Like A Virgin.. Or Not :: essays research papers fc

Like a Virginor notbloody shame had always been a divine icon until the early 1980s when the name Madonna developed a dual connotation. The introduction of Americas top female sex type Madonna created an image far opposite of the previously known hallowed one. In John Fiskes seek Madonna, he depicts the singers character, limning her as socially and semiotically powerful. Although his essay is currently outdated, Fiske illustrates an illusion of Madonna that Generation Xers eventually accepted and will probably never forget.Sex has always been a controversial matter in American society. Before the 1980s, those that openly articulated their views about sex were thought of as promiscuous and perverse, unless they were male. Perhaps, that is why the aura of Madonna stirred raving controversy across America. Fiske notes that her image was not a model meaning for young girls in patriarchy, further a site of semiotic struggle between the forces of patriarchal control and feminine re sistance, of capitalism and the subordinate, of the adult and the young (Fiske 282). Never before had a woman presented herself so provocatively withal so comfortably. In the beginning, Madonna ultimately sacrificed sexual purity. Her daring exploitation of sex from a feminine point of view was definitely a breakthrough in 1980s American society. Often, she dressed like a man and grabbed herself in sacred and unseen places. Actions like these, as Fiske points out, presented a threat but not the traditional and easily contained one of woman as a whore but the more radical one of woman as individual of masculinity (Fiske 284). Young girls regarded her actions not as tarty or seductive but as completely acceptable. Eventually, they embraced her image and strived to follow her example of the independent and sexually licentious woman (Fiske 283). Society has finally accepted feminine independence and accredited Madonna as the pioneer for introducing that autonomy. In many ways, she now represents the womans metamorphosis. As Fiske noted she began by showing both her pleasure in her own physicality and the fun she finds (found) in admitting and expressing pleasure it is (was) a sexual-physical pleasure that has (had) nada to do with men(Fiske 285). While this may have been an impression of Madonna in the 1980s, she has evolved into what society deems as the epitome of badass woman utterly independent. Fiskes essay does not really have much application to the perception of Madonna in todays society.

FRED STENSON’S - TEETH - :: English Literature

FRED STENSONS - TEETH -Teeth, by Fred Stenson, is an interesting short tarradiddle, with a plotspread between two hockey games and the puerility memories of the main guinea pig. The story is written in first person, through the eyes ofa hockey player the main character - and the setting is in westerlyCanada, mainly around Canadian hockey rinks and the main charactershometown. The story presents a player, who plays hockey for moneyrather than for pleasure. The author of this story tries to vexthe reviewers, by writing through the eyes of this player, who does notlove the game he plays. The idea that a hockey player aprofessional Canadian hockey player would dislike the game of hockeyand still play, is what shocks, confuses and keeps the readerinterested in the story. This unusual characterization of a hockeyplayer is excessively important to the development of plot. Finally, thisstory gives people advice about how to live and enjoy life moreeffectively.The story begins during on e of Burnss the main character - hockeygames, on a Tuesday night, not long after Christmas. The players inhis team are quite fatigued and near the end of a game. They aresupposed to change limns onto the ice, but Burns is lost in a daydreamabout his youth and the line change goes too slowly. For some secondsthither is no one on the ice except the goalie and the six members ofother team. The other team scores a goal before the line change iscompleted and Burns team goes on to lose the game 5-3 (93). Thereader must conclude that the loss of the game is partly the shifting ofthe main character. This conclusion comes from the fact that he isdaydreaming about his childhood, and memories of being made to playhockey by his parents. It is at this point in the story that thereader learns of Burns dislike for the game of hockey, and throughthese daydreams that the reader discovers the main charactersmotivation to play the game is the money he is being paid. After thegame, in the dressing room, the manager is angry and threatens to sendsome of the players down to the minor leagues. When the maincharacter hears this, his reaction is not what the reader would expectof a hockey player who loves to play the game. Instead, Burnscontinues to daydream and shows a lack of respect for his teammatesand the manager. The manager mainly blames Burns for the teams loss,because he did not put out, and his lack of enthusiasm infects the