CAT 1: Media Seductions Global Media and Public Outrage

1. CAT 1: Media SeductionsGlobal Media and Public Outrage Elizabeth Losh http://losh.ucsd.edu

3. More Media Seductions Mixtape Winners!

4. The Final ExaminationHalf Short-Answers, Half Essays • 6 out of 8 short answer questions (answer with a paragraph of 3-5 sentences each) 42% • A short answer question about activities and discussion in section written by your TA 8% • 1 out of 2 long answer questions that will require you to write an essay length response comparing several works 25% • A synthetic essay requiring knowledge of the entire text of Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows 25%

5. Sample Long-Answer Essay Question The word “melodrama” literally means a play with music. Analyze the role of music in three major works that we have studied this quarter in a coherent essay about media influence and aural experience.

6. Goes Beyond Ideas Discussed in Lecture and Section Sample Thesis: Specific songs are often associated with specific places, and frequently in the works that we have studied this quarter particular melodies call up associations with home and homecoming to create a feeling of nostalgia or longing for home. In the play Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the film Bontoc Elegy, and the melodramas of Nazi filmmaker Veit Harlan, music reminds the characters of their ancestral or family homes, even if they can never actually go home again.

7. Going Beyond the Obvious Sample Thesis: Music reinforces the feelings of regret associated with the “too late” condition of melodrama. The songs of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the orchestration of the melodramas of Veit Harlan, and even the music in A Clockwork Orange make the audience feel the gap between what is desired and what can be attained.

8. A General Thesis or Controlling Idea Sample Thesis: Music and pain are closely associated in many of the works that we have studied this quarter. Music adds to images an element of physical response that increases the audience’s engagement. Uncle Tom is lashed with music that matches his physical lashes, Alex is physically tormented with the music he once loved, and music is extremely important in The Satanic Verses as well.

9. How can you use the rubric for Paper Two? How can you master the expectations for this course?

10. The Thesis for the Next Two Weeks To understand the depiction of Muhammad in Part II and Part VII of The Satanic Verses, it is necessary to understand the framing narrative of the entire novel, because the angel and devil characters are an integral part of the story of the prophet. We can’t understand either the book or the controversy without seeing Gibreel’s narcissistic cinematic visions or hearing Saladin’s manipulative and often subversive voiceovers and remixes as central to the story.

11. How Does the Book Begin? Part I: The Angel Gibreel The backstory of the two contemporary characters: Gibreel and Saladin Part II: Mahound A retelling of the story of Mohammed as “Mahound the businessman” Part III: The two contemporary characters assume life as angel and devil in the modern world

12. Two Main CharactersThe Angel and the Devil Both born Muslim Both actors Both part of the Indian diaspora

13. “Aasman Se AayaFarishta”from An Evening in Paris http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x9tuwC6sXM

14. GibreelFarishta, born Ismail NajmuddinIndian “Bollywood” film star, specializing in playing Hindu gods

15. Ganesh and Hanuman(24-25)

16. Prohibitions on Representation in Bollywood FilmsWhy are on-screen kisses taboo?

17. Women in Gibreel’s World Alleluia Cone – a famous blonde mountain climber Rekha Merchant – the adulterous wife of Gibreel’s neighbor, a wealthy industrialist Pimple Billimoria– one of Gibreel’sBollywood co-stars Rosa Diamond – an old widow who takes him in after the plane crash

18. Saladin ChamchaBorn SalahuddinChamchawala, a voice impersonator, "Chumch," "Spoono" ("chamcha" is Hindi for "spoon”) A man who sets out to make himself up is taking on the Creator’s role, according to one way of seeing things; he’s unnatural, a blasphemer, an abomination of abominations. From another angle, you could see pathos in him, heroism in his struggle, in his willingness to risk: not all mutants survive. Or, consider him sociopolitically: most migrants learn, and can become disguises. (49)

19. The Man of a Thousand Voices Because he did have that gift, truly he did, he was the Man with a Thousand Voices and a Voice. If you wanted to know how your ketchup bottle should talk in its television commercial, if you were unsure as to the ideal voice for your packet of garlic-flavoured crisps, he was your man. (60)

20. Growing Up in Scandal Point

21. India in the Sixties and Seventieshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5ky5ClIjL8

22. Women in Saladin’s World Pamela Lovelace – his wife, a Trotskyist actress, later becomes Jumpy Joshi’s lover ZeenatVakil – the first Indian woman Chamcha had ever made love to, writer of The Only Good Indian Mimi Mamoulian – a fellow voice actor, later a companion of Billy Battuta Hyacinth Phillips – a physical therapist who takes pity upon him after his transformation

23. The Indian Diaspora

24. How does Zeeny try to politicize Chamcha?The Bhopal Disaster (1984) ‘What is Amrka for us?’ he demanded. ‘It’s not a real place. Power in its purest form, disembodied, invisible.’ (56)

25. Phoolan Devi (1963-2001)“The Bandit Queen” Her swearing: Page 13 Her dark skin: Page 59

26. Feminizing Terrorism But instead of putting on a lifejacket and holding up a blow-tube whistle etcetera, she quickly lifted the black djellabah that was her only garment and stood before them stark naked, so they all could see the arsenal of her body, the grenades like extra breasts nesting in her cleavage, the gelignite taped around her thighs, just the way it had been in Chamcha’s dream. (82)

27. Feminizing Terrorism

28. Terrorism in the StorySikh Terrorists not Muslim Terrorists Chamcha was drifting back into sleep when the cabin lights came on; the movie stopped; and the illusion of the cinema was replaced by one of watching the television news, as four armed, shouting figures came running down the aisles. (78)

29. A Long History of Hindu-Muslim Conflict Indian Partition in 1947 Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 (page 46) Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 1983 Nellie massacre in Assam (page 57)

30. The Story Predates the 1992 Bombay Riots

31. The Story Predates the 2008 Mumbai Massacre

32. Discussions of Islamic Culturein Part I Stories of the prophet from Gibreel’s mother (22) The incident of the Satanic verses (24) Hamza-Nama cloths (70)

33. Muslim Indians

34. Part II: Interpreting the TitleWhat were the “Satanic Verses”? “these are exalted females whose intercession is to be desired” In Mecca, in pre-Islamic South Arabia, Allāt, Uzza, and Manah were believed to be the three chief goddesses of Mecca; they were called the "three exalted cranes" (gharaniq)

35. Uzza, Manat, and Lat Page 93: “soft, seductive verses” of “his fiendish backing group” Page 101-102: “Uzza of the radiant visage, goddess of beauty and love; obscure Manat, her face averted, her purpose mysterious, sifting sand between her finders – she’s in charge of destiny – she’s Fate; and lastely the highest of the three, the mother-goddess, whom the Greeks call Lato. Ilat, they call her, or, more frequently, Al-Lat. Page 108: “He asks for Allah’s approval of Lat, Uzza, and Manat.” Page 110: “Lat, Manat, Uzza – they’re all females! For pity’s sake! Are we to have goddesses now? Those old cranes, herons, hags?” Page 113: “Lat, Manat, Uzza . . . can I call them angelic? Gibreel, have you got sisters? Page 121: “She has long ears; has already heard what he said about Lat, Uzza, Manat. So what? In the old days he wanted to protect the baby daughters of Jahilia; why shouldn’t he take the daughters of Allah under his wing as well?” Page 123: “Lat’s, Uzza’s, Manat’s. The – shall I call them mosques? -- of your new angels” Page 128-129: “Lat, Uzza, Manat, flapping around his head, clawing at his eyes, biting, whipping him with heir hair, their wings.”

36. The Life of Muhammad (570-632) Born in Mecca Married at 25 to wealthy widow Khadijah Muhammad had several children with Khadijah, including his daughter Fatimah. Had first visions at 40 Married to Sawdabint Zama and to Aisha, his favorite wife, around the age of 50 Migration to Medina in 622 and more marriages Political and religious victories that united the region

37. Khadijah’s Story Pages 120-121: “As for him, Prophet Messenger Businessman: his eyes are open now. He paces the inner courtyard of his house, his wife’s house and will not go in to her. She is almost seventy and feels these days more like a mother than a. She, the rich woman, who employed him to manage her caravans long ago. His management skills were the first thing she liked about him.”

38. What does Muhammad Look Like? The businessman looks as he should, high forehead, eaglenose, broad in the shoulders, narrow in the hip. Average height, brooding, dressed in two pieces of plain cloth, each four ells in length, one draped around his body, the other over his shoulder. Large eyes; long lashes like a girl’s. His strides can seem too long for his legs, but he’s a light-footed man. (95)

39. Prohibitions on Media Representations in Islamic Culture Why are images of sentient living beings prohibited?

40. How do we understand aniconism?

41. Iconoclasm in the Western Tradition Plato’s preference for celestial love rather than physical love Plato’s contempt for shadows experienced by the senses or imitations of imitations

42. Iconoclasm in the Western Tradition Protestant fears of images and icons as corrupting influences and Catholic syncretism of Roman polytheistic beliefs

43. Iconoclasm in the Western Tradition Why did Hegel think that architecture and sculpture were the lowest arts and poetry and music the highest?

44. Common Ground between East and WestThe Abrahamic Tradition Hagar discussed on 94, 97, 99, 101, and 103 The Legend of the Kaaba The Festival of Ibrahim 118

45. The City as Character Jahiliyyah (Arabic: جاهلية‎ ǧāhiliyyah/jāhilīyah "ignorance") is an Islamic concept of "ignorance of divine guidance" or "the state of ignorance” Pages 96-99

46. Gibreel’s POV “Gibreel: the dreamer, whose point of view is sometimes that of the camera and at other moments, spectator. When he’s a camera the pee oh vee is always on the move, he hates static shots, so he’s floating up on a high crane looking down at the foreshortened figures of the actors, or he’s swooping down to stand invisibly between them, turning slowly on his heel to achieve a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree pan, or maybe he’ll try a dolly shot . . . “(110)

47. Reaction to The Satanic Verses in Iran The ayatollah and the Iranian Islamic revolutionary state

48. The Fatwa 1989 In the name of God the Almighty. We belong to God and to Him we shall return. I would like to inform all intrepid Muslims in the world that the author of the book Satanic Verses, which has been compiled, printed, and published in opposition to Islam, the Prophet, and the Qur'an, and those publishers who were aware of its contents, are sentenced to death. I call on all zealous Muslims to execute them quickly, where they find them, so that no one will dare to insult the Islamic sanctity. Whoever is killed on this path will be regarded as a martyr, God-willing.In addition, if anyone has access to the author of the book but does not possess the power to execute him, he should point him out to the people so that he may be punished for his actions. May God's blessing be on you all. RullahMusavi al-Khomeini

49. Rushdie in Hiding with Bodyguards Moving every three days

50. 1990 A strategy of appeasement. Reclaiming Islam.