Class Evaluation

Almost of the texts had an impact on me as a reader. I could see myself, a little bit, in each character. For example Craig in Blankets. I have dealt with growing up and sometimes feeling rejected and not being understood, as he did many times throughout his story. Another example is Janette in Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. Parents and their children don't always understand each other. At one time or another, I have felt that my parents could never understand me. Each story impacted me a little differently. Maus, helped me understand why people are so ignorant sometimes. I was able to see Vladek and his actions in some of my family members. I consider them sometimes "crazy" when they act or think a certain way. But I am able to understand them a little bit better now.

When the class began reading these graphic texts, I was a little bit skeptical because I knew very little. After reading them I have a better appreciation. For example reading American Born Chinese and Blankets I had no idea that these stories would impact me. I was able to not only relate to these texts but also appreciate them a lot more. I never thought that these stories had depth or importance.  They are completely different from traditional texts which let you create your own imagery.  By looking at the graphics and the thickness of the lines or the boldness of the character's eyes, really help create the story. You are able to interpret it completely differently then you would a traditional text. I know realize that graphic texts are fun to read as well.

I enjoyed reading and interpreting all the texts that we read throughout the course. It was interesting to read and then chat about them the next class period. I always refer to these discussions as "a book club". I like hearing what others had to say and how they interpreted the different texts. Some of the classmates totally interpreted the text differently then I did, and it was interesting to hear their reasoning. It sometimes had an affect on my original interpretation as well. For example the graphic text, Maus, I could not understand why Art, the author, illustrated scenes the way he did. After listening to others interpretation, I was able to learn a lot. The texts were not extremely challenging to read, but some of the time they got a bit depressing which made it hard to get through. Overall, I enjoyed most of the texts that we read. I am able to really think deep about texts now and why the author decided to write how they did. I now am able to read literature differently and am really starting to think more critically about them. 

Boys and Self-Image: Looking in the Mirror

When people think of teenagers and body image, on most accounts we think of young girls and the issues with anorexia and bulimia. Yet in America's culture today the message of perfection is greater than ever. Our various forms of media such as television, magazines, and movies now have a larger affect on adolescent boys. In the graphic novels Blankets by Craig Thompson and American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang, both authors struggle with experiences of their own self-image. Young boys go through the same issues of insecurities and physical self-perception as girls do during young adulthood.

How did boys become so involved with self-image deficiencies? According to Eric Shapiro, “Society dictates to kids from a very young age through constant subconscious marketing what it really means to be attractive, successful, or even happy,” (1). In Thompson’s graphic novel, we see Craig influenced through what he is exposed to as an adolescent child; “But it doesn’t have to be scary if you are a Christian and have asked Jesus into your heart; because when you die, you will go to heaven”(49). Craig, as a young boy, was told what was to be expected of him by his Sunday school teacher. He was not sold on the fact that he should be attractive or successful. Yet he was still being told how he should behave and act. If he did this, he would go to heaven and essentially reach. This is an example of adolescent boys today. Dr. Pauline Bergstein explains, "There are so many messages of what and how a person should be [in our society] that is can't but make the more vulnerable of us desperate to fight for and embrace external definitions of success and beauty" (Shapiro 2). Young adolescents are able to embrace their flaws and imitate what our society defines as perfection.

Adolescent boys are highly influenced by magazines and other idolized figures. We are seeing more of the "Barbie Syndrome” in boys, according to David L. Wheeler. This syndrome consists of unrealistic expectations of our bodies. Researchers are starting to find that the typical self-imaging that we see in young girls is now becoming more evident in adolescent boys as well. But instead of wanting to look like Ken and Barbie, adolescent boys are persuaded by G.I. Joe figures. "G.I. Joe Extreme, would have a biceps of 26 inches, which the researchers say is larger than that of any known body-builder,” explains Harrison Pope, doctor and researcher in the Biological Psychiatry Laboratory at Harvard University (Wheeler A22). There is a underlying message behind these "role models." Adolescent boys begin to believe looks only matter when it comes to achievements, such as making friends and earning respect from others.

Although pop culture and media are influences that are hard to ignore, we find school to be the most influential on self-image for adolescent boys. Boys today are talking about being teased on school grounds. “Oh! Oh, man, was I teased? Are you kidding? When I was fat, people must have gone home and thought of nothing else except coming up with new material the next day, says Alexander, a six-teen year old teenager” (Hall 32). It seems that adolescent teens are the major reason for insecurities in young boys. Jin, a young Asian boy, finally finds his first friend Peter, and as a result he is bullied more often. “He introduced himself to me at recess one day. Gimme yer sandwich and I’ll be your best friend. Otherwise I’ll kick your butt and make you eat my boogers”( Yang 34). Jin struggles in school to find a friend because he is different. We also see Thompson endure a similar situation in the halls of high school. “Haha Faggot! Nice hair! You look like a fucking girl”(Thompson 53). Craig gets attacked, by some peers, who he illustrates as having the "physical-image standards.” When Jin is bullied by a few students, he is teased based on the fact that he is Asian. “What the hell is that? Dumplings. Hmph. Stay away from my dog. Ha”(Yang 32). 

When you’re an adolescent, it can be hard to fit-in with social standards, and since Jin is different from other students he is the ideal target for bullies. Our “culture of cruelty” is not likely to defuse, which will, in turn, enable more adolescent boys to have more self-consciousness and concerns about their body/self image.

Young boys want to be seen as what society deems to be “masculine.” In the Journal of Adolescent Research, researcher Stephen Frost found that adolescent girls are able to talk more openly about looks and boys. While interviewing the young boys individually it appeared that they were more willing to speak of girls in a serious manner, along with they feared being called homosexual names, than they would in larger group interviews. "They talked more openly about their anxieties at home and praised girls more generally from being different from boys, being bullied at school, and not being able to discuss homework or hairstyles with other boys" (Bamberg 606). Danny deals with rejection from Melanie when she decides to be honest; “You know I’ve never noticed it before, but your teeth kind of buck out a little”(Yang 124). When Melanie rejects Danny, he finds himself alone and self-conscious. We see another example in the graphic novel Blankets, when Craig meets Raina's mother for the first time. "Craig! How WONDERFUL to finally meet you! I've heard so many great things, Raina practically RAVES about you!"(Thompson 210). Raina's mother was ecstatic to meet Craig, but Craig’s family knew very little about his new relationship. Craig was nervous to ask his mother for permission to see her. "Are you sure she's just a friend?" (Thompson 482). Craig’s mother does not know very much about their relationship, while Raina's mother knew almost everything.

As boys get older, their view on sexuality broadens, and they start to pay more attention to the superficial side of our cultural. Most importantly, they pay attention to what girls have to say. When Jin becomes a teenager, he is very self-concious about his date with Amelia, and has Wei-chen ask her about it. “How was your date with Jin? I actually had a lot of fun. Fun? How so? Was Jin Nice?..Funny?..Bubbly?”(Yang 176). 

Jin was freaking out about Amelia’s impression of him. Alexander explains his side, "When you hear girls qawking at Abercrombie and Fitch about how hot the guy is on the bag - that makes an impression. If I look this way, I've got my foot in the door" (Hall 62). Bare, hairless, ripped chests in advertisements have become a boy's cultural icon.

In a survey of 272,400 student’s USA WEEKEND researchers found that only 4 out of 10 students thought themselves to be attractive. 9 out of 10 boys wanted to tone up, while only 15 percent liked themselves "the way I am." More than half say they occasionally are "really depressed"; 1 in 5 often feel despondent. Yet 50% of boys participate in athletics. However, 78% of these athletes use supplements, even when they are well aware of the health risks that link to abusing them.

Boys are not far behind girls when it comes to doubting their self-image and esteem. Various forms of media and the pressures of society create adolescent insecurities. Throughout Craig Thompson's novel, there are several connections of insecurities that he has yet to overcome. As Shapiro writes, "If we are OK with who we are and what we want our of life, then no magazine advertisement can alter the true perceptions of ourselves.”

Works Cited

Case, Jeffrey. “Making American Boys: Boyology and the Feral Tale.” The Journal of American. Culture 27 Dec. (2004): 451-452.

Hall, Stephen S. “The Trouble Life of Boys; The Bully in the Mirror.” The New York Times 22. Aug. 1999: 4-10

Ramberg, Michael. “Journal of Adolescent Research." Sage. Sept (2006): 604-608.

Rhule, Patty. “Teens Tackle Their Identity Crisis.” USA Weekend 1 May 1998: 1-4

Shapiro, Eric. “Adolescent Males and the Media’s Influence on their Self-Image.” Men’s Health Network.

Thompson, Craig. Blankets. Canada: Top Shelf Productions, 2004.

 

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. New York & London: First Second, 2006.

A Midsummer Night's Drean, Neil Gaiman's Interpretation

I enjoyed the interpretation that Neil Gaiman wrote. I thought it was really clever, it would have been hard to understand if I have never read Shakespeare's play beforehand. It was a bit confusing as times with distinguishing the characters as times with who was in the play and who was in the audience.

This is a graphic text about Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer's Night Dream, as if Shakespeare himself was promoting the play. He has actors, that also include his son Hamnet. Shakespeare is very distant and disconnected towards his son. Hamnet feels that his father cares more about his plays than he does about him. The audience are mythical creatures, from "the other realm," that play a huge role in the interpretation of the play. Oberion, Titania, and Puck, are being acted out in the play, but are audience members as well. 

Shakespeare and his son are important character's in this version of the play, as well as the audience that they perform in front of. The audience helps the reader understand what the play is about as it is acted out. The audience helped make the play more enjoyable and humorous. For example on pages 74-76 the audience members help each other explain what is happening throughout the play. "Hang on. So there's this love potion and he's goin' to make her majesty love something nasty...but where do the young mortals come into it? Don't you ever lissen? he's put the potion on wossame, Laysander right? now he;s going to fall in love with her, the skinny one"(74). This helps not only the audience member, but the reader to understand the play a lot better.. "All right. What's so funny about having a donkey's head? Eh? Eh? Go on, tell me what's go funny?"(76). The audience member is offended because he as well has a donkey head. This is an example of the humor that Gaiman uses in his interpretation. 

The Dream lord is an important character throughout the story. He is very distinctive. He seems much darker and when he speaks the text is white and the bubble his very different from the other characters. It was able to distinguish him when he was speaking. 

Shakespeare Debate

When Shakespeare's writing is interpreted into modern ways, we lose its original beauty and meaning(POETRY) and are unable to fully appreciate his work.  By taking his work for example and using Homer Simpson as Shakespeare character we are only insulting Shakespeare and his timeless work. 

PART II

Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare's classics. I want to take a look at the illustrations of the most tragic love seen, when Romeo and Juliet both kill themselves.

Pgs 182-184

Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end.

I will kiss thy lips.

Some poison yet doth hang on them to, 

make me die.

Thy lips are warm

O happy dagger.

This is they sheath

There rust and let me die.  

I feel this scene that the author has illustrated is very engaging.  I feel this is very accurate and think the author did a good job choosing the right lines from Shakespeare's play.  He illustrations are appealing in a way that even if the reader has never read Romeo and Juliet before, they will be able to take a lot from these pages.  The author used important quotes which are still very famous today. I was able to get the same interpretation from the text and illustrations that I did, when I first read the play. 

PART III

I want to discuss Hermia's and Helena's relationship. There relationship first interested me in the beginning of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Throughout Shakespeare's play we find out that these two character's are completely different from each other. Helena wishes she could only be as fair a Hermia. Helena scorns/yells as Helena for taking Lysander love away from her. 

O me! You juggler, you cankerblossom,

You thief of love! What, have you come by night

And stol'n my love's heart from him

Modern Shakespeare Interpretation

This is an Apple Inc. ad that I found that was a modern take on Romeo and Juliet. 

A VIDEO CLIP OF BUGS BUNNY AND MACBETH:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=modern%20shakespeare&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=iv#q=modern+shakespeare+cartoons&hl=en&emb=0

HERE IS AN ARTICLE I FOUND THAT HAS SHAKESPEARE WITH A TWIST...A HOMER SIMPSON TWIST!!!

Shakespeare meets 'The Simpsons'

By: Tara Maroney

Posted: 4/29/05

Shakespeare meets Homer Simpson on in "MacHomer," which will be performed twice at Jorgensen Auditorium Friday evening. 


The shows, at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. will bring the humor of "The Simpson's," to the tragedy of Shakespeare's "Macbeth." Rick Miller performs the entire show in an hour with the use of video projections to puppets. He impersonates each character on the popular show as a character in the play. 


"It may not be "art," but the TV show `The Simpsons' is extremely artistic, holding a satirical mirror up to society much like William Shakespeare's plays did to Elizabethan England," Miller said in a press release. 


According to www.machomer.com, the play remains 85 percent Shakespeare and the rest is Homer. The web site is full of video clips, games and sound bytes of the show. 


"I find it somewhat poetic that in Homer's hands, Macbeth's vaulting ambition ranges from wanting the throne to wanting a doughnut," Miller said. "There is always something vaguely tragic about the residents of Springfield: flawed, vulnerable, but ultimately noble in their own pathetic way." 


So how do these noble characters connect? Duncan, the King of Scotland, is Charles Montgomery Burns, Homer J. Simpson is of course MacHomer, with Marge being Lady MacHomer. Lisa is a Genlewom, Moe Szyslak is a witch and Krusty the Clown is a porter. Each Shakespearean character has its unique "Simpsons" match. 


Miller, the avid "The Simpsons" impersonator, has performed in three languages in three continents. He has performed his show throughout Scotland, England, Australia and New Zealand, as well as the United States and Canada. He has gotten a lot of praise for his outrageous performances. 


"This man is a comic juggernaut - Robin Williams with edge, or Jim Carrey with taste who carries the show to triumph. It's truly awesome. A One-Man Comic Tour-de-Force," the Toronto Star, wrote about Miller's performance. 


This is the show's eight year of tours. He has also written the solo shows "Art?" and "Slightly Bent" and is currently working on "Into the Ring" which is based on "Lord of the Rings." 


The show is meant to appeal to "The Simpsons" and Shakespeare fans alike. While the connection seems strange it may prove to be an humorous twist to Shakespeare classic.


The show is $15 for students and $25 for non-students and is being sponsored by Connecticut Repertory Theater. 

A Midsummer Night's Dream

HELENA

    Call you me fair? that fair again unsay. 
    Demetrius loves your fair: O happy fair! 
    Your eyes are lode-stars; and your tongue's sweet air 
    More tuneable than lark to shepherd's ear, 
    When wheat is green, when hawthorn buds appear. 
    Sickness is catching: O, were favour so, 
    Yours would I catch, fair Hermia, ere I go; 
    My ear should catch your voice, my eye your eye, 
    My tongue should catch your tongue's sweet melody. 
    Were the world mine, Demetrius being bated, 
    The rest I'd give to be to you translated. 
    O, teach me how you look, and with what art 
    You sway the motion of Demetrius' heart.

This is when we first meet Helena when she speaks about her heartbreak.  Helena loves Demetrius even though he is to marry Hermia.  She seems jealous in the fact that Hermia has both lovers and Demetrius does not love her back. Helena wishes she could be just as fair as Hermia. I found this part most insightful. We have all felt jealous and torn in love, one time or another. This is when you would do anything to be loved by the one you love, although he is in love with another women.  

Boys and Self-Image: Looking in the Mirror

When people think of teenagers and body image, on most accounts we think of young girls and the issues with anorexia and bulimia. Yet in America's culture today the message of perfection is greater than ever. Our various forms of media such as television, magazines, and movies now have a larger affect on adolescent boys. The graphic novel Blankets by Craig Thompson, is about the author’s experiences with his own self-image. Young boys go through the same issues of insecurities and physical self-perception as girls do during young adulthood.

How did boys become so involved with self-image deficiencies? According to Eric Shapiro, “Society dictates to kids from a very young age through constant subconscious marketing what it really means to be attractive, successful, or even happy,” (1).

Even in Thompson’s graphic novel we see Craig influenced through what he is exposed with as an adolescent child. “But it doesn’t have to be scary if you are a Christian and have asked Jesus into your heart; because when you die, you will go to heaven”(49). Craig as a young boy was told what to be expected of him by his Sunday school teacher. Dr. Pauline Bergstein explains, "There are so many messages of what and how a person should be [in our society] that is can't but make the more vulnerable of us desperate to fight for and embrace external definitions of success and beauty" (Shapiro 2). Young adolescents are able to embrace their flaws and imitate what our society defines perfection.

Adolescent boys are highly influenced by magazines and other idolized figures. We are seeing more of the “Barbie Syndrome” in boys according to David L. Wheeler. This syndrome consists of unrealistic expectations of our bodies. Researchers are starting find that the typical self-imaging that we see in young girls are now becoming more evident in adolescent boys as well. But instead of wanting to look like Ken and Barbie, adolescent boys are persuaded by G.I. Joe figures. “G.I. Joe Extreme, would have a biceps of 26 inches, which the researchers say is larger than that of any known body-builder,” explains Harrison Pope, doctor and researcher in the Biological Psychiatry Laboratory at Harvard University (Wheeler, A22). There is a message in these "role models" that adolescent boys begin to believe looks only matter when is comes to achievements such as making friends and earning respect from others.

Although pop culture and media are influences that are hard to ignore, we find school to be the most influential on self-image for adolescent boys. Boys today are talking about still being teased on school grounds. “Oh! Oh, man, was I teased? Are you kidding? When I was fat, people must have gone home and through of nothing else except coming up new material the next day, says Alexander, a six-teen year old teenager” (Hall 32). It seems that adolescent teens are the major reason for insecurities in the young boys. We also see Thompson endure a similar situation during the hall of high school. “Haha Faggot! Nice hair! You look like a fucking girl”(Thompson 53). Craig gets attacked by some peers who he illustrated them to have the “physical-image standards.” Our “culture of cruelty” will unlikely defuse which will, in turn, enable more adolescent boys to have more self-consciousness and concerns about their body/self image.

Young boys want to be seen as what our society thinks masculinity is. In the Journal of Adolescent Research, researcher, Stephen Frost found that adolescent girls are able to talk more openly about looks and boys. While speaking to the young boys in individual interviews, they were more likely to speak of girls more seriously and how they fear being called homosexual names, then they would in larger group interviews. "They talked more openly about their anxieties at home and praised girls more generally from being different from boys, being bullied at school, and not being able to discuss homework or hairstyles with other boys" (Bamberg 606). We see this as an example in the character Craig, in the graphic novel Blankets, when he meets Raina's mother for the first time. "Craig! How WONDERFUL to finally meet you! I've heard so many great things, Raina practically RAVES about you!"(Thompson 210). Raina's mother was ecstatic to meet Craig, but the Thompson family knew very little about Craig's new relationship. Craig was nervous to ask his mother for permission to see her. "Are you sure she's just a friend?" (Thompson 482). Mrs. Thompson does not know very much about their relationship, were Raina's mother knew almost everything.

As boys get older, their view on sexuality broadens, and they start to pay more attention on the more superficial side of our cultural as they grow into their own sexuality. Most importantly they pay attention to what girls have to say. Alexander explains, "When you hear girls qawking at Abercrombie and Fitch about how hot the guy is on the bag - that makes an impression. If I look this way, I've got my foot in the door" (Hall 62). Bare, hairless, ripped chests in advertisements, have become a boy's cultural icon.

Here are the facts: In a survey of 272,400 student USA WEEKEND researchers found the only 4 out of 10 students found themselves attractive. 9 out of 10 boys wanted to tone up, while only 15 percent liked themselves "the way I am." More then half say they occasionally are "really depressed"; 1 in 5 often feel despondent. Yet 50% of boys participate in athletics. Yet 78% of these athletes use supplements, even when they all agreed to be well aware of the health risks while linked when using them.

Boys are not far behind girls when it comes to doubting their self-image and esteem. Various forms of media and society beliefs help form the path of adolescent insecurities. Throughout Craig Thompson's novel, there are several connections of insecurities that he has to overcome. As Shapiro writes, "If we are OK with who we are and what we want our of life, then no magazine advertisement can alter the true perceptions of ourselves."

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Case, Jeffrey. “Making American Boys: Boyology and the Feral Tale.” The Journal of American           Culture 27 Dec. (2004): 451-452.

Hall, Stephen S. “The Trouble Life of Boys; The Bully in the Mirror.” The New York Times 22             Aug. 1999: 4-10

Ramberg, Michael. “Journal of Adolescent Research." Sage. Sept (2006): 604-608.

Rhule, Patty. “Teens Tackle Their Identity Crisis.” USA Weekend 1 May 1998: 1-4

Shapiro, Eric. “Adolescent Males and the Media’s Influence on their Self-Image.” Men’s Health Network.

Thompson, Craig. Blankets. Canada: Top Shelf Productions, 2004.