Monday, October 24, 2011
Almodovar's "All About My Mother"
In its most rudimentary understanding, Almodovar's "All About My Mother" is a discussion of the power structures in society that surround and constrain women. The viewer is shown the shame of an illegitimate child, the burden of single motherhood, the perils of prostitution, and the pressures of past conservative generations among a host of other women's issues, however these alone are not the director's focus. Analyzing the film based solely on identity politics would add up to a very shallow understanding of the artist's intention. While naturally these issues speak to the wholeness of the film as an artistic undertaking, Almodovar uses them to speak to an arguably deeper question of what is contained beneath the surface of things, the dichotomy of facade and being. We have examples in the film of a child-carrying nun, a staunchly conservative art forger, a woman outwardly calm and strong but emotionally broken on the inside, women are are men who like women and men who are women who like men, and finally, of course, the actresses Humo and Nina. Almodovar does this very artfully as the struggle of women's identity in being both a nurturer and an independent identity reflect the duality of many of the main characters. Ultimately, Almodovar equivocates the theme, not taking a strong stance either towards the futility of appearance nor character, and the film ends happily with Manuela getting a second son.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The Decameron (Day Four / 5.8, 5.9, 5.10, 6.7, 6.10)
2) 5:9- What is your interpretation of the quote, “…I would much rather have a man who lacks money than money that lacks a man”? (pg. 431)
Monna Giovanna represents in a certain sense the classic 'tragic hero(ine)'. Following the tragedy of losing her child, she undergoes a catharsis in a way, and she realizes the truth of what it means to be an honorable man. This quote encapsulates this sentiment. Instead of the capitalist/mercantilist/materialistic view of men being the bread earner and supporter of a woman solely for superficial physical needs, Monna Giovanna holds the perspective that a man's true honor lies in his nobility of character. Federigo's outstanding devotion to his lady, even though she had until marriage continually spited him, earned him her hand in marriage and her wealth. Thus does Bocaccio lay before us the moral that a man is more than his wealth and influence, that even a humble hermit with nothing more than a falcon can easily weigh up against the likes of counts and kings.
5) 6:10- Explain how Brother Cipolla uses wit to his advantage to escape a tough situation? Use contextual evidence.
This is the story of modern evangelism! Watch, brothers and sisters, watch "my children" (?!) as I heal this wretch before me! Brother Cipolla puts the peasantry in a daze with his slough of tales from his travels. By doing this he enables himself to describe something as simple as a piece of charcoal as something to be incredibly revered. His wit lies both in the quick thinking of turning the situation into a God driven event and, as mentioned, in using his worldly travels as a precursor. Speaking more on this point, as the narrator describes in a side note "most of the people there had never heard of [a parrot]" (474). Brother Cipolla understands this well, of course, and is filled with glee to pull this religious shroud over the commoners' heads. I suppose I see this less as Brother Cipolla using his wit only to get himself out of a tough situation and more using his wit to increase his spectacle of grandeur. Another strong example of Bocaccio's strong disrespect for the Church and its "teachings".
Monna Giovanna represents in a certain sense the classic 'tragic hero(ine)'. Following the tragedy of losing her child, she undergoes a catharsis in a way, and she realizes the truth of what it means to be an honorable man. This quote encapsulates this sentiment. Instead of the capitalist/mercantilist/materialistic view of men being the bread earner and supporter of a woman solely for superficial physical needs, Monna Giovanna holds the perspective that a man's true honor lies in his nobility of character. Federigo's outstanding devotion to his lady, even though she had until marriage continually spited him, earned him her hand in marriage and her wealth. Thus does Bocaccio lay before us the moral that a man is more than his wealth and influence, that even a humble hermit with nothing more than a falcon can easily weigh up against the likes of counts and kings.
5) 6:10- Explain how Brother Cipolla uses wit to his advantage to escape a tough situation? Use contextual evidence.
This is the story of modern evangelism! Watch, brothers and sisters, watch "my children" (?!) as I heal this wretch before me! Brother Cipolla puts the peasantry in a daze with his slough of tales from his travels. By doing this he enables himself to describe something as simple as a piece of charcoal as something to be incredibly revered. His wit lies both in the quick thinking of turning the situation into a God driven event and, as mentioned, in using his worldly travels as a precursor. Speaking more on this point, as the narrator describes in a side note "most of the people there had never heard of [a parrot]" (474). Brother Cipolla understands this well, of course, and is filled with glee to pull this religious shroud over the commoners' heads. I suppose I see this less as Brother Cipolla using his wit only to get himself out of a tough situation and more using his wit to increase his spectacle of grandeur. Another strong example of Bocaccio's strong disrespect for the Church and its "teachings".
Monday, October 17, 2011
The Decameron (Day Three / 3.3, 3.6, 3.9, 4.3, 4.9)
3.3- What is this story saying about trickery? What does
this story say about lying and the deception of words?
Explain your answer with support from the text.
There is ultimately no reproach for the lady's lying words nor the nobleman's adulterous actions. Indeed the final words from the text say "and I pray God through the bounty of His mercy that He may soon bestow the same thing upon me and every other Christian soul who has such a desire." These deceptive words are not in the slightest construed as a negative thing in the text, so perhaps we can draw from this that Bocaccio is inferring a few small lies aren't the end all, and that the adultery is not such a terrible thing if it brings happiness. As for the condition in which such lies are accepted, the alms given at each meeting the lady has with the friar of course oil him up, so to say. The theme of tying the Church and money together and displaying its negative or at least "unholy" effects is prevalent here.
3.9- What are the implications of Giletta's occupation? How
does she use this to her advantage? Explain your answer
with support from the text.
The implications of Giletta's occupation are that she is skilled in medicine, has a bright mind, but is also more aware and knowledgable of the body than perhaps a lady should be and furthermore is from a decidedly "working class" family (at least compared to the leisure of true nobility). The latter two are the reasons the Count disdains to be in her presence or to be married to her. He sees her as lower than himself in the court, and thus unacceptable as a wife and mother for his children. He quite blatantly states that when the King orders the Count to be married to her. However, due to her bright mind, she is able to construct a plan which wins him back. So although initially her occupation is a curse, it eventually becomes a blessing as she gets all that she desires by the end of the vignette.
this story say about lying and the deception of words?
Explain your answer with support from the text.
There is ultimately no reproach for the lady's lying words nor the nobleman's adulterous actions. Indeed the final words from the text say "and I pray God through the bounty of His mercy that He may soon bestow the same thing upon me and every other Christian soul who has such a desire." These deceptive words are not in the slightest construed as a negative thing in the text, so perhaps we can draw from this that Bocaccio is inferring a few small lies aren't the end all, and that the adultery is not such a terrible thing if it brings happiness. As for the condition in which such lies are accepted, the alms given at each meeting the lady has with the friar of course oil him up, so to say. The theme of tying the Church and money together and displaying its negative or at least "unholy" effects is prevalent here.
3.9- What are the implications of Giletta's occupation? How
does she use this to her advantage? Explain your answer
with support from the text.
The implications of Giletta's occupation are that she is skilled in medicine, has a bright mind, but is also more aware and knowledgable of the body than perhaps a lady should be and furthermore is from a decidedly "working class" family (at least compared to the leisure of true nobility). The latter two are the reasons the Count disdains to be in her presence or to be married to her. He sees her as lower than himself in the court, and thus unacceptable as a wife and mother for his children. He quite blatantly states that when the King orders the Count to be married to her. However, due to her bright mind, she is able to construct a plan which wins him back. So although initially her occupation is a curse, it eventually becomes a blessing as she gets all that she desires by the end of the vignette.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
The Decameron (Day Two / 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.9, 3.1)
3. Story 2.7: What do you think this story has to say about femininity? Gender? Desire? Lust? What might the message be for a wider audience? Use specific examples from the story to support your analysis.
This story takes the cultural standard that chastity is a normative feminine trait and turns it on its head. Traditionally, men are depicted as the aggressors, the sensual predators, or at the very least the sexually accepted gender. Women, we are told, are shy, sexually fearful, and the object of desire more so than the subject. However, in this story, the sexual dialogue is described as more of a game between the sexes. Initially, neither the nuns nor the peasant are overtly sexual towards each other, it is in fact the peasant's trick that allows for the 'dialogue' to occur. What allows the otherwise sexually frigid or oppressed nuns the ability of sensual thought it the peasant's 'inability' to speak or hear. Their route into sensuality is through a conduit that physically cannot pass on his own account of the story or, potentially, even understand enough to. In that aspect, this story portrays the stigma that sexual women have to bear in a patriarchal society. Ultimately, this sexual freedom, although certainly scorned by the Church, gives nothing but rewards for the peasant and the convent, which Bocaccio perhaps intended for us to read positively. Therefore I would say Bocaccio is suggesting to the general reader the importance of a certain lightness of attitude towards sex as well as the dismissal of the grave religious associations tied into sex.
1. Story 2.5: Analyze the educative process that occurs with Andreuccio (do NOT simply recount the events of the story). Do you see any repetition occurring here? How do you read this repetition? How does this contribute to his education? What does he learn here? What might the message be for a wider audience? Use specific examples from the text to support your analysis.
The educative process that Andreuccio undergoes is the most basic learning which all of us undergo. He learns from his mistakes and alters his behavior in future situations that resemble previous missed opportunities. With that being said, naturally we should find repetition in the text if it is to be supported. We do, a number of times, primarily with the image of Andreuccio falling from the primary action of the plot and being trapped in a space where he is unable to interact with other characters. This imagery connotes inferiority, deception, and gullibility and is representative of Andreuccio's character throughout the story. There is a definite progression, however, and not every of these "falls" are described the same way. The first fall, in which Andreuccio falls into a public toilet, is the most foul and pitiful of the falls. This fall follows his asinine bragging with his gold florins in the public market, and his subsequent gullibility in falling for the girl and being ignorant of the disrepute of a place with a name of "Evilhole", which perhaps represents a certain karmic retribution for his character flaws. Andreuccio reacts to this fall like a child, shouting and bashing at the door of his deceiver until he is threatened with death and must flee from the mafioso. Andreuccio's second fall lands him abandoned at the bottom of a well. At first it seems his foolishness is to blame again for allowing himself to be lowered into a well by two strangers, but he is being lowered to be cleansed. This cleansing can be read as a kind of education. For when he is stuck in the bottom of this well, instead of reacting as he did in the first fall, he remains silent while two police hoist him up. If he had spoken like he had in the beginning he certainly would have been suspected of something and perhaps arrested, but instead he grasps the edge of the well as he is being pulled and the police run in fear, he is rejoined with his friends, and continues on. The final fall in this vignette is his fall into the cardinal's tomb. He acts foolishly, again! His companions drop him into the tomb and they end up leaving him there just as they did in the well. Using his knowledge from his previous experiences, he doesn't shout, as he realizes this will get him hanged, and instead waits. Finally other grave robbers come, and he uses his knowledge from the well to instill fear in them. Ultimately his actions gain him great wealth, which can serve as a metaphor for a wider audience to act with guile and learn from your mistakes instead of being over trusting and getting yourself harmfully tricked.
This story takes the cultural standard that chastity is a normative feminine trait and turns it on its head. Traditionally, men are depicted as the aggressors, the sensual predators, or at the very least the sexually accepted gender. Women, we are told, are shy, sexually fearful, and the object of desire more so than the subject. However, in this story, the sexual dialogue is described as more of a game between the sexes. Initially, neither the nuns nor the peasant are overtly sexual towards each other, it is in fact the peasant's trick that allows for the 'dialogue' to occur. What allows the otherwise sexually frigid or oppressed nuns the ability of sensual thought it the peasant's 'inability' to speak or hear. Their route into sensuality is through a conduit that physically cannot pass on his own account of the story or, potentially, even understand enough to. In that aspect, this story portrays the stigma that sexual women have to bear in a patriarchal society. Ultimately, this sexual freedom, although certainly scorned by the Church, gives nothing but rewards for the peasant and the convent, which Bocaccio perhaps intended for us to read positively. Therefore I would say Bocaccio is suggesting to the general reader the importance of a certain lightness of attitude towards sex as well as the dismissal of the grave religious associations tied into sex.
1. Story 2.5: Analyze the educative process that occurs with Andreuccio (do NOT simply recount the events of the story). Do you see any repetition occurring here? How do you read this repetition? How does this contribute to his education? What does he learn here? What might the message be for a wider audience? Use specific examples from the text to support your analysis.
The educative process that Andreuccio undergoes is the most basic learning which all of us undergo. He learns from his mistakes and alters his behavior in future situations that resemble previous missed opportunities. With that being said, naturally we should find repetition in the text if it is to be supported. We do, a number of times, primarily with the image of Andreuccio falling from the primary action of the plot and being trapped in a space where he is unable to interact with other characters. This imagery connotes inferiority, deception, and gullibility and is representative of Andreuccio's character throughout the story. There is a definite progression, however, and not every of these "falls" are described the same way. The first fall, in which Andreuccio falls into a public toilet, is the most foul and pitiful of the falls. This fall follows his asinine bragging with his gold florins in the public market, and his subsequent gullibility in falling for the girl and being ignorant of the disrepute of a place with a name of "Evilhole", which perhaps represents a certain karmic retribution for his character flaws. Andreuccio reacts to this fall like a child, shouting and bashing at the door of his deceiver until he is threatened with death and must flee from the mafioso. Andreuccio's second fall lands him abandoned at the bottom of a well. At first it seems his foolishness is to blame again for allowing himself to be lowered into a well by two strangers, but he is being lowered to be cleansed. This cleansing can be read as a kind of education. For when he is stuck in the bottom of this well, instead of reacting as he did in the first fall, he remains silent while two police hoist him up. If he had spoken like he had in the beginning he certainly would have been suspected of something and perhaps arrested, but instead he grasps the edge of the well as he is being pulled and the police run in fear, he is rejoined with his friends, and continues on. The final fall in this vignette is his fall into the cardinal's tomb. He acts foolishly, again! His companions drop him into the tomb and they end up leaving him there just as they did in the well. Using his knowledge from his previous experiences, he doesn't shout, as he realizes this will get him hanged, and instead waits. Finally other grave robbers come, and he uses his knowledge from the well to instill fear in them. Ultimately his actions gain him great wealth, which can serve as a metaphor for a wider audience to act with guile and learn from your mistakes instead of being over trusting and getting yourself harmfully tricked.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
The Decameron (Day One / 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.3) 10/7/2011
"I don't like them a bit, and may God condemn them all; and I tell you this because as far as I was able to determine, I saw there no holiness, no devotion, no good work or exemplary life, or anything else among the clergy; instead, lust, avarice, gluttony, fraud, envy, pride, and the like and even worse (if worse than this is possible) were so completely in charge there that I believe that city is more a forge for the Devil's work than for God's: in my opinion, that Shepherd of yours and, as a result, all of the others as well are trying as quickly as possible and with all the talent and skill they have to reduce the Christian religion to nothing and to drive it from the face of the earth when they really should act as its support and foundation. And since I have observed that, in spite of all this, they do not succeed but, on the contrary, that your religion continuously grows and becomes brighter and more illustrious, I am justly of the opinion that it has the Holy Spirit as its foundation and support, and that it is truer and holier than any other religion; therefore, although I once was adamant and unheeding to your pleas and did not want to become a Christian, now I tell you most frankly that I would allow nothing to prevent me from becoming a Christian" (Bocaccio 35). In just two sentences, Bocaccio at once strips the hierarchy of the formal Church of any vestige of piety and mocks the popularity of the Christian religion itself. Bocaccio literally lists six of the seven "Deadly Sins" in describing the actions of the Pope and his cardinals to portray the hypocrisy present in the Church élite. He then follows this construction immediately with Abraham's pronouncement that because of Christianity's "illustrious" nature, he himself wishes to become a Christian. This palpable irony, expressed textually through Giannotto's surprise, defines the absurdity of Christianity's growth. For although Abrahams decision to join Christianity may be read as a sound action since he "live[s] a holy life" (36), it should be understood that his isn't the common action. Abraham travels to Rome to come to his understanding of God's hand in Christianity's prevalence, something uncommon but for those nearby or wealthy. Bocaccio sees Christianity as a religion sold to the masses as a road to holiness, but which is in actuality a financial construct of the wicked.
"Before you come any closer, listen to what I have to tell you. As you can see for yourself, I am a woman and not a man; I left my home a virgin, and I was going to the Pope to be married, and through your good fortune or my own misfortune, whatever the case may be, I fell so much in love with you when I saw you the other day that no woman ever burned with more love for another man. For this reason I have decided to take you as my husband over all other men; so if you do not wish to take me as your wife, leave here immediately and return to where you were" (78). Bocaccio portrays the rash juvenility of the princess' actions coupled with her high station to criticize the power of the monarchy and the relationship the disenfranchised share with it. That the princess has the privilege to be married by the Pope of all people and to decide on a whim who she will marry, all while being a runaway starkly contrasts Alessandro's almost complete lack of autonomy, being in the dire straits of getting his uncles out of jail and a sea of debt. None the less, ignorant of the power structure present in the relationship, Alessandro jumps to be married up, just as the impoverished are duped into the scheme-arriviste.
"And besides this, he said a good deal more about his loyalty and his purity; in short, with his words, which were taken by the people of the countryside as absolute truth, he fixed Ser Ciappelletto so firmly in the minds and the devotions of all those who were present there that after the service was over, everyone pressed forward to kiss the hands and feet of the deceased, and all his garments were torn off his corpse, since anyone who could got hold of a piece of them considered himself blessed" (31). More on the confusion that religion and lies can pull the truth down to. Parallel to Ciappelletto's lies are the lies of the Church that monetize salvation. Interesting metaphor here how as Ciappelletto is buried and to be judged by God in complete honesty spiritually so his clothes are torn from his body and he is made nude literally.
"Before you come any closer, listen to what I have to tell you. As you can see for yourself, I am a woman and not a man; I left my home a virgin, and I was going to the Pope to be married, and through your good fortune or my own misfortune, whatever the case may be, I fell so much in love with you when I saw you the other day that no woman ever burned with more love for another man. For this reason I have decided to take you as my husband over all other men; so if you do not wish to take me as your wife, leave here immediately and return to where you were" (78). Bocaccio portrays the rash juvenility of the princess' actions coupled with her high station to criticize the power of the monarchy and the relationship the disenfranchised share with it. That the princess has the privilege to be married by the Pope of all people and to decide on a whim who she will marry, all while being a runaway starkly contrasts Alessandro's almost complete lack of autonomy, being in the dire straits of getting his uncles out of jail and a sea of debt. None the less, ignorant of the power structure present in the relationship, Alessandro jumps to be married up, just as the impoverished are duped into the scheme-arriviste.
"And besides this, he said a good deal more about his loyalty and his purity; in short, with his words, which were taken by the people of the countryside as absolute truth, he fixed Ser Ciappelletto so firmly in the minds and the devotions of all those who were present there that after the service was over, everyone pressed forward to kiss the hands and feet of the deceased, and all his garments were torn off his corpse, since anyone who could got hold of a piece of them considered himself blessed" (31). More on the confusion that religion and lies can pull the truth down to. Parallel to Ciappelletto's lies are the lies of the Church that monetize salvation. Interesting metaphor here how as Ciappelletto is buried and to be judged by God in complete honesty spiritually so his clothes are torn from his body and he is made nude literally.
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