In comparing two films, Madame Freedom and Hell Flower, discuss the ways in which the United States’ domination of South Korea involved its deployment of commodities of different kinds, such as cultural commodities (music, dance, more broadly lifestyle) and material commodities (clothing, furniture, food and other modern conveniences), according to their respective representations of this era. In your consideration of the relations between the US hegemony over South Korea and commodities, please refer to and apply the concepts of “Commodity Imperialism” discussed in class and “Commodity Feminism” from Sturken and Cartwright’s article. (You can also use other ideas from Sturken and Cartwright that are relevant to the ways in which cultural domination including commodities as a cultural force contributes to the overall hegemony.) Please discuss at least 2 examples from each film. (4 total)
(1 ½ pages ~ 2 pages)
Discuss the ways in which Christina Klein’s idea of “women as icons of modernity” is relevant to their portrayal of the respective female protagonists in A Female Boss and Hell Flower. You should briefly summarize Klein’s argument and define what “women as icons of modernity” might mean in her article and consider how it may differently apply in the context of these two movies. Given that Johanna and Sonya come from vastly different socio-economic backgrounds, you have to consider the ways in which these characters constitute different types of feminine iconicity.
Put another way, please consider the following questions: What kinds of social, historical, symbolic meanings do these female characters embody? ; How do their class positions contribute to/structure the kinds of iconicity they represent? ; How would you relate this notion of women as icons of modernity to the larger recuperative plot where the women’s “modernity” has to be ultimately managed and controlled by the patriarchal forces? ; How does this notion of women as icons compare with the implicit universality of men as the actual agents of modernity and modernization?
These are only questions to consider as guidelines but not questions for you to answer.
Please discuss at least 2 examples from each film. (4 total)
(Madame Freedom)
(Hell Flower)
(A female boss)
Sample Solution
an increasingly normal background: two lovely parents who have been married for 25 years, two older sisters, and the sweetest dog ever by the name of Tarzan. Essentially, I was born and raised for the majority of my life in Salt Lake City, Utah, however my ethnic roots are from Cusco, Perú. When I was very little, I actually used to have a brain tumor and that was the main reason why my family migrated to the United States (more advanced medical treatments) from Perú. Obviously, I grew up with both Spanish and English in my household and can proudly say I speak fluently in both. With regards to my education though, I am presently a concurrent enrolment student. Apart from the college, I attend Innovations Early College High School and am a junior there. This Spring 2019 would categorize as my fourth semester at Salt Lake Community College. What I love most about starting early is having that opportunity at getting a head start at pursuing my career in the hard sciences and using it to merge when I transfer to a four-year institution.
On that note, I have many goals set up for myself that range from short to long and am someone who always likes to add more too. In fact, whenever I am near to accomplishing a few goals, I like to delve back into research and challenge myself more. My biggest goal as of right now is to become a paediatrician. Therefore, my focus is on pursuing Medical School. The pathway I’ve set up for myself to do such is to first obtain my Associates in General Studies along with my high school diploma in the Summer of 2019, then proceed for a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry, with a minor in Writing and Rhetoric in the Fall of 2019. And, ultimately finish that degree in the Spring of 2020. With that, I wish to seek out fellowships and internships in and out of state afterwards as a way
to prepare myself to apply for Medical School to the top five universities in my list. Otherwise, I also want to learn a new language like Portuguese or French.