Superhero Quote-Bank.

Superheroes and Patriotism

"Superheroes are the American Gods, they are American Mythology. Just like the Greeks had theirs, the Romans had theirs. These are the all-American heroes."

"Superheroes have always flourished in times of the greatest American adversity. In the depression era we were afraid of whether or not we would be able to put food on the table. We were afraid of being involved in a great world war that would take our freedom away. In the atomic age we were afraid of radiation. Today, we're afraid of terrorist attacks. And all of those eras of history, that's when superheroes enjoyed their greatest eras of resurgence."

"It's American. It's sort of like Jazz. It's an American art form."
Stan Lee  (Comic Book Writer) 

"Superman is an Alien; he's an immigrant. He comes from Crypton, he immigrated to Earth, he left everything behind. His old world is gone, he comes here, he changes his name to something that sounds gentile: Clark Kent. He transforms himself into the ultimate symbol for the American way of life. That was a powerful expression of the American immigrant experience."
Michael Chabon (Author)

"When you strip everything else away, what you get is a stranger in a strange land, who wants to be part of a world, and not an isolated alien. That's the backbone of America."
Mark Waid (Writer)

"Because the war effort was so prominent (...) It was an important propaganda device, especially that first cover, Captain America was throwing a right cross into Hitler's jaw." 
Jim Steranko (Artist/Writer)

"This was at a time, where everybody was patriotic (...) And it was ridiculous not to do Captain America." 
Jack Kirby (Co-Creator, Captain America) 

Superheroes and Aspiration

"Superheroes are really just a personification of who we believe ourselves to be. Pioneers, and heroes."

"I think as symbolic ideas (superheroes) remain useful, and we should try and treat them not as anything that could possibly be real, but as fiction, as fantasy designed to tell us things about ourselves."
Grant Morrison  (Writer)

"Superman may have started as a fantasy imagination of a couple of teenagers, but he became a social crusader very quickly."
Bradford Wright (Comic Book Historian)

"A lot of folks who came to this country had this feeling of: I can become the hero to my family, I can be better, I can be bigger."

"The whole superhero industry was seized by space-age fever. The sleekness of the costumes, the sleekness of the artwork, and more importantly, the goals and the boundaries that we can break as a society."
Mark Waid (Writer)

Superheroes and Controversy

"Wertham warned parents that superhero stories seduced their children with messages about sadism, homoeroticism, and gender role reversal"
SHARON PACKER M.D. (Superheroes and Superegos: Analyzing the Minds Behind the Masks)

"The "Big Three" – Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman – were each linked to different aspects of subversive sexuality. Dr. Wertham said that superhero stories substitute sadism for ordinary interactions without sublimating any instincts at all. He linked Superman to sadism, Batman to homoeroticism and man-boy love, and Wonder Woman to bondage and discipline; female domination."
SHARON PACKER M.D. (Superheroes and Superegos: Analyzing the Minds Behind the Masks)

"Dr. Wertham does accuse Superman of being a fascist, Batman and Robin of being a homosexual fantasy of a man and a boy living together, and Wonder Woman of being just plain kinky."
Dwight Decker

"Bruce Wayne is described as a socialite and Dick Grayson is Bruce's ward. Batman is sometimes shown in a dressing gown. It is like a wish-dream of two homosexuals, living together."
Fredric Wertham (Psychiatrist, Author)

"Superman (...) has long been recognised as a symbol of violent race-superiority."
Fredric Wertham (Psychiatrist, Author)

"Almost exclusively, until the past few years, Wonder Woman has been written by and drawn by men.   Wonder Woman is a classic exercise in watching how men, through the decades, are trying to handle the idea of women and equality through this character."
Phil Jimenez (Artist)

"I wish that I could say that super heroines have changed in a way that reflects the women's movement (...) but they're still sex objects for the most part."
Trina Robbins (Comic Book Historian)

Representation/Collective Identity

Write 500 words on the representation of a character/collective identity of your choice. You must take a theoretical approach to it, referencing media theory and utilising your media terminology. 

I've chosen to look at the hero, more specifically, the superhero. 

The superhero is undoubtably an aspect of our modern culture that has branched out in all sorts of ways. Superheroes are icons, idols, symbols of hope, patriotism, not to mention they are dominating every type of media text, most notably film. 

On average, how many superhero films are released to cinemas every year? Usually, five. Five big-budgeted, epic superhero blockbusters dominate the cinema every year, be it the Man of Steel, The Avengers, or The Amazing Spiderman, it's clear to see that audiences can't get enough of supers. Why? Why is that? Superheroes are icons. They are representative of greater things. Superheroes can be an incredibly patriotic thing. Look at the ending to the trailer for the 2002 film Spiderman.

Look at Spiderman. Gosh, what an American icon. God bless America! 

Spiderman, being released in 2002 was struck by the trauma of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centre. Which is exceptionally unfortunate these teaser trailers for Spiderman being released before the events of 9/11. 

Incredibly creative use of the towers. But good golly, post-9/11, vastly distasteful. 

But we shan't talk about that. 

Previous controversy aside, the point is, Spiderman became a symbol of hope for the distressed society of America, post-9/11. The audience needed to see a symbol of hope, the audience needed a hero to glorify America after the shock of 9/11. 

Of course, they revisited the American-flag motif in the third film in the trilogy, pandering to the American people. Symbol of Hope, exclusively for Americans. Because who doesn't want a nation-specific hero?

I rest my case.

May I take some time to talk to you about our personal lord and saviour: Superman?

Other-worldly father, with other worldly powers, sacrificing himself for the betterment of humanity? The Church should sue on grounds of copyright infringement. And with imagery like this:

The portrayal of Superman, in Zach Snyder's 2014 film Man of Steel is laden with Jesus analogies. 

Alien Presentation

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1NXtvIYIvRoBI3TDwp92HH-6jCOaeIYFEQwkMD2EsAoY/edit#slide=id.g128cf84dc_018

Short Presentation on Shia LaBeouf

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PiUFSwI0CQLOemJpMnS3OAZMWqSR1h9XCzSaENIuAQA/edit#slide=id.g1282aca0d_042

Representation of Teachers in Media

Sexting Teacher is a recent television series, exploring stories of sexual relationships between teachers and students.
The show reveals sides to these stories that had not been previously revealed; the narrator asks: Are these stories as simple as the media suggests?
One woman remarks: He never pursued me. I was the one in the position of power. 
In these teacher-student relationships, the teacher is typically shown as a predator of sorts, however this series sheds light upon another side of the argument, that the students were in the most case the initiators of the affair, if not, then rather, they were fully willing, and did not feel pressurised or taken advantage of, at the time.
One of the three stories begins with the student having taken a shying to the teacher, liking the fact that he was older and more mature. 
Students of one of the teachers remark that the teacher was good-looking, a friend, a mentor, who got them through their GCSEs. 

Comparative Essay somewhat.

This clip is a very iconic scene from Richard Curtis' 2003 rom-com Love Actually, with Hugh Grant starring as the British Prime Minister. His speech is in response to the American President, stating that though Britain may be a small country, it is a Great one too. The speech is thoroughly patriotic, as he proceeds to list the things that make Britain great; he lists things that are known worldwide, like  Shakespeare, The Beatles, and David Beckham. This list of things familiar to not only Brits, but recognised on a global scale emphasises to worldwide audiences, not only British audiences, that Britain is responsible for a great deal of great things. The purpose of this speech is not only to show the Prime Minister's defiance against the American President, but also to band the British together by influencing them with a sense of pride for their country and it's accomplishments. The Prime Minister recognises that Britain is often belittled, and therefore emphasises all of the good points of British culture: Disregarding the bad points of British Culture, mind you. 

David Cameron delivered a similar speech in response to a Russian official's remark that Britain is but a small island that no one listens to. Not unlike the scenario above, where Hugh Grant's Prime Minister expresses that Britain's relationship with America is founded about America taking exactly what it wants, and forgetting about what really matters... to Britain. Much like the American President's belittling of the Britain in the above speech, the Russian official belittles Britain, causing Prime Minister David Cameron is retaliate with an uplifting, patriotic speech. 

Parallel to Hugh Grant's Prime Ministerial speech from Love Actually, Cameron starts by acknowledging that Britain is small. A small island. A small group of islands. But this remark is followed by his stating that Britain has a proud history, and great resilience. The use of words like pride and greatness really hammer in the sense of patriotism that oozes from this speech. Both David Cameron's speech, and Hugh Grant's speech begin by playing the small but mighty card, establishing the patriotic tone of the speech.
Cameron goes on, much like Grant, to list the great things to come from Britain, comedy coming through his reference to very current events, most notably his mention of One Direction.
Cameron's sugar-coating of British history effectively inflicts a sense of patriotism, due to his insistent mention of the positive aspects of Britain, and his brushing aside negative aspects, offering only a shallow truth. Understandable, as the speech certainly wouldn't have been as appealing had Cameron said Britain took slavery off the high seas, even though Britain endorsed slavery and was one of the main forces initiating it to begin with. Certainly that wouldn't have sparked the same feeling of pride and patriotism as Cameron's half-truths. 

How to improve my Media Essay Writing

Plan my response before writing.
Explore points in greater depth, (how you reference previous artists and products).
Keep a formal tone.