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For this short essay assignment, you’ll be graded on your ability to demonstrate comprehension and critically reflect on the film.
Most students who do their work on time don’t need extra credit. Having said this, it’s a lot easier to get an “A” in this class when you do the extra credit. I’ve seen hundreds of “B” students earn a higher grade because they did the extra credit early on. Just make sure to follow directions and submit on time. They get easier to do the sooner you finish your first one.
Only one attempt per student. I don’t allow for late work when it comes to extra credit – it’s in our Late Work Policy.
B. Literary Essay Guidelines (20 Points)
You are writing a literary/media analysis in the form of an essay. Your essay is worth up to 15 points. It should have all of the following, and up to how many max points you can lose if you don’t add it to your essay:
Up to -2 Points | short intro (2-3 sentences) with highlighted thesis statement.
Up to -2 Points | proper grammar and free of spelling errors,
Up to -4 Points | use proper citations with timestamps,
Up to -9 Points | based on the assigned media (e.g. film),
Up to -2 Points | apply and highlight a course concept to argue your theme/thesis,
Up to -9 Points | directly address all aspects of the prompt(s).
Up to -2 Points | concise conclusion (2-3 sentences)
C. Media Source in Context
The Western (Male) Gaze
The “gaze” is a term that describes how viewers engage with visual media. Originating in film theory and criticism in the 1970s, the gaze refers to how we look at visual representations. These include advertisements, television programs and cinema. In the male gaze, woman is visually positioned as an “object” of heterosexual male desire. When film critics talk about the gaze, they are often referring to the “male gaze”. But what does that really mean? The “male gaze” invokes the sexual politics of the gaze and suggests a sexualized way of looking that empowers men and objectifies women. In the male gaze, woman is visually positioned as an “object” of heterosexual male desire. A female’s feelings, thoughts and her own sexual drives are less important than her being “framed” by male desire. The use of “Western” refers to countries who colonized and divided most of the world into nation-states. Historically, the cultural logic of these Western countries assume the role of savior, expressed in an attitude, approach and framing to foreign relations, global chains of production, trade policy, international law, and sovereignty.
Orientalism
Western countries and cultures enact cultural imperialism through “Orientalism.” Coined by Edward Said in 1978, the concept of orientalismdescribes how western culture (literature, art, cinema, etc.) constructs images of the Orient or the East in such a way that validates the preference for Western civilization and culture. In other words, the word “Orient” does not describe a people or countries. Instead, the term is a construction of the Western gaze toward people east of the invention of Europe. In short, there is no such thing as an Oriental person but there is such a thing as an “Orientalist” (Western gaze).
Orientalism can be discussed and analyzed as the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient — dealing with it by making statements about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it, ruling over it: in short, Orientalism as a western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient (Said 1978: 3).
The image of Asians in U.S. society is constructed and generally utilized in three ways, according to Said. Orientalism can be found in academia and English literary tradition. It is also found in the worldview, representation, and “style of thought” of Western countries. Third, orientalism is a powerful political instrument of domination. The documentary highlights the role of racial ideas saturating American popular culture through the medium of cinema to influence the American Psyche in believing and reinforcing Asian stereotypes and “Yellow Threat.”
Reparations
There is long history surrounding reparations for slavery. If you’re unfamiliar, “reparations” simply means making amends by paying money to those wronged. Historically, the use of the term refers to countries who pay money for committing wrongs, and for the damage, injuries, etc. that it has caused. In the early days of 1865, Union General William T. Sherman and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton met with black leaders in Savannah, Georgia. Inspired by the ideas of abolitionist proposing land redistribution and prospects of limiting the power of southern states, an order was released four days later on January 16 with the Special Field Order No. 15 of self-governing communities and waterfront property along the eastern coastline spanning multiple states. The Order would stay a promise, unfulfilled. Many scholars explain the gap between White Americans and Black Americans as a failure by the government to do the right thing when given the chance to do so.
Sherman’s order is commonly referred to as the promise of “40 acres and a mule.” To date, the U.S. government or corporations have not made amends with the tremendous wealth made from supporting slavery. The 117th U.S. Congress approved H.R. 40 in 2021. This bill establishes the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans. Officially, “The commission shall examine slavery and discrimination in the colonies and the United States from 1619 to the present and recommend appropriate remedies for decedents of U.S. slaves.
While the order to pay reparations to African Americans remains unseen after nearly 160 years, it only took fifty (50) years for the U.S. government to pay reparations for the interment (unlawful imprisonment) of Japanese Americans during World War II. By 1992, the U.S. government disbursed more than $1.6 billion (equivalent to $3.67 billion in 2021) in reparations to 82,219 Japanese Americans who had been interned. Reparations have improved the class status and wealth of future generations of hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans, but cultural stereotypes and hate crimes against Asians persist.
Film: Hollywood and the Yellow Threat
If you have trouble watching the video here, click here to watch in a new window. If it doesn’t work, then you can watch an alternative documentary: Yellowface (2023).
In the late 1980s, Tomita acts in the film based on a true story. Experts discuss Asian American representation in Hollywood; film may be the only source of world education for some people. Asian stereotypes have been long-lasting and their perception as a “Yellow Threat” is still pertinent today.
D. Critical Reflection / Media Analysis
In an essay, provide your response to the question(s) or prompts below according to the film. You can also add what you’ve learned thus far in class about Asian American history as part of your critical analysis.
From whose point of view is the film “Hollywood and the Yellow Threat” speaking?
Who has racial power in the film and how do we know this to be true?
Discuss and apply the concept of “Yellow Threat” in relation to Asian Whitewashing and racism in Hollywood.
Discuss unlawful, domestic military action by the U.S. government, and the living conditions of Japanese Interment as a violation of human rights. Does the $3.67 billion in reparations received by Japanese Americans in the 1990s justify or make amends for interment camps?
Discuss and analyze the release of Japanese Americans and transfer of property during WWII as racism.
Discuss “Falling in Love” and the historical representation of Asian women in U.S. cinema.
*No external sources. Base your response on the author’s conversation in the assigned book and, as an add-on, you can tie in your own personal experiences, stories, and examples.
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