Matilda on Broadway

            Sitting in the theater, the lights come onto the stage and small children come on to begin the first song. The fact that these nine year olds are on Broadway singing, dancing, and acting makes your jaw drop. Once you recognize that these young children stand out much more than the fully trained adult actors and actresses, you find yourself completely in awe of the incredible talent. Every last character, no matter whether they are part of an ensemble or the main character, has their own persona and they express it with such ease and pleasure that it looks almost natural. All of the songs have a story and all leave you singing for days, hoping and wishing that you were back in the theater watching them be sung on stage. As you walk out of the theater, in between your pleads to relive the show all over again and your flashbacks to your favorite moments in your head, you feel like you are surrounded by a glow of joy! Matilda’s ending leaves you 100% satisfied and almost jolly.  You realize that you must take your friends and family back to see the show, not only for them to experience it, but so that you can watch it all over again!

            The article “Matilda the Musical at Shubert Theater” by Ben Brantley, discusses the show Matilda. The show opened in London but moved to New York City in April of 2013. Matilda was inspired by the Roald Dahl novel, which was also turned into a movie in 1996. Although it is a movie pointed towards children, it is completely appropriate for adults and just as suspenseful and exciting as the season finale of an adult television show. The musical shows Matilda’s home and school lives which are both less than great. Her father is a sleazy car salesman and her mother is ballroom dancer, both whom believe that Matilda is “weird” for reading. The article expresses Matilda’s first day of school as a “new beginning”, as she meets a new teacher who cares for her and encourages her love of literature. The musical perfectly captures Roald Dahl’s intended whimsical and mysterious vibe for the show. Ben Brantley uses this article to show readers many aspects of this creative show and truly makes readers want to see Matilda.

            As Brantley is exposing readers to this incredible musical, he uses many craft moves to help express emotions and give readers a great picture. One choice that he made was that he used great, exciting vocabulary to show how he really feels. Some examples of this are his use of “torturous, liberation, revolutionary, and expressive”. His choice of words here really captures the show in such an honest, positive light where readers are left wanting to see this unbelievable show. Another craft move that he made was that he included comparisons from his own life. This gave readers a great perspective and allows readers to see how adult and kids can react to the show, both similarly and differently. When he was discussing Miss Trunchbull, the cruel head mistress of Matilda’s school, he told a story of when he was a student and he had a very similar teacher. This comparison showed a piece of Brantley’s life and allows readers to relate to the musical on a closer and more understanding level. Lastly, the author didn’t include any quotes from outside sources in the article. This can be a negative in other articles, but it allowed this one to have a very easy flow. It let readers have one, but wide ranged, perspective to see the musical in, which was a good idea. These are just some of the intentional craft moves that Ben Brantley made throughout this article.

            After seeing Matilda on Broadway, I immediately immersed myself in the soundtrack and articles about the show. This article was one of many that I read but this one stood out. I especially enjoyed this one because not only was it a review of the show that showed opinions, but it gave an overall summary of the show. This lets people who have already seen Matilda relive the show and gets people who haven’t seen the show yet get excited to see it. That made the article very fun to read because specific scenes that stood out to the writer were shown and readers are able to remember them all over again. I also really liked this article because watching Matilda was such an incredible and memorable experience and this article just added to the whole experience. Overall, “Matilda the Musical at Shubert Theater” by Ben Brantley, does a fantastic job explaining Matilda to readers and gives a perfect image of what the show is all about.

Power and Resistance Close Reading/Viewing

                As I have been reading recently, I have been working on looking closely at the text and recognizing choices that the author made in order to leave a certain impact on the readers or viewers. I am currently watching a television show called The Fosters on ABC Family, and I decided to try some of this close reading (viewing) work while watching the show. The Fosters is about Lena and Stef, life partners who have five kids, four whom are adopted and one who is from another marriage. The show shows the different lives of each of the kids and allows you to feel like you are in their world, making decisions alongside them. As I tried this close watching work with this show, I focused on recognizing power and resistance between characters.

            The main characters in The Fosters are all teenagers and this brings up greater, more mature issues. One example of this is when use of drugs and alcohol came up between the characters. It seemed as though the writer wanted readers to see how these young adults make choices and to see how bad decisions end up hurting many more than just themselves. The episode also showed how the adults needed to figure out a mature way to solve the issue once they looked at the reality of the fact that they are dealing with teenagers and issues like these will be coming up. Not just in the episode, but in life, everyone has expectations that they are expected to live up to. It could either be to have some great achievement or to act a certain way and to always do the right thing. Sometimes reaching that expectation is something that you look forward to and sometimes it is a huge challenge. Being surrounded by the right people will help you to do the right thing and reach these goals that either you have set or others have set for you. This is one example of a time where power and resistance were shown in The Fosters.

            Another example of power and resistance in this episode was when Callie, one of the newly adopted kids is at a party with her boyfriend Wyatt. Wyatt is hosting this party at his house that has just been bought by the bank because his mother missed her payments. Wyatt is allowing everybody to destroy his home by smashing the walls and spraying the walls with paint. Wyatt suddenly begins to freak out when he realizes what is happening and starts to cry on the floor. Callie helps him and explains to him that it is only a house. This showed how such simple things had such a greater meaning to him and his home was so powerful with all the memories and stories hidden inside of it. He let his anger over losing his home take over his mind and he thought that destroying it would make things better and would solve all of his issues. It was as if he was in a dissociated state and wasn’t fully aware of the damage he was doing on tangible items and on his mind. In reality, there can be times where you get overpowered with the less important things in life you don’t know what to do. You end up making bad choices that affect yourself and others around you. This is another time where power and resistance was shown in The Fosters.

            As I watched the television show The Fosters, I viewed it closely for times where characters were either overwhelmed with power or had to deal with power in another way. I found that characters either took the route of making bad decisions that they thought would make things better but simply made things much worse and created many more problems. In real life, making bad decisions doesn’t help solve problems. It is better to find relaxing activities or find someone that you can talk to. This shows how people, memories, and places can hold power over you even if a long time has passed. To resist and deal with this strength that it has over you, there are better ways to deal with it than to make bad decisions. Overall, the show The Fosters has many points in which characters struggled with power and how to deal with it. 

The Stolen Party Synthesis Page

            The Stolen Party is a story about Rosaura, a young girl that is invited to a friend, named Luciana’s, birthday party. Rosaura’s mother happens to be the maid of this friend’s family and Rosaura is put into many uncomfortable positions. This happens all throughout the party although she is oblivious to what is really going on. At the end of the party, Luciana’s mother, Senora Ines, is giving out thank you gifts to Luciana’s party guests while Rosaura is given money because she was invited to work. The story was read two times, each time focusing in on a different lens, one time looking for meaningful vocabulary or descriptions, and the second time looking for moments where power and resistance were shown. Reading with these different lenses allows the reader to focus in on specific aspects of the book and understand the story on a deeper level.

            While reading The Stolen Party using the word choice lens, it was clear that the author deliberately put specific words in for readers who could focus and recognize that it had a deeper meaning. One line that really stood out was part of the last line of the book, “shatter an infinitely delicate balance”. This line really provoked a lot of thought and many possible meanings. At this point in the story social classes and their separations are very visible and this line just enforces that. Some other words that relate to this idea are “cold, clear, and horribly ashamed”. These words really show that social classes are broken up very strictly and there are certain boundaries that are not dared to be crossed. They are very clear and people know not to try to get in between. On the other hand, Rosaura has been very oblivious and naïve throughout the story and gets a smack of reality when she realizes that she was brought to the party to help work. This lens really gave a lot of room for thinking and for everyone to interpret sections of the piece their own way.

            The second time The Stolen Party was read, it was visible that certain characters had more power than others. It was also clear that sometimes characters would try to resists this power and other times where they would need to accept the situation. Toward the end of the story Senora Ines referred to Rosaura as “my little pet”. This shows that Senora Ines clearly knows and feels like she has power over Rosaura and her mother. Senora Ines says this while she is paying Rosaura for helping out at the party. Rosaura was unaware and disappointed when she realized that this was why she was invited to the party. Rosaura didn’t believe that she would be treated like the maid’s daughter because of their association with each other. Rosaura is put into a position where she needs to grow up within a matter of seconds because she has been blind to the fact that she was put in this position to work, not to be a guest at a party. She has been oblivious of these social classes and the fact that even though she is friends with Luciana, she will be treated differently because she is the maid’s daughter. After reading the piece with this lens, readers are able to understand characters relationships much more deeply and are left feeling sympathetic for certain characters.

            After reading The Stolen Party twice, readers are able to read the story meaningfully and with a greater understanding of the characters and their emotions. The story shows how people are expected to act or be a certain way because of their association with other people or because of race or gender. The piece elaborates by showing how characters react to this and how they feel because of it. The story also shows how people in different social classes will make others feel like they are below them, simply because they don’t know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of the situation. In real life, people can be put into situations that are very similar to this where they are left feeling powerless because someone obviously has a greater power over them. Some examples of this are a teacher and a student, boss and an employee, or a parent versus their child. Teachers clearly have much more power than students because they are in charge of the student’s grades and simply because it is their job to instruct students. This relationship is very implicit and expected so students don’t feel neglected when they cannot make many decisions that involve their schooling and grading. On the other hand, the lower half of this relationship, the student, can always try their hardest and have a better attitude. This might result in a better relationship with the upper half of this relationship, the teacher. In conclusion, after reading The Stolen Party with two different lenses, I can tell that it is a story about envy, the truth, and acceptance of social classes. 

Best Books from 2013!

      2013 has been a huge year for me. It has been filled with transitions, big events, and times where I have really needed to think about what is important to my life. I have found that through all of these changes, reading has been a huge outlet for me to relieve stress and relax. I have found myself reading much more than  I have ever before and I have also found myself being exposed to types of literature that I had never read before. Overall, my favorite book of 2013 has been Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult.
      Plain Truth is an incredible story about Katie, an Amish teen that is suspected for the murder of a dead baby found in her family's barn. This book is so suspenseful and filled with exciting moments. When a book is 450 pages, it can be quite hard to hold my attention for the whole time. This book did a great job of always having sudden findings in the case that would snap my attention back to the story. Picoult did a great job of knowing exactly when to have these moments appear just when the story had been getting a bit boring. This book also used elements of the criminal justice system throughout the story and exposed me to other ways of life. Plain Truth is my favorite book that's read in 2013 because of its ability to capture my interest and make me feel like I was in the world of the story
      2013 has allowed me to explore many different genres and I found that I enjoyed books that I never thought I would like before. Recently I read Red edited by Amy Goldwasser. Red is a collection of personal letters written by teenagers about countless topics. This book was really meaningful because I knew that these incredible stories didn't just come from an authors mind, but from actual experiences that these girls went through and survived. Another one of my favorite books from this last year was Sold by Patricia McCormick. It is about a young girl who is sold into prostitution by her family. It's was so interesting because the main character, Lakshmi, lives in a society where this is considered normal. I loved how this book was told in verse which made it unique and more graceful than other books, although that may sound weird. These were two more books that I really enjoyed reading in 2013.
     Overall I had a jam packed reading life in 2013. I found myself turning to reading whenever I needed to calm down or just be alone. I read more meaningful books and forced myself to think deeply about the books that I read before shoving them away, which was one of my reading resolutions last year.  In the new year, I hope to continue reading meaningful, more mature books. I also hope to expose myself to many more genres and authors. 2013 was very successful for me and I hope that I can use the reading experience that I gained to help me in the coming year!

Equality for Women

                In modern society, people are treated unfairly and cruelly because of their race, gender, religion, and abilities. Through reading, media, and simply the world around us, if you pay attention you will recognize small little things that are unfair. Studies show that women are paid less than men for doing the same jobs. Television shows that girls and boys have completely different likes and dislikes. Books show that people are treated badly because of things that they can’t help. After dissecting books and articles, it is clear that women and girls are often portrayed as lesser than men and are believed to have different focuses and goals.

                The book “The Daring Book for Girls” by Andrea J. Buchanan and Miriam Peskowitz is a guide to activities that girls can do with family and friends. This book gives suggestions such as activities to do in a slumber party, how to make your own doll, hair dos, and cooties. This book doesn’t talk about how girls can go hiking in the woods, do science experiments, play with Legos, and other activities that have come to be known as “boy things”. Women and girls have suddenly been portrayed as skinny and sensitive, or as many call them, “girly girls”. All in all, “The Daring Book for Girls” depicts girls as the “classic” girl with completely different interests of boys. 

                An article in Upfront Magazine discusses a current debate over single sex classrooms. The article talks about how girls have the inability to focus on subjects such as math and science with boys in the room. The article mentions how girls need special treatment and a calmer environment while learning these subjects. This claim is very upsetting because personally, math and science are my two favorite and best classes, both with boys in them. I sit between two boys in both science and math and I am able to focus and do well all the time. The article talks about how math and science are considered hard for girls but easy and fun for boys. The fact that people think that girls are unable to focus with boys in a room with them is false. Girls and boys have equal abilities and interests and should not be separated because of gender.

                Through media and books, it is clear that males are shown to be superior over women.  This is beginning to change but it seems as though we have a long way to go. Companies such as Dove and Toys R Us have proved that they want to help make this change by airing commercials that stand for the fact that all are beautiful and that boys and girls can have similar interests. Companies such as these two will help lead the way to equality for all. Women deserve to be given equal opportunities and shouldn’t be divided because of their gender.

Social Justice: Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke

            You may think that the biggest song of the summer is all about just having a fun time, but although it is catchy, the lyrics are completely twisted. The article “No Blurred Lines in Robin Thicke's Summer Hit” by Timothy Villareal, discusses Robin Thicke’s song “Blurred Lines”. Many people have fought over this song and what they think it is trying to say. Many believe that it degrades women and is way too dirty to be played on public radio. I believe that it is disgusting and immature for an adult to perform and take credit for a song that is so degrading to women and makes it seem like it is okay for a man to treat her in such a disrespectful way.

            The song Blurred Lines includes incredibly atrocious lyrics that talk about sex and women in the completely wrong way. “I know you want it, You're a good girl, Can't let it get past me, You're far from plastic, Talk about getting blasted, I hate these blurred lines.” I find that these lyrics are terrible in the fact that they are discussing a woman’s body and sex. Robin Thicke wrote this song and I find it terrible that a person, especially one with their own wife and children, would use fame to exploit women in this sort of way. Robin Thicke says that he had never been able to degrade women and he thought that it could be fun to do so in a song.

 This song makes women seem like objects that are being described for the way that their bodies look. It is terrible that this is being accepted in our culture and that it is seen as cool to listen to songs with themes such as these.

            While this song may be giving off a terrible message, many find it a fun, catchy tune. With an upbeat rhythm and a cool sound to it, Gary Trust from billboard.com says, “The song has earned the spot as number one on the Billboard 100 and over one million downloads between June and September.” The fact that it is so popular for songs to have lyrics like these ones is terrifying and makes you wonder what could come in the future for pop and rap music. Once you listen to the lyrics and think about what they actually mean, you will be almost scared to listen to it because of the horrifying ideas that come seeping through the speakers on your iPod. Even the director of the video, Diane Martel, believes that the song may have crossed a few lines although at the time, seemed like a great idea. If you look deeply at some of the most popular songs currently, the majority are so degrading to women and their bodies. This idea has become so common in our current music and it is terrible that we have accepted and have left the idea of songs that talk about having fun with your friends and being in love.

            The article “article “No Blurred Lines in Robin Thicke's Summer Hit” by Timothy Villareal” talks about how many current songs have lyrics that degrade women by talking about their bodies in sexual ways. It has become accepted in our world for songs to be so frightening, but this is what it considered “cool and catchy”. I find it so sad that we have strayed from normal songs but this has become the new normal. Imagining having your own daughter listen to the radio and all that she hears is a song about a woman who is “sexy”.   Many radio stations have started to block out certain words in songs but many times, after all curses and ugly vocabulary are eliminated, there is nothing left to listen to. I hope that music can begin to change because it is starting to grow into a huge ball of inappropriate, disgusting words that are now considered cool.

Young Adult Literature Improving Empathy in Readers

            The article “Reading Fiction ‘Improves Empathy’ Study Finds” by Alison Flood discusses the idea that many young adult books can improve the way that teens think about life and valuable lessons. She focuses on both the Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling and the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. The article explains how books can allow for readers to enter an alternate world where they don’t need to worry about what others will think. “Books provide the opportunity for social connection and the blissful calm that comes from becoming a part of something larger that oneself for a precious fleeting moment.” Additionally, the article brings up the idea that reading a book can allow for a reader to experience and understand topics from a perspective that they had never been exposed to before. “In fiction, also, we are able to understand characters’ actions from their interior point of view, by entering into their situations and minds rather than the more exterior view of them that we usually have.” She concludes the article by discussing the fact that empathy is a very important part of society and that fiction reading can really change people and their outlook. “It is a result that shows that reading fiction improves understanding of others and this has a very basic importance in society, not just in the general way of making that world a better place, but in specific areas such as politics, business, and education.”

            Alison Flood uses many craft moves throughout her article to help make the article more understandable and meaningful for readers. One thing that she does is that she focuses in on two specific pieces that really can allow the reader to pull out details instead of leaving the context too broad to understand. She also uses vocabulary that is very sweet and meaningful which makes reading the article a deeper experience. Some examples are, blissful, precious, submerge, and satisfaction. Lastly, the author uses a knowledgeable tone which lets the reader know that they are getting reliable information from someone who knows what they are talking about and that enjoys what they are doing.

            In conclusion, I completely agree with Alison Flood’s point of view. I honestly believe that reading a book can make you feel so many emotions. It can make you cry, smile, laugh, and overall, just think about your outlook on everything. I agree with the fact that reading is a private way for young adults to learn and understand topics in their own way and that it can be a method for getting through a hard time. This past week was a very hard week for me and I didn’t really know what I was supposed to do to make myself feel better about all the sadness around me. I had never really had to cope with a loss before, but I realized that it helped me personally to get lost in a book. Personally, I believe that reading can definitely improve empathy in young adults and make you feel ways that you never have before.