Writing Prompt: Magical Realism
Write a story that utilizes magical realism.
The goal is to make the magical realism seem real. Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
,
for instance, deals with a young girl who can taste the emotion of
whoever made the food she eats. In your world, the magic is simply part
of the natural landscape. It doesn't overcome the reality of the main
story. It's a facet of the story rather than being the whole story.The difference then, between fantasy set in contemporary times and magical realism, is that magical realism is only small touches and the rest of the story is played out like your standard, high literary drama. No werewolfs or vampires need apply.
Interesting article:
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/remembering-garcia-marquez-young-writers-magical-realism-rebecca-alber
Read:
http://www.openculture.com/2014/04/10-short-stories-by-gabriel-garcia-marquez.html
Continue to work on Gannon and Sokol entries.
Finish reading The Enchanted. TEST on The Enchanted on Tuesday
The video that was shown this morning in class was very relatable to everyday lives. Several of people feed into racism and judging others simply because they don't listen. When you listen to someone and be an ally things are much better and understood more.
ReplyDeleteThe lovely video Azana has shown us today was absolutely the truth! Sometimes (white) people don't realize their privilege or argue that it doesn't exist! It's horrible to get into a discussion with someone about race when all they're focused on are the "injustices" against them—and it's frustrating to see that people say that they understand how a POC feels when they absolutely don't.
ReplyDeleteLike how whiter skin is much preferred in beauty. Or how you see a shit ton of hetero sexual romances everywhere, but when ONE homosexual couple appears heterosexuals are screaming for their "representation".
The video "That's How the F*ck You Sound" was addressing people assuming they know the struggles and problems faced by races different then their own. This is a controversial topic today because African Americans often become offended when a person of a differing race tries and ultimately fails to relate to their struggles, saying they need to walk in their own shoes to truly understand. This video poked fun at the subject, showing the utter ridiculousness of what some people actually say. This video was a perfect way to address the subject in a humorous but still serious manner.
ReplyDeleteThe video we watched for the morning reflection today was really raw and honest. The video by Tre Melvin was very truthful about the way a lot of people in the world these days approach racism. Then, the video proceeded to give a series of examples to show how stupid people who talk ignorantly about racism sound, hence the video's name. I think it was amusing to watch, but somewhere below the surface it was also kind of eye opening, meant to make people realize that they have been making ignorant statements about things that they don't even know much about. Overall, the video was really raw and I believe it was meant to make people realize they're being offensive.
ReplyDelete- Serita McKenzie
I feel like the point of the video is to not be ignorant. Someone can't claim they know how you feel, because they don't. They aren't you and don't understand your experiences. Just be there for that person and listen and by just listening and acknowledging the issue at hand.
ReplyDeleteI thought this video had a very strong message and was very enhanced by the fact that it had a humorous tone. I think that sometimes humor is the best way to approach a serious thing like this, and using smaller analogies made it easier to see just how dumb the "I don't see racism so it doesn't against anymore" arguments are, especially coming from white people.
ReplyDeleteThe video that was shown perfectly exemplifies on what it means to be an ally and not overshadow those who are speaking out against their oppression. More often than not those who are privileged dismiss and try to make said oppression about themselves. In the video, it gives several examples of people who nothing of a certain struggle trying to insert themself into it when there's is no way they can relate. They're small microaggressions but they're extremely harmful when those who don't feel like they have a voice are "one upped" in a sense. Being privileged means you listen and support, not overshadow the voices who are actually going through these problems.
ReplyDeleteBeing an ally to others who experience discrimination is a very important thing and Tre's video expresses that in a creative and powerful way. Everyday people who fall in the minority experience hate, discrimination, and violence. As a Latino trans guy a lot of these things hit close to home. For example 2017 has just begun and a black trans woman has already been murdered. I think people need to be allies and not stay quiet on what is truly happening. A lot of the times people will more likely listen to someone who falls in the majority, so anyone trying to be an ally should use their voice especially if they have a voice that will likely be listened to. It doesn't stop at just talking, taking active parts in petitions, protests, and really any way to be active in helping is something that should be done by all who can.
ReplyDelete"That's How the F*ck You Sound" was a video about racism. It told about how people of color begin conversation about racism and as others grow uncomfortable they turn the conversation trying to compare how they feel, or just how some people try to relate with something someone was hurt by. My best friend sadly passed away this June and at the memorial a woman told me,"It's okay I know how you feel. Recently my dog passed away." I was stunned that she compared my best friend to an animal. This video showed the sheer ridiculousness of what some people say, just so that they can try to "relate" to you. It also showed that sometimes it's better to listen and understand rather than relate with something else. When that woman compared my best friend to her dead dog I was confused at how it was the same thing. Yes, the dog may have been near and dear to her but I had never asked for a comparison in her life. This video showed this subject in a funny way that would be sure to bring a realization to people about how ridiculous they can really sound.
ReplyDeleteThe video, "That's How the Fuck You Sound", is humorous and enlightening to the viewers, especially white crowds. The video exposed white people for their ignorance towards racism that still exists within society. They showed that white people cannot empathize with black people because they never have and never will experience the discriminatory treatment. The video uses funny scenarios, such as a person having a cold and being barely able to hear out of one ear for a few days and claiming that they know what it's like to be deaf. Because of the humor involved in the video, it is more effective in communicating its message, without being too harsh to any particular race.
ReplyDeleteThe video portrayed various issues that plague our society and how insensitive many people are when conversations are brought up about them. People should not act like they understand what its like to be a different race or have a disability and doing so simply makes them seem like idiots. As they say in the video, it is better to listen and hear people out and do all that you can to end problems such as racism, but in a way that is actually beneficial instead of superficial. The video presents an important message that everyone should take in and think about because even if someone believes they are never insensitive or discriminatory, that's probably not true. All people need to realize that these problems exist and they are not going to go away without some major changes. If these actions are taken, a polite and productive conversation about how to solve these problems would be more plausible.
ReplyDeleteIn this mornings video, It spoke the truth about how people think they understand how someone else of a different color or disabled people feel when in reality they really have no clue. It teaches us that if you really listen to them and become an ally with them, things are better than instead of you just ignoring different colored or disabled people.
ReplyDeleteThe video by Tre Melvin was about how people try to victimize themselves in uncomfortable situations, but end up sounding ignorant. As the end of the video explained you are supposed to be an ally and listen not hear. Listen and stand by your less fortunate peers instead of trying to victimize yourself to seem even more less fortunate than them. Like how people say I hate myself because my thighs touch too much yet they are pencil thin. It's like ,are you trying to say if your thighs touch you should hate yourself? It's the little condescending things that gets me aggravated because you will never know how it feels to be in my shoes so don't put yourself in them. I hate that expression because I would never want to be in anybody's shoes because I don't know how much pain they have been in. And don't put yourself in mine either.
ReplyDeleteThe video "That's How the Fuck You Sound" by Tre Melvin showed everyone exactly how the fuck they sound when they say ignorant things not just about racism but also about other sensitive topics such as certain disabilities that certain people seem to be able to relate to, or people's sexual orientation. This video reminded me of the MTV Look Different commercials where people say ignorant things to people about there race or religion. A lot of time people don't mean to sound ignorant but more often than not come off as such. This video and the series of MTV commercials are just a few example of some of the ignorant things people say and how it effects the people you say them to.
ReplyDeleteThe video surrounds itself around the issues of racism and white people who don't know their privilege. It explains how it sounds when someone who doesn't understand, and couldn't possibly understand, says that they do understand. In this case, they speak about white people who say that they're tired of hearing about racism when black people are the ones experiencing it and are much more tired of being the targets of racism. At one point, one of the men explains that he would much rather be the one arguing that he is tired of hearing about it than the one living with a target on his back every day. It shows you that you need to do your best to be an ally and to shut your mouth about things that you don't experience and don't truly understand. Moral of the story: Always check your privilege.
ReplyDeleteThe video was interesting, I liked the message. I enjoyed how the people featured in the video were diverse. I related to the examples they were using,not as a person of color but just as someone who is annoyed by ignorance. One thing I dislike is the end remarks that began with "Dear white people" because this does not fall solely on white people. I understand the point they were trying to make and the focus on white people's micro-aggression towards black issues,however I think it alienates the white audience rather than making them feel like they're apart of the conversation, it feels somewhat like a scolding. Even if they did want to target the white audience I think there is a better way to do that.
ReplyDeleteTre Melvin and Nic’s perspective on racism was controversial. They talked about the two different sides to viewing racism, and how the white’s views were more condescending than most. The point was to reveal that generally speaking, if you have never been in a situation as a black person, transgender, Muslim, etc., there is no room to judge them on their reactions to a negative situation. It’s judgement after judgement and society’s way of viewing different concepts are automatically biased.
ReplyDelete