The DMZ was set more than 50 years ago with a truce that divided the Korean peninsula in two. Ever since, the two nations have took opposite approaches in developing as a society. The North adapted a form of socialism while the South adapted America’s democracy. While the North maintained their own culture, the South has been greatly influenced by the globilization. From social aspects to economic aspects, the two nations differ considerably. However, many people in both North and South Korea recognize each other as “Korean” as a whole.
In the documentary referred to, the 8-minute documentary we saw in class, it depicts a life of a North Korean who has spent most of her life in South Korea near the DMZ, separated from her family. Like her, many South Koreans’ family members are in the North, separated by the brutality of the Korean War. My grandfather himself has 8 brothers whom he was separated from during the war. The North and the South may appear divided, but truly inside is a queer emotional tie that brings South and the North together.
All the Pretty Horses is one novel of a trilogy written by Cormac McCarthy. The book contains very unusual and unconventional elements that certainly certifies the book as something unique. Its writing has been recognized as similar to famous literary writers of the past. One of the famous authors it has been compared with is James Joyce, his style often referred to as “Joycean,” characterized by a lot of puns. McCarthy is also compared with Faulkner and the Elizabethan language. It is said that McCarthy was influenced by these sources of style in writing this book.
The focus of this novel is more on the nature and horses than on the character. Throughout the novel, the characters exist almost as an entity just to continue the plot, while the depth of detail is largely focused on the vast landscape and the grandeur of nature. The horses are described with “human traits” including its strength and masculinity throughout the novel. Although the characters and their thoughts are regarded with some merit in the novel, it does not appear to be as important as the nature that surrounds it.
McCarthy’s style in this novel is something also special. It does not include any quotation marks, and seem to flow in and out of the narrative. It is almost as if the dialogue of the characters is engraved in the writing of the book. The style of speech is very colloquial and very much sounds like what we hear, more than what we would read. Also, his diction is quite unique in this novel. The article describes the writing as “full of archasims so unfamiliar they appear to be neologisms.” Unconventioanl descriptions such as “reefs of clouds” color the book with unusual diction that represents his complex writing style.
This blogpost is a response to a documentary "Growing Up Online"
If you’re reading this blogpost right now, you most probably know enough about the internet to search anything you want. Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Myspace, MSN, AIM. Our lives as modern teenagers are surrounded by these inernet utilities that we use everyday. They have even become culture-specific. While America has Yahoo and Myspace, Korea has its Naver and Cyworld, fitted to the Korean culture with different styles of advertisements, news and design. Nevertheless, it is difficult to imagine not to have access to internet, computer, or technology of any form. How would it feel to be “unplugged?”
I believe that much of the technology use may be seen as a state of addiction, with a potential power to harm. It is useful in many ways in that it allows us to do many things that would take much longer if we did without. It facilitates the experiences of meeting new people, typing up long papers and more. Being a digital native, it would be difficult to live without technology, but it’s entirely possible. Pick up a book or two. Go outside to exercise. Meet friends offline. Go watch a movie. Sure, it is much harder to do it than say it, but it is possible. As for me, I would just have to be plugged at least once a day, at least through my laptop. There are necessities that have become so crucial and important that I can’t do things without. Checking my e-mail, getting updates on friends abroad, and simply checking what my homework is.
As soon as I come back home either right after school, after my activities, or after tutoring late at night, I would do three things for sure. First: sit. Second: Open Internet Browser. Third: open two pages that would be permanently be left on my computer screen–Gmail and Facebook. The routine is so engraved in my daily life that it would almost be impossible to disconnect myself from all media. The only way to do so will probably be to seclude myself in the countryside of a foreign country or to sleep for a very, very long time. I wouldn’t be able to do the necessary things that are required everyday–sending e-mails to my friends abroad, my family back home (once I move to the states), complete assignments that require technology, and so on.
Facebook attracted a lot of teenagers when it was first recognized at our school. Its use spread like wildfire, and soon students were communicating with their friends through facebook without hesitation. However as time passes by, its fervor was slowly lost, and now it exists as a “what-is-the-point” entity in my comptuer screen. Sure, it does help me keep in contact with friends that I haven’t met for a long time, but I no more spend numerous hours on it. Just few minutes of a check is enough.
Many say that teenage internet users are easily “fooled” and “manipulated” under the advertorials that exist in the media. Many believe that these unsuitable “ads” pose a potential threat to the online users. But, as it is with everything in real life, I think the amount of experiences I had as an internet user since elementary school makes it easier for me to recognize the so-called “dangerous” marketing online, and I don’t see it as a big problem for “digital natives.”
This is one of the dorm buildings at MIT. This building portrays one of the unconventional ways in which architecture developed in the modernism era.
Sydney Opera
HouseThe Sydney Opera House is one of the most prominent architecture that represents the elements of modernism. The structure of the building is obviously unconventional, and involves intricate use of modern technology. The inspiration for the building is said to have come from randomly peeled orange peels.
Luigi Russolo
Luigi Russolo is a musician that incorporated elements of modernism in forms of music. He incorporated a variety of sounds that were not known to be used as forms of “music.”
Picasso’s Massacre in Korea
The drawing above is an example of modernism in paintings. Picasso is recognized as one of the most prominent artists in the modernism era, who represented human beings in abstract ways, as shown above in the right. He incorporated technological aspect in to human beings.
The following blogpost is a follow-up to a project on “Stereotypes and Archetypes.”
Do we really know that much about this region?
The Middle East: a land full of sand dunes, people covered in robes, and violence. The imagery that the worldwide media around us depicts mostly follow among those lines. It is this narrow vision of this region that has caught our attention and has provoked us to ask questions — where do these stereotypes about the Middle East come from? This project delves into the media that exists today and have existed in the past to search for the archetypes that gave birth to the several stereotypes that are strongly associated with the Middle East.
Where else could he be from other than the Middle East?
While reviewing the stereotypical images found, our group was surprised to see how much we were influenced by the stereotypes the media has been feeding us. We had originally believed that the Middle East was made up of Arabic men wearing turbans and holding guns in some cases, suppressed women fighting for rights, barren deserts and plains, camels, and war-torn villages; however, what the media portrays is just a small part of the Middle East. The media has only showed us the most attention grabbing and entertaining aspects of the Arabic world. Only a minority of women fights for independence and most women choose to wear hijabs, not all Arabic men wear guns and turbans, and most Arabic nations have buildings (they do not live in the desert with camels).
Welcome to the Middle East... or should I say the Middle of Nowhere?
Although our group was aware that the funny Arabic man in the movie and the Arabic terrorist in the cartoon were stereotypical images, in our minds a connection between the images and the ethnic group had formed because we did not have sufficient information on the Middle East. Osama Bin Laden and the Al Queda had been the faces of the Arabs in our minds. Our group is glad that we were given such a project and believes that it has helped us get rid of the stereotypical images and preconceptions we had about different ethnic groups, and especially the Arabs.
Can you ever be the odd one out in the Middle East?
Before we go off to college, where we will mix with students from various ethnic groups, we believe that it is important to realize that stereotypes portrayed by the media are just stereotypes and that they should not be used to judge other ethnic groups. It is important to get rid of the stereotypical ideas we have about other ethnic groups mainly because they are not true and because they can cause unnecessary conflicts and tension between students from different ethnic backgrounds. Through this project we were able to accurately identify who the Arabs actually were and get rid of the stereotypical images the media has been feeding us.
Above is a video that perhaps best exemplifies the degree to which the media portrays the typical stereotypes of the Middle East. Even though this fan trailer shows us the use of exaggeration for comical effects, the fundamental elements within this clip and the movie represents some of the mainstream stereotype an average Westener may have about the Middle East. Before we delve into investigating where these stereotypes may have stemmed from, look through the film with an open eye.
Religious fanatics in the Middle East are called Muslims, not Arabs, nor terrorists.
Considering the widespread stereotypes concerning the Middle Eastern population, our group was able to easily identify the stereotypical images, such as images that depicted the prevalent notion that Middle East is entirely made of deserts, or that all men wear turbines and white robes. However, in almost every aspect we have touched, it was hard to pinpoint the archetype of the category. For instance, our group soundly came to the agreement that people have a singular image of how Arabs dress up, and that people think all Arabs have the same name, we had a hard time finding the original root of such stereotypes. However, for categories such as “violence” or “environment,” we realized that the media, notably the internet, was filled with archetypical images, such as Osama Bin Laden, Al Quaeda, and the movie Lawrence of Arabia.
Seems familiar? Try turning on a news channel right now.
We first began our search for archetypes with the imagery of Middle East as the “middle of nowhere,” filled with nothing but sand and occasional robed men with camels and pyramid sites. An average Westener would not have been able to visit the Middle East to see this sight first hand, nor be able to be a wide enough influence to impact the majority to think of Middle East as it is portrayed today. We were able to find that the movie Lawrence of Arabia released few decades ago was a perfect archetype that, for the first time, depicted the Middle East with a certain light that in turn afixiated the audience for decades.
Lawrence of Arabia: it's where media begins to muddle with the viewers.
Further, we were able to identify the Walt Disney classic Aladdin as an archetype not only for the portrayal of the environment, but the people in the Middle East. From the mosque-resembling buildings with round tops to the short and robed Middle Eastern warriors with curved swords, Aladdin was one of the first to instill the stereotypical imagery of the Middle East in the mainstream media.
The land of magic, sandhouses, and warriors with curved swords.
Also, the Arabs are commonly labeled as religious fanatics. When we think about the Arabs, images of men and women wearing white clothing praying to a single god in come in mind. This idea originates from history textbooks, which portray the Arabs as an ethnic group involved in religious wars. Instead of fighting like their civilized opponents in the picture, the Islamic people are fighting topless, illustrating how single-mindedly devoted the Arabs are to their religion. The media also contributes to this stereotype greatly. Arabic men and women in the media all wear hijabs, throbes, or egals. Unlike any other religious group, the Islamic people dress up accordingly with their religion; all Buddhists do not dress as monks and all Christians do not dress as nuns. The way in which the Arabs dress up seems to convey the idea that they are excessively devoted to their religion. Honor killings on the news, which show Arabic men killing women, are another source that presents the Arabs as religious extremists. Although honor killings are rare in the Middle East, they are frequently reported on the news, making honor killings seem like a common religious ritual for the Arabs.
The religious warfare that occured centuries ago still reflects in the inability for different cultures to understand one another.
Another common stereotype people have about the Arabs is that their language is very underdeveloped. “Team America” shows an American spy communicating with the Arabs only saying “Bakka Bakka Muhammad Jihad” in an awkward tone, making the language sound funny. In an episode of “The Colbert Report,” Colbert talks to a nonexistent president of a Middle Eastern nation, making up a name with a mixture of funny sounds. In general, the media seems to portray the Arabic language to be made up of funny sounding random syllables. This seems to be a result of the lack of information people have on the Middle East. When we look at Arabic texts, the letters are new and strange. The letters are connected and have dots and loops that are unusual. People seem to conclude that the Arabic language is strange and in a way underdeveloped, made up of a mixture of random syllables, due to its different appearance and sounds.
Above is a video that shows the epitome of how Middle Eastern looks are associated with terrorism and violence. Again, much like the Team America trailer, much of the exaggeration is for comical effects, but the fundamental elements are still there. Through our discussion and investigation on why and how the Middle Easterners became to be associated to such violence, we not only discovered the 9/11 event and the emergence of Osama Bin Laden as archetypes but also better understood the audience of most of the images we have searched for. These images target mostly non-Middle Easteners with plenty of access to all forms of media, who don’t know first hand about the Middle East. The audience was generally international except for a few satirical comedy clips like the video above which are strictly limited for Western audiences.
Through our research we have identified two major demographic groups that seem to be most widely represented; suppressed Arabic women and violent Arabic men, both within an age of about 20 to 40, seem to be the two most prevalent stereotypical images of Arabs in the media. The male and female elders seemed to be the least represented demographic, as there were hardly any images associated with such demographics in the media our group utilized.
True or False? All Middle Easterners are named Mohammed.
We were amazed as to how abundant and uniform the images were. The research showed that the media has an incredibly parochial viewpoint about both the culture and the environment in which the Middle East exists. Almost all images and video clips we have found contained multiple stereotypical perspectives about the Middle East. Furthermore, the majority of the images found on the internet, including the ones we used for the presentation, showed a considerable discrepancy compared to the reality. Yet it was amazing to find that such stereotypical images and concepts were so prevalent as to overshadow almost completely the reality of the Middle East, as we had a hard time finding a counterexample for each stereotypes.
Ahh… holiday scenes. Not quite the holiday we might be looking for this coming january, but nevertheless it’s about time we look for some free time. School will be out. I’ll have time to do what I want. I’m a little too excited.
Come on and open up your mind and see like me
(I won’t hesitate)
Open up your plans and damn you’re free
(No more, no more)
Look into your heart and you’ll find that the sky is yours
You need to watch this video twice, and listen to the lyrics.
I approached this video in an AP Pscyhology class when we were learning about different perspectives from our own. How we can see ourselves from above our heads, through another person’s eyes and from another gender’s point of view. The journal activity that required us to write an account of a date from a different gender’s point of view was an interesting response to this video. Nevertheless, this video brings about a possible point of view a different gender may have towards the other.
How would she think: It’s always a point to keep in mind.
An overwhelming majority, 83 percent, of public school and private religious school students admitted to lying to their parents about something significant, compared to 78 percent for those attending independent non-religious schools.
I was looking at the stack of several SAT prep books on my bookshelf last night, and a thought flashed across. What do these scores mean? Yes, sure, they indiciate my level of knowledge in respect to how well I work through the SAT exam style. But, I wondered, how good they are in indicating anyone’s level of intelligence. The scores we get from SAT, and the grades we get from school are nothing but numerical values that seem to be more popular if its higher. It does not reflect the effort we put in studying the subject, does not reflect the extensive thoughts we take out from learning the subject, and it doesnot reflect the potential discoveres students can make from the things we learn. It merely tests “how we can solve those tests.”
That is probably why the colleges ask for those essays that reflect your own personality and interests. Through our writing we show who we are and how we think. But do we really? We do. Only if we write them ourselves. I have tried to avoid making any changes to my college essays regardless of the comments I got from my brother and peers, trying to keep it my own writing. (Sometimes the changes they suggested weren’t just what I would do) But, there are students out there who pay millions to an institution to write it for them. Like machines. Essay factories.
Cheating has become a main concern. We don’t only cheat to get those high numbers in grades. We cheat to fake ourselves. How far can this go? All the outlets through which we express ourselves are all paralyzed by the way students cheat. As we high school seniors prepare for a new level of education in the future, I think it is crucial to remember that all the things we do from this point on is to express ourselves and pursue our own interests and activities. After all… if cheating is what everyone does, how can cheating make you any better than others?
Here is a fun clip to introduce the traditional warrior tradition…
Yes, Kung Fu Panda is a cartoon comedy probably aimed at the young movie-watchers. The Panda, with its Jack Black voice, presents us a fun character both enjoyable and charismatic (…in a sense). Nevertheless, this short trailer shows us very typical elements that are connected to the traditional Chinese warrior tradition.
wouldn't be the same without those trees
The most obvious element, of course, is the environment–the nature. From the moon to the bamboo trees, from pandas to dragons, and from lily flowers to bamboo trees, the nature is always ingrained into the warrior tradition portrayed today. The image above portrays a scene from the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The bamboo trees that are always associated with the Chinese environment are portrayed in many scenes like these where two or more warriors face off their battles. Bamboo trees are also used as a means of flexible solid objects in which these warriors jump and fly to fight seemingly afloat in the air.
multipurpose bamboo trees
Most of the warrior scenes also happen to portray darkness, with moonlight as the only light source under which the warriors train and fight. Many scenes from the movie House of Flying Daggers portray the battles in the dark often when the good fights the evil. Under the moonlight the swords shine and daggers soar in darkness; the fact that these warriors can fight in the dark presents us a skill both improbably amazing and amusing to watch. And of course… I’m sure you didn’t miss the brief appearance of the moon in that trailer above (it’s so cliche).
warriors, the sun has set...
And of course, animals are never left out. From the very title “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” we can sense the vivid presence of animals in the traditional Chinese warrior tradition. Warriors imitiate animals to develop their stances, to make animal-like sounds (although sometimes they are very quirky indeed) for intimidation, and to use them as symbols. Each and every animal represents a certain character that symbolizes a certain strength in the warriors. The tiger represents strength and the dragon represents a power and majesty. Chinese characters that represent these animals are always found engraved in buildings and martial arts uniforms. Here is a fun fact to remember: Bruce Lee’s Chinese name means the “Little Dragon.”
we can never forget Bruce Lee
Even in the novel Woman Warrior, chapter two is devoted to describing the story of a woman warrior Fa Mu Lan, describing the training procedures that she went through. The scenes depict the nature and its beauty. From the tigers, the white snow, to the trees and flowers, nature is not something to be ignored in the Chinese warrior tradition.
Legendary Fa Mu Lan
The story of Fa Mu Lan brings to another interesting element that is characteristic of the Chinese warrior tradition–the female warriors. The western traditions rarely portray women as a warrior. The sole focus of warriors is the sheer strength with which male warriors can bring about heroic victory to the people. Where as western warrior traditions emphasize heavy swords and body armors, the Chiense warrior tradition often emphasizes agility and more of sneaky methods here and there that amuse our eyes as we watch them. Daggers no bigger than our fingers fly out of their bodies and some objects that you may never imagine as weapons suddenly becomes a dangerous object.
all in a millisecond
The fact that agility is one of the main elements in the Chiense traditonal society, I think, explains the high status women have in both power and warrior skills in the Chiense movies we see. Women are generally portrayed as more flexible and agile in fighting situations.
Young and Restless in China is a documentary film, a part of the Frontline series that profiles the lives of several young Chinese people. Entrepreneurs, hip-hop rappers, and lawyers, the film portrays the unique scenarios and lives that these people have led that symbolize a changing, “new,” China. Frontline is supported by PBS. The following are some responses pertaining to this film, showing examples of few of the figures that appear in this production.
Ben Wu is an entrepreneur who launched his own internet café in China as portrayed in the movie, bringing about an innovative market in a developing country. Although the internet is not well established throughout China, Ben Wu’s internet café is an effort to begin a “new Starbucks,” he says, bringing about a large scale commercial establishment of internet cafés. I think he represents the “new” China in the very fact that he is bringing about a modern establishment, the internet, into China from the experiences he had outside of China. Among the many “returning turtles,” Ben Wu returned with formal education from America, applying the entrepreneurship common outside of China, aspiring to develop something like Starbucks—an American success. With the globalization spreading its influence through the media such as the internet, the “new” China is characterized by the influx of foreign culture, education and business; and Ben Wu’s entrepreneurship is no exception.
Ben Wu
The Chinese generation profiled in the clip consists of mainly two generations. One of recent college graduates with degrees pursuing careers in their late twenties and early thirties, and that of students who have not yet graduated college but working in China. Nevertheless, the figures that appear in the film are relatively young, and differ from the traditional earlier generations of China. Historically, this young generation lived in a very active country in a global scale with its economy growing at the fastest rate and events such as the Beijing Olympics attracted worldwide attention. Socially, this young generation is more prone to the foreign cultures through the worldwide media, namely the internet. Economically, China now has more opportunities for entrepreneurship and capitalism, although limited than before. These three characteristics allow the young generation referred to in this film to flourish; the rapper Wang Xiaolei expresses his feelings through western hip-hop music in Chinese and entrepreneurs such as Ben Wu apply western enterprises in China for innovation. The younger generation seems to have a more global mindset compared to the older ancestries who were more limited in their connections to the foreign world. But it is inevitable that both generations are inherently Chinese, and maintain some Chinese traditional values that hinder them from living full western-style lives. To conclude, I think the primary difference in the two generations is well shown in this quote that describes the new generation: “get rich fast and enjoy it while you’re young.”
Wang Xiaolei
Wang Xiaolei is a relatively young Chinese profiled in this film who indulges himself in hip-hop music, mixing the western teenage culture with Chinese values and perspectives. Although the music with its characteristic beat and style are primarily western, Wang Xiaolei sings in Chinese, expressing his point of view as a Chinese citizen in a Chinese society. Through his songs he describes the inherent traditions and values in the society. His struggles as an artist were primarily economic. Being involved in the music industry is always a costly career in any society mainly due to the variety of efforts that must be taken to synthesize a song. Then a song must be purchased and commercially successful in the markets in order for an artist to primarily succeed. With the internet causing copyright problems along with numerous other factors, economic strain is typical of any artist’s life worldwide. I think that Wang Xiaolei’s economic struggles are not unique as a rapper. But as a Chinese citizen, I think his struggles in pursuing a career as a hip-hop artist is unique. Hip-hop is not yet an accepted culture in China and most probably comprises a small portion in the music industry, yet Wang Xiolei passionately pursues a career that may someday lead a culture revolution.
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