Blog Post #15: Satire

1. What does the word satire mean to you?

To me, satire is making a mockery of something. It can also be a way of criticizing something through the use of humor or sarcasm.

2. What are the values sought to be promoted in this film? Why?

Two values that are promoted in the film are contraception and women’s rights. One scene in the movie ridicules Catholics for not using condoms and having too many children. It shows a man telling his kids that he has to get rid of them because there are too many of them. It doesn’t directly state it, but by using sarcasm and portraying the Catholics who don’t use contraception badly, it’s saying that contraception should be used. Another scene shows a woman giving birth and asking the doctors what she should do. The doctors respond by telling her that she shouldn’t do anything because she isn’t qualified. At one time this was a common viewpoint held towards women. By making this joke and mocking women’s rights, the movie is somehow promoting them and expressing a feminist viewpoint.  

3. What is the point behind each of the following "Only in America" jokes? Pick one joke below and discuss the point behind it and why this ends to be an “Only in America” joke.

“Only in America” jokes are ironic jokes about American life. “Only in America can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.” This joke explains Americans’ love for food, especially fast-food, and how it seems to trump even medical emergencies and health. It’s ironic because ambulances are meant to arrive to emergencies quickly, but pizzas can be delivered even faster. It just shows how important food can be to Americans.

Blog Post #14: Alice in Wonderland

After watching a portion of Alice in Wonderland, an element of existentialism that it seems to follow is the freedom of choice. The movie is split up into two distinct worlds: Alice's real life and the dream inside her head. Within these two worlds is where the freedom of choice seems to shift. At the beginning of the movie, in Alice's real life, Hamish proposes to Alice. She exercises her freedom of choice by turning down his offer and straying away from the norms of her society. Once Alice goes down the rabbit hole and real life has shifted to a dream, she doesn't seem to have a lot of control or freedom of choice. The dream world seems to have a set plan for her and even when she tries to wake up from the dream, she can't.

The freedom of choice is very common in life today, more so in some countries than in others. In some countries or societies peoples' paths in life are predetermined for them. However, in the United States, the freedom of choice can be seen in many aspects of our society. We can go to school wherever we want, we can work wherever we want, we can buy whatever we want (if we have enough money), and we can marry whoever we want. Because of this, the existence of the freedom of choice is very important to our society. Our path in life isn't chosen for us because we have the freedom to choose it.

Blog Post #13: Meursault's Outlook on Life

Meursault's outlook on life follows a very existentialist mindset. He lives in the moment and is indifferent about the past, future, and, sometimes, the present. His attitude of indifference towards most of the things in his life can come off as pessimistic and negative, but in reality, he doesn't care one way or the other. While Meursault is indifferent about most of the things in his life, he is still very observant and he notices everything. Meursault has a neutral attitude for, what most people consider to be, very important moments in a person's life. When his mother dies, Meursault doesn't seem to feel sad or numb, but instead he has no emotions. He doesn't even remember the day she died on. He narrates, "Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don't know" (Page 3). Meursault also shows his indifference in his relationship with Marie. As their relationship progresses he narrates,
"[Marie] asked me if I wanted to marry her. I said it didn't make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to. Then she wanted to know if I loved her. I answered the same way I had the last time, that it didn't mean anything but that I probably didn't..." (Page 41). Meursault doesn't even have an opinion, good or bad, about one of the biggest commitments in a person's life. He lives his life with an indifferent attitude and takes life as it comes to him, not dwelling on the past or the future.

I don't think that as a whole Meursault's outlook on life is a good one to have. Some parts of it, such as not dwelling on or worrying about the past or the future, could be nice, but overall his mindset is a hard one to grasp. He lives his life without a plan or goals, and I think that would be difficult. Meusault's life seems to be pretty stagnant and unchanging, because of his indifference to what happens to him. Even when his boss offers him a new position, which most people would jump on, Meursault seems to not care, like he could take it or leave. I think it depends on the person, but for me, having this outlook wouldn't be useful because it seems to lack the ability to move forward in life.