Target Spoof

Maus2.

So as I sit here, 6:30 in the morning because I caught senioritis, I did not check if any others used this website, so this link might have been repeated.
http://www.docshare.com/doc/158846/Textual-Analysis-of-Art-Spiegelmans-Maus-I-am
            "The comic strip format comes together in a story like this almost like it's the fragments of a photographic memory." Within this "photographic memory," however, the people are portrayed as animals, where each race is assigned a specific animal. Spiegelman presents his characters as animals so we are not reduced down to the stereotypes of what each ethnicity looks like. Either way, we are presented with the stereotype due to the animals. The Nazis are cats, but according to the article, they are not the typical "gentle house cats but as dark dominating figures." Jews are the mice- what cats typically tend to chase and kill- therefore, the mice are the undermined race and portrayed as the weaker ones, the captives. The subject of racism is not just presented in the father’s past. Even though he has gone through so much dealing with racism towards him and the Jewish race, he turns the racism around to an African –American who hitch hikes in Art’s car with him.
            Another helpful thing by using animals instead of humans is that all people can relate to the story if the actual people are not used.  It restricts the personal pain one would feel if they were to read Maus. When you read about the mice as Jews, or cats as Nazis, it distracts the reader in a way we would not connect all Germans to one side and Jews to another. Like when a German reporter is trying to get a story on Art in chapter 2 (I think), the reporter says something like do the German children have to carry the burden of another holocaust story and the depiction that all Germans are bad? Using the animals, it sheds a different kind of light to the holocaust where Spiegelman is trying to minimize the racial connection, but the animals still do in a way that is less noticeable to all. The stereotypes are still presented of each race when using the animals, but if one does not know much of the Jews or Germans, then it is less noticeable. The usage of animals “exaggerates the stereotypical qualities of not only the Jews but the Germans, Poles, and Allies.”           

Postmodernism vs. Cat's Cradle

Honestly, I think Cat's Cradle is still somewhat confusing on some different levels. I still do not understand what the MAIN point is in a way, but anyways here goes my blog. 

Postmodernism, the way I understand it, is something that is not really understandable, if you can understand what I just wrote. But it is something that is debated a lot about because there are different theories as to what it truly can be. In the article of Lyotard and Postmodernism, it states that ““Postmodernism”- whatever it is- is an attempt to make sense of what is going on now- and we can see the present clearly only in retrospect.” According to Ihab Hassan in the same article, postmodernism is an “anitform,” “anarchy,” something left to “chance,” “dispersal,” and focused on what is “happening,” just to list a few. Postmodern theories are completely going against modern theories where there are centers and purposes to everything.

            The one example that clearly stands out to me as a postmodern act is the chapters that follow Newt’s painting. According to the article, “postmodernists often create, compose, or paint entirely by chance… to create non-art or anti- art.” In “Cat’s Cradle,” Jonah finds Newt asleep beside his painting of something “small and black and warty. It consisted of scratches made in black, gummy impasto” (164). This “painting” of his definitely follows a non- traditional art form. As Newt, Jonah, Julian Castle, and Angela all look upon the painting, they all come up with their own ideas as to what the painting is of and their own criticisms. It is the “dispersal” of ideas and own views; there is not a central theme as to what the painting is. In a modernist view, the painting would have to have a central meaning as to the purpose of the painting and why it was composed.

            With religion in “Cat’s Cradle,” there is not a central religion per se. The two religions that do occur are Christianity and the made up religion of “Bokonism.” In the Books of Bokonism it warns its readers by saying “All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies” (5). Obviously, there is no true center of religion because there is a choice of one religion over the other. Within Bokonism it is even a broken center, a center that should be based on truths but clearly based on all lies. This is evidence of postmodern theories.

I need somaaa ! (:

So while we were discussing the blog during class a couple days ago, I wrote some ideas that I might want to explore when it comes to doing the actual essay. These are really general and I'm not sure how I might approach these topics exactly, but I'll do it eventually when the time comes.

1. The obsession with the efficiency of society prohibits mankind from being ethical. (Not feeling it much, but I think I can expand.)

2. With the vision of a perfect utopia, also comes their flaws. Or in other words, a "perfect world" cannot exist no matter how hard it is visioned or looked for.

3. The scientific aspect of trying to create a perfect society cannot succeed as long as mankind knows that there is a better, natural order of things.

Using the third idea I had, I tried to think of ways to maybe incorporate Frederick Winslow Taylor's writings. He has four new duties to create a more efficient work environment. The way he assembles the men and how they should "develop a science for each element of a man's work" is like how the hatchery develops Alphas, Deltas, etc. to do specific work in society. The two concepts are connected through conditioning or science in a more general sense. In Taylor's writings, he uses the example of the Bethelhem Steel Company to describe the amount that they produced and what they should be. That's like the idea of how many of each class type the hatchery should be producing. I have a feeling that if I go this route, Taylor's piece of writing will be greatly incorporated into my essay.

And then using Lyotard's Postmodernism article, I saw a section that had a bigger font of writing that said "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; mere anarchy is loosed upon the world." So upon reading that little bit, I thought of point number two of my ideas. The hatchery and idea that efficiency and progress creates this fake wonderful world filled with pleasure and soma. But because John the Savage comes to have a significant role throughout the novel, "things fall apart." This outsider has brought new ideas of freedom and liberty into a world locked up in invisible chains. He is the "mere anarchy" that let's loose his ideas that come to affect others and their productivity. For example, Lenina when she did not know if she gave a certain chemical to a test tube and many years later the product of that certain test tube dies way before his time. 

I'm pretty sure if I thoroughly read all the articles that can be used I can find way more ideas, but for now, I'm too tired so I'll do it eventually. (: But I have a feeling I will enjoy this essay WAY more than the Tempest. 

We're products of this generation, emphasis on PRODUCTS.

Of course, many parallels were drawn between the video posted by Mr. Dominguez and our novel Brave New World. What I did not expect as much were the same parallels and unexpected truths about our modern society and how schools operate.

For me, the most significant part I remember from the video was the part where Robinson drew the students coming out of the machine in batches. They were grouped according to age, thne further split into different areas of subjects, like math science, etc. Basically, "schools are organized on factory lines; ringing bells, separate facilities" and etc. It is very similar to what they at the Hatchery, "rack-full of test-tubes [entered] a large metal box, another rack-full was emerging" (6). How the citizens of this new industrialization period is almost exactly the same as how schools, in a way, manufacture their students. This modern society is creating a group of "Epsilons, Gammas, Alphas" and whatever name they would like to group humans into just by grouping kids into the same age groups. This is based on the comparison of our society now and in the text. Our society assumes that just because we're all the same age, we learn and function all the same way. With the actuals groups of people from the text, they Hatchery workers modify the newborns to different conditions that class them into their hierarchy.

Another significant parallel I drew was the part from the video where the doctor was giving an "anaesthetic" injection to a student. "Anaesthetics shut your senses off and deaden yourself to what is happening." This line draws a complete parallel to the concept of a "soma" in Brave New World. In the video it mentions that we are given these anaesthetics in order to keep focused on our schoolwork, rather than the bigger picture going on in reality. Well, the "soma" creates that same sense but based for work instead of schooling. The drug allows them to get their fix in a way where they can be more productful.  

Brave New World.

First off, I hated the whole back and forth thing at the end of chapter 3. Just kind of got confusing as to who was talking after awhile, considering that I am somewhat confused on the craziness of this whole society itself. Not really, I just hated the back and forth thing.

According to the readings of chapter 3 in Brave New World, the family and whole system of their being good(faithful, loving, etc.) relationships is undermined. As Mustapha Mond was talking to the children that were receiving a tour, he told them that a home had " no air, no space; an understerilized prison; darkness, disease, and smells" (37). He created an image where the life they were living right now was superior. In the sense that the whole family system was a trap, encasing individuals to lives that were dreadful. With this chapter, Mond goes into detail about his views, and in turn, everybody's views of the "old" world.

And with the passages about Lenina getting ready and talking to her friend, Fanny, it also shed light on the whole not being monogamous in a relationship concept.Doing so, I think it emphasized the corruption of relationships. You are seen as an outcast in a sense if you are devoted to one man or woman. According to Fanny, its not only disapproving in the eyes of the D.H.C. but its "bad form to go on and on like [that] with one man" (41).

Now going back to the whole situation with Mond, when he explains the idea of a home, he speaks about homes and the value of a family as being to tight and "recking with emotion" (37). He basically is saying that the parents suffocated the children with to much love or too much emotional feelings that, in turn, ruined the child for life. So the society itself tried to eliminate all the pleasurable emotions like love, thinking that they created a life where it is perfect and there are no feelings to get in the way of productivity. With the manipulation of life and all the important aspects being eliminated, the value system of life is ruined, and it becomes a life about work and progress, rather than living the moment.

If you didn't notice I did what this chapter did, sort of, with the whole going back and forth thing. Clever right? Just kidding!

Too Many Interpretations.

Warning: I was not in the best of moods while writing this & I'm exhausted. I had a major brain fart. Its just one of those days. So, if this blog seems kind of, ehh, not meaningful in a way I guess, sorry in advance!

In dealing with The Tempest, we have read many articles, had many discussions, and found new ways and also took the interpretations that have been established to explore deeper into the meaning of this play. In George Will's case, he thinks it best to read The Tempest with only one interpretation in mind, while Greenblatt found that it might be more meaningful and realistic that the play had several different interpretations to it. Upon agreeing with Greenblatt, one can see that The Tempest was written to appeal to certain types of audiences at the time, but it can be seen as if Shakespeare was siding with the colonists. Although the central theme of this play seems to be colonialism, the play digs into the deeper meaning between those who are coined the term "savages" and those who come thinking they are the rightful land owner. The article we have read, Cultural Studies: Postcolonialism, African-American Criticism, And Queer Theory somewhat goes into depth on this. Caliban is silenced, like how every minority race is, and Prospero (the colonist) comes and thinks that teaching him the "moral" ways will appeal to Caliban and make him grateful. Just as "the others" would be portrayed, Caliban is the typical image of a savage native. This article also presents the minority writers and thinkers who have thought of new views and many interpretations of one issue. Aime's A Tempest presents the more easy to understand version of what might have occurred between Prospero and Caliban. In her version of the text, she reveals the true feelings of Ariel and Caliban. Both are longing for freedom but both go about in two different ways. This presents more of an understanding that natives are human and not just a different race of people. For me, it sort of presents the idea of the anger and great patience it takes in serving someone that decides to rule over you and treat you like an animal. Taking the different aspects of colonialism into account, most of the articles or texts we have read reveals some corruption within their system. 

I know there are more things than colonialism going on, but all I can think about is the colonial part right now.