Blog Post #9: Maneater, Critical Approaches Presentation

Blog Post #8: Midnight's Children Creative Project Power-point and Explanation

Blog Post #7: Comparison/Contrast Essay, The Namesake

Mise-en-scene Analysis:

A good scene in a film is like good food-- it's made of parts that have to be meticulously tended to-- or it will taste disgusting. Mise-en-Scene, French for what one puts into the scene or frame, is therefore, extremely important. There are 5 key elements of mis-en-scene, all present in my scene from The Namesake film (minutes 95-98).

Settings and Props:

The settings and the props are very “every day”. During the party, there are plates of food and glasses of wine. It is evident that this party is very “high end” and slightly pretentious. This makes Gogol’s discomfort in the scene more relatable. When the scene shifts to the taxi, Moushumi holds her bag defensively towards her, and it shows the couple’s tension about Gogol’s name.

Costume, Hair, and Makeup:

The scene creates a contrast between Gogol and the rest of the party through costume design choices. Moushumi chooses to sport a revealing, silver-sparkled shirt with a plunging neck-line. The rest of the group dons equally flashy and ornate clothing, each person trying their best to stand out.  On the other hand, Gogol opts for a simple, brown suit and a dark shirt with clean lines and elbow patches; his hair appears unkempt unlike the rest of the group's meticulously groomed tendrils. This subtle contrast of attire between Gogol and the rest of the party group seems to suggest that Gogol doesn't quite belong to this group, and that he doesn't care as much about material things as other people.

Facial Expressions and Body Language:

Even as the scene opens, it is clear that Gogol isn’t comfortable in the party scene. While everyone else is sprawled around chairs and lounging, Gogol stands next to his wife, slightly askew. However, he is initially relaxed and leans against the couch where Moushumi sits, clearly at ease. However, when Gogol’s wife reveals that his name wasn’t initially Nikhil, his body position changes drastically. He shifts uncomfortably with his hand over his arm and he stops leaning against the couch. His face contorts with discomfort as his eyes shift nervously from his wife to the rest of the party. It is clear that he doesn’t appreciate this outing. On the other hand, his wife and the rest of the party continue to comfortably rest in very lax positions. It is evident that the idea of a namesake is not as important to him.

Lighting and Color:

Similarly, the lighting helps create the ambiance in the two settings of the scene. In the party setting, the light is a strong key lighting from the large fluorescent lights and lamps of Astrid and Donald’s apartment. It somehow makes the mood lighter and less serious-- trivializing the idea of names. Nair makes sure to cast light in a highlighting technique constantly towards Gogol to display his apparent discomfort at their exploitation of names and identity into comical small-talk. Later, in the car-scene where Gogol and Moushumi bicker, the lighting is changed to a natural lighting-- the faces of the two actors illuminated by the traffic lights. The unnatural light is stripped away as well as their polite pretenses and Gogol’s anger towards his wife clearly displays how important his name is to him now. This is interesting because in past scenes, Gogol had been seen trivializing his name with his friends in high school also in natural lighting. This shows that, naturally, Gogol has evolved with time and now sees the value in a namesake.

Positioning of Characters and Objects within the Frame:

The camera angles Nair used to position the characters in the scene also helped to create the scene. It emphasized the newfound importance Gogol held for his name and for his father. The camera angle presents Gogol placed off to the side near Moushumi, slightly askew. The angle position makes Gogol appear as if he is not a part of the whimsical, light conversation of names-- a serious topic to Gogol. When Moushimi reveals that Gogol’s name wasn’t always Nikhil, the camera immediately presents a close up eye-level angle of him, making his background seem insignificant. It lingers on Gogol’s face as it contorts in awkward discomfort until he speaks and shifts back away once more. It is apparent that from Gogol’s facial expressions, participating in such a meaningless conversation about a name so important to him is very painful. This pain then erupts in the next setting. In the car, the camera angle once again shifts in on Gogol’s face as he angrily yells at Moushumi for revealing details of his life that were so intimate to him. The camera is even closer than it was in the past scene. It is clear that even as this small lapse of time has passed, Gogol has acknowledged even more the importance of the name his father had given him through his bursts of emotion, clearly displayed by the camera.

Blog Post #6: Free Response; "cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological...." and Reflection

Timed Writing:

In Salmon Rushdie's Midnight's Children, Saleem Sinai is not just morally and psychologically shaped by India; Saleem is India. Saleem Sinai is born at the stroke of midnight on India's Independence from Great Britain, and his fate and character mirror India's cultural, physical, and geographical characteristics.

Saleem, raised in impossible wealth, was originally fated to poverty (his nurse switches him at birth with another baby boy). Although Saleem is raised with money, he is undoubtedly sympathetic towards the poor, believing that all people should be given equal amenities (an almost communist viewpoint). Saleem's opinions about economics display his understanding of both wealth and poverty, highlighting India's huge economic disparity. While his mother ignores the poor, as much of India's wealthy does, Saleem acknowledges poverty's presence and empathizes with it because it is a part of both him and India. Saleem's character is created as a paradox, representing both India's poverty and wealth.

Saleem's fate is not the only thing "inexplicably tied" to his country. His physical appearance resembles India's geography. Throughout Midnight's Children, Rushdie continuously harps on Saleem's giant, "cucumber nose" and oddly shaped head. The shape of Saleem's head resembles the shape of India and his nose resembles the mountains that run through it. His adoptive grandfather also had a giant nose that could sense danger--- a characteristic that his parents assumed was passed down to him. However, the reader knows that Saleem and his grandfather aren't actually related by blood. His nose is actually given to him by his British father (who his birth mother had an affair with). Britain was once a controlling part of India and Saleem's connection to it shows the powerful country's lasting impact on India. Saleem's tie to his adoptive grandfather and to Great Britain shows his tie to everyone in India, not just his own blood relations.

Saleem's nose has more of a purpose than just resembling India's geography. It has the power of sensing emotions and the future. These powers accompany Saleem's ability to hear the voices and thoughts of other Indian people. These senses overpower Saleem and allow Saleem to receive an unfiltered viewpoint of every Indian person. Saleem's own viewpoint is shaped by the viewpoints of every person in his country. When Saleem expresses changes he desires to make for his country, the audience trusts that these are the true changes that India needs and wants because of Saleem's ability to objectively view everyone's needs and desires in the country.

Saleem loses innocence and grows bitter and paranoid as the country begins to fall apart during the corrupt rule of Indira Gandhi. Saleem is haunted with nightmares and paranoid hallucinations of "green and black" surrounding a "widow" and his narration begins to fall apart and become unreliable. It is soon revealed that this green and black widow is Indira Gandhi. She orders the execution of all of India's midnight children when she learns of their special powers in fear that they will attempt to overpower her. Saleem is captured and put in a concentration camp with other Midnight Children-- some who are slaughtered. In this way, Saleem is destroying himself as Gandhi is part of India and she desires to execute him. Saleem's growing bitterness and hatred for the ruler is actually bitterness and hatred for himself.

After Gandhi is overthrown, Saleem begins to dissentegrate into ashes-- the same number of ashes as the number of people in India. When Saleem dies, he is returned to the country-- or himself-- and it becomes obvious that he is the exact embodiment of his surroundings.

***

Reflection

I need to become a deep sea diver-- not an ice skater. Once again, I only skated across subject matter; I didn't dive into it. I would give myself a 6.

I managed to have a "reasonable analysis" of how cultural, physical, and geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character. I was even able to analysis some of the complexity and symbolism in Midnight's Children (paradox, Saleem/India, nose, Gandhi, etc.) I was then able to connect this to how Saleem was shaped by his surroundings and how Saleem viewed the world. On time, I didn't struggle since I already knew the book that I was analyzing (yay for free response!!).

Despite my basic competence in analyzing the text, I was highly lacking in many areas. My analysis was "less thorough, less perceptive, and less specific" than the 9-8 essays. For example, the 9 essay that we normed in class started off with a direct quote from the text and used "apt and specific textual support" throughout the entire piece of writing while I only slightly paraphrased what was happening throughout the text. Although paraphrasing allows the reader to understand the "gist" of what was happening, it doesn't effectively dive deep into the text-- skimping on the book's complexity. Also, although my writing used decent diction, my essay didn't have the consistent command of elements of effective composition that would warrant a score of a 7.

In order to improve, I will have to practice, practice, practice. To practice effectively, I will set three goals for myself.

1. I will familiarize myself with more texts and more in depth. One of my issues was that I forgot a lot of the details of what happened in Salmon Rushdie's Midnight's Children. If I had remembered everything that occurred in the book, I would have done a better job at analyzing its complexity. In order to improve, I'll reread my summary notes for the book and note all the places complexity occurs. This will help me become "more specific".

 2.  I will dive into the meaning of the text more (aka examine complexity!). I will attempt to notice (and to include in my essays) the deeper and less noticeable meanings that lie within the piece. As I mentioned in my weaknesses, although I scraped the surface of many of the ideas, I didn't dive into them. To do this, I may reread Rushdie's novel to try to fish out things I may have missed. I will also do this with Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake. This will come in handy later. My writing will become more "thorough and perceptive". 

3. I haven't done this for a while, but I'm beginning to use overly flowery language and unnecessary words again. I will dive straight into the main points of the passage. This will not only save time, but it will make my writing more concise. I plan to do this by allowing myself time to proof my essay. This way, I can pick out my painfully verbose sentences and send them to their deathbeds. By the time I've completed AP Lit, I'll be able to get straight to the point.

4. This isn't really a separate goal, but I want to practice writing essays with the books I plan to use for the free response (Midnight's Children and The Namesake). This way, I can utilize my books more easily. 

If I effectively accomplish these goals (and maintain them), by the time the AP test rolls around, I'll be a deep-sea diver. 

Blog Post # 5: Timed Poetry Writing for Thou Blind Man's Mark and Reflection

Timed Writing:

“Desiring naught but how to kill desire” (14). In Sir Philip Sidney’s Thou Blind Man’s Mark, the speaker reveals how he is both consumed and disgusted by desire through Sidney’s adept usage of alliteration, repetition and symbolism, making one thing blatantly clear: man often unknowingly chooses his own poison.

As the poem begins, Sidney immediately begins to use alliteration to emphasize man’s complex connection with desire through a series of accusatory phrases. Sidney highlights desire as a “ blind man’s mark” (1), and a “self-chosen snare” (1) to insinuate that desire is the target of many so it is a self-chosen trap, but it traps the "blind" "fools". Sidney's usage of these two words indicates that only men who can't see the trap and are thus "blind" "fools" to its horrible effects are the ones who are trapped. Sidney then goes on to describe desire as a “web of will, whose end is never wrought” (4). It is clear that the narrator believes desire to be a never ending trap, like it is a spider’s web but reminds the reader with the word “will” that desire is chosen so it is partially the victim’s fault. However,  the narrator also admits that he, too, bought desire with the price of his “mangled mind” and “worthless ware” (6). The narrator’s self-admittance of his diminished mental capabilities and submission to desire makes his credibility questionable and creates a paradox. The narrator rejects desire and warns of it, but he is completely enraptured by it. His desperate warnings to the audience to avoid desire is itself a desire. Man’s ability to reason and process thought on “higher things” is replaced with unbridled obsession and consumption by desire.

Sidney begins to utilize repetition to emphasize the narrator’s contradictory view on desire. The repetition of “Desire, Desire!” (5) shows the narrator bemoaning his choice at giving in to the emotion that his brought him grief that is “too long, too long” (7). Sidney’s repetition of the words “desire” and “too long” actually drags out the phrases, making them longer than they need to be. This actually creates the impression that desire does last too long as the words “Desire” and “long” seem to drag along.

However, the narrator again admits that the long lasting desire is his own doing. With the repetition of the word “vain” (10-11), Sidney reveals that desire is a form of the narrator's vanity to aspire to alluring “vain things” (10). Again, the reliability of the character is questioned as his paradox with desire is further established.

Despite the hopeless nature presented throughout the piece, a glimmer of hope displays itself towards the end of the poem Although the narrator admits to being led astray by the alluring and manipulative nature of desire, he is able to see that he sold himself to desire and "vain things" (10)  in return for a "mangled mind" (6). The last sentence restates the narrator's desire paradox, "Desiring naught but how to kill desire" (14). The narrator's recognition on the vile, evil nature of his enemy, desire, shows that the narrator now sees the evils of desire. Thus, he is no longer the "blind man" and "fool" (1) that symbolize those unaware of the evils of desire. He now possesses the vision to know that man is unknowingly choosing his own poison by giving in to desire.

***

Reflection:

I am not a poet, and I know it. I struggled much more with the poetry timed writing than with the prose writing because I had a more difficult time understanding poetry. My self score is a 6. Although I had many flaws, I had a "reasonable analysis of Sydney's usage of poetic devices". I was able to grasp some of the complexity-- i.e. paradox of desire and the symbols-- and I was able to skim the surface of Sidney's use of vanity, the narrator's hatred towards desire (but honestly, who wouldn't be able to?) and the occurrence of alliteration. I was able to use direct references from the text and "clearly express my ideas". I was "competent".

However, I failed to have a convincing argument. I did not "dive" into the text as I should have. Although I identified alliteration, I simply skirted around its purpose. I did not examine how alliteration "grouped" the insults and made the narrator appear more angry by speeding up the pace of the text. I also failed to identify the poem as a sonnet (embarrassing). In fact, I did not look at the way the poem was structured at all, which took away some of my understanding. Also, my identification of vanity once again failed to go in depth and I didn't really address the narrator's inward struggle. My analysis of the complexity in this piece was greatly lacking. My main problem in poetry comes from a lack of understanding, a lack of complexity and a lack of knowledge about poem structure. 

In order to improve upon my lackluster analysis skills, I have set three goals for myself .

1. I will familiarize myself with poetic structures and terms (What is a Sonnet?). If I actually know what type of poem I'm looking at, then I'll be able to better analyze the text. In the 5 steps to a 5 book, there is actually a section that lists out all the poetic forms and different poetry terms. I will memorize this section and look for examples of each poetic structure so that I can better identify what I'm reading.

2. I will completely divulge the complexity. Like with my prose passages, I will start looking at more poetry and I will try to find the complexity in each one through careful analysis. I will do this once a week and then check my analysis with professional ones online and see what complexity I correctly identified ore missed.

3. I will make more fluid transitions. I failed to create cohesion throughout the whole piece by tying it back to my general thesis (like the 8/9 essays did in our norming activity). By creating better transitions, I will elevate my writing and create a more connected essay that ties all my ideas up into a beautiful present for my grader. To do this, I will practice writing essay outlines with transitions included to improve on my essay cohesion.

If I accomplish all of these goals, I will soon be able to understand poets (and I'll know it).