Lost Gem from Childhood

Here are videos that my siblings and I listened to quite often in our childhood years. Strangely enough, although it has been years since I heard them...I can still remember the words. I think it goes to show how much children take in media (that serves as a caution to what I will allow my children to be exposed to).

Regency Period Media

Today I watched Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightly version) and it got me thinking: What was the media of their time? what set off controversies? and what were the hot topics?
Without Youtube, Saturday Night Live videos, and movies...what did they do?
MUSIC!!!
LITERATURE!!!
ART!!!

Jane Austin's books were revolutionary in their own way. Authors were the movie stars of today. Artists were the satirists. Composers were sometimes viewed as the death of music (kind of like how our parents see modern pop and hip hop).

It is interesting to consider how media has been an active force in society for a very long time.

All through the night

This is on my favorite song list. No matter what, it has the ability to calm me down. I hope to learn the words so I can sing it to my nieces, nephews, and my own children one day. It is beautiful! Listen to it :)



http://grooveshark.com/s/Ar+Hyd+Y+Nos+All+Through+The+Night+Folk+Song/4YPowI?src=

Sleep my child and peace attend thee,
All through the night.
Guardian angels God will send thee,
All through the night.
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,
Hill and vale in slumber sleeping,
I my loving vigil keeping,
All through the night.
While the moon her watch is keeping,
All through the night.
While the weary world is sleeping,
All through the night.
O'er they spirit gently stealing,
Visions of delight revealing,
Breathes a pure and holy feeling,
All through the night.
Love, to thee my thoughts are turning,
All through the night.
All for thee my heart is yearning,
All through the night.
Though sad fate our lives may sever,
Parting will not last forever,
There's a hope that leaves me never,
All through the night.

Iron Jawed Angels

So last week I went to the International Cinema on campus and watched Iron Jawed Angels. It was a life changing film. It was about the struggle of Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and other suffragists. It depicted what life was like for women before we had the vote, the extreme treatments and punishment for these strong willed women who fought for their sisters, daughters, and granddaughter's futures. I am not going to take my opportunities lightly anymore. The "right to vote is a fire escape" (in reference to the triangle shirtwaist fire) was a slogan for the suffragists in the working class...for me the right to vote is about opportunity, about voice!

SO this movie was super powerful and I felt empowered and enthusiastic to make changes...until I saw the movie poster for the film:

Who does that!!! Took a movie about female freedom and then sexualized women on the cover! Now I do not know what to think. The sexualization of women in media has got to stop. The movement to stop this misrepresentation will start with us individually and then with us as women.

Miss Representation

The video we watched in Media class today was insane! Oh man, it got me so riled up. I have despised the way women are portrayed in the media for as long as I can remember. Even when there is potential for a strong female character, she is either turned into a sexual object or made to be ridiculous. The documentary "Miss Representation" highlighted the things that I hate most about media. Why is it necessary to add so much sexual content to even children's movies. Why are we allowing a few individuals to fill our media, our schools, homes, and children's lives with filth? ARRRGGGGHHH it drives me CRAZY. Something has to change.

Cultural Media

In one of my other classes we watched the movie "Under the Same Moon" as an assignment. It was a movie almost completely in Spanish (so it was subtitles in English for the whole 2 hours). The plot was that a Mexican illegal immigrant mother to L.A. works hard to bring her 9 year old son to join her in the U.S. The mother and son had been separated for 4 years. The movie depicts the amazing struggle of the son as he leaves Mexico, crosses the boarder, and makes his way from Texas to LA.

The story is one of strength, sacrifice, and family. It was a touching movie full of emotion. My eyes were opened to the world of Latino immigrant workers in the US. I can not imagine the life of living from paycheck to paycheck. This piece of media influenced my perceptions and was effective in touch its audience.