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This applications essay is based around the ideas of Jenny Gunn, “a Lecturer in the School of Film, Media, & Theatre at George State University” (Gunn 396). Specifically, this essay revolves around her article titled “The Outside Meets the Institution: The Carters’ ‘Apeshit’ Video”. In this article, Gunn analyzes the music video of “Apeshit”, a song produced by The Carters. She identifies the issue of the concept of blackness and its relationship with canonical archival methods. To dive deeper into this relationship, Gunn explores “blackness in relation to ontology, capitalism, and aesthetics” (Gunn 385). From the exploration of blackness and its relationship with the concepts that were mentioned, Gunn claims that “the genre of the contemporary music video emerges as a form of radical archival practice” to add on to The Carters’ claim that blackness is “an aesthetic and affective force of sociality incompatible with canonical archival methods” (Gunn 385). 

Gunn approaches the analysis of this music video by separating her article into five parts. These parts would consist of the introduction, the relationship blackness has with ontology, speculation regarding the Carters’ motive for the production of the music video, the aesthetics behind the music video, and the conclusion. Gunn first introduces her audience to the subject at hand, the song “Apeshit” and its music video. At first glance, it’s observed that the music video “illustrates a new willingness to stand aside and celebrate the talent and success of Beyonce as [Jay-Z’s] equal” (Gunn 385). The second section of the article is where Gunn brings up the idea of blackness being incompatible with the concept of Being. This is tied with the historical context of slave culture, where “the black ‘subject’ cannot be easily slated into the position of the substitute master-subject celebrated in the history of art as archived by an institution such as the Louvre” (Gunn 390). Despite the era of slavery and colonialism being over, there remains a tension considering the censorship of historical context regarding art. This transitions over to the speculation of the relationship between blackness and ontology being observed by the performances within the music video, where the Carters “highlight the illegibility and incompatibility of black performance to the art historical archive” (Gunn 392). The aesthetics behind the performances within the music video furthermore symbolizes the concept of blackness being that of a force and “as a form of capital production” (Gunn 393). As two completely different cultures collide in the music video, with one representing black culture and the other representing western white culture, it essentially becomes “the outside meet[ing] the institution” (Gunn 395). Gunn concludes her article by mentioning how this culture blend really had the effect of “writing a counter-history” as the Carters’ performance showcasing blackness serves to highlight “the troubling invisibility of practices of black care to the archive of western art history” (Gunn 396). Ultimately, this idea of creating a counter-history is what’s most important about Gunn’s analysis. History as a subject is taught through a lens. Everything is seen from a certain point of view and it’s easy to forget about other perspectives that may have been present during a specific time period. As a reader, it’s important to realize this, to know more sides to a story than just one. By learning about different perspectives, the individual opens their mind up to discover new insight. Without this, no further insight is acquired. The idea of learning from the past would be condensed as this perception of history would be viewed from a one-dimensional perspective. 

Gunn’s analysis of the aesthetics behind the music video is what I connect to be the “lead-on” for what makes her argument so strong. Analyzing not only the lyrics, but the visuals behind them as well serve as a strong foundation for what makes Gunn’s claim. Although I don’t agree with this possibility, one could maybe ask if this thought process, like dual marketing, is too deep of thought. It may be harder to argue in terms of the lyricism behind the song, but as far as the visuals go, what if it actually were too deep of thought to be thinking about their performance in relation to the relationship between blackness and ontology? I would like to take this analysis towards other works, whether it be music videos, movies, or TV shows, and observe if the idea of a counter-history can ever be related to the aesthetics behind the work. Just like all my other suggestions, more examples, more support.

Works Cited: 

Gunn, Jenny. 2019. “The Outside Meets the Institution: The Carters’ ‘Apeshit’ Video”. Indiana 

University Press. Volume 11(1): 385-398.

Alfred Romero

11/17/2022

Professor Frank

Introduction to Literary Theory & Criticism

QCQ#10

From their song “Apeshit”, the Carters, specifically Jay-Z, states that he said “no to the superbowl” and that he doesn’t need them. Furthermore, he closes this NFL segment by stating that the Carters are always in the endzone and “in stadiums too” (3:33-3:39). 

This song brings me back as it was released during my sophomore year of high school. I really wish Beyonce would make more songs like this, or maybe she does and I’m just not taking the effort to search deeper. Regardless, great song by great artists, but this line makes me think of Parker’s chapter on race studies. The concept of race-blind racism is what I think of when I read this line. I see this concept as the majority of the NFL’s team owners and leadership roles are filled by caucasian straight males. While it may be sort of a stretch, this could be rooted back to racial history as it may signify caucasians having the controlling power over African American subjects. With the emergence of a new racial tension wave during this time period as I believe this was around Kaepernick’s kneel, Jay-Z is essentially defying this fixed societal system, even further stating that a huge organization would need them but that need wouldn’t be mutual. It doesn’t matter to the Carters as they’re living in luxury already. I like this statement by them, not just in the sense of racial tension, but also in the more broad context of not having to feel obligated to be a yes-person for a large organization. 

I’d love to meet the Carters one day. If I could, I’d ask them how deep they think racism is rooted within this country. How far is it in terms of large organizations like the NFL, or even through smaller examples?

Alfred Romero

11/8/2022

Professor Frank

Introduction to Literary Theory & Criticism 

Applications #5 Part 2

Mitchell’s basis for the argument already makes sense to me for what it is, so her added support of physical evidence through the different illustrations in the figures she provided strengthened the argument even more for me. The argument presented in the text is so strong that I have trouble finding any reservations I have for it. Part of me, however, may trace back to perspectives found in the concepts of dual marketing strategy. Part of me wonders if this ulterior motive Baartmann served to fulfill may be a thought that’s just too deep. Most of me doubts that, but what if the speculation is just free thought though? I’d like to take this analysis towards the same concept of social groups being used as commodities, but within both works of fiction and other real-life sources. This would widen the spectrum of what’s just thought and what’s legit.

Works Cited: 

Mitchell, Robin. 2020. “Venus Noire: Black Women and Colonial Fantasies in Nineteenth-Century France”. University of Georgia Press.

Alfred Romero

11/10/2022

Professor Frank

Introduction to Literary Theory & Criticism

QCQ#9

In her short story “Jasmine”, Bharati Mukherjee asks the audience why money should be pretty, “like a picture” (Mukherjee 2). 

This was an interesting read. I enjoyed the story and didn’t really know what to expect as I was traveling along the pages. This quote resonated with me throughout the entire reading, however, as it reminded me of a society’s different cultural perspectives towards the concept of wealth (sort of covered in the Marxism discussions). The idea of pretty money completely depends on the economic status of the person perceiving that sense of currency. Pretty money isn’t as necessary to someone with lower annual income as opposed to somebody with a higher annual income. This ties in with the idea of cultural capital as the people higher up have access to the use of pretty money, which comes through the purchase of aesthetics and art. This concept certainly fits America’s materialistic culture and certainly fits other societies around the world as well. 

The ending was really interesting to me. I’d like to ask Mukherjee what that ending meant to her, whether it relates to the how or why the story took that turn, or whether it had some underlying economic or racial message that I’m missing out on.

Alfred Romero

11/8/2022

Professor Frank

Introduction to Literary Theory & Criticism 

Applications #5

For this applications assignment, the central focus will revolve around the work of British writer Robin Mitchell through an excerpt from her book titled Venus Noire: Black Women and Colonial Fantasies in Nineteenth-Century France. The content that will serve as the basis of discussion will stem from chapter 2, specifically pages fifty-one through fifty-seven, seventy-one through seventy-four, and seventy-eight through seventy-nine. The main problem that Mitchell identifies here ties into the concept of commodity. In this case of The Hottentot Venus, Sarah Baartmann herself became a commodity for the people of France despite thinking that she was going to earn commodities. Questions could arise then, on why and how she became a commodity. These questions are what Mitchell answers in her writing. Mitchell concludes that Baartmann was used the way she was by the French “to reverse what was seen as the degeneration of white French male virility and increasingly inappropriate behavior of white Frenchwomen and to help white Frenchmen regain a sense of control” (Mitchell 78). This was achieved through exaggerating Baartmann’s supposed abnormalities “to articulate all that was excessive in French society” (Mitchell 79). Essentially, Baartmann was used by the French as a teaching example through her presentation of being a societal normality regulator. As the empire was falling, unification was recreated through degrading Baartmann into becoming a spectacle to boost French cultural capital. 

Mitchell approaches this topic through a thorough comparison and analysis of art containing Baartmann with that of the historical context that takes place behind her. Just the description of how Baartmann was portrayed emphasizes her characterization of being a prostitute, which became of valued cultural use for when there were issues involving colonial failure (Mitchell 54). Mitchell traces France’s societal conflict within itself back to Napoleon Bonaparte’s defeat. From this, the era was marked by political and social uncertainty, “with royalists, Bonapartists, and republicans failing to reconcile their disparate ideologies (Mitchell 55). When Baartmann came to France, she “provided a convenient distraction from political upheaval and social change” (Mitchell 56). The oversexualization of her body “regulated normative French behaviors at home” (Mitchell 57) by providing an example of how men and women were supposed to act. Mitchell then proceeds to directly analyze Baartmann’s influence on French society through visual representation of Baartmann. Baartmann was depicted as “towering over” (Mitchell 71) the French (perhaps to signify foreign control over natural citizens?). The deliberate exaggeration of her bodily features served to highlight “what the introduction of ‘foreign elements’ can do to a ‘civilized society’ (Mitchell 72). With Frenchmen hurling insults and yelling phrases of amusement towards Baartmann, and with Frenchwomen becoming curious and contrasting themselves with Baartmann, her influence tied both societal groups towards what it meant to be their role in that society. Mitchell’s analysis of Baartmann’s exploitation highlights how commodities in society can be abused for the goal of regulating how a society is supposed to act. This matters for the audience as these commodities can be in the form of living beings. Who could potentially be exploited in contemporary society to show others what normality is? The audience could have relations with specific social groups that may fit into this criterion. This insight shows an audience that there may be a deeper layer with how advertisement and propaganda exploit specific social groups without them even realizing the contribution that exploitation may make towards regulating normality. The absence of the knowledge of this relationship between exploitation and regulation limits the human mind, creating this phenomenon where the person just mindlessly uses another as an example of how or how not to act, without even knowing why in the first place.

Alfred Romero

11/6/2022

Professor Frank 

Introduction to Literary Theory & Criticism 

QCQ#8

In her short story “The Story of an Hour”, Kate Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard’s death as a result of “joy that kills” (Chopin paragraph 23). 

I actually read this short story back in high school. Throughout reading it, I felt this familiarity along with it and as the story progressed towards the ending, I suddenly remembered that I’ve encountered this reading before. The whole story still fascinates me and I can think of multiple relations stemming out of it. For one, the irony of the ending kind of, in a way, reminds me of the irony behind the ending of “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats. While it’s not directly similar, the urn speaking out of nowhere kind of makes me think of Mrs. Mallard’s death, in that she didn’t exactly die from being overjoyed, but rather from the disappointment of seeing her husband alive. Maybe it’s not similar through the context of the story, but the irony behind both endings have the same effect for me as a reader, in that it throws me off completely. There’s also this view of feminism behind the story, as Mrs. Mallard cries out for her awaited freedom now that her husband’s dead. 

I guess my question for Chopin would come from a Marixsm related point of view. When writing this, was cultural capital involved with the process? I’m assuming the former, but was this written more as a social/economic message, or as a work of literary art to be admired? 

Alfred Romero

10/25/2022

Professor Frank

Introduction to Literary Theory & Criticism

Applications #4 

This applications assignment is based on the excerpt “Commodity Lesbianism” by author Danae Clark. This excerpt can be found on pages 484-89 and 496-98 within the book titled Out in Culture: Gay, Lesbian and Queer Essays on Popular Culture, which was edited by authors Corey K. Creekmur and Alexander Doty. In her essay, Clark identifies the main problem regarding the relationship between lesbians and consumer culture. From this relationship, a question forms revolving around the role lesbians play within consumer culture. Clark points out that lesbians enjoy “a certain pleasure as consumers that was not available to them in the past” (Clark 485). From “an analysis of these pleasures,” (Clark 485) the role that lesbians play within consumer culture could be identified, as well as “the identificatory processes involved in lesbian reading formations” (Clark 485). 

In approaching this topic, Clark starts off by first mentioning that, historically, lesbians are a social group of people that aren’t “attractive to advertisers” (Clark 485). As they originally didn’t meet the criteria for what made an advertisable social group, this trend recently “has undergone a visible shift” (Clark 485). This shift takes place through a particular form of discretion, where advertisements would “speak to the homosexual consumer in a way that the straight consumer will not notice” (Clark 486). From this shift paved the way for lesbians to start rebelling against social norms regarding fashion sense. And of course, when a social movement occurs, advertisers would then follow by adapting to the movement, just as Clark mentions (Clark 489). Clark then uses a specific example from the issue Elle, where “a fashion layout entitled ‘Male Order’ shows” a model depicting characteristics of a stereotypical lesbian (Clark 489). The emergence of advertisements containing this content exposes the idea that lesbianism can be “treated as merely a sexual style that can be chosen,” (Clark 494) leading to the concept of choice. As lesbians “have developed strategies of selection, (re)appropriation, resistance, and subversion in order to realign consumer culture,” (Clark 497) feminist would avoid the issue of lesbian consumerism as they would pose a challenge towards the heterosexual economy. Viewing advertisements through this lens provides greater context around the politics and social movement behind what’s being promoted. Readers would be able to gain a better understanding of the relationship between a social group and consumer culture. By perceiving advertisements through this lens, a social group’s relations, not only with consumer culture, but with other social groups can be analyzed through how consumer culture could apply to both of them within specific advertisements. 

Throughout reading the article, I found that Clark’s explanation of the dual marketing strategy of “gay window advertising” was made very clear (Clark 486). This along with the relationship lesbians have with this strategy was explained well by Clark. But if I’m being honest, I still don’t understand the full picture of this article. Is the fact that lesbians pose a challenge to the heterosexual economy Clark’s main point here? Is that the role that lesbians play in their relationship with consumer culture? And on terms of gay window advertising, I understand that the perception of an advertisement being thought of as “too deep” would further support this notion that the heterosexual community is purposefully shutting down any public representation of the homosexual community, but wouldn’t that also be the case of just overanalyzing something that doesn’t necessarily need that level of analyzation? Like, this isn’t in reference to the article, but take the online advertisements from class for example. Yes, the car one could be more understandable from the content of their license plates, but what about the two men driving around? They could possibly be gay, but they could also just as well be two friends who live together simply looking for a couch. By saying that they’re just two straight friends, this wouldn’t necessarily have to be brushing off the possibility that they’re gay through a homophobic tone. But it can be seen that way, so the answer to the question is left at a stalemate, which really just leaves the reader with an idea, but not exactly an answer. Regardless, I’d want to see this analysis taken towards maybe movies and TV shows to see if any particular ones have references to this idea of dual marketing strategy. This would further visualize the concept, although it may not provide an answer just as the advertisements didn’t.

Works Cited: 

Danae Clark, 1995. “Commodity Lesbianism”, Out in Culture: Gay, Lesbian and Queer Essays 

on Popular Culture, Corey K. Creekmur, Alexander Doty

Alfred Romero

10/28/2022

Professor Frank

Introduction to Literary Theory & Criticism

QCQ#7

In her poem “The Venus Hottentot”, Elizabeth Alexander describes herself as a “black cutout against a captive blue sky, pivoting nude so the paying audience can view [her] naked buttocks” (Alexander, part 2, stanza 1, lines 5-8). 

When Alexander says this, I immediately think of the perception humans have towards differences that they aren’t familiar with. When a subject seems to appear or be different, humans have this approach towards that subject that becomes signature for their behavior. This could result in the outcome of fear towards that subject or curiosity. Either way, any humanity that the subject may have had vanishes within that first encounter and while it may reappear in the future in the perception of humanity, it’s gone at the first encounter. I think Alexander portrays this well through the matter of racial tensions as this African American woman is perceived rather as an entertainment act rather than a human being. On top of this, this also contributes to any prior discussion of the concept of intersectionality, as we follow an African American woman who represents two different social groups that have been oppressed throughout history. At the end of the day however, this doesn’t really come as a surprise to me. It should be pretty well known by now that humans either fear or embrace the unknown, but either way that initial encounter with the unknown would treat the subject as a foreign substance rather than trying to relate with it. 

I’d like to ask Alexander what her inspiration for this poem was (obviously racial tensions serves as the primary background, but I’m wondering if there was any specific event) and additionally, if she thinks these scientific objectifications will ever stop in the history of humanity.

Alfred Romero

10/25/2022

Professor Frank

Introduction to Literary Theory & Criticism

QCQ#6 updated

In his inauguration poem “One Today”, Education Ambassador Richard Blanco describes a scene involving a highway where different people are on their way to “clean tables, read ledgers or save lives” (Blanco stanza 2, line 7). 

When listening to these words, I think of the idea of how everyone in this world has their own story. At first, this seems like a pretty straightforward idea, like of course everyone we encounter has their own life, but the more I think about it on a broader scale, the crazier the idea becomes to me. Every single car on the highway that you drive alongside has a person or people inside of it that has their own story, just like you do. But just glancing at them, this idea kind of becomes irrelevant as they just become humans in our perception. I feel like this ties in with the unity aspect of the poem, as there’s this central focus of coming together throughout the entire poem. This unity aspect has commonalities with the inauguration poem by Gorman, where even the ending segments are very similar as they contain this implication of moving forward as a whole. 

If I could ask Blanco a question, it would refer to his perception of what he wrote. What does this idea of moving forward mean to him? At the end of the poem, he ends with this visualization of the people of America staring up at the stars and looking towards hope for the future together? But what exactly is this hope directed at? Would this refer to something broad like the extermination of prejudice, or is it something more specific based on the time when this was written? If the latter is the case, I’d want to know what motivated him to look at hope through the lens he does in this poem considering that racial tensions are way higher today than they were during this time period (at least it seems that way).

Alfred Romero

10/18/2022

Professor Frank

Introduction to Literary Theory & Criticism 

QCQ#6

In section 11 of his poem “Song of Myself”, American poet Walt Whitman addresses the twenty-eight-year-old woman that the poem follows, describing how she splashes “in the water there, yet stay[s] stock still in [her] room” (Whitman section 11, line 9). 

As I’m reading this poem and specifically this line, I immediately trace back to certain ideas discussed in class. These ideas would stem from Mulvey’s theory, like how it was applied in those four movie clips within the remote assignment. Even more specifically, when I envision this scenery like a movie clip inside my head, I can see the gaze being applied in terms of how the camera would be oriented. As this woman imagines being with those bathing men, I can almost envision that the camera would sort of follow the same guidelines it did with the movie clips, with the only difference being that the genders are switched. Because the genders are switched however, I’m not sure what this would mean for Mulvey’s idea of “an abusive version of masculine heterosexuality” (Parker 176). While I’m envisioning this in terms of the same concept as Mulvey’s theory, I can definitely see and agree with her idea of a gaze, but I’m not sure I see the same take on masculine heterosexuality when the roles are reversed. A bit of a random sidenote, but this scene also reminds me of that bath scene in Mulan. I know Mulan’s actually in the bath with them, whereas in this poem the woman just imagines herself joining the scene, but it still kind of reminded me of it. 

A question I’d have is a bit broad and directed towards Whitman himself. What does this section of the poem mean to him? I don’t have context as to whether this is directly related to other sections of the poem because I haven’t read those other sections. But what does this scenery mean to Whitman? Is he expressing a scene that he’s seen, or is he expressing his own feelings through this scene?