The Temple of Doom and Orientalism

The first time I watched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom I was very young and I was unaware of the aspects of orientalism within the film. However, I only just recently watched the movie a few weeks ago and I still did not notice any orientalism and I was unaware of how racist it really was until our class discussion today.
It is clear that this movie depicts the east in negative stereotypes originated in the West. It is not only seen through the depiction of the Indian people, but also in the side kick Short-Round. Everything that is east is depicted as savage, uneducated, and irrational. And it is only through the arrival of the white man that the people can be saved.
I understand the undertones of orientalism and how the Indi1an people are portrayed in a negative way, however, what I find really interesting is that I do not believe Lucas or Spielberg intended the movie to be offensive in any way. I think the stereotypes that are within the film were used simply for laughs and depicting the typically narrow western view of the east. However, the filmmakers clearly went too far, and this movie makes Lucas and Spielberg seem extremely insensitive and chauvenistic.

A Wild Sheep Chase

I am very anxious to finish A Wild Sheep Chase because I am really hoping that things will get somewhat wrapped up and possibly make sense.
Although I do enjoy the randomness of the story, and I feel it makes it more interesting to read and helps to keep my attention.
After our discussion in class today, I am starting to find deeper meaning in the story. Especially when we discussed the concepts of time, names, and sheep. The idea that people who live in any society act as sheep makes perfect sense with the story. I know that there does not necessarily have to be hidden meaning and messages in a story, but I really feel that the idea is the Boku is on a mission to find himself, not just the sheep. And the sheep is almost a metaphor of himself; he finds the sheep, he finds himself and some kind of meaning in life. This relates to the concept of rejecting conformity and, to a much greater extent, fascism.
I don't personally believe that America is doomed to become a fascist nation. However, I think that it is important for people to understand that big government that controls every aspect of our lives leaves us helpless and unable to dictate our own future.

A Wild Sheep Chase and Post Modern Writing

A Wild Sheep Chase
While I am still very confused about A Wild Sheep Chase, I am eager to continue reading as the mystery unfolds. To me, this book is very unique because it is a "Hard-Boiled Detective" story, and I don't think I have ever read one before. However, it is not the typical hard-boiled detective story you might see in a movie, and it is especially different from a normal detective story. I think this is mainly because the events are so odd and perhaps even supernatural, as we discussed in class. There are still many unknown aspects to the story including every single character and what their importance is to the mystery of the sheep in the picture.
This novel depicts postmodern writing because it recalls issues surrounding World War II when "the boss" was imprisoned for war crimes. In addition, the story features many out of the ordinary aspects and does not need to make sense or be logical in its structure or reasoning.
Hopefully, in the end everything will unfold entirely and suddenly it will all make sense and be surprising and unexpected.

Haroun and the Sea of Stories and Postmodern Writing

When I began reading Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie, I really thought that I was going to enjoy the book. However, as the story went on, I really did not enjoy reading it anymore. I realize that this book has a lot of great literary aspects that we were looking for such as intertexuality and magical realism. In addition, it dealt with many issues, such as peace and war, that can be translated into the real world.
This book is clearly post modern due to all of the modern influences as seen in its intertexuality. It is obvious that much of the book was based off of other writings such as the Wizard of Oz, which was a book first, and even The Lord of the Rings books. However, it puts a spin on those stories by incorporating modern day dilemmas within the text.
I know that this is a children's book so perhaps that is the main reason why I became bored with this book so quickly. But I felt that it was Rudie's writing style that also turned me off. I felt like Rushdie was constantly trying to be ironic and that was extremely annoying to me. I know that people see this book as having great symbolism and meaning, but I thought it was tiring how ironic and clever he was constantly trying to be.
Overall, I did not enjoy the book, but I think some children might enjoy it, however, children would not be able to understand the meaning behind certain aspects of the story, so I am unsure about who this book is really meant for.