Film History Research Paper - Self-Reflection Piece

This post is the result of writing my research paper for my English 201 class. It is a self-reflection to demonstrate all the things that this class has helped me in. Writing an eleven-page paper was something I thought was almost impossible but, with the help of my amazing professor Mr. Lewenstein, I managed to pull it off. I had a lot of fun taking this class and I feel that I have vastly improved my writing skills with this course. Shoutout to Mr. Lewenstein!

Explain you reason for choosing your topic.

The topic I chose for the Film History Research Paper was on Pearl Harbor. I settled on this movie because it stands out to me. I remember watching this movie a long time ago, and something that caught my eye were the action scenes. At the time, I didn't know much about what was going on. It wasn't until much later in school, that I learned the actual history behind this movie. This attack was the key event that propelled the United States into World War II. If this attack were to never have happened, the US wouldn't have been in a war and the world could be completely different than what we know today. I love learning about history and the importance of why things happened, and this movie is very interesting to me. Naturally, I chose this topic because I wanted to find out even more about the event and I'm glad I did, I learned a lot of new information.

Explain you research process.

In my previous English class, we were assigned to write a similar paper to this one. For this reason, I kind of knew what to expect in regards to the research process. It consisted of searching for articles and information that had to be credible. I really found it useful to use Proquest to search for reliable sources that were both well written and factually correct. Also, using the tips that Jay gave us came in really handy. I learned how to summarize articles to make it easier to understand and how to annotate said articles to extract information that could be used in my essay.

Explain the writing process.

The writing process was much easier than my other English class. The writing workshops and assignments that were given to us made the entire process much more simple and less daunting. I found it very useful the fact that we were able to sort of break the entire 10 page essay into smaller little chunks. I have been assigned to write less pages than this one and those were way harder due to the lack of structure and organization. Research questions was something that I found to be very fun because it was interesting to find out new information and it made it easier to organize my writing.

What were some of the challenges to getting this thing done.

There were a few challenges to getting this essay done. At the beginning, I was feeling a little intimidated by all the writing that we were gonna have to do. However, this intimidation went away as the class progressed. This is because we didn't have to write all of it at once, we went slowly to ensure that we didn't feel overwhelmed. Writing a 10 page essay is much easier when you break it up into smaller parts. This was something that hadn't been taught to me before and I was definitely thankful that this was the case. I feel that I have learned how to write a long essay effectively and efficiently.

Can you see yourself using any of these strategies or techniques in other classes.

I certainly feel that these strategies will be helpful in any future writing class that I might take. Like I said before, I had been assigned to write shorter essays than this one and those felt way harder. The techniques we used in this class were very helpful in breaking up the essay to feel like less. I feel much more confident in my writing skills. Also, I will definitely use Proquest and similar search engines to look for credible and reliable sources for any of my future classes. I am very happy that I decided to take this class as it has improved my writing skills and increased my confidence to write longer papers.

M. Butterfly - Act 2 Scenes 6,7, and 8 Analysis/Breakdown

Many interesting and subtle events happen in scenes 6,7, and 8. One of these is Gallimard's demand/request to see Song strip naked. The significance of this is that Gallimard thrives on Song being submissive to him. Gallimard finds satisfaction in telling her what to do, such is the case with asking her to strip. He wants to control Song, as he finds pleasure in telling her what to do. Song fits the description of being a "submissive Oriental" in Gallimard's head. When Gallimard leaves the reception, during his encounter with Toulon, he is feeling over- confident. He feels this way because of his relationship with Song. Since he has successfully managed to control an Oriental woman, he feels superior and as if he can do anything. He agrees with the plan to assassinate Diem; however, he doesn't really think this through. He doesn't look at all possible outcomes of what can happen. After speaking with Toulon, he is angry at the fact that Toulon won't stand by his side if the assassination doesn't go as planned. The reasons Gallimard gives for wanting to see Song strip naked are that it would help fix their problem. The problem being that men grow tired of women, even beautiful ones. She reacts by saying that she can't strip because then it would rid her of her modesty. This modesty is what initially drew Gallimard to Song. She reacts this way as a method of preventing the whole thing from being over. If Song were to strip, then Gallimard would see that she is really a man. This moment is pivotal for various reasons; one being that this is the first time Gallimard feels love for Song, and the other being that it ensures Gallimard will stay with Song. Song tells Gallimard that she is pregnant and he replies by saying that he wants to marry her. By Gallimard saying this, he is basically surrendering himself to Song's power. Although the pregnancy is not real, Gallimard's love for Song is.

"Blurred Lines" vs. M. Butterfly

Explanation of How the Song Fits Our Scene:

Robin Thicke’s song, “Blurred Lines” connects like a perfect puzzle piece when comparing it to the play M. Butterfly. The audience can infer that Rene Gallimard is experiencing blurred lines when demanding that Song have sex with him. Since Rene is brought up with a Westward mentality, he is unable to comprehend the ill logic behind the belief that, “Her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes.” That concept is blurry matter for him. So, all Gallimard thinks is that Song is a “Good girl!” and that, “I [Rene] know you [Song] want it.” Not only that, but the lyrics in the song state that males, “try to domesticate you [females].” This form of male power over females can clearly be seen in the play M. Butterfly. For instance, this form of male superiority is witnessed when Song tells the judge that, “the West believes the East, deep down, wants to be dominated because a woman can't think for herself.” This song assumes that men know exactly what women want, despite them not asking for her consent.

“Blurred Lines” Summary:

In the song, Robin Thicke is at a party and he is receiving mixed signals from a very attractive female. He notices that she has a boyfriend, but that doesn't stop him from trying to sleep with her. He is unwilling to accept that she’s not interested in him, so he starts to tell her that, “I know you want it.” He tries to convince her that she is meant to be a wild animal. Robin keeps whispering in her ear that he knows that she wants “it” because he is assuming that her silence means she’s too shy to say she does want him. He claims that she’s a “good girl” because he thinks that she’s denying her wanting to have dirty sex with him.

Summary of the Artist:

Robin Thicke is an American singer/songwriter who released a controversial song named, “Blurred Lines.” He was born into fame, since his parents are Gloria Loring and Alan Thicke. He began to create music in his early teen and quickly hit it off. In 2013, Thicke released his “Blurred Lines” which sparked his career. Yet, Robin Thicke confessed that he was not the main creator of the song. Turn out, Pharrell Williams, another singer/songwriter, composed the majority of that song. The reason it stirred up so much controversy is because, "It promotes a very worrying attitude towards sex and consent," as explained by Kirsty Haigh.

“Blurred Lines” Lyrics vs. M. Butterfly:

Robin Thicke Lyrics “Blurred Lines”	David Hwang Text – M. Butterfly
Now he was close Tried to domesticate you But you're an animal Baby, it's in your nature	Song: “the West believes the East, deep down, wants to be dominated because a woman can't think for herself.”
Good girl! I know you want it	Song: “Her mouth says no, but her eyes say yes.”
Just let me liberate you You don't need no papers That man is not your maker And that's why I'm gon' take you	Song: “I’m a modest girl.”  Gallimard: “I know. And very beautiful. (he touches her hair)” Song: “Please-go now. The next time you see me, I shall again be myself.” Gallimard: “I like the way you are right now.” Song: “You are a cad.”  Gallimard: “What do you expect? I’m a foreign devil.”

Works Cited

“Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke Songfacts.” Song Meanings at Songfests, www.songfacts.com/detail.php? (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. id=29390.

Lynskey, Dorian. “Blurred Lines: the Most Controversial Song of the Decade.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 13 Nov. 2013, www.theguardian.com/music/2013/nov/13/blurred-lines-most-controversial-song-decade (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..

“Robin Thicke.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 30 May 2017, www.biography.com/people/robin-thicke-21209847.

Research Paper Excerpt - Introduction

Below I have included the introduction to a research paper I wrote for my English 201 class. The synopsis of my essay describes an important event in American history, the attack on Pearl Harbor. It includes the events that led up to the attack and also the repercussions of this attack. I also use the movie Pearl Harbor as a method of comparison to the actual event. If you would like to read the rest of my essay, contact me and I will send it to you!

No one would have imagined what could happen to Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It was a calm Sunday morning and people were enjoying their day at home. No one suspected that anything eventful would happen that day, but they were wrong. Radar had picked up a few dozen aircraft approaching Pearl Harbor, but they were quickly dismissed as being just planes out practicing. As the Japanese aircraft approached the area where American ships were located, people on the island were confused as to why there were planes flying so close to the ground. Suddenly, Japanese planes reached American ships on shore, and they began dropping bombs. Soldiers were instantly woken up from their bunk beds inside the aircraft carriers and immediately sent to their battle stations. Soon, it clicked that they were under attack. Many American ships were torpedoed and sustained a lot of damage; some were sank, such as the USS Arizona. As people on the island began spreading the news, the damage continued. Japanese soldiers were ruthless and fought with tremendous bravery and determination. When the smoke finally lifted and firing of weapons ceased, it became real what had just happened. Countless American ships were damaged and there were also many casualties from the attack. The Japanese had accomplished what they set out to do, which was, cripple the US naval firepower. Steve Twomey, in his article “How (Almost) Everyone Failed to Prepare for Pearl Harbor,” summarizes this event in simple terms, “Americans simply underestimated the Japanese.” 

Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese government believed that expanding into China's territory would fix their economic and demographic problems. This caused the Americans to become frustrated with Japan. Both countries tried having talks to come to a resolution, but no one would budge. They couldn't come to an agreement and soon the talks went stale. The tension was already high between the two and Japan was tired of American involvement in their foreign matters. Robert Higgs, writer of “How U.S Economic Warfare Provoked Japan’s Attack on Pearl Harbor” states that “U.S economic warfare had to do with provoking the Japanese to mount their attack.” Japan was set out to completely destroy American naval ships to prove their point. Although Japan did succeed in winning the battle, they certainly did not win the war. After the attack, the United States was now officially a part of World War II. To get revenge for what the Japanese had done to Americans, the US dropped atomic bombs on two of Japan’s cities. These were Nagasaki and Hiroshima. These bombs did tremendous damage to Japan, and more than 80,000 people died instantly. According to Jonah Bromwich’s article “How Pearl Harbor Shaped the Modern World” World War II was the first time the US used nuclear strikes. Bromwich claims “President Harry S. Truman ordered attacks on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.” Sadly, this tragedy could have been avoided if the US had taken the appropriate precautions to defend the harbor. In this island paradise, no one foresaw a surprise attack. In the movie Pearl Harbor, people thought they were miles away from danger, but they were minutes away from war.

M. Butterfly - Act 3 Scene 1 Analysis

Scene one of Act three is a scene where all loose ends begin to tie up. Song begins to explain rule one, which is that men will believe what they want to hear. The setting for this scene is a courtroom in which Song and Toulon are present. Toulon is dressed as a judge and Song is describing his activities as a spy for China. He is also describing how Gallimard had a part in all of this. Song is explaining all of this because he is on trial. They are trying to squeeze any information out of Song regarding all the events that transpired throughout his relationship with Gallimard. Rule number one has a connection with Gallimard, in that, he was so blinded by his love of Song that he was in denial of Song being a man the whole time. Throughout their relationship, Gallimard would present information to Song and then Song would take copies to the Chinese embassy in Paris. Gallimard was naive to think that Song wouldn't be capable of doing anything like what he did, which is, manipulate him for information. I think the relationship went on for as long as it did because of Gallimard's obsession with Oriental women. He was simply blinded by love. Rule number two is that the West have a rape mentality towards the East. Song bases this theory using his prior knowledge of men from his mother who happened to be a sex worker who serviced white men. What he means by this is that Western men justify their sexual violence by saying that the woman they abuse secretly wanted to be abused. This has a connection with the Asian countries in that men tend to view these countries as being feminine and thus they want to abuse of Eastern women. In the same way men justify violent treatment of women, Western nations justify violence against Asian nations through stereotypes that suggest Asian people want to be dominated. This is why Gallimard wanted to control Song so desperately. Now in the beginning of M. Butterfly, Rene seems to have all control over Song but this isn't so much the case at the end. Since Rene was so obsessed with Song, he would do anything to stay by her side. He wanted to feel loved by the perfect women and in his head this woman was Song. He couldn't let go of her and slowly began falling deeper and deeper into Song's trap. This trap was set up only as a way of extracting information from Rene. The tables turn because the true intentions behind their relationship is uncovered. Song was a Chinese spy who happened to be a man, and Gallimard became so enthralled with Song that he could not let go.In the end, Gallimard was in Song's control.

Book From My Past

A book from my past is Animal Farm by George Orwell. I read this book my freshman year in high school. My english teacher at the time, Mr. Fusi, assigned for the class to read the book and write a few pages on what we thought of the story. The book takes place on a farm as the title suggests. There are many animals on this farm including pigs, horses, chickens, and a few dogs and puppies. Since the smartest animals on this farm were the pigs, they were the leaders. The pigs set up a series of rules and plans to get rid of human control. The animals wanted to be sovereign from human rule. When they manage to get rid of human control, the pigs create rules for the other animals to follow in order to keep everything civilized. These pigs would create very vague rules that benefitted mostly the pigs. They were the ones who would get the best food, shelter, and other supplies. These rules were very one-sided and only helped the top animals. In the end of the story, the pigs had become so similar to humans that they were unable to tell them apart. The pigs would walk like humans, sleep in beds like humans, and even talked like them. I remember this book because at first i thought it was silly. A group of animals that govern themselves, how ridiculous. It wasn't until my teacher began explaining what was going on that i began to see the similarities to real life. The animals were acting just like corrupt politicians do. It is a pretty eye-opening book. I would recommend this book to anyone in the class. It helps to show how corrupt people and the government really are.

Two Truths and One Lie

1. Back when i was in high school i was on the cross country team for CUHS. I tried out my freshman year and i made it to JV. I was a pretty good runner but i knew i could be better and i tried harder. My sophomore year i tried out again and i made varsity. I was really happy. I was also in soccer so i had a bit more endurance and stamina than the rest of the people i completed against. When i was a senior, my teammates and I were doing really well and we went on to compete in CIF. We competed against teams from San Diego and we would do pretty well against them. We went on to win CIF that year and we all got medals and our CIF patches. It was a pretty good year.







2. An interesting fact about me is that I'm into all kinds of cars. Anything from imports to muscle cars to even supercars. I like old and new cars aswell. My favorite old muscle car would be a 1967 Shelby GT500. I think old muscle cars are really cool because they were more mechanical back in the day. I prefer cars that have V8's because they have more power and because they sound way better than 4 or 6 cylinder cars. I like going to car meets here in the Valley and sometimes in San Diego. I think cars are pretty cool.






3. I like to skate. I got my first board when i was around 12 years old. It was a pretty small board so doing tricks on it was kinda hard. Eventually i got a bigger board that fit my feet better and doing tricks is easier now. Whenever i have free time, i like to go to the skatepark with my friends and practice new tricks. About 2 summers ago, my friends and i were really bored so we decided to skate to Walmart from In n Out. It was a really long ride over there and took us about 45 minutes back and forth. My feet were hurting at the end of our little trip.

Movie Poster Analysis - Pearl Harbor

1) I chose to do my project on the movie Pearl Harbor. This movie came out in 2001 and it depicts the events that led up to the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Both of the movie posters i included have a very gloomy look to them. The colors used in these posters are all very dark colors such as grey, black, and brown. These colors were purposefully used to give the viewer a glimpse as to what the movie will be about. The poster also show the three main characters of the movie. A plane flying can be seen, and this is because in the attack of Pearl Harbor, Japanese fighter planes would drop bombs on American troops and ships. Smoke can be seen rising in the background and this is to show that the Japanese did a lot of damage to American troops, they went on to sink the USS Arizona.

2) The creator of these posters were out to show that this a serious movie about a very serious event in US history. The attack is basically what got the US into war and it is a very important event. They wanted to set a very dark and gloomy mood with the use of the dark colors. The use of the American flag is there to symbolize that even after the attack, the US were still standing proud.


3) The intended audience for this movie would be people who want to learn about what it was like back in the 1940's. It was a very tough time because the US was on the brink of war and then after the attack, they were in war. Anyone could really watch this movie as it could apply to many people. Obviously the main audience would be Americans, but anyone can watch the movie. If you like learning about history or you like war movies then this would be a good option.


4) The visual element that grabs my attention first is the main characters. Their faces are enlarged and it is one of the first things you notice. However, when you look closer into the background, you notice a war ship with smoke coming from it. This is the USS Arizona that was sunk in battle. The movie poster shows a lot of dark grey smoke surrounding almost the entire middle section.


5) A persuasive strategy used is pathos. Pathos is appealing to emotion and this movie has a lot of that. Not only is it used in the movie poster by showing a burning, smoking, and sinking ship; but its also used throughout the movie. It depicts the lives of soldiers and how hard it was on them. Being surprised one day to find out you are being bombed by fighter planes is a very scary thought and this can be seen in the movie. Many lives were lost that day and a lot of people were injured. It was a very tragic day.


6) Not much can be deciphered by the words used in the poster. This is because there is only the movie title along with some names and that is about it. If anything it was kept this way to make it more simple and straight to the point. The words "Pearl Harbor" can be seen in an easy to read white font. This , i think, was done to show that this movie is about one thing and one thing only, Pearl Harbor.


7) What is being shown is the American side of the damages. We can see the USS Arizona is being sunk, but we do not see the Japanese side. When the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred, many Japanese fighter planes were doing suicide dive runs. They would fly their planes straight into American ships and buildings, causing as much damage as they could. These Japanese suicide planes were know as kamikaze planes. These Japanese soldiers did not care about their lives at all. They would do anything for their country and they meant it. Taking their own lives was seen as a necessary thing for them.