Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Lucy

I am very surprised by the some of the context in the book. When she talks about "eating Tanners tongue" and giving a boy a "mess in his pants", I couldn't help but think back to when I was fourteen. I was still very naive at that point in my life. I then began to think about foreign countries and their view on intercourse. I know in a lot of cultures, it is acceptable and the social norm for young ladies to have children. It is interesting to think about the history of women.
I found Lucy contradicting herself about her mother. At first she was trying to get as far away as possible and wanted no memory. She promised herself that she would rather die than be a mother like she had. But then when Mariah tries to love her, she shuns it and says that she already has a mother that loves her. 

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

oOoOoOo

I love O. I was not expecting it to be in 21st century context and it really brought a lot of things together for me. Obviously, jealousy and lies are still the main focus of this movie. I wonder what I would have thought of this movie if I had not read "Othello" first. When the coach announced the MVP and said that he loved Oden as his own son, you could see the jealousy building in Hugo's eyes. 
Hugo starts all of the drama amongst the students. In the beginning of the movie he says that he knows your not supposed to be jealous of anything, but "he has always wanted to live like a hawk, soaring above everything." There are many times that the camera view makes him looking over everyone else. For example, when Mike is talking to a girl in the court yard, they show Hugo on the second story balcony looking down on this scene. Also, he steals the mascot, that ironically is a hawk, and puts the hawk up in the top stairwell of a building. 
A little side note... i think it's ironic that they cast Julia Stiles as Desi. She starred in "Save the Last Dance" which was released the same year as 'O'. In both films she plays a white girl who is dating a black man in a very controversial area. The ironic part is that in Save the Last Dance, Julia Stiles is the minority in a rough neighborhood. 

This video is an advertisement for a ballet company coming to Chicago in a few days for a tour. It is ironic that this too shows jealous eyes, scandalous behavior, and handkerchief is a main symbol in the video.