ctian

In this last blog post for Critical Thinking and Writing, I just wanted to reflect on all that I have learned in the past two quarters. Because of this class, I have not only become more confident in my writing but also my writing process.

To be honest, all throughout high school, I would proscatinate on papers leaving them literally to the day before. I never really learned or had any process to create papers and properly edit them. However, in this class, I was finally able to create a writing process that would lead to papers I felt more confident about. Even though I still procrastinated for this class, the rough draft that was due before every paper was a small step that let me start to explore my own writing process. In the beginning, when ‘shitty’ rough drafts were encouraged, it made it seem easier and more okay to just simply write. I soon learned to just put down my own thoughts rather than worrying about creating a polished product and as I started to do this, I found more ways to organize my thoughts in order to allow myself to just put down words for a simple rough draft. I eventually learned that I prefer to create a rough outline in order to set up a rough skeleton of my essay which helped me to let words flow more easily and in a way focus my thoughts more.

While this was not the only writing skill that I learned in this class, this was certainly one of the most important skills I learned that let me become more comfortable and excited to write papers.

In class, we have been discussing the book The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Just like the title says, the books follows along the life of Dominican boy, Oscar Wao, an overweight boy with a severe case of acne and crazy hair. Unlike him, his sister is very attractive while her mother also had great looks in her youth.

For Oscar, he is constantly chasing love and can never seem to catch a break. Because of his self consciousness over his looks, he is socially awkward and the only girl that gives him attention ends up back with her abusive ex-boyfriend. He is treated poorly byhis classmates and friends because he is a nerd.

 

 

Just like Oscar in a way, his mother let her looks affect her life. She let her looks get to her head and she used her looks to her own advantage. Her first boyfriend sold her out as soon as she became a border, her second boyfriend was a gangster, and her last partner ditched her when she got children.  She is overly trusting in men almost as if she is completely trusting in the Dominican stereotype of what a man should be.

However, Lola, Oscar’s sister, is completely different than Oscar and his mother. Lola uses her power as a woman to bend men to her desires which is shown in her relationship with Yunior in college. When Yunior mistreats her brother as a roommate, she stops talking to him for a while making him ask her out again later on. Compared to both Oscar and their mother, Lola almost seems as if she does not let stereotypes around one’s own body image define who she is and the types of experiences she has romantically.

This week in class, we talked about Satan. Satan is usually viewed as the source of evil, the snake that pushed man out of God’s grace, and the king of the underworld. He is the devil. However, in Milton’s books 1 and 2 of “Paradise Lost,” Satan is painted in a better light. Milton shows Satan as one who stands up to a dictator, God and is sent to hell for it. He is shown as bringing humans knowledge just like how Prometheus brought the humans fire. While Satan is no shining knight in armor or Superman, his depictions show him more as an antihero. However, in the end, when considering not just the context of Satan’s view in “Paradise Lost” but of everything, one remembers really how horrible Satan is.

Hearing about this story reminded me of a movie called the Watchmen. This movie is set in a dystopian society where costumed superheroes and vigilantes are looked down upon. It follows the journey of a costumed vigilante (SPOILERS WARNING), Rorschach, as he investigates the murder of a government agent. Eventually he reveals a plot in which a previous hero, Veidt, is planning on setting of multiple bombs and blaming it on a super powered human in order to bring humanity together. In the end, Rorschach is unable to stop the plot and is blown up by the super powered human. Veidt plans is successful and the world obtains world peace however the movie cuts away with the revealing of Rorschach’s journal ending up in the hands of a newspaper organization. I think this movie is interesting because in many ways, Rorschach is depicted as an anti hero and it always feels like the audience is cheering him on. 

However, just like Satan, despite Rorschach’s positive depiction, he does more damage to society than good. Veidt, the villain of the story, is working towards world peace and would have maintained it if not for Rorschach’s interference. When considered in the context of the whole society and not just the movie, Rorschach is no hero but just a deranged violent psychopath focused on getting what he perceives is justice.

While we always grew up with Superman and Wonder Woman, heroes who never did anything wrong and held the most perfect ideals, our society has always kept its love for antiheroes. This can be seen in movies like Deadpool, Nice Guys, or Star Wars with Han Solo. We seem to flock to these anti heroes despite all their moral flaws such as Deadpool. His childlike but also dark humor gives his audience a break from the normal, intense, do no evil comic book heroes. But why do we always love these anti heroes all the time?

This week in English, we discussed the anti hero role and how this is shown in the poem, Prometheus. As it goes in the Greek myth, Prometheus is a titan who defied the Gods by stealing fire for the humans, and was sentenced to eternal punishment. To the humans, Prometheus was a hero for bringing them such a valuable prize. However, to the authorities, the gods, Prometheus was hated and literally punished for eternity. Prometheus introduces this dynamic that there are heroes who exist in our world who are not gonna be perfect in every single way. This created the archetype of a hero who was not looked upon greatly by authority figures such as a god, but still did good for the people. It shows a hero that stuck out for humans despite what literal gods wanted, a hero that could be related to humans but not to a strict moral code.

Mad Max is certainly one of the best action movies made to date and one of the things that make it so amazing it is refusal to stick to typical action movie tropes. The movie is set up in an apocalyptic world with a ruling patriarchal society and Joe, the warlord and ruler, who chooses which women will bear his children. In class on Friday, we touched on many aspects of the film that show how it is a feminist film. For example, despite the white clothing and hose, the women in the film are not sexualized and their bodies are not shown off, and the action scenes in the film are smoother and provide more of a story which show teamwork in the women.

However, one thing that stood out to me that was never discussed much in class was the role of Furiosa and Max in the film. Despite all the typical action movie tropes of the man being the hero, and especially with the title of the film being “Mad Max”, one would expect Max to be the star of the movie. However, the filmmakers do not follow this trope at all. It seems more like Max is just a passenger on the wild ride of Furiosa’s journey. In the end it is Furiosa that kills Joe, she is the one that sacrifices herself and flirts with death, and she is the one that is cheered on at the Citadel for the death of Joe. Max is only the one who blends into the crowd at the end as he slips away.

In Arkady Martine’s article, “Star Wars’ Vice-Admirable Holdo and Our Expectations for Female Military Power,” she talks about how Holdo represents a new female mode of power that the Star Wars franchise because of how her character was developed. However, I disagree with the message that Holdo holds for feminism. Martine talks about how we perceive Holdo as a traitor because of how she appears and how we, the audience are conditioned as viewers to perceive people like this. Martine talks about how her slender dress, fancy hair, slim figure, all contribute to a femme fatale look. Poe voices Martine’s thoughts when he shows his disbelief over Admiral Holdo at their first encounter.

The audience are so used to these femme fatale figures going behind the backs of our heroes, such as Poe, in order to get what they want. However, in my opinion, it is for different reasons that we as the audience view Holdo as a traitor and it is not because of her femme fatale look, but rather it is because of how these plot points were revealed in order to set up shock value. While I do agree that Holdo may have that femme fatale look, we do not trust her as an audience because she had no reason to withhold plans from Poe. She literally stated to Poe that she knew his type and how he was the maverick who would go out and act rashly. However, if she truly believed that, she should have told Poe about the plan in order to make sure he knows what is going on rather than leaving him in the dark ensuring he will go out and take action. However, I do agree that Holdo is a strong female power in a film already filled with so many strong leading female characters. I just believe that her unexpected hero status was due to bad plot or directing rather than expectations from the audience.

 

Last Friday in class, we discussed the impact of feminism, or lack of, in the last elections for the President of United States. In her blog post, “Likable”, Sady Doyle makes the argument that we all should admire Hillary Clinton “[b]cause the fact that she’s dealt with [all the misogyny], and kept her shit together, is admirable.” However, while I do agree that Hillary Clinton is great for her ability to keep her cool in these types of situations, I think it is not necessarily a part of the political system that will go away, even if we solve misogynistic practices. Even people like Donald Trump still receive many offensive remarks like criticism over the size of his hands, his hair, or even his skin tone.

However, what made Hillary Clinton so much more admirable than Donald Trump was how she responded and presented herself in times of criticism. Clinton did not lash out in Twitter to insult others whenever it seemed like she was angry,  and she certainly did not address every single insult thrown at her in an attempt to boost her own ego. However sadly, she was not elected in the end. Personally, I disagree with Doyle’s last statement. While it would be nice for presidential candidates to “not have to climb over a barbed-wire fence of hatred in order to change the world,” I think it is a necessary part of the election to help train future presidents to be able to act properly under pressure. A president that holds his cool in an election, even when it seems like they have all the world against them, would be one that performs well under the pressures of everyday office work.

Just like Whedon, I was always uncomfortable with the feminist movement. To me, I always visualized an angry lady with crazy hair and glasses screaming that all men are pigs and that men deserve to be put down in society.

One thing that stood out to me from the Whedon video is how important it means to be a “feminist”. For hooks’, one of the major problems is how feminism is defined For Whedon, he looks at feminism through the significance of being called a feminist. Personally, I think of one of the biggest points he makes is how the “ist” part of feminist implies that a role to be taken. I agree with him on how it feels weird to be asked if you are a “feminist” because it should be an idea instilled into everyone, that all human beings are equal, rather than a role you have to take on. I wish that the movement could be described like Whedon wishes it to be, as an issue that we have moved past. Ultimately, I feel like the definition of a feminist for many people, how men and women should be treated equally, should not be a definition but rather a moral belief taught to children. I hope that children can be taught that they should treat each other equally and doing this should make them a good person, not just a “feminist”. I hope that just like Whedon, the word to describe these types of problems will be used as if it is a problem that we can start to put past us. Maybe I will start using genderist just like Whedon suggests.

It is so often that today, we describe those that are our models or who do amazing things as heroes. However, what is a hero? What makes a hero? To me, a hero is someone who works hard and genuinely towards their dreams and is able to stay true to their goals despite the obstacles and pressures that may come.

In my freshman year of highschool, I was just a scrawny little kid in the gym. I was always scared of the big upperclassmen and self conscious of how I looked, however Frank Ocean helped me grow. His relatable music allowed me to feel connected and understanding of his journey to where he is now. He inspired me through his persistence and resilience to create his own art in his own unique style through music. 

https://youtu.be/qjyv5gKMn84?t=21

The fourteenth song of the album, White Ferrari, which has slow, deep, sad, melodic tunes and lyrics of reminiscing into the past.

Frank is looking back into the experiences of his teenage years and realizes that despite all that has happened, he could not have known better. In this one line, he is showing that he is slowly moving on but still feels sadness over past events. It almost described exactly how I felt on the last day of high school looking back on all the memories I have made, sweet and sour, while recognizing that I was finally moving on to college. Frank Ocean pours his own emotions into his album. He describes these emotions so well that his listeners are able to connect and relate to it.

The music industry is one typically dominated by artists battling for that number one spot on the billboards. However, Frank Ocean was not like these artists and he struggled in finding his own definition of success.

 

Frank Ocean learned that “Winning a TV award doesn’t christen me successful.[…] Blonde sold a million plus without a label, that’s successful. I am young, black, gifted and independent.. that’s my tribute”(frankocean).

Frank Ocean persisted on his art and finally found his success in his own art, not some random TV award that was handed to him. He took the time to really create a piece of work that he would be able to be proud of,  not just some one hit wonder. However, through his journey, he even had to struggle to claim his own work.

Prince claims that “Record contracts are just like […] slavery”(Kreps) and advises many young artists against signing into one, something that Frank Ocean did. After the release of his first mixtape, Frank to Twitter to voice his frustrations against his record company. He insists that “[he].did. this. not ISLAND DEF JAM. that’s why you see no label logo on the artwork that [HE] DID. […] f**k Def Jam & any company that goes the length of signing a kid with dreams & talent w/ no intention of following through. fuck em. now back to [his] day. [He wants] some oatmeal and toast. brunch swag”(Hernandez) His switch from his frustrations about Def Jam to his dilemma on what breakfast to eat shows the resilience he has to focus on himself and what he loves doing whether it be his own music or his daily life. He won’t let big contracting companies such as Def Jam limit his artistic abilities.

 

References:

frankocean. “Blond.” Frank Ocean, n.d. http://frankocean.tumblr.com/post/149244794781. Web. 1 December 2017.

frankocean. “Ok Ken (and David). As much I hate…” Frank Ocean, n.d. http://frankocean.tumblr.com/post/157125310721/ok-ken-and-david-as-much-as-i-hate-to-make-you. Web. 2 December 2017.

Hernandez, Victoria. “Frank Ocean Released ‘Blonde’ Independently After Fulfilling Def Jam Contract With ‘Endless.’” HipHopDX, HipHopDX, 24 Aug. 2016.

Kreps, Daniel. “Prince Warns Young Artists: Record Contracts Are ‘Slavery’.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2015.

JetPackGuy. “Frank Ocean- White Ferrari (w/lyrics).” YouTube, 20 Sep. 2017. Web. 1 December 2017.

Sodomsky, Sam. “Frank Ocean Slams Grammys in Angry Tumblr Post.” Frank Ocean Slams Grammys in Angry Tumblr Post | Pitchfork, Condé Nast, 11 Feb. 2017.

In Netflix’s show, the Daredevil, the readers are introduced to Drew Goddard’s portrayal of the Marvel comic book character Daredevil. While traditionally, Daredevil is just your standard superhero, one of many throughout the Marvel universe with a very stereotypical background. He follows through all the typical tropes of the hero’s journey. His real name is Matt Murdock and he had a tragic background where he was blinded by radioactive substances after pushing a man to safety from a truck. He is then raised by his father who is eventually killed by a gang of gangsters. Matt is motivated by his father’s death to become the Daredevil, where he uses his heightened senses due to his blindness to avenge his father and eventually fight crime.

However, Drew Goddard brings a very dark twist to this classic Marvel superhero story. While Matt Murdock does go through the typical hero’s journey, it is not all revealed in one sequence. Goddard presents his journey in a way where the reader is not greeted with their typical happy go lucky hero story but rather a more gritty, brutal story of a man who struggles with his father’s death and the brutal aspects of what he has to do in order to protect people from crime. Goddard also does not flinch away from showing the more gory and darker aspects to the combat that is required from a person like the Daredevil. All these elements lead to a more darker portrayal of the Daredevil and may show the viewers the more darker side to becoming a superhero. With the rise of big superheroes lately in big films such as Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman, Goddard’s portrayal provides a stark contrast to these morally just protectors of civilizations from someone who did not have it all at the beginning or was not granted with the powers of a God. It shows the stories of a gritter, harsher reality.