Analysis Six- Feminism and Gender Studies

“Do you know what it feels like for a girl? In this world?”

While this poor excuse of a television show (Glee, for the lucky few who have escaped it’s supposed charm) attempted to tackle feminism, it commented on the identity of the feminine.

To recap, the men within the Glee club were assigned to sing a song typically sung by a woman to come to the conclusion that they should respect women (and to think they won a golden globe with such groundbreaking work).

However, the identity of women is not as easy to tackle (and is easier done without musical accompaniment).  Simone de Beauvoir admits that “What is certain is that today it is very difficult for women to accept at the same time their status as autonomous individuals and their womanly destiny; this is the source of the blundering and restlessness which sometimes cause them to be considered a “lost sex.” And no doubt it is more comfortable to submit to a blind enslavement than to work for liberation” (1273).

While in contrast the idea of being a man is a concrete identity of being physically able, intelligent, and essentially powerful, the idea of being a woman is to be the binary of the man.  In addition to this submission, women are oppressed into being this subservient robot.

  The robot must serve the master (men) and they find comfort in this rather than feel empowered enough to discover identity.  De Beauvoir says “Whereas woman’s independent successes are in contradiction with her femininity, since the “true woman” is required to make herself object, to be the Other” (1272).  She is required to be the opposite of the man, a compliment rather than a partner.  It is more than heavily implied, it is stated that men and women are not equal.  Women are oppressed by men.

That being said, is it true that a woman is the opposite of a man? Or has women’s liberation caused an epiphany? If women are defined by being the opposite of a man, in an attempt to re-define femininity, should women adopt some masculine attributes? Is this the forward-thinking feminists say would progress women worldwide? Is this the key to the feminist uprising?

In this sense, if feminism is breaking free of being the binary to men, the empowerment may be embodied by the living train wreck known as JWoWW.  

JWoWW is the boobalicious tall girl on Jersey Shore.  

While she is genetically and socially female (due to her natural sex, as well as some unnatural enhancements), she possesses the characteristics of a man in some respects.  If the female is meant to be subservient, JW0WW is powerful. 

In response to getting stared down at a club she did not simply accept the behavior, she pulled a girl’s weave out.  In response to being dumped publicly on her reality TV show, she quickly found solace in a new hunkier ‘Guido’.  And, in possibly the strongest showing of her feminist acts, after her roommate (The Situation) got her out of a club before she was done bumping and grinding, she punched him in the face.  

JWoWW is rarely subservient, and therefore has forged her own identity as a woman.  

 She has defied the typical misogynistic expectations of a woman and has become a true feminist through this.

America, meet the face of feminism. JWoWW, we salute you.

Word Count: 563


Works Cited
Leitch, Vincent B. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.
Murphy, Ryan. "What It Feels Like For a Girl." Glee. Dir. Ryan Murphy. Fox. Los Angeles, California, 20 Apr. 2010. Television.
Salsano, SallyAnn, Scott Jeffress, and Jacquelyn French, prods. Jersey Shore. MTV. Seaside, New Jersey, 2009-present. Television.
"What It Feels Like For a Girl." YouTube. Ed. Gleesebumps. YouTube, 23 Apr. 2010. Web. 26 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARuviBgb5pM>.

Week Thirteen- Feminism and Gender Studies

Is sexuality binary?

 Are men that far ahead and advanced away from women that the gender lines are no longer drawn in the sand, but divided by walls?

Do men benefit from women at all?

Simone de Beauvoir suggests that sexuality is oppressive and that while both genders are essential, they are not equal.  A woman has a very specific role within the gender, and it is that of the master-slave relationship.  Within the slave (feminine) aspect, another problem is that women cannot band together. Solidarity is difficult between women, which may contribute to the gender being suppressed.

With regards to the male to female relationship, de Beauvoir says that “And moreover woman is taught from adolescence to lie to men, to scheme, to be wily.  In speaking to them she wears an artificial expression on her face; she is cautious, hypocritical, play-acting” (1270). She suggests that women are essentially trained to be submissive, to bottle their emotions, personalities, and their interests to intrigue men.  It may have once been hiding admiration for reading or writing, but now it has evolved into silicone personalities (as well as boobies).  De Beauvoir also says that “the fact is that she would be quite embarrassed to decide what she is” (1269).  The social pressure and stigma of the male identity does not allow any allocation for the female identity.  Women are meant to believe that they must be identified in contrast of what they are not, in this case, a man.  Of course the well known stigma is that a man is aggressive, the alpha male.  So, when women are pressed up against this concept, they become the opposite. The submissive the Barbie to the GI Joe.

Word Count: 293

Works Cited
Leitch, Vincent B. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.

Analysis Five- Poststructuralism & Postmodernism

Deconstruction, a reaction to structuralism, is based on the concept that you cannot know the intention of an author because words and media are all full of contradiction.  There is meaning in the media used for expression, however media are constantly self-contradictory.  Within this, things are not necessarily black and white.  Its not about the binary necessarily, it is about the differences between.  Philosopher Jacques Derrida says in Plato’s Pharmacy that “a text is not a text unless it hides from the first comer, from the first glance, the law of its composition and the rules of its game.  A text remains, moreover, forever imperceptible” (1697).  Within this there is the notion that text does not have blatant meaning, meaning is meant to be found deeper than the surface.  The meaning is found when you break it down (hence the term deconstruction).

From here, I am going to introduce the cult classic “Dr. Horrible’s Sing- Along Blog”.  Dr. Horrible (portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris) is an aspiring super villain who wants to be accepted by the Evil League of Evil, lead by Bad Horse the Thoroughbred of Sin (portrayed by a horse).

 He is blatantly the villain, the supposed bad guy.  The audience is trained to not like him.  It is introduced early in act one that he has a love interest in Penny (portrayed by Felicia Day), the nerdy girl from the Laundromat.

  From here on he is humanized in ways that villains are typically not meant to be seen.  He has bad intentions for his career, but alarmingly sweet intentions for Penny.

It is also introduced that his arch nemesis, the hero, is the cocky Captain Hammer (portrayed by a hunky Nathan Fillion).

Captain Hammer has the physical archetype of a Disney prince and quickly has the attention of Penny.  This, on paper, should be correct for the format.

The hero has the love interest, and the villain has nothing.  However, (writer, director, creator) Joss Whedon’s vision for “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog” was to break it down and reconstruct it.  The audience does not side with Captain Hammer, they root for Dr. Horrible to get the girl.

 The story should be the hero defeating the villain.  However, Whedon deconstructs the format and makes it the villain losing the girl. In the final showdown in Act III, Dr. Horrible approaches Captain Hammer with his death ray (newly formed from the freeze ray).

Through some fumbling, Captain Hammer ends up with the death ray in his hands.  In what appears to be the end, the gun is pointed directly at Dr. Horrible.  As Captain Hammer pulls the fatal trigger, the gun appears faulty and ends up killing Penny.

 As a result of her death, Captain Hammer ends up in therapy and is now pitied as the heartbroken hero.  Dr. Horrible is accepted into the Evil League of Evil along with Bad Horse the Thoroughbred of Sin.

  From here, the sympathetic audience may deduce that Dr. Horrible has achieved his goal of becoming accepted by the league.  However, Whedon shows that there is more to the story by showing that Dr. Horrible got what he wanted as a result of the death of his beloved.

In the final lines of the final song, Dr. Horrible sings to the audience: “Now the nightmare’s real/Now Dr. Horrible’s here/To make you quake with fear/To make the whole world kneel/ (Everything you ever…) And I won’t feel/A thing”.  The words simply say he is scary and he is control, but broken down he is hurt and fighting and is numb because of his loss.

Within the format of the movie, by picking apart the scenes and songs the meaning is found in the lyrics and the visuals.

Whedon presents the familiar story of the hero, the villain, and the girl.  However, he deconstructs it and shows the audience there is so much more to the story with a simple flip of perspective (and songs!).  The first watch of the movie provides entertainment, and the second watch provides insight.

Word Count: 673

Works Cited
Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. Dir. Joss Whedon. By Joss Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon, and Zach Whedon. Prod. David Burns and Michael Boretz. Perf. Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day. Dr. Horrible. Mutant Enemy Productions, 15 July 2008. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.drhorrible.com/>.
Leitch, Vincent B. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.

Week Twelve- Poststructuralism & Postmodernism

“To pretend, I actually do the thing; I have therefore only pretended to pretend.” -Jacques Derrida

Just to refresh:

“The concept of writing in a world where the phoneticization of writing must dissimulate its own history as it is produced” (1689).  

Derrida here is stating that the history of writing must be let go as it evolves and is spread.  The phonetics must be disguised and covered over to allow for progression. This is in the theme that there is more to something that what it once was, there is potential for progression.  However, there is a note that the concept is based on what has already been established.  You need a base to go off of before you work forward.  To work forward, there needs to be a basis to work from.  

“The idea of science and the idea of writing- therefore also of the science of writing- is meaningful for us only in terms of an origin and within a world to which a certain concept of the sign (later I shall call it the concept of the sign) and a certain concept of the relationships between speech and writing, have already been assigned” (1690).  

So does writing, rather, the science of writing only have weight if it is associated with a sign? Only if it means something to society? Can it not mean anything to an individual if it doesn’t mean anything to the public?  There is only meaning if the meaning has already been established, so does that mean there is no room for progression? There is no room for new ideas?  

Derrida says that words are contradictory. It’s all about the difference. That’s what is important.

Word Count: 281

Works Cited 

Jacques Derrida in 1 Minute. Dir. Mark Fullmer. Perf. Mark Fullmer. YouTube. 10 July 2010. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQbWOXxag-0>. 

Leitch, Vincent B. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print. 

Vidani, Peter. Derrida Schmerrida. Tumblr. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. <http://derridaschmerrida.tumblr.com/>. 

Week Eleven- Poststructuralism & Postmodernism

“The question of postmodernity is also the question of the expressions of thought: art, literature, philosophy, politics.  You know that in the field of art for example, and more especially the plastic arts, the dominant idea is that the big movement of avant-gardism is over” (1468).  The concept of postmodernism lies in expression, particularly finding forms of expression in response and even against modernism.  It is to be understood as a progression from modernism, or as Jean-Francois Lyotard states “the term ‘postmodernist’ is in this case to be understood in the sense of a simple succession” (1466).  This succession is naturally from modernism.

Within modernism, there are ideas of rationalism, science, hierarchy, and logic.  There was more of a sense of black and white, of things are what they are and there is little room for chaos.  In response to that came the state of mind of chaos, and that things are left up to chance.  The movement emphasized the possibility of grey area.  In response to being taught that we are men of science and precision, there was the thought that we are men of spirit (not necessarily religious).  This thought spilled over into art, literature, and all forms of expression and thought.  Lyotard says that “in this account there is no longer a horizon of universalization, of general emancipation before the eyes of postmodern man” (1466).  The postmodern man is limitless and free to explore anything at all.  The post modernist is subjective and has more emphasis on chaos rather than the objective strict views of the modernist.

Word Count: 270

Works Cited:

Leitch, Vincent B. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.