English Essays

Social and Civic Responsibility Essay

The following essay was an assignment from Freestyle English requiring us to find and study a topic which would benefit our community or society, hence being a “Social and Civic Responsibility”. The topic I chose was the subject of video games as art, a topic I found had a lot more coverage and depth than I’d initially envisioned and was glad to have the chance to research it.
—
Is a video game more than just a mindless piece of entertainment? It is a question more layered than most people would think. And while video gaming does not seem to have much cultural or social significance, years of debate and contention from parents and politicians has led to the negative public perception of video games. This stigmatization of gaming is especially saddening given how much the presentation and production value of video games as a whole has increased within the last couple of decades, allowing them to present messages and ideas in more unique ways than ever before. While the painters, writers, and musicians of the world who have fully immersed themselves in their craft may not initially see the artistry of a programmer, it is vital that any creator, whether they work on paper or in code, be willing to understand and respect one another’s craft. In a world where the term “artist” encompasses so much more meaning than it did only a century ago, having an understanding of these new forms of expression is integral to any artist’s understanding of the different ways that people can make art. Before even beginning to make the case for artistry in games, it is important to know at least a little about the background of the opposition to video games. Since the 1970s, video games have been a source of criticism for including violent content, despite their primitive and pixelated state. Even famous household titles from the 1980s such as Super Mario Bros. and Pac-Man were criticized for their cartoon violence. But it would not be until the 1990s that video game violence would be at the forefront of public attention, as computer graphics allowed games to become more detailed and violent. Games such as Doom, a first-person shooter requiring the player to massacre hordes of demonic enemies, and Mortal Kombat, a fighting game famous for its grizzly and gory finishing moves, came under fire for excessive violence. The end of the 1990s also brought what some see as one of the grimmest and most devastating effects of violent video games, the 1999 Columbine High School shooting by students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. The two culprits were reportedly big fans of the aforementioned Doom, and it was not difficult for many people to connect the killings to the influence of the violent shooter game. This event even led to the families of Columbine victims filing federal lawsuits against 25 different entertainment companies for causing their children’s deaths, including Sega, Nintendo, AOL Time Warner, and id Software (Vargas). In the years since, numerous criminal acts of violence and theft have continually been attributed to games, and many public political campaigns against games have been held, such as those by Senator Hilary Clinton and disbarred attorney and activist Jack Thompson. Even around the time when video games were first introduced, it was evident that there was a rising negative public perception of games. Though despite all of the negative press and attention video games have received, there is an undeniable amount of overwhelming support and attention the video game industry gets daily. Whether simply from people who buy and enjoy their games or those who actively pursue game development, games are a large part of many peoples’ lives, and their mainstream status is clear for anyone to see. As games themselves have received more recognition as an art form over the years, the terms “art game” and “video game art” have become a subject of discussion among critics and fans alike. Even famous large scale museums such as the Smithsonian have recognized the artistic power games have, dedicating an exhibit to the evolution of games as an artistic medium, titled The Art of Video Games. The exhibit showcased five different eras of video games, focusing on their evolving aesthetic as well as how new technologies are being utilized to enhance their graphic capabilities and storytelling. Being able to portray and express narratives in ways that other mediums can not, games have the ability to tell their stories in an interactive way, allowing their audiences to connect with the message on a deeper level. Games, especially independently developed ones, have become platforms to communicate all kinds of ideologies, including commentaries on war, abuse, cancer, and other events that have impacted the world. An example of one the most infamous examples of social commentary in a game comes from the 2005 computer title Super Columbine Massacre RPG!, in which the player enacts the events of the shooting from the perspective of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Though intended as a critique of the media sensationalizing the massacre as well as the psychotic behavior of the perpetrators, the game naturally faced the backlash of survivors and associates of victims from the shooting. Despite this controversy, one Columbine survivor, Richard Castaldo, had an appreciation for the game, finding it interesting to see the events from the perspective of the killers. Whether or not he understood the game’s satire is not specified, but the fact that this game’s overall narrative was valued by one of the tragedy’s crippled survivors speaks to the effectiveness of its storytelling. A more recent example is the computer title Doki Doki Literature Club, which tells a chilling tale of video game existentialism through the fear and anguish of one of its self-aware central characters, all the while being promoted as a Japanese anime-inspired dating simulator. There are multiple moments where the game’s programming files are “manipulated with” to add to the feeling of helplessness of being in a game. The game’s inventive narrative style was praised by reviewers and the game even received an award for cultural innovation in gaming, likely in reference to the game’s unique interactivity. There have also been cinema-like analyses of games published, such as Bernard Perron’s Silent Hill: The Terror Engine. In the book, Perron makes comparisons between horror films and the titular game Silent Hill while also analyzing the effectiveness of horror games over the years, noting the specific techniques games such as Haunted House and Alone In The Dark have developed to induce fear in their players. Perron also refers to an interview with Akihiro Imamura (lead programmer of Silent Hill 1 and producer of Silent Hill 2) to illustrate the kind of narrative thought that goes into developing these games. Imamura says, “I am aiming to create fear which gets deep into human instinct. Not making the fear by surprise, but by creating a feeling of anxiety, I would like to surge the fear little by little in the player” (Perry). Games themselves have even become more useful for people who are not even active gamers. Since the release of the first educational game The Oregon Trail on home computers, teaching players about American pioneering history through a pixelated text-based simulation, games have been seen by some as an educational tool. Franchises such as JumpStart have been critically acclaimed for their educational services, and even puzzle games such as Tetris have been shown to increase brain activity due to their strategic nature. In a 1992 study from the journal Brain Research, it was concluded that overall brain glucose increased as people played the block stacking Game Boy title, the authors stating, “We believe that the decrease in overall brain glucose with practice reflects a more selective use of brain circuitry, reflecting a better-honed cognitive strategy which was formed during the learning process” (Haier, et al. 142). One of the more modern examples of how games encourage learning can be seen from a class in Bristol, England, where teacher Tim Rylands has inspired creativity in many of his students through the adventure puzzle game Myst. Rylands would have the students write about their experiences with the game, and listening to the background music of the game motivated the children to create their own musical compositions using electronic instruments. As for why other teachers have begun using video games as a teaching tool, an article in news magazine Ode notes that: Video games… reinforce self-confidence and compel children to focus attention on an activity. Used properly in the classroom, video games have the power to keep students engaged in learning. People may disagree about whether video games should replace textbook learning, but in a society that is becoming more and more digital, it is evident that video games are teaching skills that cannot be experienced in traditional textbooks. (Visscher) Regardless of one’s personal stance on games their potential should at the recognized. Many different kinds of people have benefitted from their creation and new ways of utilizing them will likely continue to flourish. So should video games actually be considered an art form? While many fans and creators would adamantly respond “yes”, there are many critics (even within the video game industry!) who argue against their artistic status. Reggie Fils-Aime, the president of Nintendo’s American division has stated in regards to politics in their games that “Making political statements are for other people to do. We want people to smile and have fun when they play our games” (“The National for Thursday June 15, 2017”). Meanwhile, Konami’s former vice president Hideo Kojima has presented a surprising viewpoint on games being art. He stated in an interview with OPSM2 US back in 2006: I don’t think they’re art either, video games… Art is something that radiates the artist – if 100 people walk by and a single person is captivated by whatever that piece radiates, it’s art. But video games aren’t trying to capture one person. A video game should make sure that all 100 people that play that game should enjoy the service provided by that video game. It’s something of a service. It’s not art. But I guess the way of providing service with that videogame is an artistic style, a form of art. (Eurogamer) The founding members of independent studio Tale of Tales even went so far as to claim that games “are not art” and are frankly “a waste of time” (Harvey and Samyn). While these statements definitely come from individuals with an in-depth understanding of the video game industry, they are presented with a level of small-minded finality. And though Nintendo’s apolitical stance has benefit for players looking purely at games from an entertainment perspective, it suggests opposition to the more artistic path that many video game developers are beginning to embrace more and more. Kojima’s perspective also has some limitations, as it seems to propose that all games are intended to provide players with the same enjoyment level, acting as more of a service. It is a common and contested statement that “art is subjective,” but video games have the unique power to present messages and narratives in interactive and artistic ways – through character and world design, music and audio, or other unique programming choices. In terms of critics from outside of the industry, late film journalist Roger Ebert was the center of controversy among the gaming community for his stance on video games. In response to the notion that the movie adaptation of the game Doom would be appreciated with prior knowledge of the original game, Ebert stated: No one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great poets, filmmakers, novelists and poets. That a game can aspire to artistic importance as a visual experience, I accept. But for most gamers, video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic. The artistic quality of games has also been contested on a national level, such as when Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr., after playing Resident Evil, Fear Effect, Mortal Kombat, and Doom, concluded in the 2002 legal case of Interactive Digital Software Association v. St. Louis County that “just like bingo, the Court fails to see how video games express ideas, impressions, feelings, or information unrelated to the game itself”. This case arose from a St. Louis County ordinance which made it unlawful to make graphically violent video games available to minors. A similar situation occurred in a 2011 case titled Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association. Considered a landmark case for the video game industry, the case saw a debate over a 2005 California law banning the sale of violent video games to children without parental permission. One of the major points of argument was whether video games fell under protection from the First Amendment to free speech, the majority reading ultimately writing: Like the protected books, plays, and movies that preceded them, video games communicate ideas—and even social messages—through many familiar literary devices (such as characters, dialogue, plot, and music) and through features distinctive to the medium (such as the player’s interaction with the virtual world). That suffices to confer First Amendment protection. (Sutter) The issue that comes with these industry statements and legal battles is that they almost discourage games from emphasizing artistic quality. And though fan recognition is important, industry and legal acknowledgment of games as art can do wonders for any games’ success. Independent game developers that work without major industry financial backing(known colloquially as “indie developers”) are often the most artistic and creative developers who can benefit the most from industry and legal recognition, as their projects get supported on main home consoles and in the general marketplace. Support and publicity for artists in any form is naturally integral to the survivability of their work. In short, video games, given their negative media representation, are often overlooked or even dismissed as art forms. Among the gaming community and industry the notion of games as an “art form” has been debated, an argument which has even reached national levels. Regardless, the admiration and support many gaming fans show the industry will likely continue, and more and more people will come to discover the benefits that games can have as artistic mediums as well as helpful educational tools.

Memoir Essay

This essay is part of an English assignment which required us to read and analyze a memoir of our choice, taking the time to note the writing techniques and perspectives which each one presented. My memoir was Fresh Off The Boat by comedian and restaurateur Eddie Huang, which details his life as an Asian American growing up in Florida with difficult parents. This essay was challenging but rewarding to write, and I related to a lot of the cultural aspects as an Asian American myself.
—
In the memoir, Fresh off the Boat, Eddie Huang details the struggles and mistakes which made him mature into the chef and restaurateur he is today. The book recounts his experiences with prejudice from schoolmates and neighbors, the oppressive nature of his Taiwanese parents, and the many times Huang got involved in crime, all in an effort to reflect on his adolescence, with the lessons he learned and attitudes he gained. The effectiveness of this memoir is best displayed by the author’s consistent amount of self-reflection, through which he lays out most of his opinions and core values. Multiple times throughout his recollections, Huang takes the time to connect the events of his life to his personal beliefs, letting the audience see his thought process growing up as well as his views on those matters now. These debriefings communicate his values of persistence, acceptance, individuality, and open-mindedness.Primarily, Huang’s is persistent, a value that appears multiple times in the childhood chapters of the book. To convey this value, Huang speaks about the time he was referred to insultingly as a “chink” by a classmate, prompting Huang to slam his hand into a microwave. Huang explains his younger self’s new mindset here: “whether it was race, height, weight, or my personality that people didn’t like, it was now their fucking problem. If anyone said anything to me, I’d go back at them harder, and if that didn’t work, too bad for them: I’d catch them outside after school” (Huang 33). This particular passage illustrates Huang’s frustration very clearly and by listing some of the “targeted” traits he had as a child, including his outward personality and race, he is able to hint at more reasons for his bullying or verbal abuse. Another effective aspect is his usage of profanity in this passage. While cursing is part of Huang’s trademark writing style in this memoir, here it plays a part in emphasizing that frankly he was no longer going to put up with the hurtful actions of anyone, especially not the kids at school. Struggling in a community that rarely looked past his racial background, Huang developed his value of acceptance for others. He details his time with the football team, and the fun he had there because he was a member of a group that accepted his differences, even when he was not a great player. Huang reflects, “I wasn’t Chinese anymore. I was part of the team. Instead of being singled out and laughed at for being Chinese, I was being laughed at for totally sucking at football. It was a relief” (Huang 71). Huang chooses to contrast these two different kinds of demeaning attitudes to highlight how truly debilitating that his experience with race really was, so much so that he preferred being mocked by his peers on the basis of his skills rather than on his background. The author shows significant vulnerability here; by showcasing these two major struggles, he is able to help us fully understand the kind of troubles he was going through. It also shows that issues regarding his race were usually of more importance for him. Huang also takes many opportunities to highlight the struggles he had trying to be himself in the world he lived in. These struggles help to illustrate his next value, individuality. Huang’s status as the son of Taiwanese immigrants growing up in Florida gives him a naturally unique disposition, especially for the time he grew up in, and this might have had an impact on how he viewed the world compared to other children. Huang describes a Bible study class he had to take in which he was constantly getting in trouble for questioning the logistics of the religious events. He recalls, “We kept reading the Bible, but from then on every time I challenged a story that didn’t make sense to me- how the universe was created in six days, why Cain killed Abel, how fucking big was the ark? – Ms. Truex put me in time-out. By the time Christmas came around, while all the other kids made cards, she had me sit in a corner and face the wall because I wasn’t a ‘believer.’” (Huang 27). The way the author sets up this passage with a series of unanswered questions serves to show just how much frustration Huang must have had getting berated simply for challenging what he was told to believe in. He also talks about the more light-hearted activities the other kids got to do while he was being punished simply because he had questions he was not receiving mature answers to, highlighting his reasons for believing in self-expression. Huang, despite his first-hand experience with the world’s prejudices, holds a firm belief in open-mindedness. He speaks of his relationships with his friends, some of which were of different race and class than him but he made an effort to try and connect with them in other ways, including interests such as hip-hop music. Huang states that he believes his best strength as a person is perspective, saying, “the best way to get that is to meet people that are polar opposites; you learn the best from them. There are pieces of you that are inherently yours, but everything else is a collection of the things you’ve seen and the people you’ve met” (Huang 105). We as audience members can take from this mindset that Huang has become aware of the many differences that people have as he got older, causing him to believe in open-mindedness. His interactions with the people around him are evidence of this. By bearing his mindset to readers and leaving his thoughts vulnerable, Huang can simultaneously allow his values to show and talk about the relationship he had with his diverse friends growing up. Perhaps one of this memoir’s biggest strengths is how it connects with its audience. It accomplishes this by expressing vulnerability and through its straightforward language. Eddie Huang communicates vulnerability by going into detail about some of the lowest points in his life, from his conflicts and misunderstandings with his parents to his brushes with racism and law enforcement, and connects those events in his life to the things he believes now. We are able to see how he thinks and why. Huang’s usage of casual language almost gives the impression that he himself is speaking to readers. This gives the writing a very personal feeling, which, combined with Huang’s vulnerable moments, allow readers to connect to Huang’s outlooks and messages. These aspects show the effectiveness of the narrative. Fresh off the Boat is by no means a hyper-sophisticated literary masterpiece, nor is it a highly complex commentary piece. It is simply an introspective reflection of a man who, despite experiencing the conflicts of culture and race, tried to live as his true self. Through his reflection and expression, we are able to discover the nature of Eddie Huang: his values of persistence, acceptance, individuality and open-mindedness.

Lyrical Essay

This essay was a very involved one, requiring us to interview someone with a different social identity than us and then write up a lyrical essay based on their experiences. I was able to interview some members of our high school’s Young Americans for Freedom club, who held conservative viewpoints that contrasted with my more liberal views, and produce an essay which detailed some of their tribulations and isolation from people at school.
—
It’s too easy, they say, but don’t.

Shifting eyes, the corners of their lips rising with the smug tides, they all lean in, and that’s when you hear it.

They’ve got you right where they want you.

The one on the right perks up. It starts with his fact.
“They’re quite dangerous.”
The one behind leans over to almost look at you. Next, an agreement.
“Think of the kids.”
The one off to the back lets you see the curve of his chin. After, a jab.
“Don’t tell me you forgot about all those schools.”
The one up close delivers a hard stare. Finally.
“Oh. But what do you think about guns?”

You only wanted to be. But they wanted you to be wrong.

Was that right?

The afternoon.

Still easy, the hanging eyes of your friend tell you. Her eyes remembered the court, its maple lacquer smell. The papers of her parents’ divorce implant in her retina.

Where would she go?

Her mom awaits her outside.
The mother with the drugs.
The mother with the problem.
The mother with the power.

Her dad isn’t here.

Where why why ? Drugs Problem Power .

She takes a seat for an eternal ride home.
Was that right?

This is so incredibly easy, they say, or, as they all say.

It’s evening.

Images dance across your plasma screen.

Yelling.

You wait for it to end.

Shouting.

You wait again.

Screaming. Screaming. At. You. Why you?

You sit here, on a comfy nice couch, in your favorite home, on your red, white and blue soil in your own part of the world.

Why are they screaming at you?

Racist? Not me! Sexist? Never me! Homophobic? Damn it all it isn’t me!

Yet despite your cries, they are lost like flies upon their smiling faces.
You change the channel.

This is too difficult, you say.

Midnight.

You wonder why as you lie in your bed.
You wonder why they cornered you,
you wonder why your friend’s eyes hang,
you wonder why the screen cries out at you.
You wonder if that is actually something to wonder about.
You also wonder just to wonder.

And yet a few words appear.
They ferment in your frontal lobe.

They dance over your cells like the rain.

You stop wondering.

Wondering is for people who don’t know.

But you know.
You always did.
You knew it for free, all on your own,
you knew it in the deepest trench of your psyche.

It wasn’t right.

Rankine and Biss Responses

Two of the most thought provoking pieces of literature we studied in English were No Man’s Land by Eula Biss, a series of essays documenting various experiences with race, class and religion, and Citizen, a series of lyrical essays depicting the cruelty of being black in America. These responses are analyses of the literary and rhetorical techniques the authors of the essays utilize to communicate their messages. It was a good experience being able to examine these perspectives and by the end I felt rewarded having read and understood their messages, comparing the different ways the two authors communicate.
—
1. Rankine – Ch.3 and Biss – Ch. No Man’s Land
This passage in Citizen comes from an entire chapter with an emphasis on the concept of racial visibility levels. Specifically, their prevalence and the means by which they are triggered. The purpose of this one passage on page 49 is to illustrate how, through the philosophies of Judith Butler, the nature of language can take advantage of one’s insecurities and emotional openness to truly make someone feel like the only person others can see. The No Man’s Land passage describes the author’s experience moving to Chicago, a time marked by much fear and anger as she felt quite vulnerable living in a place considered very dangerous. This passage, where she and her husband are passing by some black boys on bicycles who yell “Don’t be afraid of us!” to them, causing an inner conflict where she cannot respond, is intended to explain to us the author’s realization that she was, in fact, afraid of where she was. Both of these passages ultimately provide a deeper understanding of the racial complexity in America, as they both have a distinct way in which they convey the concept of visibility. While Rankine opts to communicate this feeling through the way in which language as an act is able to hurt and fully expose people, Biss uses the emotional play of fear within a supposedly dangerous environment to depict how stereotypes can affect one’s perception and emotions in everyday society. As stated in Rankine’s passage, “Language that feels hurtful is intended to exploit all of the ways that you are present.” This line is reflective of how language and words can cast a metaphorical spotlight on all of one’s inherent differences just by making those differences verbal for people surrounding those who are different. An example is given earlier in the chapter, where one of Rankine’s sources recounts a time they were jokingly referred to by someone they considered a friend as a “nappy-headed ho”, an alarming racial remark. Alluding to radio host Don Imus’s use of the term “nappy-headed hoes” to refer to the Rutger’s women’s basketball team, Rankine is able to show just how easy it can be to bring another person’s inherent differences to light in a way that almost objectifies the subject. Meanwhile, Biss’s chapter on visibility detailing fear is built on the nature of stereotypes and the effect they can have on people. She earlier recounts the many cases of murders in New York City, making note that most murders documented were between parties that previously knew each other and were unlikely to be random strangers. Biss also writes about her mother’s view of gangs she’d heard about in the neighborhood she was moving to, saying “…she said, ‘I know enough – I know they’re out there.’ Which is about as much as I know, and about as much as most white folks who talk about gangs seem to know, which is to say nothing.” These predispositions, in comparison back to the author’s reaction to the black boys on bikes, are an indication of an almost white fear of being visible- of standing out in this “bad” neighborhood.

2. Rankine – pg. 106-107 and Biss – Ch. Black News
This Citizen passage comes from a chapter about the terror and violence as part of being African American, both in lynchings as well as police brutality towards black men especially. The Biss chapter details the stark contrast between most American news outlets and a news outlet known as Voice and Viewpoint which covered a lot of what was known as “black news”, detailing the story of a black woman struggling with the custody of her grandchildren while simultaneously holding a felony charge. What gives both of these passages a connected and effective viewpoint is their collective theme. Both works detail how a given service or job fails when a person of African American descent is involved, Rankine detailing police violence and racial profiling and Biss focusing on the story of an African American woman and her separation from her grandchildren due to the intervention of Child Protective Services. In the Rankine passage, much of the essay’s power comes from its descriptive language, which gives a feeling of helplessness and chaotic confusion, with the quoting of “Get on the ground. Get on the ground now”, and questions such as “I wasn’t speeding?” and “Why am I pulled over?”. All of these poetic choices serve to communicate the feeling of being targeted and incarcerated. Contrast this use of poetic prose and language with the recounting of a woman’s struggle against Child Protective Services. Whereas the Rankine passage succeeded through narrative and poetry, the Black News essay used the scenario set by the subject Eve Johnson to relay the backward nature of public services that are actually hindering certain members of the population. Biss also uses the central item of the gun that got Ms. Johnson in trouble with Child Protective Services to represent how the organization uses her felony to hold her children from her. Biss writes, “I began to understand the gun in Ms. Johnson’s story was functioning, again and again, as an excuse for the inexcusable.”