My Part in Summer Palace

For my part in the Summer Palace presentation, I focused on helping with writing the questions and also the most logical way and order to present them. Because I had written my response paper on indivualism in China, I was able to analyze the movie through that lens. There really is a lot of Western influence in the movie, and it is shown progressively. The students drink Western drinks and go to Western-style bars. The paper helped me better understand the characters and thus view them in a more sympathetic light. It was also possible to come up with answers to the questions in case we needed something to discuss and explain. Because I had been able to view the movie with the group in the library, I was also able to view the others' reactions to certain scenes in the movie, thus a short preview to how the class might act. Since we all had such different schedules, most of our group discussion for the presentation happened over e-mail.

We also had to pick out which scenes to show. Someone in the group came up with a list of the scenes, and I helped pick out which ones were the most important. During the presentation, I had the opportunity to direct what scenes should be shown and just how long each clip should be. While there were many sex scenes, a lot of the most important lines Yu Hong said came either right before or right after them. Without the context of the situation, we could hardly show the quotes that she had. Because the beginning had been cut out, I did a short synopsis of it in a WebCT post. We also had to summarize several parts of the movie that had to be skipped over, such as the conversation with Zhou and the girl in Berlin. It helped a lot that we had two days to do our presentation, because it would have been difficult to have the discussion since the majority of the class had not seen the movie.

"Post It - Carrie Gets Busted" - Sex and the City and Cultural Space

Bars, as seen in the television show, "Sex and the City," are a place for both men and women to hang out, socialize, and possibly pick up someone. They are public spaces that are used to meet people. Although food is served, thus making it a place to eat, the socio-cultural world designates it more as a place of leisure (Barker 375). The lighting is generally dim, creating a more intimate setting, and music plays in the background. Women wear clothing that is culturally sexy, sometimes shows a lot of skin or compliments their shape, and will attract men, as seen when Carrie comments on how effective Miranda's skinny jeans are. Whether or not they will also depends on the “state of mind” they have and just how "sexy" they feel in them. Bars symbolize a space where people do not need to be so inhibited. As seen in the clip, bachelorettes will also frequent bars, as after they are married, their sexual and social freedoms become more limited. It is not generally accepted for married women to go to bars to pick up men. However, men have less of a cultural restraint, as Samantha ends up being blamed for kissing the girl's boyfriend, even though he was the one who first tried to initiate something.

The counter is a space for men and women to meet up and order drinks for each other. Whether or not someone has a significant other pales in comparison to the act of simply flirting, as proven when one man in the clip wants to order a drink for Miranda, but his friend brings up the point that he already has a girlfriend, both reminding him of his obligations to her and the first man's more valid claim on Miranda. In addition, once outside the club, Samantha and Carrie are subject to the laws, which is why Carrie is arrested by the police for smoking pot. The purpose of space has changed from one of leisure and enjoyment to one with more authority and structure.