Group Work Experience

 
          While I was very familiar with working as a group towards a common goal in my former career, I found that doing so in an educational environment was kind of tough for me. Maybe it was because at work I was always the leader of the group as opposed to just a member. I may have become so accustomed to doing everything exactly as I see fit that letting go of that control and trusting everyone to just do their own thing was a little tough for me. Don't get me wrong, my group did a great job, it was just not a process I was used to. In the end I think that our presentation came out pretty good and I look forward to our next group project.....kind of.

A Clockwork Orange

          The novel that I chose to read for our review is "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess. I suppose at the time it was written the genre would have been science fiction but all these years later it's kind of tough to pinpoint. I would categorize it as a psychological drama of sorts, seeing as it was it was most likely meant to be set in or even well behind our present time, science fiction just doesn't seem accurate.
          I would say that one of the central themes in the novel is the concept of youth run amok in society. In a broader sense I believe that this book is about human being's capacity for evil and the question of if one can truly be forced to change.
          It is kind of tough to determine, but if I had to guess, I would say that the title "A Clockwork Orange" refers to the disparity between what is seen on the outside and what is actually lurking under the surface. In other words, at first glance you may just see an orange or a teenage boy, but under the surface lurks a cold mechanical heart or the mind of a psychopath.
          The main reason I selected this book is the fact that the 1971 film by director Stanly Kubrick is easily one of my favorite of all time. From the brilliant cinematography to the amazing performance of Malcolm Mcdowell as the main character Alex, the film is nearly flawless in my eyes. I have been meaning to get around to reading the novel for years but now I actually have a real reason to do so.

White/Indian Cartoon Analysis

          In this illustration from Sherman Alexie's novel "The Absolutely True Diaries of a Part Time Indian" we can see not only how the the protagonist views the differences in white and Native American cultures, but how he also views his own internal struggle between his meek persona on the reservation and the new more confident self at Reardon. The message here is not only that Junior feels white people are not only generally more well off than Native Americans financially but are set up better for success from birth. From the white kid's "ergonomic backpack" to his "bright future" we are meant to see the contrast with Juniors garbage bag backpack and "vanishing past" respectively. I picked this particular image for the fact that it really symbolizes Junior's struggle to try to fit in to multiple cultures while also keeping his individuality intact, a problem that I believe we all face on some level over the course of our lives.

Alcohol's Effects on Junior's Life

                                                      
          In Sherman Alexie's semi-autobiographical novel "The Absolutely True Diaries of a Part Time Indian", the main character, Junior's life is impacted by alcohol in a multitude of ways. The problems that alcohol create for junior run the gamut from direct tragedies in his life to more subtle issues that have plagued Native Americans for centuries now.
          Some of the more overt and tragic examples from the novel include Junior's grandmother being struck and killed by a drunk driver, his sister Mary passing out and burning to death while intoxicated and his fathers best friend Eugene losing his life to a drunken gunman. Along with his string of tragedies, Junior was also dealing with many second hand effects of alcoholism such as his friend Rowdy's often violent and belligerent behavior spawned by abuse at the hands of his drunken father.
          Just imagine for a second how different this novel would have been if alcohol was never introduced into Native American culture, It would be a different story altogether. Without alcohol, not only would Junior's family be in much better shape and a couple members larger but it is likely that the entire socioeconomic landscape of the reservation (if they even still lived there) would be far more positive. Of all the awful and deplorable things that early (and more recent) American cultures have brought onto the Native people, alcohol continues to be one of the most lasting and devastating. It saddens me to think that the country in which I live was built on the genocide and displacement of the native indigenous people. Not only were Native Americans victims of the first use of a biological weaponry in the form of smallpox infected blankets, they were also the targets of what was maybe the first instance of subversive chemical weapon use in the form of alcohol flooding their communities.

        
         

Six Word Memoir

                         All potential unused
                              Up until now

Sample Ad Analysis

                                Visual Analysis of Chapter 3 Sample Ads
 

                     
          I picked this Dolce & Gabbana ad mainly for the simple fact that it was tough to tell what exactly they are selling here. Other than the logo (not present in this version) it seems to only be advertising the brand itself and the fact that they can pay a big celebrity to pose for them. The ad features celebrity fossil Madonna washing the dishes in a fairly regular kitchen while making either a sexy face, or a surprised one? kinda tough to tell. Is the dress the product here? your guess is as good as mine. If this spot had no brand names shown it would be entirely impossible to know what they were selling. This ad definitely fits right in line with Dolce & Gabbana's history of producing misogynistic magazine spots. She in not only doing proper "women's work" in the kitchen but also squeezed in to quite a sexy outfit where the audience can (coincidentally I'm sure) see no less than 50% of one of her breasts. Keep it classy D&G.

                                                     Vans Ad, Page 139
          I picked this Vans shoes ad for the fact that it is nearly the polar opposite of the above Madonna spot. The imagery of the advertisement clearly depicts a pair of skate shoes, the Vans logo and a grungy looking kid who I can only assume is a professional skateboarder with a large picture of a skull behind him. I would say the tone that they were after here was kind of a darker heavy metal/skater vibe. Although I don't know who this Dustin Dollin fellow is, I can say beyond the shadow of a doubt that he is a skateboarder due the both the brand and his unmistakable style. I would say the target demographic of this ad is surely teenage males who either skateboard or just consider themselves "alternative" for one reason or another. Unfortunately these shoes are most commonly donned by middle aged hipsters who only wear them "ironically" and  couldn't ride a skateboard to save their lives.