The new "Princesses"

Does “ New woman” mean “New princess”?

“The water is always changing, always flowing. But people, I guess can't live like that” by pocahontas. 

Can't we really? In today's world, little girls are provided with such a different disney message than the one we grew up with. After an infinite amount of critiques on Disney's portrayal and message of their so called “princesses”, it finally appears to be changing throughout these past years. Which proves that people do change and so does everything around us. With the help of the media, the new generation has perhaps created different expectations of what the future will be like. This hypothesis is supported by the newly released Disney movies such as “Frozen” that gives a greatly modified representation of women compared to old ones such as “Cinderella”, “Snow White”, “The Little Mermaid” and many others.

It can be said that there are six classic Disney princesses. Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, Belle and Jasmine are the heroines of animated films considered favorite for girls everywhere. On the other hand we also have Elsa, one of the most modern Disney princess. But we cannot deny that what these characters bring to the screen is magical for children. While, for adults, Disney´s message is just sexism and an inaccurate representation of gender so far. First example is Snow White which was the first Disney animated film ever released. Like heroin for the first time on the scene, she sends the strongest message about gender roles. After being expelled from her kingdom by her wicked stepmother who is jealous of her beauty, she bumps into a dirty house, with seven dwarfs who live in it. Without being asked, she feels the need to clean the entire house from top to bottom, starts cooking and begins to assume the role of mother of the dwarves. Later she meets a handsome man that rescues her and they finally gets married. In 1937, when the movie was released , this domestic image of women was common and accepted. But now, 80 years later, the girls are watching Snow White and refusing to accept her submissive character and many criticize it.

Another great example that perfectly depicts the usual gender roles that are now considered unacceptable or sexist is Cinderella. Again, the “Princess” is reduced to cook and clean for others. She is another representation of the common stereotype of love at first sight. Love at first sight is a a very rare phenomenon, but here Disney is saying that in order for a girl to find your soulmate she only has to put on a party dress and dance. Children learn by example , and Cinderella teaches that it is easy to find love, and that a perfect man is handsome, rich and charming, which is far from the truth.

And then we have Sleeping Beauty, Aurora's story is one that shows the sweetness of women. While Aurora´s love story is love at first sight, the real message is waiting for a prince. In order to leave your dream state, you should receive the kiss of true love. For her it is Prince Philip, whom she has seen only once, he saves her from the curse. Little girls watching "Sleeping Beauty " learn that to fix the problems of their life, they have to wait for their prince to solve it for them.

But then again as I mentioned before “the water is always changing” and so did Disney, along with the new ideals. A prove of this is the recently released movie “Frozen” where the protagonists are not a couple in love as usual, but a pair of sisters. Disney princesses have changed and are no longer waiting for the "true love" kiss, to solve all their problems. "Frozen" presents two sisters, Ana, an upbeat, unceremonious and somewhat confused princess, and her older sister Elsa, the Snow Queen who both represent much more realistic young women than Belle or Aurora. Elsa cannot control her powers, and the day of her coronation, after having an argument with Anna because she wants like all other princesses to marry her Prince after only a day of knowing him. Elsa, like any grown up woman, gets mad at Ana´s crazy decisions and loses control, condemning the kingdom to eternal winter. Later Elsa condemns Anna to a slow and icy death, after hitting her by accident, and the only way to save her is an act of true love. At the end of the movie, Hans turns out to be a cold hearted person and not the typical well rounded Prince, representing a real world where not everybody is sincere. For the first time in history, the act of true love that saves Anna is from her towards her sister Elsa, when she saves her from death. These sisters go against all stereotypes about princesses and teach young girls that they don't need a male figure to be safe and that there is nothing stopping them from saving themselves and the ones they love

Since 1937, Disney has been portraying women as princesses: beautiful, helpless and that have to be saved from a tragedy or spell by a brave and handsome prince. Whereas since 2013 Disney has been releasing movies that depict women in a very different way. Not only “Frozen” but also “Maleficent”, “Tangled”, “ The Princess and the Frog” and many others portray a courageous and independent woman. These movies have a whole new message for little girls, it teaches them that stand up for themselves and not relying on a man. That true love can be the love we have for a brother or sister and that does not make it less or more important. It's just different.

Written task 1

Ricardo Arjona and his controversial lyrics

One of the most renowned men in Latin America is the Guatemalan singer Ricardo Arjona. He came into this world on January 19, 1964 in the town of Antigua in Guatemala. When he was three years old his family moved to the capital, where he spent his childhood and started his education. Years later he moved to Mexico where he was determinate to pursue his singing career. Nowadays it is estimated that he has sold over 20 million albums, which include all sorts of musical taste, from Latin pop to Cuban music and more recently a mix of Texan and “Norteña” music. One of his most admirable characteristics is his lyrical style. He frequently addresses social issues such as racism, immigration in “Si elnorte fuera el sur” and political corruption apart from the very common theme of love like other musicians.

One of the most controversial songs that he ever released was “El noticiero” in english “The news”. This last song talks about social issues and corruption in general but focuses more on the Mexican society. Arjona accurately put into words the most important and common issues representing the Mexican masses. Through his poetic lyrics he criticizes the government, media and also the Catholic Church. This brilliant parody of a Newscast is what a sincere Newscast would sound like. In the first stanza he says, “after the brake we come back with the most complete version of all that we endure” doing so he mocks the television industry in Mexico. Since the government controls the major television company in Mexico they always say what is convenient for them leaving the real problems of the country behind. Continuing he lists all the fake headlines including:

1. “O.J. was freed, Michael gave ten million for apology” referring to political dishonesty.
2. "They bapulearon (hit) another undocumented, it was self defense, said the jury” criticizing the unequal rights of Latinos in the U.S.A.
3. "The ex-president runaway with what he took from all his people” again a critique towards corruption and its effects.

Later in the song he makes a comparison between a mythical demonic creature and politicians saying, “The chupacabra is a typical case, the product of the mixture of two politicians”. Another interesting fact to look at about the “chupacabra” is that it sucks the blood out of people until they die which can be taken as a metaphor. In this case the politicians are the ones sucking all the country’s resources for their own survival not caring about how it will affect their own nation.

Apart from the lyrical meaning of this text it is also remarkable how Ricardo Arjona incorporates the people’s voices by using a very specific language. Throughout the song we see a very simple language, use of abbreviations, very typical low class expression and low register are found. An example of a very Mexican expression used in this text is “lo que se le pega la gana” which in english can be translated to “whatever he pleases”. This allows us to have a better idea from what perspective it was written and to whom this was destined. Another musician that really embodies his culture through his lyrics is Bob Marley especially in his song “Them belly full”. Good examples of dialect used in this song are “a pot of yuk” in english a pot to cook and “yood no nough” meaning food is not in off. Another common factor that indentifies these songs as more towards the lower class or working class are the abbreviations used such “pa’…” in Ricardo's song and “d’…” used by Bob Marley.

Finally in the Chorus Ricardo Arjona mentions a total unrelated topic but still addresses a global issue. Indirectly he accuses the Catholic Church more specifically the Vatican of poverty when he signs “ The Vatican prefers kids with hunger than preservatives”. In my opinion it is ironic when you stop to think about it. The Catholic Church has all this money but still has never done anything to really improve the situation of these children. Child abuse along with child labor are very serious issues that the world has been dealing with since the beginning of history. In the present day a large number of activist and charity companies have attempt to solve this issue in many different ways. One of them is advertisement against companies that commit this crime.

In this add we can see how they tried to mock the employee of the month award. This particular add presents children that are more likely to be from East Asia but child labor not only exclusively happens there. Child labor is also present in Mexico although Arjona does not address it directly he mentions the maltreatment of undocumented workers, which can be directly linked to this. A lot of teenagers between the ages of 14 to 18 illegally go to the U.S in sake for a better future but end up exploited because their rights are limited or more likely nonexistent.

Mexico is home to a unique set of cultures formed from enigmatic civilizations. The Mexican society and its heterogeneous nature involve many contrasts, very marked peculiarities and identities. Because of the massive migration from the countryside to the cities in search of better employment conditions, three quarters of Mexicans live in urban areas. However, there is still a great diversity of ethnic groups and a strong sense of regional belonging including linguistic varieties. Moreover, even tremendous disparities in economic resources, access to education and social status are observed. Mexican culture is jealous of their customs and yet totally heterogeneous. Due to such migration to cities and to the U.S, the need to have a regional and ethnic identity is fundamental for them. Since the vast majority of the population is mestizo, synthesis between European and indigenous cultural elements is common. However, preservation of indigenous heritage as a constituent part of national identity is also considered extremely important.

1st Semester reflection

To begin with I´m happy with what I´ve done so far, I was able to accomplish my goals and I´m determined to keep doing the same thing. My number one preoccupation at the beginning of the semester where my grades. I wanted to improve them, and I did! Even though I did improve my grades I could have done better. I guess I´ll have focus more on my weaknesses but not forget about my strength. I think all these comes down to my time management skills. I will have to organize myself in order to spend more time revising, exercising, studying the subjects I need more, and save time for daily homework and other assignments. Nothing comes easy, you have to work hard, to learn from your mistakes and improve until you find the perfect balance. Also an important factor to improvement is being smart and accepting help from others that have the knowledge to help you, like, teachers and friends. So remember no one is born knowing everything and the one who doesn´t ask will never know what the answer to his question is.

As I mention time management is crucial to your success in high school. little by little I´ve learned to organized myself and defer my priorities from thing that are not important. I have a pretty busy schedule, I go to school from 8:00 a.m to 3:30 p.m but I get home at 5:00 p.m because I live far away. I eat and then start doing my homework, it really depends on how much work we have. Sometime I organize myself weekly, I plan what I´ll do everyday.

My favorite module this year was the exploration of the presidential election. This particular subject catch my attention because it reminded how in some countries that I know there are so many people that do not know in off about the candidates and end up choosing one for unreliable reasons. I realized that it all comes down to the educational system. If teenagers don´t get the right education they won´t be able to make the right decisions and when these teenagers become adults they will determine the countries fate which consequently leads to a not so bright future. I learned from this that problems need to be fix from the root, first you have to find it and then fight it.

An entire semester pasted and It feels like it was yesterday that we were worried about how hard sophomore year would be. Year after year it does get harder but our maturity and sense of responsibility improves. People say that life is hard but if it wasn´t what will be the point? I personally think that challenges makes us grow as persons and that everyone must have goals, dreams, something for what they wake up everyday of their life. My father always tells me to challenge myself to set up a goals and when you accomplish them think about the a next one (never give up). Just think about it if no one though-out like that we wouldn´t have a new Iphone coming every year or even all the technology that we have. All these, we have it because humanity is always trying to improve and discover new things, otherwise we would still live in caves. Always try to be better and never stop even when you think you´ve reached perfection.

Promises

"Why was communication essential to understanding among the children of Promises?"

Before anything lets talk about Promises a documentary that take us through a journey in the middle east and introduces us to seven children who´s names are Yarko, Daniel, Shlomo, Moishe, Faraj, Mahmoud, Sanabel. Throughout the documentary we can see the children´s perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Despite the fact that they live only 20 minutes away from each other,  all have different lifestyles and opinions. Just like if they lived in complete different worlds.

These children even though they lived very close to each other have never interacted with the one another. First there is Yarko and Daniel, two Israeli twins that play volleyball and are not very religious. After visiting a soldier that was hurt in a bomb blast, they tell how insecure and scared they are about going on the bus. Their grandfather is a holocaust survivor and shares some experiences from it with the twins. Both seem pretty open to meet the Palestinian and are the ones that show less hatred toward the others, they are very excited to meet the other kids.

Then we also meet Shlomo, who is a fervent orthodox Jewish boy. He spends 12 hours per day studying the Torah and is on his way to become a rabbi. Shlomo state that he has no problems with the Arabs and argues that peace will eventually come along with the Messiah. Even though he does not appear to have any conflict with the Arabs we later see him arguing with a Palestinian boy. At the end Shlomo says that he has no interest on ever meeting an Arab.

Later we are introduced to Moishe, he lives in Beit El, and hopes to become Israel's first religious Prime Minister. He strongly believes that that land belongs to the Israeli and even supports his believe reading a passage in the Thora that says that God gave the land to the Jews. Moishe tell us how when he will be the Prime Minister he'll clear his land from all Arabs, and has no intention of interacting with one.

Only 20 minutes away lives Mahmoud, a supporter of Hamas and son of the owner of a coffee shop. Mahmoud argues that "the more Jews they kill the stronger the Arabs will be". Later he takes us to Jerusalem´s Holiest shrine Al Aqsa mosque were we see him praying for the liberation of his homeland.

After meeting Mahmoud we meet Faraj who lives in the Deheishe refugee camp. Faraj is marked by an atrocious experience where he saw his best friend get killed by an Israeli soldier and since then thinks all Israeli are nothing but murderers. Faraj rebukes Israelis since that day but is open to meet Yarko and Daniel who both seem exited on the phone just before meeting.

Sanabel another refugee, she is training to be a folk dancer and says that she wants to tell the story of her ancestors by traditional Palestinian dance. Sanabel expresses her opinion and feelings in an uncommon way for a girl in a conservative Islamic society. Even though her father has been arrested for two years Sanabel wants to meet the other kids and seem to enjoy their company when they do.

After meeting and spending the day together Yarko, Daniel, Faraj and Sanabel seem to enjoy each others company and create a friendship like any other kid will. Direct communication between them produced a greater understanding on what the other feels and thinks. This gave these kids the opportunity to develop a natural bond of affection by very simple way “having fun just as regular kids without any difference”, it gave them the opportunity to see by themselves how similar they are.

Years after in 2004 they produced a follow-up called “Promises: Four Years On”, this last has interviews with all children except Shlomo who refused to appear again and Daniel who could not because of military responsibilities. We also see Mahmoud again who expresses a complete different opinion from the one he gave before. Mahmoud first stated that it was their land, and they should give it back to them, but in this follow up we see him talking about the time he meet Yarko and Daniel and how he liked them. He has a complete different opinion even though he still believe the land is theirs. I think he is the best example on how communication is essential to understanding the other children. His parents and people around might have influenced him as a kid and then we see how after interacting with the twins he had his own and complete opposite opinion than before. These friendship that were created go beyond the prejudices that their parents or people around them told them, and we see how communication is essential to understanding among the children.

Racism

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What does I take for someone to move from a position of hate and racism to a position of tolerance and respect like the transformation that occurred in Derek?

• In order to answer this question we have to know where dos racist comes from and what it is. First lets talk about where it comes from, racism comes from ignorance and lack of education. What is racism? Racism is when a race thinks and feels superior to another one. An example to prove that racism comes from ignorance is when the Irish where scientifically compare to dogs or animals (monkeys) but nothing till this day really can prove that because is simply impossible to compare humans with animals ”Racism against Irish" discussed during class”.

• In the movie “American history X” the character of Derek has a hate against black people. That hate begun when his father was shot by black men’s, hate that he developed with the influence of ideas of Cameron. Later in the movie we also see a scene were we can clearly see that Derek’s dad was racist too and that influenced Derek too. This hate leads Derek to commit a mistake, he killed a man deliberately without thinking about the consequences and thinking it was the right thing to do.  When Derek is in jail he still thinks the same way his proud of what he did.

•   In jail he is spending time with a black man because they work together. After a while he realize that they aren't so different from each other and a friendship take place between them. That friendship is noticed by the Neo-Nazis friends of Derek and really appreciated but Derek persists because he is already changing his mind. The consequences are very sad, Derek was raped by 6 of the Neo-Nazis. When Derek is in the nursery Dr.Sweeney comes to visit Derek and they have a little discussion but in this scene we have the key moment when DR.Sweeney ask Derek  “has anything you've done made your life better? ” “Quote from a scene in the movie American history X”. In that moment Derek realizes that his hate didn't benefit him at all but destroyed his life and family and it’s the reasons why he is in this situation.

• From that moment we can see the change in Derek and the despair for Danny that going in the same way. In order to change someone ideas like Derek, that persons has to really have contacts with black people and also implies the influence of someone like Dr.Sweeney that made him realize he was wrong and of curse all the consequences of his racism on his own life.
  
  
    
• Here i found an tumblr page on "American History x"
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