Advertising Lab

Your lab assignment for this week is now live.  Find it on the right hand "lab" link.  Say what you like about this class, but you have to admit, I give you options.  3,300+ advertisement await you!  

Hopefully our discussion in class about this ad provided you with some ideas.  Let me know if you have any questions.  In an ideal world, by week 5, you will have finished one or two of your lab assignments.  So get to work.  Remember, I'm happy to discuss selections, ideas, etc.  And you can submit your work for a provisional grade and feedback anytime.  

Early Movies

It's impossible to screen all the important and interesting early silent films.  But if you're into film, you should know these artifacts from the silent era:

The Lumiere Brothers invent the modern camera.  I think I mentioned the Arrival of the Train in class.

The first is George Melies', "A Trip to the Moon."  This particular version has been hand-tinted, a practice common in the early 20th century.  Imagine the creativity it takes to make something like this.  The forging of the spaceship; the lunar underground; crazy lobster aliens.  Many suggest this was the first Sci-Fi film.

The second is The Great Train Robbery.  This film is absolutely groundbreaking.  It was the first film to employ a variety of complex editing techniques.  And it set the standard for framing shots, moving action from background to foreground.  And the last scene is iconic.  If you watch carefully and critically, you will see how this film continues to shape the entire genre of action/western films.

Rather than show Modern Times, which we'll watch in class, here is Buster Keaton's Sherlock Jr., also one of my favorites.  This is the first movie to incorporate a dream sequence.  And it's done superbly.  This film is really, really funny.

Enjoy!

Monica Sone, Nisei Daughter, First Half

Here are a few questions to ponder as you work through the first half of Monica Sone's Nisei Daughter for Wednesday the 28th.  We have two long extended readings this quarter, which give us the opportunity to think about how individual lives can be used as a window on larger historical events.  You need not write formal answers to these, but they will form the basis of our discussion in class.

1. Describe the world in which Monica Sone grows up? How does it accord with what you know about Seattle and the United States at this time?
2. Studies of immigration often focus intently on generational differences. What are the differences you see between the Issei and Nisei generations? How did each adjust to conditions in their adopted country? Why did Monica Sone’s parents decide to remain and make a life in the United States? As always, be prepared to cite specific passages in the text to support your answers.
3. Sone’s story is told from the perspective of a young girl. How does that influence what we learn? How and why would the book be different if told from her father’s perspective? Or from someone outside the community?
4. What kinds of opportunities and barriers exist for the Itoi family in Seattle?

The Legacy of Martin Luther King

Martin Luther King has become a kind of American saint.  Revered by politicians of all types, his birthday is a national holiday.  Kids memorize his "I have a dream" speech in grade school (I did).  Those are powerful words.

But somehow on the way to the 21st century, most Americans have forgotten how truly radical (and disliked) MLK was at the time.  In addition to his call for racial justice, he also criticized the war in Vietnam and advocated for a substantial redistribution of wealth in America.  And he was willing to go to jail for those ideas.

Those actions and beliefs did not sit well with most Americans.  At the time, almost 2/3 of all Americans viewed him unfavorably.  Nowadays, 9/10 of America sees favorably.  How does such a reversal happen?  Well, perhaps its a testament to how far we've come?  Or, have we so thoroughly sanitized his image that it has become palatable to the majority?

In a piece for the Huffington Post, Peter Dreier reintroduces us to MLK and suggests where he might stand today.  It's worth considering.

"In his critique of American society and his strategy for changing it, King pushed the country toward more democracy and social justice. If he were alive today, he would certainly be standing with Walmart employees, fast food workers, and others fighting for a living wage and the right to unionize. He would be in the forefront of the battle for strong gun controls and to thwart the influence of the National Rifle Association. He would protest the abuses of Wall Street banks, standing side-by-side with homeowners facing foreclosure and crusading for tougher regulations against lending rip-offs. He would be calling for dramatic cuts in the military budget to reinvest public dollars in jobs, education and health care.

It is hardly a stretch to envision King marching with immigrants and their allies in support of comprehensive immigration reform and a path to citizenship. He would surely be joining hands with activists seeking to reduce racial profiling and the killing of young black men by police. He would stand with activists organizing to end the mass incarceration of young people. Like most Americans in his day, King was seemingly homophobic, even though one of his closest advisors, Bayard Rustin, was gay. But today, King would undoubtedly stand with advocates of LGBT rights and same-sex marriage, just as he challenged state laws banning interracial marriage."

Selma '65

Amidst all the press coverage of the movie Selma, I ran across this new exhibit that went up at that NY Historical Society.  The origin of the photographs are almost as compelling as the images themselves.

You can see more here.

Reading

Each of the individual readings are available as links in the calendar, should you need quick access.  But I would suggest you print out a copy of all the readings so you can bring them to class, mark up the pages, and make notes for yourself.  The full PDF document is HERE.

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
—Emma Lazarus, 1883

This does seem like a very useful place for us to begin. The immigration through Ellis Island and the national narrative of the Golden Door is a compelling one. But, no national narrative should be accepted passively. Why has it been such a potent image? Who are the stakeholders in that image? How might we read these lines from a variety of different perspectives (indigenous, Chinese, Eastern European, or even earlier immigrants) each with different effect? As I said, a good place to start.