For Tuesday: Bertino, Beautyland, "Stellar Nebular: Birth"

 

For Tuesday: Bertino, Beautyland, “Stellar Nebula: Birth” (pp.3-87)

NOTE: You don’t have to read this entire section for Tuesday’s class, but read as much of it as you can. The questions below don’t require you to have read every last page, though the more you read, the easier they are to answer.

Answer TWO of the following:

Q1: Adina is born around the same time to Voyager 1 spacecraft launches into space, carrying its ‘golden record’ with information about the human race. The book suggests that Adina is also a space probe of sorts, though on a very different journey. In what ways is she a scientific satellite, taking in and giving out information? What can ‘we’ learn from her?

Q2: How is Adina a lot like Clark Kent in Superman: American Alien? Though both a human and an alien, when is it hard for her to be a human? What situations and ideas make her feel most ‘alien’? Is this specific to her—or relatable to all human beings?

Q3: After reading a book, Adina tells the ‘superiors’ that “there are endless ways a human can achieve connection if they broaden their perception.” When the superiors ask “HOW MANY FATHERS CAN A HUMAN HAVE,” she replies, “Infinite” (40). What do you think she means by this, and why might this be similar to Clark’s experience in Superman: American Alien as well?

Q4: Is it possible that Adina isn’t an alien from another planet sent here to record the Earth? What are some of the clues that this isn’t exactly true and/or only a possible truth? OR, is it possible that we like to consider ourselves “aliens” at one time or another in our childhoods? 

Tips For Research: Finding Sources for Paper #2

FINDING SOURCES FOR PAPER 2: TWO EASY WAYS 

1. EBSCO Discovery Service (via the Linscheid Library’s website)

Do a search just like you would on Google, except this way, you’ll find peer-reviewed, authored, legitimate sources that really inform your conversation. After your search, click on “Full Text” to make sure the sources are easy to find (not behind a paywall, etc). Let’s say I wanted to write a paper on Tolkien’s The Hobbit, which would be one of the works of art I most believe in. A quick search for “Tolkien + The Hobbit” yields many, many articles, including one a few down called, “J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit: Realizing History Through Fantasy,” a book review from the journal, Mythlore.

A Useful Quote from the article: “As Tally reminds readers in the introduction, “the humility and down-to-earthiness” of Bilbo and by extension the narrator, serve to bolster Tolkien’s vision of history, grounded in the reality that “‘the wheels of the world’” are not always turned by men of power, but by the humble, unremarkable, and ordinary”” (Beronio 256).

 MLA Citation (EBSCO does it for you):

Beronio, Bianca. J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit: Realizing History Through Fantasy Tally Robert T. Jr. 2024. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=13447883-2615-3213-9c9d-223220ad6b3f.

2. Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org):

Search for terms in Wikipedia, which is an interactive, collaborative encyclopedia. If you search for simply “fireflies” you’ll get an entire article about it, but don’t use that…scroll down to the bottom to the “References.” These are all the sources the author used to write the article, and these lead to actual articles with authors from legitimate publications. For example, by going to the page on “The Hobbit,” I found a cool article from The Smithsonian Magazine On-Line entitled, “The Hobbit You Grew Up With Isn’t the Same as the Original, Published 75 Years Ago Today.”  

Useful Quote From the article: “Fans might be surprised to find that the version of The Hobbit that they know and love doesn’t exactly match the text of the book’s first edition. Remember the riddle game that Bilbo and Gollum play deep in the goblin caves?...Well in the very first edition of the book…Bilbo and Gollum part peacefully. Gollum admits that he’s been beat, and lets Bilbo go on his way. Tolkein had to change that chapter to fit with the later trilogies, in which Gollum returns and seeks the ring” (Eveleth).

MLA Citation (from the Reference citation):

Eveleth, Rose (21 September 2012). "The Hobbit You Grew Up With Isn't Quite the Same As the Original, Published 75 Years Ago Today". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 17 January 2024. 

 

For Tuesday: Superman, American Alien: "Eagle," "Angel," and "Valkyrie"

NOTE: The Paper #2 assignment is the post BELOW this one.

Answer TWO of the following for our next class: 

Q1: In “Angel,” Pete is arguing with Clark about the future of Superman and what role he intends to play in society. He finally tells him, “Superman will never be able to retire.” What is it that Pete sees that Clark doesn’t here? Why is Superman bigger than one hero or one alien or one costume? (and related to this, why should he start talking to the other people who are  “like him” in the world)?

Q2: In “Eagle,” Clark reflects that “It feels good to help people. No, I’m not afraid…what’s there to be afraid of?” What hasn’t he figured out yet about being a super hero, and how do the next three stories show him why there’s a lot to be afraid about? Also, why is a superhero more than simply saving lives and feeling good about yourself?

Q3: The last two chapters are called "Angel" and "Valkyrie," which are NOT the names of birds, though both of them technically fly. Why do you think Landis moved away from bird names in these two comics? What changed about the stories or Clark's maturation process here? 

Q4: "Valkyrie" is the only comic, other than "Hawk," that shows Clark fighting a villain, though in this comic, he is LITERALLY Superman fighting a traditional supervillain (Lobo). However, what makes this battle more than just a bang-pow brawl? How does the battle become symbolic of a larger 'fight' that Clark has to overcome?

Paper #2: The Real Thing (due October 14th)

English 1213

Paper #2: The Real Thing

INTRO: In the comic “The Real Question,” the character with the strange name says, “I don’t need a body. I’ve lived on, and will live on, in the head, the heads of the authors who write me…I’m living in your head right now…Ideas are agency” (Landis). What he means by this, of course, is that a single idea can live forever when passed from one mind to another, over decades or even centuries, becoming as real as anyone who ever lived. Maybe more real, since more people know the idea than the people who dream them. So a symbol, like Superman, can live for a thousand years if enough people keep him alive in their minds and believe in his existence (or what he represents).

PROMPT: For your second paper, I want you to write about a work of art that is extremely meaningful for you—something you literally believe in. By ‘art’ I mean a book, movie, show, song, or actual piece of art that isn’t exactly real—that portrays fictional characters and events or ideas—but that feels to you as real as anything else in your life. Explain how you first discovered this work of art, and why you connected with it: what it seemed to teach you or helped you see or understand. Then discuss why it has stayed with you over time, and also what others see in it as well. Consider how it, like Superman, has continued to evolve over time, so that many people in many different times and lands can identify with it. Do other people see the same thing you do? Or do you see something unique when it lives inside your head?

REQUIREMENTS: For this paper, you need at least FOUR sources, ONE of which must be Superman: American Alien. Obviously, you don’t have to write about Superman, but you should use these ideas in the comic to help you discuss your own work of art. Then find at least THREE sources that help you discuss it, either articles or interviews or websites about the work of art itself, or anything that helps explain “why does it matter?” to us, as well as “why it matters to you.”

PAGE LIMIT: Up to you, but be sure to actually address the assignment, and have a CONVERSATION with your sources.

CITATION: Cite all sources using MLA or APA format. If you need help figuring out how to cite sources, check out this helpful site: https://owl.purdue.edu/ (choose MLA or APA Guide). Include a Works Cited page for all your sources.

DUE: Tuesday, October 14^th by 5pm either in hard copy OR via e-mail. PLEASE use Word for this paper—do not write it out long hand.