Troy

There is, quite possibly, no movie that expresses the idea of “Wild Real Men” to the same extent as Troy. Since this movie is set in Ancient Greece, the men are all portrayed as fearless, arrogant warriors while the women are their pretty, easily persuaded accessories. The plot of Troy follows the epic Greek poem The Illiad, in which a Trojan Prince, Paris, woos and whisks away a Greek King, Menelaus’, wife, Helen because Paris is able to satisfy her in a way that her husband cannot.

The dynamic of a woman being swept off of her feet by a man who can please her better than her husband is paralleled largely in the article “Masculinity and Marginality in Rob Roy and Braveheart” when Keller analyzes the relationship between William Wallace and the English Queen. In the article he writes, “What entitles a man to be a leader of men is his willingness and capacity to satisfy a woman. Prince Edward is symbolically excluded from this realm: Wallace’s triumph is his emasculation of the English monarchy” (Keller 221). In this scenario, Wallace represents Paris and Prince Edward symbolizes King Menelaus. In fact, it is the very emasculation that Keller speaks of that leads to the conflict of the Trojan War in Troy.

The other large story-line of the film is that of the famed Greek soldier, Achilles, who knows no defeat on either the field of battle or in the bedroom. However, he finally falls in love with the captured cousin of the Trojan princes’, Briseis. The only catch in their little love story (other than Achilles’ inevitable death by arrow to the heel) is that the commander of the Greek forces, Kind Agamemnon, claims Briseis as his war prize and tribute from Achilles. Needless to say, Achilles does not like Agamemnon’s references to Briseis “…drawing him a bath. And then, who knows?” Again, the similarities between Troy and the article “Masculinity and Marginality in Rob Roy and Braveheart” can be seen when Keller cites, “Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s theory of homosocial bonding, in which the aggression and desire between males is mediated through a female…” (Keller 217). Thus, Briseis serves as the intermediary, as well as prize, for these two powerful men. The movie Troy provides the perfect example of “Wild Real Men.”

Week 4 Blog Reviews

Ashley:

Your entry about Wright’s essay was filled with your own insight, which is always an interesting addition. The quotes that you used from the reading helped solidify your ideas. The Kahlo painting that you picked was really unique, she’s truly an original artist. I can tell that you put a lot of thought into the response to the painting.

Brittany:

I really liked the way that you started out your entry about Technology/Consciousness with the Billy Elliot example. It really draws the reader in! The quotes that you pulled from the article were really well placed. In the Frida post, you did a great job of describing the feeling and colors of the painting. I also liked how you explained your reason for picking this painting, it made the post really personal. I totally agree with you about wishing to know what Frida was thinking when she painted this piece, I’d love to know too!

Deirdre:

First of all, I loved the title of your blog about Wright’s article, it cracked me up! You did a really nice job of summarizing his article in a very thoughtful manner. Also, great use of quotes they really added to your description of the article. Your post about Frida was also very well done. The description of Frida’s eyes was wonderful; I think you really nailed her attitude. The vivid words that you used to describe the painting were spot on. Oh, and I completely agree with you about her need to wax her gentleman’s mustache-I’m glad someone finally had the guts to mention it!

"Ella Juega Sola"

Frida Kahlo Fans. Globat. 1 Jan. 2008. Web. 17 Sept. 2009. <>

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The Kahlo painting that I selected is entitled Ella Juega Sola, which translated to She Plays Alone. In this painting, which is the medium of oil on metal, Frida depicts herself as a young girl. On her face she wears a skeleton mask. Next to the young Kahlo on the ground is another mask which appears to be the face of a tiger whose tongue is sticking out of its mouth and whose lips are rimmed in crimson. In her hands, she holds a single, yellow flower. The young Frida and the two masks make up the majority of the foreground.

While the childhood image of Frida is certainly the main focus of the painting, with her image positioned prominently in the foreground there are other elements in the work that may also catch an observer’s eye. The ground under Frida’s feet is a lush green that gradually turns into tan sand dunes in the distance. These dunes give way to blue and white mountains. The sky overhead is colored in dark blues and swirling grays.

The overall impression that I got when viewing this painting was that everything is a contradiction. The masks that are depicted in the painting as well as the yellow flower that Frida clutches are common symbols of the Mexican holiday Dia de Los Muertos. Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a celebration of death and those souls who have already passed. However, the sight of a 4 year old child standing calmly with so many symbolic representations of death surrounding them is certainly out of the ordinary. That is, a child symbolically represents innocence and life, while the masks and flower are clear representations of death and the end of life. Thus, life and death appear to be the theme of this painting.

Another juxtaposition that this painting conjures up is that of the weather in the foreground and the background. In the foreground, the grass is green and alive and Frida is clothed in a lacy, spring-time dress. Interestingly, spring serves as a frequent synonym for youth and the beginning of life. However, the background is filled with snow-capped mountains that allude to winter, which is a classic metaphor for death. All of these contradictions seem to force the viewer to see the highs and lows of a person’s life all in one image. In short, Ella Juega Sola illustrates an entire cycle of life within the constraints of one painting.

Wright Summary

In Robert Wright’s article “Can Machines Think? Maybe so, as Deep Blue’s Chess Prowess Suggests” the primary focus is upon the implications of Artificial Intelligence on the social and philosophical realms. Wright examines the ways in which technological advances could affect the world in which we live and perhaps change the way that we view it. He uses the then-recent chess match between Kasparov, a man, and Deep Blue, a computer, to illustrate the impasse that mankind and motherboards currently find themselves at.

The first point that he focuses upon is the effect that technological advancements are having upon humankind’s identity. Wright feels that with every new advance in the area of Artificial Intelligence, AI, man begins to feel less and less unique. The author expresses his views on this very subject when he writes, “The better these seemingly soulless machines get at doing things people do, the more plausible it seems that we could be soulless machines too” (Wright 140). He touches on the idea that even though computers can now be taught to see and react to external stimuli, they do not experience the emotions that go along with these elements. Thus, the idea of what is consciousness is a prominent question throughout the essay.

Wright also provides the viewpoints of several philosophers on this subject, from David Chalmers, who believes that with each leap of technology the mystery of consciousness grows, to Daniel Dennett, who is a proponent of the theory that consciousness is merely the brain. He provides these two opposing viewpoints in order to acquaint the reader with both sides of the argument. In fact, the camps that these men belong to are so different that, “Consciousness is one of those questions so deep that frequently people with different views don’t just fail to convince one another, they fail even to communicate” (Wright 146). The article closes on a theological note by touching upon the morality of creating AI that are sentient beings. Naturally, some feel that it would go against God to do such a thing, as they believe that He alone has the power to create conscious being. However, others believe that such an act would be far from sacrilege and would in fact be carrying out a Heavenly Mandate. Clearly, the only thing that those within the AI discussion can agree upon is that they disagree.