Literature
Who is the author of the short story "Help Me Follow My Sister into the Land of the Dead?"
Carmen Maria Machado.
What is one way in which Japanese comics (manga) are different from American/European comics?
They are often read from right to left, or more flexible about using different art styles within the same comic.
What is the technical name for a camera angle that is slightly tilted to one side, to give off the impression something is wrong?
Dutch Angle
What is the best video game of all time? Explain yourself.
Extremely open to interpretation!
What is the difference between "Story Time" and "Text Time?"
Story Time is how much time passes in the story. Text Time is how long it takes us to read / experience that passage of time.
Name a genre of poetry in which you use existing texts and documents to write something new.
(1) Documentary Poetry
or
(2) Blackout / Erasure Poetry
or
(3) Ekphrasis
What medical myth does Darryl Cunningham debunk in the comic we read -- and how did this myth spread?
The false link between the MMR vaccine and autism was popularized by poor research methods, Andrew Wakefield benefiting financially from discrediting the vaccine, and media sensationalism
What is the central THEMATIC conflict between Rick and Katie Mitchell in "The Mitchells Vs. The Machines?"
Rick loves nature and believes technology drives people apart; Katie expresses herself through creative filmmaking and new technology. She wants to go to college to study film.
Why are the cows in Los Suelos weird?
They say "Thank You" before they're killed.
What was Jonathan Lethem's main criticism of copyright law?
That it should protect the creators but also inspire new innovation -- but he argues that it is currently too strict to inspire new innovation.
Tell us about one real-world issue that Joy Harjo's "Rabbit is Up to Tricks" might be about.
Open to interpretation! Make your best case: Environmentalism, AI, Religion, etc.
What is one way in which we see time passing for Frankie Fama (the criminal) in Spider-Man: Just Some Guy?
We see him in the same pose but with different amounts of facial hair / gray hair. The backgrounds change too.
How does a low angle shot (pointing the camera up at a certain character) frame our understanding of them? What about a high angle (pointing it down)?
A low angle makes the character look big and imposing. A high angle makes them look small and weak.
Name a cool feature or system from an open-world game you've played, that wouldn't work in a more linear game.
Open to interpretation!
What is "Death of the Author" and who wrote it?
Roland Barthes wrote "Death of the Author" to argue that we should not think about the artist when we experience any kind of art; the artist is metaphorically "dead" and only the reader's interpretation matters.
Should Seth Carter be allowed to participate in the games in Luc Diamant's "Off Track?"
Open to interpretation! Make your best case.
Who is the comic "Your Big Day" about? Name one cool panel from it and why it stood out to us.
The Joker. The rest is up to interpretation!
What is one difference we talked about between Arrival and the book it's adapting? How does it change things?
Louise's daughter's death, the aliens actually visiting Earth, and the visions of the future being a plot twist.
What is the thesis of Jacob Geller's video "Schools, Games, and Worlds Designed for Violence?" Why does he use video games as a comparison?
That the way schools are currently being designed (with shootings in mind) might affect us subconsciously in ways we don't understand yet. He uses game design as a useful parallel with architectural design.
Name FIVE patterns in nature that Jane Alison thinks we can use to model our stories after (other than the Wave).
(1) Meanders
(2) Spirals
(3) Radials / Explosions
(4) Networks and Cells
(5) Fractals
What are TWO ways in which Marwa Helal challenges the reader to read her poems in a way they're not used to?
Her poem is read from right to left / it has a blank space in the center / her sentences flow into each other w/ no capitalization
According to Scott McCloud, why might we relate more to a cartoon or a simplified drawing than one with more realistic detail?
"Amplification through Simplification" --> The more abstract and simplified a drawing (like a cartoon) is, the more people it can be said to stand for.
Human beings have too many specific features that might make realistic drawings harder to see ourselves reflected in.
What is the Kuleshov effect? Explain with an example from a movie / show you've seen.
The Kuleshov effect states the interaction between two shots creates a new meaning that neither shot could communicate in isolation. Example: A character seeing an object that reminds them of something, and then having a flashback. Pick a good specific example for yourself!
Name three locations or characters your classmates encountered in Los Suelos, and what makes them interesting.
Open to interpretation!
Aristotle famously argued that stories are distinguished by their Means, their Objects, and their Manner. What do these three things mean?
Means: Use of language
Objects: Characters
Manner: Point of View