You are almost there...

We have reached the halfway point in the semester. I always feel it is important to take a second and reflect upon any learning opportunity with which one engages. In our case, let's take a second to reflect upon the first half of English III.

We have accomplished so much already. We read one play, two novels, numerous short stories, blogs, essays, articles, and even one sermon (Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"). You have engaged in the writing process almost every day for the past nine weeks. You have learned tips for the SAT, ACT, and college admissions. Hopefully, your vocabulary has expanded, and you are now impressing all the right people with big words :). You have created a wiki, and shared stories, ideas, values, and theories with your classmates. And, perhaps the most important thing you have learned during the past nine weeks is to never, ever, place a burning branch in your zipper.

This week I would like to get some feedback from all of you about your experiences in the class so far. What did you enjoy? What could you live without? What would you like to learn during the second half of the class?

I am curious to see these responses...

Oscar Mania

Being the film lover that I am, I could not help but to create a post on this weekend's Oscar festivities. Every year I look forward to the pomp and circumstance that is the Oscars and revel in watching artists being awarded for their work. I don't always agree with the choices for the nominees or the winners, but I respect the fact that those who know far more about the industry are the ones making educated, informed decisions...that is until now.

For the first time since the 1940's, the best picture nominee group has been expanded from five nominees to ten. The Academy argued that the expansion allows the lesser known films to be included in the group and, conversely, the widely known films will not be pushed out by the (much loved by the academy) independent pieces. What the Academy did not say is that they have been losing ratings during past years, and they probably feel this loss of ratings is partly due to few viewers knowing the nominated films - many of which have been independent pieces. By opening up the group, more mainstream films (Avatar?) that would not have normally been nominated (because they are not worthy of best film status) now have the chance to compete against the, dare I say, more serious films. Higher ratings means more money. Also, now, ten films get to tout the much loved "Nominated for an Oscar" slogan on all DVDs.

Neal Gabler, from the LA Times, had it right when he wrote that this year's Oscar hoopla is all about pandering to the masses. He states, "Call it 'cultural inflation': a growing number of opportunities for the less deserving to get a taste of ultimate victory, as part of a growing aversion to disappointing anyone." His op-ed piece compares the Oscars to the now inflated sporting events that give all teams, regardless of skill, a chance to compete for the biggest honors. Gabler writes, "For children, this manifests itself in giving every member of the soccer team a trophy regardless of how well he or she or the team performs" or "Once upon a time, college basketball teams actually had to win their conference over the course of the season to qualify for the championship tournament." What Gabler calls "cultural inflation," I call "cultural numbing." When people are no longer asked to work to their fullest potential, or at least recognize the merits of someone who does, we are only providing just one more way to not think.

So, while I realize that the movie industry is out to primarily make money, I am disappointed that artistic integrity is being thrown to the wayside. Not everyone can be the best, and not everyone can reap the benefits of being "sorta good but not really good." In life, there is the best and there is the worst. It is high time we realize this and stop rewarding mediocrity.