Orientalism in Books

In God of Small Things (1997), by Arundhati Roy truly illustrates the heavy shadow that Orientalism has on Asia and specifically the characters in the novel. One specific example comes to mind when we are introduced to Sophie Mol. Besides the fact she is Chacko's long lost daughter, her appearance in the novel creates a binary between with Rahel by her actions, appearances, and motives. Sophie Mol is given the royal treatment and is easily illustrated as a foreigner to the Paradise Pickles franchise.

For Sophie Mol, she is given individualistic praise for her whiteness and how her features are similar but obsessed over because she offers a distinct difference between her western world and their Indian culture. Colorism plays a vital role in how Orientalism, Sophie Mol arrival is glorified, her hair "the smell of London in her hair. Yellow bottoms of bells flapped backward around her ankles. Long hair floated out from under her straw hat(6.57)", her appearance often contrast to Rahel's appearance of an "Airport Fairy with appalling taste."

Orientalism impacted the way we expected Sophie Mol to be, a pristine Indian Whitewashed little girl visiting her father, we expected her to act differently due to her lifestyle of raised in Europe. Sophie Mol apperance is what we perceive of her, we truly know nothing of her besides the fact she's compared to Esta and Rahel, making her seem to be too big for her boots(pun intended)."Sophie Mol arrived on the Bombay-Cochin flight. Hatted, bell-bottomed, and Loved from the Beginning (5.116)." Rahel feels that she needs to earn the love, nuture, and attention she feels she deserves, by being careful and reputable. Sophie Mol, on the other hand, she has it from the moment she steps off the plane. The way the family treats Sophie Mol, by softly speaking to her, and filtering her food,"There would be two flasks of water. Boiled water for Margaret Kochamma and Sophie Mol, tap water for everybody else (2.59)", as though she's too honorable to be drinking the same water as the family. So, once again we experience the western world in books and how it still impacts and is exposed in our present and our past.

I Whistle a Happy Ignorant Tune: The King and I and Orientalism

One of my favorite memories as a child is curling up with my mom and looking through the Turner Classic Movies catalog. We'd search for around 20 minutes until inevitably ending up deciding on watching The King and I for the hundredth time. I remember the joyous costumes and songs. As a small child I thought, "What a fun romp!" But as I grew older I became more aware of an unnamed discomfort. At every  phrase or use of the word savage my love for this movie dwindled.

The cliff notes synopsis of The King and I goes as follows. A white governess lady goes to Siam (yikes) to teach the children of the King (played by Russian born Yul Brynner in yellow face) and through her compassion and civilized nature everyone becomes a better person. Or I would describe it as a more problematic Mary Poppins. Throughout the film there are several scenes in which the King is shown as a cold, savage, alien, who uses violence and tyranny with this children and his people. Though they are seen as savage their luxurious live is also display. The film is littered with the "classic" hodgepodge of Asian iconography including but not limited to broken Engrish, gongs, gilded tigers, and Kung Fu.

My true struggle with these types of racist insensitive movies. At least for me I still feel a certain fondest for this movie specifically. Not because of the film itself but because of what it represented. To me this film is snuggling with my mom and feeling the ease of ignorance. Becoming aware of racism and imperialism is an ongoing and necessary process that has made me a better person but I somehow still yearn for the ability to watch these awful, racist, nostalgic films.

Orientalism: 7 Rings or Barbecue Grill?

The fundamentals of Orientalism can fluctuate depending on the person or era of interest. While the most obvious concepts of Orientalism are painting all Muslims as terrorists and monsters or washing away the Middle Eastern, Asian, and North African cultures with shiny aspects of Westernization, another part of the problem comes into play that contributes to the fact that Orientalism mindsets are here to stay. In pop culture, visions of terrorists and monsters aren't always shown, but singers, actors, and pictures are. With the entertainment industry flourishing in Western culture, it is not rare when white artists branch out for some "inspiration."

While they might not comprehend the histories and tribulations of Asian, Middle Eastern, and North African cultures, they might look at a kimono or Hello Kitty and think "Oh, pretty!" With this mindset, they dissect cultures that are not their own, selecting the flashy, colorful parts and pitching the rest without any respect for the people that embody the cultures. While this concept might appear far-fetched, it's a lot closer than we know.

One example of a white artist who uses certain parts of Asian culture for aesthetics is Ariana Grande. While she has received backlash for cultural appropriation with accusations of her using brownface and queerbaiting, her music video for "7 Rings" brings everything to a whole new level. In her music video, Japanese symbols and memorabilia deck the video from start to end which sparked a debate whether or not she was appropriating or appreciating. However, when she got a tattoo that she thought meant "7 Rings" in Japanese which people eventually discovered translated to "barbecue grill", it was safe to say her knowledge and understanding of the culture was minimal.

What's worst is that she isn't the only one. In 2013, Katy Perry performed at the AMAs "geisha style" fusing several different Asian cultures for one controversial number of "Unconditionally." In result, several people were left offended and misrepresented.

While there might be an association of monsters and terrorists, the issue of appropriation has the whole thing dissolved into a bigger picture. When one person nitpicks part of a culture that isn't theirs the message "I like your culture, but only this part" rings clear. Without confrontation, Western culture will soon take the parts they like about the other cultures and wash away the rest with oblivion and ignorance. Just because a photo of a white artist dressed as a Geisha isn't as brutal as that of a Muslim depicted as a terrorist, it doesn't mean it's not as problematic. For all the ugly, violent stereotypes, there are stereotypes that objectify and glorify from Hello Kitty to chopstick hairstyles.

When someone takes the pretty parts of people's culture and not recognize the nitty gritty details, they are subjecting themselves to Orientalism and its lens. There should be more people open to learning, respecting, and finding a balance between giving and taking. No matter how much people try, a white person can not tell the story of a victim of Orientalism. There should be less stereotypes and more willingness to communicate and grow. For now, we have "barbecue grill."

Orientalism and the effect it has to Western Culture

Orientalism is the structure of thought, idea, or generalization about the Eastern World. When people refers to the orientals, people are usually referring specifically to the middle eastern. When we hear middle eastern, we think of the stereotypes associated with them, such as how tyrannical and out-of-place they may be. Even in modern society, I think that it is important to acknowledge the fact that this is in fact, only a stereotype, and hence, these traits do not apply to every middle eastern citizens. One example of Orientalism mindset affecting the society is in airport securities.

Whenever I am traveling, one thing that I notice are the looks that many middle eastern people have when traveling. They look anxious. They sometimes look worried. And many times, they get stopped by the security. Although I understand that the point of this procedure is the ensure the safety of the people in the airport, there are always the part of me in the back of my head that asks why they were stopped. They have their suitcases just like every other passengers, and they do not act suspicious just like every other passengers, yet they are the ones to get stopped by the security for unknown reason. This is what the Orientalism mindset does to us. We have an Orientalism mindset where we have fear when we see people from Eastern world when we are out in a crowded public place because we compare them with terrorists. Such views are the reason why some races fear going out in public. America should be a safe place, but if we continue having such mindset, how can these people leave their house knowing that they will not be stared at or judged.

Orientalism point of view has been going on for a long time and therefore, it will take even longer for us to recognize the problem and try and solve it. The Western world needs to focus on being united with other countries, even if they do not look, act, nor talk like us. We need to make an effort to include every races into our culture, no matter who they are.

Orientalism and Airport Security

Orientalism is a lens. A lens that has been psychologically embedded through stereotypes and prejudices, rendering his vision the same as her vision the same as the entire western vision. Now, this lens has almost magnetic qualities in which it is only attracted to new knowledge that fits into its preconceived ideas of the oriental identity.

Think about the last time you’ve been stopped for a “random” check before handing in your ticket to board a plane. As I expect, there may not even be a first time for the majority, but if there is, how often has it happened since then? How did they look at you when they checked your bags and scanned your body? How old were you? Does it matter? Did anyone else in your family get checked, and what did they look like? How did they react? How should you react?

Since the day 9/11 occurred, Middle Easterners were doomed to a fate of blind white eyes. Blind white eyes that perceived Middle Easterners solely in terms of danger, whether it be when looking at the past, present, or future. Any new knowledge or observations they received that fit outside of that box of fear was subconsciously neglected, stunting the identities of Middle Easterners in America.

With an Orientalist mindset comes the homogenization of cultures, or rather, in this case, colors. Any person vaguely resembling a Middle Easterner also became associated with fear, reaffirming the American mentality that colors are a threat to the safety of whiteness.

Next time you are traveling abroad, take a minute to see the orientalism around you...the orientalism around you…the orientalism around you...or maybe the orientalism in you.

Do We Have Any Understanding of the World Besides America?

Orientalism is a self centered mindset that does not allow Westerners to open up their minds to the Middle Eastern region. We believe that living in the Western world gives us authority over the Orient, and contributes to our thinking that Western nations are superior. We need to move past this way of thinking or we will not be able to expand our minds to other viewpoints in the world.

A modern day example that sticks out to me is when 9/11 took place. America rightfully went into a state of panic, but since that day our view of people from the Middle East is that they are all terrorists who are trying to harm America. We generalized one small terrorist group as the entire Middle East, and deemed those people as dangerous and threats to our society. I would say that many Americans have some form of prejudice against people from the Middle East, and when they see someone walking down the street (fully covered up in their clothing)-specify a sense of fear rises in them.

These stereotypes of the people and culture within the Middle East can become very toxic especially when they are portrayed on television shows and movies. Whenever you see a television show that has the Middle East in it, they are always portrayed as the terrorist threat. This constant visual reminder overshadows every wonderful part about their culture and religion that Americans seem to forget about. Everything about their culture seems foreign to us, and we focus on their differences instead of remembering that all of us are human.

I can not imagine being someone from the Middle East living in America, and the stereotypes they have to face everyday. The Western world needs to focus on including everybody, and getting rid of perception that we are the dominating region over the orient.

The Women of Agualongo

I spent second semester of my Junior year with The Traveling School: an all-female semester school that travels through three different countries with five female teachers. We traveled through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, as our global studies class constantly raised questions about "development" and the weight that idea carries. For one week, we were all paired off with a family in a small, rural, indigenous town in Ecuador. All of the families' first language was Quichua. Home stays was the most pivotal week for me.

I was led into a small house grounded with dirt floors. Women of the Agualongo community knelt around big metal pots as others hovered over, holding skinned guinea pigs. They kneaded dough with all the strength in their bodies, occasionally stopping to share stories. The men of the community intermittently walked through the doorway, delivering ingredients and asking if their assistance was needed. All of them participated in the communal cooking in preparation for Dia Del Campo -- a village-wide luncheon.

Prior to the semester, if someone were to ask me, "What three things come to mind when you hear the word development?" I would most likely think of tall skyscrapers, ivory-tower education, and affordable healthcare. If someone were to ask me the same question now, I would say, "A lot more than three things come to mind."

Education, infrastructure, and healthcare would still come to mind when I hear the word development, but I've realized development does not look the same universally. Development may involve a barter-trade system or a community based off of agriculture. Development may even involve a community of women gathering in a single kitchen to knead dough and cook guinea pigs.

Orientalism arises when we view unfamiliar societies as "savage" rather than different. The women and men of Agualongo showed me a new means of living. The savage/civilized binary is a construct of the Western World -- a way for the West to assert its power. My semester shattered any thoughts I had of that binary actually existing.

Orientalism in Israel

It was a sweltering day in the peak hours of sunlight, glimmering off of the waters of Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast of Israel. I had arrived for the first time a few days ago, without any expectations of discovering some arbitrary connection to God, but undoubtedly with more than a few fears and preconceptions concerning my own safety. It was Israel in 2018, after all.

I was admiring the beauty of the ocean, soaking in the history from the ruins, and all the while wondering what it must have been like for those before me who lived and breathed right where I was standing. I wasn't thinking about what I already knew about Israel, or Judaism, or my own family's history. I was simply existing. For a fleeting moment, the news opinions on Israel and Jews and the presidentially-endorsed antisemitism in my own country dissipated. But it truly was for just one simple moment, and then reality came crashing down.

We walked away from the water, the trance broken but our spirits still high. As the guide led us away from the shoreline, we came upon a group of children who appeared to be on a school trip. They looked like they were in elementary school, and in the moment I thought they were probably Jewish due to where we were. The kids looked at us, the American tourists, with faces that quickly turned from confused to amused. I did not understand their amusement to be anything other than childhood wonder and excitement, but I was about to find out how wrong I was. Feeling their gaze, I smiled and said "Shalom," the Hebrew word for "Hello." They smiled back at me, but their smiles held weight. Patronizingly, these young children collectively began saying "Hello" in the best, mock-American accents they could manage, giggling amongst themselves. The kids on my trip thought they were just messing with us, but I took it very, very differently. 

In that moment, I witnessed first-hand the effects of Orientalism like I'd never known it before. I felt the guilt of being a Westerner as I noticed how these young Middle-Eastern kids felt the responsibility to know English for any given tourist from the West, or at least they had been taught to be ready for us from youth. I felt like I was invading their space simply by being there, and I felt confused and hurt that as a Jew in the Jewish part of Israel that I was rejected for my Westernness, when all I had been told about my trip was that Israel was supposed to be my homeland. 

Since my trip, I've learned that Israel is home to many, and to those who live there, it's quite possible that not every part of their identity and history is completely welcome. I didn't quite feel Jewish enough, and I didn't quite want to feel completely Western, so I was stuck in a limbo that I can only imagine is being felt across the entire country, too. The controversy of Western Jews' "allegiance" to Israel finally made sense in my mind, having felt the pull of both sides in a simple 30 second interaction with some of the country's youngest, most innocent natives. Putting a name to the phenomenon after reading Edward Said's work on Orientalism brings clarity to the situation, but it only makes me realize just how pervasive it is. I'm left with a hunger for more knowledge on the subject so that one day, I may travel back to Israel with a political fluency and a personal pride in all parts of my identity, without preconceptions or prejudices.

Has Orientalism Spoiled Future Depictions of Asian/American Culture?

Edward Said's theory of Orientalism inspired widespread discussion about the depiction of Asian and Middle Eastern cultures in art, literature, movies, and TV. Orientalism, the racist, exotic western depiction of eastern cultures, is all over in western culture. The definition of this pattern as Orientalism leads to people being way more aware of the racist undertones of stereotypical settings and people whenever white people stop by the Middle East in a movie. 

Part of Said's Orientalist theory is recognizing that after being exposed to the exotic, mystical nature of Orientalist depictions of Asia, many people from the west will only see that outlandish picture of a place in Asia or an Asian culture even when actually exposed to it. A white person making a movie about Egypt might go to Egypt to research the culture and places in an attempt at realism and still be previously conditioned to expect to see a beautiful exotic bazaar, which might make their trip to a random marketplace into a mysterious adventure. Their depiction of Egyptian culture, then, would be the way they saw Egypt through someone else's pre-planted expectations for that culture. 

If this self-sustaining circle really is the case with creators, however, then the question becomes: will we ever be able to see a realistic representation of other, specifically Asian, cultures? The answer, however, appears to be a simple one: don't try to tell a truthful story about a culture that you don't really know. That is not to say that a white person can never tell a story about a person who is not white. It is, however, to say, that creators and artists need to be aware of their biased interpretation of other cultures and allow that to inform their decision about writing about those cultures. 

Moving Past Orientalism

I think that we all have an Orientalist mindset, even if we don’t always realize it. We have perceptions of people from different countries even if we have never been there or have ever met anyone from that country. And, we use orientalism as a lens to create stereotypes about people from the middle east. Orientalism is portrayed throughout our society, in historical paintings, art, literature, films, and media. People wanted to explain others who look different than they do, so that they knew how to conquer them. But, people display these stereotypes that they create as though they are facts.

The same images of monsters, mystery, and women comes up when people research the Middle East, even though these images doesn’t accurately depict their culture or ideals. These images created stereotypes that all Middle Eastern people are mysterious or dangerous.

I think that we can’t avoid looking at media that perpetuates these harmful stereotypes. They are a part of our everyday society, whether we realize it or not.

Orientalism can be extremely harmful because It creates an fake image of what people are really like, without using history and facts. It makes more privileged people look down upon and mistreat people from the Middle East, even though they know nothing about them. It also forces Middle Eastern people to see themselves in a bad light, because they are constantly put down because of how they look to others.

I think that we can move past this by spreading more information about the Middle East, from Middle Eastern people. We have to spread historical information based on facts, rather than perpetuating stereotypes. I think that it’s important that it comes from a Middle Eastern person because they have actually lived through real Middle Eastern experiences. If the information comes from a privileged European person, they might view the Middle East with the prejudice they have gained from media, or their “oriental lens.”

Orientalism Today

The Orientalist mindset continues to be pervasive in nearly every aspect of Western culture. Orientalism is essentially an over generalization of Middle Eastern culture in order to establish it as regressive and "other" compared to the West. In today's media perhaps the most prominent and harmful application of Orientalism can be seen in the treatment of Islam.

Media in the modern United States often promotes untrue stereotypes of Muslims while erasing the realities of Middle Eastern, especially Islamic, culture. This reduction of culture is especially characteristic of Orientalism. Studies of media have found that most depictions of Muslims portray them in a negative light. Often they associate Islam with terrorism in order to portray Muslims as a threat to Western society. This idea does not take into account the reality that a very small minority of Muslims advocate violence, which itself is against the scripture of Islam. By focusing on issues such as mistreatment of women, for example, without any depiction of the views of a Muslim woman, the media exacerbates the divide between Western constructions of Middle Eastern life and the reality experienced by its inhabitants. This issue cannot be resolved until Muslim people are represented in media and depictions of Islam, both good and bad, are proportional to frequency at which they occur.

This modern Orientalism has real life consequences that should not go unmentioned. Islamophobic rhetoric in media translates into Islamophobic actions in reality. As of 2010, 48% of Americans reported feeling prejudiced towards Muslims while they make up one of the smallest minority groups in the country. Over the last few years physical and verbal violence against Muslims in the United States has increased markedly. The Orientalist ideology that we promote through our portrayals of Middle Eastern Islamic people has consequences that should not be forgotten.

Gun Control and Dramatic Irony

Comedy is unique in the way that it is a way to speak about difficult social issues in a somewhat light-hearted sense. It makes people laugh and be able to discuss deeper social issues in a way that does not compromise a person's feelings or the severity of the issue at hand. The role of comedy on our nation, in particular, is very important as it is a way that we are able to use our free speech to poke fun at absurdities throughout our nation. One example of this is during one of Jim Jefferies stand up comedy shows where he discusses the ridiculous gun control laws of the United States. He uses forms of satire like the situational irony of a safe gun owner defending his home to comment on the flawed arguments of many gun owners throughout the country. He states that "responsible" gun owners keep their guns in a protected safe and only use the guns for defense of their homes, yet explains the weakness of this argument during a fictional story of a gun owner having the intruder wait to attack him/her while they open up their safe.

Along with this Jefferies uses comedy to discuss American's anger towards immigrants and their imperialistic thoughts about their nation being the best. As used in this sense comedy is a great way to convey messages to a group of people in a way that helps people converse in manners that are productive, therefore, spreading the overall conversation of darker issues eventually leading to change. Without satire and comedy, there would be a struggle in talking about human conditions that seem taboo or hard to discuss giving extreme importance to comedy in our society and world. 

Kimmy Schmidt and Her Unbreakable Satire

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is a Netflix series that follows the life of a woman after she was released from a bunker, where she spent 15 years after being kidnapped by a overly religious man as a child. The show follows her life as she decides to live in New York City as she tries to make a name for herself. The show touches on a myriad of issues that are dealt with in the modern day. Kimmy learns to deal with all the struggles of life especially as a woman in today's society. The show uses the fact that she has been out of society for so long as a way to reveal all of societies ridiculous social norms along with bringing light to deep rooted problems within the world.

The show does a great job on using a hyperbole of Kimmy's naive child sense to comment on the absurdness of our society. Mainly they use the platform to speak out about PTSD and how people deal with it in the nation. The trauma that Kimmy experiences in the bunker follows her around as she tries to deal with her new life in the city whether its waking up because of night terrors to fighting random people on the street that remind Kimmy of her past experiences. These hyperbolic actions show the real day to day problems that some people face and the struggles of having to deal with these problems, whether they are trying to forget the past or going to therapy. Along with the PTSD The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt uses hyperbolic characters like Titus to comment on deep issues such as race and sexual orientation. Overall the show's use outlandish humor and simple-mindedness to discuss deep and difficult conversations about race, sexual orientation and PTSD is brilliant and is a good use of humor to comment on our modern society and the stereotypes that come with it. 

Western Orientalism

Western culture has a Orientalist mindset and it is most clearly seen in film. It is very common to picture the enemy of a country as evil in movies. For example, Nazis during WWII or Russians during the Cold War. It is also common for Middle Eastern people, especially men, to be pictured as bad guys and this has only increased since 9/11. For example in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Indiana finds himself accidentally arriving in India. A tribesman takes him into his village where the he learns of a Kali-worshiping group that has taken the village children as slaves at a palace near by. Upon arriving at the palace, the food served includes monkey brains, a snake with beetles inside, and many other foods that are supposed to be cultural but really aren’t real dishes eaten in India. The palace is also secretly hiding a cult that is still practicing inhumane rituals for the Hindu goddess Kali. This depiction of Indian culture and religion isn’t factual and warps people’s perception of the country and culture. Because Middle Eastern people are made to be the bad guy in films, this stereotype becomes ingrained into society both consciously and unconsciously. To overcome this Orientalist mindset, we need to not let our preconceived generalizations cloud our judgement when we learn about the Middle East or come in contact with Middle Eastern people. The assumption that they are all bad and terrorists is unrealistic as well as completely untrue. By having an open mindset, we can begin to diminish these stereotypes.

Life in Orientalism

I think that people do have an Orientalist mindset because it has been ingrained in people's minds. People see the East as a terrorist territory. We see it on TV and in the media saying that people from the Middle East are all terrorists simply because they are from the Middle East. Especially after 9/11 people became very scared of Muslims and their religion, even though not every Muslim is a terrorist just like not every Catholic hates gay people. But people have heard these stories and myths and so instead of taking them as such, they take them as facts. They see the East as mysterious and they know very little about the area and what they do know is negative. The consequences of this mindset is that it makes people closed-minded, they see the Middle East as a place where terrorists live and where they have limited access to water, they see this and decide not to go and by making this decision they then don’t see how the Middle East is and they stay closed minded. We can move beyond this mindset by traveling to the Middle East itself or talking to someone who has been there or is from the East. This will help them see the East in a new light and hopefully change their mind out of Orientalism. If this is to continue it will drive a bigger and bigger wedge in between the two groups and make it Us VS. Them and people will stay close-minded about the East and the stereotype will continue.

Comedy can be beautiful

I feel that Comedy has the ability to take the form as meaningful art. In Me Before You, a romantic comedy, it may not be looking to teach you, or leave remarkable impact on your life, but it does make you feel varying emotions.

The story was about a man paralyzed from the neck down, forced to take the company of young woman, initially because she was paid. As she quickly learned that he was sour company, and did not want to live with a pleasant attitude. As she persevered through his negativity, they learned to appreciate each other, and the sides of life they did not know about. The woman was left with drastic news, and tried to fight it until the end, but while she did, she learned to love the man.

This story did not end on a positive outcome for one party, but a pleasant situation for the other. While watching this movie, you could have the classic rollercoaster of emotions that feel planned for each movie. You feel for this movie, when it's supposed to pleasant, when it's supposed to be negative. Or you have cynical viewpoint that looks at each turn of the story as common and basic and unrealistic images for relationships. However it makes you feel, that's what it does: make you FEEL.

That, is why I feel that, Comedy is a meaningful art.

Margot Robbie's Beautiful Perception

In Vogue's work of Margot Robbie's morning routine, the use of a parody was used to poke fun at the lengths wealthy people go to reach an image of perfection. The parody was her reenacting a scene from American Psycho. She woke up in the morning, to "make a video" of her morning getting ready routine, but as she did so, she spoke in a mysterious monotone voice. To achieve her level of beauty, you would need to replicate her exact routine, of exuberant peels, masks, and unpronounceable  products. The video used a parody, the imitation of someone's work, to ridicule how the image of women is always in need to reach absurd levels of perfection. The video itself is similar to videos today about morning routines, and how to look like a specific person if you follow their routine.

In Defense of Comedy

While there are plenty of examples of comedies, whether they be movies or TV shows, that are absolutely worthless and have no substance, comedy can prove to be a valuable tool to deliver serious meaning and bring change. School of Rock is a perfect example of a comedy that is meaningful while being funny.

The movie follows a guitarist who was kicked out of his band and ends up impersonating a substitute teacher at a snobbish private school. He introduces the students to rock and roll which was very frowned upon at the school so that they can enter a battle of the bands to win the money he needs to pay his rent. The students end up being extremely talented and love playing music which leads them to win the competition.

On the outside School of Rock seems like another pointless comedy however it touches on themes that many comedies share such as the discovery of one's identity and the importance of embracing and loving said identity. In the case of School of Rock the kids who at first rejected rock and roll realize their talent and their love for music.  School of Rock pleads that its viewers embrace their inner creativity and personality to make the world a brighter and more enjoyable place.

Comedies are important because they ensure that world keeps some of its fun as it contrasts from all of the dramas, tragedies and depressing stories that seem to consume the media. Comedies also play the hugely important role in maintaining individuality through emphasizing the importance of embracing one's self identity as School of Rock does. Comedies and other serious forms of art all can and should coexist to maintain a balanced world.

The Injury

In the episode The Injury, in the show The Office, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) burns his foot on a George Foreman grill and demands attention from everyone in the Dunder Mifflin Scranton office.

This would be considered a comedy in Aristotle's definitions. Michael Scott is an "average to below average" in terms of moral character which helps him fill the role of the comic hero. He is not worthless to the plot nor the story line, he is also the manager of the Scranton branch. The ordinary people in this episode are the rest of the employees of Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. Dwight who rushes to Michael's aid, Pam who answers the phone as she is the receptionist in this episode. She tends to be a plain and everyday figure in this setting. Unlike Michael's high position in power, the rest of the employee's are under Michael's management. The Office is farce and satirical comedy. The characters are overly ridiculous, more expressive and dramatic than actual day to day people. Some characters, like Michael in The Injury, are hypocritical as Michael only cares about his injured foot and not Dwight's well being after getting a concussion due to the crash into the pole while picking up Michael. Due to these reasons, The Injury would be considered a comedy in Aristotle's definitions.

The Princess Bride: Romance, Comedy, or Romantic Comedy?

The Princess Bride is a comedy that has stood the test of time and is known for its great storytelling. It begins with a boy who is home sick and his grandpa comes to read to him. As he reads, the viewer then watches the story, so much so that you forget it’s even being told. Within the book, Wesley, a farm hand, is in love with a girl named Buttercup but he is sent off to sea where he becomes the “Dread Pirate Roberts” in secrecy and fakes his own death. Buttercup’s heartbreak makes her vow to never love again. Then there are Inigo, Vezzini, and Fezzik. These are three con men who want to start a war between Florin and Guilder by kidnapping the princess to-be, Buttercup. Throughout the rest of the movie these main characters become friends, enemies, lovers, and teammates.

The Princess Bride shows characteristics of almost all types of comedy, the first being farce. Although it uses satire and a deeper sense of comedy, there also still those comedic moments when, for example, the Albino gets hit on the head so hard he becomes unconscious, Inigo falls face first into his food, and when Fezzik and Inigo play childish rhyming games. If The Princess Bride was only a farce, it would still be a fantastic movie, but they take their comedy even further.

The Princess Bride is also a romantic comedy because the heart of the story is love story between Wesley and Buttercup. However, because of the funny lines, exaggerated action, things that clearly are not real or are clearly staged, The Princess Bride isn’t just a romance movie.

The Princess Bride is clearly a satirical movie. From the beginning, the movie has many fairy tale elements: princesses, castles, true love, happy endings, but they are mocked and the story doesn’t turn out the way a normal fairy tale would. The wittiest character is by far Wesley, who is constantly shooting others down with his sarcasm and mockery. With each clever line, Wesley has the audience cracking up by the ends of his scenes. The movie also does a great job of pulling the reader into the “fairy tale” story, but right when you become really devoted to it, it flashes back to the reality of the grandpa and grandson. These two characters add a lot to the comedy of the movie because they mock and judge the story, emphasizing how much it isn’t a fairy tale.

Finally, almost every character is changed by the end of the movie. Every character has a motive that drives them forward, avoiding any flat characters. For example, Inigo wants to avenge his father’s death, Wesley wants to reunite with Buttercup, and Prince Humperdink wants to take over both the lands as king. The only flat character is Buttercup, the damsel in distress, who really serves no purpose other than being saved.

The Princess Bride is anything but unadaptable to the modern era. The jokes and comedy have stood the test of time and never fail to make the audience laugh.