Lit & Media Studies

         In reading the book,  Marriage of a Thousand Lies, it was interesting to hear a different point of view and hear an experience of a person from a different background. Even though I don't get to read novels as often as I would like, I'm usually not drawn to these kinds of books but I think it's good to read about point of views that we're not always aware of or exposed to. Especially because a challenge is a challenge, and the character faced many that are difficult to understand but we can relate to in some way as we've all been through difficult times in our lives. One thing I was interested in was the fact that she is Sri Lankan. I can relate to her background in that way as my parents are immigrants from Romania. So much here is different from other countries and those challenges are very relatable as well.        In the discussion in class it was interesting to see how her background influenced her main character. To hear ...

         In the short novel Cosmopolis, the author does address issues of privilege through the characters and the events that take place. Through the main character we see the main picture of privilege because from the beginning he is clearly a wealthy, high-class man. When he briefly mentions his process of getting to the point of owning a large business and becoming wealthy, we find out that he started from a lower status and worked his way up. However, the fact that he wasn't born wealthy doesn't seem to change anything he does, as far as charity and helping those who are in a "lower" position, as he once was. In my opinion, this is one way that the author reveals the issue of privilege. The main character appears greedy and always in pursuit of more, whether it's money, women, or expensive works of art. The many women that he has sex with, all who are not his wife, show that he believes he has a lot of power in his hands, and this stems from the fact that ...

            If I were to design a Wonder Woman theme park, I would focus on how she came to earth, and her story known from the comics. I would focus on her role in the Justice League, but I would also include her experiences with the other superheroes from the comics. The rides would be based on different moments in her story. For example, one ride could be a 3D experience of her “arrival” on her invisible plane, and her first encounters with earth and the people here. Another ride could be her fight with Super Man, but told from her point of view. Strips of the comics would be placed around the theme park along with clips from the film included throughout the park so that her modern character could be shown as well.  To help visitors understand where she comes from, I would have a ‘museum’ style attraction where visitors could learn about the author and his life, and how everything he experienced influenced the story of Wonder Woman. Except for that...

             Reading True Grit , and watching the films, I was surprised to see the perspective of the novel, and the style of writing. It was very abrupt and to the point and it was almost like a culture shock going from Pride and Prejuidice to a western novel, but I really enjoyed it. The novel  and it's accompanying films both reflect and comment on American mythology. The plot of the novel, and the films, takes on what is assumed to be a typical Western novel plot. There is a character that is killed, one that seeks revenge, and others who go on this journey of vengeance with them. All the stereotypical Western details are in the novel as well, including the small towns and the rivals between towns and states, and the typical cowboys. In these ways, True Grit reflects on how we see the Western world. However, it also comments on this view through the main character, Mattie. I was surprised to see that she was the one telling the story, and wh...