Author: JALEN F

The Bachelor: A Classic Romantic Comedy

On By JALEN FIn Comedy/SatireLeave a comment

When considering the definition of a romantic comedy, Artisole describes it as “two lovers who tend to be young, likable, and apparently meant for each other, yet they are kept apart by some complicating circumstance”. By using this definition, the perfect show instantly came to mind, “The Bachelor”. The Bachelor is a popular TV series that follows a single bachelor as he dates a group of potential romantic partners in the hope of finding true love and a lasting relationship. Its unique blend of drama and romantic comedy makes it a compelling example of how romantic comedy in entertainment can serve as a meaningful art form.

The Bachelor always features an attractive young man who is in search of love and basically dates 20 women at once until he finds the one for him. The concept may seem silly and unpractical but The Bachelor excels at creating very interesting narratives that keep viewers engaged from week to week. The show’s producers carefully craft storylines that unfold over the course of the season, building tension, suspense, and emotional stakes as relationships form, evolve, and sometimes fall apart. This narrative structure adds depth and complexity to the show, transforming it from a mere reality TV series into a truly attention-grabbing and impactful storytelling experience. At times, it’s easy to find the story funny and laughable because of the excessive drama. The show sets the stage for a series of dramatic and comedic moments as the contestants navigate the highs and lows of falling in love in a highly competitive and often artificial environment.

In context, The Bachelor claims it is a true reality TV show rather than a scripted show made to simply entertain audiences. Either way, It’s a good example of a romantic comedy because it embodies many of the key elements needed to fit into Artisole’s romantic comedy genre. This is because of the exploration through love, humor, and relationships in a way that resonates with the audience and captures the meaning of romance. The series always has a happy ending but along the journey may seem like the contestants are overwhelmed by the amount of drama. Since there is a wedding at the end of each series and young people overcome obstacles in order to find love is the reason why The Bachelor fits so well into the romantic comedy category.

Satire In A Suit

On By JALEN FIn Comedy/SatireLeave a comment

The first season of the 2011 popular legal drama Netflix show “Suits” created by Aaron Korsh, contains plenty of satire throughout the season. The show is about a gifted genius Mike Ross who has a photographic memory. Mike lives in New York and lives as a regular guy who uses his intelligence to his full advantage by taking the LSAT test for people for money. Though Mike happens to need a large sum of money to assist with his grandmother’s retirement bill. He later stumbles upon a law firm interview where he once again uses his memory to land a big-time lawyer job and a high-reputation law firm.

From the start, the show shows ironic satire. If this situation were reality, it would be funny because of how ironic things seem to come for Mike Ross. Mike does not have a college degree, a law degree or experience, does illegal drugs but happens to have a gifted memory. He just happens to stumble into the middle of an interview for a law firm and lands a job that is only given to Harvard Law graduates he didn’t even intend to prepare for. Since he landed the job, he needs to not only perform to top standards but also keep his unqualified credentials a secret. His situation up to this point of more ironic because he just so happened to mater the LSAT Law exam and therefore memorizes the law, which allows him to perform up to standards.

Another aspect of satire is the parody of a stereotypical Harvard graduate. In the show, when Mike is interviewing with the top lawyer Harvey Spector, (who is also a Harvard graduate) the show pans to the other candidates who all graduated Harvard who look and act the exact same way. This satire is saying that a Harvard law graduate would most likely look like a white male with a tacky suit and nerdy like personality. By doing this, the show makes fun of that stereotype in the scene.

Suits continues to show satire through the series through situational satire with all of the cases that Mike and Harvey take on together. Mike typically is stuck with doing more pro bono cases which forces him to do lower things than Harvey would do. Though described as a genius Mike is constantly proven how much he still has to learn in order to be an adequate lawyer. This is also satine because, through his rookie mistakes, he continues to grow as a lawyer learning more about the external side of law rather than memorization of books.

Oh, How Poetic Life Can Be!

On By JALEN FIn Poetry3 Comments

One way to express poetry is in the form of narrative poetry. Narrative poetry is a form of poetry that is used to tell a story. It typically has the purpose of using poetry to express a significant story and connect to other people, ideas, and things around you. What better way to convey a story than to highlight the importance of simply being grateful for your life using narrative poetry.

The song “My Life” by J Cole expresses the opportunities and values that his life has. J Cole talks about his experiences in his lifetime and why those moments shaped who he is currently. Whether those moments are positive or negative, he still is grateful for the privileges he has in his life.

J Cole starts the song with a background on his early life. He talks about the unfortunate situations he was forced into because he had no money and came from a family history of drug use and production.

“I’m just a product of poverty, full of narcotics to profit off quickly
My family tree got a history of users that struggle with demons
Not really the hustler instincts
Therefore, often, my pockets was empty
So while some of my partners was servin’ up rocks on the corners, the project assemblies
Me, I was startin’ to envy, wanna be on the top where it’s plenty”

This section of the song details his upcoming as a colored person in an underfunded community who does not have a lot of opportunities to make a living outside of drugs. Laying out some of his struggles before reaching fame shows he wasn’t happy with his life and the mindset he approached life with. This is important because his life story starts not positive but continues to improve as he gets older and understands that to enjoy life, you need to become appreciative of being alive. J Cole even states this in his chorus:

“My life is all I have
My rhymes, my pen, my pad
And I done made it out the struggle, don’t judge me
What you’re sayin’ now won’t budge me
‘Cause where I come from (come from), so often (so often)
People you grow up with layin’ in a coffin
But I done made it through the pain and strife
It’s my time now, my world, my life, my life”

This chorus does an extraordinary job showing how the way you look at certain things is important in life. He may have struggled in his life and had pain and suffering, but, he continues to push through and enjoy the life he feels fortunate to have. This also speaks volumes on how valuable his life is to him. He chooses to move forward and make the most out of what he has in his life. He even continues this same mindset in the following verse:

“I pray that my past ain’t ahead of me (21)
When I’m in love, I love heavily (on God)
If you betray me, you dead to me (21)
I disrespect you respectfully (straight up)
I got some partners who left this Earth
Maybe the pain made a better me”

This verse serves as a continuation of the trauma from previous experiences faced in his lifetime. The outcomes from the trauma lead to why his emotions are vulnerable and why he puts a guard up so he won’t get emotionally hurt again. By becoming more protective of his emotional state, he is able to block off things that may hurt him the same way, which is what the first line suggests. He finishes this verse by saying “Maybe the pain made a better me” meaning, he learned from his pain, which is why he is better at protecting himself from that same pain that hurt him before.

By exemplifying life, J Cole intends readers to take away that it doesn’t matter your background or where you come from. Hard times are going to happen and although it may hurt, you have the opportunity to still move forward and learn from that pain. Make the most out of what you have and appreciate the life you were given.

The True Meaning Of A Trust Fall

On By JALEN FIn Trust (film) - Hal Hartley3 Comments

In the 1990 film “Trust,” directed by Hal Hartley, revolves around the complexity of true love, dysfunctional human relationships, and, most of all, trust. The film follows two main characters: Matthew and Maria. Maria starts the story as a naive teen who was responsible for her own father’s death and later gets pregnant. Matthew is a broken man who lives with his abusive father and struggles to maintain a consistent job. Both characters struggle with facing their fears and insecurities within their own situations. They later meet and help each other learn the importance of letting go of their eternal struggles and emotional barriers and relying on one another for support.

The trust fall scene in the film is a powerful moment that highlights the significance of how we trust in our lives. The scene serves as a metaphor for the risks we take and the vulnerability we expose in order to put our trust in others. We see Maria willingly fall backward from a barrier with full trust that Matthew would catch her. Then, when it’s Matthew’s turn, we see he is skeptical about Maria not having the capability to save him from his fall.

The scene is important because it reminds us that trust is not just about relying on someone to catch us physically but also emotionally. It serves as a leap of faith that is taken whenever fully opening up to others. It allows others to accept one’s true self and trust that they won’t let us down.

Furthermore, the trust fall emphasizes building trust and understanding that trust is not automatic. For example, few people would participate in a trust fall with a stranger. Trust is something that is earned through mutual respect and honesty. This is the reason behind the trust fall. Maria and Matthew have only known each other for a short amount of time, yet are impulsively deciding to marry. While shocked, Maria tests to see if the trust has been earned between them both.

This scene was the main turning point in the film for both characters. This allowed them to begin to build their relationship on a deeper level of trust and understanding. This allows them to communicate honestly throughout the story and overcome their insecurities. This starts the sense of connection and intimacy. Ultimately, The trust fall scene allows the characters to bond and transform their relationship for the better off of trust.

What would you do with 24 hours left to live?

On By JALEN FIn Stranger2 Comments

Hypothetically, if a doctor told you, you only had 24 hours to live, what would you do? Most of us would say try as many extreme activities as possible like skydiving or doing things they never would have considered otherwise. Close to nobody would go the school or lie around the house because we know the end is near, so we want to live every single moment. Why don’t we always live with the same mindset?

In the book “The Stranger” the main character Meursault lives in a mindset not many others have. He sees the pointlessness in societal norms and doesn’t want to live within them. Overall, the book touches on the themes of existentialism, the true meaning of life, and the absurdity of human existence. The story challenges societal norms and explores the consequences of a detached emotional lifestyle. The novel leads readers to question the human condition and search for meaning in a different sense. Details in the story that develop this idea is the mindset of Meursault and his perspective on life.

Following the death of Maman, Meursault’s attitude and perception of life were shifted. He realized at the end of the book that life itself does not have meaning unless you give meaning to it. This is why he acts and thinks the way he does, living life to the fullest without a care in the world. He was able to see that nothing really matters since he will eventually die soon enough.

Though, what if we all learn from Meursault? The reason he sees no purpose in trying to fit into societal norms most of the time is that he knows death is coming. But death is eventually coming for all of us. We are all blinded to step out and enjoy life for what it is because of societal norms. going to school, doing homework, working, acting certain ways in public, etc. Though the system we are in is now almost impossible to escape and that’s okay, the takeaway is, that you give your own life meaning. None of those things listed would matter when you are gone. Think realistically, would we all do those things knowing we only have 24 hours to live?

The Value of Perspective in “Tenth of December”

On By JALEN FIn Short Stories2 Comments

The short story “Tenth of December” was written by George Saunders. It is a captivating story that portrays a man named Don Eber, who is an older man who is battling a terminal illness. He then feels like a burden to his own family because of the impact his illness has supposedly taken on them. Eber makes the decision to end his life in the freezing cold to take some of the weight off his own family’s shoulders. At this point in the story, readers may infer that Eber is a selfless person who is quite literally sacrificing himself so his family may have a better life.

This perspective of Eber’s character would soon change however as the story progresses. Eber then comes in contact with a young boy named Robin. Robin is a kid who has a vivid imagination. Robin jumps from reality to his own imagination frequently, which is proof of his innocence as a young boy. He would sometimes fantasize about being a superhero and saving lives. Though, when first meeting Eber, his innocence would fade as now he is in a real-world problem.

Robin falls into danger in freezing cold water and is at risk of losing his life. That’s when Eber, the same man who wanted to die in the cold, saved Robin. The irony of the one who wanted to die in the cold is now saving someone from it. Eber learns from this event how valuable his life is to his family. His perspective on his own death changes from being selfless to selfish because not he can feel how his family would feel without him. Realizing that made him think that without him, his family would actually be devastated, therefore making himself selfish for being responsible for their pain.

Overall, “Tenth of December is a great example of a story that demonstrates empathy, morality, and human nature. The idea is that acts of kindness and selflessness can have an impact on others in ways we may not realize.

The takeaway from this story is to challenge us to reflect on our choices we make and the importance that may come with them.