REMIX

ORIGINAL: Afro Blue Untouched

REMIX: Afro Blue (9th Wonder Influence)

The Auteur Theory: Sofia Coppola

Coppola:

- her films are as meditative and aesthetically stunning as they are filled with honesty and genuine emotion.

- women's sexuality

- centering on the loneliness of being female and surrounded by a world that knows how to use you but not how to value and understand you-perhaps in a way telling her own story of being misunderstood with her family background-wanting to be set apart from her famous director father and all complexities that come from being a Coppola

- What I appreciate is how all her movies are unique in the sense that they're not predictable, she changes things up and stories end up completely different to expectations-perhaps Coppola's way of showing us that things are hardly ever how they seem-challenging our perspective of what should be 

-Virgin Suicides:

-the story is overwhelmingly and pervasively macabre

-narrators refer to people and places without much explanation, as if the reader is a resident of the neighborhood who should already be familiar with them. And they refer to "exhibits" (photos, artifacts) as if the reader is standing by, viewing a collection of items that relate to the Lisbon girls' life

-Jeffrey Eugenides' writing:He describes the setting and period perfectly, but without wordiness or excessive detail. He writes tragedy with sympathy and not sentimentality. He has a sense of humor and perfect timing. Themes (in this case decay, contagion) spring up out of the text and drop into your lap, without being too confrontational

- beautiful and faithful adaptation by Sofia Coppola

- very, very dark, to the point of being fairly disturbing.

- draws one into a dark and dreary place, Coppola adds her own haunting mark to the already painful story with its intensity 

- Coppola's direction engagingly avoids the coming-of-age cliches

Lost In Translation:

- Coppola delivers Bob into her movie with the impression that it'll be all about him (he has plenty of great scenes, even at just the beginning), but Charlotte enters the story, and we're never quite the same.

- She keeps Bob and Charlotte apart- contrary to the norm in such stories-which is pleasing as it moves away from the predictable cliche

Marie Antoinette:

- In an interview, Coppola suggests that her highly stylized interpretation was intentionally very modern in order to humanize the historical figures involved. She admitted taking great artistic liberties with the source material, and said that the film does not focus simply on historical facts – "It is not a lesson of history. It is an interpretation documented, but carried by my desire for covering the subject differently."

The Medium is the Massage

Interpretation of Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo1wxCXMk4s&feature=youtu.be

The Voice of our Generation

The assignment is to find examples of representations of the voice of our generation in media, however I find it rather taxing as I wonder, does our generation have a voice? What do we stand for? What are we fighting for? What are our goals? What have we done/produced that shows our signature and puts a mark that will in turn form history for the generation of tomorrow? I feel we have become weak, music has lost its soul, wealth of knowledge is diminishing in our social circles, topics of discussion have become superficial, relationships are flaky, privacy is becoming a thing of the past...this all seems rather cynical and many will argue that we are in a very positive era, however these are the things that stand out to me as I think of where our generation is today. 


The famous slogan 'Hip Hop is dead' referring to the diminishing of raw and meaningful Hip Hop, this loss of substance is a reflection on our society's loss of drive, ambition, and cause. However, there has been a revival in the quality of Hip Hop with the arrival of talents like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and other compelling, provocative Hip Hop artists causing a healthy lyrical ruckus in the Hip Hop world, unlike the days of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. that resulted in gang battles and shootings.
Music tells a story of various groups within a generation and is a great indication of the mindset of a set population. Music is known as a universal language, therefore I choose to use examples from two icons in the industry: Pharrell Williams and Kendrick Lamar.  

• Defy expectations and stereotypes, are curious, ambitious, energetic and have every intention of squeezing the most out of life and above all are individuals.

• Do not fit into any category and are above labels.

• Believe individuality is the new wealth.

• Are a diverse group of optimistic, bright minds connected by technology and a desire to make a mark.

Choice & Identity, recurring themes in our day and age, unlike our parents' generation and those before them I feel we are fortunate as we have more choice although relative to people's society. We have more choice in career opportunities, choice sexuality, choice in marriage (you can marry whomever regardless of sex, religion and background). The abundance is choice has opened many doors for us, but has also led us to be very confused and lost. We are continuously changing careers and questioning who we are and what we want to be, bringing us to the theme of Identity. Our generation longs for individuality, this longing conflicted with the search for belonging as in the search to belong, you lose a sense of identity. Renowned singer-songwriter (whose work ranges from R&B, Soul to Hip Hop), producer and fashion designer Pharell Williams, is very passionate about the issue of identity has begun a movement 'I Am Other' which addresses the issues that have risen due to the longing to belong. 'I Am Other' celebrates people who push society forward, forward thinkers, innovators and those seen as outcasts. He says 'History has proven that it’s the rule breakers who have the power to change the world.' 'Others' are seen as those that: 

This movement strives to convince our generation that it is not just ok to be different, but that there is wealth in being different and not conforming to any norm, which I feel is very important, as when we attempt to fit in, we lose our individuality and become a clone of what is seen as acceptable. However I do feel like in the attempt to be 'other' we tend to reach extremes and again lose the essence of who we are. We need a balance. 

In his song 'Kush and Corinthians' renowned provocative rapper Kendrick Lamar,puts in plainly:

"Live your life, live it right

Be different, do different things

Don't do it like 

He did, 'cause he ain't what you is"

Referencing a letter from St. Paul addressed to the church of Corinth is in the book of Corinthians of the Bible. In the letter, he tells the church to not act like the rest of the world and explains how to act and set themselves away from the world. The verse in the bible speaks of turning away from the ills of the world, however the verse in Kendrick's is challenging people to do what sets them apart from others and not copy others, because they are living their own journey have not walked in your path, therefore be yourself, we all have a different story to tell, so tell your story your way and not an adaptation of someone else's. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=695Dxe6LXMA
Another worthy listen is ADHD by Kendrick which talks of how weak our society has become to the point that we rely on drugs to numb out our problems instead of solving our issues. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjlFqgRbICY

I am not one for Science Fiction novels, however this novel presented interesting themes and questions Although Girl in Landscape is set in the future, in space, it wasn’t just dreamlike and surreal, it was rather moving. The tone with which it was written is intimate, making it a pleasant read.  

Lethem first introduces us to the characters while still on earth and experiencing the transition, allowing us to warm up to them and empathize or rather relate better with them as although their environment is never similar to ours, we establish a bond with them as they are human in our planet, experiencing the extreme of the changes in environment which we are currently living through. This introduction while still on Earth enables the reader to relax into the rhythm of the novel, we are not suddenly confronted by a new world which we cannot identify with. As a female who experienced coming of age myself, as well as transitioning to new environment and leaving home and losing a parent, I found myself really engaged in this book and connected to Pella rather than detached, as I had previously anticipated due to the genre. It evoked quite a bit of emotion within me, sadness, nostalgia, anxiety, I was a whole mixture of emotions, which led me to turn the pages in quicker, and at times pause to reflect on the situation and emotion. Although it was a mix of emotions within, I found it to be a comfortable read, it wasn't unsettling.  

The writer reveals enough to drive the story and keep you turning the pages to discover more, however he leaves even more to your imagination, which is what I believe allows for the intense reflection that I experienced.  

Comics: Blondie

I found this assignment rather daunting as I do not consider myself a comic fiend, however when looking at the list of comics to write about I was pleasantly surprised to see a few comics I am familiar with, particularly "Blondie" and "Popeye." I was most drawn to investigate "Blondie" by Chic Young, as I was certain my childhood perception of the comic would change once revisiting it in my 20s. What drew me to this comic when I was young was how attractively drawn the female characters, Blondie and her daughter always looked pretty and well put together and that's how I wanted to be. I was also intrigued, and mostly puzzled about how the everso clumsy and geeky Dagwood managed to snag a beauty like Blondie, and covince her to marry him and later on have his children. After looking into the history of the comic I discovered that Dagwood was from an extremely wealthy family and to my surprise - a well known player among the women of the area. Perhaps he had a charm to him, before he got stripped off his family's wealth due to the family's disapproval of Blondie, who they were convince was a gold digger. The comic follows Blondie and Dagwood in their day-to-day dealings which are humorous as they relate to most marriage and family scenarios and bring forward everyday issues like work stress filtering into the home, a demanding wife, a forgetful husband and so on in a light hearted manner. The comic's blog reports that Blondie and Dagwood appear together "in blissful love and happiness in over 2,300 newspapers all around the world…translated into 35 different languages in 55 countries and read by an estimated 280 million people every day." This is remarkable for a comic that began in the 1930s. 

Reading through the comic in search of discovering how different the feeling of reading with visual aids is in comparison to reading literature with only words, I realized there is indeed a difference. When reading the comic, I found myself looking at the images first before reading the dialogue to try and decipher for myself what was going on without being told, to see if the caricaturist was successful in conveying the message to the reader. In parts I found myself trying to block out the image and only reading the dialogue in order to interpret the situation presented in my own unique way. I was however unsuccessful in my attempt to read without looking at the pictures, as your eye is so drawn to the images, especially once so well illustrated. Reading comics is a whole new reading experience, unlike reading a non-graphic novel, here you are vividly directed, you are not left wanting or imagining as all is right in front of you. There is no room for making your own assumptions as the answers are right there for you, Dagwood's facial expression as he plops onto the couch after a long day at work and is confronted by Blondie's requests on the house's needs. It is similar to watching a series, only without the long drawn stares and television antics. 

I love how comics have the ability of getting to the point without the long drawn descriptions and planted uncertainties in non-graphic novels, they are a great escape into the storytelling world, without getting lost... 

Assumptions of Oz

It may come as a surprise to many that coming from Africa I do have some reference and knowledge of Oz. I was exposed to Baum's "The Wizard of Oz" as a young child, however I do not recall the exact method in which this piece of literature was delivered to me, whether it was in book form or through film, I used to be an avid reader so let's say it was in book form. Regardless, I know I enjoyed the story, however revisiting it now as an adult, I realize I did not fully grasp the depth of this work. Looking at the story now, I realize how layered in meaning it is and how aspects of the story have been regurgitated and regenerated in modern television and films. I also realize how I had confused "The Wizard of Oz" with C.S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia" perhaps due to the existence of parallel themes in both: idea of stumbling into an unknown realm, being exposed to a whole new reality and facing obstacles along the way; the existence of wonder, magic and the surreal as well as the christian symbolism.

I have always been fascinated by these stories, intrigued by the adventure, the pleasures and dangers and the many lessons that come with such, lessons that resonate and apply to modern day life.

The Great Gatsby: ALiterary Work?

Is the Great Gatsby a literally work? It goes without saying that this timeless story is a literary work, as it encapsulates the elements that create a literary work : characters, a theme, general tone, defined setting, creative plot and conflict, all that make it an imaginative and creative piece of literature. The characters and plot in the story are not narrated by an omniscient character, but a present character in the story, Nick, Gatsby's neighbour, who is conveniently connected to both the protagonist-Gatsby and the antagonist-Daisy, as well as the other important features to the plot, giving us a well rounded view of the story. The Great Gatsby offers commentary on various themes, the main ones being power, justice, greed, the pursuit of the highly sought after 'American Dream' and not forgetting betrayal. 

From my readings and viewing of the movie, I feel as though the root of the pursuit of power and the American Dream that leads to greed seen in Gatsby's corrupt attaining of wealth, stem from his blinding love for Daisy, who later betrays him despite all of his efforts to win her back. Gatsby falls deeply in love with Daisy, a love that he cannot let go of. He becomes a fool for love and lets it blind him to the reality that Daisy has a strong bond and loyalty towards her husband Tom, a bond that cannot be confused with love, as it is plain she is still very much in love with Gatsby, yet her alliance is with her husband Tom. One would say that this story is anti-romance, as it does not have all the elements that create a true romantic story; the love story between Daisy and Gatsby does not have a good start or a good ending. The lack of a fairytale romance story is what attracts this story to me as it shows the harsh realities of love, how investing your all into someone cannot guarantee a long lasting commitment from them. Gatsby invests his all into trying to impress Daisy, by throwing these lavish parties and building up his image with his expensive vehicles and lavish displays of wealth and she is not moved enough to choose him. 

It is also worth noting how Fitzgerald cleverly integrates technological forces into the story, using the automobile and telephone to add a dramatic twist to the plot. The automobile is used as the transporter as well as the destructive force as it is the murder weapon that leads to Gatsby's death, and the telephone is used as the communication tool as well as informer, the story is continuously interrupted by the telephone Gatsby has to answer, which also exposes his criminal dealings. 

Overall, Fitzgerald has managed to put together a very compelling story, a timeless, creative and realistic literary work. 

Hunger Games vs The Wizard of Oz

When asked to compare these two seemingly very different stories, I assumed there were going to be more differences than similarities between The Hunger Games and The Wizard of Oz, however I was pleasantly surprised to discover that are more similarities than I had anticipated. The plain example of similarities in the two works is that they are both about a young woman who is unwillingly ushered into a new world that is very different from their own, they both embark on a journey into the dark and petrifying unknown. Both characters possess very little and are at the mercy of those they encounter as well as their new environments in their individual journeys. Although they both enter this new reality unexpectedly and are surrounded by 'foreigners', they are not completely alone, they both have a piece of home, Dorothy has her beloved dog Toto, and Kathnis has Peeta, from her district.    

In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy being in Oz is a separate adventure - her experiences only affect her, whereas the Hunger Games, the purpose is to show the connections of these two worlds (the Capitol and the districts), Kathnis' actions affect both her and the capitol which she has left behind. In 'The Wizard of Oz' we are not given the opportunity to peer into Kansas to see how the storm has affected the people of Kansas or how Dorothy's disappearance has affected those that she has left behind. Although Kathnis' family is torn about her being taken to the Capitol to participate in the games, they, unlike Dorothy's family have the opportunity to look into her new reality and follow her progress, they too have no way of communicating with their loved one, however they are not completely closed off from her as they are able to trace her steps. 

It is interesting to note how both Dorothy and Kathnis' homes are shown as grey, barren, desolate and impoverished and the new realities, Oz and the Capitol are presented as more colourful and desirable, yet they are not the ultimate fit for either character, conveying the idea that 'there is no place like home.'