LangK

The Twilight Saga

 What Would Johnson Say? February 14, 2010

 I think that Allan Johnson would say that the movies Twilight and New Moon do revolve in a somewhat patriarchal society. Johnson states, "Patriarchy is male dominated in that positions of authority are reserved for men" (5). The movie is about Bella having to choose whether she wants to be with Edward or Jacob. These men are not just ordinary men either, of course, one’s a vampire and one’s a werewolf. Bella, though, is just a regular human being. That right there shows us something dealing with patriarchy, the men are shown as being “above average.” The book was written possibly to show that there’s a male dominance in the sense that the men do have a control over Bella. She can’t just live her life and be happy but she needs to pick one or the other. These men are dominating in the fact that they literally have “powers” beyond human strength. You don’t see Bella being the vampire or werewolf choosing an ordinary man, of course, the males are. These men also try to be dominating over each other in trying to win Bella. They both try to act superior to the other one.

 The males in this movie are not only dominant but also male centered. The focus of attention on the movie is primarily on what they are doing and who they are. The movie shows us how Bella is there “for the ride.” She is primarily in the movie so the men have something to fight over. The men in this movie also have a need to feel in control. They both want Bella when they both can’t have her. Edward even tries to tell Bella what to do and that he will not let her be bitten to become like him. When in all reality, it’s her life and she should be able to make her own choices. Edward tries to control her, granted he might be trying to do what best for her he still tries to be in control. He is determining her future.

Also, the male figures in the movies are the ones that seem to be more powerful or in control. For example, Edward's father is a doctor and pretty much runs the family. He makes the family accept that Edward wants to bring Bella (a human) into a vampire family. Also, as you see New Moon towards the end of the movie you get introduced to the  Volturi. They are the three most powerful vampires, and of course, they are three males.

These movies show a patriarchal society in the sense that they are male dominated, male centered, and control of women. I think that if we analyze anything we will see how it is patriarchal. I know that throughout the movie it does challenge Johnson's view on patriarchy but majority of it shows patriarchy.

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What would Parsons say? February 21, 2010

​ I think that Parsons would agree that these movies are not princess fairy tales but do involve falling in love. It is a typical story of a girl having to choose between two men. Parsons states on page 137 that 'fairy tales in a patriarchal tradition portray women as weak, submissive, dependent, and self-sacrificing, while men are powerful, active, and dominant.' This is entirely true in the sense of the Twilight and New Moon movies. Bella is very weak compared to the men she can be with. She moves to town and doesn't like it and then when she meets Edward she ends up loving it there and doesn't want to go live with her mom. When Bella is playing baseball with the Cullens' another vampire gets her scent and has a desire to kill her. Bella can't do anything about this she needs Edward to save her. She depends on Edward to save her. Also, in the New Moon, Bella depends on Jacob to save her. Once Edward leaves, she goes to Jacob to save her from her sort of ’state of depression.'

Also, it talks about how the princess must suffer first before she is rewarded with her 'prince.' Bella does suffer before she is rewarded. When she is finally rewarded she is rewarded with Edward and Jacob. She's finally getting over Edward and falling for Jacob when Edward comes back in the picture making everything more complicated. She also suffers in the sense that when she first moves to town she doesn't want to be there but eventually does. Bella ends up being very helpless without Edward, she will do anything to see Edward. Throughout the movie she puts herself in danger just to be able to see him. She goes for a motorcycle ride with a stranger, jumps off a cliff into the water, and fixes up an old dirt bike just for a rush of adrenaline.

On page 137 Parsons talks about how you need beauty to have power. I feel like Parson's would agree that this is true in this movies because Edward and Jacob both have power and they are both very good looking and strong. In Twilight Jacob was not yet portrayed as a werewolf but when he finally is in New Moon he needs to 'buff’ up. He has to change his style to a short haircut and get a lot more muscles. Before, Jacob wasn't manly/strong, "beautiful" enough to be such a strong character and therefore maybe that is why he had no 'power' in the Twilight.

Parsons talks about feminist in this article and I think that she would agree that these are not feminist movies. On page 139 she says how, "a feminist text deals with issues of freedom, choice, and expanding the subject positions available to women and men." Bella at this point really doesn't get to make her own choices and has no freedom. Edward is basically running her life and making her choices for her.





What would Brumberg say? -- March 20th, 2010

Brumberg writes about how in the past when you got your period you were looked up to. It was like a blessing and you were considered “cool.” The heavier and longer your flow the better it was. When you got your period some went through rituals, it was a big thing you were now able to conceive a child. Kids at school said how they wished the next time their period would be heavier so they had something ‘good to talk about’ (6). It was said that other had to be sent away to a special place to be with others who were going through the same thing because you weren’t sanitary. Now days, things are completely different. Getting your period now is just getting your period. Nothing special occurs for you except that you are now able to conceive. I think that Brumberg would possible relate this to Twilight series in the sense that things change. Way back when vampires were first heard about people tried to kill them then they made a pack with the Indians and that if they stayed off their land they would stop trying to harm them. People evolve and grow into things which make them more susceptible to change. Also, Edward and his whole family changed from eating humans to not. They all went through the change and in the past when vampires first started out I don’t think anyone would have thought of sacrifices that. Whether they eat human or animals, the vamipres still strive and live on blood. I think Brumberg would connect this to his article by agreeing that the blood is treated as some form of gold, or a worthy reward.

Also, in another sense that Brumberg might relate this to Twilight series because Bella is an older lady and she is able to conceive a baby. This does eventually happen. Edward and Bella think nothing of Bella conceiving because vampires cannot have babies but they don't take into consideration that Bella is not a vampire at this time. She becomes pregnant while in the meantime Edward would still not turn her. With her being pregnant, her baby bites her and turns her. Without Bella ever getting her period and maturing she would have never been able to become pregnant which in turn turned her into a vampire. This changed everything for Bella and Edward. What would Beavis and Charles say? --April 11, 2010 I think that Beavis and Charles would agree that a lot of video games have the same concept but different “themes.” Most video games entitle a guy to come to the rescue or save the country by shooting terrorists. When looking at most games, I noticed that you were able to choose a female character but the number ratio was not even. For every female there were probably two or three males. I do have to say it is getting better than it used to be. In all the Twilight games on websites I have found you are generally Jacob, Edward, or Bella but never Alice. I do think that they should show more options because there are other characters that are pretty big in the movies. There is still not yet a video game out for the Twilight Saga but I think that it would be a wise decision. I'm not sure whether there is not a game our yet because Twilight seems to be aimed more towards teenage girls. With this target audience, I am thinking that video game producers are thinking that a video game would not be such a hit but I beg to differ because I think when someone is obsessed or a big fan of something they will get anything they can that relates to this idea.

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As for the point of the video games a lot of them are to save someone or complete a mission. A perfect example that relates to the Twilight Sega would be the “Save Bella” game. You need to try and move Bella around so that James, Laurent, Victoria, or the Volturi don’t get her. The point of the game is that Bella needs saving, which in a sense is true but Bella only needs saving because Edward took her to play baseball with him and his family in the first movie Twilight. Another game I found was a dress up Bella game. I found this game to maybe be sexist because you can’t dress up Edward or Jacob just Bella and I’m not sure why. I think that because it is a dress up game it has to be dressing up a girl which I don’t think is exactly right because there could be some males that are interested in something like that.

Also, I feel like video games show some sense of violence and maybe that’s why they could be more targeted towards males. Don’t get me wrong I like to play video games sometimes but I don’t get that into them like I have seen guys. I think that guys feel a need to be violent in a sense to stay in control possibly. This also relates to the Twilight Saga because when Jacob doesn’t agree with Bella he gets very angry, has little patience, and then turns into a werewolf. As a werewolf he is much stronger and would obviously be in control for sure.

 What would Illness say? April 25th 2010

I think that Illness would think that American Girl dolls have nothing or very little in common with vampires. American Girl dolls are a big thing .and they are now coming out with movies, books, and clothing for them. Illness would agree that the Twilight Saga would tend to be the same. The Twilight Sage started off as four books and are now being made into movies. Not only can you find movies but you can find so many artifacts that are vampires related. For example [] is a website strictly selling Twilight merchandise. You can find clothes, books, movies, key chains, dolls, jewelry, and almost any artifact you’d like. Not only are these products available for you but people do purchase them, I remember multiple times where I have seen women wearing ‘team Jacob’ or ‘team Edward’ shirts.



<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Another Obvious connection between American Girl Dolls and Twilight Saga is that they are both aimed and the same audience; girls. With saying that, it doesn’t mean that only girls can be interested in these products. Girls like the fact that romance is involved in The Twilight Saga and it could possibly relate to a lot of their lives. On the other hand, American Girl dolls are a big hit because their not just a doll. They have a story behind them and it’s not just all made up. These stories are based on something and I think that’s why so many people like them. Also, a big help to their populartity is the fact that there are movies coming out and there are so many products you can buy.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';">Inness would agree that the politics of advocacy goes with the idea that not everything is what it seems. You can’t judge that all vampires are bad because that’s not true. You need to give everyone a chance. The Cullen’s in the Twilight Saga are not bad vampires. They don’t kill humans and they lead normal lives.

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Times New Roman';">Inness would also connect politics of attack with the fact that not all the Vampires drink human blood. Authors don’t always have to write the characters as such horrible people just because they are vampires. They can drink animal blood and still stay alive. It shows us that, yes vampires need blood to survive but some find other ways to get the blood and if they don’t, they are considered bad vampires that are not wanted.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;">What would Brown and Lamb say?

I think that Brown and Lamb would say that The Twilight Saga goes against their idea. Bella does not dress like the typical teenage girl or like any of her friends. Bella dresses in the same clothes mostly everyday, a pair of jeans, button down shirts, and sneakers. Her hair is never done any special way and she doesn’t wear much if any make-up. The night of prom her dad is surprised when he sees her in a dress and she explains to him that she’s borrowing it from a friend. Throughout the movies fashion is not brought up a lot. When it is, Bella is not very interested in it. In the first movie Bella’s friends ask her to go shopping with them and she turns them down. After she realizes that they are going to the town she wants to go to to get a book she decides like she wants to go and acts interested. Once there, her friends ask for her opinion and she says she likes them all and that they look the same. After just a little while Bella makes up an excuse and leaves to do her own stuff. Also, in the second movie Bella wear a dress to her birthday party and the Cullen’s and they all compliment her on how nice she looks but don’t ask questions as to where the dress came from.

Brown and Lamb would agree that Bella was not affected by fashion from the time she was born. But I would say that they would also agree that fashion does shape a person’s identity and it is shown when she dresses out of the ordinary and her dad notices because it’s not like her. Also, the Cullen’s compliment Bella when in her dress but don’t in her “everyday” clothes.

Also, one thing that I found interesting was that when looking on the internet for pictures of Bella, a picture of just her dress she wore on her birthday showed up.. I did not see any pictures of just her outfits that she wore everyday in the movie. This shows that Bella wearing a dress was something out of the ordinary. Also, Bella never wears pink pr purple or very girly colors. She is always shown in greens or blues or reds.



<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; mso-no-proof: yes;">What would Zipes say?

I think that Zipes would agree that The Twilight Saga has a lot in common with Harry Potter. Zipes states that “for anything to be a phenomenon in Western society, it must become //<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">conventional; // it must be recognized and categorized as unusual, extraordinary, remarkable, and outstanding. Prime example why they are both considered phenomenons, both are unrealistic story lines where humans have supernatural powers. There have been instances where Bella has been saved by Edward or Jacob because of their great strengths. Also, there have been multiple times where Harry Potter had to be saved by magic. Without these humans having supernatural powers or knowing someone that does they would not be able to survive. The things they do in the movies and books are unusual, extraordinary, remarkable, and outstanding.

The second reason I think Zipes would agree The Twilight Saga is a phenomenon is because the fans of these movies and books react in the same when something new comes out. When I think of phenomenon I think of something that people are obsessed with and go crazy about. I know that when the Harry Potter movies come out in the theaters that there are midnight premiers and that people come hours before to wait in line and come dressed up in Harry Potter attire. I also see this when one of the Twilight Saga movies come out. People go to the midnight show and wear team Jacob, team Edward, or just plain Twilight shirts. Not only do people go crazy when the movies come to the theaters but also when the movies come out to buy. I can always tell when one of the Twilight Saga movies is coming out because a lot of people on facebook are talking about it and are very excited.

I also think Zipes would connect a phenomenon on how well known something is and what sort of products there are. I would have to say that The Twilight Saga has a ton of memorabilia. Looking online you can find Twilight anything. Dolls, clothes, key chains, bags, jewelry, anything, you name it. I think that because the Twilight Saga is so well known and so much stuff is out there for consumers to buy would classify it as a phenomenon. There are other movies I go to and I don’t see any products that you can buy which shows me that it must not be as popular. Some fans of Twilight have even gone to the extreme that they have gotten tattoos in honor of the movie. There are mutliple fan pages for The Twilight Saga and for Harry Potter. Also, I have found a store on honor of Twilight.



<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">What would Heilman and Donaldson say?

I think that Heilman and Donaldson would say that The Twilight Saga is sexists. For starters, Bella is the one that needs saving not a male. Bella seems to rely on a man in her life to keep her motivated to actually live life. When Edward leaves, Bella goes into a state of depression and won’t leave her room, or talk to her friends. She becomes a loner and shelters herself from the outside world. Bella’s dad threatens to move her back with her mom and Bella does not want this so she goes out with friends. Once she starts talking to people again she starts to rely on Jacob to fix up the bike so that way when she faces danger, she can see Edward in the shadow. She can never just do anything for herself it always seems like she relies on a male.

Another way I see The Twilight Saga as sexist is because there only a couple female vampires throughout the movies, most of them are males. The <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Volturi also consists of only one female vampire. <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> There are no female wolves in the movie, only male which I find to be very sexist. I feel that people think women can’t be strong and vicious like men but in all reality they can be. If there were more women vampires or werewolves they would do just as good of a job. It’s not the fact that the werewolves are male and they are strong it’s because they are werewolves. Whether it was a female or male they would have the same traits and strengths.

Also, in the movie Bella really doesn’t every come up with the plan she usually just goes along with the plan. Which I think that Bella really is smart because in the first movie, Edward and Bella have Biology together and she knows what she’s talking about but so does Edward because he is 100+ years old.

I think that if the movie has an equal ratio of male to female characters the movies would be just as good if not better because they would have a different twist.