Final Presentation

Movie: I, Robot

Argument: A person can't put full and total trust or control in technology/technological body. Even though a person may believe a technological body is bad, they still may need and rely on them in different circumstances. It's necessary to maintain, set a boundary, and have a balance in power in a technological body so there's never a chance for a takeover or power struggle.

Prompt 12

I think violence enhances an argument and helps emphasize it further. It can be used for pleasure and pain in the movie and either for fasination or disgust for the viewer.
During the sex scene in Videodrome there wasn't necessarily violence but the piercing during it was a mix of pain and pleasure. Another example of pain with pleasure in the movie is when Masha was being whipped. Violence is a way of getting rid of the human body through death. Also, it sometimes allows something else take over you and reclaim you in a way. An example is when a machine is controlling you, and you have loss of control, violence takes over you and your actions. In his movies Cronenberg reveals and shows things that people usually aren't fond of seeing but in some way are capivated and want more. This is a huge contributor to what he wants to convey to his audience. Some of the blantant violence in movies, not so much in Videodrome, shows the harsh reality of what really could happen in life. It brings a new perspective on things. I personally can't take harsh violence. I hate blood and other things that look ugly which causes me to not look during some parts of movies. But having said that, I still want and have the urge to look and see what's going on. This is an effect violence has. It's encaptivating and fascinating. It makes you want to see it even when you don't want to. (If that makes sense).

Prompt 11

The movie I, Robot is mainly about the "regular" body vs the "technology" body. Dr Lanning is the founder of a robotic company and a new species of robots has just been released. Something in the configuration of the robots goes wrong and the reason needs to be figured out. The robots now are violent instead of civil and protecting.
A body of any sort can't be totally controlled by technology. Many ways of malfunctioning are possible and chaos can be a dangerous result. To totally trust something like a robot is not a smart thing to do because it's being run by a machine.
Will Smith had a robotic arm inserted after a car accident he was involved in. This new arm helped him greatly and ultimately saved mankind in the movie. The body in this case is dependent on technology in order to function normally.

Prompt 10

One of the themes in Neuromancer is the acceptance of the body itself, specifically in the case of Case and Molly. It's not exactly a gender issue, but that does play a part in this theme. As I mentioned in my last blog, Molly and Case have two very different and distinct views about their own body in the beginning of the book. But in the end Case's view ultimately changes because of Molly.
Molly is portrayed as being a resilient individual and has this tough girl image. Although Molly does have body modifications, she embraces her body. The body modifications she got help her to do what she wants to do. The blades in her hand serve as a device for protection and other purposes in her daily life. Unfortunately, her strong and accepted body breaks down on her in the end, and she isn't able to complete the mission on her own.
Case on the other hand, rejects his body and in a way wants to escape it. His way of getting away from his body is through the matrix. When Molly gets hurt, he realizes he now has to take action himself to finish out the mission. This is the first step in Case eventually accepting his body. He witnesses and feels Molly's pain and other things when in the matrix. Completing the mission himself has a huge effect on how he feels, and changes his point of view. Seeing things from a different point of view opened his eyes. The matrix doesn't have the same meaning to Case as it did before, and now he embraces his body.

Prompt 9

I think Molly has the most provocative body in this book. Her body modifications are unlike anything I've ever heard of and she has a lot of them also. Two of the most unique ones are the implanted lens in her eyes and her ability to flick razors out from her hands. I believe she uses these razors as a defense mechanism. Molly embraces her body unlike Case. There is a major difference between their views about the body. The technological advances in body modifications in this book are nothing like the bodies we have encountered before. Some of the body modifications we've studied before were extreme, but in this book are modifications that are way ahead of this time and involve technology in some way. The modifications we have studied have been much more realistic. I think the relationship of technology and the body is a positive and productive aspect in the body modification community, but I don't view it as being positive. For the body modification community it's pushing the limit to see how far they can advance and futher the modifications, which is one of their goals. I don't exactly view it as positive because I don't think people should do those type of extreme things to their bodies. I personally wouldn't ever have my body modified in any way close to the things that are being thought of being done. I don't think technology limits the body, but expands the possibilities that can be done to it for many years to come.

Prompt 7

The normal body has to live up to its own expectations in society. To look the part of the thin, beautiful stereotype, people believe there are many things that have to be done in order to get to that status. People have to watch what they eat, excercise, get enough sleep, and lots more. Some people go as far as getting some sort of surgery to help them get their perfect body. The pressures of how society enforces this look can consume a person's life. They don't want anything else but to be thin and pretty, and will not stop until they reach their goal. The radical body's goal is similar to that. People who get really radical body modifications have a goal in mind of what they want to look like, almost like a certain stereotype. They will willingly go through the pain to reach their goal. They want nothing else than to look like what they envision, no matter how long it takes. A difference between the two is that there are not many pressures from outside forces driving a person striving for the radical body. It's usually the person themself putting the pressure on them and their body to endure the pain to acheive the perfect look.

Prompt 6

Formal writing is almost always practiced in a classroom. Restrictions are always present while doing any formal type of writing. Most of the time these restrictions don't allow us to express everything we would like to say. We are taught to follow certain guidelines and not go outside the boundaries. Some examples are: have and prove a thesis, be clear and precise, be organized, have an intro and conclusion. But these guidelines are important because it makes us improve our writing skills and techniques. There is always room for improvement in anything in life, especially writing. Repetition of formal writing also helps us get better at writing. Using the techniques we are taught can carry on past college, into the real world, and be very beneficial.
Writing is definitely not the only way of expressing oneself. There are many different ways of informal writing. Some ways include extreme body modifications, exercising (the way the body looks outside physically), jewelry, tattoos, hairstyle, type of clothing and its color, piercings, and makeup. Body modifications, tattoos, and piercings could be expressions of being different or wanting to stand out. Makeup, clothes, and hairstyles could be expressions of fitting a certain stereotype, looking good (or bad), and even acts of cleanliness. Jewelry could be expressions of comfort or looking stylish. Whatever people do with all these informal types of writing, they are to trying prove a point about themselves, whether it be normal or not so normal.
I think there are some limits. The limits could be classified as regarding to the norm, and how society believes things should be. Some people put limits on themselves while others allow outside forces to control them.