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.

Kathy (Kaiyi Qian)

Dr. J. Marquardt

ENG 1430 W10

March 30, 2015

Retort

I’m of two minds about your clam that The Shawshank Redemption is not a kind of Cinderella story because there’s no identify item nor prince in the film. It’s true that there is no identify item and Prince in The Shawshank Redemption. But since Cinderella finish her transformation passively, she need a identify objects and Prince so that she can be the princess. However, the hero Andy in the film Shawshank finished his transformation by himself positively. Therefore the identify objects and Prince is not needed. If there must be a identify objects, the identify objects is the hammer he used to escape from prison because he finish his transformation through this object, which is similar with the function of the glass slipper in Cinderella story. They both help protagonist complete the transition to some degree. What’s more, the other elements in the film Shawshank conform to the elements of the type of Cinderella story. Therefore, the film, The Shawshank Redemption, is not a kind of Cinderella story.

Project 2.2 Peer Review Worksheet

Editor’s Name: Kathy (Kaiyi Qian)

Writer’s Name: Carol (Wenbo Pan)

1)      Provide a brief paragraph-by-paragraph outline of your partner’s draft

Para 1: three elements in Cinderella’s story, villain, helper and transition. Summary the film Desert Flower

Para 2: Analyze element 1, villain in both story and film

Para 3: Analyze element 2, helper in both story and film

Para 4: Analyze element 3, transition in both story and film

Para 5: Conclusion

2)      Any suggestions for improving this outline/organization?

In para 1, after summary the film Desert Flower, a brief element analyze of the film would be better.

3)      Identify any qualifying statements in the draft using a yellow highlighter. (How many did you find?) 

2

4)      Identify any rhetorical questions in the draft using a green highlighter. How many did you find? 

0

5)      Identify any inconsistencies in verb tense using a blue highlighter. How many did you find? 

10

6)      Identify areas that lack specificity using a pink highlighter. List what you found here.

   4

7)  Identify any problems in ordering information using an orange highlighter. Explain why the ordering is confusing. 

   0

8)  What is the most interesting part of the essay?

  Analyze the transition has psychological impact in the film, Desert Flower.

9)  What is the least interesting part of the essay?

   Analyses of the three elements in Cinderella story.

10) Provide a refutation for/argument against the essay. In what way(s) is this film NOT fit the definition of a Cinderella story?

There’s no identify object in the film.

https://docs.google.com/a/kean.edu/document/d/1B5MTCAtBtIaz0HsQgSnK0dSwNyCnaAhNwxRgNz9_QhM/edit?usp=sharing

Group 4

Dr. Marquardt

ENG1430

March 5, 2015

Summary of “Rhodopis”

Rhodopis is a story about a female Greek slave, this story told readers how slave Rhodopis became Egyptian Pharaoh’s wife. Rhodopis is actually a name of a young beautiful Greek courtesan, and she got married with an Egyptian Pharaoh. After her story was first recorded by the Greek historian Strabo in the 1st century BC, this story was widely spread around the word. And it is considered the earliest known variant of the "Cinderella" story.

Long ago in the land of Egypt, land of the green Nile, there lived a slave girl named Rhodopis. Rhodopis was born in Greece, who was sold to an Egyptian in a young age. One thing that makes her different from other slavery is that she is extremely beautiful. She has long golden curly hair and brown deep eyes. Other female slaves don’t want to be her friends and made her do all their work. Rhodopis only can make friends with animals.

One evening Rhodopis had more energy than usual when the day was done. Her master had fallen asleep under a tree near the river. She went down to the river near her animals, danced and sang so lightly. Then her master woke from his sleep and listened to her singing. He admired her dancing and felt that one so talented should not be without shoes. He ordered her a special pair of red slippers. After that, other servant girls teased Rhodopis even more because they were jealous of her beautiful red slippers.

A little while after this, the Pharaoh held a big party in Memphis and all in the kingdom were invited. Rhodopis wanted to dance in the party as well, but any other female slaves went to the party that night, so she had to stay at home and did extra work. That night Rhodopis was so sad that she began to sing out aloud to express her sadness. Her voice attracted a hippo so that hippo wanted to get closer to her, but the splashing of the water wet Rhodopis’s slippers. She took them off and put slippers under the sun to dry. At that time, a falcon flew down and snatched one of the slippers. However, Rhodopis was in awe because she knew it was the God Horus who had taken her shoes. And the left slipper was thrown in the Pharaoh’s chariot. Pharaoh thought that was God Horus’s sign. So he kept the slipper. In order to find the owner of this slipper, Pharaoh asked all women in the kingdom to try to put on this slipper, the one who fit the slipper best is the women who he looked for.

Finally, people find out that no other women can fit in this slipper expect Rhodopis. Then the pharaoh married Rhodopis.

This story was written in the 1st century BC, so there are some terms that readers may not totally understand. Such as “pharaoh”, pharaoh is a title of an ancient Egyptian king. “Courtesan” is a prostitute, especially one associating with noblemen or men of wealth. And her name “Rhodopis” means one’s face like a rose, and other strange thing is that the slipper that master gave her is also red, there may exist some connections.

Works Cited

"Egyptian Cinderella -- Rhodopis." ArticleSnatch Article Directory. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.