Trash Talk Tuesday: Review of The House of the Scorpion

"Very dark indeed is his majesty when he wants to be. 

When he was young he made a choice, 

like a tree does when it decides to grow one way or the other. 

He grew large and green until he shadowed over the whole forest, 

but most of his branches are twisted."

-Nancy Farmer, The House of the Scorpion

There are some children's books that I read and my brain screams "How is this for children!?" Some people argue that children aren't capable of grasping the concept they are reading. I don't agree with that. I believe that children understand the horrors and sadness they are reading/watching/hearing but they don't have the words yet to explain their grief. I thought about this a lot throughout the course of reading Nancy Farmer's The House of the Scorpion.

I wish I had read this book as a child. It is a shocking and intense introduction to science fiction. I wanted to cry so many times throughout reading it. 

My only "trash talk" about this book is that I wouldn't call it feminist. The women were mostly bad mothers because they cared about political issues or evil or cute little girls who want to save kittens. Only Celia was a feminist character but even that could be argued. 

This was a great coming of age novel that dealt with too much for one child. Which is why I wanted to cry so often. I suggest this book for people who love science fiction and children's stories. You should also read it if you want to read a story about a character of color. 

The House of the Scorpion is about science, corruption, power, and what it means to be human. Strangely, it is both a celebration of the will to live and the acceptance of death. My overall score would be a 3.5.

Manic Monday: The Good Wife Season 4 Finale

 Spoiler Alert: Continue reading at your own risk.

Words to describe how I feel about the season finale of The Good Wife: oh. my. god. Alicia.

Alicia always surprises me. I knew she couldn't stay at the firm forever, but I didn't think the season would end with it. The writers led me to believe it was Will she invited over to her apartment, not Cary! 

Jackie surprised me in this episode as well. In general, I find her to be a bitter old woman who lives by making decisions for the people around her. But in this episode, she finally made a decision that though was controlling of her son, was also controlling of her own life. A life she really had seemed to lost control of. 

The least surprising person in this episode? Peter. Of course. Way to be an asshole, Peter. He left the fate of his election in the hands of the man who loves his wife. He knew that Will wouldn't hurt Alicia that way. As much as Will wants Alicia, he wouldn't hurt her by showing her the lengths Peter was willing to go to to win. Peter took advantage of that. Let's see what Kalinda does with this knowledge. 

Overall, amazing season finale. It spoke very much to the changes that underwent during the course of this season and is the beginning of a glorious new season.

Feminist Friday: Naked Women in Video Games

"What's an appropriate way to ask about all the boobs?"

- Emily McGreevy

I'm not what one would call a "gamer" but I enjoy video games, and I love them as a new medium for story telling. What I don't love is the need for women to constantly be naked and large-breasted in the games.

Over the weekend I went to an art school in LA to meet the concept artists for the game God of War: Ascension. My boyfriend loves the God of War games, and in preparation for GOW:A which came out in March I sat through (sometimes slept through) his replaying of all the games. All the women are naked. Nipples out and everything. There is one sex scene in every game where the sex you have gives you experience or health points. That's ridiculous as much as it's hilarious. In the gallery of the art show there was one painting showing the progression of a character, and in each she just gets more and more naked. Its like the art director was like "Maybe show a little more boob in the next version." 

I asked one of the character artists about the use of boob, and his response was along the lines of:  "We just draw the character and leave that space open." I think the games are awesome, but something about the need to show nipple bothers me. 

Soon after my boyfriend posted this article The Real Problem With That Controversial Sexy Video Game Sorceress to one of our best friends, with whom we talk about this subject often. It got me thinking about the subject even more. This woman's breasts look like they each have their own heart beat as she moves! 

What do you think? Am I a crazy straw feminist for being bothered or should the video game industry evaluate its boob usage?

Throwback Thursday: Poetry Time

After my sad day post about my lack of confidence, I remembered that I once did have the confidence to post a poem I wrote. So here's a throwback to my old blog: Tangled in my Mind and my post on February 3rd, 2012:

Outside

In one moment our friendship was lost

Like the dog on the sign taped to that streetlight

My boyfriend is drunkenly petting a stray cat on the lawn

Your boyfriend is next to me saying you didn’t mean it

You snarled and snapped and stomped back into the house

the house where everyone else drinks and laughs

The house where I should be instead on this concrete curb,

My hands cupping my face
and your boyfriend, not mine

Attempting to bring me inside

Your boyfriend laughs when I tell him there’s nothing left to fix

Writing Wednesday: Why I'll Never Get Published

"You think you’re all strong and silent, bro, 

but you’re a book with its spine cracked open

 and its pages falling free."

- Martin Amis, House of Meetings

For a few job interviews I've had recently, I've been asked about my long term goals and I've been telling them that I want to be published. And that is so sadly true, that my goal is to publish at least one book. Why is my goal not larger? Because I have come to realization that if I'm so afraid of even letting my friends and family read my work than how am I going to let an editor or publisher read it? 

I really need to get better about my confidence in my writing. But its hard when I know people who write so terribly and post their so-called poetry all the time. They post it on Tumblr with typos. How can I compete when my competitors are confident enough to post poetry on the internet that has TYPOS? 

So maybe I will never have the confidence in my writing to become a published author, but at least I won't post poetry with a misspelled title?

To anyone who reads this blog, how do you find the confidence to do the things you love?

Trash Talk Tuesday: Watchmen and Philosophy

"All we ever see of stars are their old photographs."

- Dr. Manhattan, Watchmen

 

Over the summer between my sophomore year and junior year of college I took a Graphic Novel class (perks of being a Creative Writing major), and one of the comics we read was Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen and it blew my mind. I then watched the movie, and was intrigued but as usual disappointed by changes made in the adaption from book to movie. 

I also discussed the comic with several people, including my class. I was struck to find that not everyone loved Dr. Manhattan. He is my favorite character, and probably my favorite superhero. Quickly, I was taught about the theory that of the characters in Watchmen whichever one you side with, or call your favorite states a lot about your personality and outlook on life. I was told to read Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test edited by Mark D. White. I finally read it, and while reading it I also re-read the comic and then upon completion re-watched the movie. 

Review of Watchmen and Philosophy: A Rorschach Test edited by Mark D. White:

Genius and thought provoking. I drunkenly talked about the philosophy of being stoic for hours (apparently). At first I felt as though the articles were hating on Dr.Manhattan but that changed. I wish women in relation to the comic were discussed more, there is a lot to say about both Silk Spectre's. But the philosophy was easy to understand and it gave my brain an exhausting but exciting run. I loved it. I love Alan Moore as well, and I hope to read more of his work. In response to one of the articles I have this to say: Watchmen IS literature. How is that a question?

Best articles:

J. Keeping, Superheroes and Supermen: Finding Nietzche's Ubermensch in Watchmen

Christopher M. Drohan, A Timely Encounter: Dr. Manhattan and Henri Bergson

Andrew Terjesen, I'm Just a Puppet Who Can See the Strings: Dr. Manhattan as a Stoic Sage

 Sarah Donovan and Nick Richardson, Watchwomen

For the movie, I have this to say:

Zack Snyder or whoever had the decision making power to do so, ruined the ending. I did not like or approve of the change. BUT: The music of the film was genius. If the comic could have music in it, then it would be pure perfection. The scene of Bob Dylan's Times They Are a-Changin' was an inventive way of showing the influence the Minutemen had on history, and the way we see the world today. And Adrian Vedit saying "War is obsolete" with the Twin Towers in the background was intense for anyone who was in America on 9/11.  

 I would give this book a 4.5, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' a 5, and the movie I would give a 3.5. 

Now what should I read next?

Mad Monday: Finally Caught up on Mad Men

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love Sally Draper. In many ways, Sally is the most likeable character on the show. This point was proven to me by catching up on the beginning of this current season. And after doing so, I have several questions for the writers.

1. What are you doing to Joan? She is better than this.
2. Does Don only marry women that are annoying enough to give him an excuse to cheat on them?
3. Why is Ted such a creep and why doesn't Peggy get creeped out by him?
4. Is there a reason Linda Cardellini needs to look like Betty Boop?
5. How is it possible that Pete's wife is only being a badass now?
6. Why is Harry Crane being such a dick?
7. Can Sally be on the show more often?

Putting my judgements of the show in question form makes me like less of a sneetch. Judgements aside, I'm quite curious and excited about the direction the show is taking.