Mirror on America : Short Essays and Images from Popular Culture

by Joan T. Mims; Elizabeth M. Nollen

• ISBN13: 9780312436582
• ISBN10: 0312436580
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2005-12-27
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's

Summary

Students come to college already equipped with plenty of knowledge about popular culture and are more than ready to talk about the topics that interest them.Mirror on America: Short Essays and Images from Popular Culturedraws on that knowledge and interest and gives students the context they need to understand the culture around them. Composed primarily of short, high-interest essays and rich visual images, the text's thematic chapters present material that students will already be familiar with, but in new and provocative ways. Abundant apparatus guides their responses and helps them think and write critically about American popular culture.

Author Biography

JOAN T. MIMS has been a manager and language arts specialist with the Texas Education Agency, working on development and scoring of the statewide writing assessments. She taught composition at West Chester University for 13 years and has extensive experience with developmental students.

ELIZABETH M. NOLLEN has taught basic writing, composition, film, and literature courses in the English department at West Chester University for the last 18 years. She has been active in the English component of pre-college programs, given numerous papers at the Popular Culture Association, and has published Family Matters in the British and American Novel with Bowling Green State University Popular Press.

Table of Contents

Preface for Instructors	vii
Introduction for Students	xv
Rhetorical Table of Contents	xxix
1. Active, Involved Reading and the Writing Process: Establishing the Connection	1	(31)
Reading with a Difference	1	(6)
Getting into Reading	1	(2)
Thinking Ahead	3	(1)
Increasing Vocabulary	4	(1)
Reading a Sample Essay	5	(2)
ERIC L WEE, Schlock Waves Felt across U.S. Campuses	7	(6)
Can studying R.E.M. lyrics really rival studying romantic poetry for academic credibility?
Thinking about the Reading	9	(4)
DAVID JACOBSON, Pop Culture Studies Turns 25	13	(7)
This author invites the reader inside the argument swirling around the validity of pop culture studies and introduces the creator of the controversy.
Writing with a Difference	20	(2)
Getting into Writing	20	(2)
Planning Purpose, Audience, and Attitude	22	(7)
Hooking the Reader	22	(1)
Identifying a Thesis	23	(1)
Supporting the Thesis	24	(1)
Organizing the Content	24	(1)
Connecting the Pieces	25	(1)
Arriving at a Conclusion	25	(1)
Titling the Paper and Other Final Steps	25	(1)
Revising the Paper	26	(1)
Editing the Paper	26	(1)
Peer Editing	27	(1)
Gaining from the Effort	28	(1)
A Sample Student Essay	28	(1)
ANABEL F. HART, The Importance of Reflecting on Popular Culture (STUDENT ESSAY)	29	(3)
This essay considers the arguments put forth by Wee and Jacobson.
2. Deconstructing Media: Analyzing an Image	32	(13)
The Message of Media	32	(7)
Asking the Right Questions	33	(1)
Taking the Image Apart	33	(2)
Reading Visual Images	35	(1)
To Have and To Hold (PHOTOGRAPH)	36	(2)
Mallard Fillmore (CARTOON)	38	(1)
Writing about an Image	39	(2)
Monumental Taste (ADVERTISEMENT)	40	(1)
ROBERT E. ARTHUR, Monumental Taste: Using Patriotism to Market Diet Coke (STUDENT ESSAY)	41	(4)
This essay provides a sample analysis of the "Monumental Taste" advertisement.
Gearing Up to Read Images	43	(1)
Collaborating	43	(2)
3. Define "American": Reflections on Cultural Identity	45	(45)
LOOKING AHEAD: Like Mother—Not Likely (PHOTOGRAPH)	45	(3)
Gearing Up	46	(1)
Collaborating	47	(1)
SUSAN BRADY KONIG, They've Got to Be Carefully Taught	48	(4)
With a liberal sprinkling of humor, this journalist tackles the serious issue of whether our efforts to stress diversity bring us closer or move us farther apart.
JULIA ALVAREZ, I Want to Be Miss America	52	(7)
As a young girl longing to fit in, this Hispanic writer learned much about her new country's beauty ideals by tuning in to the Miss America Pageant.
There She Was (PHOTOGRAPH)	58	(1)
LORRAINE ALI, Do I Look Like Public Enemy Number One?	59	(6)
Recalling the prejudice she faced as a child, the author reflects on growing up as an Arab in America.
ANDREW NELSON, Wilma Mankiller	65	(7)
This portrait of the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation offers a fascinating look into the life of a groundbreaking woman.
CHRISTOPHER STAHL, I Ruck, Therefore 1Am: Rugby and the Gay Male Body	72	(5)
A gay rugby player challenges us to reflect on what role—if any—sexual preference plays in sports.
Paired Selections
JON KATZ, How Boys Become Men	77	(5)
This author contends that a boyhood Code of Conduct is to blame for men's inability to express their feelings.
J. PEDER ZANE, Men Peek Out from the Cave	82	(5)
This writer is alarmed at the emergence of what he calls the "Neanderman," a macho creature who responds to the women's movement by wanting to drag those women by the hair back into the cave.
WRAPPING UP CHAPTER 3	87	(3)
Reflecting on the Writing	87	(1)
Connecting to the Culture	87	(1)
Focusing on Yesterday: Norman Rockwell, Freedom from Want (PAINTING)	88	(1)
Focusing on Today: Charlie Powell, One Big Happy Family (DRAWING)	89	(1)
4. "Tell Me What You Don't Like about Yourself": Cultural Reflections on Body Image	90	(51)
LOOKING AHEAD: American Gothic Makeover (PAINTING)	90	(3)
Gearing Up	91	(1)
Collaborating	92	(1)
GARRY TRUDEAU, My Inner Shrimp	93	(4)
With a touch of humor, this well-known cartoonist recalls the painful experience of being a short teenager.
H. D., Dying to Be Bigger	97	(6)
An anonymous young man recounts his addiction to steroids and explores its causes and consequences.
GRACE SUH, The Eye of the Beholder	103	(6)
A search for beauty at a make-up counter has disastrous results for this Asian American writer.
ALICE WALKER, Beauty: When the Other Dancer Is the Self	109	(9)
A celebrated author recounts some of the most painful—and beautiful—periods of her life as a potentially devastating eye injury and a perceptive young daughter bring her new insight into the world.
GABY WOOD, Meet Marnie	118	(9)
A critic of the extreme makeover show The Swan disputes the notion that this show offers happy fairy-tale endings to its "ugly duckling" contestants.
Paired Selections
PATRICIA MCLAUGHLIN, Venus Envy	127	(4)
A columnist reveals more similarities than differences in the attitudes of today's men and women toward personal appearance.
DAN BARDEN, My New Nose	131	(7)
This author recounts his journey "to the center of his face" by candidly describing a nose job that transformed him from "tough guy" to "leading man."
Losing the Trauma: The Author Before and After Surgery ( PHOTOGRAPHS)	134	(4)
WRAPPING UP CHAPTER 4	138	(3)
Focusing on Yesterday: When Big Was Beautiful (PAINTING)	138	(1)
Focusing on Today: A Real-Life Barbie Doll (ADVERTISEMENT)	139	(1)
Reflecting on the Writing	140	(1)
Connecting to the Culture	140	(1)
5. The Fabric of Our Lives: Fashion Trends and the Signals They Send	141	(42)
LOOKING AHEAD: Do Clothes Really Make the Man? (PHOTOGRAPH)	141	(2)
Gearing Up	142	(1)
Collaborating	142	(1)
READ MERCER SCHUCHARDT, Swoosh!	143	(5)
In a culture in which symbols can carry more meaning than words, this writer examines the origin and influence of Nike's popular icon.
JOHN LEO, The "Modern Primitives"	148	(5)
The popularity of piercings and tattoos may indicate a return to the patterns of primitive cultures, writes this popular cultural critic.
Body Rites (ADVERTISEMENT)	152	(1)
RUTH LA FERIA, Latino Style Is Cool. Oh, All Right: It's Hot.	153	(6)
A columnist for the New York Times explores one of the hottest trends to recently hit the fashion scene.
HAYLEY KAUFMAN, Belly-Baring Fad Not Cute as a Button	159	(4)
As more and more people dare to bare their midriffs, this writer has seen "one belly too many."
DAVID CARR, On Covers of Many Magazines, a Full Racial Palette Is Still Rare	163	(7)
Have you noticed that the faces staring back at you from your favorite magazines do not reflect the multi-hued face of the American public today?
Paired Selections
DELIA CLEVELAND, Champagne Taste, Beer Budget	170	(4)
A former fashion addict reflects on the obsession that took control of her life.
DAMIEN CAVE, The Tyranny of "Abercrappie"	174	(6)
This writer examines the key to Abercrombie & Fitch's phenomenal success and discusses the controversies surrounding the brand that so many of us either love or love to hate.
WRAPPING UP CHAPTER 5 180
Focusing on Yesterday: The Hathaway Man (ADVERTISEMENT)	180	(1)
Focusing on Today: Sex and the Sneaker (ADVERTISEMENT)	181	(1)
Reflecting on the Writing	182	(1)
Connecting to the Culture	182	(1)
6. Fantasies for Sale: Marketing American Culture	183	(55)
LOOKING AHEAD: A Declaration of Independence (ADVERTISEMENT)	183	(3)
Gearing Up	184	(1)
Collaborating	185	(1)
JOHN FOLLIS, Mad Ave.	186	(6)
A veteran of advertising takes us behind the slogans and jingles to offer a revealing glimpse of his profession and his peers.
JAY CHIAT, Illusions Are Forever	192	(5)
A legendary advertising executive reveals that the "real lie in advertising" involves the way the media shapes audiences' perceptions of reality.
JOHN LEO, The Selling of Rebellion	197	(4)
Advertising campaigns capitalize on the "no boundaries" attitude of their audiences.
DAN COOK, Lunchbox Hegemony? Kids and the Marketplace, Then and Now	201	(9)
Children have become a powerful consumer group, and the historical evolution of that phenomenon makes interesting material for this author's observations.
Shirley and Son (CARTOON)	210	(1)
JENNIFER POZNER, Triumph of the Shill	211	(13)
On some television shows, product placement may he a hotter commodity than the plot.
Paired Selections
TARA PARKER-POPE, Custom-Made	224	(6)
American corporations are making startling discoveries—and sonic really unusual products—as they venture into international markets.
DAVID STREITFELD, India Call Sites Teach Lessons on America	230	(5)
Outsourcing has become a major factor in the U.S. economy, but what is its impact on foreign workers assigned to deal with Americans on the telephone?
WRAPPING UP CHAPTER 6	235	(3)
Reflecting on the Writing	235	(1)
Connecting to the Culture	235	(1)
Focusing on Yesterday: Mixing Pancakes with Social Change (ADVERTISEMENT)	236	(1)
Focusing on Today: So Cool, It's Hot (ADVERTISEMENT)	237	(1)
7. Flickering Illusions: Television and Movie Messages	238	(48)
LOOKING AHEAD: She's Got your Eyes (PHOTOGRAPH)	238	(2)
Gearing Up	239	(1)
Collaborating	239	(1)
JAMES PONIEWOZIK, Reconsidering Friends	240	(5)
Now that the Friends are no longer meeting weekly at Central Perk (except in reruns), it is time to consider what this iconic television show has taught us about ourselves and about American culture.
HEMAL JHAVERI, Searching for a Real Gay Man	245	(6)
While gay men like Will and Jack on Will and Grace and the five guys on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy have become celebrities, do they truly reflect the reality of gay life or do they caricature it?
DOUGLAS CRUICKSHANK, Crazy for Dysfunction	251	(8)
Why is the public so mad about "dysfunctional" families like the Osbournes and the Simpsons? Were the Cleavers and the Nelsons so perfect after all? This author examines the portrayal of the modern family on television, in film, and in memoirs.
LOUISE KENNEDY, Barrier Between Adults' and Children's Entertainment Is Breaking Down	259	(5)
In this writer's opinion, recent books, television programs, and movies targeted to both children and adults are a cause for concern.
STEPHEN KING, Why We Crave Horror Movies	264	(5)
This modern master of the genre contends that watching horror movies releases an important steam valve in our social conscience.
Paired Selections
HEATHER HAVRILESKY, Three Cheers for Reality TV	269	(9)
This media critic enthusiastically contends that "Lowbrow or not, all most of us want from TV is the chance to glimpse something true, just a peek at those strange little tics and endearing flaws that make us human."
EMILY EAKIN, Greeting Big Brother with Open Arms	278	(4)
Clever marketing may be brainwashing the viewing public into ignoring the fact that reality television is just an updated version of George Orwell's all-seeing and all-controlling Big Brother.
WRAPPING UP CHAPTER 7	282	(4)
Focusing on Yesterday: Psycho Scream (movie STILL)	282	(1)
Focusing on Today: Scream Scream (MOVIE STILL)	283	(1)
Reflecting on the Writing	284	(1)
Connecting to the Culture	284	(2)
8. Stop! Listen. What's That Sound? How Music and Culture Mix It Up	286	(46)
LOOKING AHEAD: Britney and Madonna (PHOTOGRAPH)	286	(2)
Gearing Up	287	(1)
Collaborating	287	(1)
LORRAINE ALI, Same Old Song	288	(5)
From Elvis to Eminem, pop music has always had a rebellious edge; today, however, its shock value has escalated to a new level.
STEPHEN COREY, A Voice for the Lonely	293	(5)
Recalling a favorite song from his youth, the author explores the connections between music, memory, and emotion.
RICHARD LACAYO, Rock of Ages	298	(6)
Today's pop music is not so different from the music of twenty years ago, and for that reason, it is drawing parents and children together.
KEITH GIRARD AND LIZ SKINNER, Does Sex Still Sell?	304	(5)
Some female musicians are willing to bare much for their art, but showing off more than their talent may not be helping their careers.
ANDREW LEONARD, The Digital Music Renaissance	309	(5)
This savvy music consumer explains how technology has expanded his musical range and made him a better listener.
Paired Selections
JOHN H. MCWHORTER, How Hip-Hop Holds Blacks Back	314	(11)
This widely-respected author argues his conviction that listening to rap and hip-hop limits young blacks' potential for success.
JAMILAH EVELYN, To the Academy with Love, from a Hip-Hop Fan	325	(4)
Since hip-hop plays an important role in many students' lives, professors have a responsibility to understand and appreciate it, contends this writer.
WRAPPING UP CHAPTER 8	329	(3)
Reflecting on the Writing	329	(1)
Connecting to the Culture	329	(1)
Focusing on Yesterday: "Turn the Radio Up!" (PHOTOGRAPH)	330	(1)
Focusing on Today: iPod, Therefore I Am (PHOTOGRAPH)	331	(1)
9. This Blog's 4 U: Pop Culture Powers Up	332	(49)
LOOKING AHEAD: Just a Click Away: Remote Dreams of Complete Control (PHOTOGRAPH)	332	(2)
Gearing Up	333	(1)
Collaborating	333	(1)
JOE STAFFORD, Welcome to your Second Life	334	(8)
Here's an opportunity to become the person you always wanted to be without dieting, exercising, or forfeiting any bad habits; all you need is a password.
JENNIE BRISTOW, Text Messaging: Take Note	342	(4)
Wan2tlk about txt msgs?
STEVEN LEVY, iPod Nation	346	(8)
This author takes a close look at the miraculous little device that keeps Apple singing and the rest of us in tune.
WILLIAM SAFIRE, Blog	354	(3)
Everyone's blogging, but what effect is this new method of communication having on our culture?
JAMES PETHOKOUKIS, Our Biotech Bodies, Ourselves	357	(5)
When it comes to our bodies and our biology, perhaps everything that can be done should not necessarily be done.
Paired Selections
ALEX WRIGHT, From Ivory Tower to Academic Sweatshop	362	(11)
Online education is big business, and the pressure this puts on college campuses, professors, and students may not be to anyone's advantage.
VICKY PHILLIPS, Education in the Ether	373	(5)
This teacher argues that online education represents the best principles of learning.
WRAPPING UP CHAPTER 9	378	(3)
Focusing on Yesterday: Family Night, 1970's style (PHOTOGRAPH)	378	(1)
Focusing on Today: Still Home Alone (PHOTOGRAPH)	379	(1)
Reflecting on the Writing	380	(1)
Connecting to the Culture	380	(1)
Evaluating and Documenting Sources	381	(14)
Index of Authors and Titles	395