Morocco is a beautiful country along the western coast of Africa. Known for its picture-sque landscapes and cities, Morocco has become a global hotspot for tourism. There is no shortage of activities ranging from touring the old medina, and shopping in the marketplace to walking along the coast. In 2017, an estimated eight million tourists visited Morocco resulting in MAD 46.8 billion in revenue. (MWN)
Traveling to Morocco has deepened my understanding of my self-identity and the interconnected world around me. For example, when branching off into small groups of people of color, we were approached less as tourists rather than just foreigners in general.
Sarah Manyika’s piece Oyinbo presents the idea that identity is not stagnant but fluid, and dependent upon your environment. You have notion of your own self-identity, but when you change environments, part of your perceived identity changes (Manyika, 66). Pertaining to specifically self-identity, I found that on documents (such as in the hotels) I did not put African American but simply American. First and foremost, I was perceived as a foreigner and as a tourist, not necessarily as an American tourist with deeper skin. I did not feel as though I was identified by my complexion, as I do while in America. Therefore, I did not feel compelled to explicitly put that signifier. This was something I found refreshing about my time in Morocco. My experience leads me to believe that colorism is not as prevalent in Morocco due to the mixture of cultures, resulting in Moroccans with features across the spectrum.
As a tourist, you try very hard to equate everything that your observing to an equivalent of what you have back home, in a naïve attempt to process and understand what your viewing. This is because you’re coming from a singular perspective. In my case, this perspective is of an American who identifies as black and female. However, this trip has allowed me to understand that not everything has an equivalent, and not everything can be categorized in terms of better or worse. It is simply different from what were accustomed to, and thus should be respected for what it is and not for what it isn’t.
References
El Masato, Amira. 8 Million Tourist Visited Morocco up to August 2017. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2017/10/231417/8-million-tourists-visited-morocco-august-2017/amp/
Manyika, Sarah. “Chapter 5 – Oyinbo.” Promblematizing Blackness : Self- Ethnographies by Black Immigrants in the United States, 2003, pp. 65–83.
Morocco, and subsequently Northern Africa, has a rich history shaped by interactions of various cultural groups across distinct time periods. From the period of al-Andalus the French/Spanish colonial eras, North Africa witnessed a cross cultural exchange of music, language, religion and food. al- Andalus , an area on the Iberian peninsula from the early 8th to the late 15th century, represented a golden age of cultural mixing through interactions and collaborations among the Muslim, Jewish and Christian populations (Shannon, 104). It was characterized by its coexistence of monotheistic religions of the book, as well as different races and ethnicities. It’s existence produced a cultural wealth in the arts, politics and economics (106). The Spanish regard the occurrence as convivencia, meaning living together (107). The history of al- Andalus survives in modern North Africa through music, architecture and art . Music can indicate different associations and boundaries. However, the power of music enables it to transcends these boundaries (103). Andalusian music is characterized by poetic texts set to instrumental melodies (108). In current day Morocco, performances of Andalusian music feature typical Moroccan instruments such as rabab, and far. Additionally, the songs are sung in both Ladino and Arabic.This harmonious mixture of Andalusian heritage and Morocco’s heritage alludes to a peaceful coexistence that once existed (110).
Despite this time of great collaboration, the history of al-Andalus was followed by brisk expulsion of Muslims and Jews from Spain due to the conquest of the Iberian peninsula by Christian forces (104). Under Christian rule, Jews faced persecution, and confiscation of property unless they converted. Even after conversion to Christianity, Jews still faced harassment and prejudice. This resulted in a mass migration of Ladino and Arabic Jews to Morocco (Gerber, 146). Despite Sephardic Jews having trouble relocating, they found that the King of Fez, Mulai Muhammed est-Sheikah, had agreed to let them settle outside the city walls (144). Under his rule, Sephardic Jews enjoyed protection in exchange for a small tax. Later on, the establishment of Chefchaouen became an epicenter of Jewish life in Morocco. A Sephardic Jew stated “God stirred up the spirit of Jews in Chefchaouen, and they came thither to redeem me, and I reward them for my redemption by …” (149). Chefchaouen is the lasting impact on Moroccan culture that signifies the presence of Sephardic Jews. However, the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948 lead to the mass migration Jews from Morocco.
European colonial eras served as in indicator of the shift in power dynamics that had a lasting impression on Northern Africa. The Treaty of Fez lead to the establishment of the French Protectorate over Morocco in 1912. During this time, French waged tactics in efforts to categorize and separate Moroccans by ethnicity. This divide and conquer method of colonialism aimed to disconnect Moroccan unity and their nationalism. The usage of tea and sugar in Morocco serves as an indication of the French occupation (Cornwell, 37). The French attempted to market tea and sugar as a cheap nutritious alternative to food (40-41). However, it was their ability to make sugar relatively cheap, and accessible to Morocco’s poor thus entrenching sugar into Moroccan society (42).
References
Cornwell. “Sugar for Sustenance: Nutrition in French Colonial Morocco.” The Global Environment , pp. 36–57.
Gerber, Jane S. “Chapter 6 Return to the Islamic World The Sephardic Diaspora in Muslim Lands .” The Jews of Spain A History of the Sephardic Experience , The Free Press, 1992, pp. 145–175.
Shannon, Jonathan H. Andalusian Music, Cultures of Tolerance and the Negotiation of Collective Memories: Deep Listening in the Mediterranean . Cuadernos De Etnomusicología #2.
The medieval Mediterranean world encompasses much of present day Morocco, North Africa, Italy, Spain and the Middle East. Though separated by the Mediterranean Sea, migration throughout these areas was the main mechanism for the dispersion of knowledge. While the rest of Europe was in a dark age, the Mediterranean world was a rich blend of religious, linguistic and ethnic cultures.
Judaism, Christianity and Islam have shared origins within the Mediterranean world. Despite living within the same proximity, historians have conflicting ideas as to what extent these groups coexisted. Evidence of their collaboration is prominent in scholarly correspondence and architectural structures (Meyerson, 492). It seems as though the groups had mutual respect for one another. However, this changed after the initiation of the Crusades by Pope Urban II. The Crusades was a multipart battle initiated by Christians in an attempt to regain Holy Lands from Islamic culture (Christian and Muslim Holy Wars, 87). This shift is accredited for the beginning of the West vs East mindest. Historians argue that in efforts to regain the Holy Lands from Islamic control, Christians villainized Muslims in order to perceive them as the enemy. This negative perception has survived well into the twenty first century.
Linguistically, the medieval Mediterranean word was abundant in various vernaculars. Arabic was a prominent language during this time (Wolfe, 474). However, due to the many conquests, different dialects existed such as Arabic with French or Spanish influences. Other languages were spoken in the Mediterranean world, such as Latin and Greek (474). However, what I found most interesting were the fusion of languages that occured due to the integration of different ethnic groups. Historical artifacts have discovered Arabic written in the hebrew alphabet, known as Judeo-Arabic. Additionally, Spanish written in the Hebrew alphabet known as Judeo-Spanish or Ladino.
Knowing this information has altered my perspective on the current Mediterranean world. Personally, I have found the religious correspondence most interesting. In Spain, there exists an architectural structure that was initially built as mosque, but is currently functioning as a cathedral. The Mosque of Cordoba was built in 784, as a “Great Mosque”. The walls are etched with Arabic scripture, and filled with ancient Islamic architecture. However, the area was conquered by Christians and the mosque became a cathedral. Muslims activists have pursued making the cathedral an area of interfaith worship, but this request has been denied by the both the cathedral and the Vatican. Personally, I am disheartened by the response of the Vatican. As a building that was built for Islamic worship and celebration, I feel as though Muslims have a right to practice their faith within the structure. Furthermore, the structure should serve as a reminder as how the religious groups once coexisted in mutual respect, harmoniously.
References
“Chapter 4 Reshaping Political Communities.” Christian and Muslim Holy Wars, pp. 81–109.
Meyerson, Mark. “Muslims and Christians in Valencia, Socializing and Violence on Corpus Christi Day.” Medieval Iberia, pp. 491–493.
Wolfe, Anne Marie. “Selections from Juan De Segovia’s Preface to a Trilingual Qur’An.” Medieval Iberia, pp. 475–478.
Given a society that values action rather than contemplation, how would implementing mindfulness into school curriculums alter the decisions of young adolescents affecting their habits and impacting their mental, physical and spiritual health?
Berger’s work A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas, prompts the reader to ask questions that are creative, innovative and actionable, thus leading to tangible outcomes. He defines a beautiful question as one that is “ambitious yet actionable … that can begin to shift the way we perceive or think about something that might serve as a catalyst to bring about change”. (Berger 2) The aforementioned question was finalized by my own personal inspiration, its formation according to Berger’s stipulations, and the influence of two lecture speakers.
Foremost, this question was inspired by a chaos theory called the butterfly effect. The theory is the idea that two identical items can be on identical trajectories. However, a small shift (that would be considered insignificant) would result in two completely different outcomes; to the point that it would be unrecognizable that the two trajectories were once identical. This knowledge motivated me to ask how do the small aspects build the bigger picture that is our life. Are we all one small, seemingly insignificant, choice away from living a completely different life? We frequently ponder the big things such as where to go to college, but rarely the small things such as should I eat eggs this morning or should I drive/uber to work. This aspect of the question seeks to prompt the reader to think about, contemplate and implement methods to live more mindfully and intune with themselves. This intunement enables them to make decisions that are more beneficial for their lives.
Secondly, this question was inspired by the school system , as mindfulness is something that is taught and schools are sites of knowledge and education. However, Berger identifies that these sites are flawed. Questioning is punished instead of rewarded due to the relinquishing of power that must accompany questioning. (Berger 3) This question aims to prompt readers to contemplate how the education system is flawed in other aspects. For example, knowledge is prioritized to certain subjects. Math and science receive more notoriety and funding than other disciplines, such as music and art. This question aims to bring about change in the school system, forcing it be more holistic in its approach to educate young adolescents. It is creative and innovative in it’s subject material, as society values action rather than contemplation and it suggests prioritizing a differing discipline than the societal norm. It is actionable in its goal to increase mindfulness and inner contemplation by altering school curriculum and teaching methods, resulting in a tangible change in how young adolescents make decisions.
Two lecture speakers influenced and deepened my understanding of my beautiful question. One lecturer presented on the intersections between theatre and Berger’s ideals of a beautiful question. There is power and leadership in creative expression. Art mirrors reality. When your watching a play or a musical, for that duration of time you are no longer living everyday life but transfixed on the subject matter, causing you to think about reality differently. Due to this lecture, I was able to identify the correlation between creative expression and mindfulness. Through both creative expression and mindfulness, you are able to perceive and look at life through a different lense, impacting your thoughts and decisions.
The second professor presented on the intersections between astronomy & physics and Berger’s ideals of a beautiful question. He told an anecdote of one of his own students. This student majored in astrophysics but had a plethora of opportunities resulting in jobs across many fields throughout her career. He told this story to inform us that there isn’t one right way to do things, and that one seemingly fixed decision can result in many outcomes. He left us with the question, “Where is everybody”. I interpreted this question as, why isn’t everyone engaged with one another as they used to be? I came to the conclusion that it is due to external factors, such as social media, but can be alleviated through mindfulness.
Works Cited
Berger, Warren. A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. New York: Bloomsbury, 2014.
Photo from The Spruce
Morocco is located in Northern Africa, and borders both Algeria and Western Sahara. It neighbors Spain, only separated by a channel of water called the Strait of Gibraltar. Morocco is the result of multiple cultural influences due to its unique history. This unique history involves Morocco’s association with other global communities. Therefore, Moroccan food is an interesting blend of different cultures such as Arabic, French, Northern African and Spain.
Harira is a dish native to Morocco consisting of lentils, chickpeas, and a tomato base. As well as multiple seasonings, including but not limited to: lemon, cinnamon, cilantro, parsley and ginger. Usually it includes a meat, such as beef or lamb. However, I choose this dish because it has the capacity to be vegetarian. Interestingly, there is not one way to prepare harira, as families have different recipes passed down from generation to generation.
This dish takes a long time to prepare. First and foremost, the chickpeas must be soaked overnight. Then fresh cilantro and parsley have to be cleaned and separated from their stems. Next, the cilantro and parsley should be finely chopped. The tomato base is made by pureeing tomatoes in a food processor or mashing them together. If meat is added to the recipe, it must be cooked before compiling it into the larger soup pot. The larger soup pot should first consist of the tomato base, chickpeas and the seasoning. Then meat should be added, followed by water and lentils. At the last segment of cooking, rice or vermicelli should be added. Flour premixed with water can be added in order to thicken the soup.
Islam is the prominent religion in Morocco. In Islam, there are five pillars of faith : Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj. The pillar known as Sawm takes place during a holy month called Ramadan. During this holy month, Muslims fast from dawn till sunset for 29-30 days. The meal that is eaten before dawn is called Suhoor. The meal after sunset is called Iftar. Harira is a significant dish in Moroccan culture because it is used to break fast at Iftar. However, Harira it is not eaten solely during Ramadan, and is also popular during the winter time.
This dish is reflective of how food is consumed in Morocco, as the substance of dish varies due to seasonal vegetables. This indicates that they are conscious of what they consume, and how it tastes. Furthermore, this is an indication that they do not mass produce food. In 2016, the CDC issued a report stating how currently there isn’t any genetically modified food in the country utilized for human consumption. This includes genetically modified seeds. However, genetically modified food is fed to animals, such as genetically modified corn. In my research, I discovered that the United States is the number one importer of such genetically modified animal food to Morocco. Furthermore, Morocco’s connections and dependence upon the European Union plays a huge role as to what type of foods it receives. Despite not eating genetically modified food, Morocco has a booming scientific community researching the effects of genetically modified food, and it’s place in a growing global community.
References :
https://www.thespruceeats.com/classic-moroccan-harira-soup-2394920
https://theculturetrip.com/africa/morocco/articles/a-brief-history-of-moroccan-harira/
https://moroccotravelblog.com/2009/04/21/harira-traditional-moroccan-soup/
https://www.peacecatalyst.org/blog/2018/6/6/ramadan-101-what-is-iftar
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/practices/fivepillars.shtml
LDR 101 : Leadership and Gender in the Young Adult Fantasy Novel is a course aimed to elicit an understanding of leadership, and one’s capacity to lead. This was done by examining how various books, and their accompanying films treat gender and leadership. Through this course, my understanding of leadership has expanded to incorporate critical thinking, writing, public speaking, digital literacy, and teamwork skills.
In the beginning of the course, participants had to define what type of qualities leadership consisted of. Each student had their own understanding. However, by utilizing real life examples we were soon able to formulate a widely accepted idea of what makes up a leader. We decided that leaders were not only authoritative, but also compassionate and empathic. Furthermore, it’s not enough to just possess these qualities, but you must put them into action for the betterment of others. Readings such as Cronon’s “Only Connect” helped solidify these ideas.
Cronon made it a point to emphasize that one must have multiple methods of inputting information, whether it be listening or reading. By being knowledgeable, one can utilize their critical thinking skills to “solve a wide variety of problems”. Furthermore, Cronon thought one should be able to “write clearly, persuasively and movingly”, as a means to communicate effectively. I think that overall the leadership subconcepts of writing, public speaking and digital literacy all fall under this idea that you must let your voice be heard, whether the medium be on paper, making a speech or reaching the masses through the internet.
When writing an essay, I utilized my critical thinking skills to draw connects between the fiction writing and the scholarly articles. My favorite essay to write was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. This paper engaged with the topics of gender, classism and leadership. I enjoyed this paper because of the real life implications it held. I presented that leadership is controlled by those who were born into high class families, thus maintaining a classist society in which power is held by a small group of elite. However, leadership shouldn’t be this way because this aforementioned elite does not correctly assess the everyday needs of those in lower classes. It is reflected in our own government with family dynasty’s holding large amounts of power over generations, i.e the Bush’s and the Clinton’s. By placing this paper on my digital portfolio, I widened my audience and allowed others to read, comment and critique. Additionally, my public speaking skills improved due to the feedback I received from my peers when verbally presenting.
Cronon also stated that leadership should be utilized for the betterment of others. Typically, in order to make a large impact you can’t do things by yourself, but in solidarity with others. My teamwork skills were put to the test and strengthened during my film group project. I learned the importance of utilizing different types of leadership depending on what the situation called for. In this course, we learned about two different types of leadership – interdependent and autonomous. Interdependent leaders are characterized as those who listen to others, and find the best solution by considering different opinions and perspectives on a situation. A quote from the article states “ You take bits and pieces of every idea and you incorporate it into one big idea that people can still recognize” (Gilligan, Lyons & Hanmer 186). Autonomous leaders are characterized by doing things on their own through the trust of their constituents. A quote from the article states a “leader [as being] one who can ‘handle the responsibility’ but also, ‘delegate responsibility’”(Gilligan, Lyons & Hanmer 191). These two methods had an impact on how my group effectively accomplished our end goal. For example, during the treatment interdependent leadership is necessary so that everyone’s ideas are taken into consideration when making a decision. However, other parts of the project such as the storyboard or editing were delegated to those with the most experience. Therefore, in those situations autonomous leadership would be most appropriate.
In conclusion, this course presented ideas and concepts that challenged and shifted my understanding of leadership. Through my assignments and experiences in LDR 101 my perception of leadership has expanded to include critical thinking, writing, public speaking, digital literacy, and teamwork skills. But most importantly, I learned about myself as a leader, and my own capacity to lead.
References
Cronon, W. (1998). Only Connect.. . : The Goals of a Liberal Education. The American Scholar
Gilligan, C., Lyons, N., & Hanmer, T. (Eds.) (1990). Making connections: The relational worlds of adolescent girls at Emma Willard School. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Illustration by Tom Dunne
Tardigrades engage in various transformations of energy and matter. During active state, the tardigrades engage in normal activity such as “eating, growing, and reproducing” (American Scientist, 2018). In order to maintain an active state, the tardigrade must eat and be located in an hospitable environment. Typically, it feeds on plant cells, animal cells and bacteria (Bordenstein, 2017). Furthermore, the environment must include oxygen and water temperature above freezing but below boiling.
Opposite of active state is a suspended state of metabolic activity called cryptobiosis. Entering cryptobiosis slows down or halts the metabolic activity of the tardigrade, reducing it up to 99%. This state is reversible, enabling the tardigrade to survive a variety of extreme environments while waiting for a stable environment. Nevertheless, this has been associated with death, as death is characterised by lack of metabolic activity (Wright, 2014).
Different environmental factors generate different types of cryptobiosis. Anhydrobiosis, derived from the latin prefix a- and hydro-, describes when the tardigrade dehydrates itself up to 95% of its water content. This causes the tardigrade to enter a stabilized shriveled tun formation, thus allowing it survive extremely dry or extremely cold environments (Hengherr, 2009). Cryboisis occurs in freezing temperatures. Usually, the temperature causes water to change from its fluid liquid state, to a crystallized solid state. This crystallized state will tear and rupture cells, casing the cell to die. To combat this, tardigrades will enter cryboisis and utilizes proteins to prevent water molecules from fissuring the cells (Lindahl & Balser, 1999). Anoxybiosis occurs in inhospitable environments in which the oxygen concentration isn’t high enough to sustain normal activity. Tardigrades will swell and puff out in response to this environment (American Scientist, 2018). Osmobiosis occurs due to a lack of available water because of high salt concentration of the water (Lindahl & Balser, 1999). Last is a lesser form of cryptobiosis dubbed encystment. In comparison to tun formation, which is single layer, encystment is a double layer cuticle around the body that the tardigrade retracts into during dormant states (Wright, 2014).
Anhydrobiosis, cryobiosis, anoxybiosis and osmobiosis are all types of tun formation. The tun formation is a membrane dynamic that factors into the tardigrades ability to survive extreme environments (Lindahl & Balser, 1999). This formation requires an active metabolism to configure. Tun formation results in the production of an alcohol called glycerol and the synthesis sugar called trehalose. The function of trehalose involves moving into cells and replacing lost water (Bordenstein, 2017). Furthermore, trehalose forms a waxy barrier that eventually hardens forming a protective barrier. ( Resnick, 2018) However, scientists discovered that trehalose exists in too small of a quantity for it to be the sole contributor for tun formation. This lead to the discovery of IDP, otherwise known as intrinsically disordered proteins. These proteins are unique because they don’t have a fixed 3D shape, enabling them to morph.
References
Bordenstein, S. (2017, June 07). Tardigrades. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https://serc.carleton.edu/microbelife/topics/tardigrade/index.html
Lindahl, K., & Balser, S. (1999, October 2). Tardigrade Facts. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https://sun.iwu.edu/~tardisdp/tardigrade_facts.html#cyobiosis
Resnick, B. (2018, February 08). Tardigrades – the microscopic, oddly cute toughest animals on Earth – explained. Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/2/8/16991280/tardigrade-facts-waterbear-explained
Tardigrades. (2018, February 02). Retrieved November 17, 2018, from https://www.americanscientist.org/article/tardigrades
Wright, J. (2014). Tardigrade : Water Bears. Retrieved from https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tardigrada/
Hengherr, S., Worland, M. R., Reuner, A., Brummer, F. and Schill, R. O. (2009). High-temperature tolerance in anhydrobiotic tardigrades is limited by glass transition. Physiol. Biochem. Zool. 82, 749-755 http://jeb.biologists.org/content/jexbio/213/7/vi.full.pdf
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins features a dystopian society in which children fight to the death. The plot follows twenty four children aged twelve to eighteen in an annual combat called the Hunger Games. The children originate from twelve different districts, with each district sending two children. It engages multiple topics such as leadership, classism and gender. The main protagonist, Katniss expresses stereotypically masculine traits. However, as the book proceeds, Katniss’ gender role become increasingly feminine, reinforcing the heterosexual market.
Language and Gender by Eckert and McConnell-Ginet defines the heterosexual market and its influence on social status. Surprisingly, the heterosexual market emerges two to three years before adolescence. It is the phenomena of “ people’s worth [being] recalibrated within the context of heterosexual attractiveness.” This determines who is paired with who, based on a “hierarchy of desirability”. This desirability is caused by “ their relations to others [ which is ] based on their adherence to gender norms” (Eckert and McConnell – Ginet 16). An illustration of the heterosexual market appears during Katniss’ interview. After Katniss spins in a circle to show off her dress, she is “giggling, which [she] thinks [she’s] done maybe never in [her] lifetime”. Following this, “Caesar wraps a protective area around [ Katniss ].” This adheres to the gender norms of a distressed girl running into the protective arms of a boy (Eckert and McConnell – 19). Both Katniss and Caesar are adhering to their specific gender norms established by the heterosexual market. In order to survive, Katniss’ gender role becomes increasingly feminine as she changes her performed behavior to fit desirable traits; therefore, increasing her social status and appealing to the heterosexual market.
Before the games, Katniss is unaware of the significance of the heterosexual market. In fact, her gender expression is overwhelmingly masculine. Since the death of her father, and the mental absence of her mother Katniss’s only focus is survival. Overnight, she became the sole provider of her family. This turn of events gave her a detached and pragmatic approach to life, a trait desired in masculine gender expression. Furthermore, Katniss finds any indication of emotion as sign of weakness. This is illustrated in her reaction to Peeta’s interview. She felt that Peeta’s declaration of love “ made her look weak” (Collins 135). Katniss is associating stereotypically feminine conditions as weak in comparison to the the masculine expression that fueled her survival. She wasn’t interested in the heterosexual market, because it served no purpose to her. In her own opinion, Katniss is low on the desirability scale. However, Peeta contradicts this by stating “ She has no idea. The effect she can have” (Collins 91).
During the games, Katniss learns to use her desirability as a survival mechanism. Previously, Katniss had been autonomous in her survival. Though Gale accompanied her, Katniss had the capabilities to hunt ,and could successfully capture food with or without him. She is the epitome of an independent women. However, during the games Katniss becomes completely dependent upon Peeta, and subsequently her perceived desirability in the heterosexual market. In order to increase her status in the heterosexual market, Katniss gender expression becomes increasingly feminine.This is illustrated during the scene in which Katniss retrieves the medication for Peeta from the Cornucopia, during which Clove confronts her saying “ You’ve probably got him strapped up in a tree while you try to keep his heart beating. What’s in the pretty little backpack? Medicine for Lover Boy?” (Collins 285). Later, she is seen taking care of Peeta is his time of sickness, thus adhering to the gender norms of being nurturing and caring. The heterosexual alliance between Peeta and Katniss gains them “ extra visibility and popularity” (Eckert and McConnell- Ginet 17). It is arguable that Katniss’s affection for Peeta is not genuine, as it blossomed from a stance of primal survival. Nevertheless, being the love interest of Peeta appeals to the pathos of the Capital thus ensuring her survival.
The film reproduces the effect of the novel on the issue of Katniss in the heterosexual market. In some aspects, being visual intensifies the effect by allowing the viewer to witness the impact of heterosexual market. The film loses some of the interior monologue of Katniss, thus diminishing her exclusive thoughts. The viewer fails to see just how starkly survival based are Katniss’s thoughts. However, the film does a good job of distinguishing Katniss’s true nature from her preformed personality, which appears during the interview, and chariots scenes. This preformed personality is significantly more feminine than her true nature, in order to appeal to the capital.
The combined effect of this book and film sends a negative message to its viewers and readers. Making Katniss dependent on Peeta heavily reinforces heteronormativity. The final union between Katniss and Peeta is similar to the “classic paring of the cheerleader and the football player, [emphasizing] the role of the female supporting the male, upholding the heterosexual market” (McConnell – Ginet 17). Despite Katniss’s initial independence, their final message is that a woman’s survival is ultimately dependent upon a man.
Gender expression is a concept that Philip Pullman engages with in The Golden Compass. Gender expression encompasses behaviors and mannerisms in light of their societal correlation to a certain gender. Mainstream society usually expects one’s gender identity to match their gender expression. The main protagonist Lyra, is a female who consistently expresses stereotypically masculine traits. Through Lyra’s gender expression, the Golden Compass presents the idea that gender is both learned and asymmetric.
Lyra is a product of her environment, Jordan College which was described as being “grand and stony and masculine” ( Pullman 75 ) . Raised by male scholars, Lyra learned and emulated their behaviors. She frequently performed stereotypically masculine traits such as, playing in tombs, and climbing roofs. This includes a learned dislike for female scholars, as she regarded them with “ proper Jordan disdain : there were such people, but, poor things, they could never be taken more seriously than animals dressed up and acting a play.” (Pullman 66) This quote also indicates the asymmetric gender balance, as males hold the majority of the power, and you must be male to be taken seriously as a scholar. The book reinforces the idea that gender expression is learned by insisting that Lyra have someone teach her how to properly act. The Master of Jordan alludes to this by telling Lyra she needs the “ … female company. Female guidance.” of Mrs.Coulter to teach her how to be a lady ( Pullman 69 ). However, their efforts are fruitless as Lyra is “too stubborn” and Mrs.Coulter is “ too late” to change her ways.
By failing to change Lyra, and allowing her to remain herself the book normalizes masculine gender expression in a female character. Throughout the rest of the book, Lyra’s stereotypically masculine actions propel the plot forward. She dared to adventure alone, find Tony, that discovering “ he had no daemon at all. The Gobblers had cut it away. That was intercision, and this was a severed child” ( Pullman 213 ). Thus, uncovering the Oblation Board’s true intentions of severing people from their daemons. Furthermore, her deceitful and manipulative actions allowed Iorek Byrnison to regain his position as king. Due to her cunning mind, Lyra figured out that “ Iofur Raknison wanted nothing more than to be a human, with a daemon of his own” ( Pullman 333 ). Using this information, Lyra formulated a plan so that Iorek and Iofur could fight, and Iorek earn back his throne. These situations showcase Lyra and her masculine gender expression in a positive light by yielding favorable results.
In comparison to the book, the film treats Lyra’s gender expression in a similar fashion. She is chastised for her lack of manners, but later on praised for her boldness and courage. However, in many ways gender is less asymmetric in the film than in the book. There is a failure to mention female scholars, and thus the impact of their presence in the book is eliminated. Furthermore, when Mrs.Coulter comes to collect Lyra, she does so without asking the permission of the Master. This nuanced difference gives Mrs.Coulter more power over the scholars, than in the book.
In light of Lyra’s gender expression, the film does of a good job of showcasing pivotal moments when Lyra exhibits stereotypical masculine traits. This includes the tombs, climbing on the roof, adventuring on her own, freeing the locked up daemons and helping Iorek Byrnison regain his throne. They reward her efforts with effective results that progress the timeline of the book. Additionally, they highlight Lyra’s masculinity by emphasizing how she doesn’t fit into the feminine world of Mrs.Coulter. On the other hand, in some ways Lyra is more aggressive in the book stating “[she ] felt like telling the bear to kill him” ( Pullman 215). Nevertheless, the film arguably captures the essence of Lyra’s character in regard to her gender expression.
Work Cited
Pullman, Philip, 1946.The Golden Compass.New York: Yearling, 2001. Print
