Missy's Journal

Journal XII
"The Orange: Sentiment of slight jealousy which overcomes the amorous subject when he sees the loved being's interest attracted or distracted by persons, objects, or occupations which in his eyes function as so many secondary rivals."
Cecile's plan of breaking up Raymond and Anne by the use of Cyril and Elsa directly correlates to the use of jealousy. Cecile decided that if her father saw Elsa with another man, one who is younger than him and more fit, he will leave Anne and try to pursue Elsa once again.
Cyril is also a rival to Raymond, in that Cyril is Raymond daughter's first love interest, and he is Elsa's "new love interest". This is what provokes the jealousy that Raymond feels.

Jounal XI
Although I wasn't in class for the entire film, for the part that I saw, I believe that Bonjour Tristesse, the film, wasn't a completely different reincarnation of the book. I heard, that it held everyone's attention and had a easily followable plot. Genet's movie, however, was disturbing. Altough it was easily comparable to Genet's Theif's Journal, it was very detailed and something that most of the class was not used to being explsed to.

Journal X
"Connivance: THe subject imagines himself speaking about the loved being with a rival person, and this image generates and strangely develops in him a pleasure of complicity."
I am going to use Barthe's definition of "Connivance", but I am going to change Genet "imagining" himself speaking to "a" rival person to Genet actually speaking to an audience of rival people. The readers, I believe can be considered Genet's rivals. We are, for the most part, unaccepting to his open homosexuality, disgusted by his detailed emotions, and critical by the use of stereotypical views. Genet speaks to us frequently about his homosexual desires. For example, " It was therefore natural for me to imagine what his penis would be if he smeared it for my benefit with so fine a substance, with that precious cobweb, a tissue which I secretely called the veil of the palace."
After reading this, we-the audience and his closed minded rivals- are feeling many emotions. We are, as I mentioned above, disturbed, disgusted, and we feel that he should not be sharing such detailed emotions with us. This is what makes us the rivals. Genet is speaking to us and trying to make people accept homosexuality and the emotions that these men feel, while we are still standing in our ignorant and closed minded views.

IX redo
In today's society, I have come to realize that there are many people who are unaccepting to other people's ways of life. This includes any lifestyle, such as ones sexual preference. For some reason, society can view teenagers, adults, children (ie the movie "KIDS"), and old people, engaging in heterosexual activities in movies, books, and everyday life, but when a homosexual activity is presented, society cringes or gets angry and upset. In this way, homosexuality challenges peoples view on sexuality itself. The majority of people belive that publicized sex should be strictly heterosexual. "Theif's Journal" challenges these views of publicized sex, such as in books, movies, and TV shows, being mainly heterosexual. Genet's descriptions of a homosexual man's emotions and ideas for and about another man, is extremely detailed and for some unusual beacuse of their lack of exposure to homosexuality. This is what makes it a challenge to read.
I, personally, find Genet's novel disturbing. It is not a challenge to my idea's of homosexuality existing, but it is a challenge to my knowledge of the detailed emotions felt by a homosexual man. Because I lack knowledge of these emotions, I believe that this is why I am so disturbed by reading such a novel.

Live journal entry IX
I think that Theif's Jounal can be a challenge to people's moral and ethical issues and to one's views on sexuality. A person who does not accept homosexuality as a sexual preference may be challenging there views by reading this openly homosexual book. I, personally, am not challening my views on homosexuality but I am a little disturbed by how much detail is revealed in this novel. I don't really think that is necessary. But somethings are necessary to make you a well rounded person, and at least now i am educated in another type of sexual preference and feelings and sexual desire.

Journal VI
In a couple of specific examples in the novel, THe Immoralist, we experience the feeling of "Show me whom to desire." In such a description, one is told whom to love and whom is the right person to love. IN the begining of the novel, Michel's father dies and Michel marries Marceline in order to satisfy his father's requests. This is an example of how Michel is told to love and accept Marceline as his partner for life.
In the end of the novel, Michel's love for Marceline as a person is recoginezed, but he has also come to realize that he may be interested in men as well. The young girl he has relations with brings up the fact that the young boy is "the main thing keeping me here." With this statement, Michel's decisions on love are swayed to realize that, "Maybe she's not altogether wrong..."

Blog VI... The Ghost Ship
"The Ghost Ship" describes people as having "...a kind of diffusion of amorous desire..." The amorous person is "...doomed to wander until he dies, from love to love." Emma Bovary, i think, is "doomed to wander from love to love" because of her discontent and dissatisfaction with herself and her current relation ship with charles. Her unrealistic dream of being the princess that every little girl pretends to be is the source of her unhappiness. Any example of Emma meeting a new man, flirting with a new man, having intercourse with a new man, such as leon and rodolphe, supports Barthes idea of wandering from relationship to relationship.
Emma's dissatisfaction with herself left her wandering from man to man. This only stopped when she killed herself with arsenic. This directly relates to barthes idea that wandering and searching for new love in each relationship with a new man will continue until her death.

V. Casting Madame Bovary
Well let me begin by saying that I am currently enrolled in a theater appreciation class, which by the way I would not recommend (boring). As more films are made, they are constantly using the same actors, such as freddie prince jr and reese witherspoon and other striking pop culture stars to draw in the attention of the youth culture. I believe that such a classic, such as Madame bovary, should be casted with characters that are not as popular but can maintain a strong role. The plot itself should be what is attracting the audience, not the cast. I am really horrible with actors/actresses names so I am not going to be too specific with who I would make each character be. I think that all three Madame Bovary's should be similar. Although Emma seems to have totally different character, personality traits than Charles' mother and first wife, I believe that there is something in young men that attracts them to young women based upon the influence of their family experiences, and their mother/sister/female role model's physical and emotional characteristics. Charles seems, to me so far, to be just an easygoing guy who let's people plan his life for him. His character must be a man who is not too masculine because he sortof lets women run his life.
Challenges such as different eye color and other details should be represented in other ways. For instance, instead of changing eye color to represent moods, personality traits, and emotions, maybe a different detail can be used such as the hiccoughs representing nervousness. I know that technology would allow us to use colored contact lenses but this novel is not modern enough to use such a medium.

Reading Journal entry IV, Werther vs barthes
"What is to be done?" This quote, I think, almost completely defines Werther's logic throughout the novel. He is constantly looking for little signs, whether they are positive or negative, being sent from Lotte. In his mind, all the "signs" sent from Lotte are going to be percieved as positive,so this leaves one question: "What should he do next?" Act upon his thoughts and, basically, fantacies, or just wait for more flirtacious acts that will only, in the end, be the causitive agent to Werther's confusion, depression, madness, and finally suicide.

9/12/02- SYW vs Today
Werther's love for Lotte can be described as an obsession. He can not complete a day without seeing Lotte, thinking (daydreaming)about her, or even writing about her. These strong emotions are similar to Alicia Silverstone's in the movie "Clueless." She is totally obsessed with a man that, unfortunately for her, has prior intrests (like Lotte). Lotte is already promised to a man like Silverstones crush, who is homosexual and already intrested in men prior to her. The one way emotions in these works is what makes them similar.

Live Journal Entry 9/7/02- Plato/Barthes
In Pausanias's speech on love, he describes love as two different goddesses that are called common love and heavenly love. Common love involves simple, mindless, desire. It can be viewed as lust that forms without even knowing the persons values, personality, or any trait that makes them unique. This love is typically seen throughout history in children, such as childhood crushes, and even in adults when a "hot" person catches their eye.
Barthes describes love as "Adorable!" He says that "adorable" is "not managing to name the specialty of his desire for the loved being, the amorous subject falls back on this rather stupid word: adorable!" This definition is similar to common love in that they are both just superficial types of lust that form from physical attraction.

Journal entry 8/5/02 Kids
Wow! Do I think Kids is a moral film? Definately not. I don't understand how the producers of this film actually think that the way the teenagers were acting in the film is a stereotypical portrayal of teenagers in the "real world." The teenagers not only did not have morals about sex, they were disrespectful to eachother, themselves, and everyone else they came encounter with. I, for one, believe that sex is a very intimate issue that is defined by each person differently. But the movies representation of how sex is handled is not how everyone views it. This movie showed absolutely no morals. It was degrading to all teenagers. The last scene of "Casper" taking advantage of "Jenny" was incredibly disturbing to me. It is disgusting to think that anyone could ever do such a nasty act such as taking advantage of a girl who is passed out, or taking advantage of anyone at all.

Jounal entry 8/1/02 - Stealing Innocence
Chilhood is approached as not beng "a natural state of innocence...(but as) a historical construction," because everything that we are exposed to is a distrupter to our innocence. The 3 myths that Giroux uses to explain his arguement involve one of the triumph of market and politics, power and politics, and last that teaching and learning no longer improves the world. He reduces the adults responsibilities in shaping their children's world, he also limits the use of racial descrimination, class, and culture differnce when explaining his arguements. It is shown that children are molded by their environment they are surrounded in. Media representation, cultural beliefs, popular pop stars and movies influence a child's innocence.
Strauss/Howe also believe that children are growing up in the Millennal Generation. They also explain that this generation is shaped by the knowledge they aquire from past generations such as their parents and grandparents. This is how this generation is no longer an individual but more of a "spin off" from the people before them.

Journal entry July 26, 2002
To start, I don't think we really discussed that much related to race, yesterday on mooville. I think that our discussion on wednesday was based on my, andrew, mary, keaton, and a few other students responses to the book. We had an intense conversation/"debate" involving race that definately made my preconcieved ideas change a bit, but I was unable to know what other students were thinking about race and ideas discussed because they did not participate.
The discussion on Mooville could have been a little more race oriented. I think we got more involved with the classroom discussion rather than the discussion on mooville. The classroom discussion, in my opinion, was more effective.

Jounral entry 7/22/02
In Millenials Rising, Howe/Strauss distinctively describe each generation and their existance times as if they have specific years. Merchant's of Cool was also extrememly concerned with the "Millenial Generation" and their (our) existance in today's world. When describing the generations, both Howe/Strauss and the producers of Merchant's of Cool described the white upper to middle class teenagers and adults that populate our country. They rarely, if ever, explained their views on race, such as African American's, in this generation.
In the Hip-Hop Generation by Kitwana, he refers clearly to the constant race stereotypes that are present in today's generation. He states that race plays an important and extrememly influencial role in the characteristics of today's generation. I agree, but not to as an extreme extent. I think that each culture, race, and ethnicity influences others with their beliefs and morals. Kitwana is singling out the African Americans which I do not think is the only influencial race in America.

Journal entry 6/16/02 race
I believe that everyone has there own preconcieved ideas on race. In Millenials Rising and Merchants of Cool, they also have their own ideas about race and how it affects the way people see other people. In Millenials Rising and Merchants of Cool, diversity and acceptance amoung the "millenials" is growing tramendously, although there are still some stereotypical assumptions frequently made today. It seemed as though in Merchants of Cool that the teen analysts analyzed teenagers regarding their race and ethnicity. Not all African Americans listen to rap music just as not all teens are rebelous and ungrateful.
In Millenials rising, the authors seemed to have a more positive attitude on acceptance and values of each individual weather they were white, black, or asian, or of any other group.

Journal entry 7/16/02 2nd time in mooville
My second experience in Mooville was different from the firsts experience in that everyone was forced to communicate with everyone else in the class because we were all in the same location. I thought it was very interesting how it was possible to make motions and describe actions as if we were really in a room together. It seems to me that there are a lot of little tricks and techniques that we will eventually learn how to do and they will be useful in our discussions.
After about 20 minutes of being logged onto mooville, my eyes began to hurt from the computer screen and my fingers got exhausted from typing. I do not think it would be very ideal to use this program for a very long in depth discussion beause it is easy to miss little comments from people that may actually make a difference in one's views and beliefs on a certain topic.

Journal entry 715/02
A "mook" is a crude, loud, and obnoxious male who is protrayed on TV by these characteristics. His actions are followed by millions of teenage boys all over the entire world. These adolescent boys are attracted to their boldness, outgoing personality's, and envy their trend-setting gimicks. Such mook's include Tom Green, Johnny Knoxville, and Howard Stern. I believe there is such thing as a mook. Although the name "mook" is questionable, teenage boys are influenced by popular men that receive the attention that they wish they can recieve also to be "cool." By watching these boys try to mimic what they see on TV, the media uses the "feedback loop" to actually create an image of all the leaders and trendsetters of today's generation. They then recieve positive feedback because how the teenage boyse are acting is what the media is representing. In this way persuasiveness is involved. We are constantly persuaded to act and talk as the media tells us.
A "midriff" is a teenage girl who is characterized by her sexual objectives, appearance, and also powerful attitude. Brittney Spears, Christina Agulara, and Jessica Biel are examples of a "midriff." I believe that all girls are influenced by older girls especially famous, sexy, and idolized women such as Brittney Spears. From my personal experience as a teenage girl growing up in today's world, I know that I am definately concerned with what other people think and how I act and look. This is all created by what we see on TV. This proves that the "feedback loop" is working it's magic. Young girls are not persuaded but instead made to believe truely in materialistic views and goals that represent how women are seen today.
"Merchants of Cool" and "Millenials Rising" have similar qualaties of how the current generation of teenagers are viewed and fulfill everyones views of them. Girls are concerned with their look, guys are concerned with the attention they want to recieve for doing "cool" things. These characteristics unfortunately represent how teens are viewed, and influenced by each other, today.

Journal entry 7/10/02
As a new and uprising generation, the Millennial Generation has the responsibility of solving "problem's facing the prior youth generation." Gen Xer's were became known as a generation relatively late in their lives. This created confusion, disorganization, disassociation with the community, cultural misuderstanding, and jealousy of the new and constanly praised millenial generation. It is the Millennial Generation's responsibility to "set high standards, get organized, team up, and do civic deeds" inorder to fix the tension of the Gen Xer's.
Today's teenagers are viewed as the "excess of middle-aged Boomers-the narcissism, impatience,iconoclasm, and constant focus on talk (usually argument) over action." By becoming more involved with their community and environment, the Millennial Generation can reverse these falsly acclaimed views of their generation.
The third basic principle applyed to any rising generation in nontraditional socities includes filling "the social role being vacated by the departing elder generation." In order to "correct" the social problem of being all talk and less do, the Millenial generation will, agian, focus on the community and this will "induce large-scale institutional change." This will definately take some time and experience for the young Millenial's to grow and "do" for their communities what earlier generations have been talking about for years. With the Millenial's motivation and self-control, we are confident that this generation will come through.

Journal entry 7/11/02
MOOville is an interesting way of communicating anonomously through the computer. I believe it gives every student an opportunity to say what they want without feeling as though they will be ridiculed by their peers. Although it is an excellent tool for the less opinionated and outgoing students in an in-class discussion, learning the language and rules of MOOville make students feel frustrated and discouraged with using this program.
My experience with MOOville was a positive one. I felt as though I quickly understood the program. For someone more extroverted, such as myself, I do not think that MOOville is a necessary means of communication for every discussion.

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