Speak

My thoughts in general: Well, this book was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist about a girl named Melinda who is in high school and has to deal with the many difficulties of being in high school and dealing with the consequences of decisions she has made. I have only read parts of it, but it looked intriguing to me, so I bought it and will read the whole thing when I find the time. The book was adapted into a TV movie in 2004, which I have not seen. I think it will interesting to see how the book was adapted because one of my main attractions to the book is the way in which it is written. The story is told in first person, and it does not follow all the typical conventions of writing. There are liberties taken in how the story is told. It is almost like a journal in which the girl, Melinda, just writes her thoughts according to however she felt at the time. According to some of the quotes on the cover, the book "plumbs the darkness" of life, school, being a teenager, etc. It is written in a way that invites the reader into the thoughts of this girl as she struggles through life. I was intrigued by this and am interested to see how the writing style supports (or does not support) the message of the book.

This is Laurie Halse Anderson, the author of Speak.

My thoughts on application: Because the main character/narrator of the book is a high school student, I think that this book might be more accessible to high school students than other books. I think that they might be able to relate and actually want to read the book. Here is an excerpt from pages 5-6:

THE FIRST TEN LIES THEY TELL YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL
1. We are here to help you.
2. You will have enough time to get to your class before the bell rings.
3. The dress code will be enforced.
4. No smoking is allowed on school grounds.
5. Our football team will win the championship this year.
6. We expect more of you here.
7. Guidance counselors are always available to listen.
8. You schedule was created with your need in mind.
9. Your locker combination is private.
10. These will be the years you look back on fondly.

Since I haven't actually read the entire book, I don't know about all of the content of the book. However, I think that the writing style would be beneficial to study/discuss in class. I think the style employed in this novel helps demonstrate that not everything has to follow traditional "rules" and "conventions." In discussing media, one of the keys in discussing the text is form (in addition to content). If students could express themselves in a form that suits their content, then the work they produce and its merit could then be discussed. I think it would interesting to have students write the same story using different writing styles to help the understand how form can change the power, depth, significance, meaning of the content.

A Leprechaun in Alabama, Part 2

My thoughts in general: When doing a Google image search for a still from the Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama newscast, I came across the above image, which comes from the website wheredagoldat.com (click on the link to go there yourself). The name of this website will make sense if you've watched the newscast. As I perused the website, I found that there are t-shirts and ringtones for sale. Here is one of the t-shirt designs:

Under the picture of the leprechaun, which is derived from the amateur sketch that was aired with the news story, it reads "Who All Seen Da Leprechaun Say Yeah!" Again, if you've seen the news footage, you know what this means. Also, there are links to videos that have been created using the footage from the original newscast. For example:





My thoughts on application: I find it interesting that this news story has generated so much attention. I think part of the intriguing nature of media (and media literacy education) is how media spawns other media. In the classroom, I think this should be discussed. The website linked above, the video, and the original news story could all be discussed, and the discussion could build off of the idea of how the initial media item prompted the creation of the others. I think an interesting assignment would be to have students find another media text (a newscast, a book, a movie, a song, etc.) and then to have them find other media texts that were created as a result of the original. They could end up with a lot of material that resulted from the original. One text could have prompted a whole web of other texts. This could have interesting results and prompt some good discussion about media. Does media have a self-propagating nature?

A Leprechaun in Alabama

My thoughts in general: On YouTube a few weeks ago I found a newscast about residents of Mobile, Alabama, who think there is a leprechaun in their community. Several residents are interviewed about the supposed leprechaun, including the man in the picture above. Another man is interviewed who talks about carrying around a "leprechaun flute" which he says was handed down for a thousand years from his great-great-grandfather "who was Irish." The newscast also showed an amateur sketch of the leprechaun:



The images above are taken from the newscast. If you can't tell from my description, the newscast (and the newscasters) treated the story lightly, and those interviewed seem to even be poked fun at. Though I think the story is pretty funny, I thought it was interesting (1) that it was actually a news story and (2) that the news station did not treat the story as news but almost as a comedy piece. For your viewing, here it is:




My thoughts on application: I have a couple of thoughts on application. First, perhaps this piece could be used to teach production students about creating newscast. Second, and more importantly (to me, anyway), this could be used to begin a discussion about how to treat people that you are reporting on and interviewing. Thinking about the gender chapter from Seeing and Writing, this newscast would also be an interesting point from which to discuss the portrayal of race in the media.

On the Outside

My thoughts in general: As I was reading the chapters on gender and race in Seeing and Writing, two different songs. The first was "On the Outside" by Oingo Boingo from their Only a Lad album. This song includes the lyrics:

I'm on the outside, I'm on the outside now
This is where it all begins on the outside looking in
Looking in
At you
I'm just an alien through and through
Tryin' to make believe I'm you
Tryin' to fit
Just a stranger on the outside looking in


The second song that came to mind was "Outsider" by The Ramones on their Ramones Mania album. This song includes the lyrics:

I am an outsider
Outside of everything
I am an outsider
Outside of everything
I am an outsider
Outside of everything
Everything you know
Everything you know
It disturbs me so

Music is often discussed as being a way to express emotions, and that discussion is important in media literacy. However, I thought it was interesting how these lyrics came to my mind as I was reading about gender and race. This got me thinking about how media has become part of my conversation. By listening to these songs, the lyrics have stuck in my head, and it is interesting sometimes when they are recalled and what the stimulus is that recalls them. Thus, I thought it was an interesting connection how reading about different people and their experiences with gender and race prompted my recollection of these lyrics.

My thoughts on application: I think it would be informative in a classroom to discuss media as part of our conversation. It might be an interesting assignment to have students record other texts--songs, movies, etc.--that come to mind as they are reading or engaging with other media. It might lead to some interesting discussion about our interaction (and intertextual interaction) with media. I think this would prompt some interesting questions about media literacy and its role in our lives and the lives of students.

Hard Candy

My thoughts in general: This was an interesting film about a girl (played by Ellen Page, who was in Juno) who pretends to be seduced by a man online. However, once they meet, she is not as helpless as she made herself out to be. Once his perversion is revealed, she has fun torturing him, which leads to a difficult ending. This is a difficult film in some ways because of the subject matter. However, it is shot in a very interesting way. The use of bright colors is contrasted with the dark nature (and dark humor) of the film. Many different kinds of lighting were employed, and the change in lighting throughout the film was certainly intriguing. However, I think the my main interest in this film was that it was almost pleasurable to see a online predator/child pornographer (and molester) be tortured in an agonizing way. For me, this film began a discussion about the horror of pedophiles stalking children online and about how they should be dealt with. It had a difficult ending, which, even though it ends with finality, left me with questions about the issues raised in the film.

My thoughts on application: This film is definitely not appropriate for a high school classroom; however, the warning it raises about online predators is an important one. Thus, I really see this film having application as it is used to initiate/prompt discussion about online relationships. Sites like myspace and facebook are very popular, and instant messaging/chatting is also very widespread. Thus, it is important to teach students how to protect themselves and how to be careful. There is an opening scene in the film which consists of the two main characters chatting online, which I think is an interesting visual that is almost hauntingly scary when I think about how possible the scenario really is. Bringing this issue into the classroom is important, especially as we try to teach students how to be media literate.

Once

My thoughts in general: John Carney wrote and directed Once, which is the story of the relationship of two musicians. This film won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the song "Falling Slowly." The film was shot in Ireland on a small budget. I really enjoyed the film. It was simply done and was not overly dramatic or cheesy. I also liked how the film did not have a typical "love conquers all" mentality. It was a very accessible story that did not follow typical conventions that are perpetuated in Hollywood genre films. It has been called a modern musical, and it was interesting to see the role that music played in the film. The music was essentially a character in the film, and it, too, was simple and really reflected the tone of the film. It was a well-crafted film that was quite enjoyable.


My thoughts on application: I think this film is a good example of how a quality film does not need a big budget. It is a good example of how a film can simply convey a story without relying on star actors. It's use of music is an especially appealing aspect to study. It does not use melodramatic underscoring to tell the audience how to feel. Instead, like I wrote above, the music is more like a character who plays an integral role in the story. This would be an interesting discussion in a classroom. An assignment may even be given to make a video that tells a simple story in the style of this low budget film.

American Gladiators

My thoughts in general: Recently, NBC finished airing their new version of American Gladiators, a show in which "average" people compete against the gladiators in contests of strength and endurance. This show was first created about 15 years ago. I loved watching this show when it was first on TV, and I have enjoyed watching re-runs over the last decade and a half. Then, in January, NBC started airing the new American Gladiators show.


I was interested in watching the new show to find out how they would alter the show to fit today's television programming. Many of the events were the same that they had on the original show, though they made a few changes like having the losers fall into a pool of water (a la Dog Eat Dog and similar shows). The gladiators changed, but they were still the same kind of body builder types that they have always been. The competition between the contestants was organized like a tournament bracket with semi-finals, finals, etc. This change seemed to be influenced by the popularity of reality TV. It was a fun show and brought back a lot of memories of enjoying the original.

My thoughts on application: Using this show in the classroom would be a good study in how media changes in accordance with contemporary society. The American Gladiators of the early 90s definitely reflected that time period in certain ways, especially in the hairstyles and the general attitudes and discussion of the contestants in interviews. The new American Gladiators also reflects how television has changed over the last 15 years. Comparing the two shows could be a good lesson in media reflecting its time. It could prompt some good discussion.