Unit Test and Rambling
For this week in language and literature, we did not get to do much. Class was postponed on Monday because of Typhoon Karding, so for Thursday we instead focused on filming the videos for UN Week. However, we have unit tests next week, and in my free time today I was pondering about how to apply the formula for evaluating language and literature texts to prepare. For example, in my Visual Arts class, I had to do a 500 word essay on a documentary narrated by Robert Scruton. The documentary uses the rhetoric of logos and ethos to inform artists of the value of beauty when the world and the art that reflects it is grotesque and cynical. The documentary appeals to logos by contrasting and comparing the works of art before to those of the present time and providing the historical and philosophical context behind each art movement discussed. The documentary uses ethos by using the interviews of art experts to validate Scruton's claims. Scruton also talks as if he is directly talking to us artists, and the appeal to ethos also works to tell us that he has spoken to reputable sources on the topic of beauty. He also shows a firm stance in his beliefs, walking around and critiquing the art and architecture of the place. The documentary uses the visuals to further demonstrate the point. It is solemn as if it is mourning the loss of beauty.
I also thought about the validity of video games as media and while it is a new medium, I think that the unique textual features of the video game make it an interesting topic to discuss in language and literature. Like with comics, it may utilize what is seemingly juvenile, or on the opposite end of the spectrum, extremely provocative and taboo, to convey a message that personally speaks to the player and may speak about the larger culture surrounding the game. For example, The World Ends with You uses the dual screens of the Nintendo DS to demonstrate the difficulty of maintaining synergy between the people you form partnerships with, and the need to trust and coordinate with your friends to clearly communicate. It demonstrates this required coordination by using unique mechanics such as the shared HP bar between the two characters on the seperate screens and the turn based light puck system where light that increases your combo is passed like a puck between the two characters on screen. Both retaining HP and making use of this light puck are key to getting a good score in game and contribute to the larger message of opening yourself up to newer perspectives. I attempted to write a reader-response paper on the game last school year, but because we were limited to the discussion of the plot and the literary devices, I felt limited by those parameters. I had to discuss the game as if it were a book, which helped me with narrowing down the subject matter of the paper, but I had to compromise the discussion of some of the unique features of the medium that can impact a player's understanding of the narrative. Mechanics in a game often shape the story, because developers and designers often consider that first before constructing the narrative. Mechanics are also directly interacted with in game and are key to a player's perception of it. Whether or not games are art or literature is an interesting discussion to me because of these unique, highly interactive characteristics and choices.
Finally, I also realised in Language and Literature why adaptations may be difficult. Adapations of comics and books to film and vice versa are difficult because they have different textual features. Authorial choices on text may not translate well to film, or may be lost to translation. I don't have a concrete example of this yet but many anime have this problem as they are often adapted from manga or light novels. Another random work I wanted to analyse was Scott Pilgrim but I don't have anything concrete on that either. Ultimately, I spent most of my time trying to apply language and literature concepts to other areas of IBDP and my life, and I consider quiet moments like this valuable as well. Hopefully, I can start with the Langston Hughes reading and analysing my favorite media to prepare for the test.