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Looking back on this semester I was able to expand onto what my definition and opinion on literature is. I would be lying if I didn't confess I had always associated literature with the old classics with very complex Early Modern English or Middle English. I never realized how podcasts, magazines, video games, and art pieces could be considered literature. For most of the term, I focused on the LGBTQ+ thread because it felt more comfortable to me compared to figuring out how to play video games on my computer. I really enjoyed being able to choose the novels we read and discovering new authors I may have otherwise not been exposed to such as Benjamin Alire Saenz who wrote Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and Yuki Fumino who wrote I Hear the Sunspot. Some other pieces I have heard of or owned since I have been into reading for a few years now. Through this class, I have been able to appreciate literature more and more each week by being forced to get out of my comfort zone for some readings I have pushed to the side or never heard of before. Taking a look into the theories was very challenging to read and I was barely able to grasp them, however I think that with more exposure to literature, they will begin to make more sense.

Through this portfolio assignment I am able to look back onto what was my initial thoughts on what the role of literature is, analysis of characters such as Henry from The Picture of Dorian Gray, El Teatro Campesino and the one I chose to expand on which is connecting a song to a theory to help with analyzing. I plan to expand on week nine’s second learning activity surrounding music because I love to analyze and interpret lyrics.

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Omar is a Mexican-American musician that learned how to play guitar through youtube tutorials and he mentioned in an interview how it was his uncle from Mexico who inspired him. His tio taught him lots of Spanish traditional music which is reflected through his songs such as “En el Olvido”. Many of his songs on his album Ivory speak to relationships with men. He was surprised by the support and opened up online because growing up he would hear slurs and comments from not only peers but teachers saying to speak English because we are in America. In the interview by Alim Kheraj he says “But there's a new generation of Latino artists raised in the States but whose families are from Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador. They have that mix of cultures. It's sick that there's space for us now.” This leads into the second theory I was to look into which is the Critical Race theory. This theory examines how racism is embedded in American society which Apollo mentioned in his interview and how he wasn't taken seriously when he began producing music by his peers at school, especially with the rise of racism from the election results at the time.

Another song that relates to Critical race theory is Becky from the Block by Becky G. The first lines talk about individuals and their roles “..Men going to work/ And some do stealing/ Everyones gotta make a living” Many of those who steal do it for necessity and to provide for themselves and or their family which is difficult when its a new country they are learning to live in. One of my favorite lines is “No matter where I go, I know where I came from” this relates to intersectionality and how Becky is Mexican American. Another one of the lines she sings/ raps is ?My family lived in my grandpa's garage/ So I started working just to help out my pops/ It all started when my grandpa crossed over/ Now one day Im a be a crossover.” This can be connected to Apollo's interview in having a space for Latino musicians. Many latinos live packed in small homes, and Becky is transparent about having to work at the age of 16 to help out her family's bills.

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Original Response to the Expanded Work: 

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Original Response to the Expanded Work: 

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Connecting "Life's Unfair" song by Omar Apollo to another lens: Narratology

Through the song, we get Apollo’s perspective of vulnerability with his feelings. He confesses “ I would've married you” which is a huge step considering coming from a background where our culture tends to be very close-minded on being queer. His song finally accepts the truth by ending it with “life’s unfair” because it points towards society rather than the specific individual the song is about.

Loving someone deeply in a queer relationship, but we all have our limits and sometimes there is an individual that doesn't feel quite comfortable taking the next step. In this song, queer theory is not met by Omar's love interest because the idea of "normal" relationships isn't challenged or deconstructed. We see this through the lens of religious complexities.

Question: Can Queer theory be taught subtly in main English classes to understand better media and how our society keeps adapting/ changing over time?

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What is the role of literature and art in society? Importance even to those who aren't literature majors:

I have always seen literature coexisting with art. As an artist myself, I heal through the art pieces I create and am able to express feelings or thoughts that sometimes could be a little difficult to express directly. My thoughts may be similar but completely different compared to the person sitting next to me, which is why there are so many books, movies, and art styles. There is beauty in being able to slow down in society, to appreciate what others have put out into the world.

Even those who aren't literature majors have no way to avoid it since we are surrounded by literature and art. From the ads in stores to the textbooks used in class. Movies and media consumed, have all had a script or brainstorming process before being placed on the big screen if they hadn't been a book to begin with that was later created into a film. The more literature we read, the more we can learn from one another and be introspective within ourselves if we sit back and think about it below the surface level.

TransMovement: Freedom and Constraint in Queer and Open World Games

Samantha Allen explains how dys4ia a video game became a way to express vulnerability of her experiences of transiting with the players of the game. The game was carefully curated to represent limits. She says “Simply put, I can't “go anywhere” and “do anything.” Bathrooms, airports, and locker rooms are all spaces that are either difficult or impossible for me to navigate.” She is bringing the confusion of a transgender individual fitting into society into the game by restricting the movement of the player.

She also mentions how her views shift from playing open-world games at the beginning of her transition, the ways she explains is seem metaphoric. How privileged cisgender individuals tend to not have to worry about discrimination minority groups face daily. From the text viewers get an insight into the fears and thoughts transgender people face day to day, educating many on feelings they weren't taking into consideration before.

This piece is an example of how we can become more empathetic with others through literature. Allen is using her voice to compare Queer and Open world games in a thoughtful resilient way that can open eyes. At least this is how I saw it since I don't ever play video games. I learned how intricate and thoughtful game design is and now see it as another form of art!

Video games are literature’s new frontier

Michael Zimm begins his article by criticizing the blurred lines between entertainment and art. He encourages narratives in classroom settings. His words “Teachers and professors preached as dogma that certain books and paintings were words of art even though they added nothing introspective to my life.” Initiating that he viewed literature as being able to take away something that adds meaning to one's life.

This piece explains how as society evolves so does our literature evolve. He gives examples by stating that the Iliad and Odyssey weren't meant to be read but rather performed. A connection between this article and Allen’s is that they both highlighted the attention to detail placed in video games. In Zimm’s piece, he talks about an easter egg in Uncharted 2. This ancient Greek quote is a reference and he was able to catch onto it because of his knowledge of ancient languages and literature. New generations of players are exposed to this past literature unconsciously. Readers get validation that the new form of literature is a change that has happened as society has industrialized and will continue to expand what the definition of literature is in the future.

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Throughout reading the novel, Henry tends to make comments about women that almost seem judgmental. He is very philosophical. At the very end Basil seems to know Henry's nature and effect on others asking and pleading him to not spoil Dorian.

Henry has a way with his words and everyone who hears him talk is always intrigued despite not agreeing with what he is saying most of the time. At the end of this section, you can also tell he is skimming/ manipulating Dorian. It feels like Henry knows and plots what he's doing and uses Dorians curiosity as a lure.

Based on what I have read, there is not much of explicit LGBTQ but rather implicit by the way Basil is in admiration and awe of Dorian but says it more as an artist and its muse relationship. During this time period.  The way they are conversing and talking about Duchesses reminds me of period dramas I have watched/ read about but this novel takes place in the late 19th-century which is after Pride and Prejudice and Bridgerton so I am using those as a guider towards what society was like.

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I have read very few plays, probably two but I enjoyed them. A play I read this year was Real Women Have Curves by Josefina Lopez. Heroes and Saints claims to be fiction even though it does cover real events that occurred in 1988. Some of these include Chicano farm workers and their struggles, gender oppression and the resilience of the community. That is a similarity I see with Real Women have Curves because there was also themes about immigration in that play, along with Spanglish. Spanglish is very common among Hispanics who grow up in the US so whenever its incorporated I feel a sense of familiarity. I think many art/ literature forms are ideal for social protest to an extent. When theatre was very popular such as the 18th century I could see how much more of an impact they would make compared to now where there isn't many individuals who go watch plays and prefer to watch more recent forms of media. Plays can bring awareness to readers and educate the audience because many artists create to teach/ create when they have something they want the public to know/ see. However, not every piece of literature or art will have a deeper meaning, it just depends on both the artist and the viewer.