Silver Reflect

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the prettiest of them all?

Look at my hair as it flows too the floor

For whose eyes sparkle more?

Whose skin is smooth as silk?

The lines above have given me a bad name for I do more than that.

I come in many forms but I do the same in all.

You look at me and see yourself, walk away and look again.

It’s almost like your looking at more than just what you’re wearing.

You are searching for answers  but find none

For I am the reflector on the wall.

You take your daily stroll and see me filled with leaves for it is Fall

Yet through all the distractions you still look into me and see yourself

You bend over me and hope I can show you other than the fishes.

As you reward me with your tears, that fill me up more than the heaviest downpour

It pains me to see you leaking

Disappointed you turn your back to me and walk away.

However I continue faithfully and reflect that as well.

You come and goe

For I am the reflector made of water.

I am silver and refined, I am wet and natural.

I am brutal but I will not lie

What you see is how it is.

I am addicting for those conceited and those looking for more.

I show you what others will not tell you.

I am your most infamous friend and greatest fiend

Look at me, shatter me, Either way I will always refect

What is true?

So What Am I To You?

Cycles

Narrator:

“As the sun beams down

So does the moon elsewhere

Being different places simultaneously

Yet they both see what’s similar.

As they trade places

A quick conversation takes place.”

Moon:

“I pierced down on a diseased world

A world that there is no cure for.

Perhaps you too see as I see.

Those who believe they are sheltered by the night

And prey on the weak.

Little do they know the weakest of my rays

Illuminate their action.

If only one with colossal power could prevent this inevitability.

This cycle is wrong

For death know longer terrifies men.

For they take and give it as they were Gods.

The smell of death is as common as roses.

The procession of funerals is more common than weddings.

So much so that the line of savagery and sensibility

Has blurred together by the colors of Hate.

Few guided by reason, some by logic, most by emotion

Those numbers equate to destruction.

Salvation still burns however for every day you (Sun) arise

Another chance does also.

Let there be salvation on your end.”

Sun

“Agreed.”

The Princess and the Frog: Multicultural Misrepresentation (abstract)

Micah Moyer

The Princess and The Frog: Multicultural Misrepresentation

            With Disney taking a step into the right direction and blurring the lines between the traditional princess and what represents all of society; that we are not a blonde haired blue eyed Aryan race society. We step into This film with the hope that finally the African American race can take pride in an epic journey of love and overcoming odds. Central to these negotiations are Tiana's racial identity and her passing as a frog, as well as the film's attempt to pass as an African American princess narrative. In order to further argue this point; a process of detailing the film's racial contexts, address its reception by critics, as well as how Disney, in its extraordinary sensitivity to racial issues and its desire to fulfill so many competing agendas, has absurdly created an animated feature which generally neglects race.

        The movie over all was quite charming with the attempted undercurrent of New Orleans Jazz and “culture.” Nevertheless we do not get the epic adventure that we expect from most of our protagonists that we’ve been trained by Disney to believe in. Mulan saved Japan, Pocahontas stopped a war, Snow White saved dwarfs, Simba restored the Pride Lands…and Tiana got to turn into a frog for the entire movie and eventually open a restaurant? Most characters have a distinct goal that saves their “kingdom.” Tiana had a dream and a mean old man that wanted to crash on her parade and was feeding everyone really what her “Kingdom” needed? All of the “Classic” are rooted in some folk tale, or historical incident.

In brevity, the story comprises Tiana and her friend Charlotte la Bouff grow up together in New Orleans dreaming of fairy tales and happy endings. Though their lives intersect through the skilled service work that Tiana’s mother does for the la Bouff family, & the resulting friendship between the girls, they live two very different lives.When they reach young adulthood, Tiana wants to fulfill her dream of owning a restaurant that will not only showcase her cooking but also the music of New Orleans and “bring the community together from all walks of life.” Charlotte wants to be a Princess. And as their two dreams intersect, both girls find themselves coming face to face with a Prince. Tiana’s journey transforms her into a frog, where she and her frog prince endure the trials of both swamp and Vodoun to find what their true hearts desires are and how to be better people.

Tiana lives in a seemingly lower middle class neighborhood with her doting father and mother. Her father, a world war I veteran work multiple jobs in order to save for a restaurant and teaches Tiana how to cook. He dies before he is able to afford the restaurant, but not before he passes the dream on to his daughter. Both he and Tiana’s mother also teach her the value of hard work and kindness. Charlotte La Bouff on the other hand, is born rich and spoiled near rotten by her father, “Big Daddy”. She has an endless supply of princess dresses for dress up, made by Tiana’s mother, and gets everything she asks for: puppies, kitties, parties, etc.  As both a child and a young adult, Charlotte is a ridiculous caricature of former Disney Princesses, cherub cheeked, swathed in pink, vacuous and prince obsessed. While she is clearly a parody of the old princess myth that is Disney’s bread and butter, she is also a troubling racial character. In many ways it seems as though the writers of The Princess and the Frog are being less satirical with Charlotte’s dewy pink skin and bright blonde hair wrapped around a package of cluelessness, ignorance, and “some day my prince will come,” and are more likely unable to imagine how to lift up Tiana as the alternative, or a more authentic, Princess figure without making her white counterpart a joke. Moreover, about our heroine’s role as a southern belle’s maid. Yes, it’s cannon for fairy tale protagonists to begin their stories having low status, but a black heroine who is a domestic could be legitimately read not as a fairy tale trope but a reinforcement of real world racial denigration. Some may claim that it would be historically accurate for a 1920’s black woman to be a maid, but Disney doesn’t even care about historical accuracy when animating actual history (for example, Pocahontas.)

All princesses are of noble lineage or perform noble acts that are accentuated by unsatisfactory situations. Cinderella, Snow White, Pocahontas, Ariel and Princess Aurora were Born of Nobel lineage, Mulan is historically based on a Chinese Folk legend that include ambiguous lines of superior lineage…but Tiana did not get her back-story explained like past Princesses. And why does Tiana’s Prince have to lose all of his money?  It’s known that we are in a time where equality is respectable and desired, but do they, Tiana and the Prince, have to be “equally poor?” As stated these Disney Princesses are mostly of noble birth, except for Tiana and Belle. Belle’s only difference is that her character does not play into any common stereotypes of her era. Would Belle’s father actually be an inventor for his day job? Would Belle honestly be able to read; yet alone, spend her days reading?  And it seemed Disney tried to justify this new classic movie as, “It’s not where you come from and not what you have that makes someone respectable.” But why did Disney change? That seems like a lot to tackle in a children’s movie with all the other plot twists. To the dismay of Disney executives — along with the African-American bloggers and others who side with the company — the film is also attracting chatter of an ugly nature.

 Is “The Princess and the Frog,” set in New Orleans in the 1920s, about to vaporize stereotypes or promote them? African-American culture, faulted the prince’s relatively light skin color. Prince Naveen hails from the fictional land of Maldonia and is voiced by a Brazilian actor; Disney says that he is not white. In a subtle form it’s as though Disney believes that a black man is not worthy of the title of prince. Some might argue that portraying interracial marriage in film is good - but why then weren't any of the white princesses given non-white princes to save them from white villains? And since Disney doesn't give white princesses non-white princes, isn't this interracial relationship at the expense of black boys who deserve a hero just as much as black girls deserve a heroine, “Disney should be ashamed,” William Blackburn, a former columnist at The Charlotte Observer, told London’s Daily Telegraph. “This princess story is set in New Orleans, the setting of one of the most devastating tragedies to beset a black community.” And wait: We finally get a black princess and she spends the majority of her time on screen as a frog? “Because of Disney’s history of stereotyping,” said Michael D. Baran, a cognitive psychologist and anthropologist who teaches at Harvard and specializes in how children learn about race, “people are really excited to see how Disney will handle her language, her culture, her physical attributes. Young girls can dream of a Prince with “nice” things and being swept off their feet. Why stop that dream now? The problem that seems to be evident is that Disney neglects the values of African American history, and the closest story we have to mimicking the formula for the ideal princess and prince story is Lion King. Is it indeed too much to ask for the traditional Disney storyline comprising black characters?

In congruence with concerns, is the way voodoo religion is treated in the film. The prince is turned into a frog by a bad voodoo “magician,” the black villain, and when Tiana’s attempt to save him by kissing him turns her into a frog as well, the two of them must seek the aid of a benevolent voodoo priestess. Most of what people know about voodoo comes from inaccurate information both in fictional entities such as books and films and in ill-informed news stories. The foundation of voodoo is not charms but monotheistic faith, belief in saints and spirits, and a focus on moral values such as charity and respect for the elderly. People do perform rites for protection and defense, but suffice it to say that voodoo is not about being a magician or a fairy godmother. Yet the rites performed in voodoo, when not exaggerated past any impression of accuracy or entirely fictionalized, are typically considered superstitious magic by non-practitioners while rites in Christianity  such as the belief that you can lay hands on people and cast devils out of them or anoint people with oil and heal them are not.

            On the other hand, Disney often gets criticized no matter how carefully it strives to put together its television shows, theme-park attractions and movies. For years, some parents for not having a black princess have lambasted Disney. Now, some of those same voices are taking aim at the company without seeing the finished product. Peter Del Vecho, a producer of the film, said the idea for a black princess came about organically. The producers wanted to create a fairy tale set in the United States and centered on New Orleans, with its colorful past and deep musical history. Something to take note of is how the debate surrounding “The Princess and the Frog” illustrates how difficult it truly is to deal with race in animation, experts say. Cartoons by their nature trade in caricatures. Mainstream producers have largely avoided characters of color for fear of offending minority groups, although black producers have been creating cartoons featuring stereotyped characters since the days of “Fat Albert. It is important to remember that Disney’s aim is not to serve any community but rather its own bottom line. Creating The Princess and the Frog is not a handout to black people any more than all the films starring white princesses were special gifts to white people. We didn’t beg Disney for a movie with a black princess nor is there any onus on us to be content with the movie or any aspect of American society out of gratitude or to remain silent in the face of issues we see as needing improvement because someone decided to throw us a bone. Floyd Norman, an African-American and a former Disney animator, said in an interview. “Are we being racist ourselves by saying this movie shouldn’t have a white prince?” Perhaps the final word should come from somebody who is. “Overly sensitive people see racial or ethnic slights in every image,” wrote Floyd Norman, whose credits span from “Sleeping Beauty” to “Mulan,” in a 2007 essay on the Web site Jim Hill Media. “And in their zeal to sanitize and pasteurize everything, they’ve taken all the fun out of cartoon making.”

            Disney did make changes to their original format for “The Frog Princess” and that alone validates the concern about what effects racial stereotypes can have on viewers young and old alike. Media influence on cultural identities, misrepresentation of ethnicities, and the ridiculous assumption that issues on race and discrimination are non-existent today: all of these factors are prevalent in mainstream media. There is an oversaturation of mainstream imagery and ideology being broadcast on a global scale. This ignorance has been present in America for so long that major media outlets making decisions and spreading misconceptions have actually disillusioned themselves.

Works Cited

Barker, Jennifer. "Hollywood, Black Animation, And The Problem Of Representation In Little Ol' Bosko And The Princess And The Frog." Journal Of African American Studies 14.4 (2010): 482-498. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Gehlawat, Ajay. "The Strange Case Of The Princess And The Frog: Passing And The Elision Of Race." Journal Of African American Studies 14.4 (2010): 417-431. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Gregory, Sarita. "Disney's Second Line: New Orleans, Racial Masquerade, And The Reproduction Of Whiteness In The Princess And The Frog." Journal Of African American Studies 14.4 (2010): 432-449. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Lester, Neal A. "Disney's The Princess And The Frog: The Pride, The Pressure, And The Politics Of Being A First." Journal Of American Culture 33.4 (2010): 294-308. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Parasecoli, Fabio. "A Taste Of Louisiana: Mainstreaming Blackness Through Food In The Princess And The Frog." Journal Of African American Studies 14.4 (2010): 450-468. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Apr. 2013.

Power to the Writer

The Teaching of Writing: In High School

            The power of writing is not to be underestimated. Discovering the authority and pleasure of your written voice can become one of the most utilized assets in ones repertoire. There is a certain freedom that students should feel when they are writing, and as a future educator I feel that it’s my need to influence my students that their voices are worth being heard off paper and on it as well. Writing invokes a critical facet within the confines of the writer’s mind, which in turn can be inspiring and brilliant. Teaching students writing has its prescriptive and descriptive manner; and that prescriptive manner is the portion of writing that will grant you the moans and groans of your students. For most cases the two are separated into warring factions, when in an ideal world the two should be harmoniously established together. As the articles at hand display a treaty between the two pedagogies, they also stress that teachers must tap into the creativity of students and encourage them to think critically about topics with focused writing activities especially with the demands with that of secondary education. The voice writing gives students cannot be ignored and should thus be encouraged.

            The first article interacted written by Karl Hagan poses the two interests with both the descriptive and descriptive forms of language at utilizing them in writing. Hagan points out that there is a place for both description and prescription in language study. For example, when adults learn a foreign language, they typically want someone to tell them how to speak, in other words to prescribe a particular set of rules to follow, and expect a teacher or book to set forth those rules (Hagan, 4). But how do teachers know what rules to prescribe? At some point in time, someone had to describe the language and infer those rules. Hagan argues within the article “Prescriptive vs. Descriptive” that at some point in time someone had to describe the language and infer those rules. So prescription in other words can only occur after the language has been described. In the real world, prescriptivists accuse descriptivists of being anarchists who want to do away with all rules of language. While descriptivists accuse prescriptivists of uninformed biases (Hagan, 5).  With each side attempting to validate their positions, Grammar textbooks used in K-12 education often neglect the findings of linguistics and instead copy outdated, factually incorrect material from older textbooks. The hostility between prescriptivism and descriptivism originates in a difference in focus: scientific study versus teaching. But that difference hardly explains why the two groups are so hostile (Hagan, 7). This quarrel does not occur in other disciplines. One reason may be the emotional investment we all have in language: Perhaps, even more so in our writing. Since it is the physical evidence of our language. Hence, the reason people are so much more offended about written critiques over what is vocalized. The power of writing is not to be underestimated. Hagan has raised valid intricacies within language that can easily be applied to writing. Which involves deep questions of who we are and how we envision our relationship with society at large. For that reason, pronouncements about language can provoke strong reactions (Hagan, 9). When someone tells us that the way we use or understand language is inadequate, it's only natural to bristle. A challenge to our language can be synonymous to a challenge to our inner selves. So when disagreements arise over how we use language and writing, the emotional stakes are higher.

            In the article “The Power of Voice” Susan Lee Anderson drives the sentiment that voice is the key to helping our students develop into writers. We must give them opportunities to hear their own written voices and the written voices of their peers, their teachers, and the best authors. Students who write with confidence will be more open to strategies that allow them to express their written voice. Students must be comfortable taking risks with language, genre, and topic choice because they know that everyone else in the class is ready to be amazed at their linguistic creativity, and any kind of writing. Not just imaginative writing, but writing that involves linguistic creativity, and the exercise of verbal intelligence (Anderson, 151).

                  What strategies can teachers use to help students write boldly? Utilizing quick writes to teach students to launch their voices and outrun the inner censor. Using literature persuades students develop the habit of producing language on the page without much forethought or stress. Free writing and quick writing help students develop the habit of writing without hesitation. Once students allow themselves to enter a flow of language, they begin thinking in a concentrated way that only systematic use of language makes possible (Anderson, 151). According to Anderson irresistible voices all deliver interesting information. They often employ techniques of narrative, exhibit perceptivity, and offer surprising information and observations. Quite often, they demonstrate a sense of humor. As readers, we crave information. We read to find out how a character changes, how a plot turns out, how historical events have shaped our present, how people live in other parts of the world. Show students how to gather information about their writing topics (Anderson, 151). Make sure that you and your students read novels and stories not just as readers but also as writers (Anderson, 151). It seems that every technique of strong narrative writing illustrated in literature encloses interesting characterizations, vivid scenes, realistic dialogue, and precise descriptions. Spend time with your students talking about how writers write. Anderson iterates students should talk about the surprises they experience on the playground, in the busy hallways between classes, and in their study of science and history and math. Point out how writers spring surprises on readers. Encourage students to craft their writing so that readers encounter surprises, just as the writer did. As educators the student must understand that a sense of humor can be one of the most effective strategies to lie on the table. Discuss with students the jokes; puns, and kidding that are a natural part of our interactions with others. Some students might choose to start experimenting with humor in their written voices (Anderson, 151).

                  Times have changed, and the role of teachers in the classroom has too. No longer can teachers be effective without incorporating technology into their lessons. For some, the thought of using computers, WebQuests, or Promethean Boards is a daunting proposition. There’s irony in many of today's curricular standards and teaching practices, which shy away from those technologies and literacies, opting for a push toward more traditional approaches at a time when our digitally native students are immersed in and engaging with "multiple sign systems (image, print, sound, gesture, digital) and finding their own reasons for becoming literate" (Wolsey, 236). If you are looking for a way to introduce your students to multimedia projects, try using Power Point. It is a very easy program to teach and learn. Students can practice copying and pasting pictures and text from the Internet, and experiment with colors and text effects. Once they have completed their project, students can present their finished work by showing their work slide-by-slide or having the PowerPoint presentation run like a movie. I have used Power Points to have students complete debates, book reports and multi-step projects. Before students begin work on these projects, I create a rubric that requires a specific number of slides, pictures, music etc . . . so that students know what I am expecting. I also evaluate how well the student used the available special effects. 

                  There is a new program called "Lit Trips" that is great for practically any content area. Fellow teachers create the specific topic. Each trip contains numerous activities, discussion questions, pictures and even music.  My “trip” was with "The Kite Runner."  Using Google Earth, the trip mapped out the entire book chapter-by-chapter.  Within the trip, students were able to listen to music, take 3-D tours of historical buildings, and see up to date pictures of the cities.  The “Lit Trip” is a fun and interactive way for students to learn about the text and go beyond classroom discussion. Depending on the age of your students, you may be able to let them explore the trip on their own. Otherwise, you could create a specific list of questions they have to answer, or places they have to visit. Another easy way to prepare your students for using technology is to start a blog. Blogs are an interactive way for students to communicate their ideas. The blog can be used for regular classroom assignments. After students have read a piece of literature or completed an assignment, they can comment on the classroom blog. This was a particular success with students who were afraid to share ideas in class. Using the blog, these students could communicate in a more comfortable environment. Once a week we would review the comments and questions in class. An additional benefit to using the blog format is that the same one can be used for several classes so that students can share ideas with students who aren't in their class.

                  In conclusion becoming a good writer doesn’t happen overnight, but if you take the time to build a foundation, your students will become proficient in the essential writing skills they will need to succeed in college and beyond. Once we get students producing written words with confidence, we can show them the effectiveness of writing with detail and sensory images, varying sentence length, and using active verbs. We must remember that language is "living".  That means it keeps changing because of the way it is spoken.  Rules are set down, but then speakers of a language use their own phrases, they invent new phrases etc.  No one can stop these changes from happening nor should they.  Thusly, the teaching of writing must be utilized for the well being of the students.  

                   

Works Cited

Anderson, Susan Lee. "The Power of Voice." ProQuest LLC (2009). ERIC. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.

Hagan , Karl . "Navigating English Grammar." Navigating English Grammar. (2008): 4-11. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://www.polysyllabic.com. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.

Roybal, Richard A. "Creating Critical Thinking Writers In Middle School: A Look At The Jane Schaffer Model." Online Submission (2012): ERIC. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Wolsey, Thomas DeVere, and Dana L. Grisham. Transforming Writing Instruction In The Digital Age: Techniques For Grades 5-12. Teaching Practices That Work Series. n.p.: Guilford Publications, 2012. ERIC. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

She

She may look like she has thick skin

But beneath it all she's made of glass

An icy stare with the warmest heart

A vault of secrets searching for someone with the key

She seems so strong, but she goes to sleep crying

She seems like nothing is wrong, but maybe she's lying.

Cognomen

And in our own way we long for
a nickname, a monicker, a label.

And through life we get them
of origins from what we wish to forget
and others we wish to relive.

The inevitable truth is
Good or bad;
Slowly these titles
Are what we become.

You are what you allow people to call you.