Extra Credit Round 2:
Unlike the Google Scholar workshop, the government publications workshop did not really help me with my research analysis essay. Nevertheless, it was somewhat interesting (but brought back awful memories of AP gov).
For the first 15 minutes, we were introduced to the WUSTL Library webpage which offers links (reference sources -> subject courses -> government) to websites that have government statistics/information that one may need for a government/political science paper. Two of the better online sources are LexisNexis Congressional and LexisNexis Statistical which provide information about the legislature and various statistics. GPO Catalog of Publications is also a usefull database, but it only lists government publications printed after 1976. U.S. government documents are shelved on Olin Level B by the Superintendent of Documents.
For the last 45 minutes, the instructor showed us government publications such as the House/Senate journals, Congressional Record, Treaties in Force, and Code of Federal Regulation. I found the Treaties in Force to be particularly interesting because it lists and summarizes each agreement. Overall, this was an insightful experience. You should try using these databases if your project is related to the government in any way. Yay.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Sources
Rondeboom, Viola. "American Beasts: The Cinematic Revision of Beauty and
the Beast in The Elephant Man and Edward Scissorhands."
Universiteit Utrecht, August 2006, http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl
(accessed October 27, 2007).
In this article, author Viola Rondeboom discusses Edward Scissorhands as a modern-gothic version of Beauty and the Beast. Rondeboom focuses on the ways in which American cinema characterizes beasts, or "the Others", and depicts society's attitude towards "Otherness". The author suggests that Edward "reflects adolescent alienation and punkishly sub-cultural traits" (39), which is quite similar to my initial view of Edward's portrayal as a social outcast in a uniform society. We also share similar views in Burton's criticism of cultural homogeneity in noting that only after Edward's arrival do the houses and people in suburbia begin to acquire distinct appearances and characteristics. Edward's Otherness prevents him from engaging in normal activities, conveying the "challenges a newcomer experiences when trying to integrate in a new culture" (44). Although the suburbanites so accept him initially, Rondeboom notes that their acceptance "is, unlike, his scars, only skin-deep" (44) as they only find amusement in Edward's naivity and scissorhands. Essentially, the author highlights Burton's use of the beast, Edward, as a social outcast to satirically "expose the falsehood of mainstream culture's 'celebration' of Otherness" (48).
Halper, Thomas and Douglas Muzzio. "Pleasantville? The Suburb and Its Representation in American Movies." Urban Affairs Review 37 (2002): 543-74.
This is a very interesting article about cinematic depictions of American suburbia. Although it only briefly mentions Edward Scissorhands, I think I'll use this source regardless because I can apply its unique perspectives to pinpoint Burton's intentions. In the entire text, the authors only mention that my film conveys strangeness in suburbia. They mock the "middle-class tackiness" (565) that exists as seen with the characters' obsession with conformity and gossip.
What I found most interesting was how the authors broke the representation of suburbia down into categories. According to them, suburbs are generally negatively represented as anti-sitcoms, dens of dysfunction, ticky-tacky, teenage wasteland, or positively represented as ideal environments. Based on this categorization, I think that my movie depicts suburbia as an ideal society by incorporating "universally recognizable icons, such as 'picture windows, patios, barbecues,'"(547) to evoke nostalgia; however, the film also insinuates that suburbia is very anti-sitcom because not everything is as perfect as it seems. i.e. bland characters
So, I think this article would complement my focus on how the film satirizes suburbia.
Burton, Tim. Burton on Burton. Ed. Mark Salisbury. London: faber and faber.
This autobiography offers an insight into why Burton created Edward Scissorhands. Burton talks about his childhood growing up in suburbia and not having "a lot of room for acceptance" (87) in terms of having nonconventional ideas. For Burton, growing up in suburbia prevented him from having a "sense of passion for anything" (90), as everyone was expected to follow social norms. In essence, this film is a "reaction against that kind of categorization" (87), with categorization being labeling a person based on appearance, abilities, etc. I can use this source as 'background information' for certain criticisms authors make.
the Beast in The Elephant Man and Edward Scissorhands."
Universiteit Utrecht, August 2006, http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl
(accessed October 27, 2007).
In this article, author Viola Rondeboom discusses Edward Scissorhands as a modern-gothic version of Beauty and the Beast. Rondeboom focuses on the ways in which American cinema characterizes beasts, or "the Others", and depicts society's attitude towards "Otherness". The author suggests that Edward "reflects adolescent alienation and punkishly sub-cultural traits" (39), which is quite similar to my initial view of Edward's portrayal as a social outcast in a uniform society. We also share similar views in Burton's criticism of cultural homogeneity in noting that only after Edward's arrival do the houses and people in suburbia begin to acquire distinct appearances and characteristics. Edward's Otherness prevents him from engaging in normal activities, conveying the "challenges a newcomer experiences when trying to integrate in a new culture" (44). Although the suburbanites so accept him initially, Rondeboom notes that their acceptance "is, unlike, his scars, only skin-deep" (44) as they only find amusement in Edward's naivity and scissorhands. Essentially, the author highlights Burton's use of the beast, Edward, as a social outcast to satirically "expose the falsehood of mainstream culture's 'celebration' of Otherness" (48).
Halper, Thomas and Douglas Muzzio. "Pleasantville? The Suburb and Its Representation in American Movies." Urban Affairs Review 37 (2002): 543-74.
This is a very interesting article about cinematic depictions of American suburbia. Although it only briefly mentions Edward Scissorhands, I think I'll use this source regardless because I can apply its unique perspectives to pinpoint Burton's intentions. In the entire text, the authors only mention that my film conveys strangeness in suburbia. They mock the "middle-class tackiness" (565) that exists as seen with the characters' obsession with conformity and gossip.
What I found most interesting was how the authors broke the representation of suburbia down into categories. According to them, suburbs are generally negatively represented as anti-sitcoms, dens of dysfunction, ticky-tacky, teenage wasteland, or positively represented as ideal environments. Based on this categorization, I think that my movie depicts suburbia as an ideal society by incorporating "universally recognizable icons, such as 'picture windows, patios, barbecues,'"(547) to evoke nostalgia; however, the film also insinuates that suburbia is very anti-sitcom because not everything is as perfect as it seems. i.e. bland characters
So, I think this article would complement my focus on how the film satirizes suburbia.
Burton, Tim. Burton on Burton. Ed. Mark Salisbury. London: faber and faber.
This autobiography offers an insight into why Burton created Edward Scissorhands. Burton talks about his childhood growing up in suburbia and not having "a lot of room for acceptance" (87) in terms of having nonconventional ideas. For Burton, growing up in suburbia prevented him from having a "sense of passion for anything" (90), as everyone was expected to follow social norms. In essence, this film is a "reaction against that kind of categorization" (87), with categorization being labeling a person based on appearance, abilities, etc. I can use this source as 'background information' for certain criticisms authors make.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Googlin'
My Google Scholar experience:
Having only heard about Google Scholar once from a friend, I decided to go to the library workshop to learn more about how I can search for scholarly papers with this search engine. Prior to going to this workshop, I was unaware that Google Scholar provided access to papers ranging from all sorts of topics. My friend had used this search engine for her physics research paper, so I thought that it would only provide access to scientific papers. The instructor taught us several ways to maximize the effectiveness of our search results. First, when searching for a particular author, we must be careful in entering the author’s name in its entirety. On the left side of the screen, Google also supplies a column with all the authors published in the searched articles, so we must narrow down the desired author’s name. As long as we are using Google Scholar using WUSTL’s proxy server, we can directly search the articles that Washington U. has access to and acquire the articles in full text. The instructor also gave us a brief explanation of how Google ranks its articles. According to the instructor, the articles are generally ranked based on the number of times they are cited. She also made it clear that when writing research papers, we cannot solely depend on Google Scholar, as WUSTL’s server does not have access to all the published articles in the world. So, Google Scholar is only useful when we only need a couple more secondary sources that would complete our paper. With this in mind, I tried searching for articles related to Edward Scissorhands. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of articles I came across that were related to either the film or Tim Burton. I feel that what I learned in the workshop will be very beneficial for my search for possible secondary sources.
You guys should try using Google Scholar. It's pretty cool.
Having only heard about Google Scholar once from a friend, I decided to go to the library workshop to learn more about how I can search for scholarly papers with this search engine. Prior to going to this workshop, I was unaware that Google Scholar provided access to papers ranging from all sorts of topics. My friend had used this search engine for her physics research paper, so I thought that it would only provide access to scientific papers. The instructor taught us several ways to maximize the effectiveness of our search results. First, when searching for a particular author, we must be careful in entering the author’s name in its entirety. On the left side of the screen, Google also supplies a column with all the authors published in the searched articles, so we must narrow down the desired author’s name. As long as we are using Google Scholar using WUSTL’s proxy server, we can directly search the articles that Washington U. has access to and acquire the articles in full text. The instructor also gave us a brief explanation of how Google ranks its articles. According to the instructor, the articles are generally ranked based on the number of times they are cited. She also made it clear that when writing research papers, we cannot solely depend on Google Scholar, as WUSTL’s server does not have access to all the published articles in the world. So, Google Scholar is only useful when we only need a couple more secondary sources that would complete our paper. With this in mind, I tried searching for articles related to Edward Scissorhands. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of articles I came across that were related to either the film or Tim Burton. I feel that what I learned in the workshop will be very beneficial for my search for possible secondary sources.
You guys should try using Google Scholar. It's pretty cool.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Ed Notes
- structure of neighborhood - houses are nearly identical with the exception of their pastel colors - pink->green->yellow->blue->pink->green->etc.; colors of cars are complementary to colors of houses; green grass - neatly trimmed plants
- morning work scene - men go to work at the same time - synchronized routines - cars leave driveways in uniform manner - men begin assuming their roles as providers
- Peg - devotion to her Avon job/appearance - tries to "beautify" Edward - smothers pastel purple on his face (attempt to make Ed conform) - rehearsed movements as she demonstrates the correct way of applying on foundation
- Bill - trims plants as he listens to baseball game with his son - reveals the extent of men's role in the home which is to provide occasional house maintenance
- Peg in bedroom - listens to the messages left by her girlfriends on the answer machine - alludes to the gossipy nature of housewives - also shows their role as the "protectors" of the neighborhood - constant need to keep a record of any changes and/or intrusion in the neighborhood
- Dinner scene - men's economic dominance - Bill and Jim discuss finances - Jim brags about family's new purchases: TV, VCR, CD players - Peg - "I wonder what it's like to be that rich." - Bill criticizes Edward for not charging for his haircuts - talks about the importance of financial stability - "A man cannot live off of cookies."
- morning work scene - men go to work at the same time - synchronized routines - cars leave driveways in uniform manner - men begin assuming their roles as providers
- Peg - devotion to her Avon job/appearance - tries to "beautify" Edward - smothers pastel purple on his face (attempt to make Ed conform) - rehearsed movements as she demonstrates the correct way of applying on foundation
- Bill - trims plants as he listens to baseball game with his son - reveals the extent of men's role in the home which is to provide occasional house maintenance
- Peg in bedroom - listens to the messages left by her girlfriends on the answer machine - alludes to the gossipy nature of housewives - also shows their role as the "protectors" of the neighborhood - constant need to keep a record of any changes and/or intrusion in the neighborhood
- Dinner scene - men's economic dominance - Bill and Jim discuss finances - Jim brags about family's new purchases: TV, VCR, CD players - Peg - "I wonder what it's like to be that rich." - Bill criticizes Edward for not charging for his haircuts - talks about the importance of financial stability - "A man cannot live off of cookies."
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Changes
I've decided to change my primary source. Here are my reasons:
A. I was looking through the Anthropologie catalogue this weekend, hoping to gain some inspiration for the Style Portfolio poem, when I realized how little interest I had for my cultural text. "Loss of interest" is probably not the best reason, but I'm presently very adamant about not using the catalogue as my primary source.
B. I also tried going back to the idea of the violin pieces in the soundtracks. I was able to find an NPR clip about the Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack but it was very short. It was also rather uninformative because the clip was primarily dedicated to a different segment of the soundtrack. I googled the two soundtracks to try to come across some sort of an analysis on them to help me to create an argument that is not oriented towards the technical aspect of the music. Needless to say, I had little luck. The reviews all pertained to the segments of the soundtracks that I did not need. I considered focusing on different movements, but I realized that I was only attracted to the idea of using Williams' music in the first place because of the violin solos in Memoirs and Schindler's list. So, I felt that it would be difficult for me to be inspired by other tracks. To confirm this, I listened to both soundtracks (not in their entireties, but the more notable tracks) and did not find a track that I particularly liked.
C. Over the weekend, I watched Edward Scissorhands. Though I've seen the movie many times as a child, I never really noticed Burton's message in regards to American suburbia and conformity. I thought that this would be a more fitting topic because I wouldn't mind watching the movie multiple times, and I can apply what I'm currently studying in Social Issues to my argument.
A. I was looking through the Anthropologie catalogue this weekend, hoping to gain some inspiration for the Style Portfolio poem, when I realized how little interest I had for my cultural text. "Loss of interest" is probably not the best reason, but I'm presently very adamant about not using the catalogue as my primary source.
B. I also tried going back to the idea of the violin pieces in the soundtracks. I was able to find an NPR clip about the Memoirs of a Geisha soundtrack but it was very short. It was also rather uninformative because the clip was primarily dedicated to a different segment of the soundtrack. I googled the two soundtracks to try to come across some sort of an analysis on them to help me to create an argument that is not oriented towards the technical aspect of the music. Needless to say, I had little luck. The reviews all pertained to the segments of the soundtracks that I did not need. I considered focusing on different movements, but I realized that I was only attracted to the idea of using Williams' music in the first place because of the violin solos in Memoirs and Schindler's list. So, I felt that it would be difficult for me to be inspired by other tracks. To confirm this, I listened to both soundtracks (not in their entireties, but the more notable tracks) and did not find a track that I particularly liked.
C. Over the weekend, I watched Edward Scissorhands. Though I've seen the movie many times as a child, I never really noticed Burton's message in regards to American suburbia and conformity. I thought that this would be a more fitting topic because I wouldn't mind watching the movie multiple times, and I can apply what I'm currently studying in Social Issues to my argument.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Thesis
Thesis: Williams compares the ways in which she, her mother, and Maxine deal with socially de/constructed expectations of their race. In particular, she suggests that their physical appearances are somewhat skillfully assembled each morning in an attempt to protect their identities. Williams parallels the elementary tasks in the women’s daily routines to their greater missions to convey their strategies of “rising above” racism.
Passage I – pg. 716
It is early morning, the day after the Critical Legal Studies conference. Next door, as I write, my mother who is visiting me, rises and prepares to greet the day. She makes lots of little trips to the bathroom, in developing stages of undress then dress. Back and forth, from bedroom to bath, seeking and delivering small things: washcloths, eyeliners, stockings, lipstick. The last trip to the bathroom is always the longest. It is then that she does her face and hair. Next door, I can hear the anxiety of her preparations: the creaking of the floorboards as she stands closer then farther from the mirror; the lifting and placing of infinite bottles and jars on the shelves, in the cabinets; the click of her closing a compact of blush; the running of water over her hairbrush; an anonymous fidgety frequency of sounds. She is in a constancy of small motions, like clatters, soft rattles, and bumps. When she leaves the bathroom at last, she makes one final quick trip to the bedroom, then goes downstairs, completely composed, with small brave steps.
Passage II – pg. 716
When I get up in the morning I stare in the mirror and stick on my roles: I brush my teeth with my responsibility to my community. I buff my nails with paving the way for my race. I comb my hair in the spirit of pulling myself up by my bootstraps. I dap astringent on my pores that I might be a role model upon whom all may gaze with pride. I mascara my eyelashes that I may be “different’ from all the rest. I glaze my lips with the commitment to deny pain and “rise above” racism.
I gaze in the mirror and realize that I am very close to being Maxine. When I am fully dressed, my face is hung with contradictions; I try not to wear all my contradictions at the same time. I pick and choose among them; like jewelry, I hunt for this set of expectations that will go best with that obligation. I am just this close.
Judge Maxine Thomas’s job as black female judge was to wear all the contradictions at the same time-to wear them well and reconcile them. She stretched wide and reconciled them all. She swallowed all the stories, all the roles; she opened wide to all the expectations.
Standing before the mirror, I understand the logic of her wild despair, the rationality of her unbounded rage. I understand the break she made as necessary and immediate; I understand her impatient self protection as the incantation of an ancient and incomprehensible restlessness. Knowing she was to be devoured by life, she made herself inedible, full of thorns and sharp edges.
Passage I – pg. 716
It is early morning, the day after the Critical Legal Studies conference. Next door, as I write, my mother who is visiting me, rises and prepares to greet the day. She makes lots of little trips to the bathroom, in developing stages of undress then dress. Back and forth, from bedroom to bath, seeking and delivering small things: washcloths, eyeliners, stockings, lipstick. The last trip to the bathroom is always the longest. It is then that she does her face and hair. Next door, I can hear the anxiety of her preparations: the creaking of the floorboards as she stands closer then farther from the mirror; the lifting and placing of infinite bottles and jars on the shelves, in the cabinets; the click of her closing a compact of blush; the running of water over her hairbrush; an anonymous fidgety frequency of sounds. She is in a constancy of small motions, like clatters, soft rattles, and bumps. When she leaves the bathroom at last, she makes one final quick trip to the bedroom, then goes downstairs, completely composed, with small brave steps.
Passage II – pg. 716
When I get up in the morning I stare in the mirror and stick on my roles: I brush my teeth with my responsibility to my community. I buff my nails with paving the way for my race. I comb my hair in the spirit of pulling myself up by my bootstraps. I dap astringent on my pores that I might be a role model upon whom all may gaze with pride. I mascara my eyelashes that I may be “different’ from all the rest. I glaze my lips with the commitment to deny pain and “rise above” racism.
I gaze in the mirror and realize that I am very close to being Maxine. When I am fully dressed, my face is hung with contradictions; I try not to wear all my contradictions at the same time. I pick and choose among them; like jewelry, I hunt for this set of expectations that will go best with that obligation. I am just this close.
Judge Maxine Thomas’s job as black female judge was to wear all the contradictions at the same time-to wear them well and reconcile them. She stretched wide and reconciled them all. She swallowed all the stories, all the roles; she opened wide to all the expectations.
Standing before the mirror, I understand the logic of her wild despair, the rationality of her unbounded rage. I understand the break she made as necessary and immediate; I understand her impatient self protection as the incantation of an ancient and incomprehensible restlessness. Knowing she was to be devoured by life, she made herself inedible, full of thorns and sharp edges.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
B
After some thought, I have chosen the Anthropologie catalogs as my primary source, though I had a difficult time choosing between the catalogs and the John Williams soundtracks. I feel that I would be able to extract a lot more analysis out of the catalogs because there are images and text to work with. On the other hand, I would probably have a much more difficult time writing a 12-page paper on soundtracks that don't even have lyrics. However, I'm much more interested in the music because my musical background will allow me to understand the styles within the pieces and how those styles complement a particular scene in the movie. I'm just not sure if I can write the entire paper without being too technical with musical terms/lingos. So, I have decided to use the catalogs as my cultural text and focus on the company's view on the female image and the advertising styles it uses to attract customers.
With that said, I am quite clueless as to how I can find secondary sources to support my argument. Someone suggested that I could search for books about the history of fashion, but I'm not sure if I want my paper to be too focused on the fashion aspect of the catalog. I may want to have one on the side to see if the clothing style shares any similarities with styles of different time periods. Other than this, I don't have any other solid ideas for possible secondary sources. I did come across some articles that talked about the unique aspects of Anthropologie, but none of them seem very scholarly. I will probably meet with Ms. Bates again to discuss this in detail.
With that said, I am quite clueless as to how I can find secondary sources to support my argument. Someone suggested that I could search for books about the history of fashion, but I'm not sure if I want my paper to be too focused on the fashion aspect of the catalog. I may want to have one on the side to see if the clothing style shares any similarities with styles of different time periods. Other than this, I don't have any other solid ideas for possible secondary sources. I did come across some articles that talked about the unique aspects of Anthropologie, but none of them seem very scholarly. I will probably meet with Ms. Bates again to discuss this in detail.
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