Reflections

I believe our last post was to be a reflection about what we have done in this course and what we are taking away…I hope I am correct. Overall I can say that in this course, I finally read bits and pieces of all the big writers I always here people talk about as well as new ones. It is interesting to see that all of them take on sometimes similar yet different approaches when reading a text and that they tend to refer to one another within their text. So for me, it’s like a family. You have some people you like (like sweet Aunt Loo …just an example) and then some you can’t stand (like Crazy uncle Sal….also just an example). Things may not always be a smooth and easy quest but you learn what you can along the way. I did like the incorporation of film into the lesson. It was nice to get away from serious topics (not that film is not serious but you know what I mean). Perhaps in the next year there could be more geared toward that as well as photography.

Looking back at the beginning of the year, I remember writing why I took this class. I believed I wrote down that I hoped it would help me decide on my interest/thesis topic. I am still grinding through some ideas but it has cleared up certain grey areas. Do I want to be a psychoanalyst like Freud? No. Do I want to solve the meaning of life and beyond? No. Will I use some of the concepts we have learned in class to analyze and interpret certain texts in the future? I believe so. I would like to pursue my passion just like each of these authors did theirs.

I believe the thing I liked the most about this class was the camaraderie. When I started the semester, I was definitely intimidated by this class. It was my first graduate course at UBC and my first theory class. Yes, I was a baby. But, my fellow classmates were so kind and open that soon I became confident and wasn’t scared to participate (sometimes….only when I think I have something to contribute. Haha). Plus, having had this class, I have met many people from different areas that I find fascinating. In addition I have made many friends some of which will last a good while (awwww, I know….ok that’s enough). Soon we must go our separate ways for the holidays but no worries….I know where your department is. 

Good luck next week and happy holidays!! Now dance it out, snoopy style :)

The dark side...

Although I happened to have gotten confused about what reading to do last week, I think it actually worked out for the best because I learned some new things during and after class, which you may find interesting. During class we discussed Benjamin’s whole idea. We began with the initial concept of the “aura” and how he believes it begins to lose its meaning in the “age of mechanical reproduction”. In this aspect, I would have to disagree. I feel that the aura of a piece of art is present no matter how often it may be reproduced and propagated throughout the world. I am sure many of us have replicas of pieces of art in our homes. No, they are not the originals but they will do. Having gone to the museums and seen the originals in person, I can say that I appreciate them even more. I can definitely tell the difference between the original and my copy in a frame. Of course, Benjamin’s discussion takes us further…into politics.

He feels that the use of technology has led to a negative affect on art. There is a dark side of the force (yes….star wars reference). What I found interesting was that after this discussion in class, we had a guest speaker come into our French seminar to discuss photography and literature. During his presentation, he focused on Barthes and his views on photography, the capturing of the moment, the feelings we encounter when looking at a photo. He then went on to show us two pictures. Although he placed the photographs side by side, they were taken by two different photographers for two very different reasons. One of them struck me more than the other (of course, I don’t remember who took the picture or I would have placed it on the blog….so anyone that was in that seminar that remember, send it my way). Anyway, it was a picture taken by a photographer during the Nazi regime. The photograph had a picture of a man, nicely dressed, and his pure bred dog. They were both looking away from the camera at different things. Looking at this picture, I felt cold. They were so statue like and frigid which is what I would have imagined them to be (of course, not the dog but as some people say, the dog can look like the owner). He then informed us that that picture was actually not accepted by the Nazis because they did not feel it represented them and the photographer was asked to stop. The reason I brought this up is because it reminded me of our discussion in class and how Benjamin did not like how art was used (or duplicated) to take on different things rather than maintain its aura. In this case, I feel like we can clearly understand Benjamin. The photographer had an intention, which was to capture the moment showing the average Nazi in its true form, but because it did not align with the Nazis intentions, they did not want it. They did not like the aura present and did not want it duplicated and spread about.

Col…imp…capitalism….Colimpcapitalism

I was very interested in how Loomba began her analysis. She started off with the definition of colonialism.  As she mentioned, it didn’t refer to those inhabitants already there but the new comers, the ones that led to capitalism and changed the lives of many.

I found it ironic that we are reading this around the time where normally if I were in the states, we would be preparing for Thanksgiving. Yes, in the states, Thanksgiving takes place in November on a Thursday….not on a Monday. Anyway, this is the time where once a year people all across the US gather together with family and friends to celebrate the day that the Native Americans and English had their first meal. Or so we are taught when we are little. But then what happened after? Oh I remember, we took their land, we infected them with diseases, we tried to convert their faith, and we wiped out most of them or ran them off….Yes, not so peachy keen after all. I believe Loomba would agree that at first, there was colonization and then it changed into imperialism. The English wanted total control and all the wealth they could get from the land. Were they acting in the interest of the majority at the time….it depends on who you call the majority. Technically the Native Americans were the majority on the land but for the English, they themselves were in control and had the means to gain control.

Of course, it didn’t stop there. As the years went on, we were then introduced to slavery and further obsession over control leading to years of hardship and injustice. So where does it really end? Because it seems to me that colonialism has indeed led to imperialism, which is now intertwined with capitalism. Capitalism is now driving our countries into a race for the “best”, a race to sell the most goods, and a race to make the most profit. But let’s not forget that this race comes at a price. In a race there are winners and losers. The “losers” so to speak seem to be those countries running on billions of dollars in debt. Or are they? Although they are borrowing money from other countries some of them, like the US, continue to be seen as a powerhouse. So what’s behind all of this? Who is really in power?

La Frontera

Being form Texas, I found Arizaldva’s text very interesting. Although I may not be Mexican, I did find some similarities in what she was saying to what I have experienced myself growing up within a Hispanic household in the big ole state of Texas.

There definitely were some cultural norms in my household which my parents learned form their parents and so forth. I wouldn’t go as far to say that culture was made by men like she does. Maybe at first, when men were seen as the dominant, things were set in place but that has changed. In my home, my mother cooks because she enjoys it. If she didn’t my dad would which he does from time to time. In addition, the chores in our home are split up, not one of them bear the bigger load. And, both of them work. Of course, I have seen the instance where this is not so. Whenever I visit my relatives in Puerto Rico. It is usually the woman who cooks, cleans, makes the house neat and tidy, and works. So, women tend to have the heavier load. Perhaps it is a cultural thing and that my parents became “americanized” to so say…I’m not sure.

In How to Tame a Wild Tongue section, I do agree that there are many people, even now, in the states that try to get rid of their accents. I remember in high school speaking to a friend whose parents were Hispanic but who refused to teach her Spanish because they thought an accent would be picked up and lessen her chances of success. When she told me this, I was in shock. I had never heard of this before. I am grateful I was raised in a Spanish speaking household, and I encouraged my parents to speak to my in Spanish and I in turn spoke to them in Spanish. It did not affect my accent in any way. In fact, having learned Spanish opened doors for me allowing me to pick up French. Although some people may feel that this is a burden, I believe we are advancing and the importance of language is becoming more and more apparent. Of course, not only language but culture.

A lot of the Spanish quotes she used were actually sayings I grew up with and still hear around the house. And I am very proud to be Puerto Rican and identify myself in that way. When people ask me where I am from, I tell them “I am from Texas and my parents are Puerto Rican” or I tell them “I am Puerto Rican”. For me both are the same and the only times I actually use the latter is when I know people are asking me where I am from because they know on some level that I am Hispanic. How would they know? From the way I speak Spanish, from the way I look, the color of my skin….but then again what is color? Eeeek.

Lights, Camera, Action

Starting off with a flashback to the good ole days of VCR was a thrill especially for me (and my parents)….who still own one and use it. I wonder what Friedberg would say now with our advancements into Blu-ray’s, digital downloading, and online streaming.

When she spoke of HBO, it reminded me of a conversation I had with my friend a couple of weeks ago. We are both fans of several HBO series but don’t have the funds to pay for cable. So I asked, “Why hasn’t HBO come up with a plan allowing them to sell HBO Go (their online streaming website for current cable users) directly to customers rather than having to go through a cable company?”. According to my friend and some online articles, this is actually in the works. Not sure when, but it will come. Regardless, it is just another example of how advanced technology has become and how eager we, as consumers, are to use it and see things whether they are shows, films, etc.

With this advancement in technology, we are seeing more and more movies break boundaries taking us to other places, other times, and outside of this world. I find it amazing! Of course, as Sarris says not every movie is good and not every movie is bad. It all rests in the hands of the director. It is he/she who selects a piece to produce and portray. It is interesting to see how many more films now a days are being written and directed by the same person. So not only are the directors portraying a script they are portraying a script that they wrote, felt, and spent time on. One that comes to my mind is Woody Allen. I personally like most of his movies. They are interesting and odd in a Woody Allen kind of way and I never felt any of them to be very similar in meaning, which is pretty incredible. When I had more time to watch TV, I would always watch the interviews of the celebrities selected in his films and the one thing they would always say was that they never worked with a director like him. He would give them the script, let them act as they saw fit, AND even add more. He wanted them to think outside of the lines. One example was in the movie Vicky Christina Barcelona starring Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, and Scarlett Johanson. In the film there were many instances in which Penelope and Javier were to speak to each other in English but once Woody set them free, they threw in Spanish and wild gestures which added to the flare of the movie.

In the end, I wonder what is to come next. Our demand for more movies and shows has only increased with time. We are drawn to it like moth to a flame. Are we getting burned though? Have we made these things our reality?