A subjective experience is something experienced by the individual in their mind. The subjective experience is an inner life experience rather than a part of one’s external reality. These experiences can be ones made up completely in the mind or reactions to reality that are personal. Badlands directed by Terrence Malick and If…. Directed by Lindsay Anderson are two films that contain and represent the subjective experience. In the film Badlands the subjective experience is linked to Holly, who narrates the film and in if…. It is linked to Mick Travis character. In both of these films the subjective experience are events made up in these characters minds.
In the film Badlands the narration is provided by Sissy Spacek’s character Holly, a young girl in South Dakota. Throughout the film we get Holly’s reactions to everything happening in the story as well as her own thoughts and daydreams. It is even possible that the entire thing is a story she has made up in her own head. We know that she is telling the story from some time in the future since later in the film she tells us that she ended up marrying the son of the lawyer who had gotten her off on probation. In this case it is possible that she could change parts of the story to fit her desires. In the article “Coming of Age in the 1970s: Revision, Fantasy, and Rage in the Teen-Girl Badlands” the author Barbara Jane Brickman writes the Holly is above the viewer in “the hierarchy of knowledge, since she is clearly privy to more information and doles it out as she sees fit, sometimes even assessing the feelings and interior motivations of other characters” (27-8). There are numerous occasions throughout the film where Holly gives us information about things happenin...
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...ant to its story. These fantasies are subjective experiences for Holly and for Mick as they give focus on the inner life of these characters. The use of fantasy gives these films a unique structure to their stories. With it there can be multiple interpretation of each. In If… maybe it is not a fantasy and they really did open fire on the school. In Badlands it gives multiply possibilities for Holly’s role in the narrative with her narration.
Works Cited
Badlands. Dir. Terrence Malick. Perf. Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen. Warner Bros., 1973. DVD.
Brickman, B. J. "Coming of Age in the 1970s: Revision, Fantasy, and Rage in the Teen-Girl Badlands." Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies 22.66 (2007): 25 59. Humanities International Complete. Web. 5 May 2014.
If.... Dir. Lindsay Anderson. Perf. Malcolm McDowell. Paramount Pictures, 1968. DVD.
Reading Chapter 11, “Genders and Sexualities,” written by Carrie Hintz was to construct and enact alternatives for these two traditional categories. Data is clearly indicated that sexual material is some of the most controversial content in literature. Children’s literature that is involved with adolescent’s childhood are key battlegrounds for attitudes about gender and sexuality. The significance of gender and sexuality in children’s literature is the persistent investment in what is perceived to be the innocence of children. Innocence is defined in part by children’s enforced ignorance of sexual matters. According to James Kincaid, “Youth and innocence are two of the most eroticized constructions of the past two centuries. Innocence was that
Teenage rebellion is typically portrayed in stories, films, and other genres as a testosterone-based phenomenon. There is an overplayed need for one to acknowledge a boy’s rebellion against his father, his life direction, the “system,” in an effort to become a man, or rather an adult. However, rarely is the female addressed in such a scenario. What happens when little girls grow up? Do they rebel? Do they, in a sudden overpowering rush of estrogen, deny what has been taught to them from birth and shed their former youthful façades? Do they turn on their mothers? In Sharon Olds’ poem, “The Possessive,” the reader is finally introduced to the female version of the popular coming-of-age theme as a simple haircut becomes a symbol for the growing breach between mother and daughter through the use of striking images and specific word choice.
Mitchell, R. (2001). Late Girlhood and End of Childhood. Tall Woman (pp. 63-65). Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
While reading this book, the reader can come to the conclusion that Dr. Mary Pipher was successful with her argument. Her use of rhetoric, diction and style strengthen her claims in her story. The reader should take away from this book that teenage girls go through a lot during puberty and it is up to society and parents to create a more accepting and understanding world for
Currie, Elliot. 2005. The Road to Whatever: Middle-Class Culture and the Crisis of Adolescence. New York: Metropolitan Books.
Everyone knows that growing up is not an easy thing to do. In fact, the teenage years can be one of the most tumultuous stages of a person’s life. Changes take place daily, making it seem as though a person has no control over his life. These years often are marked by feelings of insecurity, hostility, and uncertainty. Despite this, however, the fact remains that the teenage years also serve as a time of personal growth and maturation. Because these years are so important, it is my belief that schools would be wise to consider adding a unit devoted to the study of texts that chronicle this growth process. I believe that many students would benefit greatly from a curricular unit centered around the “coming of age” theme.
Douglas Light said that our imagination is better than any answer to a question. Light distinguishes between two genres: fantasy and fiction. He described how fantasy stimulates one’s imagination, which is more appealing, but fiction can just be a relatable story. In the same way, books and movies are very different entities. In the short parable Doubt, the readers are lured in to the possibility of a scandalous relationship between a pastor and an alter boy.
To be a teenaged girl means many things in this modern society. There are numerous expectations set for the average sixteen year old female: she must be pretty, popular, thin, preferably intelligent, but not too intelligent, and she must subjugate her will to the group. This world has a tendency to shun females who are too independent, who seek too much power, and who attempt to break from the stereotypical female mold. I have personally experienced this spurning, especially from my peers. There exists a dichotomy somewhere in my own soul, a rift between that which I am expected to be and who I really am. Harry Haller, in Hermann Hesse's novel Steppenwolf, experienced a similar predicament. He was torn between the life of a socially acceptable, "decent" man, and the primal, lupine nature of the Steppenwolf. I find myself caught between wanting to be a socially acceptable, "popular" girl, and being the independent, intellectual, and strong person that I actually am. There are a number of parallels between Haller and I, each further proving that the dichotomy of the Steppenwolf and the division within myself, the teenaged girl, are of the same essence.
In other industrialized nations, teenage turmoil was a fraction of that seen in the U.S. The author proposed that turmoil was the result of infantilizing- a phenomenon largely attributed to American culture. When treated like adults, teens are capable of rising to the...
Adolescents is a time of significant life transitions in which young adults learn to cope with changes that are brought about by physical and emotional maturation (Sands and Howard-Hamilton, 1994). During this time girls begin to become more aware of themselves as females, and learn to identify society’s signals to conform appropriately for their gender (Sands and Howard-Hamilton, 1994). The highschool girls that are present in this writers program are starting to unders...
Initially, Rios illustrates a young boy perplexed by a new-found maturity. As the maturation from childhood to adolescence begins, he is facing unfamiliar feelings about the opposite sex. An example of this is apparent as Rios explains that the boy cannot talk to girls anymore; at least “not the same way we used to” (Rios 453). Since his emotions have new depth and maturity, the young boy realizes the nature of his friendships has changed. Innocence is further lost as the girls who are former friends, “weren’t the same girls we used to know” (453). The boy has matured from his casual, youthful interactions, and is now seeing the girls in a new light. Another example of his maturity manifests sexually as he reflects about the girls, “and all the things we wanted to do with them” (454). Although he is unsure how to act upon his thoughts, the innocence is none the less tainted by his desires for mature relations with the young girls. The maturity and sexual maturity bring forth a storm of emotions that prove to be both exhilarating and confusing for the young boy.
In this paper I will talk about some information that I have obtained from reading Mary Piphers, Reviving Ophelia, Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls and give my view on some of her main points and arguments. I also will discuss why I feel Mary Pipher’s views on the toxic influence of media are accurate, and that it does affect adolescent girls. This paper will also point out the importance of Mary Pipher’s studies on the problems that today’s female teens are facing and why I feel they are important and cannot be ignored.
Adolescence is the stage in life when you are no longer a child, but not yet an adult. There are many things that still need to be explored, learned and conquered. In the film Thirteen, the main character, Tracy Freeland, is just entering adolescence. While trying to conquer Erikson’s theory of Identity vs. Role confusion, Tracy is affected by many influences, including family and friends that hinder her development. Many concepts from what we have learned in class can be applied to this character from identity development, to depression, to adolescent sexuality and more. In this film Tracy is a prime example of an adolescent and much of what I have learned this year can be applied to her character.
Offer, Daniel, Melvin Sabshin, and Judith L. Offer. The Psychological World of the Teen-Ager. New York: Basic Books, 1969.