Top Ten

This week, I have been putting off the blog every time it enters my mind, as I cannot seem to find anything to blog about.  Desperately, I decided to Google a blog idea, and eventually I came across a website called Listverse.  This site displays numerous "top 10" lists regarding topics which I did not even think a list could be made. For example, I found a "Top 10 Steps to a Top 10 List" and "Top 10 People Who Vanished in AirPlanes."  As I sat down an started to search this website, a list called "20 Examples of Why You Should Enjoy Poetry" popped up, an I couldn't help but read it.  Each example is a poem or an excerpt from a poem, that the author of this list deems an excellant choice for persuading people to read poetry.  #18 is even "This is Just to Say" by William Carlos Williams!  However, and although I have limited knowledge regarding vast amounts of poetry, the majority of this list does not encourage me to read these poems and enjoy them.  So,  although I spent 30 minutes looking at useless lists, such as the "Top 10 Bizarre Things Cars Have Been Covered With,"  I condemn myself as I do not have the desire to read a few poems that some person believes are some of the best.

http://listverse.com/2008/03/26/20-examples-of-why-you-should-enjoy-poetry/

Aladdin: Misconceptions and Stereotypes

The other day, I was pleased to find Aladdin on TV and sat back to watch the nostalgic Disney movie.  However, as the film progressed, I found myself shocked by the obvious stereotypes and orientalist connotations the movie displayed.  I guess I had never noticed this due to my limited knowledge on the topic, but learning more about the Middle Eastern culture in Arabic class helped me notice everything wrong with Aladdin.  First of all, the movie makers must have not known the difference between the Middle East and India.  The desert background and the song Arabian Nights makes it clear that the story takes place in some Middle Eastern country.  However, Jasmine's palace clearly resembles the Taj Mahal, and her pet tiger and a plentiful amount of elephants, animals that were never native to the Middle East, make many appearances in the film.  The movie makers also clearly stereotyped the marriage customs and treatment of women of Muslims and the Middle East.  Jasmine complains to her father, as she longs to be free of her imprisonment in their castle.  She seems trapped until she finally approves of one of the multiple suitors who come to marry her.  One last scene that struck me was after Jasmine fed a homeless child.  She takes an apple off some man's cart without paying, and he grabs her hand, holds up a knife, and threatens to cut off her hand: "Do you know what the penalty is for stealing?" Although this law does somewhat exist, and is frightening to think about, this is an extreme misrepresentation.  The only country with this law, Saudi Arabia, does not cut off thief's hand unless they can prove that the thief stole for the sole purpose of stealing.  In almost every case, someone who steals has a driving force other than just stealing, as did Jasmine (to feed a hungry child), so Disney once again stereotypes the Middle East as barbaric.  Overall, I still love Aladdin and will still watch it whenever I get the chance, but discovering these mistakes by the movie makers makes me realize how my perception has changed through the years.