the wife more often. She is assicated with good. In the day time the husband takes the wife for a boat ride to drown her. Since it's morning which is linked to positivity in the film she survives and the husband changes his mind. They later have an experience similar to a honey moon in the city, after the incident on the boat. The morning is full of happiness and a significant change of heart for husband and wife.
Right aorund the time when both husband and wife had a change of heart they sat and watched a couple get married. The pastor says " God is giving you,in the holy bond of matrimony a trust... she is young and inexperienced. Guide her love her." These are two things he did not do for her since the vamp entered there lives. Instead of guiding he was been tricked and mislead and instead of loving her he was cheating on her. He goes on to say"... keep and protect her from all harm". He did the exact opposite to his wife. He was putting her in harms way and inflicting pain and suffering on her.
One other major parallel comparison was the wife and the mistress. The wife was a loving mother. A devoted, wholesome, innnocent, traditional, good wife. The mistress on the other hand was all the opposite. She was a single, misbehaving, malicious, negative vamp. The wife was a caring mother who was very sensative with light clothing and never seen doing anything negative. Every time the vamp was seen she was up to nothing good. She could always be seen smoking a cigarette and in dark clothing. In a parallel editing sequence we can see the mother embracing her baby crying while the vamp is huging and seducing her husband smiling.
Sin and redemtion are compared plently of times in Sunrise. The hunsband continually cheats on his wife. Besides that he also tries to kill her. He commits many sins but he is able to redeem himself. When he finally gets forgiveness from his wife she almost dies. At the end of the film when it is apparent she is alive they embrace and kiss in the final shot. He was to redemption after all the sins he committed.
The film Sunrise was a ground breaking film that used many techniques still used today to show extreme opposites. It won two Oscars in the first Acamedy awards ever. It was among the first sound films. The theme of polar opposites is seen vivdly .
Blog Entry 12
Before I left on vacation I did more research. I found another website jammed with information. What i have to figure out now is how to use the online website to look for books. When I get home I'm going to read the pamphlet that was given to us on how to do that. I need to find out what the other "factors" are that increase violence in society. Thats going to make my midterm much easier to write once I have solid factors.
http://www.cybercollege.com/violence.htm
http://www.cybercollege.com/violence.htm
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Blog Entry 11
I said I was going to find evidence to support my claim. I also said I was going to figure out if my claim is what I really believed after doing some more research. I actually came up with a slightly different claim than I had before. I do believe television causes increase in violence but it’s a small cause of many factors. The next class I need to find very solid evidence to support my claim and build it up more. Heres a website that is helping me out.
http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/stateindustryviolence/main.asp
http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/reports/stateindustryviolence/main.asp
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Why I said what i said to Parris and Johnny.
When I read Parris’s post I was a bit confused. He had a lot of great potential in some of his ideas but they never materialized. Ideas were scattered around sometimes even repetitive. I gave him some other things he could talk about that were in the ad instead of describing the ad in its literal form. I believe I gave a lot of constructive criticism.
Johnny had a very good post. He looked at a lot of the messages in the ad. I wrote about how I liked that he pointed out many of the ads massages it was trying to get across. I gave him some other things to look into that he missed. This can help him get even deeper into the message the ad is trying to convey.
Being a stranger to the paper’s topic defiantly affected the way I responded to the drafts. I was just thrown into the topic and had to critique two people’s drafts. I didn’t have a few days to learn exactly what the topic was about rather minutes. What I learned about critiquing peoples work is that you have to give constructive criticism. You have to pretend you’re a teacher and give advice that is going to help them improve their work.
Johnny had a very good post. He looked at a lot of the messages in the ad. I wrote about how I liked that he pointed out many of the ads massages it was trying to get across. I gave him some other things to look into that he missed. This can help him get even deeper into the message the ad is trying to convey.
Being a stranger to the paper’s topic defiantly affected the way I responded to the drafts. I was just thrown into the topic and had to critique two people’s drafts. I didn’t have a few days to learn exactly what the topic was about rather minutes. What I learned about critiquing peoples work is that you have to give constructive criticism. You have to pretend you’re a teacher and give advice that is going to help them improve their work.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Blog 9
Thesis / Thesis Statement- gives direction to a research paper. Answers the question presented to you. It creates an argument people can make. It can found at the end of your first paragraph.
Example:
A weak thesis - Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.
A thesis with potential- In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.
A strong thesis- Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain's Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave "civilized" society and go back to nature.
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.html
Research – the search for information trough reading books, searching the web, watching a film etc.
Example:
Searching the web and reading different articles on a certain topic to collect information.
Argument- a debate with different opposing views.
Example:
Barack Obama and John McCain had many arguments in their debates about what the future of America should be.
Claim- a demand of a right. It states a position.
Example:
It is eighty degrees outside.
The world will come to an end in the future.
Reasons- conclusions from assumptions. It is used to justify ideas.
Example:
I am angry because you hit me.
Heaven awaits me due to the fact that I believe in Jesus.
Edivence-proof of a claim.
Example:
A picture taken from space is evidence that the world is round.
MLA Citation Style- helps identify your sources for your research. It gives credit to the sources.
Example:
The first gambling Web site appeared in 1995, and online gambling has since become the most
lucrative Internet business (Will 92).
or,
George Will reported that in 2002 Internet gambling surpassed pornography to become the
Internet's most lucrative business (92).
In your Works Cited list:
Will, George F. "Electronic Morphine." Newsweek 25 Nov. 2002: 92.
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/legacylib/mlahcc.html
For my mid-term I’m being asked to be a media sociologist. I have to answer the question of if media affects society in a negative way. I believe media does not affect society. Human by human nature are violent and exhibit animistic behavior. We have been the same our whole existence. A television isn’t going to affect us in a more negative way and influence our natural human emotions. I can try to find evidence on the web that pertain to crime and television and look at graphs that compare the two. I can also use the online school library.
Example:
A weak thesis - Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a great American novel.
A thesis with potential- In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain develops a contrast between life on the river and life on the shore.
A strong thesis- Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain's Huckleberry Finn suggests that to find the true expression of American democratic ideals, one must leave "civilized" society and go back to nature.
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/thesis.html
Research – the search for information trough reading books, searching the web, watching a film etc.
Example:
Searching the web and reading different articles on a certain topic to collect information.
Argument- a debate with different opposing views.
Example:
Barack Obama and John McCain had many arguments in their debates about what the future of America should be.
Claim- a demand of a right. It states a position.
Example:
It is eighty degrees outside.
The world will come to an end in the future.
Reasons- conclusions from assumptions. It is used to justify ideas.
Example:
I am angry because you hit me.
Heaven awaits me due to the fact that I believe in Jesus.
Edivence-proof of a claim.
Example:
A picture taken from space is evidence that the world is round.
MLA Citation Style- helps identify your sources for your research. It gives credit to the sources.
Example:
The first gambling Web site appeared in 1995, and online gambling has since become the most
lucrative Internet business (Will 92).
or,
George Will reported that in 2002 Internet gambling surpassed pornography to become the
Internet's most lucrative business (92).
In your Works Cited list:
Will, George F. "Electronic Morphine." Newsweek 25 Nov. 2002: 92.
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/legacylib/mlahcc.html
For my mid-term I’m being asked to be a media sociologist. I have to answer the question of if media affects society in a negative way. I believe media does not affect society. Human by human nature are violent and exhibit animistic behavior. We have been the same our whole existence. A television isn’t going to affect us in a more negative way and influence our natural human emotions. I can try to find evidence on the web that pertain to crime and television and look at graphs that compare the two. I can also use the online school library.
Blog 8: Museum of the Moving Image
The Museum of Moving Image was a very interesting place. There were many insightful things about the history of images. The things that caught my attention the most were the major exhibits such as the voice over room and the green screen. It was fun to interact with the major exhibits and learn hands on with them. I enjoyed looking at film cameras throughout the history of movies. I thought it was great that they had a replica of what a movie theater use to look like. Something that amazed me is how there were portable televisions early on. Some objects from movies were at the museum like the Freddy Krueger sweater and a small building that was made to look enormous in a movie. I would go back to bring my younger brothers. It would be good to show them how images have evolved.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Blog 7
My experience in English class has been pleasant. From the first day we were thrown into writing and reading. I've been out of the loop for a few years so it was refreshing. I never learned about philosophy in the past so when I started this class it was interesting. Our reading assignments are very insightful. The trip to the museum was fun and educational. I don't have any questions about the class. Everything is direct and clear.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Blog 6: The Matrix
The film “The Matrix” directed by Andy Wachowki is a movie filled with symbolism. The movie explores the idea of reality and illusion. Everything in the film has a meaning behind it. It can be interpreted many ways which I did. From religion to reference to other movies and even names.
Reality in “The Matrix” is a huge illusion. If I were in “The Matrix” I would want to know the truth. Ignorance may be bliss but I rather feel and experiance things in their true form. Neo and the other chracters fighting the agents were seeking justice and the truth. They wanted a real meaningful life. Above all freedom is what is important. It is what I ultimately want. Reality and knowledge is what the the red pill gave Neo.
While watching the film I noticed that we today have a close bond with our technology. This can be extremely dangerous. They may have the ability one day to control us or even become us. I already consider myself a cyborg. As the years pass I add more technology to my life to do things for me. The practicality of one day living in the matrix is not so bizarre. People and machines are not that different to me. The computer has a brain, which is a lot like ours and other components that are similar. And it’s only in the beginning stages when you really look at it. We may become the matrix on our own by adding technology to our daily lives and one day want to rebel because we went too far.
The names of the characters all have a meaning behind them and for the most part are religious. The name neo means “new”. He was the main character in the film that would be the “new” force in the Matrix. Morpheus who was the captain of the leader of the Nebuchadnezzar, which is the ship of the human defense, is named after a Greek god which is the god of dreams. He awakens Neo. Trinity, which is the most obvious, is Neo’s love interest. Trinity in Christianity stands for The Father ,The Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the way Christians believes you reach eternal life. Trinity revives Neo in the film, which supports the meaning of her name. One last example is Cypher, which means zero and is closely associated with the devil and Judas. I could immediately tell he resembled Judas when he betrayed Morpheus his leader.
The Matrix from what I’ve observed does closely resemble Alice in Wonderland. Alice and Neo are both thrown into an unfamiliar reality. There are both being led by another character to ultimately accomplish a goal. They discover new things in a strange reality. Reality becomes hard to tell from fiction, which is a huge part of both movies. Another movie that shares a lot of similarities with the Matrix is Shutter Island. Leonardo Decaprio plays a patient named Teddy in a mental institution who believes he is a detective uncovering an unethical conspiracy involving testing on the human brain. It takes a while for both Neo and Teddy to grasp their reality after living in an illusion.
“The Matrix” is a well thought out screenplay. It was filled with many things from different sources. It made me think hard about humans and machines. It also made me think how previous movies I had watched. It even made me think of today’s world and where we are going. Is this what we have to look forward to? Time will tell.
Reality in “The Matrix” is a huge illusion. If I were in “The Matrix” I would want to know the truth. Ignorance may be bliss but I rather feel and experiance things in their true form. Neo and the other chracters fighting the agents were seeking justice and the truth. They wanted a real meaningful life. Above all freedom is what is important. It is what I ultimately want. Reality and knowledge is what the the red pill gave Neo.
While watching the film I noticed that we today have a close bond with our technology. This can be extremely dangerous. They may have the ability one day to control us or even become us. I already consider myself a cyborg. As the years pass I add more technology to my life to do things for me. The practicality of one day living in the matrix is not so bizarre. People and machines are not that different to me. The computer has a brain, which is a lot like ours and other components that are similar. And it’s only in the beginning stages when you really look at it. We may become the matrix on our own by adding technology to our daily lives and one day want to rebel because we went too far.
The names of the characters all have a meaning behind them and for the most part are religious. The name neo means “new”. He was the main character in the film that would be the “new” force in the Matrix. Morpheus who was the captain of the leader of the Nebuchadnezzar, which is the ship of the human defense, is named after a Greek god which is the god of dreams. He awakens Neo. Trinity, which is the most obvious, is Neo’s love interest. Trinity in Christianity stands for The Father ,The Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the way Christians believes you reach eternal life. Trinity revives Neo in the film, which supports the meaning of her name. One last example is Cypher, which means zero and is closely associated with the devil and Judas. I could immediately tell he resembled Judas when he betrayed Morpheus his leader.
The Matrix from what I’ve observed does closely resemble Alice in Wonderland. Alice and Neo are both thrown into an unfamiliar reality. There are both being led by another character to ultimately accomplish a goal. They discover new things in a strange reality. Reality becomes hard to tell from fiction, which is a huge part of both movies. Another movie that shares a lot of similarities with the Matrix is Shutter Island. Leonardo Decaprio plays a patient named Teddy in a mental institution who believes he is a detective uncovering an unethical conspiracy involving testing on the human brain. It takes a while for both Neo and Teddy to grasp their reality after living in an illusion.
“The Matrix” is a well thought out screenplay. It was filled with many things from different sources. It made me think hard about humans and machines. It also made me think how previous movies I had watched. It even made me think of today’s world and where we are going. Is this what we have to look forward to? Time will tell.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Blog 5
After reviewing my syllabuses I have ordered the important assignments and test for each course. For American Film written assignment one is due March 23rd. My fist test for this course is April 4th that is based on films and material in lecture notes and reading assignments. Written assignment two is due April 20th. Test two is April 24th based on films and assignments. Test three is on May 25th also based on films and assignments. On May 27th we must prepare our oral film analysis. We must finish by June 3rd. After reviewing my syllabuses I have ordered the important assignments and test for each course. For American Film Written assignment one is due March 23rd. My fist test for this course is April 4th that is based on films and material in lecture notes and reading assignments. Written assignment two is due April 20. Test two is April 24th based on films and assignments. Test three is on May 25th also based on films and assignments. On May 27th we must prepare our oral film analysis. We must finish by June 3rd.
Mass Communications syllabus isn’t too detailed. The assignments are posted on blackboard. Each week there are about roughly three questions to answer. Week seven, which is from April 18th to the 24th, we have a Mid-term project due. On Ideology; Propaganda. From May 30th to June 4th.
For English Composition 1 and Research Paper we were instructed to make a blog and look for our assignments on Dr. C. Jason’s blog of our class. An essay is due March 22nd based on the movie The Matrix. So far we have had six blogs that will be evaluated March 23rd and a quiz will be given as well. I shouldn’t encounter any problems getting all my work done.
Mass Communications syllabus isn’t too detailed. The assignments are posted on blackboard. Each week there are about roughly three questions to answer. Week seven, which is from April 18th to the 24th, we have a Mid-term project due. On Ideology; Propaganda. From May 30th to June 4th.
For English Composition 1 and Research Paper we were instructed to make a blog and look for our assignments on Dr. C. Jason’s blog of our class. An essay is due March 22nd based on the movie The Matrix. So far we have had six blogs that will be evaluated March 23rd and a quiz will be given as well. I shouldn’t encounter any problems getting all my work done.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Blog 4: Truman Syndrome
Truman Syndrome is believed to be is a culture-based delusion. The people who suffer this psychological delusion believe they are in a television show or are being monitored like Truman Burbank in the film "The Truman Show". These people basically think the world they live in isn’t real. They even go as far as at times believing people and events are fabricated all together. They become enraged and lash out at certain people and things. This makes the condition dangerous. These patients usually make direct reference to the film “The Truman Show” and other movies and books like it. I can see how a person could “feel” there life is staged and everyone is in on it but I don’t understand how someone could actually “believe” it. Sometimes life can feel rehearsed and fake. A sane person knows that your whole life can’t be a show or staged with actors and cameras everywhere. Truman Syndrome affects the person so much at times that they have to take antipsychotics and antidepressants. They even go to therapy sessions. A person suffering from Truman Syndrome once went, as far as to almost committing suicide because they wanted to be released from the “reality show". This syndrome appears to link pop culture and mental physical conditions. I used wisegeek.com and cnnhealth.com to look up this condition. I believe they are reliable because they basically mentioned the same exact thing about the condition. The Truman Syndrome could also be just a new twist on an old condition.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Blog 3: The Truman Show
Truman Burbank in “The Truman Show” reaches a point in the film where he discovers the true nature of his life. This discovery motivates him to find the truth about everything. He awakens from a life he thought he knew. Truman no longer accepts a world that has been handed to him. Many people go along with a hand thats dealt to them.
Christof the person who controls Truman Burbank’s life feels that his ambition to find the truth is nothing but a small phase. He thinks if he really wants to discover the reality of things there’s no way to stop him. That statement is really challenged when Burbank attempts to find the truth. He is faced with every obstacle imaginable. He eventually succeeds and reaches the real world. Truman’s triumph says a lot about the roll of free will in our lives. We as humans have the ability to think freely. We do not however have the right to act freely. Depending on the situation you may not be able to even voice your opinions without restraint. Everyone is restricted at a certain level, which is enforced by others or yourself; it can even be a combination of both. We are shaped by our environment, experiences, and imagination among other things. The issue is when things that are representations of something else and not its actual self. This begins to build a false reality such as Truman’s life. Everything was a representation of something else. When he tried to break free it was nearly impossible which is the same for our world we live in.
Our free will is limited. We have laws, regulations, time frames, currency, fears that stop us from discovering truths we don’t know exist. Fear can be instilled in us by false ideas we have or were told, for instance when your mother tells her child not to make funny faces because their face will stay that way. This is a perfect example of how from childhood we are faced with false ideas that prevent us from doing what we want. Yes indeed we do grow up and learn that certain things are false but sometimes we never have the ability to figure it out.
We do have the free will to discover what we want if we know what were looking for. Our roll that Truman resembled showed how we should question things against all criticism. He illustrated the way we should be determined to find answers. Even when you encounter people who believe your wrong and believe you are making mistakes, you must at times use your free will to discover your truth. Truman turned on everyone who loved him and even risked his life for something he believed in. That is something exceptionally brave people do. They use their power to think and question in combination with free will to get answers. Answers may not always be there if we try to find them but we can get closer. We don’t know if Truman ever got any closure or satisfaction of finding the real world. What is certain is that truth is what we all have a desire to obtain in its pure form not corrupted by anyone or anything.
Christof the person who controls Truman Burbank’s life feels that his ambition to find the truth is nothing but a small phase. He thinks if he really wants to discover the reality of things there’s no way to stop him. That statement is really challenged when Burbank attempts to find the truth. He is faced with every obstacle imaginable. He eventually succeeds and reaches the real world. Truman’s triumph says a lot about the roll of free will in our lives. We as humans have the ability to think freely. We do not however have the right to act freely. Depending on the situation you may not be able to even voice your opinions without restraint. Everyone is restricted at a certain level, which is enforced by others or yourself; it can even be a combination of both. We are shaped by our environment, experiences, and imagination among other things. The issue is when things that are representations of something else and not its actual self. This begins to build a false reality such as Truman’s life. Everything was a representation of something else. When he tried to break free it was nearly impossible which is the same for our world we live in.
Our free will is limited. We have laws, regulations, time frames, currency, fears that stop us from discovering truths we don’t know exist. Fear can be instilled in us by false ideas we have or were told, for instance when your mother tells her child not to make funny faces because their face will stay that way. This is a perfect example of how from childhood we are faced with false ideas that prevent us from doing what we want. Yes indeed we do grow up and learn that certain things are false but sometimes we never have the ability to figure it out.
We do have the free will to discover what we want if we know what were looking for. Our roll that Truman resembled showed how we should question things against all criticism. He illustrated the way we should be determined to find answers. Even when you encounter people who believe your wrong and believe you are making mistakes, you must at times use your free will to discover your truth. Truman turned on everyone who loved him and even risked his life for something he believed in. That is something exceptionally brave people do. They use their power to think and question in combination with free will to get answers. Answers may not always be there if we try to find them but we can get closer. We don’t know if Truman ever got any closure or satisfaction of finding the real world. What is certain is that truth is what we all have a desire to obtain in its pure form not corrupted by anyone or anything.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Blog 2
“The Allegory and the Cave” is a fictional story written by Plato. It’s an allegory. An allegory is a representation of something that is complex with something physical. In the story Plato writes about a group of people chained in a cave. They are unable to see anything but a wall in front of them. On the wall are shadows created by a fire and objects such as people and animals passing it. The prisoners naturally mistake all the things they see as reality. The prisoners know of nothing else. When they see a shadow they automatically assume its the literal object, instead of understanding that the shadow is just that a mere shadow. The names of forms are real objects to the bond people in the cave.
Plato shows through “The Allegory and the Cave” that we rely on forms heavily for our reality. Socrates, Plato’s instructor, is the person telling the story about the prisoners in the story. He suggest that if the a prisoner was let free he would first reject that the sun holds all the responsibility for the shadows. He would be shown that the shadows are not the literal objects. The newly freed prisoner would reject this new found knowledge because it is not comprehensive to him. Socrates later also says eventually the prisoner would understand if forced to see actuality. Socrates proposes as well if the prisoner would to share his discovers with the others in the cave they would immediately discard his “ideas”. They would think he was tainted and would even try to slay him if he tried to let them go. Plato tells through the story that mankind makes his own reality through forms and some can discover the true nature of things. However ,even if the true nature of things is discovered it may be mistaken for something false and the cycle continues.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave
http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm
Plato shows through “The Allegory and the Cave” that we rely on forms heavily for our reality. Socrates, Plato’s instructor, is the person telling the story about the prisoners in the story. He suggest that if the a prisoner was let free he would first reject that the sun holds all the responsibility for the shadows. He would be shown that the shadows are not the literal objects. The newly freed prisoner would reject this new found knowledge because it is not comprehensive to him. Socrates later also says eventually the prisoner would understand if forced to see actuality. Socrates proposes as well if the prisoner would to share his discovers with the others in the cave they would immediately discard his “ideas”. They would think he was tainted and would even try to slay him if he tried to let them go. Plato tells through the story that mankind makes his own reality through forms and some can discover the true nature of things. However ,even if the true nature of things is discovered it may be mistaken for something false and the cycle continues.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave
http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/320/cave.htm
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Blog 1: I am a Cyborg
A Cyborg can be defined as a person who is attached to technology physically or metaphysically. In the physical aspect a person can literally have artificial components in their body, such as an artificial heart or robotic arm etc. On the other spectrum would be the metaphysical which is the interaction with technology and dependence on it. It is beyond the physical. In today’s world it is almost impossible to go about your day without coming into contact with technology. In some instances it is a necessity. It is a way of survival. Technology becomes more sophisticated by every passing day. I am most defiantly a Cyborg metaphysically and one day in the future physically as well.
Technology is not only a tool but my life. From the minute I was born technology was introduced to me. Monitoring my heart rate, assuring I was healthy. My earliest memories involve video games and television. When I began school a requirement was to pass computer class. It introduced me to another brain that was separate from mine but linked in some manner. As the years passed the computer and I became more attached. It involves a lot of technique and discipline. At times I feel I am one with my computer.
Besides the computer there are many devices I use to go about my day which makes me a Cyborg, for instance something as simple as my transportation. To even begin the process of traveling I buy a metro card with my credit card. I no longer have to physically have money on me. I use the subway daily to get where I need to be. I cannot use the subway without my metro card. When I get into the train I rarely have to do much thinking. The train announces the stops and the direction its heading. It even tells me about delays and changes. In my life I have other devices to do much of my thinking for me.
One major device that makes me a certified Cyborg is my cell phone. It has become the center piece of my life. It keeps me connect with most of the world. Cell phones have become so advanced that I can do many things on it just as if I were on my computer. I download applications that help me with my daily life. There’s an application for almost anything you can think of. I’m almost never without it. I feel like its part of me. I believe this will only become truer as time progresses.
At any moment I can seen with electronic device. Whatever the device may be it is helping me in some way. It gives structure to my life. Granted I can probably go sometime without technology but it would not be a productive time. Technology is a wonderful tool that advances the world and makes life easier. Eventually we will all be Cyborgs if we’re not all already. It seems to be unavoidable. The possibilities are endless.
Technology is not only a tool but my life. From the minute I was born technology was introduced to me. Monitoring my heart rate, assuring I was healthy. My earliest memories involve video games and television. When I began school a requirement was to pass computer class. It introduced me to another brain that was separate from mine but linked in some manner. As the years passed the computer and I became more attached. It involves a lot of technique and discipline. At times I feel I am one with my computer.
Besides the computer there are many devices I use to go about my day which makes me a Cyborg, for instance something as simple as my transportation. To even begin the process of traveling I buy a metro card with my credit card. I no longer have to physically have money on me. I use the subway daily to get where I need to be. I cannot use the subway without my metro card. When I get into the train I rarely have to do much thinking. The train announces the stops and the direction its heading. It even tells me about delays and changes. In my life I have other devices to do much of my thinking for me.
One major device that makes me a certified Cyborg is my cell phone. It has become the center piece of my life. It keeps me connect with most of the world. Cell phones have become so advanced that I can do many things on it just as if I were on my computer. I download applications that help me with my daily life. There’s an application for almost anything you can think of. I’m almost never without it. I feel like its part of me. I believe this will only become truer as time progresses.
At any moment I can seen with electronic device. Whatever the device may be it is helping me in some way. It gives structure to my life. Granted I can probably go sometime without technology but it would not be a productive time. Technology is a wonderful tool that advances the world and makes life easier. Eventually we will all be Cyborgs if we’re not all already. It seems to be unavoidable. The possibilities are endless.
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