Kathy (Kaiyi Qian)
Dr. J. Marquardt
ENG 1430 W10
May 7th , 2015
Word Count: 307

            Response to Shrek: Parody or Form of Retaliation?
       The essay “Shrek: Parody or Form of Retaliation?” raise a thought clearly, which is DreamWorks’s Shrek is not only an animated parody but also a form of retaliation. Then the whole essay is giving examples to support this argument. It tells us the experience of Jeffrey Katzenberg, the producer of Shrek and the founder of DreamWorks. He was once employed by Michael Eisner, the chairman of Disney, but was treated unfairly. That’s why he left Disney and set up DreamWorks, causing a tension between DreamWorks and Disney. What’s more, some characters in Shrek and the theme of Shrek are also examples to support the argument. The essay “Shrek: Parody or Form of Retaliation?” clearly points out the theme of Shrek is “height has nothing to do with true success”. No matter who you are, princess or monster, never ignore or look down the power inside yourself. Finally you can find the true love and true success.
        From my perspective, I am quite appreciate what Katzenberg did. He chose a smart and creative way instead of slamming Disney directly, which is satire. He used an entertaining fairy tale to convey his dissatisfaction and ridicule to Disney, to achieve justice. Further more, this kind of behavior appeal increasing number of people to watch Shrek, raising the profile. After that, DreamWorks was thriving inthe lead of Katzenberg while Eisner has to struggle to support Disney. As things appearing in Shrek and through Katzenberg’s experience, never look down the strengths inside of us, never afraid of strong power you confront. Use a smart way to fight against it and finally you will success.

Reference:
“Shrek: Parody or Form of Retaliation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://ux.brookdalecc.edu/fac/writing/rdery/shrek.htm

Kathy (Kaiyi Qian)

Dr. J. Marquardt

ENG 1430 W10

April 26th , 2015

Quote

Thesis: Technology improves education.

Quote: Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant.----Mitchell Kapor

  According to Kapor, the founder of Lotus Development Corporation and the first chair of the Mozilla Foundation:“Getting information off the Internet is like taking a drink from a fire hydrant.” Kapor use a metaphor that information gotten from Internet is just like water flowing endlessly. On the one hand, getting information is much easier because of technology, which is helpful for the education . On the other hand, too much information would make learners confused. Therefore it can't provide full support for the thesis that technology improves education. Only using technology efficiently can improve education.

Kathy (Kaiyi Qian)

Dr. J. Marquardt

ENG 1430 W10

April 16th , 2015

Word count: 361

Self-Complete and Adulthood

-Response to Insights from a Cinderella Story

Cinderella story is actually a story about growth. It teaches us something about coping. Though we suffer losses or face bereavement painfully, we are still faithful to our dreams, never forget the inner elegance and noble qualities until dreams come true. This is the long process called adulthood. 

This is what Jonathan Young, the author of Insights from a Cinderella Story, raised in his essay, which most people haven’t heard or thought about before.  

Each character in Cinderella story is an aspect of ourselves. Our true parents is a symbol of our inner safety sense and self-acceptance. Lost of them and shift to the stepmother symbolizes that we fall into our fears and self-rejection. What’s more, we may in vain emotion and behave crass and rude, finally find ourselves self-defeating. This is what Cinderella’s stepsister represent. However luckily, we will met mentor who guide us and give us help. Most important thing is that we never lost the elegant dress which make us return to true nobility. It is our inner elegance. Through allies, mentors, and self-reliance, we finally grow up and our dream blo ssom.

I agree with the idea Jonathan Young expressed in Insights from a Cinderella Story. What’s more, I rather appreciate one thought which is raised at the end of his essay. According to Jonathan Young, “In the Cinderella story, she gets a husband, but it is not that the prince rescues her” It means that Cinderella is not waiting for help but firstly she finishes her self-redemption. What’s more, Jonathan Young says “Symbolically, the Prince is her missing half.” The Prince is not someone up high would and save Cinderella from sufferings. The Prince is anther ourselves in opposite gender. So be strong when facing pains, growing up and find our missing half. Ultimately, we finish self-complete.

Reference:

Young, J. (n.d.). Insights from a Cinderella Story Ever After - A Cinderella Story [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.diigo.com/cached?url=http://www.folkstory.com/articles/cinderella.html

Kathy (Kaiyi Qian)
Dr. J. Marquardt
ENG 1430 W10
April 13th , 2015
Word count: 224

Response to Why the Marriage Plot Need Never Get Old

        This essay is actually a rebuttal of the argument of Jeffrey Eugenides’ novel “The Marriage Plot”. Jeffrey Eugenides complained that “Sexual equality, good for women, had been bad for the novel”. He thought that the liberation of women and liberalization of divorce law really undone the novel completely so that marriage plot need will get old.
        The author Waldman rebut the argument of marriage plot need get old in several aspects. First, he pointed out the fact that Eugenides wrote “The Marriage Plot” exactly indicate that such novels never go old because this novel was about contemporary relationships. Then, Waldman argued that “much of novels strength derives from the internal and the timeless;from conflicts rooted in the perversity of human nature and the persistent difficulties of social life”. Though sexual equality or feminisim set female from the social constraints, psychological and internal contradictions are till exist. That's why the marriage plot need never get old. Even if at novel's end this happily-ever- after marriages seemed get old and seldom people believe it, the marriage plot need never get old. They are just reflected in another way.

Kathy (Kaiyi Qian)

Dr. J. Marquardt

ENG 1430 W10

April 9th , 2015

Word count：323

Response to RuPaul, Big Freedia, and the Mainstreaming of Gender Performance

The story talks about something about America's most trusted name in drag queens, RuPaul and her reality show, RuPaul's Drag Race. Drag queen is a person, traditionally male, who make up and dress himself and in act as female. RuPaul is such a person who live as a man and perform as a women. What’s more, Rupaul has her own reality show, RuPaul's Drag Race. As the story says, “the show's rules don't specify that a contestant must identify as male”, and through show and music, she wanted “to bring the spectrum of male-to-female performance and femininity into mainstream popular culture”. The story also talk about Freedia, an incredibly talented singer and rapper who gained a lot attention because her song "Peanut Butter." Through Freedia’s songs, we can find she is a special singer who is totally different  from a gentle, and delicate tranditional female role.

It is an indisputable fact that the phenomenon of cultural pluralism has existed in the world. People start to view things like Drag Race with generous attitude. Some of them are brought into mainstream popular culture. But as the author said in the end of story, the environment doesn’t really expand much for gender-variant performance, which means society still reinforce gender roles. Therefore, on the one hand, we should stick to create our own identity and focus on what we want rather than limit in the role construct by society. On the other hand, social inclusion is rather essential. When we see people who are creating his own identity, we should not laugh at them or we are the stumbling blocks to their finding own identity roads and force them stay in the role constructed by society.

Kathy (Kaiyi Qian)

Dr. J. Marquardt

ENG 1430 W10

April 2, 2015

Word count:280

Response to Cinderella and Feminism

Cinderella and Feminism written by Kheyfet was different from the normal perspective Cinderella story has viewed, which is the good are well rewarded. As the name of article means, Cinderella and Feminism is a article about the feminism.

As most people thought, Cinderella got good rewarded because she was beautiful and own all kinds of virtues like kind, hardworking and so on. What’s more, as Kheyfet said in her blog, Cinderella’s stepmother who is dominant in Cinderella’s family “represents the subversive feminine symbols”. She is evil. This impressed in most little girls’ mind before they start their education. Therefore little girls will construct the gender of female in theirs unconscious, then they act like Cinderella in their day-to-day lives, submissiveness and subordinate. This is unfair since little girls was educated every early to build gender of female in such American male literature. In this kind of education, girls were used to be submissive male, and didn’t build up awareness to fight for their own rights.

This is the reason that why Cinderella story had been translate into all kind s of languages, hand down to generations and so popular in so many cultures. The Cinderella story was used as a education tool to construct and reinforce the gender of female, limit women’ rights through a beautiful girl. Thus, we should be aware of the latent meaning, feminism, in the Cinderella story then fight for equal status and rights for women instead willing to be subordinate in the society. 

Kathy (Kaiyi Qian)

Dr. J. Marquardt

ENG 1430 W10

April 3, 2015

Word Count: 302

Response to Why Women Smile

The article, Why Women Smile, talks about reasons why women always smile and the history of what smiles mean developing. The author, Amy Cunningham, actually wanted to appeal for the human rights and feminism.

At the first paragraph, the author pointed out that she wanted lower the wattage of smiling so brilliantly, or even quit smiling. As Cunningham said in her article, “the Smiling Woman has become a peculiarly American archetype”. Smiling is constructed and reinforced by society and world though women sometimes actually didn’t want. Smiles are not so innocuous and innocent as they seem to be. What are women really on our minds and real emotions are hiding in smiles. This means women’s rights were limited and they couldn’t act what she really wanted, even in nowadays. That’s why feminism is needed.

Not long ago, Emma Watson delivered a speech in UN, talking about feminism. She gave the definition of it, “For the record, feminism by definition is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes.” Women should protect their own rights in emotion. Women should express their feelings, thoughts even if these true emotions seem too strong, or aggressive. This behavior is better than hiding true emotions under smiles and pretend friendly and gentle. Smile is not a tool to cater to society.

At the end of Cunningham’s article, she wrote: Rainer Maria Rilke wrote in The Journal of My Other Self, "Her smile was not meant to be seen by anyone and served its whole purpose in being smiled." If this can be completed, women started to be equal with men.