WRIT 106 Blog 12:45pm

By: Farah Elmassry We all know of social media; in fact, many of us spend the majority of our time carelessly scrolling through our Instagram feeds or scrolling endlessly on TikTok. Social media can be a platform for everyone to express themselves, show their creativity, and even promote businesses, but it can also be a place filled with hate and criticism. Study shows that 64% of Americans say that Social Media negatively impacts their lives, saying that Social media platforms are toxic and filled with more hate than ever before. Apps like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter are filled with hate speech and negative comments. The latest platform TikTok recently banned a swathe of hate speech on its platform, but that doesn’t stop many of the negative comments people leave on the app on a daily basis. For young teenagers and adults, Social Media may promote negative experiences about life or appearance. So with all this being said,  m y Question to you is : Do you think Social Media is tox...

  By: J ulia Brubaker The captivating new series WandaVision , directed by Matt Shakman, is a blend between the MARVEL cinematic Universe and classic sitcoms. The show’s main characters, Wanda Maximoff (Actress Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Actor Paul Bettany) are two super powered beings trying to live ideal suburban lives, constantly under the fear of being discovered. “Westview, NJ” is where the characters are living, a false reality powered by Wanda herself and she is in control of everyone in her world.  As the series goes on, each episode looks and feels different, and time doesn't make sense. Viewers will notice their lives unfold over the decades of television tropes, taking us into the style of sitcoms from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.  Head writer Jac Schaeffer explained, “We find Wanda and Vision living a blissful suburban existence, trying to keep their powers under wraps.”  Things out of the ordinary begin to appear, and a peculiar take is when th...

By: Devin Boone Superheroes have seen a rise in popularity over the last few years. There are countless tv shows, movies, and comic books depicting them, but more recently this media has grown to be a powerful force in popular culture.  For example, in 2019 Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame beat James Cameron’s Avatar as the highest grossing film of all time. In fact, three out of the four Avengers movies are in the top ten. The one movie that isn’t in the top ten is ranked at number eleven. Superheroes haven’t only taken over the silver screen, as they have also become popular enough to advertise entire streaming services. Disney+ has its own section dedicated to Marvel content and HBO Max has a section dedicated to DC. Recently, Disney+ has been using the new show WandaVision to promote their service.  There are even shows about superhero satire. Amazon Prime’s The Boys shows the struggles of living in a world with superheroes, although it's done in a much darker and less light...

    It was a dark and stormy night... This week, we will discuss two unique genres of fiction: American Gothic and its offshoot, Southern Gothic. For those unfamiliar, popular authors include Edgar Allan Poe for Gothic literature ("The Telltale Heart," "The Raven") and William Faulkner for Southern Gothic literature ("A Rose for Emily").  Sure, the two genres have a couple of key distinctions. Mainly, Southern Gothic writers placed their characters in the American South and made their stories more realistic (not as many supernatural or paranormal happenings).  But overall, Gothic and Southern Gothic stories share many similarities.  They deal with death, crime, tragedy, mystery, sinister events, the grotesque, the uncanny, people who are pure evil, and those who are driven to madness. In other words--the darker side of humanity.  Before "A Rose for Emily" (Faulkner), you may not have read many examples of Gothic or Southern Gothic literature. But...

Welcome to our Monday blog. Instead of a live Zoom session, we will meet here every Monday for some light conversation. This is an opportunity to communicate outside of the formal texts and assignments we work on in class.  Sure, the topics can be scholarly and connected to readings. But they don't have to be. Each week, 1-2 students will submit an original blog to keep the conversation going. I ask that everyone log in at some point on Monday to drop a comment on their posts. You will receive a grade for your original blog and comment participation at the end of the semester.  Go to the Pages area of Canvas for more details.  I look forward to hearing from each of you this semester!  - Prof B Copper