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Essay III: Get Out

For my third critical analysis essay on horror, I chose the contemporary movie, Get Out, directed by Jordan Peele. Horror is a broad spectrum, and the most effective pieces of horror find their success in playing off the insecurities of their audience.  This movie was considered a huge hit in its genre, and has such a unique and captivating story.  Get Out uses race and cultural differences to uncover the social failings of a society and to entertain at the same time. Using references from literary studies on the uncanny, zombies, and much more, this essay is going to take a deeper look into the power of genre and the cultural significance of this movie.

The first connection I was able to make to the coursework when watching this film was the similarity between the Haitian Zombie, and the way that the Armitage’s were able to create their own zombie slaves, if you will, through hypnosis. David Inglis provides a great definition of the zombie in his chapter Putting the Undead to Work: “The fear that is embodied in the Haitian figure of the zombie is not the Euro American one of the dead returning to visit a cannibalistic holocaust on the living, but rather involves dread of the body snatcher –the zombie master- who takes the living body and destroys the soul within it, creating a living dead being who endlessly obeys his will” (p. 42).  I think the term “body snatcher” can be easily applied to the work that the Armitage family was doing.  A perfect example would be the opening scene where the son throws a black man in the trunk of his car, who shows back up later at the garden party, but this time he does not seem to have his soul.  Following the same type of mentality as the witch doctor from White Zombie, the Armitage family is making slaves out of people, through hypnosis and surgery instead of magic, and selling them off as their own labor force.  

Another connection I made after watching the movie was the sunken place (Chris’ hypnotized state) and the subconscious, to Freud’s ideas on the uncanny.  Freud gives an insightful explanation on the relationship between human consciousness and the uncanny: “If this really is the secret nature of the uncanny, we can understand why German usage allows the familiar to switch to its opposite, the uncanny, for this uncanny element is actually nothing new or strange, but something that was long familiar to the psyche and was estranged from it only through being repressed” (pg. 148). Exploiting Chris’ subconscious by bringing up the topic of his mother’s death, she is able to repress the part of his brain that makes him Chris.  After the initial hypnosis, she almost has complete control over him with her teacup. We see throughout the film that these people with someone else in their mind controlling their body and consciousness are brought to the surface when exposed to a camera flash.  Meaning there is some hope for these people that have been turned, but we also see that the man taken over by the grandfather kills himself as soon as he is freed from the distressing situation of living his life as a spectator.

The term used to describe these people once they’ve been hypnotized is the “sunken place.”  Once put in this trance, Chris finds his existence to be as the passenger of his own life, he screams and struggles and gets no result or reaction from the people around him.  The sunken place is meant to represent the oppression of the system, and how minorities find themselves trapped, screaming as hard as they can without being able to get any sort of communication across.  Peele was trying to make a statement about the underrepresentation of black people in the horror genre, and how he was upset with the stereotype of them always being the first ones to die off.  Thinking about the film in that light, Peele really turns the tables around, by not only having the black protagonist survive, but having to murder his way out of the house to freedom.  

To bring this all back to the discussion of cultural significance, Get Out, tells a story of racism to a group of people that think racism is no longer a problem.  So what is it that makes this movie so powerful and such a good medium for a message that a nation desperately needs to hear?  Author Colin Dickey sheds some light on what separates good hauntings and horror from the sheep: “A paranormal event without a story is tenuous, fragile.  What makes it “real,” at least in a sense, is the story, the tale that grounds the event. The sense of the uncanny, of something not-quite-right, of things ever-so-slightly off, cries out for an explanation” (pg. 5).  Dickey explains to us that to deliver a message, especially to todays disconnected population, you have to ground the idea your trying to communicate with something that seems more interesting or entertaining to the masses.  Once you have captured their attention you are able to point out the reality and truth to them, the truth that they refuse to see by looking around.  Even genres of horror like the ghost hunters start off by establishing the history of the buildings they go through, as well as the tragic pasts of the ghosts they are trying to provoke.

Peele does an excellent job in Get Out of building suspense.  By creating those not-quite-right situations, as Dickey put it, he was able to use a realistic character.  Most horror films feature protagonists who are incredibly oblivious and don’t have the sense to pick up the phone and call the cops, or to get in the car and drive away. What is so brilliant about the suspense build up in Get Out, is that nothing too out of the ordinary happens that would make a rational person leave a girl he’s been dating for months, until its too late.

So what dose this movie say about our current situation as a nation? Looking at the bonus features on the film there was a Q&A panel with Jordan Peele and someone asked him about his favorite scene in the movie.  Peele responded, saying that he enjoyed the insecurities revealed in the garden party: “When you have older white people trying to connect with a younger black man the insecurities come out in a weird way.”  Watching the movie, you find out that the whole purpose of the garden party was for these people to evaluate the possibility of buying Chris at the auction, which only adds another theatrical layer to the racist situation on display. Every time Chris meets with a potential buyer they let out some awkward piece of conversation as their way of trying to connect with someone with racial and cultural differences.  All the other black people on the question panel agreed that this scene had a lot of truth behind it, and said that they do have to suffer through situations like this regularly

One of the biggest eye openers for me when I watched this movie is the character Rose.  She is a powerful persuader and a master of lies, and to me, she reveals the most about our culture’s divide when she tries to talk down Chris as a way to prove to him she and her family are not racist.  Rose will go on little tangents with Chris as her audience about her family having black servants, the way he was treated by a cop, or how her family and friends are just “so white.”  Hearing her overcompensate as a way to try and come off as sincere reminded me of the same thing I see on social media every day.  White people will see a video of police brutality on twitter and quote it with some witty caption and think that they have just made peace with the whole black community.  The way they go into great lengths online about civil rights and social responsibility reminded me of the same empty way that Rose would overcompensate so that her cover wouldn’t be blown.  I know that these people’s words are hallow because I spend time with them in real life and know for a fact that they are not actually doing anything to change the current situation, or to give up the privilege they’ve been born with.  

Overall, this movie is a great tribute to its genre and does a great job reflecting national anxieties and problematic attitudes.  Watching this movie again after in class discussions about zombies and Haitian culture, I was able to notice a lot of parallels between Get Out and movies like White Zombie.  A lot of the ideas and theories presented in Freud’s The Uncanny, are revealed in this film.  Peele does a great job of building suspense in this movie while delivering a powerful message at the same time, and I would recommend this movie to any fan of Horror.

Work Cited

“Putting the Undead to Work” David Inglis

“The Uncanny” Sigmund Freud

“Ghostland” Collin Dickey

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Blog Post 15: Feaks

After the in class viewing of Freaks, as well as the discussion of effects the movie had on the people of that time, I feel like I have learned a lot about the cultural anxieties surrounding physical abnormalities and the historical development of horror.  Browning had the idea to use real people with no costumes, make up, or special effects to play on the insecurities of the nation at the time. By choosing the setting of a circus with polarizing differences in its population, he was able to present his argument on a smaller scale to get his message across.  The conflict presented in the film goes further to show a sense of justice and hope for the “freaks”, reaching out to the audience watching. The disabled majority shows a foundation of unity and friendship towards each other and when their relationship is tested they come back at their oppressors to seek out justice.  I think the situation Browning creates also serves as a type of warning to the people of that time that had a demeaning mindset towards these people who thought they could take advantage of their imperfections. But I think this can also be seen as hypocritical when you consider that many of the “freaks” acting were barely paid anything for their efforts.  The fact that this movie was not only effective in scaring the nation, but that it was banned from Hollywood and theaters tells us that the audience was disturbed and scared to another level, which in a way makes this one of the most successful films of its time for hitting its mark.  On the other hand, you could say that it’s true message fell short, but it was definitely effective in scaring the masses.  

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Blog Post 14: Good Morning

“Intro to the Black Arts” by Richard Cavendish opens up a whole new perspective to the idea of magic and the possibilities/potential of people with focus and concentration.  His writing has a lot to do with the power held by those who can find a balance between the different forces that occupy this world, learning to accept and control the good forces with the bad.  Some of the points he makes in reference to dark or violent based magic are scary to think about.  Much of being a magician has to do with an internal balance.  This makes sense to me thinking about it compared to the movies and depictions of wizards that I grew up on.  But instead of an internal balance it was usually represented as two different figures, one standing for good, and the other for bad, caught in an eternal struggle against each other.

Much of what has gone into magic has to do with religion.  These early magicians and witches were given the same religious foundation that everyone else was, and instead of blindly following it, they questioned what they were given and took matters into their own hands so to speak. “Because he is a miniature of the universe, by a process of spiritual expansion, a man can mystically extend his own being to cover the entire world and subject it to his will.  The complete man, who has experienced and mastered all things, has vanquished Nature and mounted higher that the heavens.  He has reached the center where man becomes God.” (Cavendish).  If you were to put the occult into a community, I would say one attribute that sets them apart would be their self awareness and confidence that they hold in their own abilities.  With all the pressures and consequences of practicing magic throughout history, including death and torture, these people have shown a strong sense of will and perseverance.  

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Essay II: Zombies

For the second essay I have chosen to take a deeper, critical look into the origins of the modern day Zombie.  This essay will dive into the problematic representations and misconceptions generated around the culture of Haiti, and the religion of Vodou.  By utilizing the work of Cory Rushton, Christopher Moreman, and David Inglis, I hope to shed some light on the racist connotations given to the zombie in western pop culture, and provide some insight to the origins of this fetishized anomaly, by focusing on the power of defense mechanisms, and the seemingly universal human practice of normalization.

           Where did the zombie come from?  When western slave trade was at an all time high and shiploads of people were being transported between various continents, the island of Haiti was turned into a hub of sorts, which became a crucial landmark concerning the transportation of slaves.  People from all over Africa, with all kinds of different cultural backgrounds, were taken to this island against their will, where the religion of Christianity was ultimately forced upon them.  This unwanted conversion and relocation did not sit well with these people, for obvious reasons, and as a way to maintain some sense of their identity and spirit, these people created the religion of Vodou.  A mixture of various spiritualties, and beliefs combined in one religion to give some sort of explanation and comfort to their current situation.  So much background and drastically different ethnicity was grouped into this faith, made up of people whose only common ground was the fact that they were wrongly stolen from their homeland and subject to terrible cruelty.  Because of Vodou’s nature, coming from so many different backgrounds, and a people that had no way of officially recording their practices and beliefs.  It was subject to lots of criticism and misconception from the start, because if you were not taking part in the ceremonies and rituals yourself, you might not know what to think.  This to me, so many people coming together to maintain their identity against sick people with bad intentions, is the purest form of the defense mechanism.

           One of the practices central to the belief system of Vodou was the celebration of the dead.  The only way to describe what was happening to their people was to classify them as a “walking dead”.  People whose spirits had been broken, but still walked, and worked in the field for the white people who had put a spell on them in order to reap the benefits of their labor, and the suppression of their minds.  David Inglis touches on this in his chapter Putting the Undead to Work; “The dread of the body snatcher – the zombie master – who takes the living body and destroys the soul within it, creating a living dead being who endlessly obeys his will.” (p. 41)  The Haitians did not feel any need to kill zombies by the drove, or keep a healthy distance from them in fear of being converted, as opposed to modern media and video games.  Instead they felt it was their responsibility to take care of these people and provide nourishment.  

           The bond created amongst these people was so strong and hard to describe, that it actually led to a successful revolution against their captors.  Which brings us to the analysis of the defense mechanisms used by the western society responsible for their captivity and oppression.  I feel that the continual need of white people, of both past and present, to misrepresent and distort the cultural significance of Vodou, with racist connotations, and wrongful exploitation of the spinoff Voodoo, is another form of a defense mechanism.  Cory Rushton and Christopher Moreman do a great job providing examples of this in their essay Race, Colonialism, and the Evolution of the “Zombie”; “Whatever the truth which lies behind the legend of the Caribbean zombie, it is worth remembering that this legend has been reimagined in the west at least twice: once in the early twentieth century, where films like White Zombie summoned the zombie in the service of various Caucasian fears and racisms, and a second time when the resulting North American construction was further modified by George Romero in the classic Night of the Living Dead and its first sequel Dawn of the Dead” (p. 2).  It is interesting to me after watching White Zombie that this film furthered the fears and racisms of North American Caucasians.  I feel like this film painted a relatively realistic picture of their situation.  Showing the slavery aspect, and inhumane treatment of these people, in the correct context, and the actual meaning of the zombie.  The zombies came across as people who had lost their soul and were loyal to the “body snatcher”.  What I did find problematic in this film was the comical representation of the Vodou religion, and the sinister connotations portrayed in the powers held by the character Murder.  But in reference to the way the zombie was represented, I think White Zombie stayed true to its roots more or less.  In Rushton and Moreman’s second example concerning George Romero’s films, I think they hit the nail on the head.  The zombie is all of a sudden turned into a cannibalistic and infectious monster who terrorizes and destroys.

           On a little side note, one of my favorite video games is called COD Nazi Zombies, and I think, aside from being a very fun game, the makers did a complete role reversal and a whole new take on the zombie. The slaveholders in the Caribbean created the zombie through their captivation and overwhelming subjugation. The situation that these African slaves were in is directly comparable to what the Nazis did to the Jews during the Holocaust with their demoralizing work camps.  I think this video game has to do with role reversal because the Nazis are the infected ones being shot at by a group of people coming from different backgrounds, with the common goal of survival.

           Overall, the history of Haiti and religion of Vodou is a mysterious one with lots of media and a dark past.  There is something to be said for the people of Haiti for staying true to their beliefs and overcoming the hardships they still face today.

Moreman, Christopher M. Race, Oppression and the Zombie: Essays on Cross-Cultural Appropriations of the Caribbean Tradition. McFarland, 2011.

 Putting the Undead to Work - David Inglis

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Blog Post 13

For this blog post I chose to examine the chapter “Magic and Ritual.”  I think Adler makes a strong argument against the widespread discrediting of the credibility and relevance of magic.  “’The art and science of causing changes to occur in conformity with will’ In fact, almost all definitions of magic seem to use the word in connection with ‘will’, ‘concentration’, and ‘attention.’”  This is a valid point and may be one of the reasons that magic is not recognized on the scale she believes it should.  This, combined with the fact that most of the content written on magic is nonsense according to her, is an interesting thought.  If it is true that magic exists and has the potential and power she says it does, people may just not know because they are simply not open to the idea of it. If half of magic is concentrating on the magic, and having the patience to enhance your five senses to their full potential in order to connect with the natural energy of your surroundings, it is very possible that the majority of people just don’t have the persistence to see the truth.  And by following that line of thought, it would mean that anyone who mentally questions magic or paranormal activity is not going to see or experience any proof that would change their mind.

On the other hand, I think Adler completely dismantles her argument by comparing magic to psychedelic drugs and introducing this quote: “While paranormal events are extremely difficult to chart, or to repeat under laboratory conditions, much recent research has shown that the chances these events will occur increase dramatically during altered states of consciousness – in dreams, hypnosis, drugged states, sensory deprivation, deep meditation and highly emotional experiences.”  Um what are you talking about? You just built your entire case on the basis that a natural energy is the foundation of magic, and comparing magic to something like the physical intuition of Australian aborigines.  What is natural about being drugged? The content of dreams? Being under hypnosis? Sensory deprivation?  Sure when I’m black out drunk it will feel like the room is spinning around me.  Yeah when I drop acid I’m going to see some pretty crazy stuff, and hear some unusual noises.  And when I’m sleeping who knows what the heck I’ll dream about. I would not classify a single one of those experiences as magic.  Those are easily explained chemical reactions going on in my brain, my body reacting to very UNnatural substances/circumstances.  But who knows, maybe I just lack concentration and have a closed mind to these types of things.

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Blog Post 8: The Count

The origins and drastic over exaggeration of the myth surrounding vampires is an interesting story/ development to say the least.  The theory that all of this lore and fascination comes from the superstition and illogical beliefs related to the sick and diseased back in the day makes a lot of sense.  “In reality, anorexia, weight loss, and refusal of food are common among pellagrins. The dermatological consequences of pellagra persuasively suggest a relationship with vampire folklore.  Just as vampires must avoid sunlight to maintain their strength and keep from decay, pellagrins are hypersensitive to sunlight.”  These attributes associated with being a vampire are the same as what we see blown out of proportion in films like Nosferatu.  The same characteristics that made people scared and suspicious in the 16th century get people uncomfortable today through films and pop culture.  

The fact that these unfortunate sick people were discriminated against and the victims of widespread misconception is a disturbing thought.  Its crazy to me that so much culture and captivation was created over the need for people to make sense of the differences around them in such a harmful way.  What I mean by that is these people wove an intricate myth in order to simplify and rationalize medical occurrences, and the results were quite harmful at the time, and made a very long lasting and unusual cultural phenomenon.

The funniest thing about this article is the bit about vampires counting seeds: “The legendary motive for using seeds was that vampires would be inclined to count them and would therefore neglect to find new victims.”  Reading this instantly reminded me of The Count from Sesame Street, whose screen time involves him just counting stuff in his cape with his Transylvanian accent.

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Essay 1: Detroit vs Everybody

Joseph Kukawka

Dr. Battista

Things That Go Bump in the Night

March 28, 2018

 I chose to further analyze the Among the Ruins chapter of Ghostland.   Growing up about forty-five minutes outside the city of Detroit, it is a place I have visited a thousand times that holds a special place in my heart, and I want to set the record straight.  I strongly agree with the points that Dickey makes, and even thought this chapter was previously referred to as boring, I found it the most insightful piece from the book.  In reference to Newitz’s, The Undead, I think this chapter has much to do with racial dispositions, along with the negative effects of western culture.

One question presented in class that has been lingering in my mind is “Why do ghost stories revolve around crime and punishment?” This has been a common theme throughout the history of horror, something uncanny, or not from this world, punishing mortals for their egotistical and selfish actions.  Dickey does a great job addressing this in Ghostland, “Detroit has become our nation’s favorite morality tale: a series of ineffectual mayors, bad public policy, and servitude to unions have all allowed a popular conception that Detroit ‘deserves’ its fate” (Dickey, 257).  I pulled this quote because it deeply bothers me that a nation could have this opinion, and be so quick to forget all these people have done for the growth, mobilization, and industrialization of the U.S.  It almost seems like you could compare our national culture to that of a child with a short attention span for its toys.  Reap the benefits of the Motor city, throw it in the corner to be forgotten. Reap the benefits of a generation going to war for you, throw them in the corner of an asylum to be forgotten. Reap the benefits of the land and culture of the Native Americans, throw them on a reservation to be forgotten.

The point I’m trying to make is that the country seemingly gave up on the city of Detroit.  I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures of the underfunded city crumbling under it’s own weight.  At what point is it the nation’s responsibility to lend a helping hand when poverty, crime, and corruption infiltrate the life of a major city?  In New York million dollar investigations are launched in response to the playboys on Wall Street.  In Miami military support was provided to control crime during their cocaine epidemic. But when mayors like Kwame Kilpatrick are caught embezzling money, with no regard for the well being of the city, they throw him in jail and move on.  Could the government have stepped in to raise real-estate value, replace the lost jobs, or provide better education quality after seeing the condition he left the city in? Sure.

“When racial difference cannot be talked about in a narrative – or is willfully ignored – one way it gets covertly described is as a difference between “dead” and “living” cultures, or more fantastically in the difference between dead bodies and animates ones… This racist logic of progress holds that the people of color are frozen in time” (Newitz, 89). It is no secret that the majority of Detroit’s population is black, and that the city is rich with culture like the race riots of the 1960’s, and influential artists like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, or the Supremes.  It is easy to compare a city like Detroit to Denver and say one has a dead culture as opposed to a living one.  In almost every conversation I overhear concerning Detroit I hear these exact comparisons. Oh this is a failing city.  They will never regain their former glory.  There is nothing for anyone in Detroit.  The truth is Detroit is no different from any other major city.  If you were to go to the heart of Downtown Detroit you would see the same activity and quality of life that you would see in a city like Denver, Boston, or Cleveland. And just like if you were to go to the outskirts of any of those cities, you would find crime, but for some reason people like to exaggerate and romanticize the conditions of Detroit.

           One of the strongest points Dickey makes in his chapter on Detroit is the terrible truth of ruin porn. This is a topic of conflict for me because I really do enjoy the architecture and layout of Detroit, and I think these photographers take amazing photos.  On the other hand, I hate the effects these pictures have on the city, and the attitudes they generate in people who have never even been to Michigan.  “In the past few years the subgenre of ruin porn has exploded; coffee table books that depict Detroit’s abandoned spaces in lush, stunning photography have become a reliable industry…. Detroit is captured in its faded glory and displayed, like an anatomized corpse on a dissecting table, for the rest of us to gaze upon with awe and delighted terror” (258).

The phrase used by Newitz “frozen in time” perfectly captures the effect of these pictures.  It is one thing to have spent time in that area and gawk at a picture of a building you recognize from a drive.  It is another thing entirely to look at these pictures as if they are ancient Roman ruins, left behind by a people from the past that are no longer relevant.  I know that building burnt down, I also know that there is a fully operational school across the street with an entire community of people with real lives.  

           In this sense, the haunting of Detroit has very much so delayed their progress as a people and as a city.  It is understandable for these people to blame their troubles on the “Red Dwarf”, as a way to relieve some of their hardships in the form of an annual parade. If the city of Detroit is truly haunted, there is much to be said for the power and effects a haunted space can hold. Despite the problematic history that consumes Detroit, it is a fantastic city that I recommend to add to your list of future destinations.  

 References

           Newitz, Annalee. “The Undead: A Haunted Whiteness.” Pretend We’re Dead: Capitalist Monsters in American Pop Culture. Duke: 2006.

           Dickey, Colin. Ghostland: an American History in Haunted Places. Penguin Books, 2017.

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Blog Post 6: A Haunted Space

I chose to visit the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel on Quebec and Martin Luther King Blvd.  This hotel has been a popular property since the 1960’s, and because of it’s location, sees a lot of weird activity.  About 5 months before I started working there, an 18yearold boy accidentally died from an overdose from unknown pharmaceuticals in room 665.  I am writing this post from inside the room, and it feels really weird knowing what happened here.  When his father came back to the room and found the body, it was devastating for the whole hotel.  Instead of exploiting the news and seeking profits like some dark tourism destinations, being a business oriented establishment, the staff felt it was better to keep things quiet out of respect for the family involved.

I didn’t take any pictures of the room because a lot of changes have been made, and there is no remaining physical evidence of what happened.  In fact, after the word spread through the other departments the housekeeping staff refused to clean the room until a priest came to the hotel and had to bless the whole hallway.  But even that wasn’t enough, as the room ended up being renovated, with new furniture and everything.  Is it a coincidence that this tragic event happened in a space connected by a door to room 666? Since I have started working there, I have had several guests come back to the desk, hours or days into their stay, insisting on moving out of room 666 because “something just doesn’t feel right. I have never considered myself superstitious, but after visiting this room I have a different understanding for what those guests were trying to tell me, I have gained a greater appreciation for what a “haunted space” means, and what remains after you try to cover up the past by means of architecture.

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Blog Post 5: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Foucault gives an insightful history of the intensions and operations of the insane asylum.  I think that the thought process and the exercises practiced in asylums are a reflection of the uncanny.  People trying to suppress and “cure” the unknown, and what they don’t understand.  Many of these institutions were immensely understaffed and underfunded at their birth, and the people who did work them were often underqualified meatballs with a superiority complex.  

“Now the asylum must represent the great continuity of social morality.  The values of family and work, all the acknowledged virtues, now reign in the asylum” (Foucault, 257).

When I watch or read content involving asylums, it always makes me sick to see the way people are treated as less than human.  They have no say in their actions, how they spend their time, how medicated they should be, etc.  I pulled this quote because I think it serves as a good representation of the train of thought used in this era.  Phillipe Pinel and Samuel Tuke go about treating these people in a very western way. One focuses on the imposing of religion, a practice known all over America throughout its history.  And the other tries to install “normal” family values and virtues.  What the heck do either of these things have to do with mental health?  Anyone can swing a hammer, lay a brick, and say a prayer, but what does this have to do with helping their mental cognition and self confidence? You can’t just lump a whole spectrum of problems into one absolute solution.  

Coming full circle back to the uncanny, it could be said that these people are free spirits who weren’t conformed to wearing a mask in order to fit in with society.  They showed a different side of their consciousness that was perceived as unnatural, and as a consequence, they were physically detained and treated as prisoners.

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Blog Post #3: Catch Em and Kill Em

The original Amityville Horror was very much a product of its time, making the reboot seem a little artificial and wishy washy.  Historically, horror movies have had a way of progressing over time, and mirroring cultural values as a way of satisfying a need for people across the nation.  It’s the unnatural and unique attractiveness that brings people into the theaters, like a loving family man turned psycho killer, a cannibal genius, or someone who can kill you in your dreams.  But it’s the way that horror appeals to the freaky side in people that makes it so revealing and insightful in respect to the cultural atmosphere of the country.  

In reference to Freud’s theory of the uncanny, Amityville Horror does a great job of utilizing the concept of a haunted space.  The film wastes no time shifting the mood of the family from a lovely little picture perfect domesticated American unit, to a group of strangers who become unfamiliar with how to coexist, and ultimately overwhelmed by fear.  

George goes insane listening to the voices in the house, and is easily the biggest contributor the the breakdown of the household he “oversees” making for an interesting play on the idea of the nuclear family.  Although he is not an alcoholic, he seems to share many characteristics of a violent drunk.  He physically isolates himself from his family and becomes prone to snapping at his loved ones in unexpected outbursts.  What does this say about what people associated with western families in the 70’s?  Maybe it is a reflection on the seemingly unescapable bond that women back then used to correlate with marriage.  Where no one would get divorced out of the fear they had of their partner, and how society would look at them as an outcast.  Over and over again in the film you see the wife trying to normalize her situation, and take on a passive role, when George turns cruel towards her children.

Overall, I think this film deserves credit for appealing to the uncanny, and making a statement about western norms.  However, I think they did a poor job on replicating the setting of the 70’s, meaning that if they didn’t blatantly throw calendar dates across the screen, you could have easily mistaken the timeline for a different era.

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Crake & Oryx

I am a big fan of a good dystopian society/post apocalyptic story.  What makes Oryx & Crake so special and unique compared to the others I have encountered is the way that Atwood has the power to make the reader incredibly uncomfortable, and the way that she jumps between storylines and characters.  I really like the way that Atwood separates the the social classes and living quarters so seriously, and how she hints at the danger of scientific development.  Specifically, through genetic engineering.  But if we were to step back and take the technological aspect out of the equation, we would see a more realistic and threatening truth that she is trying to relay: human nature, and the fact that history repeats itself.  The distinction between the compound and the pleeblands is put on such a dramatic scale. It personally reminds me of medieval times when the poor died in their dirt and disease, while the wealthy lived longer and better lives.  This distinction could obviously and easily be compared to society today.

“Crake had worked for years on the purring. Once he’d discovered that the cat family purred at the same frequency as the ultra sound used on bone fractures and skin lesions and were thus equipped with their own self -healing mechanism, he’d turned himself inside out in the attempt to install that feature… There’d been quite a few botched experiments, as Snowman recalled. One of the trial batch of kids had manifested a tendency to sprout long whiskers and scramble up the curtains; a couple of the others had vocal-expression impediments; one of them had been limited to nouns, verbs, and roaring.” (92) I chose this quote because I think it is a good example of Crake going to far, and casts him as an evil scientist.  Again, Atwood is warning us of the dangers and reasoning behind scientific development. Sure, our living conditions are better than those of the 1700’s, but if we keep up at this rate what are the costs? Human testing and “botched experiments” all for the sake of some desirable features?  This novel does a great job of putting our actions into perspective, and hinting that these unnatural modifications could ultimately bring us to our own end.  

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Blog post 9

After finishing Prodigal Summer, it is safe to say that Kingsolver was writing with an agenda. Kingsolver is an activist in the feminist movement and this book is a great example.  Furthermore, after reading Batista’s take on the novel we can take an even deeper look into what she is trying to communicate, and through the quotes that she provides, that Kingsolver walks the walk as well as talking the talk.

           I think the biggest theme that I noticed was one of maternity, or fertility if you will.  In the beginning of the novel the women of each storyline are placed in a role that gives meaning to the term “mother nature”.  And as the plot progresses and the characters develop we see them taking on maternal roles in a more literal sense.  In Deanna’s case, she cares for the earth and is so well informed and independent in her ways that she is literally able to create her own job. She is thrown a little off track by a tale of seduction, which leads to her becoming a future mother, involving her in a whole new world of nurturing that she will have to adapt to.  Nannie, tends to the land in her own way, outspoken, opinionated, and fierce.  Towards the end when she reconnects with Deanna, we get the feeling that she is taking on a new role and getting past the feeling some mothers get when they have an empty nest.

           Lusa, is personally my favorite storyline, and where I get the most authentic Kingsolver feeling.  I think she uses Lusa’s character to emphasize the dualities to another level. The fact that she is able to not just get by, but be proactive in her use of her newly acquired farm.  She does not back down from her inclinations, and disregards the advice of her husband’s friends and family.  As she grows and adapts to her new environment, she is open to adopting her niece and nephew.  I see Lusa’s maternal role as much nurturing compared to Deanna’s.  It takes a lot more to care for children that are not your own.

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good morning

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ricdy33P3c

I gathered two main points from the “How Grammatical Choice Shapes Media Representation of Climate (Un)Certainty” article.  First, the main message they hit over my head with 19 pages, is that the specific words we use to describe climate change reflects directly on our culture.  By this I mean the way mass media continually questions climate change has a lot to do with the percentage of our population that thinks of global warming as a “hoax”.  This theory they propose is very comparable to the message in Merchant’s article.  The main difference is that their argument has a more precise focus on climate change.  Second, they make the point to compare media releases from the US to those of Spain, to emphasize that in the U.S. there is an even bigger level of uncertain mass media consumers as a result of our grammatical choice.

 In the video I have attached, there is absolutely no mention of climate change or nature.  I chose it because I think it serves as a great representation of what our “news” has become, and to reflect on the motives behind the people who put out the grammatical choices we read.  In the video we see that modern papers, social media accounts, news stations, and radios are more concerned about views and ratings than they are about telling the truth and providing credible stories. The competitive market of America is so wildly fueled, it creates more confusion, and questions the findings of the IPCC to a higher degree than that of say, Spain.  In the findings of the “How Grammatical Choice” article, they show that over time, the news presented in the American papers were more and more critical of scientific predictions, statements, etc.  This, along with new factors like President Trump in open denial of global warming, has the people of our country confused about a very simple principle: cause and effect.  Human activity on the planet earth being the cause, and climate change being the effect.

 That all being said, I do not think it is wrong for the news to question scientific findings.  I think you (a least a little bit) should question every piece of information given to you.  The people behind mass media have every right to question the findings of those scientists and I encourage them to present both sides of the argument. As consumers it is our job to process what we are handed, and say “no duh, this is the real deal. Our president is whack!”.

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Kingsolver is a cool last name

“It is important to recognize the normative import of descriptive statements about nature. Contemporary philosophers of language have critically reassessed the earlier positivist distinction between the ‘is’ of science and the ‘ought’ of society….(a lil jump down the page) By examining changes in descriptions of nature, we can then perceive something of the changes in cultural values.” (Merchant p12)

 I thought that this quote provides a great lens through which we can analyze Ms. Barbara’s novel.  I think we all picked up on the fact that in Kingsolver’s book, she brings out a whole new way of describing nature, it seems to paint a picture in our minds and even take on its own personality in the novel.  In reference to Merchant’s quote, when she says that someone’s description of nature can shed light on their cultural values, I think this is apparent in the novel on several levels.  First, we are given a look into Kingsolver’s world as a writer, the standard of pride she holds herself to when it comes to her home state and familiar land, and nature as a whole.  Also, with the way she writes, we are able to interpret more about the characters and what it might be like to live in Kentucky during a particularly hot summer. The realistic, and down to earth dialogue that she uses is also a big factor in relaying her message.  Similar to the effective use of dialect and realistic style of Mark Twain with his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Another reason I like this quote and find it appropriate is because I think Barbara does a great job of playing off of what “is” and “ought” to be in society/science in Prodigal Summer.  A great example from the book would be the way she broke down and threw out the structure of the “nuclear family”.  Not only did she throw it away, she seemed to reverse a lot of roles (as in gender dualisms!), to show us that no family is perfect, and that these roles that our society assigns us really don’t mean anything unless we buy into them and give them meaning.  In the three storylines we are given, we see the left over pieces of broken families.  But, instead of some girls with broken spirits saying woe is me, we are presented with empowered women who stand their ground and speak their mind.  And if we take a closer look, we can see that each of these women have much more control over the men in their life than those men probably want/are willing to admit.  Instead of Lusa being a devastated widow, she rises to the challenges life throws at her after her tragic loss.  You could say that Deanna was seduced by Eddie the hunter, or you could say that she used him to satisfy a need and fill up some space in her lonely life.

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Blog Post #4 - This week on The Blame Game; please welcome Lynn White Jr

I think Lynn White jr is super right when he says that the religion of Christianity/Judaism have very anthropocentric views.  I think he is also right when he says that religion, especially one as vast and influential as Christianity, has the power to persuade and impact the opinion of our ancestors.  BUT to say our current state of affairs when it comes to science and technology, is the fault of the Christian way is a reeeeach, you hear me Lynn? You’re reaching.  If anything the presence of Christians in the middle east and Europe during the dark ages slowed the progression of science and technology.  During those days, men and women of science were often killed when they brought something new to the table, a lot of times they were called witches and dies horrible deaths.  This was because the people in power were afraid of change, and back then church and state were rarely separated.

           If we look at the main contributors (people with an anthropocentric view) in the world right now, one of the biggest polluters via technology and science are our friends in Asia.  With all the rapid and almost uncontrollable growth in the population of countries like China, Japan, and Korea there is a whole lot of smog in the air as well as other factors, partially responsible for climate change and stuff.  Now, I’m not playing the blame game here, the US does not deserve a gold star by any means. All I’m trying to say is that, historically, Christian missionaries have been persecuted throughout Asia, and in China the Christian population is about 2.3%.  Yet! They still seem to have an anthropocentric way of doing things without having the Christian influence that other places in the world have.  Curious.  So, Mr. White, I think you’re wrong to pin this one on the Jews and the Catholics. I think men will be men, and that is the sole reason for our ecologic crisis.

           I stopped reading Edward’s little piece 5 pages in because I grew bored of him.  But it sounds like he is hating on tourists and the tourism industry when it comes to exploiting nature.  Pish posh, sure the majority of tourists are idiots, but those tourists bring in revenue, and that revenue protects those parks from turning into casinos and apartment complexes. That is all.  

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Collard Greens By ScHoolboy Q

Yeah, yeah, yeah Uh uh, yo yaOh (oh) luxury Chidi-ching-ching could buy anything, cop that Oh (oh) collard greens Three degrees low, make it hot for me, drop that Oh (oh) down with the shit King shit, smoke this, get down with the shit, aye Oh (oh) down with the shit This, that, pop this down with the shitSmoke this, drink this Straight to my liver Watch this, no tick Yeah, I’m the nigga Gang rap, X-mas Smoke, shots out the liver Faded, Vegas Might sponsor the killer, shit Shake it, break it Hot hot for the winter Drop it, cop it Eyes locked on your inner object Rock it, blast-blast, new beginnings Lovely, pinky how not I remember fiending, Gimme, gimme, gimme some Freak the freckles off your face Frenchy, freaking, swapping tongue Click my link and spread your buns Loose your denim, make it numb Blow it baby, no Saddam Icky, icky, icky uh Fucking in the car service Thank me for the car pool Chromosome, part full Prolly off a Norco And gas, not the Arco Popping since the intro You shopping from the window Play my favorite tempoOh (oh) luxury Chidi-ching-ching could buy anything, cop that Oh (oh) collard greens Three degrees low, make it hot for me, drop that Oh (oh) down with the shit King shit, smoke this, get down with the shit, aye Oh (oh) down with the shit This, that, pop this down with the shitHold up, biatch! This your favorite song Translation, Ven aqui Mami, asi culo Tu quiero coger mi huevos Y papi molestes pero Chuparse puto pendejo El pinche cabron, let's get it Nights like this I'mma knight like this Sword in my hand, I fight like this I am more than a man, I'm a God Bitch, touche, en garde Toupée drop and her two tits pop Out of that tank top and bra And when I say "Doo doo doo doo!" Bitch, that be K. Dot She want some more of this I give her more of this, I owe her this In fact, I know she miss the way I floored this, I'm forgis I know my Houston partners drop a four on this, and focus And slow it down (down) Alright let me blow this bitch I'm famous, I blame this, on you Cash in the mirror Hang in my penthouse roof Skyline the clearest Watch it, your optics Popping out, you look the weirdest Pop my top on the 1-0-5 Head with no power steering, ah!Oh (oh) luxury Chidi-ching-ching could buy anything, cop that Oh (oh) collard greens Three degrees low, make it hot for me, drop that Oh (oh) down with the shit King shit, smoke this, get down with the shit, aye Oh (oh) down with the shit This, that, pop this down with the shitBummy nigga famous, straight from the bottom Broke niggas hate it, still never robbed 'em Guns in the basement, out they have a problem Kush be my fragrance, we love marijuana Function on fire, burn the roof off this motherfucker Psych ward is ballin', dope craze like no other Weed steady blowing, pass the blunt to my Mama Runs in the family, puff-puff keep a nigga fiendin' uh Faded faded faded right Shot glass super size, she gon' get some dick tonight Meet me at the W, and no its not the westside Stick it up ya south side (Icky icky icky ooh) Baller futuristic, groovy gangsta with an attitude What these niggas make a year, I spend that on my daughter shoes Smoking weed and drinking, all the college students loving Q We gon' turn it out until the neighbors wanna party tooOh (oh) luxury Chidi-ching-ching could buy anything, cop that Oh (oh) collard greens Three degrees low, make it hot for me, drop that Oh (oh) down with the shit King shit, smoke this, get down with the shit, aye Oh (oh) down with the shit This, that, pop this down with the shit aye (oh)

See above the lyrics to one of the greatest artists to ever pick up a pen.  Although just the words alone don’t do this piece justice I think It is a great example for our little prompt today.  Schoolboy Q is in my top 5 favorite musicians (dead or alive) and I think the thing that stands out to me the most about his music is the perspective he gives and how he is able to paint a picture of his world so well.  For those of you who are not familiar with Quincy, before he started his music career he had led a very crazy and reckless life, filled with violence and gang activity.  This, compared to the catholic education and suburbs I grew up in is foreign to me, and even though I have never been in most of the situations that he describes for us, I feel that he represents his past and the things he did with an accurate yet satirical lens.  By this I mean his intention is not to glorify or promote what he sings about, on the contrary (I believe) he wants to raise awareness and educate white boys like me.  That being said, the fact that he can get this kind of message across AND create timeless music simultaneously makes him one of the greats.  

For the sake of this song, Quincy uses the word green for the sole purpose of describing money and weed, or the spoils of his success.  I know this is probably not the direction you expected us take when you assigned a”green” reading, but I can’t turn back now. 

To tie this back to our class discussion on the first day “What is your relationship with nature”.  Can we talk about this?  How big of an impact do you think nature had on Quincy growing up dirt poor in the slums of LA?  This is why I want to stress the importance of perspective that he provides in his songs again.  Instead of his parents taking him to a national park and going on a hike, his uncle was offering him joints at the age of 10.  Instead of going to school and learning about how to recycle and about the impact we have on our planet, he was skipping class and looking up to gang members who used the pavement as their trash can for broken bottles and plastic bags.  So being raised in this sort of environment had him fantasizing of having more money than he knew what to do with, and enough drugs to keep him and his friends high for life.  So of course, when he got those things, he's did what he does best and sang about it (and I am so glad he did).

So, to answer your question Doctor, I find his use of the word problematic only because I feel bad for Quincy along with all the other people that grew up in a similar environment.  People that value money and drugs over trees and water.  I don't see Q using his music to sell any other product other than himself.  I do however, as you can probably tell, think that this song offers another way to relate to the environment.

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Thoreau thoreau thoreau thoreau

Ah, this reading, so much to take in, lots of good stuff, where do I start?  The first thought I had was that this reminded me a lot of a book I had to read in high school about a very dramatic college kid who hit the road to Alaska and died in the wilderness.  The book is formally referred to as Into the Wild, and when you take a deeper look you find that he runs away from his friends, family, and education because he doesn’t feel at home in this world anymore.  He doesn't believe in all the consumption and waste that comes along with being a human.  Which is all good and fine to take a break once in a while to clear your head with some fresh air and a pretty view, just like Thoreau does in this reading, or how Bill McKibben likes to sit in a national park when he writes about nature and stuff.  However, when I’m reading this, along with the posts from my classmates, I can’t help but think that its all a little much.  We can all say “nature is great” and “stop consuming so much” and “clean up the oceans” but how many of you people that I see outside of class acting like a fool, actually do anything about it?  It just seems a little hypocritical, so let me use this time to say that industry is good for the human race, mass production is good for the human race, and if we took Thoreau’s advice and “lived deliberately” like a bunch of cavemen, chances are we wouldn't have some of the things that we love so much today, like modern medicine, indoor plumbing, the MacBook I’m writing on, or the private University I’m writing to.