Hello everyone. My name is Maryam and I’m currently a senior at CSUN. I am an English Literature major and would like to practice law in the near future. This is my third class with Professor Wexler and I have to say, he’s awesome. He’s devoted to his work and helps students with any questions they may have. I was hesitant about taking Major Critical Theories, but once I saw Professor Wexler was teaching, I had to join the class. I know that he will assist me though any difficulties I may have and may I say, I have heard this class is very dense.
I had never really been asked to think theoretically the way I know I will be in this class. I am looking forward to it as our Tuesday class was amazing. We were introduced to some of our classmates and had the chance to look through the spectacle of their theories on their favorite book/film/or television show. I think having class discussions is amazing as we all know, having the professor talk two in a half hours would get really boring. We had the chance to debate about our opinions and discuss what it might be if we looked at things a different way rather than what we are used too.
As the class progressed, we watched a ten minute clip called “The Doll on a Music Box” from the film “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” I had never seen this clip let alone the movie and it was quite interesting. The class had the chance to discuss what their theories were regarding the dancing doll and the egotistic man. I personally took a feminist view towards the clip. The female was so locked up, while the male was able to dance free. Yes we might look think he is trapped behind the make up, but he has far more freedom then the female did.
Applying our theories made me look at things through a different lens. “What if this and what if that?” I started to look at things as if I had several different glasses. I believe this technique is going to help me in this class and I look forward to learning all the criticism and theories of others.
The professor then began to give us tips of what we should look for while reading or watching something. We should pay attention to the class and time the piece was written in, and changing the way we see things, for example the lens. We went on to discuss Rhetoric which is the art of persuasion and Hermeneutics which is the interpretation of things. I look forward to learning the difference between the two as to me they once seemed so similar.
Moving on to Plato’s Book II, I thought this was incredibly interesting. Should we really censor our children’s minds from any fairytale and untrue story written? Is it true that a “young person can’t tell when something is allegorical and when it isn’t.? (pg. 47) Should we take away any imagination our children may have or should have? I personally have two views towards this issue. Yes we should bloke them from things an adult should watch or read but should not block there fairytale imagination. It is not permanent when the children have a happy ending where as if it was tragic and scary, they would live to remember it and possibly have dreams.
To conclude, I ask you this: Can anything incapable of causing damage do anything bad? And something which never does bad couldn’t be responsible for bad? And another thing that was brought up to my attention (and I hope we cover this in class) is from “Encomium of Helen.” “The persuader, then is the wrongdoer, because he compelled her, while she who was persuaded is wrongly blamed, because she was compelled by the speech.” Now I have mixed thoughts about this. Should we blame Helen or not? Should she have had her own mind to perhaps not be persuaded? Think about this and please feel free to write any comments you may have.
