Exam 2 Study Guide PDF

Vocabulary 1. Sexuality: a. State of being sexual; commonly used to describe sexual orientation 2. Code-switching: a. What one has to do as the viewer to identify with the hero i. Alike changing clothes for school vs. home 3. Representation: a. Process of presenting a...

Vocabulary 1. Sexuality: a. State of being sexual; commonly used to describe sexual orientation 2. Code-switching: a. What one has to do as the viewer to identify with the hero i. Alike changing clothes for school vs. home 3. Representation: a. Process of presenting an image of something to communicate ideas or tell a story 4. Gender Inversion Model: a. Historical model of homosexuality theorized that gay men were women's souls trapped in a male body and that lesbians were male souls trapped in female bodies i. Celluloid closest used it 5. Gender Expression: a. How you manifest your sense of gender identity 6. Gender Identity: a. One's sense of one's own gender 7. Cisgender: a. A term used to describe someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned to them at birth 8. Transgender: a. An umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or expression is different from cultural and social expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth 9. Nonbinary: a. Any gender identity that falls outside of the binary system of male/female or man/woman i. Hedwig 10. Genderfluid: a. A person's gender identity that is not fixed i. Demi lavato 11. Genderqueer: a. A term used by some people to describe a gender identity that does not rely on conventional gender distinctions; some people may identify with neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders 12. Intersectionality: a. A framework for understanding how both individual and group identities are necessarily composed of various interconnected aspects, including race, class, gender, ability, etc. 13. Homosocial: a. Non-sexual same-sex groups based on friendship, loyalty, love, or shared interests. Examples include fraternities and sororities, sports teams, sex-segregated military united, etc. i. The Catnip lounge 14. Homosexual: a. Sexual attraction to members of the same sex 15. Bisexual: a. State of being sexually attracted to both men and women i. Binna 16. Pansexual: a. Sexually or romantically attracted to someone regardless of their sex and gender 17. Homophobia: a. Extreme fear or hatred of homosexuals; people possessing this may have conflicts with their own sexuality 1. The taxis drivers mom 18. Gender Non-conforming: a. Gender expression that does not match masculine or feminine gender norms i. Laurie 19. Liminal Space: a. A border space that exists outside of another space i. Summertime and the forest for Michael 20. Transphobia: a. Hatred towards transgender people i. When Sin Dee gets pee thrown on them by the people in the car and called a slur 21. Microaggression: a. Indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group i. Mom putting Micheal in a dress 22. Queer: a. People and artifacts commonly found outside compulsory heterosexist ideologies i. Hedwig 23. Camp: a. A specific type of negotiated reading that simultaneously mocks and revels in a text's artificiality or manneredness. Originated in gay male culture to "denaturalize" societal norms of gender and sexuality The Celluloid Closet 1. List three homosexual stereotypes of early film. a. Villain b. Crazy c. Victim (tragic) 2. What is the role of the “sissy”? a. The role of the sissy is a stock character created to make men feel more manly and women feel more womanly. Pariah 1. Analyze the opening sequence in terms of the themes of identity/place/sexuality. Support your idea with specific examples. - The opening sequence, set in a strip club, shows Alike’s curiosity about her sexuality with her discomfort in hypersexualized spaces. The club’s harsh lighting and throbbing music symbolize societal pressures, while Alike’s awkward body language shows her struggle to understand her attraction to women with her desire to fit in. This scene exemplifies Alike’s gray area with her own identity and who she wants to be and spend her time with. - Don't reveal women or men just more masculine looking bodies→ identity 2. Discuss the role of clothing in Alike’s search for identity. Choose 3 examples to support your ideas. - The clothing represents Alike’s search for identity by reflecting her gender identity and how the people in her life influence it. - Example 1: In the opening scene, she changes her clothes from masculine to feminine when going home from the club, which shows how her mom wants her to be more feminine and traditional. - Example 2: Alike also changes her clothes at school from feminine to masculine, which is her true gender identity at school without her mom’s opinion. - Example 3: When Laura is giving Alike clothes, she says that she isn't sure any of the clothes feel like her, which shows she uses clothing to express her gender. She tells us that the clothes she likes to wear are ones that feel like her and how she chooses to express her identity. 3. List 5 ways Alike is a pariah. - Home - School - Lesbian community - Church - Black community 4. What are the two meanings of “God Don’t Make Mistakes?” a. The line "God doesn't make mistakes" is significant in the film because it demonstrates the different ways that religion can be used regarding sexuality and gender identity, especially within Alike's family. The two ways that it is used in the film are to reject and validate Alike's sexuality. It is first used by her mother which is meant to say that if God doesn't make mistakes then he wouldn't have made Alike gay because to be gay is to be a mistake. Then Alike reclaims the phrase at the end of the film by using it to mean that God doesn't make mistakes so this is how she is supposed to be. Tomboy 1. Discuss the “liminal” space of summer and the freedom it provides Mikael. Support with two specific examples, one of which is an image or evocation. a. Liminal space in this context is described as a safe space outside of Mikael’s family or “performative” life. In the movie, this space takes different forms. For example, summertime has become a liminal space for Mikael, as it has given them the freedom of time to engage in exploration and expression. Another liminal space for Mikael is the forest. In one specific scene in particular, Mikael is seen leaving the dress their mom made them wear on the trunk of a fallen tree. This represents the freedom of self they feel when in nature. 2. Analyze the opening sequence of Mikael/Laure in the car for its significance. a. The opening scene demonstrates the family culture Mikael faces in his personal life. Mikael is being held in the car by their father while their head is out of the sunroof. This is a visual demonstration of the support Mikael receives from their parents when they explore freedom of self-expression and identity. 3. Analyze the image of the dress in the forest. Make sure to discuss what you think the dress represents, what the forest represents, and what Mickael leaving it represents. a. The dress represents societal expectations of femininity, while the forest signifies Mikael’s authentic, unbound self. Leaving the dress behind symbolizes Mikael's rejection of imposed roles, asserting autonomy over their identity. 4. List 4 ways Mikael “performs gender.” a. Learning how to spit like a boy b. Cuts the swimsuit to be a boys c. Making a penis out of clay d. Taking a shirt off when playing sports 5. Discuss Wilson’s idea of the “plasticity of adolescence” in Jeanne’s view of Mikael and Laure and Lisa’s continuing relationship. a. She expects who her sibling is regardless b. Plasticity- flexibility c. She has no preconceived notions about her brother changing identity d. Love and innocence and haven't been surrounded by stereotypes and harsh ideas about identity and gender Tangerine 1. Analyze the opening clip of the film for themes it establishes. a. The opening clip of Sin-Dee and Alexandra holding hands over food represents a sense of love, connection, and understanding between them. It sets up the overall theme of support and friendship throughout the film. 2. Explain how Tangerine is a Christmas Film. Note significant images, gestures, scenes. a. The music is a christmas song, Toy land, b. The themes are family, community, and love between these two womens. Its also christmas eve and c. “Merry Christmas Eve, Bitch” 3. Discuss intersectionality in the film by discussing the pecking order of the relationships. a. Class, race, and gender are common themes that influence who has power. The more disadvantaged characteristics a character has the lower on the pecking order they are like, black, trans, female, and poor. Chester is white, cis, and male so he is the highest. Razmik is a male so he comes next then Dinah is a woman, poor, and white. Lastly, we have Alexandra showing intersectionality through being black, trans, female, and poor, and then Sin-Dee is last, 4. Gloss the final shot of the film in the laundromat. a. The final shot in the laundromat symbolizes the relations and themes of family. The scene has Christmas themes of togetherness and gift giving, where Alexandra gives Sin Dee her wig and also holds hands. This also represents family relations because as a trans woman neither of them want to appear in the world as a gender that does not reflect who they are and the wig helps them to appear as they are. By Alexandra giving up her wig, that shows her sacrificing herself for Sin-dee. Family is about sacrificing which is what happens in this scene which reflects the theme of family relations that appears throughout the film. Hedwig and the Angry Inch 1. What is “the wall” and what is its function in society? In what ways does Hedwig embody “the wall”? a. "The wall" symbolizes divisions—cultural, personal, and societal. Hedwig embodies these fractures through their incomplete identity. “The wall” signifies a queer space that disrupts the binary. On a literal note, the wall represents the Berlin Wall which relates to Hedwig's origins in Germany. 2. What is the significance of Hedwig taking off their costume and wig at the end? a. The significance is Hedwig is taking on the role that he plays and realizes that their identity has been put on her. Stripping down into who they are in their heart. 3. Explain the significance and evolution of Hedwig’s tattoo. a. The tattoo began as two halves of a person (man and woman). Each half looks for the other just as Hedwig looks for his other half. The tattoo ended as a whole being (an in-between of the binary). Hedwig comes to the realization that he did not need another person to be complete but instead, accept themselves fully. 4. Symbolically speaking, why does the riot/fight/pandemonium break out when Hedwig sings “Angry Inch”? a. Their presence is a disruption to society. Hedwig is the wall, the space in between binaries so they are disrupting binaries. Without that wall or someone to push against, we don’t know who we are. Hedwig causes a riot because we are so entrenched in our identities we need that wall. 5. Analyze the final sequence of the film when Hedwig walks down the alley. a. We see Hedwig walking down this narrow alley in the dark naked. This represents Hedwig’s rebirth into their new life, to who he wants to be. The alley represents a birth canal and his walk is very clumsy and slow-paced, like someone who is learning how to walk for the first time. It is a symbolic moment of self-acceptance, transformation, and liberation from his past and he is shedding constructed identities and revealing his true self