Film and literature by David Browne

2015

Film and Literature Portfolio of Essays

David Browne English 49 6/10/2015

Table of Contents Title

Page #

I Got My Mind Made Up: The A Paper………………………………………………

2-9

Triangle of Love………………………………………………………………………..

10-16

What’s The Difference Between Me and You…………………………………………

17-22

A Club of Men Fighting to Regain Masculinity………………………………………..

23-28

Spring Semester Reflection……………………………………………………………..

29-31

I Got My Mind Made Up: The A Paper

Dr. David Spiegel of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences believes, “People with dissociative disorders are like actors trapped in a variety of roles. They have difficulty integrating their memories, their sense of identity and aspects of their consciousness into a continuous whole. They find many parts of their experience alien, as if belonging to someone else. They cannot remember or make sense of parts of their past.” This is symptomatic of mechanisms used by individuals hoping to cope with having a Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). According to the website Psychology Today, “Dissociative Identity Disorder is a severe condition in which two or more distinct identities, or personality states, are present in and alternately take control of an individual. The person also experiences memory loss that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.” Tragedies early on can subject an individual to harsh opinions of themselves and not fully functioning to their capabilities. The individuals that create such identities allow for the new personality to help them cope or sometimes take over their well-being. We see this in stories like “Fight Club,” with Jack, the Narrator, and in “Adaptation,” with Charlie Kaufman. Both are functioning adults, however, they are so horrified with themselves that they hinder their own opportunities for achievement. To cope with their lifestyles, alternate personalities have become their sanctity. Life can be so tragic that the individual can develop such low-esteem within themselves, thus creating a disorder in their personality, consequently allowing them to take over, but soon realize the power is inside them. When one suffers in life and has self-doubt, begin using coping mechanisms as a way to maintain, by this, some have mentally constructed a different character, however, as the new personality takes control, the individual finally recognizes the need to seize control and ultimately snatch back their own life. The goal of this essay is to examine the reasoning to create

a Dissociative Identity Disorder, what happens with creating such an identity, and how the results from this may end.

Before a Dissociative Identity Disorder can be conceptualized, typically that individual has endured some sort of suffering which has brought the individual to have self-doubt. We hold the meaning of self-doubt as a person lacking confidence, certainty, and viewing themselves with the worst intentions. In life, people are constantly dealing with adversity, but it is how we handle these situations that reveal our character. Some are able to handle such issues, while others allow life’s complications to put a strangle-hold, causing them to become unstable. In “Fight Club,” Jack, the Narrator, was an individual weakened by society, being void of taking chances and not one for standing up strong. For Jack, the source of his crisis stemmed from suffering Insomnia, the inability to fall or stay asleep. Conversely, Charlie Kaufman in “Adaptation,” already struggling with confidence, truly became unsure of himself and his ability to write a movie script. For Jack and Charlie, both had to find resolve in their inner battles to take charge of their life. In doing so, the mind gives each of us a cognitive ability that might determine how we do things. When one is dealing with self-pity, they find a coping mechanism that relates to them, just to maintain sanity and get by. It is implied that a coping mechanism is anything one turns to in the process of overcoming adversity. For the individual, there is no right or wrong mechanism used to cope; it is merely about finding relief. Hence, for each individual, the practice of coping is different and everybody turns to their own special methodology for comfort. Some people that are coping with hard times have either turn to suppression, drugs and alcohol, religion, or having somebody supportive in their life. Unfortunately for many who are alone, they turn to another vice for resolution.

When the burdens become too heavy to shoulder, without knowing, a new personality is exhibited. In the world of Psychology, this is called having a Dissociative Identity Disorder. This new identity seems to be more equipped to take on such challenges as their traits embody the missing qualities the individual aspires to have. As stated earlier in the essay, this identity disorder is “thought to be a coping mechanism; the person literally dissociates himself from a situation or experience that's too violent, traumatic, or painful to assimilate with his conscious self,” as defined by the WebMD. In our subconscious, we lose time and our objectiveness in a manner in which we feel misplaced looking to be rescued. As we see in both stories, a new persona that signifies its own version of playing the antagonist is introduced to its audience. The antagonist doesn’t always mean the villain; they are synonymous for playing a role opposite of the protagonist in stories. In “Fight Club,” Jack turned to Tyler Durden for his liberation in society, while in “Adaptation,” Charlie Kaufman has twin brother Donald Kaufman for relief that bestowed the image of innocence. This quote from “Fight Club” says it best, "Only when you've lost everything are you free to do anything." As people, we live in fear of so many things as we are afraid of failure. This thought of disappointment impedes the person’s drive of feeling triumphant. It is at these times when a person senses like they have nothing to lose, and are willing to do whatever it takes to win. Tyler Durden offers Jack the opportunity to take charge of his life and to fight back against a society that has derailed the concept of strong masculinity. On the other hand, Donald Kaufman tries to convince Charlie of his brilliance and to never doubt. In the beginning stages of the Dissociative Identity Disorder, the new identity wants to establish a comfort zone to earn and build a trust. This could be relayed by having a similar

upbringing, or having the same career interests. Once the phenomenon of the disorder is formed, something quite fascinating begins to transpire.

As time goes on, an interesting development ensues within the relationship. Once the trust has been garnered, the disorder personality imposes its will and becomes the dominant personality. They start to exude all the confidence, and in turn, the individual follows in their lead. The personality starts to look and feel better, ultimately resulting in them becoming the life of the party. Unfortunately, the individual become more weakened and more aware of their inabilities as they look to the identity to take charge. In “Fight Club,” as the club grew more into taking on society, each of the members took on the rules and regulations set forth by Tyler Durden. As we also learned in “Adaptation,” Donald Kaufman was developing into the more accomplished writer as Charlie continued in his meltdown with the belief his skills were regressing. In the midst of all the dysfunction, while the disordered identity is at the height of its dominance, the individual begins to have an epiphany about their life. Now the person accepted they let too much power go and are willing to take it back. As this begins to happen, they realize something intriguing with themselves. In “Fight Club,” Jack began to put everything together and concluded he was actually Tyler Durden. In “Adaptation,” Charlie’s relationship with Donald was also a bit more complex which created more difficulty for letting go of Donald. Donald’s role to Charlie was to be the Inner Self Helper. As Donald left his final remarks, Charlie was able to let go. On AllPsych.com, “every victim of multiple personality in time develops an Inner Self Helper (ISH),” as described by Dr. Ralph Allison. They are a separate personality whose sole function seems to be to prevent the other personalities from tearing the physical body apart and therefore ending their own existences (Hawksworth & Schwarz, The

Five of Me. Page 14). Also described first by Allison (1974), ISH’s are serene, rational and objective commentators and advisors. To put an end to the Dissociative Identity Disorder, the individual must now find a way to rid themselves of the personality, and to accept responsibility for the direction their life is headed. For the purposes of each story, both identities were killed off physically and figuratively so that the individual could fulfill their destiny and have an appreciation for their newfound happiness.

On the webpage of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) indicates, while the causes are unknown, statistics show that Dissociative Identity Disorder occurs in 0.01 to 1 percent of the general population. DID is a serious mental illness that occurs across all ethnic groups and all income levels, as it also affects women nine times more than men. On this topic of discussion, the scope of my perception on this disorder has changes exponentially. As a youth, without knowing, I would have categorized a person in this condition as being simply crazy. Now as an adult in pursuit of a career in Psychology, I have a better understanding of how the brain utilizes its cognitive functions. Our cognitive abilities correlate with our understanding and also at the rate in which we master something. As individuals, when life challenges us hardcore, we as people find comfortable coping mechanisms in the process of bringing tranquility to that situation. In reality, identity disorders can last for a multitude of years as many of these stem from a traumatic experience from childhood. In the stories of discussion, the persona lasted as long as they were needed. In the stories of “Fight Club,” and “Adaptation,” the identity characters of Tyler and Donald not only added an extra dimension to the story, they were also used to give Jack and Charlie new perspectives on life. In our subconscious state, dreams give the person an endless amount of capabilities. For Jack and

Charlie, Tyler and Donald represented qualities missing from their current lives. However, in the end Jack and Charlie realized they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need Tyler and Donald anymore because it was actually them all along.

Work Cited “Dissociative Identity Disorder” National Alliance on Mental Illness Web “Dissociative Identity Disorder” Psychology Today Web “Dissociative Identity Disorder: Formerly Multiple Personality Disorder” WebMD Web Heffner, Dr. Christopher. “Dissociative Identity Disorder” AllPsych.com Web Kaufman, Charlie. “Adaptation” 2002 Film Palahniuk, Chuck. “Fight Club” New York and London, W.W. Norton and Company 1996 Print. 1999 Film Spiegel, Dr. David. “Dissociative Identity Disorder” Goodreads.com Web

Triangle of Love

“Could you really love two different people at once? Could you split your heart in half?” These questions by Cassandra Clare in Clockwork Prince, challenges the validity or concept of relationships entangled in a love triangle. Love triangles aren’t just about giving your heart to more than one person; it is also the indecisiveness of who you want and what you want out of being in a relationship. It is easier to date a few than to commit yourself to one love. Often times, most people in love triangles are coming from an unhappy place in their life and are in the midst of figuring and learning themselves. While the perception of a love triangle seems risqué, frequently it helps one evaluate and bring about honest realizations of true love and being responsible. The stories of “L.A Story,” and “Shopgirl,” present two different unique tales of a love triangle. “L.A Story” is about an older gentleman wanting love and stability, but also a fun and wild side. He has strong interest in the woman that represents true love, but is also enthralled with a younger woman that illustrates spontaneity. On the flip side, “Shopgirl” centers on a young lady looking to be loved, and figuring out what is most important to her. She must decide between the young awkward man trying to become responsible, and the older experienced gentleman not really looking for a strong commitment. Both “L.A Story” and “Shopgirl” unify the state of unhappiness to confusion and figuring out life with paying attention to the signs, ultimately ending with maturing and being ready for something wonderful. These stories provide insight into how one goes from having low-inner confidence to breaking out of that comfort zone ready to take on the world with the capability for true love. This essay will examine the step by step process both stories tell that represent being caught up in, to escaping what is known as a love triangle.

Before a person engages themselves in the possibility of being involved in a love triangle, that person has come from a state of unhappiness or of a feeling of loneliness. Both stories center on main characters that are devoid of happiness in their particular situations. In “L.A Story,” the movie surrounds itself with zany Television Weatherman Harris K. Telemacher who is experiencing frustration with work on top of being in an unfulfilling relationship. On the other hand, “Shopgirl,” focuses on Sales Clerk Mirabelle Buttersfield from Vermont who moved to Los Angeles as she struggles with living in solitude as she searches for companionship. These are just a few examples of what it is like feeling miserable. Life can be maddening when you are working at a job that doesn’t bring satisfaction as well as being in a relationship where you don’t feel alive, or moving to a new place and not having connections with people and feeling alone. This is indicative of feeling like you are trapped in a proverbial bubble hoping for someone to come along and save you. According to 7 Cups of Tea, in the article “Feeling Alone” states, “As human beings, we have the need and desire to connect with others. When that need is not met, pain occurs and contributes to negative emotional experiences (i.e., loneliness and anxiety).” As the sensation of emptiness intensifies, the search for happiness becomes harder, thus creating unsureness and indecisiveness as the individual starts to question themselves needing a sparkplug to generate excitement. In this stage, the individual is welcome to all types of attention no matter what the type of companionship that person brings. A result of this is having multiple options.

When an individual decides to live life and take risks, they give themselves options to see what is most important to them. In “L.A Story,” Harris meets Sara McDowel and at site begins to wonder the possibilities of love. During this time he meets young, vibrant, Sandy who is spontaneous and lives life freely. On the other hand in “Shopgirl,” Mirabelle meets awkward

and nervous Jeremy, but is also courted by an older well-established gentleman named Ray Porter. In both stories, the love interests are representative of the duality of characteristics within Harris and Mirabelle. For Harris, Sara gives visualization to the part of him looking for something simple, honest, and real that conveys completion. However, Sandy illustrates his personality that gives unconventional weather reports and goes roller-skating through museums. As for Mirabelle, Jeremy is the epitome of where her life is at this stage; unsure, nervous, and trying to figure life out. Ray Porter embodies the ultimate goal of being successful in life with the concept that you have relevancy in the world. These traits help to formulate the bonds amongst the characters in both stories. As these emotions strengthen, love triangles begin to form. On Lovepanky.com, Natalia Avdeeva writes the article, “Love Triangles and its Confusing Complications,” writes, “A love triangle is a complicated dating scenario where there’s love in the air, but there are more than two people involved.” Intertwined in the confusion happens when affections become more incumbent towards the person you want, but not truly letting go of the other individual, as now they are nothing more than a backup plan. It is at this point when the person pays attention to the signs in the relationship. For Harris, metaphorically, he listened to the Talking Freeway Sign that led him in the right direction. Unfortunately for Mirabelle, she had to experience the ups and downs of being with someone not invested in commitment and learned from heartache. These situations dispel the notion that if you are in a love triangle, to go with the second choice, because if you valued the first person, there would be no need for a love triangle.

Hopefully, once a person has left the love triangle zone, the goal should be to choose the person that enjoys spending time with you unconditionally and is ready for a quality relationship.

However, before you can receive love, you must be able to love yourself. When you love yourself and value your worth, what you desire in a mate becomes much clearer. Interesting enough for both Harris and Mirabelle, they both fell in love with their first choices that were symbolic of building authentic love. For Harris, it was about him finally letting go and to convince Sara he was best for her and not her prior relationship. For Mirabelle and Jeremy to grow, both needed to learn and mature apart from each other before eventually reestablishing a once uncomfortable connection. We search for love because we think that this correlates to being happy. On WikiHow.com, on the topic “How to Love,” asserts, “Love is expressed as an action and experienced as a feeling. Yet, love has an essence that resists defining in any single way, it encompasses compassion, determination, tolerance, endurance, support, faith, and much more.” Love doesn’t just measure what you feel in your heart for somebody; it makes you feel as if you can accomplish anything. In the two stories, Love was the motivation for selfimprovement because not only were they happy in love, they were also fulfilling their dreams and goals they were passionate about. As we see with love, it can take you to the lowest places as hurt and pain snatch your heart, but good and true love can turn heartache into joy which brings happiness.

In reflection of both, “L.A Story,” and “Shopgirl,” we get the classic tale of being in a love triangle. For Harris Telemacher, it was all about him paying attention to the signs (A Talking Freeway Sign) and realizing who he could really love and not live without. Mirabelle suffered pain as she tried to love the one that simply was not looking for commitment. Heartache made her realize what was most important. Being loved is just as important as giving love. My belief is that Harris Telemacher was in the best scenario for a love triangle. For him,

he was in pursuit of Sara, who was debating on restarting a relationship with her ex. His other option was Sandy, a girl just wanting to have fun. Harris and Sara were able to let go of their insecurities and start a relationship of their own. On the other hand, Mirabelleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s situation was filled with more complication. While she was trying to connect with the young awkward guy, she fell for the distinguished gentleman in Ray Porter that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ready for commitment with her, but spent a lot of time with her. During this time, Jeremy began to take control of his life as he became more confident in himself. After enduring hurt from Ray, she rekindled her relationship with a more confident Jeremy, as they built a stronger companionship and lived out their passions. They say opposites attract, but having commonalities brings stability. To have the long lasting relationship as a couple, that particular couple should have similar interests, but it is nothing wrong with having some difference. That difference serves as a spark mainly if those differentiations help complete each other.

Work Cited Avdeeva, Natalie. “Love Triangle” Lovepanky.com Web Clare, Cassandra. “Love Triangle” Clockwork Prince Goodreads.com Web “Love” Wikihow.com Web Martin, Steve. “L.A Story” 1991 Film Martin, Steve. “Shopgirl” New York: 40 Share Productions. 2000 Print 2005 Film

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Difference Between Me and You: We are More Alike Than You Think

“The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don’t know each other, but we talk and understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your Government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my Government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our Governments are very much the same.” Marjane Satrapi’s quote raises the question of perceived notions about Western and Eastern Leadership. Tragic events have been prevalent in the history of many countries that have brought them shame; however, while some cultures have not surpassed their bad reputations, others have cosmetically reconstructed their history. In the minds of many American’s, our country has the best people and is the land of opportunity, while Eastern civilization is considered to have an aura of evil that permeates the land. In reality, while all of us as a people have the same hopes and dreams on the lives we wish to live, our Governments give distorted views about its opposing adversaries. In spite of this, our countries have the same hidden agendas. “Persepolis” graphically illustrates living in Iran during a decade of bloodiness as war terrorized the livelihood of many Iranian civilians. For any citizen that challenged regulations imposed by Iran Law, were either killed or imprisoned. Through misguided leadership during war, the protesting of Government Law, and the influx of Western Culture popularity, Satrapi uses “Persepolis” as a tool for people to have a better understanding of the hardships and brutality the people endured and to challenge the myth of “Evil Iran.”

One way to dispel any mistaken belief is to give a visualization of your sufferings. “Persepolis” captures the essence of 1980’s Iran as it is entrenched in warfare. Iran was being invaded by Iraq and its leader Saddam Hussein over a border dispute. In the article, “Iran’s Bloody Decade of the 1980’s,” written by Muhammad Sahimi, Iran leader Ayatollah Khomeini

believed that “This war is a gift from God.” This gives way to the perceived notion to why Iran is recognized as evil. We think of God to be kind and merciful, but can subject people to his powerful wrath; however it wouldn’t be considered an act of God to allow for eight years of warfare. In the eyes of many, bad leadership allows a war to continue that long when either side is not looking for peace. Also during this time of war, was some involvement from the United States in the Iran-Contra Affair. In the midst of the Iran Hostage Crisis under the presidency of the Ronald Reagan administration, used Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North to supply weapons to Iran considered to be a sworn enemy in hopes of American hostages in Lebanon to be released. The United States also took a million dollars from the weapons sale and routed them and guns to the Contras who opposed Nicaraguan authority. High elected officials are trusted to make the best decisions for the people, however for personal agendas, corruptness comes into play. Man is always in conquest for control and bad intentions in leadership leads to civilians living in fear. To become powerful, countries led by dictators terrorize their citizens to exert their control in order of compliance.

Power pushes people to the brink of hopelessness until they have nothing to lose. Conversely, it is at this lowest point of frustration when the people are willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. Many times protests are used to demonstrate our dissatisfactions with law. Protests undertake a direct action in an attempt to unequivocally enact desired changes themselves. Many of the Tehran citizens opposed Iran Government in efforts to create change or to voice displeasures. In “Persepolis,” Marjane Satrapi’s uncle Anoosh whom she bonded with showed acts of heroism in the eyes of Marjane before his time of execution. Unfortunately, many others that protested received the same punishments. Even as Marjane matured into

adulthood, she challenged officials on the lack of freedoms for women living in Iran. In the world today, there have been a great number of injustices that have enacted a bunch of protests leaving cities in unrest. There is a great quote that says, “Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.” Countless and courageous individuals throughout history have given their lives for the purpose of creating change for the betterment of life. As people, we may love where we come from despite the faction of control. Even as warfare and Iran Government plagued the people of Iran, something influential was upon them.

During this time in Iran as war continued, an influx of Western Culture became popular to the people of Iran. Just like us, they too listened to Pop music, enjoyed hanging out with friends to have a fun, and a various amount of them did not like having to wear the whole body covering garments of clothing. In “Persepolis,” Marjane is enjoying singing the song “Eye of the Tiger.” One result as cultures live apart from one another, we don’t see the commonalities of each other. As people, we put different cultures in a box and place our expectations of them on them and then experience shock when we realize they have an appreciation for some of the same things. In America, such genres of music like Rock and Roll, or Hip Hop were once deemed as a bad art form of music glorifying sex, drugs, and violence to a point where many corporations today use these art forms for the purpose of advertisement. Western Culture has become popular to so many people in many different ways. Even popular sports are known to bring many diverse groups of people together in a positive manner. But a continued problem of society is that we villainize what we don’t understand and condemn anything that is different. In the end, most of us want to enjoy the same things and want to be seen as having the same interests no matter our

differences. Even when Marjane lived in Vienna, she longed to belong in society, but she realizes to be proud of her heritage. Sometimes things are not what you envision them to be.

In “Persepolis,” Marjane Satrapi gives me a better understanding on what life was like growing up in Iran during a time of war. Growing up in America, our leaders gave us the impression that Iran was evil and anybody could be perceived as a threat. Hence, while no country has a perfect history, we shouldn’t have any dislike for someone on the basis of where they come from. As a grown up, I have a better understanding that we all are not fortunate enough to have the same opportunities and it is our different pathways that help mold us as unique individuals. Because of this, I prefer to base my relationships with people on their individuality as a person and not where they come from. You can’t control where you come from, but you can control the type of person you are. A common ground for many of us in society when we don’t agree to something is to either protest it, or move to an improved situation for a quality way of life. As we see here, a good amount of our citizens have immigrated to America to enjoy our liberties. I know that not every Iranian is evil, just as the misconceptions of the different ethnicities that exist here in America are not true. Our differences are what make us great because it adds extra layers to our individualities.

Work Cited “Iran-Contra Affair and Oliver North” Time Explains Web “Persepolis Introduction” Web Sahimi, Muhammad. “Iran’s Bloody Decade” Web Satrapi, Marjane. "Persepolis” New York and Canada: Pantheon Books. 2000 Print 2007 Film

A Club of Men Fighting to Regain Masculinity

“Bob…Bob had bitch tits.” In “Fight Club,” this is the observation the Narrator makes upon his first encounter with Bob. One of the messages within is man’s fight for masculinity. A man used to be defined by the role he was expected to play in society. Environments grew from a hunters and gatherers tradition as men hunted to provide while women tended to other matters of gathering. To be a man meant to be strong, to provide, to protect, to show no emotion, and to be self-reliant. Over the years, those characteristics that defined male gender roles have slowly diminished. Nowadays, men place more importance on their physical appearance than the old definition of a man. It is a belief that households headed by women have been a contributing factor in men not being raised as men and knowing what their role is in society. The problem speaks to women raising men as to what they want them to become as opposed to the type of man they need to be. Because of this, Man has lost his appetite for machoism through societal consumership and matriarchal upbringing, but is in constant search to regain and maintain masculinity. In “Fight Club,” not wanting to capitulate to commercialism and capitalism coupled with the lack of fatherhood has impacted the struggle to stay masculine, but having countered with forming a fight club allowed for men to have a sense of pride in masculinity.

In “Fight Club,” the first indication that illustrates man’s struggle with masculinity takes place at the Remaining Men Together Meeting. This is a group of men with testicular cancer whom had their testicles removed. Figuratively, they didn’t feel like men anymore and used the support group for therapy. The character of Bob transforms from a man that symbolizes what the gender role of men used to be defined by, to the filtered and watered down version of today’s male. Bob, living the American Dream, was a body builder that owned his own gym, did product endorsing and was married three times. As Bob’s manly look began to deteriorate due to

his testicular cancer, his testicles were removed, and from having high testosterone levels from steroid use, he developed bitch tits. Not feeling like a man, he was reduced to a lower adaptation of himself. Because of this, he becomes a pile of mush causing the Narrator to describe Bob by calling him “the big moosie” as his eyes dripped of tears suggesting it was okay to cry. This is how manhood is represented in today’s society. In the article, “Modern men feel emasculated,” written by Sarah Womack, asks what it meant to be a man in the 21st century. More than half thought society was turning them into "waxed and coiffed metrosexuals", and 52 per cent say they had to live according to women's rules. Men today feel like they have no voice, and if you speak out with no filter, the man is ridiculed. Today, men are not living life defined by the old gender roles, and coupled with this is the rise of women dominance into society. Just as women have emerged in society, it is startling that a support group called Remaining Men Together would allow the presence of a woman to be there. As society has changed, women have made their existence in society very significant and that they add something to it. Even though women have left a strong imprint on society, “Fight Club” gives us another message as to why strong masculinity has slowly faded from the behavior of man.

As the Narrator and “Tyler Durden’s” friendship start to bond, they both speak of lacking strong fatherhood in their growing up and as the Narrator states, “We’re a generation raised by women.” This is prevalent in society because many children are raised in single-home houses which are headed by women. According to U.S. Census Bureau, out of about 12 million single parent families in 2014, more than 80% were headed by single mothers. Some misfortunes have caused women to be head of households playing both roles of parenthood. The lack of fatherhood in most cases results in young boys growing up lost trying to figure out what it takes

to be a man and miss out on the development for strong masculinity. In “Fight Club,” the persona of “Tyler” expressed how he had to keep reaching out to his dad to ask him what he should do next after each accomplishment. The roles that a man should play in society should be learned from fathers. Hence, men have a duty to be educated, goal-oriented and strong-willed, to be success driven, and more than anything else, be responsible enough to handle a relationship. When boys grow up without the stability of fatherhood, many grow up continuing the vicious cycle, while others try to follow the influence of the nearest male which can end in failure as well. With the pressures of man to live up to the ever-changing influence of commercialism, the influx of women progressing coupled with men not having strong male guidance, man turned to physical toughness.

For the Narrator and “Tyler,” creating Fight Club began as a demonstration to see how tough they were as men and to see how much of a challenge it was to regain feeling manly. Both men talk about not having been in a fight and not knowing the feeling of being punched. This is also indicative of the life the Narrator was living. He was afraid to stand up for himself at work, in life, and never dared to fight back. However, as “Tyler” started to become more dominant, the larger Fight Club grew, thus resulting in the Narrator taking on a more aggressive personality. This behavior can be linked to when a person is pushed to their limit, with their back against the wall with nowhere to turn. The inner-struggle becomes a battle to bring out the toughness in order to strike back and to not except failure. Sometimes aggression can become so strong it pushes into the boundaries of insanity. In “Fight Club,” as the membership grew, the physical fighting against each other turned into destruction of society leading them into Project Mayhem. In today’s society, women are graduating college at higher rates and becoming the breadwinners

of households have factored into companies campaigning towards a female based market. As commercialism and capitalism geared towards women flooded society, the men of Fight Club took their battle to new grounds. Project Mayhem became an assault aimed at big business using the explosions as their newfound voice.

In “Fight Club,” we learn how the role of man has transformed through time. Men have undergone a change in roles by how they are perceived to look and act. The character of Bob in “Fight Club” is illustrative physically and mentally of how man has regressed. As Bob’s physical appearance went from being muscular to having breasts is indicative of today’s society as men place a high importance on how they look as opposed to being strong and masculine. “Fight Club” also dives in on the aspect of men growing up with absentee fatherhood. The Narrator touches on a generation of men being raised by women and not knowing what he should do as a man, the type of life he should live, and having the confidence of manhood. Lastly, “Fight Club” represents the challenge of man in his attempt to regain toughness by forming Fight Club, testing their strength, ultimately starting Project Mayhem, which became an assault on big business with a message of “We’re not going to take this from big business any longer,” by instilling fear with the destruction of buildings.

Work Cited Palahniuk, Chuck. “Fight Club” New York and London, W.W. Norton and Company 1996 Print. 1999 Film

Spring Semester Reflection

In looking back on the Spring Semester of 2015, this semester has presented an exciting and new challenge for me. This was my first semester being enrolled as a full-time student at Long Beach City College. Starting with the fact that I almost missed my opportunity to sign up for classes, I was still able to take some very interesting courses. I tried to compliment English 49 Film and Literature by taking Film 1 Introduction to Film. In English 49, we were able read books and watch film for the purposes of conducting comparative analysis. The ending result is to compile all of our works to create a great Portfolio that illustrates all of our work and to demonstrate our progression as writers. We also had thought-provoking discussions about life and how they help create good stories and what notable authors endured to write a book. Additionally, we start each class giving our interpretation on famous quotes. In Film 1, we learned all features that surround every inch of what it takes to make a film. More than that, we learned how to interpret things in film. We studied how color, sound, editing, film and narrative, and film unity form plays its role in the development of the film. It was also explained to us what all goes in to a film on both the pre and post production side of the film. The most intriguing assignment in class was our project called Adopt-a-Film. The project required us to examine all things learned from the class and apply it to our film of choice. My film was “Silence of the Lambs.” To say the least, I don’t think I will be looking at film quite the same anymore. Not that we had any interesting projects in Biology 25 Biology and Society, we did have some very stimulating class discussions. We discussed a bevy of topics like Cloning, DNA, Genes, Bacteria and Antibiotics, Creationism and Science, Genetically Modified Organics, and Evolution. I was a little unsure about this class as I have not taken a science class in a long time and has presented to be my toughest challenge. However, the class exceeded my expectations of taking a science class. Also as a last minute class, I enrolled in Counseling 1Orientation College

Success. Upon taking this class I realized I should have taken this course in one of my earlier semesters. My direction or path in my collegiate career would have been clearer and better thought out. This was an eight week semester that ended before Spring Break. It also helped navigate what I need to do to create a prosperous future for myself. This class does help a student learn every option and all the programs that Long Beach City College has to offer. The last class of my semester is History 11 Modern America starting with the Reconstruction Era. This class was simply learning and memorizing material to take a total of four exams with only three exams that counted. We also had to do an online assignment for credit. One thing I noticed was that I stayed more to myself without truly forming bonds with other students. In classes prior, I was able to build some type of relations with other students. The funny thing is even though Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not majoring in Film, the classes that used film for its basis are my two favorite classes of the semester. Until the last few years, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realize how much I enjoy writing. In my younger days I wanted to write create novels, but in my Senior year of High School taking a College English course, my teacher crushed my enthusiasm of creative writing as she wanted writing that felt blah, blah, blah. Thankfully for me over the last few years I have had teachers that have encouraged me and my writing skills and it was another great opportunity for me in this English 49 course to allow my skills as a writer to further deepen. No matter how the semester ends for me grade wise, I do feel from a personal stand point that this would rank high for me as school goes just for the amount of work and the challenges presented. One unescapable experience that I feel is being that old person in the class, but it is something I can live with because when it comes to education and in life, you are never too old to accomplish anything.