Final

Struggle is an inevitable part of the life and it is necessary for growth. While may make the person feel weak it is only making them stronger. Veterans often experience Post Traumatic Stress (PTS(D)) after returning from war. This condition haunts veterans and affects their mental well being after seeing such gruesome acts at war. Time Magazine released an article called Weakness or Wound by Ron Capps that covers military mental health. PTS(D) is not a disorder, that word implies that there is something wrong with the patient and is not accurate. Capps says, "The trauma that brings on PTSD changes the way the brain functions and the physical size of parts of the brain. It is a wound"(Time Magazine). Some medical practitioners are treating it otherwise though, the way they have been explaining this wound has lead more veterans to thinking it is weakness. This mentality has hushed the veterans; they refuse to seek help because they believe they would be seen as weak if they were to. The terminology also hushes veterans, "Some medical practitioners believe that the use of the word disorder in PTSD discourages service members from asking for help because they feel that a disorder is a weakness" (Time Magazine). Disorder, mess, disarray, these synonyms show how 'disorder' is perceived. This terminology points to the idea that there is something wrong with the veteran. The way this is handled in war also leads veterans to feel ashamed, "...a blood-and-bone wound, or a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), warrants award of the Purple Heart medal; no Purple Heart medal is authorized for PTSD" (Time Magazine). The struggle that PTS(D) sufferers fight is not dishonorable and the terminology and treatment need to change to stop this mentality.


Often, the struggle of larger groups of people goes unnoticed and the only way to end struggle is to confront the source. Political events help to raise awareness. On March 5, 1973 Marlon Brando declined his Oscar for Best Actor. He announced that he would not attend and sent Sacheen Littlefeather to speak for him. "I'm representing Marlon Brando this evening and he has asked me to tell you ... that he very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award. And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry —" (Sacheen Littlefeather). This very public decline helped to inform millions of people of the struggle for American Indians which helped bring change. "Brando lent the Native American community a once in a lifetime opportunity to raise awareness of their fight in front of 85 million viewers, leveraging an entertainment platform for political justice in unprecedented fashion" (Business Insider). Before this incident many people were oblivious to the mistreatment of American Indians and this event helped to bring it to attention. Reel Injun, a documentary on Indians in film and the racism they have faced also helped to raise awareness. Charlie Hill ends the film with, "We're creative natives. And we're... and we're like the Energizer Bunny. The mightiest nation in the world tried to exterminate us, anglicise us, Christianize us, Americanize us, but we just keep going and going. And I think that Energizer Bunny must be Indian. He's got that little water drum he plays. And I always say, "Next time you have a powwow, have the... the Energizer Bunny lead the grand entry, and after a few rounds then we can get together and EAT him", because we never waste anything" (Reel Injun). Through the struggle many have kept smiles on their faces, they can see the improvements and little victories being made.


Empathy, or the ability to understand the feelings of others, causes people to want to help others end their struggle. Being able to step into someone else's shoes connects the two people. Jeremy Rifkin delivers a movie speech to stress the importance of empathy in our society. "So if you think about the times that we've empathized with each other or fellow creatures, it's always because we felt their struggle" (Rifkin). Feeling another person's pain helps urge others to want to stop it while if their is no empathy the urge disappears. "When that earthquake hit Haiti and then Chile, but especially Haiti, within an hour the Tweeters came out, and within two hours some cell phone videos, YouTube, and within three hours the entire human race was in an empathic embrace, coming to the aid of Haiti" (Rifkin). Without seeing the results of this earthquake the aide would have taken more time and would have been less effective. "To bring out our empathic sociability, so that we can rethink the institutions and society and prepare the groundwork for an empathic civilization" (Rifkin). To embrace the empathy ingrained in society would help solve millions of cultural issues; it would be taken down easily as it impacts everyone.


Extended exposure to anything can lead to desensitization. The treatment towards American Indians became so second nature that children shows were riddled with blatant racism. As shown in the Bugs Bunny clip, shows were able to put terrible racist content in their show. "One little, two little, three little injuns" (Bugs Bunny). The constant stream of mistreatment led to Indians being shown as savage and anything other than human. "Four little, five little, six little injuns. Oh no that was a half-breed" (Bugs Bunny). This reference to multi-race slur that Tayo endured. Tayo was constantly teased for his heritage. The extended exposure to this racism is shown in Ceremony.

Music Videos

Sam Smith - Lay Me Down
Video is the first music video about a gay marriage, the dramatic angles and lighting help create a moving video. Establishing shot shows Smith in a church. The video is composed of a majority of reframing shots. Camera follows a person down the isle and creates a following shot that focuses on the mourners face. The editing of the shot gives the video a mood of mourning and remembrance; the funeral has harsher shadows so the lighting was most likely lowkey while the marriage is lighter and uses three point lighting. The wedding is an establishing shot that helps the viewer realize the scene has changed.  A reestablishing scene shows Sam sitting alone in an empty church, the background is out of focus but light which helps established the mise-en-scene this shot used shallow focus. The focus never left Sam.    

Beyoncé - Pretty Hurts

Marshall - HIMYM
The scene is dark which emphasizes sadness. They are sitting on the stairs but no looking at eachother. Sitting in the rain. Camera pans out and out of the scene.

Rachel and Ross - Friends
The scene is light which makes the mood happier. The baby symbolizes rebirth of their relationship.
Close proximity leads the viewer to believe they love each other and are in love.

 

Ellie and Carl - Up
Contrasting lighting; dark represents the death but the pink is the love he still has for her. Blue balloon is out of place. Very close to each other so you know they love each other. Mise-en-scene shows the contrast between life and death. Window is the lightest point which symbolizes moving on after death. 

Media and Communication Week Three

Technology has impacted communication on all levels; personally, nationally, and globally. Some argue that the advancements have destroyed the sense of community, but ultimately technology has made global empathy a possibility. Jeremy Rifkin says, “Empathy is the invisible hand. Empathy is what allows us to stretch our sensibility with another so that we can cohere in larger social units. To empathize is to civilize; to civilize is to empathize” (Empathic Civilization). Empathy allows community to grow from two people to thousands; everyone is looking out for one and other because they are able to empathize with them. Technology makes empathy easier because it allows the viewer to physically see what others are going through. Rifkin explains this concept with recent events, “We have the technology that allows us to extend the central nervous system and to think viscerally as a family not just intellectually. When that earthquake hit Haiti and then Chili, but especially Haiti, within an hour the Twitters came out and within two hours some cell phone videos, YouTube; and within three hours the entire human race was in an empathetic embrace coming to  the aid of Haiti” (Empathic Civilization). Without social media horrific events went unrecognized on a global status. Even with newspapers, events were easily scanned over but with the influx of pictures, videos, and posts now the reader can easily step into others’ shoes globally which has increased the level of empathy around the world. These posts can help to start charities and get help to tragedies faster. To bring out the empathy that is in our DNA we need to establish it into our society. Rifkin explains, “To begin rethinking human nature to bring out our empathic sociability so that we can rethink the institutions of society and prepare the groundwork for an empathic civilization” (Empathic Civilization). To repress this natural tendency is only holding our goal of global empathy back, but if embraced empathy and communication will flourish with the improvements in technology. Technology can drastically improve our communication and empathy if allowed.

The advancements made with technology have made an impact on the way society communicates and interacts. Joseph Garner set out to text how democratization has impacted the empathy and community. Arguably, these improvements have taken the closeness that used to be depended on. Joe explains, “As a country we’re wealthy, diverse and technologically sophisticated yet some say we lost the sense of community” (Craigslist Joe). His 31 day challenge worked to test the empathy and kindness of complete strangers. The amount of technology use can isolate people from their communities, Joe states, “…it can be hard to relate to the struggles around me” (Craigslist Joe). Often it is hard to empathize with the community with so much information is being thrown at the viewer. With the introduction of the online community, people are able to find social groups, road trip company, even a place to stay. This opens the door to people who want to help but don’t quite know how to start. After his journey he was blown away with the kindness he experienced. Joe reflects, “Truly inspiring for humanity, to know that we can take care of each other” (Craigslist Joe). The growing popularity of the online social groups may seem to kill community but truly websites like Craigslist take community and put it online.  

Media and communication week two

Creating new, more widely available technology helped to widen the audience of mass communication. This increase in publicity helped introduce the Industrial Revolution in the mid 1800's. Victor Köhler's film Press Pause Play disuses the change in media over the years and how the technological improvements have resulted in a larger range of possible artists. With new resources more people have access to the equipment need to create music, David Weinberger says, "With just me, my laptop, an idea and five million downloads" (PressPausePlay). With very limited items now, one can create a piece of art and share it with the world; artists do not have to go through pricey studios to create music, they can just flip open their laptop. Today the technology gives this opportunity to everybody. Moby said, "Everybody is an artist, in olden days people didn't make stuff" (PressPausePlay). Any person that wants to can easily make music. This was not the case in the past. The technology has improved, opening the door for new artists, Moby explains, "In five minutes, I can do what took six months" (PressPausePlay). The technology has not only connected a greater number of people to music but the broadening happened in a shorter time. Artist can easily create music and put it out into the world. All of these advantages have come with the technology that has progressed over time.
The introduction of the Industrial Revolution started with the printing industry. In the 19th century the steam-powered cylinder press was invented, "This new development allowed for the rapid reproduction of printed materials" (Chapter Two). The introduction of mass communication allowed for the audience of newspapers and other forms of art to expand to all people. "Although newspapers had existed since the late 17th and early 18th centuries, they had been read by the educated elite, not the general public" (Chapter Two). Costs were too high because the amount of copies was so low; with the new printing methods newspaper companies were able to boost their product numbers to increase availability. "The costs of printing were too high to reach a mass audience, and the content was not everyday news items but dated information from abroad, political reports, and essays" (Chapter Two). The improvements made to technology for newspapers works similarly to how the music industry has changed; the easy accessible technology helped to widen not only the audience but the content too.  

Media and Communication Week One

Improvements in media and technology have drastically changed communication. Victor Köhler's PressPausePlay addresses how democratized culture effects art. Singer songwriter, Moby believes that advances in technology have made art a little less special; "50 years ago, people didn’t make things. People would go to photography exhibitions. They would go to record fairs. They would watch movies. Now everyone is a photographer. Everyone is a musician. Anyone can make a film"(presspauseplay). Making art so easy has made it less impressive as well, now that everyone can be an artist the real artists are being swallowed by the mass of bad art.  Andrew Keen also shares this opinion, "A young Hitchcock or a young Scorsese wouldn’t make it into the movie business today. They’d slap up their film onto YouTube and it would get lost in the ocean of garbage" (presspauseplay). The British entrepreneur and author believes that this generation is obsessed with themselves, that everyone thinks they're great at what they do but really they are poorly making art to drown out the real artists. On the opposite side, the mind blowing advances in technology is beautiful. The progress that has been made recently is too amazing to be judged so harshly. Another view displayed in the film is that this progress is a good thing, "The human spirit when it is allowed to express itself, will usually make interesting things. When humans make stuff, they tend to make interesting things. Give a human a hammer and a piece of wood, or a computer and broadband and they are going to make something interesting" (presspauseplay). The human race is amazing on it's own but with technology making preserving thoughts, ideas, and adventures makes the memory last forever. There are pros and cons to each advancement, and each will be equally disputed but overall progress is amazing. 

Editing and layout drastically impacts the feel of a piece. In Jason Silvia's video "Existential Bummer" his message is strongly conveyed through the moving narration accompanied by interesting images. He opens the video with a quotation from Sigmund Freud's essay "On Transience" which is said while beautiful images of nature play in the background, as he switches to talk about love the images change to match the topic. "And I was really struck by this, because perhaps that’s why, when we’re in love, we’re also kind of sad. There’s a sadness to the ecstasy. Beautiful things sometimes can make us a little sad. And it’s because what they hint at is the exception, a vision of something more, a vision of a hidden door, a rabbit hole to fall through, but a temporary one. And I think, ultimately, that is kind of the tragedy. That is why love simultaneously fills us with melancholy" (Jason Silvia). The video changes to a very relatable matter and the images help the viewer to remember how they felt while they were in love. As he continues on this topic the images help the audience to feel the words he is  saying instead of just hear them. As he says "That’s why sometimes I feel nostalgic over something I haven’t lost yet, because I see its transience" (Jason Silvia) the viewer watches a heavenlike clip of a man and a woman, and a golden retriever. This clip leads the audience to feel as if they were looking through old memories; while it is sad because that moment is gone it is also beautiful to look back at how things used to be. The things being said up to this point have made the video feel relatively sad, but he changes the pace as he talks about what we are supposed to do knowing everything will end. The music picks up a bit and the pictures match what is being said. "I think that we defy entropy and impermanence with our films and our poems. I think we hold onto each other a little harder and say, “I will not let go. I do not accept the ephemeral nature of this moment. I’m going to extend it forever. Or at least I’m going to try” (Jason Silvia). This makes the viewer believe they have a little more control over their fate; they are not destined to be wrecked by the transience of life they can make a promise to keep holding on. This video is very moving because of the images, music, and words. The piece came together perfectly and encourages the viewer to watch it repeatedly.

Smoke Signals

Media has the power to define a human being by forming strong opinions. People learn from the shows, movies, and books that are presented to them; being exposed to media that always follows the 'good white guy, bad Indian' stereotype will form an astigma in the viewer's subconscious. The way Native Nations have been portrayed through media has affected every aspect of life on and of the reservations. This can affect the way Native people are treated. When Thomas and Victor were involved in a crash the drunk driver tried to blame them, and since the driver was white the officer was going to blindly went along with it. The only reason the officer let them go is because a white woman stood up for them, "Mr. Johnson's wife Holly says he's, and I quote, "a complete asshole". So, you two are free to go" (Smoke Signals). Media has burned the idea that the white guy is always right into the minds of every human exposed to it. Even the Native people have a slight prejudice against themselves. They have grown up being ashamed of their culture, especially how they are depicted in film, "Thomas, don't you even know how to be a real Indian? How many times have you seen Dances with Wolves? 100...200 times?" (Smoke Signals) Victor falls under the stereotype of 'savage indians'; he puts up a front that makes him look tough and mad. He asks Thomas if he even knows how to be a real indian. He explains that you need to look tough and regal like you just killed a bear, but Thomas points out that the Coeur d'Alene did not hunt they were fisherman. "You want to look like you just came back from catching a fish? This ain't Dances with Salmon, you know" (Smoke Signals). Victor has been taught through movies like John Wayne that every Indian is the same and that the white guy is always the winner. He tries to accept this by playing into the mean, scary indian he saw on tv. Media creates an opinion on everyone involved.

Healing happens at different rates for different wounds and different victims, but once the ceremony is over the victim can see the situation in a different light. Storytelling helps to clear the situation of any misinterpretation. While traveling to Victor's fathers house Thomas narrates "I told Victor I thought we were all traveling heavy with illusions"(Smoke Signals) Every person creates reasons and explanations to everything that happens to them; when something bad happens without explanation a story is created as a way to cope with the pain. Victor grew up writing his father off as a bad person because he treated him and his mother poorly an abandoned them when he left. Through the trip, Victor realised that his father had so much more going on than he knew about; he suffered from pts which he self medicated with alcohol. Once Victor understood that his father did not mean for everything to happen as it did he began to heal. When Thomas asks Victor one last time why his father left he replies, "He didn't mean to Thomas" (Smoke Signals). The trip was a ceremony that Thomas needed in order to heal, through the stories he heard and the things he saw he began to understand the real story about his father. Thomas developed a new attitude about his father and he was able to forgive him. Thomas states he will take the ashes and spread them in the river for a spiritual ceremony and Victor replies "It would be just like cleaning out the attic, like throwing things away when they have no  more use" (Smoke Signals). This shows that Victor's ceremony is over, he is healed and no longer needs something from the ashes. Victors healing process took a little bit longer than Thomas' did, but after the ceremony was complete both people were benefitted.  

Pgs 106-140

Acceptance of oneself helps to heal insecurities. Tayo has been at war with himself based on things he cannot change and in order to end the war he must realize this. Betonie represents integration both morally and physically. His clothes are a mixture of traditional and western pieces. "...the old moccasins with splayed out elkhide soles, the leather stained dark with mud and grease; the gray wool trousers were baggy and worn at the knees, and the old man's elbows made brown points through the sleeves of the blue cotton dress shirt" (Silko 109). The combination of cultures in Betonie's wardrobe help Tayo build a bridge between the two worlds he is a part of. Tayo has been insecure about his out of the ordinary eyes because they reminded him of the shame Auntie had put on his mother, but it seems everyone he meets takes note of his eyes in a good light. He notices Betonie's eyes, "They were hazel like his own" (Silko 109). Tayo's self shame and hate are part of what is causing him so much trouble. Betonie is also only half indian but he is a respected part of the indian society and is at peace with himself. "My grandmother was a remarkable Mexican with green eyes" (Silko 109). If Tayo could see his own ancestors in a more positive light he would be able to set himself free from the guilt.

The happenings on December 29, 1890 created a large push for improvement in Native American rights. On this day, the American Military aimed to arrest Chief Big Foot and disarm his tribe. When the men resisted the Military killed 200 men, women, and children. These killings are referred to as the Wounded Knee Massacre, and ultimately they helped activists gain followers in a fight for equal rights. The American Indian Movement (AIM) was founded in 1968 by Russell Means, Clyde Bellecourt, and Dennis Banks. Russell Means says, "Wounded Knee happened because Indian people wanted to survive as Indians and there wasn't any way to survive, so we made a stand and made a statement, but now Indian people are beginning to rebound according to their [concept of] "beauty". And that's really what's necessary to understand; Indian people have to become free again" (thinkexist.com). Russell implies that this tragedy needs to be the turning point, and that the rebound the Indian people are making needs to be fueled by the injustice they suffered at Wounded Knee. Charlie Hill says, "...we're like the Energizer Bunny. The mightiest nation in the world tried to exterminate us, anglicise us, Christianize us, Americanize us, but we just keep going and going. And I think that Energizer Bunny must be Indian" (Reel Injun). This shows the fight the Native people have endured, the persistence they have held through the worst of times. The quote can motivate Indians to stay strong, it gives off a little pride that "they have not given in yet so why should they now?" .

Fog and Forgiving

The use of figurative language in Leslie Silko's novel, Ceremony, helps to describe the effects of PTS(D) on war veterans. In the book the narrator continually talks of a white smoke that he feels. "For a long time he had been white smoke. He did not realize that until he left the hospital, because white smoke had no conscious of itself" (Silko 13). This symbolizes how far a soldier can drift once back from war. The medicine used in the hospitals strongly contrasted the medicine used by the Laguna people. The drugs they were accustomed to were developed to force the patient to sit down and think about their problems while this white fog prohibited that and forced the patient further and further until they were unaware of their problems. "It was too late to ask for help, and he waited to die the way smoke dies, drifting away in currents of air, twisting in thin swirls, fading until it exists no more" (Silko 15)  This concept of white smoke or fog can also be found in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This novel is about a mental institution where the patients are forced to take the same type of medication as in Ceremony, in both novels the medicine makes the patients drift into a sort of comatose. In both novels the characters talk about surrendering to the smoke but both also end up pulling out of the fog and defeating their challenges. The way both authors describe the fog helps create a stronger meaning for the reader.

While the Native Americans were treated terribly by every other culture, they do not hold a grudge. Silko makes a point of this in her novel. Even in the awful conditions of the Bataan Death March, Tayo finds a way to point his anger away from the Japanese Military. "Tayo hated the this unending rain as if it were the jungle green rain and not the miles of marching or the Japanese grenade that was killing Rocky" (Silko 10). If he was able to point his anger at the rain, Tayo could keep his mind off of the disturbing situation he was put in. During the war the Native American soldiers were treated as if they were part of the country for the first time; people were actually treating them with respect. After the war however, the treatment went back to normal and even after tasting the good life, Tayo blamed no one but himself when it went away. "Here they were, trying to bring back that old feeling, that feeling they belonged to America the way they felt during the war. They blamed themselves for losing the new feeling; they never talked about it, but they blamed themselves just like they blamed themselves for losing the land the white people took" (Silko 39). When they were treated poorly they always reverted to blaming themselves for the change even though it was not their fault. "They never thought to blame white people for any of it; they wanted the white people for their friends" (Silko 39). When there is blatant racism it is interesting to see that the victims were so innocent and manages to stay so forgiving.

Dances With Wolves

Throughout history, clashes among cultures have resulted due to a lack of communication. In Dances with Wolves, both Dunbar and the Sioux Tribe were reserved when meeting. Their reservation showed because of the fear each held about the other. Dunbar held certain misconceptions about the Indians such as their brutality and lack of civilization. While the Sioux believed that Dunbar would be like the rest of the American Military, disrespectful and wasteful. The language barrier caused this cultural boundary to seem to grow. Without being able to speak a similar language neither side could explain that they meant no harm. After struggling to communicate and bond both sides realized that they are both human and they began to understand the cultural values each held. For example, Dunbar realized how important the buffalo were to the Sioux and he resented the American Military for killing the buffalo and leaving them in the field. The clothing each culture wears also plays a role in first impressions; the clothes worn in the Military looked just as silly to the Native Americans as the traditional headdresses and face paint did to the Military. Differences can cause judgement, but if an effort is made to understand the barrier can be destroyed.

 

Dances With Wolves does an excellent job of playing to the emotions of the audience. Pathos, the use of sights, sounds, and other sensory images to appeal to emotion is used frequently in this film. The use of this trait helps to pull the audience into the film. Dunbar's relationship with Two Socks plays into the emotions of the audience. Seeing how Two Socks grew to trust and look after Dunbar helps the audience to fall in love with the character and their relationship. This love makes the American Military look even worse when the two soldier shoot at and kill Two Socks for entertainment. Seeing how they also just leave him there to bleed out makes the viewers hate the indifference the soldiers show toward nature and the Native Americans. These scenes help establish a clear hero and villain. This movie was the first time in history that the Native Americans were more civilized and emotionally developed than the American Military. The directors of this film did a fantastic job  of playing to the emotions of the audience. 

 

Native Nations

Hualapai

This tribe is also known by the name Walapai, meaning "People of the Tall Pine". Settled in Peach Springs in Northwestern Arizona, the Hualapai have been an established reserve since 1883. The reservation encompasses a little over a million and the conditions vary from grassland, forest, and a small portion of canyon. Pixar's animated movie "Cars" used a nearby town on Route 66 for the inspiration of "Radiator Springs". Descendants of the Pai, the people in this tribe are traditional hunters and gatherers.

Absentee

The Absentee Tribe is a division of the Shawnee Indians. Tecumseh, a memorable chief helped to shape their history and pushed to ensure Indians would be able to live under their own rule with their own leaders. In 1845 this tribe separated from the reservation in Kansas and became known as the Absentee Shawnee. Through many forced relocations from the American government this tribe traveled from Kansas to Oklahoma which was considered "Indian Territory". The motto for this tribe is "LI-SI-WI-NWI" which means "Among the Shawnee". This has a population of roughly 4000, and they speak Algonquian. Currently governed by Edwina Butler-Wolfe, helped the tribe through the devastating tornado in 2013.