English 12 CHS Cultural Studies Analysis Essay Assignment Due June 15
Cultural Studies Analysis Essay: A cultural analysis is based on the premise that understanding a particular culture (in our case for this assignment, contemporary American popular culture) will help us to better understand and appreciate a literary text. Cultural analysis means making connections between a text we’ve read (watched, listened to, etc.) and the cultural contexts from which that text emerged. In this assignment you should consider what you’ve been consuming at home during this “corona-cation.” Movies? Books? Pod-casts? Album? Video games? Series? Music videos? Any of these “texts” are fair game for this assignment. But choose something that you can analyze in terms of how this text reflects or conveys certain aspects (trends, values, beliefs, attitudes) of our popular culture. Your analysis may or may not include a formal analysis of the text (literary or creative strategies or techniques of the author or creator), but should move beyond the examination of the text itself to make connections to the values, institutions, practices, trends, and people (individuals and/or groups)of popular culture.
First, you need a better understanding of the ideas behind Cultural Studies. Like feminism, racism, psychoanalysis, history, etc., culture itself can be another lens through which to analyze a work of art.
Cultural studies is contemporary interdisciplinary field of academic study that focuses on understanding the social power encoded in “texts”–which may include any analyzable phenomenon from a traditional poem or story, to an advertising image, television show, movie, song lyrics or even a video game.
One of the originators of this approach to analyzing literature, a British university professor named Raymond Williams (1921-1983), argued that scholars should not study culture as a canon of great works by individual artists, but rather examine it as an evolutionary process that involves the entire society. “We cannot separate literature and art from other kinds of social practice,” Williams said. The critic’s focus is on investigating the complex relationships among history, politics, and literature.
A chief goal of cultural studies is to understand the nature of social power as reflected in “texts.” More than anything, it is a political enterprise that views literary analysis as a means of furthering social justice. For example, if the object of analysis were a play by Shakespeare, the critic would examine the moral, psychological, and political assumptions reflected in the play and then analyze these ideas in terms of what individuals, social classes, or gender might benefit from having those assumptions perceived as true. A cultural studies critic might examine Othello as a commentary on race or “otherness.” Although the black Othello is a respected general, he is not readily accepted as a suitor, and then husband, of the beautiful Italian aristocrat, Desdomona. More importantly, the power struggle that develops between Othello and Iago is the result of uncontrolled hatred of the racist Iago for Othello, his superior in military rank. The “assumption” presented in this story is that people cannot tolerate an outsider (a foreigner or someone of a different race) to be fully welcomed into their community or to be in power. People who are perceived as “outsiders” would then benefit from this story being told as it brings an important truth to light. (Another example would be “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin. One “assumption” reflected in the story could be how, despite the fact that women of those times were expected to marry and be happily waiting at home for their husband to return from his daily “business,” not all women were actually satisfied or fulfilled with this life. Women would then be empowered by or “benefit from” that story’s message.)
A cultural studies critic may employ any methodology in their analysis, but often borrows from other approaches (lenses) such as gender criticism, race theory, and psychology. The critic attempts to explore the underlying social, political, and psychological conflicts reflected in the work. They would examine the ongoing struggle for power (political? economic?) between social classes, races, and genders.
When critiquing a work the cultural studies critic would ask questions such as:
What are the social purposes or functions of this text? (to inform, bring awareness, or persuade on a particular issue or topic? To provide a specific form of entertainment that would appeal to a specific individual or group?)
What social class created the work of art, and what class (or classes)served as its audience?
What specific appeal does this work have for its intended audience? Why?
Why might readers/audience find this text compelling?
What social values are implied or reflected in the text? (How do they align with your values?)
Upon what social understanding does the text depend?
What social inequality is shown between sexes, races, or social classes?
What groups or individuals are included or excluded? Who is resisting?
Who is dominating? Who is just along for the ride? Oppression vs. emancipation?
Who is the perpetrator and/or the victim of violence? Of tolerance?
How is “sameness” or “otherness” treated in the work?
How might this text affect the freedom or movement of a person or groups of persons?
How is it connected to social groups, beliefs, structures, issues, ideas, events, habits, customs, practices, or communications?
Your task: Choose a work that you have recently been enjoying or engaged with, and write a minimum 3-page analysis that examines how that work reflects contemporary American popular culture. Consider: what are current trends, tastes, attitudes, values, beliefs, ideas stated or implied in the work, and what do they say about our society? These concepts may be stated clearly and obviously in the work, or may be implied or symbolized in less obvious ways. (For example, what societal groups or individuals might be symbolized by aliens or zombies in a video game? What societal issues might the conflict in the game represent? Or simply, what individuals or groups might be entertained by this game and why does it hold a special appeal for them? And what does their interest in this particular game say about them as a group in our society in terms of their interests, values, attitudes, beliefs, etc.?) Your analysis of the work may (or may not) also include a more formal, English-y analysis, too, of the creative or literary techniques/strategies of the author or creator of the work. For example, what metaphors, symbols or images are important in the work? What special effects are used how do they impact the work? Just make sure you have at least 3 pages worth of stuff to say about your work!
Your essay might follow an outline like this (you won’t necessarily write about all of these elements.):
Intro: Introduce, give the title and author (producer? composer?) of your chosen “text.” Give a brief summary or overview of the text/work, and explain why you chose it.
More in-depth summary or description of the work: This could be all included in the intro if you would prefer. I like to keep my intros more short and to the point, then give a more detailed summary in a separate paragraph.
Theme(s): What does this “text” seem to suggest about life, people, human nature, or contemporary society. What are some of the truths being explored in this text? What are the life lessons?
Characterization: What do the writers (actors?directors? creators?) show us about who these people are? What are there motivations? Conflicts? Interests? How do they show this? Through language? Actions? Choices? Interactions? Bo: dy language? Dress? What do these characters show about current society? Are they representations of certain individuals or groups? Do they represent sameness or diversity? The “norm” or the exception to the norm?
Internal or external conflict: What issues or concerns are your characters struggling with? Dealing with past trauma? Identity struggles? Issues with other individuals or groups? How do these struggles manifest themselves and how are they resolved–or not resolved? Do these conflicts represent similar or larger struggles in contemporary society?
Style: What are some unique or interesting characteristics of the story (song? Game? work?) Is it told through animation? Quirky characters? Voiceover? Interesting camera angles? What metaphors, images, symbols seem to be at work? What mood or tone is evoked in the piece? How? How is the setting created? What is the impact of these characteristics of style on the overall effect of the piece? What does it represent or why does it appeal to certain elements of contemporary society?
Conclusion : Summarize the overall impact or appeal of your chosen “text” or work, especially what it says about contemporary American culture.