Elephant, a Gus Van Sant movie (2003)

1) What struck you most in the film?

The scene in the film that the most with me, was the last scene. It was the moment after one of the shooter killed his companion, and headed to the freezer. In there he found the "most popular couple in the school". To decide which one he will kill first, he starts playing. This gives the viewer a nerve wrack. At the end we don't even know which one he killed first, or what even happened with the shooter himself. As it was an open end, the viewer is left with so many question.

2) What also impressed you?

The scene were the viewer get to experience the chaos into one of the shooters head. 

In deed, it was lunch time. When he finished taking notes in his notepad, the music started to be louder, the cafeteria was turning around in high speed. We could hear various voices, very different one, talking louder and louder.

I personally find that this scene is the most beautiful one in the whole movie; It was really intelligently filmed.

3) Did you find anything more particularly upsetting?

The scene that I find the most upsetting one, is the piano Scene. As the camera kept turning around, it gave me headaches. 

What also made me think that this scene is quite upsetting, was how long and boring it was. 

I understand that the film director wanted to show a sensitive side of the shooter, but he didn't need to make it last 5 minutes !

4) What did you find very disturbing?

What I find the most disturbing of the whole movie, is how "cold bloody" one of the killers kills his companion. He didn't even blink when he shot him. We though that something special was between them, or that they will kill themselves (as the columbine shooters), but no. he decided to kill his shooting companions in cold blood.

5) What was most shocking?

The shooters had a really easy access to guns, that is the key of the question. They first started to look for informations about to get guns though internet (which is something non-understandable). Then when the delivery guy came in, he didn't even asked them for their parents permission or their age. He just handed them the gun then left. This in a civilized world should never happen. It was really shocking to see haw easy it was for them (underaged kids) to have access to guns.

6) What does the film suggest about the two school shooters?

The film suggests that the two school shooters, were mentally disturbed. They were also put aside in the school, they were invisible. Which we can believe made their rage grow bigger and bigger.

7) What's more, what does the film director make clear about the two killers?

The film director made a really peculiar choice in the way he showed the two killers. Before committing their act, we get to see a poetic, and artistic side of one of them, who plays the piano and draws a lot. Whereas the other one, from the beginning we see that he likes violence, as he plays a shooting video game, where he shoots his victims from the back (like in the real shooting).

But before discovering all of that, Alex and Eric (the two shooters) are bullied at school, by "jock" (It is a stereotype of athletes). So one of these jocks diverts a teacher, to throw a spitball at Alex during science class. This 

8) What kind of approach to the school shooting itself did Gus Van Sant opt for?

Gus Van Sant wanted to show how every student had their own hobbies, and hopes for their future. Every single one of them (event though they were different) had plans and loved ones. We have the view point of every victim. We had a privileged look into (sadly) their last day. The way Elephant was shot, allows the viewers the freedom to follow, without having a point of view imposed on them.

9) Moreover, what's the main consequence of the realistic treatment he uses? What about the 'poetic' touches he instills throughout the film?

Gus Van Sant give a realistic treatment of what happened, while at the same time instilling a poetic touches. The poetic touche caused a lot of confusion when it first aired. It renews a lot of rumors about the actual Columbine. Mainly about the Columbine shooter's sexuality (referring to the gay shower scene between the shooters pre-assault).

Filmed in long travelling shots, Elephant lets us into the lives of half a dozen of students in what seems to be a normal schoolday. Nothing exceptional happens, until 30 minutes later, where we understand what is going to happen. The movie doesn't try to explain the event. Those who have no idea what is it referring to, won't get what the movie is about. The movie, simply put the viewers in a time and place, where it is completely impossible to not feel stressed or horrified.

10) As a conclusion, what must we admit about the way in which the killing and the killers are perceived by the film viewers?

The killers are perceived as human beings. Whereas paradoxically, the filling is shown as something mundane, with no importance. To add to the way it's perceived, one of the killers, kills its victims from the back. This shows us that he isn't brave enough to kill them when they are looking at him face to face.

School shootings in the USA (Columbine's Massacre)

Coming back from hiding in
 an alley behind the school

Students and teachers freed from the staff
 lounge & cafeteria restrooms run from Columbine

1. the information that you find most interesting on this site. Express your preferences in your own words, please.

On April 20, 1999, during lunch time at Columbine High Scoool; Eric Harries and Dylan Klebold, two students, came to school armed with shotguns and assault rifles. They walked through the school firing randomly at other students and teachers. Before killing themselvves in the school's library.

This sad event had changed drastically the life of students, teacher and parents. 

Dylan Klebold & Eric Harries

But who were the shooters ? Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, were two seniors from Columbine School in Colorado. They were a few days away from their graduation day when they decided to commit the shooting. The Memorial website offers the viewers the opportunity to read the diaries of both Dylan and Eric. As it was to expect, these two diaries are full of hateful thought and messages to their classe mates.

Dylan manages to partially-detonate
 one propane bomb, causing a fire

Here we have fotos of friends, kids, and families that had a loved on in the Columbine High school, after the massacre. We can see the look on their faces; they look sad, broken, desperate after the news

2. 

The school shooter, Tate, in AHS

I think that one of the series that best deals with this issue is American Horror Story (AHS), and more precisely season one
One of the main characters in this season is a school shooter who killed 15 people. The writers of the show used a real internet search page in one episode where they edited "Columbine" to read "Westfield" but the rest of the search results obviously reference the Columbine shooting. The subject of the shooting reappears several times throughout the season. Aired in 2011.
What really happened in this episode? Tate (the man in the photo), has a flashback to when he was a student, in 1994, in Westfield High School. He menacingly stalked his classmates in the library until he shot dead 15 of his classmate, and permanently handicapped the school librarian. After the massacre, the "Wolverines Memorial Trust" was started in memory of the students. After the shooting, the SWAT team swarmed his house, and while his mother, Constance, cried in agony, they gunned down Tate in his room.
This episode looks quite alike what happened in real life. The shooters first stalked their classmates. The act that made the biggest number of damages was when they were in the librairie. They ended up dead.

 3.  the reasons most commonly mentioned for the recurrence of school shootings in the USA.

In the website, it is explained that school shooting happen mostly because of bullling ("They want to get back at those who have hurt them", "Other kids pick on them, make fun of them or bully them", "They have been victims of physical abuse at home"). Even though Dylan and Eric were pushed to commit this crime because of the bullying they've been victims of for years. I believe that the main reason school shooting happen is because they probably have mental problem, or more importantly it is because it is easy for them to get a gun. Which mean that the main side of the question should be around the gun issue.

Sadly, school shooting are very common in the United States. There are at least one school shooting per week. This sad fact should wake up those Americans that are pro guns. Because they are literally sending their kids in the arms of death. 

Exchanges in Real Spaces & Virtual Spaces

I would like to illustrate the notion Spaces and Exchanges. First and foremost i would like to give a definition. An exchange is the act of giving or receiving something in substitution for something else. Exchanging has become easier nowadays thanks to the development of the internet. Thanks to the development of internet we are becoming closer and closer to each other. Thanks to it, we discover new ways of thinking. We become more open minded. 

BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE INTERNET IS GONE ?!

This video was a collaboration of Buzzfeed and Hyundai. It was published on Youtube the 30 of septembre 2015. 

We can see a woman and a man on a car, were they're watching through hidden cameras an internet caffe, and they're communicating through microphones with the waitress.

As long as the video goes on, some customers abandon the cafe when the internet is gone. Whereas, some other start to communicate with each other. They first stay in their world, but when the waitress brings toys in, they start playing with each other, like if they were in a playground. Once the internet is back, they continue playing, and they even start singing all together a song that they've writing.

We can conclude, that exchanging information by the internet has became such a big part of our live that once it's gone, some don't know what to do. Nevertheless, a bigger part still know how to communicate in real life. 

This cartoon is titled world vision, it was published in 2013. This cartoon shows a globalized world. Every single item that this family is having/wearing, is from somewhere around the world. At the same time, the kid is traveling somewhere else.

Our modern-day world is changing quickly and seems to be a smaller place due to improvements in technology and communication, but also due to marchandise traveling all around the world. We are becoming similar to each other, but at the same time we still keep our individualities.

We can say that this cartoon portrays globalization. Nevertheless, the mom says "don't forget to text or email when you get there". Which indirectly mean that even though he will travel probably to a new place, he will stay connected and probably will continue looking down in his phone.

The fist document shows what happens when our virtual world "colapse" and we're left with nothing else but the real world. Whereas the second document shows how in the real world we can keep in touch with the whole world without travelling. I think that this two document can be related. The people in the video are drinking coffee and wearing clothes from probably somewhere else around the word, just like in the cartoon. We don't need the internet to exchange with the world. However, internet is still showed as something vital to communicate, the mum says to her kid to write her an email, and in the coffeeshop where some customers start interacting with each other, the woman and men look surprised.

To put it in a nutshell, i would like reaffirm the connection between these to documents. I've chosen them, because they show that our world is a globalized one, not just because of what we wear or eat, but also because of the internet

Spaces and exchanges: ¿Que? A cartoon by Nate Beeler (2007)

1. Description

To start with, i would like to present the document. We have a cartoon by Nate Beeler done in the year 2007. Its title is ¿Qué?.

We can see three people on this image. On the left, we can notice a cameraman, and a journalist. The journalist is holding a microphone in his hand, whereas the cameraman has a big camera with a fluffy microphone on his shoulders.

The camera has a sticker, where we can read in capital letters "TV NEWS". On the right of the cartoon, we can see a man. He has a moustache. This man is not wearing fancy clothes, as opposed to the two others, one of them even wearing a suit. 

The man on the right has no shoes on. His clothes look all dirty and full of sweat. He carries  luggage in both hands. Next to him there is what is believed to be barbed wire form a fence.  The journalist is making his introduction sentence, to start his show "We're here live with the 300 millionth american! How do you feel about this milestone, sir?". To which tho other man answers with "¿Qué?".

2. Interpretation

First and foremost, I would like to point out that this drawing illustrates the arrival of the 300 millionth American. Which is a satire if we look at it closely. It is a well-known fact that when the United States hit 300 million american in 2006, the 300 millionth that was born, was hispanic. As the parents of the baby didn't wanted his identity to be public, they kept silence. As a consequence, many demographer experts affirmed that it is "a Latino baby boy born in Los Angeles to a Mexican-Immigrant mother’’.

On the whole, I would go so far as to say that it's from this point that this cartoon is born. The cartoonist had portrayed the birth of the 300 millionth American, with the arrive of an immigrant, who by having his american citizenship will become the 300 millionth American. The person being interviewed is surely a Hispanic, and more precisely a Mexican immigrant. He answers the journalist's question with a "¿Que?". Which is the Spanish word for "what". This leads the viewer to conclude that this person does not speak English nor understands it. Thanks to the barbed wire clinging to his pants, we can deduce that he is somewhere next to the borderline between Mexico and the United States. There is no doubt whatsoever that the Mexican-American borderline is both the most illegally crossed one and the most controlled one.

The truth of the matter is that 17,4% in 2014 of the us population right now is hispanic. The 300 millionth American is Hispanic. This is a highly controversial issue that has attracted a lot of public attention. That is why the two journalists are interviewing him on that occasion. In America, race is a burning issue. So the fact that the 300 millionth American is not actually American is giving food for thought. Whereas race normally should not be considered as important as it is in the USA.

3. How far does it illustrate the "Spaces & Exchanges" notion ?

The cartoon shows the American population nowadays. In deed, we can see how immigration has affected American society and even its population. This cartoon illustrates the notion "Spaces and exchanges", and more precisely, the impact of years and years of immigration on the American society.

Generally speaking, when someone emigrates somewhere, he has to go along with the « new » country’s traditions. Without a shadow of doubt that is not the case in the United States where Immigrants bring with them their traditions and continue to live as they were living in their country.

There is a contrast between european immigration and American immigration. 

To cut a long story short, it all comes down to saying that this cartoon exemplifies the notion of Spaces and Exchanges. We have an exchange of culture. Due to the hispanic immigration. But also an exchange of information, through Tv. Immigration represents Space. Because they cross a lot of « spaces » to get to the USA

TATTOOS & GANGS

Why do you think more and more people wear tattoos (regardless of whether they belong to gangs or not)?

Everyday more and more people decides to wear tattoos on their bodies, regardless of whether they belong to gangs or not. The tattoo phenomenon isn't brand new, but the phenomena that almost everyone wants to get a tattoo, or even more than one is new.  Before, one single tattoo was enough, now people want their bodies to be more and more covered in ink. Also, once ages ago, tftooes were associated with sailors, and gang members, now everyone has one. But why ? We could think that people nowadays have more and more tattoos, independently of their history background. Maybe some people do it for the seek of  adrenaline. Others maybe, to feel unique as individuals. People exist of all kinds, which mean that they can get a tattoo for different reasons: as a memorial of a person, place, date etc. Some people claim that they decide to have a tattoo to express their personality and passions. while others argue that they decid to have one just to feel beautiful, and more in peace with themselves and their body. Yet we can't deny that people get tattoos for all kind of reasons. The human race is unpredictable.

As far as i'm concerned, I must admit that I'm definitely convinced the reason why people feel every time the need to get a tattoo is directly linked with celebrities. We feel the urge to be identifies with a group, and to feel perfect. A lot of people believe that to be famous, successful, perfect, to feel identified with a group of people, etc, they have have to look like celebrities. So they think that by being just like famous people, they could be all of the above.

Adam Levine from Maroon 5

Wiz Khalifa

Why do young people join gangs ?

Gangs are often a really good alternative for young people who had lost everything (their home, parents or any other thing), or who are in a really difficult situation. The Complex situations young people come from are often related to their families, such as domestic violence, or the lack of parental supervision. For young people in these situations, Gangs represent a foster family. They welcome them with arms wide open. Once they want to leave, they can't  do it as easily as they get in. An another reason young people could join gangs might be the lack of jobs for youth, leaving them in poverty. As we live in a consumer society, people see those people who have lost their jobs are seen a failure, Which is why those young people are left in a social isolation.
It is true that not all gangs are the same. Basically a distinction can be made between really violent gangs and "normally violent" ones. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that it isn't always easy to escape the pull of gang life, but it is possible. Getting out of gang lifestyles is an opportunity, that only a few take. Even though we can't deny that a large percentage of people who leave gang life, return sooner or later, to their habits. As they were used to live a life full of adrenaline, the fact that once they leave, this adrenaline goes missing, makes them go back. This same adrenaline could be an another reason why young people join gangs. 

What link can you see between both topics and the notion of power ?

The way we see tattoos have evolved through time. Paradoxical as it may see, ages ago only sailors and gangs wore tattoos, now everyone wears them. In politics and social science, power is the ability to influence people's behavior. In order to live together, members of a community have to accept rules, regulations, laws. This helps to create social cohesion. 

Tattoos could be seen as a form of counter-power, and by definition a gang is a counter-power. Counter-power is a form of power that goes against the establishment. We could then say that tattoos and gangs have more in common than we thought.
It is generally agreed that in gangs, or in prisons, tattoos take a whole new explanation. They can show the number of times a person was sent to prison, or how many people the person has killed. 

Actually it would be more accurate to say that for criminals, tattoos are a mark of power in gangs. The more tattoos you have, the more criminal things you have done, the more power you have, the more respected you are. Which is contradictory, because for us, the more criminal things you have done, the less respected you are, the less power you have

To cut a long story short, it all comes down to saying that in both cases, having a tattoo or being part of a gang have the idea being powerful. People have tattoos to feel powerful, just as young people join groups. Which is why we could say that this topic illustrates the notion of power. The flip side of the coint is that feeling powerful with a tattoo has nothing to do with feeling powerful by joining a gang. The truth of the matter is that by having a tattoo you don't hurt anyone, whereas once you join a gang you start hurting a really important amount of people.

The Draw of 'Dead Town' - A Newsweek article

Go there for a full version of the Newsweek article.

1. Who is Gabriel Hinojos ?

Gabriel Hinojos is the main character in this article. He is the father of four children. But first, he was an ex-gang member. His gang was F13, or Florence 13, it is actually, as the article say "one of the largest street gang in Los Angeles." His whole body is covered of tattoos, either from the time he passed in prison, like the teardrop under his eye; or "the name of his gang ... written all across his necks in huge block letters".

2. What is " Ya' Stuvo". Explain the symbolic meaning of the name.

"Ya' Stuvo" is a tattoo removal center. It stands for the Spanish slang "that's enough, I'm done with that".

We could interpret it as if someone who had hi tattoo removed, was speaking about it to someone, and said the tattoo "Ya' Stuvo aqui" (=It was already here, but it' gone now). It is in Spanish, because of the position of the local: It's in L.A, where thee are a massive number of Spanish speakers. Also because a big number of the people who go there, to get their tattoo removed, are hispanics.

3. "black teardrops". Explain the meaning of this phrase in the context of the article.

When someone has a black teardrop tattooed under his eye, sometimes means that this person has killed someone. Even though most of times, it means that the person having it has passed time in prison. Like Gabriel Hinojos, who got his teardrop from doing time at Folsom State Prison.

4. "This is his 45th visit". What does this short sentence imply about Gabriel Hinojos.

  This sentence means that Gabirel Hinojos is willing to leave the gang life behind him and start a new life with his family. The fact that he is already in his 45th visit to the tattoo removal center, means that he really want to do the right thing.

5. Is getting out of a gang easy ? Quote to back up your answer

Getting out of a gang isn't always easy. "Escaping the pull of gang life is extremely difficult" (L.22) To be able to walk free, gang members have follow a few steps: "If he has served time in prison and <done the work>"(L.20).  It is also a really slow procedure. "Getting out of a street gang in L.A is about like getting a tattoo removed: slow, painful, scaring." (L.17)

6. Is it always possible ? Quote to back up your answer.

Getting out of gang lifestyle is an opportunity, that only a few know how to take and handle. Even though it is extremely difficult to achieve, people who are convinced that they want to leave their gang, they succeed to do it. It is true though that not everyone prosper. "In street lore, a gang banger can never leave a really brutal gang" (L.19) A  big percentage of people who really manage to get out, never really leave, because at one point their gang was a part of their life, they could feel like leave behind them their families. All in all, leave a gang depends also of the brutality, and the size of it.

7. On what conditions is it feasible ? Explain in your own words.

Leaving a gang depends on a series of things. One cannot leave a gang like they can leave the supermarket. To leave a gang like F13, Gabriel hinojos, had to serve time in prison and "done the work", with doing the work they refer to dealing with drugs, and using a gun. Wich indirectly means that to leave a gang, you have to served in it during a couple of time.

8. What is "extremely difficult" (lines 22-23)? Explain in you own words.

Escaping the temptation to return to their former gang life is extremely difficult. They were used to live their daily life full of adrenaline. They’re were used to live an "attractive" life, so the fact that by leaving their gang, they live a boring lifestyle, make them miss their old time passed with their gang.

9. Explain the last three line of the article in your own words.

Gabriel, with the process that he followed to leave his gang life behind, with his appointment to the tattoo removal centre, became a model, an honorable person to follow. To celebrate all the thing that he archived, he was invited to the white house, to have a drink with the former first lady Laura Bush. But sadly a few months later, he was sent back in Jail.

10. Briefly describe the photograph and exlplain how it illustrates this article.

In the photograph we can see Gabriel Hinojos, in the tattoo removal center. He is wearing black sunglasses to protect his eyes from the laser's lightning. We can see that he is feeling a lot of pain because of the grimace he is doing. His body is still covered of black ink

"Pop Art Myths" and the "Myths and Heroes" Notion

Pop Art, emerged in the late 1950s and the early 1960s. It is one of the most liberating moments in the history of art. This new type of art, was a ground breaking movement as it brings to an end the division betweeen "high" and "low" culture. British, Americans, french, German, Italien, and Spanish pop artists all shared the same ambition of making a break with the past, but also of reflecting on art and reality, on art and tradition, and on art and museums. Speaking about museums, the Thyssen Museum has held an art exhibition on Pop art myths' last year. This exhibition was a very general one, giving the opportunity to the public, who had no idea what pop art is, to have a first look at it, and discover this new type of art, and it's best known artists.

Andy Warhol - Superman - 1981

Some pop artists decides to represent some "myths". But what is a myth ? According to the sheet of myth's definitions: a myth can be a popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution, or occurence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal.

Superman is the best representation of this 3rd definition, because he embodies the superhero myth, which became somehow a cultural belief, a role model. We also, frequently associate this superheroes myth with an institution, and more especially, with a country: The United States of America.

This painting shows superman in the background, flying with his usual suite, with a black backdrop. Over him, we can see a sketch of the same superman, but without colors.

Andy Warhol - Queen Elisabeth II 

Pop artist sometimes decides to represent some heroes too. But what does a "hero" stand for ? It can be, a characther with noble qualities, who in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, displays copurage and the will for self sacrifice - that is, heroism - for some grater good of humanity.
Queen Elisabeth II, could be a good representation of this second definition. She is on one hand, the second longest monarch, and on the other hand, she embodies the characteristics of a hero; She is a character with noble qualities, who displays courage in the face of adversity. But we can also associate her with the fourth definition, which includes national heroes with political influence, this definition may suit her better as she is the queen of 12 independent countries.
This painting shows Queen Elisabeth II with a red backroung, along with pink, green, magenta, and blue superposed squares.



In my opinion this art movement is one of the most thoughtful arts, in modern art. It breaks the rules, but without forgetting the basis of art. The fact that pop art uses themes and techniques drawn from popular mass culture, such as advertising and comic book, like the painting of Superman, showed above, shows the importance that already had the media back then . An another point of pop art's originality, is that it's painting don't specially have a meaning, as opposed to the kind of art we are used to see. I feel that pop artists don't specially work to criticize a political party, or to criticize anything in general, but they just do art, to do art. Their use of bright colors, and the fact that their paintings are so colorful brings joy to my heart. Which makes me like pop art even more.
All cultures have myths. In every century, a new a king of mythology is born. As myths are told and re-told, they change. Which is why, in every century, mythology is represented in a different way. We continue to transmit them in our modern era, not only from older people telling them to younger people, but also through our modern technologies, like Tv, books, movies, paintings, etc...
Our society is surrounded by art, which makes us much more sensitive to art. Modern "mythology" being transmitted through pop art, may not be as a bad idea after all. We can be a lot more responsive, open, to modern mythology through art. Besides, what is a better idea to represent "new" mythology, than by a "new" kind of art.