address the significance of the difference between the “real” and “simulated” versions of this character and its importance to our culteral identity. (Beast from The Beauty and The Beast vs. Edward scissorhands)
English 11011
Writing Assignment #3
Visual Mediums
Each day at work, at home, and even at school, we are bombarded with visual images and messages from TV, video games, movies, the Internet, etc. We are asked to decode, deconstruct, and understand these images from the clues given to us by our culture. Our cultural readings of these texts are influence by our background—gender, ethnicity, education, social class, job/profession, sexual orientation, and political views to name a few. With a closer reading of one of these texts, we can gain insight into our own perceptions of our own culture.
With this in mind, we will use our semiotic analysis of one of these texts as the basis of the second writing assignment. You will make the connection between our cultural understanding of this text and its significance to our cultural identity.
Mythology and Fairy Tales
“Myths are the common stories at the root of our universal existence. […]A myth is a story that is ‘more than true’” (Seger 317). Using a well-known fairy tale character, explain the social and cultural significance of this character using the following questions for analysis:
• Why is this story culturally significant to us? (Why do we remember this story and/or its characters it and retell it?)
• What about the story or character makes it universally “more than true?”
• What role (gender role, social function, status, etc.) does the character play in the story? (Is it ascribed, chosen, attained, etc.?)
• What journey does this character make, why is it significant, and who does s/he meet along the way?
• What eventually happens to this character, what lesson is learned/or not, and why does it still hold meaning for us as listeners?
Current Media “Myth” Connection
Write a four-to-five page essay (c1000 words) arguing how and why this character has been represented or (re)represented on a TV show, in a film, in a cartoon, in a video game, etc.:
• What are the similarities and differences between the original and the visual representation (I.e., Grimm brothers versus Disney) of this mythic figure?
• What elements have changed/stayed the same? Why? Why is it significant to our own cultural identity and influence? Is the story told from a different perspective or with a different message in mind?
• What role does this mythic figure play in our current society, and is it different from the role of the original character?
While this is only a partial list of questions for analysis, you’ll need to delve beneath the surface of these myths to make them meaningful. Once your analysis is complete, you can begin to address the significance of these observations with your own thesis. This thesis should address the significance of the difference between the “Real” and “simulated” versions of this character and its importance to our cultural identity. (E.g., “We need outlaw heroes, vigilantes like Robin Hood and/or Mad Max, who do “bad things” to “bad people” to fulfill our need for revenge.”) Stick to one, specific claim throughout the essay, use the text as support for your conclusions, and make clear transitions between paragraphs and ideas.
