Final Narrative Analysis – Dr. Seuss, The Sneetches

Introduction: 

Theodor Seuss Geisel wrote many of his most famous works under the penname Dr. Seuss over a period of 60 years. Dr Seuss’s stories have stood the test of time.  He had become one of the most recognized and favorite children’s book authors.  These stories bring fantasies to life with creative creatures in faraway lands and have a clever and simplistic way to reach children about some important lessons in life.  One such story is The Sneetches.  I will examine the parallelism between the major theme which is discrimination, the character qualities and the temporal relations.

Description

The Sneetches is a collection of 4 short stories first published in 1961.  This short story is one that introduces discrimination.  Between the years of 1954 and 1965; this was a volatile time in American history.  America was in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement.  During this 11-year period, significant civil rights milestones were reached.  The 1954 ruling by the Supreme Court deemed segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional and paved the way for larger desegregation laws.  By 1957, Martin Luther King becomes one of the most recognized leaders behind organizing civil rights nonviolent protests such as sit-ins and boycotts.  In 1965, Congress passes the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which makes poll tax, literacy tests and other restrictions (instituted in southern states making it difficult for African Americans to vote) illegal. 

The root of such discrimination?  Skin color.  The Whites claimed to be the superior race and anyone of African descent or dark skinned was inferior.  Through bullying and violence, they segregated, degraded and denied African Americans of their basic human rights; the right to equal opportunity in a “free” country. 

The Sneetches is about two kinds of bird like creatures, some with green stars on their bellies and some without.  They live together on a beach.  The Star-bellied Sneetches claim they are superior to the Plain-Bellied Sneetches because of this one tiny difference.  They deny the Plan-Bellied Sneetches access to social gatherings and will not associate with them in any way. They taunt and tease the Plan-Bellied Sneetches. They get fed up and with the help of one clever fix it up chappy, Sylvester McMonkey McBean, they get stars on their bellies.  They do this in a desperate attempt for acceptance.  The original Star-Bellied Sneetches decide to remove their stars in an effort to maintain separateness and superiority.  The same clever fix it up chappy helps them and before you know it the Sneetches are running through the star on and star off machines to change themselves to be like one another until they can no longer tell who is who.  Some come out with one star, three stars or no stars at all.  In the end the Sneetches come together and realize it doesn’t matter what they look like, they’re all Sneetches and they’re all equal.

 Narrative method of analysis

Narratives allow us the opportunity to make sense of the world around us through our experiences.  Aristotle first identified a narrative as a plot to a story which also has a temporal meaning or events happening over a period of time.  Other theorists define narratives as an experience and connection that is created for an audience.  Narratives can be found in artifacts such as:  short stories, movies, television or songs.  They connect you to another time and place by conjuring up memories and fantasies. 

The characteristics of a narrative are:

·         Comprised of at least two events, either active (expressing action) or stative (a condition).

·         The events are organized by time order.  They may not be chronological but they relate to one another temporally.

·         Includes causal or contributing relationship among events in the story.

·         The narrative is about a unified subject.

This short story meets the criteria of a narrative because it contains two events active and stative, temporal relations, and causal relations. 

Analysis

Characters

The main characters are the Star-Bellied Sneetches and the Plain-Bellied Sneetches.  Although they are bird like creatures, they have human qualities.  Their human qualities are expressed by words, actions, and feelings.  They are very flat characters because of their predictable behavior.  The Star-Bellied Sneetches claim superiority and act in discriminatory ways. The Plain-Bellied Sneetches accept their role as inferior beings at first and have a desperate want and need to for acceptance by the Star-Bellied Sneetches.

Events

The story consists of 3 major events. The first major event taking place is the claim of superiority by the Star-Bellied Sneetches over the Plain-Bellied Sneetches.  The second major event occurs when Sylvester McMonkey McBean arrives providing the opportunity for the Plain-Bellied Sneetches to get stars on their bellies.  The third major event occurs when the Plan and Star-Bellied Sneetches add and remove stars on their bellies causing unity of both groups in the end.  Minor events include the discriminatory acts by the Star-Bellied Sneetches.

Temporal Relations

The events of the story line occur over a period of years.  This is specifically stated in the story and I think to drive home the fact that after years of endured discrimination the Plain-Bellied Sneetches finally take action with the help of the chappy. The story is told in past tense and I think it is done so in an effort to teach a lesson about the silliness of this intolerance.  The speed of the narrative is fast, the events are all combined cleverly into 12 minutes through narration, song and anapestic tetrameter.  Anapestic tetrameter rhythm is made up of four rhythmic units called anapests, and each are composed of two weak beats followed by one strong.  This is a popular meter used by many poets.  www.newworldencyclopedia.org.

Final insight

It is the through major events in American history such as the Civil Rights Movement and various narratives shared over time; we have been exposed to the harsh reality of discrimination.  We as human beings tend to be afraid of what we don’t understand.  The decisions we make with the lack of education and appreciation for people with differences is what perpetuates discrimination.  If we commit to educate our children early on as Dr. Seuss has done so eloquently about the dangers of intolerance, we can instill awareness and thirst for knowledge of those different from us.

Narrative Criticism – Dr. Seuss - The Sneetches

“Now, the Star-Belly Sneetches had bellies with stars.
                 The Plain-Belly Sneetches had none upon thars.
                Those stars weren’t so big. They were really so small.
                You might think such a thing wouldn’t matter at all.” – Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss just happens to be a favorite of mine.  His stories have a clever and simplistic way to reach children about some important lessons in life.  I chose The Sneetches for my narrative criticism.  The objective of this short story is to teach children about prejudice and tolerance. 

The story of the Sneetches is rather quite short, but a frightful story of some sort.  There are two kinds of Sneetches, some with green stars on their bellies and some without. They live together on the sunny beaches.  The Star Belly Sneetches reject the Sneetches without stars because they are different from them.  They taunt and tease all day long in the form of some very mean songs.  One day, the Plain-Belly Sneetches decide they’ve had enough of those star-bellied mean ways and decide to get stars on their bellies and have it their way.  With the swift help of one clever neighbor the Plain-Belly Sneetches become Star-Bellied Sneetches.  To their delight they are equal now.  But caught by surprise, they see the fright on the faces of those original Star-Belly Sneetches.   In the same fashion, the clever neighbor offers a deal to have the real Star-Bellied Sneetches remove those stars.  With one quick move, the stars are gone.  And wouldn’t you know it, they claim only Plain-Bellied Sneetches are the best on the beaches!  Before long, the Star Bellied and Plain-Bellied Sneetches had their clever neighbor adding and removing stars to be like one another all day long. This happened until no one knew who was who?  In the end the story goes so I’ve read…

“…the Sneetches got really quite smart on that day.

The day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches.
And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches.
That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars and whether
They had one, or not, upon thars.” – Dr. Seuss

This story is one I have shared with my children and although they are young and do not understand what prejudice and tolerance is, some day they will.

 It’s unfortunate we still face prejudice in our society today.  If we are vigilant and teach tolerance from a very early age, our children can learn to appreciate and learn from others differences. 

Metaphorical Criticism - Forrest Gump

The artifact I have chosen is the movie Forrest Gump – there are several metaphors in the movie, two of which I find impactful.

The free floating feather shown at the beginning and the end of the movie is beautiful.  The vehicle is the feather. The tenor for me is- We are like feathers floating through time and where we land; is it destiny or simply by chance?

The second metaphor is a quote from the movie:

When Forest Gump says - “Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” The vehicle is the box of chocolates.  The tenor for me is - You cannot predict the future or what life has in store for you, live for the moment, be present and acknowledge the past, but let it go.

Hardwork + Determination(Education) = Success

Neo- Aristotelian Criticism – President Obama’s National Address to America’s School Children

I choose this speech because it allows me to identify and analyze various cannons in the content.  I am also able to identify “Did the rhetor use the available means of persuasion to evoke the intended response from the audience?”

This speech was delivered by President Barack Obama at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia in September 2009.  President Obama has given and continues to deliver speeches on the importance of education to a variety of audiences. 

The occasion for this speech is to address students at the beginning of the 2009 school year and to set some expectations for students to take an active role in their education.

Obama’s claim is that he wants to stress that in order for students to achieve success they must commit to hard work and determination.  Hard work and determination is the foundation of any successful person and that no one has achieved anything without failure in their lives.   

Obama starts his speech giving a little background on himself growing up.  He points out that he too was once an everyday ordinary student and made mistakes.  He was raised by a single mother and initially did not have the same educational opportunities as other children.  He worked hard and went to college and law school to achieve the success he has.

The credible appeal of this speech is that it is delivered by the President of the United States and it directed to America’s school children via a local high school.

The emotional appeal is communicated multiple times throughout the speech.

“We need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems. If you don't do that -- if you quit on school -- you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country.”

“And even when you're struggling, even when you're discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you, don't ever give up on yourself, because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.”

“The story of America isn't about people who quit when things got tough. It's about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.”

“So don't let us down. Don't let your family down or your country down. Most of all don't let yourself down.  Make us all proud.”

“The future of America depends on you.”

Obama is telling the students that if you fail yourself then you fail you country.  This is powerful and I think used to create feelings of excitement and fear in the students, both powerful emotions.

I think the structure to the speech is arranged in a problem-solution order. Obama presents multiple problems or hurdles students face such as: fear of failure, laziness and complacency and offers solutions to these.  The solutions he gives to these problems are:  being respectful, doing homework, study hard, and don’t let failure define who you are, pick yourself back up and try again.

Obama knows his audience and has carefully selected the language and tone of voice to deliver his message.  He knows how to put the students at ease by using simple language for students to understand, a little humor and showing he can relate to them and the struggles they face.  Obama commands respect as he stands at the podium and shows authority and I think he does this to show he is serious about the message he is sending.

I believe Obama’s message achieved what he was looking for.  It was well received and impactful for the students.  The video clip included of students responses attest to this.  They share their perspective and interpretation of Obama’s message. The comments from the students acknowledge the need to push through and take responsibility for their lives and education and commit to the hard work for success in life.

Ideological Criticism: Reality TV Shows, We Love to Hate Them…

Why is it that we can flip through channels insensately and then come upon a reality show and freeze?   Perhaps we want to see how the other half lives, the reality TV stars.  Perhaps it’s for entertainment value.  Perhaps it’s something that resonates with us.

For those of you who’ve heard of MTV’s, The Real World, this was my first experience to Reality TV.  I was 15, it was the latest buzz and the world was watching.

The Real World was originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray and first aired in 1992.  The idea was to originally have a scripted cast and do something similar to a soap opera.  That idea was scrapped and the decision was to produce the ups and downs of real life relationships unscripted. 

The Real World San Francisco was MTV’s third season of the hit show which first aired in June 1994.  This is a story of seven strangers who are picked to live together in a house and have their day-to-day lives filmed unscripted.  This was the first season featuring someone dealing with Aids and also the first season to cast an Asian-American and two Hispanic Americans.  The Real World is the longest-running program in MTV history and is credited with launching this pop culture craze.

You may be surprised, but Reality TV wasn’t born in the 20th century.  Reality TV shows have been around for over 50 years.  Hit shows such as Candid Camera and The Dating Game are pioneers of reality TV.

Reality TV shows have boomed in the last ten years.  You may be familiar with other popular shows such as Survivor, The Real Housewives, The Biggest Loser and Jersey Shore.  They all have something in common- raw emotion.  These shows make us laugh, they make us cry and they make us scream; sometimes they leave us scratching our heads. 

Do I dare ask, what makes us watch Reality TV Shows?

If you have ever have been excited, nervous or angry and at the edge of your seat while watching a reality TV show; the networks have successfully enticed you into watching.  Mass media achieves this through sensationalism or dramatization of subject matter no matter how insignificant an irrelevant it may be.  It’s clever and it works.  These shows are so popular because people can identify or relate with them; the struggles and the triumphs of everyday people going through similar experiences.  Reality TV shows provide a window into a diverse world around us through the safety of our living room. 

The lens in which I choose to anaylze reality TV shows is both deconstructionism and postmodernism.  The editing that is done in reality TV shows picks apart the material and subject matter and transforms information we are exposed to and allow us to draw an entirely different meaning of what is being conveyed.  Media has radically transformed society's norms, values and beliefs.  "The postmodern society requires new concepts and theories to address the features that characterize the new era:  fragmentation of individuals and communities; a consumer lifestyle; a sense of alienation; and a destabilization of unifying discourses and principles." --Sonja K. Foss, 2009. 


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