Final Presentation Q&A Forum

Film: Metropolis
Argument: The future is thought to be a place where the body and technology merge. This merging creates a "machine man" that becomes a part of technology, and like technology is controlled by another. The exertion of power over the "machine man" is shown through violence done to him and his manipulation into conducting violent acts.

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Prompt 11

Cronenberg's use of sex and violence gives his perspective on the relationship between the body and technology By using sexualized violence, he pucks an issue that we as humans identify as wrong. Therefore, by associating this theme of sexualized violence with technologized Max, Cronenberg gets his point across to the audience. Cronenberg takes the issue of violence, which is already seen as bad, and makes it worst by associating it with sex- something pleasurable. By doing this, Cronenberg accomplishes a twisted level of violence that no one can dispute. He builds this idea through the main character Max. First, Max simply pierces Nikki's ear while having sex. Though it is unusual, as a viewer, I did not think of Max as a bad person. It was unusual the extent to which Nikki enjoyed it, but I thought of it as simply getting her ears pierced. Cronenberg then built on this idea and Max was shown in a scene where Nikki burnt her breasts with a cigarette. The sudden end to that scene caused me to question if Max engaged in that act with her. Eventually we see Max enjoying whipping the TV screen he thinks is Nikki. As Max becomes more technologized, as a viewer, I lost sympathy for him. He wanted to engage in sexualized violence and once he did, he lost my sympathy. Therefore, Cronenberg developed Max into a technologized body and paralleled this with Max's sexualized violent acts, resulting in a negative, unsympathetic view of Max in this respect. This is how sex and violence was used to support Cronenberg's argument of technology and the body.

Prompt 11

My movie is Metropolis- a silent film that explores the issue of social classes. Surprisingly technology plays a major role in this film because it is supposed to present a futuristic view of society. Technology is present in the underworld where the workers live and above the earth where the thinkers live. The workers in the underworld are the ones who constantly deal with technology because they not only built the city the thinkers live in but also run it through the technology in the underworld. The bodies in Metropolis argue a violent relationship with technology. In the first part of the movie when Freder goes to the underworld, a worker dies while performing his job on the machines (technology). It was not just one man who died, the entire row of workers died, and they were simply replaced by a new row of workers. Bodies passed in front of Freder who was shocked by the number of workers who died in the "machine room" accident. When he runs to tell his father, his father responds saying "such accidents are unavoidable." This is the first incident of technology being associated with the body and it is in terms of violence. When Freder runs to tell his father of violence, his father responds by saying that they (the workers) belong in the depths. It is as if the father thinks of the workers as machines. Joseph, the father's right hand man, after being fired took a gun out of his jacket pocket. Again, associating technology with violence. After being introduced to Rotwang the inventor, he tells of his newest creation that is a robot that is going to replace the workers. Rotwang and the father plot to create robot that looks like Maria (the leader of the workers) so they can manipulate the workers and break the confidence of the workers that a better day is soon to come. Each time the viewer sees technology it is always associated with violence toward the body (mainly the worker body).

Prompt 10

In Neuromancer, Gibson presents two views of sex. He shows sex as something meaningful and engaged in by two individuals that truly care of one another. He also presents sex as something strictly physical and deeply twisted, often associated with two other motifs- death and violence. Gibson first mentions sex when he tells of Case and Linda Lee. The act was not condemned because it was obvious Case had deep feelings, maybe even loved, Linda Lee. As the book progresses, Linda Lee is seen to be the one person that Wintermute spoke through that could emotionally affect Case. In encounters with Linda Lee is when we saw emotions from Case. Linda Lee is even said to have loved Case herself, and in the Land of the Dead, when they are together, things are good. I would have been satisfied with an ending to Neuromancer where Case ended up in the Land of the Dead with Linda Lee forever. Gibson's association of sex with love makes it meaningful. Even when Case had sex with Molly, though they were not in love, they truly cared for one another and that is enough. Sex with caring and loving emotions has been taught to be "good" sex, the sex we should engage in ourselves. Gibson also presented another view of sex, as strictly physical. This side of sex is shown through Molly's past as a prostitute. The reason this view of sex does not take away from Gibson's positive argument of sex in the novel is because Molly's prostitute sex was only physical. She could not and was not suppose to remember it. Therefore, Gibson is saying that if sex is not with the one you care about, you shouldn't be tortured to remember it. He stresses this point by always associating death and violence with unwanted sex, for example, Molly's experience as a prostitute after she got her body modification finger nails.

Prompt 9

The most intriguing characters in Gibson's Neuromancer are the Zionites, for example, Aerol. The reason the Zionites are the most provocative and intriguing is because in this novel they are so different from everyone else. The fact that they are normal in today's society, but completely different in Gibson's society makes them stand out to me. Firstly, the fact that the Zionites lack body modifications is extremely interesting, because up to this point in the novel Case has been the only "virgin." Aerol is described as a Rastafarian who smokes ganja, something that Rastafarian's are known for. Physically, Aerol has a "grin bracketed with gold scissors" which does not connotate body modification through technology to me. Instead, I think of his smile as if he were wearing a 'grill', something common in our society, so definitely viewed as backward and strange in Gibson's society. Aerol's hair is depicted as "dreadlocks like a matted tree with branches the color of steel wood," again something we all have seen before. The Zionite body is like other bodies we have encountered because it reminds me of the Native bodies we have seen in the Travel Writings and Victoria Pitts' novel. In the beginning chapters, Pitts described her body modifiers as mimicking the Natives of other cultures. These are the bodies that remind me of the Zionites, they are Natives who are close to nature and like the Natives we have encountered before, they are portrayed as a backward group of people. The Zionites relationship with body and technology is not apparent. Firstly, none of the Zionites seem to have body modifications. Secondly, the Zionites possess a strong relationship with the body and they have no desire to escape their body. This can be seen through Case's description of them "always touching you when they [are] talking", this bodily contact made Case uncomfortable, but it was something the Zionites always did. Though the Zionites did not partake in connecting their bodies to technology, they are obviously aware of it all. Aerol helps Case unload his dock, jacked into the matrix and heard dub from Wintermute. All of this proves that they reject the rejection of the body. The familiarity of the Zionites and thier stark difference in Gibson's world is what makes this particular group of people appeal to me.

Prompt 8 - Extra Credit

I write myself differently in every situation and in every group, even within groups. For example within the group of family I would talk or write an email to my mom differently, than I would talk to or email my cousins. I feel that in each situation we present ourselves differently because we know how we would like that audience to perceive us. Emails seem to be the best example. It's interesting because coming into this class Jillian told us how to write ourselves in emails; she gave us guidelines on what needed to be done in order for her to respond, but her requests were nothing out of the ordinary, because how I would write an email to Jillian is the same as I would write an email to any teacher or boss or person who has some say over me. During interviews, and while making appointments for interviews over Winter Break, I wrote in a very professional manner to my future boss, because I wanted her to perceive me as well-spoken, professional and responsible. During my interview, I chose my words carefully to not make the mistake of using "um" or "you know what I mean" as I would in a casual setting. Another great example is facebook. Though facebook is a casual setting, I present myself to my friends in a certain way because I do not want people to read through my wall and get a distorted view of who I am or what I do in my spare time. I feel that it is important to know how to write yourself in different situations because everything has "a time and a place", and in college we learn that and learn to use that ideology to our advantage.

Body modification is similar to writing in these different mediums because it is all about how you want to present yourself. The perfect example is my roommate. When we are going out on a Friday night, all of her piercings will be in and she doesn't mind if her tattoo shows, but during the week days when she is going to class, she never allows her tattoo to show. Also, at home, she doesn't let it show because she knows her parents disapprove, she even changed her piercing to the smallest stud possible before she went home for Winter Break so she would not draw much attention from her parents to her piercings, which she knows they disapprove of. Therefore similarly, there is "a time and place" for body modifications.

Prompt 7

In chapter three, Visibly Queer, Pitts argues that queering of the body "cannot reflect true self invention, but rather complex negotiations between self and social" (page 92). I believe this argument also applies to normative body modifications. For example, consider fitness and exercise and the aspiration of being thin. Every person's "true" self is not thin. For many individuals, it is genetically coded that they are not to be thin. Yet, everyone aspires to be thin and feels like they should be, because we are brainwashed to believe thin is beautiful. Pitts argument suggests a "negotiation between self and social" and this appears in the above example. The social factor is society's pressure to be thin and this is compromised with self. Though there is a negotiation between the two, society has a greater influence when it comes to normative body modifications. Attempting to meet society's values of beauty leads to normative body modification, whereas, in contrast, attempting to go against society's values is what leads to non-normative body modifications. So, in my opinion, the negotiation between self and social is overwhelmed by the social aspect. I agree with Pitts, true self invention is not possible. Normative modifications do not reflect one's true self, but instead is a way of fitting into the normative community. So, from this we can get a definition of a normative community. It is a community that tries to meet society's standards or definitions. In extreme situations, people would undergo harsh conditions to be a part of this community and be looked at as beautiful and thin. So, though many of us are quick to judged the non-normative community, the sad truth is that we are use to the standards of the normative community, so we no longer see much wrong with it.

Prompt 6

My experience with formal writing has always been in an English classroom. Formal writing, in my opinion, has too many unnecessary restrictions. When I write English papers, I always feel as though I cannot fully express myself because my expressions are not within the "requirements" of the paper. I believe formal writing is necessary in the English classroom because if everyone is told to write the same, then they can easily be evaluated by the same rubric. If we were allowed to write creatively, how could one paper be judged as better than the other. In contrast, informal writing is associated with self expression. Informal writing ranges from simple grooming habits such as hair and make-up to more permanent writings such as tattoos. The thing about informal writing of the body is that it is always accompanied with preconceived attitudes and stereotypes. Before this class, I admit, I belonged to the group of people who judged others based on their drastic body modifications. I think it is because I never understood why people permanently modified themselves. In my opinion, doing one's hair and nails is simply taking care of themselves and portraying an image of cleanliness and approachability to the world. I now understand that people actually have really emotional or spiritual reasons for their modifications. They are trying to remove themselves from a certain societal group, even if that group is dirty, ugly, normal. I believe there are limits to authorship over the body. For example, I belong to the Black group, there is nothing I can do to modify my body and remove myself from this group. These limits are necessary because there are always things that are out of our control and that is how it should be.

Prompt 5

The bodies presented in the National Geographic exhibit connect body modifications to spiritual and cultural acts. This interpretation of body modification surprised me. Before this class, I honestly thought people modified their bodies for the look of it or a feeling of remembrance. I know a lot of people who have tattooed the names of family members on their bodies, or tattooed pictures that had a personal significance to them. So, the National Geographic exhibit opened my eyes to a new perspective on body modification. While looking through the pictures, I admired those bodies and the deep meaning behind each. The modifications of each body not only means something to that specific person, but also means something to all of their kind. These modifications are in essence tradition to that culture. Then, it hit me, this admiration is what Victoria Pitts speaks of. We admire bodies that are exotic. The bodies in Marketplace's article did not receive my admiration because they seemed too normal and they are what I am use to. Marketplace speaks of modifications done for summer and the problems with finding a job when a body is openly tattooed. The mortgage broker who is deciding to get some of his tattoos removed, deeply contrasts the National Geographic exhibit, because it emphasizes that the tattoo's did not mean much to him to begin with, if he can easily remove them. In my opinion, body modification is still an exotic practice if the person explains their reasoning to be linked to a spiritual or traditional custom. Also, if the method of modifying is something that is unusual, such as the man in Burkina Faso's scarification or the women Bathing in Brazil, who recieved her marking with a small stick.

Prompt 4

Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign is attempting to make a societal change. Dove claims that every person is beautiful and applies this concept to their campaign by using models that are out of the ordinary. Not that I still use the world "models". I believe Dove engages in accepted views of beauty but simply broadens the definition of beauty so that is is applicable to a wider range of people. Consider Dove's "Pro-Age" video and "wrinkled? wonderful?" print advertisement. This ad is a specific example of how Dove is expanding its definition of beauty to include an older age group. It is a radical move, but if Dove claims every woman is beautiful, why did women have to audition to be in their commercial? Why couldn't four random older women off the street be used for this ad? Each woman in the "Pro-Age" commercial is indisputably beautiful for their age. Three out of the four women have flat stomachs to the point that even when they are sitting down no fat can be seen! Obviously Dove is still abiding by society's definition of beauty. It is actually just exposing society's changing view. Society no longer thinks an extremely skinny model is beautiful, now curvy women such as Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez are desired body types. The print ad "wrinkled? wonderful?" presents a wonderfully ages Black woman whose smile is the focus of the picture. Plus the truth is she has very few wrinkles! The Dove campaign is not as controversial as it appears. Each video and print advertisement presents beautiful women. Dove has not dare reject society's view of beauty.

Short Writting 2

Curtis' Apache portrait argues that the Native American male body is not known. Traveler's have told stories of the Native male body, yet looking at Curtis' portrait, it is not the Native body seen in the traveler's explanations, therefore proving there is a lot that is unknown about the Native male body. The Native American male is the subject of this photo because he is arranged in the center of the frame. The focus on the Native American body is enforced through the background. In the background, it is unclear whether the scene in front of the Native American consists of mountains or trees. Also, notice that there is no water current in the distance, but surrounding the Native American male body, the current is very apparent. Just around the Native body there is a contrasting attention to detail, regarding the water and the rocks, that is not existent beyond him. The attention to detail surrounding the Native body focuses the attention of the viewer on him. The Native body is looking away, but the viewer is unable to see what he is so intrigued by. His gaze beyond the frame causes the viewer to gaze beyond the frame and imagine what he could be looking at. Since Curtis was trying to capture the last of the Native Americans before they faded, the viewer can imagine that the Native body is looking at his tribe as they gather there belongings to travel away from their home town. The way the Native body is clothe resembles how the body was depicted in the Travel Writings. He is very bare, only covering what is essential. Though the body lacks clothing, it is ornamented with a hat on its head. The hat seems out of the ordinary Apache attire and it makes the viewer wonder if this is a symbol of colonization. Does this hat symbolize the travelers that came to Apache territory and the changes they are making? Another detail that questions the influence of the travelers is the object he is holding in his hand. Is it soap? Is this the Native body before he cleans himself? Such a simple detail could completely change the picture. The posture of the Native body shows him as strong and confident. He stands upright, not bent over, not looking as if he is hierarchically below another body of people. Lastly, there is something mystical about this picture. The Native body seems to be standing on water, in many ways he is part of nature. The view of the Native body presented in Curtis' portrait very different from the Native body that has been depicted. The Native body seems strong, confident, calm and reminiscent. This is very different from the marginalized, uncivilized bodies previous travel writers told of.

Link to portrait: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12295975@N05/1355857004/in/pool-487771@N21

Prompt 3

Both portraits argue the civilized nature of the bodies they consist of. The White males and Native Americans can stand side by side in harmony. The White traveler has always been depicted as civilized, so the change is seen from the "Other" body. The Natives are no longer depicted as barbarous beings. Now, they are depicted as calm and intelligent because they are observing the exchange between the two groups and seem to fully understand what is going on. The Natives are shown with their usual lack of clothing, and in my opinion this establishes a class difference. Though the two groups are being civil with one another, this does not mean they are on the same level of the hierarchy. The Natives nakedness puts them at their usual place below the White travelers. In West's portrait (first picture), the presence of the travelers appears more dominant than that of the Natives. The lighting of the picture causes the Native Americans to blend into the background, whereas the traveler's white faces stand out. Also the face that West's portrait has White travelers sitting at a table off in the distance makes them seem like they are taking over the territory and establishing themselves there. Whereas in Hick's portrait it seems like the traveler's are foreigners and that the Natives dominate the portrait. The first person the viewer encounters in Hick's portrait is the Native American woman with her children. She is comfortably sitting in her environment and traveler's do not appear to be threatening. Therefore, I conclude both West and Hick depicted the traveler and Native bodies as civilized, but West felt the travelers were taking over the territory whereas Hick saw the travelers as mere visitors to the Natives territory.

Prompt 2

The "New World Body" is different. It is not a white male of European decent, instead it is a dark complexioned body that has no dominant gender. This body can be female or male. This male body does not walk around carrying guns at its side, instead it carries sharpened sticks. It does not dress in trousers and shirts, instead it is quite naked, covering only what is necessary. It does not shave, instead it embraces the hair that grows on its face. It does not ornament itself, not even to distinguish power, instead a man of authority looks like the rest of his tribe. This female body is seen as something that should be offered up or exchanged. The purpose of this body is to bear children. This body is expected to endure hard labor, cook and care for the family and by accomplishing these tasks is this body then seen as beautiful. This body does not partake in warfare, yet it is not speared during battle. It is this body that is abused even after death.

When my definition of the "New World Body" is compared to the images depicted on the map, no body perfectly meets my criteria. My first observation was that many of the bodies were ornamented. There is actually a picture that shows ornamentation to distinguish authority, which is the complete opposite if my description of a "New World Body". The bodies either have too much clothing, or too little clothing. If you refer back to my definition; they are again disputing it and the little clothing some wear do not cover the essentials. The one aspect of my definition that lives through these is the fact that the "New World Body" can be either male or female.

Extra Credit - Atkinson

This seems like a very basic question, but I was confused about the purpose of Atkinson' s essay. Therefore, I ask, is Atkinson explaining the evolution of the view of the body because she agrees that it should be cut open and displayed in the Body Worlds exhibit? Is this entire article suppose to be supporting the Body World's exhibit?

Prompt 1

I am a freshman here at UT, therefore my environment is the twelfth floor of Jester West. Over the course of a semester, I have found myself referring to these musty halls as "home". I surround myself with bodies that give affection, something I would get at "home". The bodies in my environment function as shoulder's to cry on when I am upset; ears to listen when I have had a hard day; and mouths to scream with joy when the day goes better than I expected. I have found an emotional connection with the bodies in my environment, and a lot of times, I do not view them as mere bodies. I like to think my friends and floor mates are unique, but if I throw aside my emotional connection with each, I realize that these bodies I encounter everyday are obsessed with society's view of beauty. In front of each mirror in Jester, there is a body trying to inspect itself in a "not so obvious" manner. The clothing, ornaments, hairstyles and make-up of one body can be seen on another body a few seconds after. I believe personal identity (body wise) does not exist, because we are all too scared to express ourselves outside of society's norms. Have you ever realized style is not identified as "oh, that's Aisha's style", instead it is referred to as punk, prep, goth or urban. The bodies that surround me demonstrate a desire to fit into society's values and accepted identities.