uwrt-1102-portfolio-blog

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Introduction

To look at all the artifacts are a conglomerate than to look at each as individuals writings allows a look into how different styles and genres of writings associate with one another. A common connection between each article could also lead to a deeper understanding of how each influences the other without directly acknowledging the existence of other pieces. One of the main functions of exploring the art of writing is to evolve our own writing styles and and comprehension of how to interact with the world. I believe that the articles I’ve chosen have best demonstrated this notion of connection and comprehension.

For my final portfolio I have chosen the following assignments/artifacts to best represent my writing career during these past few months. The primary features of this portfolio consist of four major assignments all concerned with exploring what is American identity. The other two artifacts incorporated delve into my expression and identity as a person outside of being an American by exploring my future and looking at a personal post I made when many individuals were in a time of need.

My intention is for this portfolio is to create an overarching narrative of the average college kid’s exploration into their writing journey. There are ups and downs and many consistencies between writing pieces but it is my hope that once all of the artifacts are read and interpreted as they may, the audience by which they are intended for will be entertained and informed by not only the material provided in the artifacts themselves but by the journey I have experienced this semester.

Enjoy!

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Reflection of the Facebook Post

The most dissimilar artifact incorporated into this portfolio analyzing my growth as a writer would be the inclusion of a facebook post I made many months ago. At the time of the post many students at my old high-school were shaken to the core when they heard about how one of their fellow classmates, and individual I had spent time with and learned with, had committed a horrible crime but was given a generous bail and made it. The purpose of the post was to (hopefully) inspire people to not wallow forever in their dismay over their lack of faith in the judicial system and to move on with their lives, to not give any more attention to the student that what he was already given. There was no academic necessity for me to craft this declaration; I posted it by my own volition and free will to speak to a number of individuals who were affected. My identity as an American is shown little through these few characters but more my individual identity as a caregiver and highly empathetic personality that sees to nurture all that I can. This piece does not focus on expressing any thesis or claim but is simply a matter of free expression in a time where art needed to be shared.

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Reflection of The Whole Life Concept Part 1

Differentiating from the majority of the other artifacts listed below, the Whole Life Concept Part 1 was a memo assigned by the engineering college that allowed me to write out my 5, 10, and 15 year plan on where I see myself in the future based upon my passion knowledge and application of the skills I will learn in the next four years here. Alike the first major assignment in which I had to analyze myself and how I fit into my definition of American culture, the Whole Life Concept Part 1 required me to not only look into myself and analyze the passions I held for engineering and theatre but it also asked me to hypothesize where my future will take me based upon the knowledge I intend to gain. Not so much was this a reflection upon my standing as an American but it allowed me to explore my identity as an innovative and creative mind early on in the semester. Perhaps it is through looking at myself as an intellectual and imaginative person at this point in the semester that I was able to surpass my own established expectations of myself when it came to writing personal and academic writings later in for more intensive classes. Such is the case for the success I had writing the major assignment number two, probably. Beginning to reprogram my train of thoughts to fit into an optimistic mindset that saw nothing but prosperity in my future allowed me to continue on through mental roadblocks that I believed would hinder my performance in writing for any of my courses. This was also my first venture into more technical writing and writing without implying any “fluff”in my pieces in order to substitute quality for length.

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Reflection of Major Assignment #4

By far the most tedious and stressful essay written in the university writing program was the major assignment number four where I had to connect the information from the sources culminated in the major assignment number three. The sources I found related to the evolution of portrayal of American families in popular television sitcoms. Nitpicking through ten different sources to find information and evidence to uphold my claim and hypothesis proved to be more strenuous that intended as I have not been accustomed to searching through so many long articles and artifacts to prove a claim. In the previous major assignments I relied on either prior knowledge or my own biases in order to pen an essay that discussed American identity in an easy to follow flow of information. In other classes the information was either previously given to me or the data I had to discover was numerical and did not need any background information to prove it’s certitude. This artifact is the anticlimax of my portfolio as it displays the lows of my writing history here during the university writing program. The flow I was trying to establish between the American family you saw on tv and the ones that lived their real lives did not come across as intended and by my perception it was clunky and each paragraph did not transition into the next train of thoughts with ease. This is perhaps due to the fact that I found almost too much information and the articles I found sometimes contradicted each other and provided me with information that overlapped and didn’t precisely match the research I was doing. Out of all of the artifacts and the writings I have done this semester, this one will stick out as a learning experience and a model of my low points so that I may look back on the mistakes I have made and used them to my advantage and how to grow as a writer in the coming years.

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Reflection of Major Assignment #3

The most research heavy artifact featured in this portfolio also caused majoriry of the stress and headache involved with pulling together this portfolio. Although it was the most simple of all of the artifacts, I merely had to find a collection of sources and annotate them to fit a research question I had in mind, finding the exact facts or anything related to the topic I endeavoured to find more information about was a task in it of itself. I was unable to find one of the source types through searching for the catalog and of the information I found not all of the critical points were featured in the following major assignment. Whilst I felt the information I did eventually find was great and was intriguing to wander upon. Similarly to how I researched the background information for the second major assignment my perception of the American identity and how it is portrayed for the general masses was altered before, during, and after I discovered the evolution of portrayals of families in american sitcoms. Before writing this text I knew that there was a linear progression of how different characters and situations were presented on television for entertainment purposes but through this analysis and annotated bibliography I wanted to learn the how and the why. Although those questions were not answered in full I walked away from this article having greater knowledge concerning the production of television shows. The technical writing aspect of this article fit well with the other technical skills I was establishing in my STEM related courses such as chemistry and engineering. Not many essay writing skills needed to be employed when articulating my findings because of the fact that I needed to only summarize the information I found in each source and how it connects or contradicts my research question. For that consideration, this was one of the easiest articles to write.

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Reflection of Major Assignment #2

Of all of the artifacts from spring semester featured in this portfolio, I know for certain that I am the most proud of this essay analysing the evidence of American Identity in the 2016 movie “War Dogs” and how it contributed to American culture. For analysis I elected to watch the film and look at the manner in which the visual elements and plot devices were culminated together to convey the story of David and Efraim. In being a film buff this was not only one of the more intriguing essays to write but it also provided me with the best room for improvement as I was writing about something I was relatively passionate about. This level of interest in an essay provided me with the best viewpoint to examine how I have interpreted American identity in relationship to the first essay for this course and how I am as a technical writer. At this point in the semester I had worked on other types of writings and was accustomed to taking a more concise and exact approach to interpreting data and facts yet I feel as though the flow of this piece was much better than any of the other artifacts listed. Prior to writing this essay I had background knowledge of not only the premise of the film but also the general thoughts of what people considered American. Through mastering knowledge of these two concepts I was able to tie in both and look at how the film went about displaying this tropes of American life. During my analysis I began to really see how American identity is portrayed in media and I appreciated how it was released to the general public. At the end of this piece I saw how American identity can be interpreted and displayed in a wide variety of forms.

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Reflection of Major Assignment #1

In looking back at my writing for the first major assignment in the university writing program I can clearly tell where my strong suits and where my faults are. I can also see how I have developed as a writer towards both ends of the spectrum, both growing and losing skill whilst writing for certain classes. As this was my first major writing pieces across all of my courses this was the basis for my general writing style. While I was working on this piece I knew I wanted to grab the reader by including an expert from a political document to boost my claim about my American Identity. The research process for this piece involved a lot of introspection into how I defined American identity and how I felt I connected within my definition. At the beginning of this piece I did not believe in a general overlapping definition to describe a whole nation of individual people but I could recognize  common traits expressed by the masses. This belief also lead to my analysis of the movie “War Dogs” for my second major assignment and pioneered my initial concept for the third and fourth major assignment. In analyzing the technical skills I acquired or strengthened over the process of contributing to this major assignment  I can say that I did not develop as strongly as I have in other respects due to other courses instilling the need to take a more technical and less analytical look at information. Such is the case for my engineering class and the effect can be seen in my “Whole Life Concept” presented in this portfolio. For this having been my first major piece of writing for the course of spring semester I am overall pleased with the effort and dedication I invested in this essay.

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Personal Writing Artifact

This was a post I made to Facebook concerning how one of the kids from my high-school had a run in with the law and many kids I knew were shaken by the sudden news.

I know a lot of us are shaken by the news of Dom's charges and his bail being decreased, but the most important thing to do right now is to not focus on the situation at hand. Don't allow him to garner anymore attention than he's already received. I know it's going to be hard for those of you still attending GHHS, but what's best to do at the point in the scenario is to continue on in daily activities. Take care of each other but don't stop. Don't stop playing hard. Don't stop making your art. Don't stop learning and growing. I empathize with your anger and distress (I spent a whole semester with him, I bonded with him, I acted with him, I smiled and I cried with him) but there's nothing we ourself can do about the situation as it currently stands. The best we can do right now is not allow his actions to define the rest of our time.

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Whole Life Concept for Engineering 1201

TO:         XLIX Management Team FROM:  Cecilia Moore DATE:    February 24, 2017 RE:          Whole Life Concept Project - Part 1

Introduction

The Whole Life Concept Project is intended to help us, the engineering XLIX interns, to think about the big picture. Engineers today need to not only be proficient in mathematics and science but they must be excellent problem solvers as well. In working through the Whole Life Concept Project the engineering XLIX team will learn and apply the areas of the Whole Life Concept Model (passion, knowledge, application, and impact) to their professional lives. In this part of the Whole Life Concept Project, the engineering student interns will be expected to create an education plan and professional career path based upon this assignment. This part of the assignment includes defining our expectations for the future.

Passion

My passion in life is to inspire others and induce them to feel a range of emotions, whether it is through developing new theme park attractions or designing intricate film sets. I have been passionate about the culture surrounding theme parks, especially Walt Disney World, since I was a little girl visiting the park every other year; it wasn’t until these past few years that my appreciation for film has become a passion of mine. I entered high-school knowing that I would one day become an Imagineer for the WDW parks but it wasn’t until I joined my high-school theatre program that my interest in productions (film and theatre alike) was generated.

If it were not for my grandparents taking me on vacations down to Florida to visit the Walt Disney World theme parks I would have definitely not have been inspired to make a career out of my passion for Disney. Working in technical aspects of theatre for three years in high-school, and taking many acting classes, the guidance of my director has helped me understand my passion for theatrical arts.

Through choosing a different path to explore professionally the experiences I have and the values and strengths I have gained, I differ apart from my other workmates. Not many individuals take interest in engineering and theatre, especially not on a level where they want to make a profession out of it.

Goals and Impact

Through my passion for Disney, theatre, and inspiring goodness in others I intend to follow my goal of becoming an Imagineer and working on set pieces for big budget films. In the three years following my graduation I will have moved across the country to California to where the Disney company is located in hopes to find an engineering internship through the company. Whilst living in California I will also be keeping an eye out for upcoming films that are in need of complex sets that need to be designed. Within five years I aim to achieve a part-time position with the Disney company and to be a member of a team of special effects engineering for a blockbuster film. Within ten years of graduation I will have secured a full-time position with Walt Disney Imagineering as well as having my name billed in the credits scene for a cinematic film, hopefully working with a director such as Christopher Nolan.

When discussing the possibilities of me landing a job for a film that incorporates a lot of intricate pieces, the current political climate may affect the topics of which movies are made about, thus limiting the jobs positions available. The opposite can be said for my aspirations to work for Disney as the company is known for always expanding. Recently there was a new Disney location built in China and as it is likely that Disney Shenghai is not the last of the Disney parks, and certainly not the last to need to be updated, there is always constant need for new innovations and perspectives to be added.

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Major Assignment #4

For as long as there have been television shows there have been the character families of the generations portrayed by their real life counterparts. From “Leave it to Beaver” and “Cheers” to “Modern Family” and “Two and a Half Men” there has not been a lone character pioneering the helm of a cast. Rather it is the role of the ensemble to work together as a family to portray their family of characters of the small screen. It is by these characters that many at home families partake in laughter and grand old times whilst circled around their at home sets. But just how similar are these two families - the lives of the fictional in contention to the lives of the real? Are the comedic lives of the Bundys from “Married With Children” and the Hecks from “The Middle” a reflection of what the typical life is for the standard American family? I believe that the evolution of the American family portrayed on television shows, especially sitcoms, is proportional to the changing ideologies held by the typical American family living outside of television. Through research about the side by side comparison of the two American families, the ones depicted on the at home tube versus the real life american families watching those shows, I will endeavour to uphold my thesis by analyzing the ways that American identity has shifted and correlated to the ways the American families have altered on television.

To first compare and contrast the difference in American families on sitcoms and acclaimed dramas it is first crucial to understand the general beliefs and morals interwoven into programs of their respected era. Naturally everything in life progresses whether it is through choice of by natural habits. In the early days of television sitcoms shows such as “My Three Sons”, “The Andy Griffith Show”, “The Brady Bunch”, “The Donna Reed Show”, and “Leave it to Beaver” dominated the airways and time slots. Whilst all sitcoms listed vary greatly in plot and premise the underlying themes and tropes written into each episode remain relatively unchanged when it is broken down into deep analysis. Upon first inspection of the family units that upheld the shows they’re all so eclectic and individualized to fit the meaning of the sitcom. In one series a widowed father is charged with raising three boyish children with the help of his father-in-law whereas another was all about the merging of two households to double the size of their new family and all the adventures that took place thereafter. The young childish life of a boy and his family doesn’t seem to mesh well at first glance with the other shows listed but there is more in common between these shows than there isn’t. All of the families depicted in sitcoms in the 60s were all members of a nuclear family (originally) and were all white. The head of the households were undeniably pioneered by the father figure as the mother was usually shown participating in chores or upholding the cleanliness of the household whilst being the primary caregiver for her children. Shows such as “The Donna Reed Show” and “The Andy Griffith Show” have an aura of utopia and perfection closely associated with its series and thus onto the characters themselves. There were no at home problems to face, all of the problems existed beyond the four walls of the home.

At this point in American history there existed a growing civil unrest between the African American communities and their white counterparts. It comes of ill shock to think that primetime television would not portray the happy lives of black America and rather focus on an idealistic portrayal of an American family that abides to their head figures and is white. Apart from the racial unrest existing outside the limits of television the depiction of women does not stray too far from the lives they lived inside their homes. In the era of the 60s only 11% of women were regarded as the breadwinners for their family units, in contrast to the approximate 40% in 2013. It does not take a distinct to eye to comprehend the notion that the lives of families on the television did coexist in a parallel manner as majority of American families did in the early years that television programming came out. The lack of programming that depicted any lifestyle beyond that of the heteronormative white family upholds the theory that both variations of american families are proportional to one another.

Flash forward a couple of decades into the 1980s and the television sitcom has altered itself in such a way that the good hearted liveliness of the nuclear family in the 60’s is not lost per say but depicted in a much more realistic way in conjecture how the standard American family lived their lives.Stepping out from taking place primarily in the home, the big television shows of the 80s were “The Cosby Show”, “Cheers”, “Full House”, “The Golden Girls”, and “Family Ties”. Similar to the shows of earlier decades the iconic 80s sitcoms primarily focused on a nuclear family household, even in shows like “Full House” where the father figure of the show was widowed and relied on his brothers to help raise his children. Though a motherly figure is not present in the show the concept of a family unit being lead by a patriarch is still present. One main difference separating the families of the 60’s from those of the 80’s is that in the 80’s families extended beyond the reasoning of blood relatives and the families of 80’s entertainment television consisted of close friends that would always be present to offer a helping hand or to give out a word of advice. Programming in the 80’s was also more diverse as one of the most iconic shows of the time was “The Cosby Show”, a featurette following the lives of a black family in America. “The Golden Girls” also cast light on a less thought of demographic - the elderly in America. In spite of the vast differences distinguishing each sitcom from the next in the 80’s all shows are connected by simple tropes of American identity. Across all programs marriage was still depicted as a holy vow and the ultimate end game for many of the characters in the show. The overall tone of the 80’s sitcoms maintained the happy go-lucky ambiance of it’s predecessors by refraining from addressing overbearing topics, unless there was some cultural relevance to what was being discussed in an episode.

In stark contrast to the civil unrest of the 1960’s, the 1980’s saw an enormous boom in culture. Many pioneers of film and music alike have their beginnings in the 80’s. Nearly everything in modern pop culture could be traced back to their origins in the 80’s. To suggest that the 80’s were an era defining time for the United States would be nothing less than an understatement. Apart from analyzing the global pop culture impact the political sphere of the United States of America shaped the nation for years to come. Reaganomics and the dissipation of the Cold War were the highlight of the executive branch during the 80’s, yet the less talked about drug epidemic of the 80’s was swept under the administration as well as television producers that hardly addressed the hot topic issue. In contrasting the two eras, the 60’s and the 80’s, the earlier decade had an overbearing theme of reform and protest to the current climate of America whereas the later saw a boost in individualism where the theory of “every man for himself” was exemplified. In noticing the inverse relationship of personal and familial growth between the decades it become a bit peculiar that the series of shows aired during both decades uphold similar values and maintained idealistic, “fairy-tale-esque” situations though the reality beyond the tube was not as in such a great need to escape a tumultuous environment. Perhaps the success of earlier programming lead producers to not mend what wasn’t broken. However as the era of big hair and eye catching colours morphed into the laid back denim and crimped hair the onset a stark change from the idealistic television family to the dysfunctional unit that would later influence series of the modern age.

The 1990’s saw the fall of shows that honored the nuclear family and the rise of dysfunctional or single individuals that worked with people beyond their immediate family. With the rise of series such as “F.R.I.E.N.D.S”, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air”, “Married...With Children”, “The Simpson”, “Fraiser”, “Home Improvement”, and “Seinfeld” out was the concept of the nuclear family and the period of a group of grown individuals working and living together with a work centered goal, such are the premises of shows such as “F.R.I.E.N.D.S” and “Seinfeld”. Yet as comedy surrounding the dysfunctional dynamics of friends and grown adults began to set in also arose sitcoms that saw their plot centered around family units similar to those of the 60’s and 80’s though not portrayed as idealistic. For example, the series “Married...With Children” followed the lives of a nuclear family (a father, Al Bundy, married to his wife, Peggy, and their children, Kelly and Bud) that could be called the antithesis in conjecture to family sitcoms of earlier decades as the family depicted hardly worked well and each character was a parody of their stereotypes, ex. The father was extremely misogynistic. Excluding the teen hit “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” the diversity levels of this 90’s was low and once again saw iconic television shows helmed by an all white cast, though women gained traction and were a primary reason for the long lasting impact of some television shows. A major modification to the television sitcom formula was the absence of marital status between many of the characters in hit shows.

Life in real life America settled down in the 90’s and saw the stabilization of many families and the rise of the nuclear family in real life was a very real epidemic. Moving out of the Reagan era of politics American culture became more liberal and open minded in the manner of which it treated its foreign allies and its people domestically. Along with seemingly abandoning the conservative Reagan era of life other civil rights issues a new period of civil rights emerged such as the emerging  LGBT community fighting for their equal representation in society. Oddly enough, alike the 80’s, none of these major topics found their way weaseled into plot lines of major shows. Occasionally a joke would be cast in the direction of different communities but never was a gay character the lead character of any television show in the 90’s or in the preceding decades. Not until the modern day series would relative representation of individuals from a wide variety of communities be explored with new series and characters introduced.

As we move from the past and into the current future the true exploration of diversity and realistic characters and families are broadcasted across all of the major networks. Anywhere you go it’s hard to ignore the comments about ABC’s “Modern Family” or “Balck-ish”. CBS’s “Mom” and “Two and a Half Men” delve into topics of substance abuse and living as a single parent in a more in depth fascination with the dynamic, rather than “Full House”. The shows of the late 2000’s seem to finally catch up with the demographic of the American identity portrayed through families, but there is still much to build upon as none of the shows listed fully express the true American demographic existing in the country.

Bibliography

Angier, Natalie. "The Changing American Family." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 09 May 2017. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/health/families.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

Bentacourt, Manuel. "Family Sitcoms in 2015 Don't Accurately Reflect the American Family." Mic. Mic Network Inc., 02 Nov. 2015. Web. 09 May 2017. <https://mic.com/articles/127656/family-tv-shows-in-2015-dont-reflect-american-family#.eDk5JBuqR>.

Berkshire, Cynthia LittletonGeoff. "20 of TV’s All-American Families." 20 of TV’s All-American Families. Variety, 03 July 2015. Web. 09 May 2017. <http://variety.com/gallery/all-american-family-tv-shows/>.

Butt, Anaam. "The Evolution Of TV Families Over the Past 50 Years." Mic. Mic Network Inc., 25 Oct. 2015. Web. 09 May 2017. <https://mic.com/articles/65301/the-evolution-of-tv-families-over-the-past-50-years#.pyt0A0Lw0>.

France, Lisa Respers. "The evolution of the TV family." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Sept. 2010. Web. 09 May 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/01/families.on.tv/>.

Garis, Mary Grace. "Evolution Of The Television Sitcom, From Studying 1980 To Predicting 2020." Bustle. Bustle, 09 Feb. 2015. Web. 09 May 2017.<https://www.bustle.com/articles/63052-evolution-of-the-television-sitcom-from-studying-1980-to-predicting-2020>

"The Evolution Of TV Families." Odyssey. Odyssey, 23 Feb. 2016. Web. 09 May 2017. <https://www.theodysseyonline.com/evolution-televisions-representation-families>.

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Major Assignment #3

Research question: How has the changing image of the american family displayed on television impacted American identity? Significance: I love tv and majority of americans have their few favourite shows that they sit down and watch. Often times children are impacted by what they see on television and representation is very important to some groups. The audience should care about what they’re seeing because what is represented on television is supposed to resemble what American life is like. Prior knowledge: The standard nuclear family represented in the early years of television was always white, lead by two heterosexual parents, and usually there was one sun and one daughter. However in contrast, there are many different types of families showcased on television nowadays. From “Shameless” to “Modern Family” to “Black-ish”, the image of the American family is being changed every season. Research goals: I intend to find a clear evolution of how tv shows from the early decades (40’s-60’s) have evolved into more modern tv shows (90’s-2010’s) and to identify if there was any direct impact by the changes. Hypothesis: I believe that I will find a clear correlation between the change in the American family and what is displayed on network television as well as finding a strong public reaction, whether it is in agreement or disagreement with what is being shown. I believe that the more modern the show, the more positive regard it will receive.

Annotated Bibliography:

Disclaimer: I was unable to find any peer reviewed articles that had any information about the topic I was researching, no matter how many times I refined my search keywords. I apologize greatly.

Angier, Natalie. "The Changing American Family." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Nov. 2013. Web. 09 May 2017. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/26/health/families.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>.

Perhaps the most reputable article on here comes from a piece the New York Times concerning the changing demographics of the American family. While this article does not directly relate to television or any form of media, it’s a great source to use to relate the changing demographics presented on sitcoms in correlation to how the real american family was changing with the times. The article is a full in depth look, with graphs and pictures to represent to the more visual learners, of how the American family has changed and why. Of course the author and contributors mentioned in the article are authentic as this article is hosted by one of the most well-known, well-respected news outlets in America. I may not take direct facts from this article, once again because it does not fully fit into my research question, but I will definitely pull some facts and figures to draw comparisons to Americans depicted on the tube to how they act in real life scenarios.

Bentacourt, Manuel. "Family Sitcoms in 2015 Don't Accurately Reflect the American Family." Mic. Mic Network Inc., 02 Nov. 2015. Web. 09 May 2017. <https://mic.com/articles/127656/family-tv-shows-in-2015-dont-reflect-american-family#.eDk5JBuqR>. This article opposes the themes of the previous sources as the article discusses how american families in sitcoms do not represent what an authentic american family is. From the same parent website that featured the article from the “social media fellow”, but the authors have contrasting opinions concerning the same topic. This article mentions the same tv shows in the previous article so this is a great article to use as an opposition claim to my research question. The author has a PHD and in a New York times best seller on everything pop culture related. The article also features a collection of graphs that could be used to prove my point.

Berkshire, Cynthia LittletonGeoff. "20 of TV’s All-American Families." 20 of TV’s All-American Families. Variety, 03 July 2015. Web. 09 May 2017. <http://variety.com/gallery/all-american-family-tv-shows/>. This website is a culmination of the “tv’s top 20 all-american families” as shown in a picture slideshow. The list goes on to describe why each family is the depiction of the american family through the decades in which the show ran. Unlike the previous articles listed this website focuses primarily on american families and how they relate and glorify what the American family was at the time of airing. The article was posted on the website Variety, which is an American magazine company that remains relatively unbiased. I thoroughly enjoyed this article and saw it as one of the most useful articles I found as it directly discusses “americanism” through the all-american family.

Butt, Anaam. "The Evolution Of TV Families Over the Past 50 Years." Mic. Mic Network Inc., 25 Oct. 2015. Web. 09 May 2017. <https://mic.com/articles/65301/the-evolution-of-tv-families-over-the-past-50-years#.pyt0A0Lw0>. This article delves into how television shows have changed over the course of fifty years. Unlike the other articles previously listed the author mentions how politics and outside factors have affected the depiction of families and characters on popular shows, such as Mom and Trophy Wife. This article is more political minded and not so much focused on socially and politically why the shows in the more modern era have shifted to be more dysfunctional, as opposed to other articles that only seem to discuss comedic reasons for the change. The author may not have as much authority over contributors of the other articles listed as she is only a student at a law school and a “social media fellow” for Personal Democracy Media, but she makes highly valid points. I agree with her opinions and political point of view because it could really boost my claim that television shows are affected by the geopolitical climate of the era and that’s why the shift from a “nuclear”, idealistic family to the dysfunctional, realistic family occurred.

CBSSundayMorning. The changing American family. YouTube, 11 May 2014. Web. 09 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql0Q5uf-AbA>. The featured video is a new segment from the morning talk show “CBS This Morning” discussing the Cheerios commercial depicting an interracial couple with a child. The segment goes on to also discuss the changing demographic of American families in television shows such as Modern Family, and in real life. The segment talks to a real life diverse family from Asheville, North Carolina. I appreciated this article because it also analyzed a commercial as well as a television, showing that diversity does not have to be limited to a specific form of media. The source is highly authentic and professional as it a segment from an acclaimed news program; a professor at a prestigious university is featured as a guest on the program along with many different spokespeople. The source does have its biases as it takes a positive outlook on the depiction of a normal american family that just also happens to be interracial.

France, Lisa Respers. "The evolution of the TV family." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Sept. 2010. Web. 09 May 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/01/families.on.tv/>. This is an article about how the depiction of the American family has changed but not for the reason many individuals believe; the change was a result of what producers believed was an idealistic depiction of what the American family was to a comedic, entertaining one. The dysfunctional family unit was introduced in the mid 90’s and audiences greatly enjoyed the new shift in what they were being shown on television; but in fictional sitcoms and reality shows. In relationship to other citations listed here, this article ties in many other aspects of other television shows and even mentions similar shows discussed in other sources. The article is accurate and professional as many individuals in the television and film business are quoted within the article. This would be a great article because it compares and contrasts different shows and different genres of shows to display a relative timeline of shows and how they’ve changed.

Garis, Mary Grace. "Evolution Of The Television Sitcom, From Studying 1980 To Predicting 2020." Bustle. Bustle, 09 Feb. 2015. Web. 09 May 2017.<https://www.bustle.com/articles/63052-evolution-of-the-television-sitcom-from-studying-1980-to-predicting-2020> Unlike other articles this article from the website Bustle goes in to predict how the American family will be presented and written in the coming years and beyond based upon the steady evolution of how the American family is portrayed on network television. Starting as far back as 1980 has it’s limitations as the decades preceding the 80’s have a different representation of the nuclear family, for example the 60’s had a different moral about families and what was “American” than what was described in later years. That having been said, the source breaks down each decade into how themes are presented and the general cast employed as well as how the families are incorporated. For this notion of how easy it is to track the evolution of television shows, I greatly appreciate this source and I will probably be directly citing this article for the next major assignment many times throughout my paper. The article may not be the most reputable as the author does not hold prestige or any formal title; that having been noted, the points she makes in the article are factual and remain relatively unbiased until where she analyzes the future of sitcoms.

Taddeo, Julie Anne, and Ken Dvorak. The tube has spoken: reality TV & history. Lexington, KY: U Press of Kentucky, 2011. Print. This source is a book that goes through and analyzes the cultural impact of reality television on its viewers as well as other television shows beyond the reality genre. The book focuses primarily on major shows such as “The Biggest Loser” and “Big Brother”, which are two different types of reality shows. Chapters of the book are broken apart to break down the linear progression of reality televisions shows produced as well as the political aspects, such a feminism and how reality television impacts the american family. While majority of the book has no direct relation to what I’m researching, the chapter concerning the impact of reality television and the american family could provide some valuable insight on how different genres of tv contribute to the makeup of the American family. However, I don’t think I will be using this source much in my paper as it’s relation to my research question isn’t very strong. The contributors are all from the University of Kentucky which can guarantee this source as authentic.

"Television: The Ideal American Family." Omeka RSS. Washington and Lee University, n.d. Web. 09 May 2017. <http://americancentury.omeka.wlu.edu/exhibits/show/reinforcement-of-gender-roles-/television--the-ideal-american>. This is an article about how television has become the perfect medium for broadcasting and conveying ideas to a wider audience, as apart from radio. The article also addresses how the “nuclear” family from the early days of television was not an accurate depiction of American families then, and especially now. The article primarily focuses on earlier television shows, namely sitcoms, from the 1950’s era. The authority from this citation stems from source, as this article is part of the “Digital Exhibits at Washington and Lee University Library”, a reputable establishment. In my opinion I agree with many of the points the contributor included, such as how women in television during the 1950’s were defined by how they support their husband and children. This would be a great article to cite as it incorporates many specific facts and could be used to demonstrate a timeline connecting the early days of television to the later renditions of family units on more modern sitcoms.

"The Evolution Of TV Families." Odyssey. Odyssey, 23 Feb. 2016. Web. 09 May 2017. <https://www.theodysseyonline.com/evolution-televisions-representation-families>. Alike the other articles presented in this annotated bibliography, this article goes in to discuss the linear progression of depictions of the American family in modern television, usually in sitcoms. More television series are discussed in this article as well as a culmination of more issues represented, such as LGBTQ representation in pop culture television. Furthermore an individual aspect to this article is the fact the author mentions how rebooted shows often feature more progressive family interactions, such as the relationship between “Full House” and “Fuller House”. I agree with the opinions presented in this article because it coincides with my hypothesis that television is influenced by the ever changing dynamics of individual identity and the family life. However, that is not to say that article isn’t biased in the way the author presents her argument, especially since political topics are mentioned to further her case. The article is credible as it was penned by a woman attending the University of Pittsburgh.

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Major Assignment #2

With the first silent films pioneered and released in the 1920’s and with the first “talkie”, The Jazz Singer, released a decade later the cinema has been a breeding ground for the distribution of American culture. Film has been an integral aspect of American culture ever since it was engineered; audiences would flock to grab seats to watch reels of headline news stories and there was a whole new industry of “drive in movie theaters” established in later decades. When television was invented the better anticipated programs would be pushed forward earlier in the week to compensate for the larger amount of viewers heading to their local theaters to watch the next box office hit on the weekend. Even some films made a huge splash in the political arena by discussing and portraying different characters or scenarios to commentate on the current political climate of the country or that of the past - here’s to looking at you Avatar. No matter if you’re a Marvel or DC fan, or if you believe the Star Wars prequels were high quality, there’s no denying that films and the cinema itself have a huge impact on pop culture.

Not only have films impacted America in a fiscal sense (the movie industry is one of the biggest as evident by the neighborhood deemed “Hollywood” just outside of Los Angeles) but their impact on what the American Identity is cannot be swept under the rug. From John Lucas’ “Star Wars” saga to Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” the influence of American filmmakers can be felt decades and generations down the line by teenagers constantly misquoting iconic lines and wishing they could dance like Uma Thurman. Movies shape what it means to be American just as much as politics and over consumption. Along with defining American culture films also represent the culmination of American identity to the masses and no other movie in recent memory pull it off so effortlessly as Todd Phillips’ 2016 biopic “War Dogs”. Starring Jonah Hill and Miles Teller the film is a true tour de force of promiscuity, consumption, and illicit acts all wrapped up and marketed as the American dream between two childhood friends.

The film opens by addressing David’s, Miles Teller’s character, humdrum life as a massage therapist before his lifelong friend Efraim, as portrayed by Jonah Hill, reappears back into David’s life and offers him a job dealing ammunition to various buyers that usually happen to be the American government. After the two begin building up their business buy landing bigger and bigger deals they eventually strike a deal with the Pentagon which marks them as one of the most renowned weapons dealers in the country. David and Efraim’s story is the manifestation of the American Dream - starting from a low end position in life to working hard to build a stable life and making a grand profit and owning a nice house with a beautiful family. The title of the movie alludes to their eventual monetary success as a “war dog” is described in the film as “low lifes that make profit off the war without ever stepping foot into battle”. During the progression of the film, Hills’ and Teller’s characters rack up millions and millions of dollars which allows Teller’s portrayal of David to buy out an expensive apartment in Florida for him and his wife and child to live in. One montage present in the film flashes past scenes of characters hosting elaborate parties with expensive wine, driving luxury cars with the license plates Guns and And Amo at high speeds down a freeway, and wearing the finest clothing their money could buy. The film glorifies the lifestyles of the rich and the famous as carefree and with no drawbacks - the rich only get richer. David and Efraim are intended to symbolize who every American wants to be and what every American wants to do.

However is it not the connection of the plot to fulfilling the American dream that renders this movie a fantastic representation of American identity; it is the incorporation of scantily clad women and handsome men that push the concept of American being inordinately obsessed with sexuality. As one of the scenes highlighted in the main trailer for the film, Hills’ and Teller’s portrayal discuss business transactions in a nightclub. The scene may only last for a couple of minutes but in majority of the shots there is a pair of women dancing in barely there clothing while the completely dressed men converse about their business. The sensual images of attractive blonde women dancing in nightclub add nothing to the plot of the movie, nor do they directly interact with any of the other characters prominently featured, yet the director elected to include the shots of the two dancers as a means to elaborate upon of the tropes connected to American identity. The scene did not need to be shot in the manner it was, the two characters could have easily talked things out in a business professional setting, but to appeal to the thousands of stimulated audience members the two minutes of sex appeal were added in.

Perhaps the most noted homage to the American identity is the abundant amount of illegal acts glorified in the duration of the film. The whole premise of the film is centered around the illegal ammunitions deals contracted between David and Efraim and their customers and their eventual arrest. Up until the last segment of the film, the two men as well as other characters (such as Bradley Cooper’s Henry Girard) partake in various amounts of illicit activities beyond weapons sales, such as smoking weed in many scenes as a way of relaxing. At the time in which the events of the movie takes place, marijuana had not yet been legalized in Florida yet this did not prevent the characters and their real life counterparts from lighting up any less. In direct relation to how many Americans partake in recreational marijuana use in modern day it is seen as a new aspect of American identity to neglect establish laws in favour of one’s own enjoyment. Beyond simple laws broken the film also highlights assault and kidnapping without any immediate repercussions until the end in which all of the high offenses are addressed at once.

While there is no one exact American identity there are major components that can be attributed to every definition and representation of culture found in America. Of the most general archetypes of what an American is can be reduced down to war, guns, breasts, weed, and money. No other recent movie exemplifies these traits than War Dogs.

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Major Assignment #1

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Avowed in the first amendment in the constitution, the concept of expressing American identity is a right secured. There are various components incorporated into defining what an American identity is; through my own personal experience I have come to learn what it means to not only express my American identity but also the context in which I define myself as an American in relationship to what being an American is seen as.

One way in which I practice expressing my American identity is conveying beliefs I hold in relation to American culture and society. For example, my political leanings are a crucial aspect to my American identity, in recent events especially. Ever since the primaries began back in the previous year, the political climate in American has been morphing and shifting demographics. As this was the first presidential I could actively participate in, I was enthusiastic about the whole process from assessing the political beliefs of all the potential candidates to casting in my ballot on Election Day. In the year leading up until the next president was elected I would often take to social media platforms, from Facebook to Snapchat, to declare my opinion on situations in the political climate as they occurred; one example being when I took to Snapchat on election night to participate in one of their story features about what movie title I would use to describe the ongoing election. To participate in the story I mentioned how I believed the movie title “Apocalypse Now” would best suit the atmosphere of the race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. In adopting my rights as an American as laid out in the constitution I express my speech freely so that I may discuss other aspects of my American culture.

Not only do I use social media platforms as a way to ignite political debate over the current and future state of our country but I also take part more so in the social aspect of sharing details about one’s self online. Instead of texting and calling people, to garner attention to the places I’ve been with the people who accompanied me, I share images and videos alike on apps such as Instagram and Snapchat. Coinciding with the American stereotype that many Americans are narcissistic and vain in nature, that they tend to be over zealous with their checking-in and tagging habits, I have discovered through experience that I enjoy sharing my events with people for all of them to see, whether it be a selfie or a time-stamped image of where my squad and I are. In my past, back in my middle school years, my main source of boasting about my goings on for the day or my current emotional status was primarily Facebook. However, after the evolution of social media apps and websites evolved into the contemporary landscape that is today I have not logged onto Facebook in what has now been years.

A more evident aspect of my American identity is the fact that I am currently an undergraduate college student attending a four year university. As I have assumed this role around six months ago, my way of communicating with fellow undergraduate students, graduates in pursuit of bigger and better things, to faculty (including my professors) has developed into a more professional manner due to the notion that college is preparing me for the next stages of life. The professional and respectable tones I use when both conversing face-to-face with a professor or shooting them an e-mail concerning their course material is a huge shift from the personal language and syntax I use commonly within my group of friends or with students in a more casual setting.

In part my American identity and how I demonstrate my “Americaness” is influenced by the region in which I was born and raised. In being a southern girl born and bred my jargon contrasts that of other regions of the use, most notable the Northern and Western parts of America. Aside from my brother, sister, and I my entire family is from up north – specifically the Pittsburgh region of Pennsylvania. Quiet frequently my father will drive my entire family up to his home for Thanksgiving so that my siblings and I could have a chance to see and visit my extended family that I scarcely contact. Once we all arrive up in the Northeast it becomes very evident that I was born and bred in the southeast as there are certain words and terms I would incorporate into everyday speech that would throw a Northeasterner through a loop. Everyone knows of the differentiation of pop and soda between the regions, but not do many northerners know the hinted jab when I say the phrase “bless your heart” – I had to personally explain the subtle sarcasm in my infliction during the first time I muttered the phrase in public.

The best manner in which I could surmise the underline rationale behind what I conclude to be my interpretation of my American identity, as well as what it means to be an American in general terms, is that “there is no true American Identity, but rather a culmination of various cultures existing around the world and stereotypes that mesh together.” Not so much can the American identity be related to the good old melting pot metaphor anymore but rather instead to the concept of a salad. While each aspect is unique and individual in their own right, and the onions may stand out from the lettuce, all of the ingredients mesh together whilst simultaneously upholding their unique values to create something great.