mini english paper 2 pages double spaced

CLASS DISCUSSION

Difference between ULs and Myth

ULs: more realistic to life, concrete element

-details that lend it credence

-local details

-landmarks

-The Willow Tree in TBD

-UL are about the present

-they have a lesson or deeper meaning

Myths: about cosmic events

-religious belief system

-supernatural

-humanizes the gods

-land before time

-they have a lesson or deeper meaning

Fairy tales: We know they're not true, but they have a lesson or deeper meaning

ULs nowadays

-ULs / legends were more popular in the past, b/c it was harder to debunk them

-OR: they are more popular than ever, because the internet is an efficient, instant delivery device

-They have taken a different form online

-As humanity, we desire drama

-Just the facts doesn't satisfy us

-We love mystery

-The popularity has not diminished, but the experience has changed

-no fear behind a screen?

-On the other hand, ULs can be more immersive

-texting

-still immediate

-app that sends you frightening "true" stories

-movies like Unfriended: Dark Web

-correlates to fake news

-exaggerated news

-tabloid news

-ULs fill in the gaps between what they definitely know about the world

-Legends used to be "the folk news", for entertainment, to pass the time

-but nowadays we have factual news

-Do ULs still communicate "news" or something important we must know?

-Yes, in the case of the TBD

-"Don't go out alone into a weird place"

-The new UL

-correspond to our modern times

-dark web

-dating apps

-Catfishing

The context has changed, but the underlying message has not changed

-we get the same gender role messages as TBD

-the girls die differently than the guys

-guys die "heroically" like in the TBD

-Vampire Diaries

-TBD is in this show

-these roles get challenged in comedies

-humor from reversing our expectations

-"Mother" movie subverts these roles

-Some dramas subvert these roles

-A Quiet Place

-but maybe not

-Birdbox

Conspiracy Theories are a modern iteration of Urban Legends

-Youtube is the vector

-Flat Earth

-DIA airport

-Faked Moon landing

-Anne Hathaway + Shakespeare

-Barron Trump conspiracy theory

-People will believe what they hear if it's presented as if it's true

-"If it's true, it's important"

-ppl believe ULs / conspiracies / fake news because it validates their

world views

-satisfies some need they have

-We are curious about the unknown

-again ULs fill the gaps in our knowledge

-exactly like conspiracy theories

-closure

-Pareidolia

-The Mandela Effect

-past reality is different from how we remember it, therefore there are time travellers changing our past

-The Berenstain Bears

-Kit Kat

-Mandela died in prison

-Moon Landing date

ULs are like horror movies / true crime stories

Morbid curiosity

-get the blood pumping / adrenaline

-when we see something beyond our knowledge, we become fascinated

-intriguing, because there are no answers

-the more we learn, the more we want to know

-we want to feel some sort of "return to order at the end"

-closure

The Boyfriend's Death

Cliche elements:

-the girl is delicate, helpless

-stuck in the middle of nowhere

-the bf tries to be the hero

-brutally murdered for his trouble

-some kind creepy tactile effect

-it's cliche for the legend to end in death

-death is a mysterious, intriguing, tragic, compelling ending to a story

What is the surface level meaning of the TBD:

Stay home with your BF in a familiar place. Do not have a BF at all!

Deeper, symbolic meanings of TBD?:

Stereotypical gender roles

-woman is vulnerable (dress and heels)

-weak

-passive

-obeys her boyfriend

-men is protector

-active

-male authorities to the rescue

But are these roles subverted?

-The BF fails and dies

-shoulda stayed in the car!

-The girl survives despite being "weaker"

Or not subverted:

-The BF dies for his girlfriend

-noble, "masculine" sacrifice

IN CLASS ACTIVITY:

1. Define an urban legend.

2. Answer: What is the purpose of Urban Legends, according to the author?

3. How does The Boyfriend's Death support the answer to #2?