"All for a lousy bicycle": Exploring the film Beijing Bicycle

“All for a lousy bicycle”: Exploring the film Beijing Bicycle

Adolescent angst seems to be universally charged and potentially ferocious as seen in the climatic scenes in the film Beijing Bicycle. Is the level of violence higher in non-western countries- and do extreme class distinctions propagate this type of behavior? No and yes, westernized nations may seem more peaceful, but go to their independent film archives and you will find real life street scenes like in “Green Street Hooligans,” where football in England gets taken to the extreme, and the documentary about LA gangs, “Crips and Bloods: Made in America.” Fighting over territory and material possessions is as old as man is, and some of the larger questions are if a government has the right to squelch these kinds films that expose, and whether the larger class distinctions contribute to more frequent fighting and terror.

“'I'm happy that my film is no longer forbidden and now I can make films openly,’" said Wang Xiaoshuai, director of the once-banned film Beijing Bicycle (Tang 1). The 2001 film is a beautifully simple one that encompasses many themes of class, personal angst, and survival. One of the biggest questions is why a film would win awards in throughout the world, but not be allowed to be shown in its own country, China. Since 2001 there have been some relaxations, but outsiders wonder if China is preventing westernization or exposure by having such strict policies, and what a movie like Beijing Bicycle has to offer the rest of the world that could be hidden by its own parent country. An American can’t help but make comparisons to its own experiences with teenagers or young adults when seeing kids go through the pain of crushes, failure to rise socially, and economic struggles.

The bicycle represented this illusive property, but was very different for the two main characters. For Guei the bicycle was tangible capital that he needed to survive economically. For Jian the bicycle was a symbol of social stature and gateway into the life he thought he wanted. Jian has a problem with material things, and the girl he wants is still a trophy when he has her. Guei is constantly reminded of his social level and stubbornness, but is definitely the hero of the pair. When first given the bike the delivery boss says, “These bikes are your livelihood. These are upscale mountain bikes. You may have not seen any where you are coming from. We are providing you such good bikes for our company’s image, but also to make you more efficient, so we can be more competitive.” (Beijing). Capitalism in a nutshell, an we wonder if this company is influenced by western ideas or simply taking the only route to efficiency and competitiveness. Jian gets to finally make the right decision by sharing the bike, but when his trophy is lost he resorts to baser human instincts.

The two main characters were wonderful in opposition and make a cacophony when thrust together. “The story bring these two boys together. They are very different people: urban and rural, educated and working, sulky and tenacious. The contrast between them is profound and yet their similarities are sufficient to take the film into a debate on the meaning – and meaninglessness of boyhood” (Donald). The end is cruel with Guei crying out, “I didn’t do anything” as he is beaten by the pseudo gang. Guei, as the rural character, goes through an initiation of sorts into the city. At one point he is forced to get naked and shower, accused of stealing, and then kicked out. This serves at a radical view of the “real” world in the city, and highlights the innocence of the rural citizen. Jian’s life features the lower middle class who are forced to steal or scalp for prestige, but are still proles. He enters arcades where teenagers play Dance, Dance, Revolution, and gets to briefly have a girlfriend. Guei gets to have a crush on a girl in his own class, but doesn’t get close to her. Many of Jian’s experiences are ones that Guei may never have, and the director seems to emphasize that both paths are meaningless.

The end of the film is a long shot of the city fading back further and further to reveal not only bikes, but buildings, cars and all the accoutrements of a bustling city. The pair of stars is left broken and the audience is left in horror to think of all the fights that can happen over any one piece of property. The simple story of a bike causing so much pain represents all the potential fights

over property and is nightmarish to really dwell on for too long. The biggest question is, do material possessions cause murder? Or is it human nature to fight over anything and everything. Another question is if China knows this is happening and attempts to suffocate the spread of capitalism in media, or if they are merely trying to control and western influence worldly filmmakers might impart. Foreign films seem to have little trouble getting shown in China, so maybe the problem was that this was too close to home. The country may feel such passions are western and try to squelch them, or that it exposes that there are definite class distinctions even in their society. Globalization has opened up the world onto itself and we see that all industrialized nations experience similar struggles and class differences.



Author’s Note: I really could elaborate buy hey I graduate this week! This was a beautiful film with so much going on. The bike was this giant phallic symbol like guns in militia run countries or Muscle Cars in the 50’s. It also was like a morality tale, stealing bikes will lead you to throwing bricks. It was so angsty- and just showed me that adolescence is universal, and so are the differences in class. I was also interested in how the older generation just sat and started and didn’t actively participate in the caretaking process. I will probably revise this- but I loved that this got to be my last paper in my undergraduate career- what a way to end it! I of course now have no idea what to do with my kids when they are teenagers- but we will get there when we get there- I'll make them ride used bikes or something....


Works Cited

Beijing Bicycle. Dir. Wang Xiaoshuai. Perf. Zhou Xun, Gao Yuanyuan, and Li Shuang. Arc Light Films, 2002. DVD.

Donald, Stephanie Hemelryk. "BEIJING BICYCLE." Metro 133 (2002): 190. Communication & Mass Media Complete. EBSCO. Web. 16 Apr. 2010.

Tang, Yuankai. "Underground directors 'bicycling' aboveground. " Beijing Review 19 Feb. 2004: ProQuest Newsstand, ProQuest. Web. 16 Apr. 2010.

The Purple Country

Final Paper

Orientalism- Western construct of the East. Not macho- enfeminized.

Is there an internal orientalism going on in China?

Occidentalism- eastern construct of the west.

Beijing Bicycle, Slumdog Millionaire, Summer Palace

In reality would latika still be a virgin?

( In reference to Latika- I meant would she really have been perfectly preserved for all those years- or was it cinematic technique to make her rape all the more tragic)


SOOOOO If I switch to Beijing Bicycle I will address the release of the film is the beginning, or part of, the movement to reveal Eastern globalization. A unique process that will never be identical to westernization, and cannot be directly a result of capitalism.

Globalcentrism not Globalcentralism- Biiig Difference

So is globalcentrism good or bad? Do we want a world united by its marketplace? Is it only possible within a marketplace? Our terms and fancy ideologies are what is uniting us- and democracy is infectious. Now is this great or disastrous? To be continued....




So yeah, The article by Coronil mentions St. Augustine who said, “that it is only at the end of a life that one can apprehend its meaning.” This is referring to the delusions that we are at the end of an era. This made me curious for more- and I remembered this book on my shelf that is one of those ones you have but never read through. The book is St. Augustine- Confessions, a dense pile over 200 pages of spiritual philosophy. He says, "It was obvious to me that things which are liable to corruption are good... For if they were supreme goods, they would be incorruptible. If there were no good in them, there would be nothing capable of being corrupted. Corruption does harm and unless it diminishes the good, no harm would be done. Therefore either corruption does not harm, which cannot be the case, or (which is wholly certain) all things that are corrupted suffer privation of some good...." (VII.xii(18) 124). He goes on and I had to read this a few times- but basically I felt that globalization does have some good, but is wholly corruptible and therefore not a supreme good. Ugh, I need to read more- in general.

Gikandi talks about the diaspora of images across the globe- a term I ususally only see next to Judaism,.....

Works Cited:

Augustine, Saint. Confessions. trans. Henry Chadwick. Oxford University Press: New York, 1991. Print.

Coronil, Fernando, 1944-. "Towards a Critique of Globalcentrism: Speculations on Capitalism's Nature." Public Culture 12.2 (2000): 351-374. Project MUSE. 27 Apr. 2010. Web.

Gikandi, Simon. "Globalization and the Claims of Postcoloniality." The South Atlantic Quarterly 100.3 (2001): 627-658. Project MUSE.



I was able to find a free copy of the complete Coronil article at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/20261308/Coronil-Towards-a-Critique-of-Global-Centrism-Speculations-on-Capitalism-s-Nature

The Facsimile

This presentation was a lot of fun. I just kept trying to think of what would be interesting to an eleventh grader- and I talked about this with other people. Even my chiropractor was interested in the topic. Our group was a unit and I really liked working with everyone in a relaxed way.

American Lit You Twobe

Buckingham page 23

Although Dickinson, 1830-1886,was a prolific private poet, fewer than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime. The work that was published during her lifetime was usually altered significantly by the publishers to fit the conventional poetic rules of the time. Dickinson's poems are unique for the era in which she wrote; they contain short lines, typically lack titles, and often use slant rhyme as well as unconventional capitalization and punctuation. (wiki)
Unique For Her Time…
What other forms of entertainment are new for their time?

Fish- Dolphin- Sea Turtle- How does Baby Einstein Work?

Okay- I'm guilty- I admit it- I let me children watch TV before two years of age despite that being the recommended age by the "professionals." Whew -- that felt good, I truly needed to get that off my chest. All I know is that it is 7:56am- I am sitting at my computer doing homework, and my son is peacefully sitting close by and he is naming all the animals he sees on Baby Einstein: World Animals. These tapes have come under fire-http://www.mediafamily.org/mediawisecolumns/baby_einstein_mw.shtml and article by Dr. Dave of the National Institute on Media & the Family, who believes, "The lure of the product appeals to the hopes of every new parent who wants her baby to get a jumpstart on achievement. That sounds nice, but there's an implied threat here too: if you deprive your little one of this wonderful product you will relegate him to a lifetime of stupidity... Very simply put, it gets kids hooked on screens before they can even crawl. There's nothing wrong with the colorful and child-friendly content. The problem is that the videos wire the growing brain to expect constant entertainment and to always look to the screen for everything good in life." What a convincing statement.
But I tell ya- I didn't expect my kids to become little einsteins- just to sit still a little bit-and learn while hearing classical music. Right now- right this second my son is waddling over to me with a blanket draped over his head, "i wanna sit wi' momma'- okay time to go now.... tbc

Exit Strategies

Our group presentation should be a way to utilize the effectiveness of media in teaching English/Language Arts in a classroom. This assignment will show one small way that social networking sites can be used to directly connect with literature.

Alright Gee Go Ahead

Well this post is still under construction, but I did have some great lesson ideas after this new topic began.

-Asking students to create fake profile/avatar for the character in class assigned book. Imagine a facebook for Huckleberry Finn, with his own personal quote from the book and personal info based on the novel. Grading would be based on how much the student used the book for evidence and inspiration.

-Having some type of reward in the classroom that is connected to media- video game for those that finish early, etc. I'm not sure what this would look like yet....

-Maybe allowing students to bring in their favorite YouTube clip. This could be assigned monthly with one student per day. I would have certain guidelines, no R rated etc., and would ask the kids to email them to me ahead of time. Students without access to computers could come after school or use the last 5 minutes of class time to browse mine. This would be a fun exercise to look forward to, and we could just have open discussion time regarding the clip. The question is if these are clips related to anything specific we are doing in class- or just random which we could still analyze. I am trying to figure out how to use media to analyze media.

-An assignment where the students design/write about their own video game based off the novel, short story, poem we are covering in class. Perhaps a 5 act 5 level Othello, with battle scenes and mind games with Iago? I prefer the old platform model, think Donkey Kong, but students would be free to choose the style and resolution quality etc. I wonder if this would work for the girls in the class too? A problem is if the students should gain agency in the game and wield power and influence over the characters. Would sweet Desdemona change her fate, or should the students keep it classic?

Media Education: Literacy, Learning and Contemporary Culture

HA- First of all this title amuses me because I looked at the cover of the book, noticed it was all in lower case letters- but because of my traditional education couldn't bring myself to not capitalize.

Anyway- the first page of this book has, probably, one of the most profound statements I've read- regarding such things- in a long time. Chapter 1 opens up with a definition of media, including mediums, which are, "something we use when we want to communicate with people indirectly, rather than in person or by face-to-face contact... The media do not offer a transparent window on the the world. They provide channels through which representations and images of the world can be communicated indirectly. "The media intervene: they provide us with selective versions of the world, rather than direct access to it." This is freaky stuff- could this be the major definition of the new age of man- our tools aren't bronze but fiber optics and radiowaves- the invisible and indirect.

AHHH How much of the world have I been experiencing indirectly???

Tricksters: Reliably Unreliable

This whole classification of myths was new to me- and I really liked the way the text grouped the types. After seeing the presentations I was made eerily aware of some of the cosmic connections that have continued for thousands of years. The relationship of fathers and sons is interesting, and whether Norse or Greek there was drama. Our trickster group was able to find many modern examples- because let's face it- in this relative generation we are living in the trickster times. Not male divine, not female- trickster- at least in America. Where evil can be good and good evil- all is supposedly subjective and enlightened- but I think it is just another cycle with a title. Postmodern times are reliably unreliable, and it still seems slightly stale to even try and talk about this whole thing. I do think that tricksters are doing so well today perhaps because of years of suppression. Africans and American Indians have some of the strongest trickster characters, and their cultures were squelched until recently. To have the trickster be the creator or one person with long term vision is frightening to traditional western thinking. I think it is a mistake to always associate him with the devil, but see how people in power could think of "him" as a negative influence. Maybe he is confusion incarnate- the kind that makes you work things out for yourself. As discussed in the outline our group gave out- to define a trickster is pointless- but maybe that is the point. tricky.

Mythology Reflected

The text "Myth & Knowing" has an adaquate collection of world mythology with valuable introductions for each section. In addition to the trickster chapter I was assigned, I read the first section which outlines the purposes and definitions of mythology. My knowledge keeps getting brought back to Plato and his theories- this guy is everywhere and I can't get away from him! I most enjoyed the history of logos versus mythos. I like to think that logos are the events inspired by mythology that are based on true historical events, while the mythos relies on manmade discourse- like the archtypes and plot stories. tbc

The Amplified Gyre

The Amplified Gyre

People couldn’t do nothing. Even little Soozie,
Who prided herself on not going outside for the last ten years
Couldn’t even buy a pack of tampons from Drugstore.com,
And was forced to visit the local Walgreens.

Lowe’s customers were sorely disappointed
To discover their alabaster ceiling fans and planting soil
Would just have to wait,
Wait to be added to their consumer credit accounts.

JackyBoy1955 was forced to entertain himself,
Since only giraffes dressed as Hogwart’s students amused him.
So caped giraffes stood knee deep in grass, thinned out,
As the photographers painstakingly developed and mailed paper prints.

Pudgy fingers clumsily demolished compact disc jewel cases,
And the sound of plastic cracking was heard for miles.
Plastic paper cuts soon became,
The fourth leading cause of death in males ages 13-25.

Sk8rpurrsun and L.E.et.Smith were forced to split,
Their parents confused by the double suicide.
Newsfeeds felt lonely and empty,
And a nation of networking sought therapy.

Who would have thought,
What twenty four hours could wrought.
Man it was a doozy,
The day the internet died.

Whoopee Cushion

Whoopee Cushion

This here 99 cent toy
I can’t possibly enjoy
All I can think, am I vain?
Is how bleeding hands make it stained.

Every ornate stone placed was handmade
Blood and fingernails adorn,
Each wall of the themed bistro
Where you get your proteins filleted.

But do those cut hands enjoy,
Love and life and another day?
Are scraped bodies coming home
To feed hungry mouths and hearts?

For now, I should like to believe
That my one tenth of a tenth
Of a one tenth of a cent,
May be some type of international aid.

Because I’ll tell you what-
If I don’t, I shall surely go insane.
To think that children’s lives are staid
In a room where my stuff is made.

Exerciseee

"Flying Japan"



colours flapping

wings cutting

sneak over to that little island



little italy on the asian continent

instead of leather, fish skin

give a coin to bless you



burning eyes

temples fly

give a coin to bless you



eastern romance

infected soap dance

give a coin to bless you

Ever heard of Home Movies?

Human Position: Exploring Musée des Beaux Arts by W.H. Auden

Musée des Beaux Arts

About suffering they were never wrong,
The Old Masters; how well, they understood
Its human position; how it takes place
While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along;
How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting
For the miraculous birth, there always must be
Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating
On a pond at the edge of the wood:
They never forgot
That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course
Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot
Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse
Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.

In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away
Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may
Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone
As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green
Water; and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,
had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.


Human Position

Just as a mythology painting is more than a retelling of the legend, “Musée des Beaux Arts,” by W.H. Auden is more than a description of a work of art. Under close scrutiny the two stanza poem is more than a reflection on Pieter Brueghel’s painting, the “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” as seen by the poet in 1938 in a Brussels museum (“Musée Deux Beaux” 1). Throughout the twenty-one lines Auden captures a myriad of “human positions.” The main premise is the simple, yet heart aching, cyclical style of humanity to endure to the point of ignoring fantastic surrounding events and Auden captures the apathy of generations in his brief verses which are a written facsimile of a painting offering a similar observation.

Auden was great at describing the painting and its message so completely in so short a poem. The painting “Fall of Icarus” was inspired by the Greek myth of a boy with wax wings who fell from the sky after not listening to his father and flying too close to the sun, causing his unpredictable appendages to melt. The thought that Brueghel received from this tale was more than the simple lesson of obeying one’s parents. He saw the simple concept of how even a boy falling from the sky couldn’t get surrounding country folk and sailing ships to stop what they were doing and even notice this spectacular event. Looking at the painting the eye is first drawn to the red clothed farmer. Auden must have noticed this and he is described in the poem, “Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may,/ Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,/ but for him it was not an important failure.” He ends with a melancholy note after a caesura, “the expensive delicate ship that must have seen,/ Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,/ had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on” (Auden 92). How many times has humanity let something awful or even amazing happen, and go on as if it were nothing much at all?

Although the form occasionally rhymes it is not specific- the prosody is as natural as the thought trail of an observer at a museum. It is really beautiful the way the lines go through the mind of the painter or museum visitor- and then lead into sweeping reflections on the position of man. The poet contemplates the painting and immediately applies the scenes to relatable events, people young and old who are relatively satisfied with the status quo. Many scholars agree that the painting is signifying the capacity of mankind to ignore surrounding events. Biographer Fred Stern extrapolates that Auden, “is writing about the disregard of bystanders who turn their backs with unconcern when something tragic happens around them” (Stern). Perhaps an even more reaching interpretation is that of Hsuan Hsu, who believes,
“Musée des Beaux Arts” provides a despondent criticism of the way museums remove art... from its natural environment..... The museum-goer who sees a dozen paintings in a matter of minutes cannot truly be said to mourn for the subjects of these paintings; the best he can do is to be conscious of his neglect, to mourn the impossibility of mourning. (Hsu)
This is a contemporary and interesting take on the poem. To say that this poem single-handedly condemns most, if not all, modern museums seems a little extreme- but is definitely something to really think about.

The poem addresses different generations, classes, and even species of life. The first three lines pay homage to the wisdom of the “Old Masters”, capitalized on purpose to denote reputation. He writes “About suffering they were never wrong/…how well they understood” (Auden 92). When read aloud the whole opens up almost cheerily. The beginning mentions a human’s position, not human suffering. He compares the older generation waiting for a “miraculous birth” of a Messiah, or maybe the end of the world. They are contrasted with the youth who still had a lot of living left to do, “Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating/ On a pond at the edge of the wood” (Auden 92). The “it” was not only reference to some prophesized event, but to any upheaval that might interrupt their daily revelry. He even alludes to the beasts’ reluctance to heed change, “Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse/ scratches its innocent behind on a tree” (Auden 92). These lines are extraordinary in setting up the opposite effect of humanity’s blunder of not only ignoring the appalling, but also missing the miracles of this life. Each line has the power to present a vignette of life, capturing time and space within a small form, the epitome of poetry. Auden is a master and if the first line reflects his own feelings, he does understand suffering.

“Musée des Beaux Arts” is a great example of modern poetry using the past as inspiration for reflecting on current events. After the birth of Christ life had continued, and even after his crucifixion, the world went on. These events were turning points in history, but the people who lived during them were perhaps not as involved as their offspring were. This poet lived through from 1907-1973, and saw tremendous acts of violence and startling world changes throughout his life (Stern). These were times of tremendous changes and tragedies in the world, and since then the pace of progress and technology has expanded exponentially. How many people, throughout changes, have still remained the same, hardly observant of their own present time?



Works Cited

Auden, W.H., “Musée des Beaux Arts.” 100 Best-Loved Poems. Ed. Philip Smith. New
York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1995. 92. Print.

Brueghel, Pieter. Landscape with the Fall of Icarus. 1558 Musees royaux des Beaux-
Arts de Belgique, Brussels. WebMuseum Paris. Web. 9 Feb. 2010.

Hsu, Hsuan L. "Auden's MUSEE DES BEAUX ARTS." Explicator 57.3 (1999): 166.
MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 7 Feb. 2010.

“Musée des Beaux Arts by W.H. Auden.” Classic Poetry Pages. Lemon8 design &
development., 2003. Web. 9 Jan. 2010

Stern, Fred. “Auden’s Mirror: His World at 100.” World and I, 2007 General OneFile.
Web. 7 Feb. 2010.

Poetry Reflected

I just love that poetry is a little more ambiguous than text and therefore up to as large an interpretation as a work of art. I would say something like the narrative of Noah’s Ark comes through as clearly as the story in a novel. An abstract painting by Kandinsky has a few representational clues- like the houses and such- but like poetry is left to more interpretation. The simpler the medium the wider range of ideas? This is something I used to not believe. I remember a teacher saying the shorter a composition the harder the execution. She said a novel is easiest, then the short story, then a poem. I didn’t agree and thought length added to complexity- but I now see the point. But what about newer novels which seem to be almost all poetry?

I didn't see the war connection in March Violets until someone said it- and at first was embarrassed that I couldn't figure that out on my own. Then I remembered that if I am a teacher my students won't all think the same and the whole point of open discussion is to get out new ideas. However, I worry that talking too much about a work before anything is turned in can make it change a student's mind- or doubt their initial theory. That is why I liked how Wexler had us write something first before anyone talked about it.

In the readings the Yeats poems gave a strong sense of emotion and numerous images. I also liked the different in style between “When You Are Old” and “The Second Coming.”

When you are old and gray and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

compared to...

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold,
Mere anarchy is loose upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Lyrical Revision

After the class discussion I have some amends to make- but see that where I was going made sense. I did not think of war at all- but probably would have if I googled Ides of March. I didn't know the history dealt with more than Caesar's literary death date. I thought of the pairs in a romantic or different sense. Maybe just groups of people that are so arbitrarily connected that they have become inseparable?

After listening to the song I felt the war connection- but in a Vietnam way since the singer resembled Bob Dylan or other 60's folky anti war hipster. I really enjoyed listening the the music as it added another element to my understanding. Media literacy is definitely powerful and has the capacity to shape meaning- even to change it.

Also the song title sounds like March 'Violence'

Lyrical

March Violets

The refrain, "Can you tell them apart?" is repeated once after the first stanza, twice after the second and then changed at the end to, "Can you tear them apart?"

This is the hint that finally leads the audience to suspect that this is about pairs- of perhaps animalistic people who although together now are marching to their death.

Immediately I am feeling that this is written by a person with a religious background in the Judeo-Christian sense of the word. I see phrases like "vine", "coming in twos", "dust to dust/ ash to ash." These words lend a spiritual nature to the poem-- and I feel like there is cynicism involved.

I don't know but are violets a funeral flower? I know the Ides of March is a dismal day, Caesar's prophesied assassination and a future literary device.

This seems like a indictment of ... something. Other lines to suggest this are, "The later they come/ The higher they climb" and "The time is right/ And the night is long/ The night is brief/ And the time is wrong."

March Violets

Afterward I google imaged and found this at: www.suzybalesgarden.com/blog/?p=8

"In the days when they were in fashion, the correct way to sniff violets was part of the education of Victorian ladies. A deep inhalation was considered vulgar, and young ladies were taught to take a series of short dainty sniffs. Perhaps this was wise: violets contain ionone, a sort of odoriferous sledgehammer that when breathed deeply causes numbness. After one over enthusiastic inhalation, it may be impossible to smell anything else again until the numbness leaves a few moments later. Never the less, Shakespeare spoke of them only in positive terms: “Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting, the perfume and suppliant of a minute.”

Media Reflection: Warning! Dangerous in title only clip included

This is a clip from one of my favorite shows, Upright Citizens Brigade. This sketch comedy program would constantly use eccentric situations to highlight societal problems and hypocrisy at large. I think media in education is essential to connect with the modern student- but must incorporate the written word as well. I am excited to help students find out that literature is everywhere- and the better they know it, the more inside jokes they will get out of their current passions. Since I have read more I see the trends even in shows like 30 Rock and The Office.

There are several things going on in the clip. The female is in a dominant position- but since it is funny it could get students to think about how dumb it is to be in either position. The seemingly smart girl is asking a jock looking guy to help with her homework- something else to talk about. After several professors who successfully used power point and forms like youtube clips and website exploring, I have learned what I think works. I have had classes where we watch an entire movie and didn't ever even discuss the importance. If the entire movie was needed I would make students watch it on their own time- or offer it for borrowing if someone was interested.

I am very excited about the blog format- a senior class in high school could benefit from the trust and responsibility it requires. I think that either way media in education can serve to drastically enrich the curriculum.

Introduction

Hello friends- my name is Amanda Morehead so as you can imagine I have had a fun life full of name calling and happenstance.

I am an English Subject Matter Option student who is blessed to be graduating this semester- although I may be graduating in one of the worst years yet. I am on the path to teaching in secondary school- but I am also open to other careers that use communication and passion.

In my personal life I am passionate about service and hope that more people will seek out charities after experiencing being a part of Haiti relief. I am also curious as to why this particular tragedy is getting more media coverage than any recent one- say the tsunami that killed over 230,000 or Invisible Children of Uganda. Well, enough cynicism- I am excited to learn more this semester for my trade and life.