The reason Gay thinks interracial couples on television matter is because it means so much to be seen, to feel seen, to feel acknowledged as part of
She discusses the controversy of Giovanni's Room and how it was criticized for not featuring black protagonists and explored homoeroticism instead. She notes how Giovanni's Room was doomed to fail due it's theme and the time period that the book was published. However, Abur-Rahman defends Baldwin's work, stating it's importance. She discusses the protagonist, David, and how he continually struggles to accept himself. She notes that David was in self-denial.
“I should have thought that a pack of British boys... would have put up a better show than that.” In the light of this statement, Explore how William Golding and Dennis Kelly presents ideas about civilized and savage behaviour in “Lord of the Flies” and “DNA”. Savagery is a force present in us all, however, it is very much hidden behind our identity. The potential to become evil features heavily in both William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" and Dennis Kelly's DNA". Despite the difference in time periods, both writers try to convey the same message; both the author Golding and the playwright Kelly try to explain how different experiences can have different effects on one's innocence and behaviour.
Television programs often retain an aspect of reality in order to relate to the audience and commentate on social issues. Although both The Goldbergs and The Twilight Zone address controversial issues such as gender roles, insanity, and ethnic stereotypes, genre differentiates their approach and their audiences’ receptiveness to change. Whereas The Goldbergs, an ethnic sitcom, addresses the external world using comedic relief, The Twilight Zone, a science fiction program, delves into the human mind using imagination. Despite their common efforts to direct social change, the programs are inverse images of one another, and The Twilight Zone’s genre structure allows it to resonate more with the audience. From 1949 to 1956, The Goldbergs dominated television as the first televised sitcom.
As time progresses, social norms and societal conventions evolve to accommodate to modern times. The progression of social norms can be seen through literature as it often addresses the views of people at the time. Due to this, frequently newer generations are unable to comprehend old literature as they exhibit foreign and conservative values. However, Shakespearean plays are studied and read even today because he demonstrates familiar themes or values about human nature that resonate with us in our modern day world, thus being known as a timeless classic. Shakespear’s
In “Junito,” by Luis Negron, the narrative purposely switched back and forth from first person and second person narrative in order to effectively present a personal anecdote to then follow up with some advice of his own. This helped create a very realistic tone throughout the entire piece. In regards to “How to Date a Browngirl” by Junot Diaz, the narration of the piece remained in second person. As a result of this, the commands presented to the latino male came across as humorous or ridicule, creating a satire piece. Although both pieces carried different messages and were presented differently, they were done so
Queer theatre is largely dominated by men, but women like Diana Son have found their place within the movement. Since the play, she has gone on to have a successful career in television, but this particular piece of work has become a timeless classic. With deep undertones of intolerance and self-discovery, Stop Kiss, keeps things light hearted and comical. Comparisons to sitcoms such as Friends and Seinfeld, with catchy one liners, have been drawn in order to describe the nature of the piece. Son’s method of addressing real issues without the use of over the top flashy gay scenes and graphic violence appeals audiences of all backgrounds.
Two predominant social theorists on homosexuality that I read about and I found their information very interesting was David Halperin and Jean Foucault. Both Halperin and Foucault believe that the environment may contribute to a person’s homosexuality, but their ideas are very different. Halperin believed in Plano physical theory, this theory believes that homosexuality is an error. Halperin postulates that if a child have a strong mom and weak dad, who has unresolved Oedipus complex, will eventually lead to a weak and homosexual son.
In accordance with Foucault’s theory and considering the aforementioned possible issues, this thesis will unravel the depths of Whitman’s literary homoeroticism in the following way: It first of all needs to be determined whether or not the seemingly homoerotic references in five of Whitman’s poems can be read with actual homosexuality in mind, or if they also could be said to be about either female characters or a more platonic kind of love or attraction. Although this poetry was considered atrocious and sinful at the time because of the presence of these features, the possibility of something more akin to the celebration of humanity as a whole, the same way in which the speaker celebrated himself in “Song of Myself” (another instance of Whitman’s infamous poetry not to be discussed in this thesis), should not be excluded without a second thought. Therefore, the question is where to draw that boundary. It ultimately also needs to be examined which parts of these poems were considered so contrived by Whitman’s contemporaries that they felt the need to ban and burn the book, because that is where the boundaries between past and present ideas of sexual immorality start to blur.
Sedgwick abounds in her statement saying that “the appropriate place for the critical analysis to begin is from the relatively decentered perspective of modern gay and antihomophobic theory” (Sedgwick 2008, 1). The prospect of Sedgwick, as it is that of Butler, is to deconstruct the models of thought that Western discourse has imposed upon cultures and individuals. Thus, according to the author, the epistemology of the closet is the: [i]dea that thought itself is structured by homosexual/heterosexual definitions, which damages our ability to think. The homo/hetero binary is a trope for knowledge itself. […] 20th century thought and knowledge is structured–indeed, fractured–by a chronic, now endemic crisis of homo/heterosexual definition […]
Pathos is implemented in the essay when the author talks about gay marriage, tapping into the audience’s values and beliefs along with emotions. He also plays with emotions talking about the injustices in society and fighting corporate America, giving readers a sense of patriotism. Graham redefines terms in the text that make his bias seem more reliable, along with using loaded language to give additional sentiment. Ethos is not established until the end of the article, where there is a box showing the author’s long list of experience, making him seem more
TV without Guilt by David Finkel focuses on the Delmar family’s relationship with TV. What I enjoyed about this article is how the family kept an open-mindedness about television. For example, “I mean without TV, who would exist? Just these middle-class people I see every day. I wouldn’t know anything else that goes on” (83).
The 1970’s was a time for radical change. Within the radical change was feminism, sex and sexuality, and drugs. Although this may not have been part of everyone’s lives, it was there, and it was prevalent. However, in 1970’s television none of this was talked about. Even though the 1970’s was a turning point in censorship in American television, the ideas and values were still moderately the same as the previous decades.