Blog Post #16: Coriolanus Act 1

What is Shakespeare'slarger purpose in his characterization of Coriolanus in Act I?

Coriolanus has been characterised in a very specific way in the first Act which is vital the development of the main concepts within the play. Shakespeare uses Coriolanus to introduce concepts while establishing certain ideas which will then further be built and uses these discrete ideas to foreshadow to many of the future concepts.

In Act I. Scene I the citizens immediately introduce the hierarchy which is present in that time with their rebellion and many of their chants. This hierarchy divide begins political play that Coriolanus is as it is not exactly a tragedy, this established conflict within the city provides hints about what this rebellion could lead to. Foreshadowing is further implemented by the discussion of Coriolanus's character with citizens saying " Very well, and could be content to give him good report for 't, but that he pays himself with being proud.... he did it to please his mother and to be partly proud." At this point, the audience is sure that the protagonist is Coriolanus but they are introduced to him in a manner which creates a prior opinion of him before he is introduced. The plebians mention his pride a lot which announces another theme in the play but their taunting nature when discussing his pride is what foreshadows to his future downfall caused by his tragic flaw. They also mention his relationship towards his mother which implies that he has the tendencies to be a "mother's boy" which is later developed by her influence in his life.

This scene holds Menenius's body parable which is constantly referenced throughout the play with even Coriolanus using elements of it when he enters. "That, rubbing the poor itch of your opinion, Make yourself scabs?" Here, Coriolanus reinforces what the citizens have been portraying him with his disrespectful entrance while using the body parable he implies that they are a scab which would be the unwanted sore of the body. The audience now understands what the citizens were talking about and begin to hate Coriolanus as well, however, this is contradicted by the rest of Act I and Menenius's character. Menenius is a foil character as he is the complete opposite of Coriolanus with his calm tone, reason and wise manner. They may be contrasted with each other but both hold a great respect and admiration for one another.

The messenger of this scene is what establishes the first real conflict of this movie which actually leads to the other conflict and sets the story in motion quite early in the play. This future conflict is further foreshadowed by the tribunes which express their hate for Coriolanus in a mocking manner which could stir up trouble.

Skip ahead to Act I. Scene III, where Volumnia and Virgilia are speaking about Coriolanus and the audience begins to hear a contrast in character. They both speak of him so highly in his military role which counteracts the plebians conversation as they discuss his importance to the empire and how successful he is so the audience begins to understand what kind of man he is. This is built by the further alluded godlike figure in which is presented in the rest of the scenes. "Hear me profess sincerely: had I dozen sons, each in my love alike and none less dear than thine and my good Martius, I had rather had eleven die nobly for their country than one voluptuously surfeits out of action" Volumnia's speech express her involvement in her son's affairs and his political triumphs, implying what influence she may have in the future and how she commands him.

For the rest of the scenes in the play, Coriolanus is characterised further by the battle and political triumphs. From his battle with Aufidius and his interactions with his soldiers, it is obvious that in the military and on the field he is a noble man who even pays his enemy respect and honour. His powerful and dominant energy aspires courage within his troops making them want to fight alongside him. It expresses to the audience exactly how successful he is in his place in the army which is needed in future parts of the play when he is on Aufidious's side so that the audience feels the fear of the Romans during their invasion. Towards the end of the play, they allude to the next main conflict as Coriolanus wants to strive for consul, however, we are already aware of how the citizens dislike him and how the trubnes dislike him which foreshadows to the future problems he will face.

Blog Post #15: bell hooks

After reading bell hooks writings on the English language as an oppressor and her opinions surrounding the topic, we were given the task to look at a text through the lens of one of hook's quotes. I chose a quote which describes how non-standard English may be used as a form of resistance. 

"For in the incorrect usage of words, in the incorrect placement of words, was a spirit of rebellion that claimed language as a site of resistance. Using English in a way that ruptured standard usage and meaning, so that white folks could often not understand black speech, made English into more than the oppressor’s language."

We have looked at a lot of forms of texts that express how black vernacular or incorrect usage of words has been sued as a form of resistance, usually associated with the divide or race. However, an interesting argument or form of language resistance to look at would be the white rapper Eminem as he is white but relates to the black culture more due to his up brining.  His two songs "The way I am" and "Sing for the moment" both demonstrate resistance through the lyrics while using some black vernacular. 

Both songs question why he is criticised so much for his lyrics, vocabulary or actions. He challenges the audience and their judgements with continuous counter arguments while questioning their intent and racial stereotypes. 

The Way I Am:

"And I am whatever you say I am

If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?

In the paper, the news, every day I am

Radio won't even play my jam

‘Cause I am whatever you say I am

If I wasn't, then why would I say I am?

In the paper, the news, every day I am

I don't know, it's just the way I am"

"And I just do not got the patience

To deal with these cocky Caucasians

Who think I'm some wigger who just tries to be black

‘Cause I talk with an accent and grab on my balls

So they always keep asking the same f**** questions

What school did I go to, what hood I grew up in

The why, the who, what, when, the where and the how"

Sing For The Moment: 

"His thoughts are whacked, he's mad so he's talkin' back

Talkin' black, brainwashed from rock and rap

He sags his pants, do-rags and a stocking cap"

"That's why these prosecutors wanna convict me, strictly just to get me off of these streets quickly

But all they kids be listenin' to me religiously, so I'm signin' CDs while police fingerprint me"

These quotes from both of the songs express the power language in song form has and the public turmoil it may cause. "The way I am" challenges how he is criticised for his AAVE use and how this leads the public to question him and whether he is appropriating the culture. While "sing for the moment" is discussing how his music has the supposed power to cause indecent acts due to its risky or inappropriate nature associated with rap music. 

In both songs vocabulary or grammar associated with AAVE is continuously used which elevates the main themes of the music. In "the way I am" Eminem uses the word "wigger" which is usually associated with a white person trying to emulate the black culture in some way or form. In the quotations I previously chose there are over 5 examples of AAVE.  

"‘Cause" - Informal contraction of 'because'

"I just do not got the patience"-Inappropriate use of negatives in refernce to verbs.

 "talkin'" "listenin'" "signin'" -informal colloquiallism of 'ing'

"wanna" - lack of copula 

These forms of AAVE allow the artist's message or content of his music resonate with the listeners as he does not conform to their ideas, rebelling against the standard English which is commonly associated with his race. This challenges the stereotypes and categorizations surrounding AAVE while questioning how much power language, more specifically music, has among the public. The themes presented are quite contradicting as he uses black vernacular to break down the stereotypes and impact the audience while defending his case that music is powerful but not as powerful as the public makes it seem.

Blog Post #14: Podcast

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEP_4db1jk0 

Blog Post #13: Speaking in Tongues

15/01/2017

What did medieval linguist Antonio de Nebrija mean when he told Queen Isabella that: “language is the perfect instrument of empire?” How has language contributed to colonial power? Focus on a specific example.

In my opinion, the linguist Nebrija was discussing how language is the key an empire and was depicting its importance within colonisation. He was giving her advice on how to build powerful territories, in his mind the strongest weapon was their language. Which can be considered quite true if you observe the success of UK's colonisation, at a point, their empire spread across 24% of the earth's surface. A powerful role which was reinforced by their dominating culture and language.

When proceeding to new countries they put in the effort to learn a little of the original language in order to communicate but to gain full control they insisted their own ideas, culture and dialect. This method suppresses the communities language and culture allowing for a slow silencing of the people. Silencing the people through language is subtle but spreads the dominating culture preventing future revolutions and rebellions. It is a cunning form of repression as it gives the natives knowledge of foreign concepts while imprinting the supreme culture. Even after this domination, the culture is left emphasising the empire's power. They have the ability to do this through the teaching which has a severe negative influence on the population. People are promised knowledge through schools, however, these western schools slowly teach the children more about western themes and language brainwashing their sacred mindsets. It is a false idea that leads to the loss of tradition and, more importantly, communication. Which marginalises the original or native populace giving the supreme colonial total control. This control may lead to new rules or regulations being out in place which may in force the teaching of language further which increases the silencing in the community.

Language is an easy way to spread one's culture making it easy to learn about others, however, it has the ability to take away culture through subliminal brainwashing or "white washing". 

Blog Post #11: Stereotypes in Media/Advertising

23/11/2016

Stereotypes In Media/Advertising

Media has become a staple of our advanced modern society, however, I wouldn't call our society that "advanced" because of the racism, stereotypes and sexism still prevalent. We can especially notice this within media and advertising as it holds a prosperous world for equality as well as promoting these more barbaric forms of humanity. Advertising has the ability to breakdown stereotypes or reinforces them with inappropriate messages or presentations. This poses the question: do you think that advertisers have a moral duty to avoid stereotyping people?

Stereotypes are something that can be unconsciously created and perceived about people as well as on purpose. We all as decent human beings have the moral right to respect everyone and try our best to avoid allowing stereotypes to influence our opinions or actions. In saying this, I do not think advertising companies have the moral duty to avoid stereotyping. They have one job at had, this job is to sell a product and if they choose to do this through stereotypes then that is their idea of the best way to approach the task. It all depends on how they use the stereotypes in their presentation. If they manage to sell an abundance of their product through an ad which is extremely offensive then that says more about us as a community than them as a company. The choice is theirs but I don't think they should have the duty to avoid it as that is not their job. For an ad to be criticised for their content is understandable, if an and represents horrible stereotypes or insensitivity and sells no products then that's the advertising team's fault. If they created this ad and consumption went up while people are complaining then that is our community being hypocrites and showing the faults in our society. They have the right to do what they believe will sell the product at hand.  

Blog Post #10: Print Advertisement

20/11/2016

The print ad I was given during class to analyse featured a man in military uniform leaping from one edge to another advertising the USA  army in an attempt to get ambitious young male enlisting. This ad reveals a great deal about the context of its publishing while being influenced by the same context.

Before, military ads tended to embellish the adventure and prosperous nature that the army held for individuals. In this print advertisement, they still feature these qualities, however, take a different root by including the benefits joining could have on your later career. This is unique as it brings a light to what the army could do for your career or future jobs even stating the skills developed through this opportunity will be appreciated more by 9 out of 10 employers. Using this ploy reflects the social and historical issues of our modern society especially for America. America has been known for their constant fluctuations in employment and unemployment rates. An issue that is very well known within the states, this advert takes advantage of this issue to exploit the desperation and anxiety of young men beginning their working life. It presents them with a job within the army why promising themselves a business or career once they leave so that they don;t have to stress about the modern issues of their community.

The advertisement goes onto persuade the audience by mentioning certain skills vital to the work force of this era. It promises that these skills can be developed in the army making you a clear candidate for any job you go for afterwards. Furthering the idea that the military is the best option for character development before you go into a job, continue your higher education or start your career.

I say that this advert is directed towards men based audience because it marginalises the female community of the army.  It depicts a strong independent man leaping in army uniform conquering his challenges and fears. This empowers the men within the military community while ignoring the women, making it appear as a man based society. The military has come a long way in women and men equality but from ads like these you are still able to notice how men are preferred for this profession as it leaves the impression that they only desire men. 

Blog Post #9: Pitch Reflection

15/11/2016

What main appeals did you use in your pitch? Why did you decide they would be the most effective?

When pitching our advertisement for the share bike program we used logic and bandwagon as examples of what we would use in the video advertisement. However, for the actual pitch, we directed our focus on humour and logic. This decision was based on what we thought would influence the viewers the most, bringing a sense of humour to the presentation encaptures the audience in what you are saying while manipulating their perspective of you. If you are able to gain their attention and devotion in a simple pitch it gives them the idea of what you could do with the funding for an ad. Building this humour on logic or reasoning forms a well-rounded argument which is difficult for the audience to argue with. Humour obtains their attention and trust while reasoning secures it and develops the opinion of the viewer.

What were some specific persuasive techniques you used (include examples) why did you believe these would be effective?

To promote our pitch further, we incorporated simple persuasive techniques like humour, intense vocabulary and association to influences the audience's opinion on us and the advert we were pitching. Constant association between product and target audience took place to express how extensive knowledge and understanding of the bike share program. This association was accompanied by intense vocabulary and humour to excite the viewers with what we were selling. Intense vocab to describe our methods of how we would produce this ad glamorises what may actually happen while humour allows a connection to form. This connection introduces a more emotional aspect which highlights the charisma being expressed. Charisma and humour exaggerate our dedication to the product which influences their opinion on us as they will develop a fondness for our presentation.

Majority belief was another big part of our pitch as we based our whole text type on the point that our society no longer watches TV. The population today focuses on media especially Youtube and this is well known so starting off our presentation with this builds a credible argument that could sell products more effectively. This knowledge and understanding let the audience know how well we have deconstructed our topic.

How did an awareness of audience and context influence your overall approach to this activity?

Being aware of the audience and context influenced what we specifically discussed in our pitch and how we presented it. We made the audience of our pitch ignorant of certain aspects of the product due to our presentation. This manipulation allows them to focus on the positives of our presentation and our pitch rather than the complications of the product or production. We made our advertisement seem so suiting for the product that they would dismiss
the complications of selling an outdoors product in the desert or how you can skip an ad in 5 seconds on Youtube. The lack of discussion makes them forget about the concepts allowing a more devoted response to our pitch.

If you were to complete this presentation again, what would you do differently in terms of content and preparation?

I would probably include certain persuasive techniques like the repetition of the text type and its possibilities to sell the advertisements key features more. Although we did manage to focus on pitching our advert rather than the product, we still could have made the presentation a promotion of the ad by mentioning specific scenes or thing the ad could include. This imagery would allow the audience to visualise what we are selling, a visualisation is always key when constructing a promotion.