Signing Off the Blog ...

Hello, Everyone:

Thanks for your contributions on the blog this semester. Reading back through it provides an interesting (and at times entertaining) road map of the course! I will see about converting the blog to an e-book -- or, at the very least, to a PDF -- in case anyone decides they want to see the conversations linked together.

Stay tuned,

-Prof. Graban

Parallel Catharsis

In Children of Invention, there is catharsis that takes place however on multiple levels. The catharsis takes place on a personal level of the viewer but also for the characters themselves. The two children  in the film are Raymond and Tina. Tina the younger daughter is very pure and sterile as the film begins as she has a very positive outlook on the world. As the film progresses she begins to face unfortunate realities and these help her to emotionally cleanse and as a result she matures. While Tina asks her mom to go to the mall in an earlier scene for "family day" the mother Elanie has no problem with this. Tina's brother Raymond is somewhat concerned because he is more responsible and knows the families poor economic status. Once Elanie is in jail and the children are forced to plan for surviving without her Tina quickly has to mature.
The catharsis is seen through Tina but also for the viewer and audience. The audience gets the setup of the story as them struggling to make it by as an immigrant family with a single parent. This makes the reader feel sympathy for the family but once they undergo actual problems outside the "norm" this is when things really turn. As Elanie is taken to jail and the children are left home alone the viewer sees the possibility that these children not only abandoned but how they will survive. They are very young even though the older brother Raymond has a very responsible and mature personality. As they head into Boston to go to the bank to withdraw money to begin a business the viewer embarks on their journey as well. Not sure what will happen, outside that the situation of these children traveling on their own is its own non conventional circumstance in itself. As Elanie is reunited with her children some of the tension is broken but the problem of this family and how its going to be supported still exists.

Immigrant Experience in The Jungle and Children of Invention

In both Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Tze Chen's Children of Invention both stories depict the immigrant experience and how it isn't always as great as the "American dream" is portrayed to be.

In The Jungle Sinclair shows how the corruption in Packingstown leads to the workers being exploited and abused. Their unfair treatment leads to them attempting to unionize and gain rights for themselves and fight back against corrupt officials. In an earlier scene where Jurgis is buying a house he has another lawyer look over his housing contract. However this lawyer is actually corrupt and friends with the person giving Jurgis the lease and lies to Jurgis. Jurgis is an immigrant and naive and doesn't realize he's being scammed. He ends up figuring out that the contract isn't what it seems to be. As a result of being deceived he becomes less trusting progressively over the novel.

In Children of Invention, Elaine is also victim to corruption and faces many problems of the immigrant experience. She is recruited by this company and they end up scamming her on paying her checks of medicine she invested her money in. She then is convinced into making another similar mistake as she joins a company called Gold Rep. This company is a triangle ponzi scheme and as Elaine begins working there she fails to see this. She is only eager to make the money and move her children back into their foreclosed home. This all ends in the scheme collapsing and Elaine losing money she invested and also faces legal trouble through her implication with the company.

Children of Invention or Victims of Capitalism?

Money makes the world go round and this is echoed throughout the film in Children of Invention. We see the mother being constantly in debt and in search of quick ways to make more money in pursuit of a more comfortable life. She has neglected her children as a result of working too hard. There is a scene where she has to leave her kids in the toy shop for a very long period of time because she needs to call someone relevant to her work.

Growing up in an environment like this, the children (Raymond and Tina) learn the importance of money but they also learn about the mechanism of capitalism. They may have utilized their creativity to invent things but their ultimate goal is to sell them and make a profit in order to live a more comfortable life, just like their mother. In one way then, they have also fallen into the hands of capitalism and consumerism. They will grow up chasing after material wealth just like their mother and everybody else.

This is just an alternative view of the film and I am sure it is not the director's main intention for the film.

Levels of Understanding

In Children of Invention we have a situation which is understood through very different view points based on age. The adult in the situation is primarily concerned with her children and their well being. While her efforts to provide for her children are not always successful, her intent is admirable. Elaine's concern is complicated. She must navigate the adult world and all it's requirements. She must provide food, a place to live, and a future for her children. She must also be fully aware of the laws of the country in which she is living, and bear the burden of responsibility for the consequences of her actions. Raymond, on the other hand, has a more simplistic view of things. His concerns are almost always more immediate. He is responsible for himself, and often for his sister as well. He displays great maturity and initiative in providing for his family in the absence of his mother, but ultimately he is still a young boy. He becomes angry at his mother for her absence, and at some points even loses faith in his parents. Tina is the youngest, and has the simplest view of the matter. Her concerns are mostly for herself. She wishes to have her home back, to spend time with her parents, and of course to have the occasional slice of pizza.

Of course, part of this character selection is based in the director's personal experience, but there is also a great value to viewing this situation through such different lenses. By viewing  through an adult's lens, we appreciate the difficulty and complexity of the situation. We understand how hard it is for Elaine, and how big an impact her choices can have. By viewing through Raymond's eyes we have the best view of the immediate and daily impact this has on families. Raymond is the most concerned with the day to day impact on his family, and seems to be most affected by his mother's absence. Tina might offer the most important view, however. Even though she is a child, she is most concerned with the big picture. She may not have  the future in mind, but the honesty she has as a young girl has a great impact. While her elders are concerned with getting fed, providing a future, etc., Tina is concerned with more moral issues. It's unfair, she says, that she can't have a home, and that her mother can't be home regularly. She wants to eat every day, to have a house, and to be with her family. Ultimately this is the most important issue, the fairness of the situation on the most essential elements of a persons life such as food and family. It is Tina that brings this to our attention most directly.

Chinese-American Stereotypes in Children of Invention

In Children of Invention by Tze Chun there is specific emphasis put on Chinese-American immigrant stereotypes. In one of the earliest scenes they have the single mother Elaine in a beat-up old toyota with a chinese symbol hanging from the rearview mirror. Elaine then goes on to become victim of "get-rich" schemes that end up getting her into not only financial trouble but also legal trouble and puts her children at risk. The new housing Elaine moves her daughter Tina and son Raymond isn't officially zoned yet and they need to keep the blinds drawn and voices down.

In another scene where Elaine is dragging her children around to meetings because she can't afford daycare or babysitting the theme of Chinese-American stereotypes continues. The American business woman wants to hire Elaine to , "tap into the foreign market". This same woman annunciates and speaks ridiculously slow to the children and they laugh at her as they were American born and speak fluent english as their first language.

Invention in Wells-Barnett

         In "Lynch Law in America" Wells-Barnett uses logos as a tool to convince an audience she would normally not have interested as a way to get her argument across. In invention it's not just about what is said, but the way things are said. In "Lynch Law" Wells talks about horrible events, but instead of having an overwhelming appeal to pathos she uses an appeal to reason,logos, as a way to reach a larger populace of more influential people. Invention is very tied into appeals of reason. 
        Wells's use of logic when talking about statistics of people both foreign and domestic lynched. She does talk about children being killed because there father was, a boy being murdered because a white woman made certain accusations, how many foreigners America wasn't able to protect from this bigotry, and how some people were tortured before they were murdered without any appeal to their constitutional rights. However, she doesn't overly appeal to emotion, but simply states the facts. Wells use of invention also helps form audience construction. By appealing to logic and not having any overwhelming emotion she appeals to more influential and male people who are more likely to help.
        Overall, we see invention in the way she uses logos to form audience construction and even the way she uses ideas of American agency to bring her audience more together. Even though it is written in the manner of logos this American agency allowed all her readers to claim something that allowed them to all be on the same side no matter what race or class. Invention is all these things. Invention is the way someone forms an argument, the way they come up with their concepts, and even the way make their final judgement. 

The American Dream a lie?

The "American Dream" the reason why immigrants come to america to buy a home with a white picket fence and a red Ferrari. This dream is what every single person wants to accomplish they work day and night scrapping for every nickle and penny just to live a better life. In the movie Children of Invention and in the novel The Jungle, both families come to america in hoped of the "American Dream", but yet sadly both once happy families are marred with divorce, tragic hardship and the elusive escape of the "American Dream". Is the "American Dream" a lie? Raymond's mom is scammed into two different pyramid schemes that cost her family financial woes the first time and legal trouble the second time. Some people may say that pyramid schemes are just shortcuts and the "American Dream" is about working hard and making money, but in "The Jungle" working hard just is not enough to earn the "American Dream". So what does it take to live "The America Dream"? A whole lot if luck and hard work. I Can say this personally because I 'am a immigrant and when I first came to America life was hard people treated you differently, even to this day people tell me its because of people like me Americans are loosing jobs. Yet the guy at the top is still living "The America Dream" while the rest of us work hard just to make it by day to day.  

In Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael, there is a significant vocal presence.  There are three identities present within the character of Ishmael.  James Phelan, in his work Narrative as Rhetoric, he dissects the concept of voice.  The first point he makes is that “voice is as much a social phenomenon as it is an individual one” (Phelan, 44).  This leads to the conclusion that though Ishmael’s voice is only the voice of the character Ishmael, but it includes the author’s “individual” identity as well as the “social phenomenon” (which will be unpacked later). 

Firstly and most apparently, within the voice of Ishmael there is the voice of the actual character.  He has his own personality, emotional ups and downs, and physical struggles that are not necessarily in agreement with the other identities present.  The identities of the author and of what I’m going to call a “social consciousness” are also wrapped into the voice of Ishmael.  The author too has his own personality that is shown in small stylistic ways, such as story unfolding in a way that is pleasing to the author.  The overall identity also present in Ishmael’s voice is that of a social consciousness.  This is the message of the character Ishmael, the author, and the movement.  Readers will recognize the presence of a “social phenomenon” in the voice of Ishmael because it is recognizable through life experiences (Phelan, 45).  I call this social consciousness, because the majority of people in the audience of Ishmael will understand concepts of “saving the planet,” “going green,” and /or “sustainability.”  These concepts come together to become a “social phenomenon,” or to make it more of a person/ identity, “social consciousness.”

All these identities, the character Ishmael, Daniel Quinn, and a social consciousness, are united into one voice through style, through a single entity we call “Ishmael.”

Audience Construction in Children of Invention and Ishmael

In Daniel Quinn's Ishmael,it is very clear that Quinn is trying to convey his opinions and points of view through the Gorilla, Ishmael. However, it is less clear to whom he is trying to convey these to, in terms of audience. While it could be said that the book is meant for everyone, seeing as the critiques found throughout Ishmael are towards humans in general, I think there is a possibility that Ishmael was targeted towards a more specific audience. The way that Ishmael critiques the "Takers" for storing food, eliminating competitors, and preventing competitors from attaining food, all point to humans. But there are certain humans that "take" more than others, and I believe this is whose attention Quinn is mainly trying to attract. Manufacturers, businesses, and people that take resources for granted can all be considered as extreme "Takers." Quinn is trying to raise awareness of the immorality of their actions, as well as trying to capture their attention by directly critiquing them. After watching Children of Invention, it became clear that the film is meant to appeal to a broad audience, but is meant to be interpreted by each viewer somewhat differently. The emotional appeal of Children of Invention is meant to affect all viewers, but it is the viewers with family or similar hardships that the film is meant to deeply impact. For anyone that has children, the experiences of Tina and Raymond, as well as their relationship with Elaine would make a great impact on he or she. On a general level, Children of Invention is also meant for an audience of all Americans, so that it can raise awareness of the dangers and injustice involved in pyramid schemes.

Fighting the Odds

In class for the last 3 - 4 novels we read, we have seen the environment that the characters are in has an impact on the outcome of the story. In most books so far we have seen a tragic ending to the characters, but in Children of Invention we see the opposite. We see two children who are left by them selves not give-up and become pray to the society they live in, but they actually try to overcome it. A scene that really caught my eye was when Raymond tells Tina that their mom left them two and its just them now and they have to fend for them selves. Raymond starts to do math and he writes his ideas down to create inventions to sell. Raymond tells Tina that if they sell all there inventions they can make $10,000 and if they did it 10 times they can buy their home back.Tho Raymond has no idea of the cost of the home he does not let that deter him from his goal to buy back their old home. Raymond also makes the initiative to accomplish this goal by  traveling all the way to Boston to get his money from the bank just to start working on the inventions to sell. This made me wonder what would happen to most children left in Raymond & Tina's shoes? Would they become a victim to poverty and scams and theft? Or would most children do what Raymond did, care for his sister and become the provider for his family?

Exigence in Children of Invention

The film Children of Invention deals with the difficulties faced by immigrants who live in big American cities. People of various races pour into the United States in search of a good life and also because they believe that it is the land of opportunities.

The director's exigence for this movie is to show that not every immigrant can find the right opportunities and some may end up being victims to illegal businesses such as pyramid schemes. When people migrate to the U.S., they only think about the opportunities that are waiting for them but not the risks involved. The director intends to show these risks along with their implications to the audience.

In my opinion, the director has picked a very suitable issue to address because there aren't many of us who understand the lives of immigrants. The director has allowed us to get a sense of that by giving us a glimpse into the lives of the Cheng family both from the perspective of the mother and the children.

Complicating race cont. 2

The way to narrate in this book is clearly by thrid person.  Furthmore, it cannot be considered by Wilson herself such as Marji in Persepolis.  That is, although it is the fact that she reflects her own experience in the story, nobody in the book cannot be identified as Wilson even the narrator of third person and Frado.  Then we can use the interpretation of “Variations of Distance” by Booth.  In Types of Narration, Booth explains that “the narrator may be more or less distant from the implied author and most authors are distant from even the most knowing narrator in that they presumably know” (p. 156).  That is, the method of narration by the third person causes a distance from Wilson to Frado.  The narrator in this story is also written as if the third person knows every develpoment of the story.  However, although the development of the story is similar to Wilson’s experience, the entire story is differnet from the life of Wilson.  All of this can make an audience second guesss the role of race and how it is portryaed.  Sometimes the audience can think situations in the novel are actually what happened to Wilson, while other audiences can assume that the novel is just a narrative interpretation of Wilson’s life.  The role of the African-american and what is happenng to them can conflict what actual happenened in Wilson’s life.  “She had never known plenty” (Wilson 7).  When one is viewed as property and unable to make decisions for one’s self, one has only what is given to them.  Is this true for Wilson’s life?  Did she experience the same situation?  These questions are there to try and interpret the role of black people during the time.  The conflicting views or race is often the reason for the questions given by an audience.  Afterall, children wre sometimes given up in order for the parents to get by.  Furthermore, when one is used to “the great brotherhood of man” (Wilson 6) ignoring them, then one loses hope for a change.  These people are making no effort to escape.

Complicating race cont.

It is true that Wilson reflects her own experience and the circumstance at that time into the figure of Frado.  In the introduction of the book, we can see the fact that “Sleeping in alternately stifling and freezing quarters, being overlooked to the point of exhaustion, and enduring depressing isolation were the norms in service.  As a young black child indentured toa white family in a town that only a handful of blacks called home, Wilson experienced a fate even worse than the typical northern indenture” (p. xxvii).  African-americans were property.  Mrs. Bellmost indicates this when she talks about “keeping” a servent on page 16, and again when Jack refers to Mag as “our nig,” which is on the same page.  Since these people are viewed as property, they are treated like dogs.  Booth explains in his essay, “Perhaps the most important differences in narrative effect depend on whether the narrator is dramatized in his or her own right on whether his or her beliefs and characteristics are shared by the author” (p. 151).  If the author is sharing the same beliefs as the narrative characters, than there might be some complications in what is actual happening.  The idea of race and how it is portryed could been thrown off and/or complicated.  The reader might get two differnet angles of the idea of race and that complication can give different responses to the audience.  Wilson reflects her own experience exactly in this book’s world view and into the figure of Frado.  However, even after we read these statements, we can consider that Frado is seprate from Wilson in terms of the view of independence as a character, and a woman.  But other characters could be affected.  Just like a dog, Mag sleeps outdoors.  Mag is also punished with raw-hide and “allowed” to eat her breakfast away from where the family is eating.  This view and treatment leads to desitute and hopelessness.  Again, do these actions realte back to Wilson’s experience?  I feel as if some of the life-styles might not correlate to what Wilson expirenced, which in short, could lead to confusion from the audience.  The way race is portrayed might lead to complications in being able to determine what is actual happening during that time.  Is it just the way the book its written?  Maybe Wilson is trying to create a more attractive narrative, instead of revealing what actually is happening during that time.

Complicating race

In Our Nig, we can consider Frado a different character from the author Harriet Wilson in spite of the fact that it is mentioned, “In writing Frado’s heartbreaking story, Harriet Wilson recounts her own experiences while combining a subverting multiple literary styles,” in the back of the novel.  Why can we consider that Frado is an independent character who differs from the author?  I believe the reason is based on that Wilson uses the third person as a narrator, which inevidibly leads to the complication of race throughout the novel.  Thoughout most of Our Nig there are many clues the reader can use to assume what role race played in that time as well as the time of the author herself.  Because of the correlation between the story and the author, the idea of race and the role race played during that time can get complicated.  

Exigence in Children of Invention

While Children of Invention is a very moving film, I found myself wondering what Tze Chun's Exigence was form creating the film. At first I considered that, like the jungle, Children of Invention is meant to show the hardships immigrants face when living in America. Although there is some of this concept in the film, because Elaine's husband is in Hong Kong and she is taken advantage of because of her ability to speak another language, I do not believe that it was the main point of the film. I do not even think this film was meant to be a critique on American capitalism or dishonesty in American society. However, I do believe that Children of Invention is meant to affect the viewer at a more personal level, and convey the message that parents, as well as children, experience real-life hardships. I also think that Tze Chun wished to show that children are very capable of being strong and innovative when they need to be. The saying "from the mouths of babes" relates to this, I believe, because in Children of Invention, Tina and Raymond can be considered as role models for adults. Their perserverance and ingenuity when faced with stuggles is what, I believe, Tze Chun wanted to convey in this film.

Who to Blame

The director of Children of Invention based his story on his real experiences during his youth. Like the family in the film, he had a mother involved in many pyramid schemes and he was an older brother with a younger sister. I would argue that this fact, along with some scenes from the movie, help to paint a picture of the director's exigence.

The clearest, and most obvious, exigence of this film is to inform. This family depicts what was a common situation for many poorer families, and especially immigrant families, during the 90's. The film offers a view of all levels of these schemes. He shows the upper levels and their manipulation of potential members. He shows the need of the poor families, and their hope for a better life which leads them to risk great deals of money on such ventures. He also shows the effect these schemes have on the children of families involved,  on those who are caught participating in them, and on those who lose their money to them. Elaine of course plays multiple roles. She loses money to a scheme as the film opens, but is responsible for recruiting people who lose their investment as well.

This creates a question in the audience as to Elaine's culpability in the matter, and helps us to reveal the director's greater exigence as well. To best reveal this we need to look at two scenes contrasted with one another. One is a montage of scenes where Elaine recruits new members, and helps to assuage their fears of losing their money. This is contrasted with Elaine's confusion when she receives no money of her own, and her disbelief when she is arrested. Elaine clearly believes in the system. She knows that it is risky, but she thinks that it will pan out with most people. This is very different from the other individuals at her level. The other members of the scheme laugh at those who lost their money, saying "they should have signed up when we did." Additionally, Betty, the leader of the group, is very manipulative in signing Elaine up. She is portrayed as a very devious character, saying exactly what people need to hear. However, she is almost obviously distrustful and manipulative, even to the children who she assumes can't speak English. This helps to show that the director is creating two classes within the pyramid scheme system. Those who are responsible, and those who are victims who have been manipulated. He is also showing that it is not a clear cut distinction, and that even those who have hurt others can be honest victims in some ways. I believe that this exigence is tied to the catharsis seen at the end of the film where Raymond forgives his mother. The director is saying, both to his own mother personally, and to others in general, that not everyone in these schemes is evil, and that they should be forgiven.

Separate Catharsis in Children of Invention

The catharsis seen in Children of Invention takes place on two parallel tracks. The first is the catharsis experienced by the family, the second is that experienced by the audience. 

The family in this film experiences catharsis both as an ongoing process and as a final result. As the film progresses the family confronts many stressful events. Elaine struggles financially. She is portrayed as almost desperate to make money, not because of any selfish motivation, but out of a desire to provide for her family. Her catharsis has many ups and downs. She is initially frustrated as one pyramid scheme fails, but finally finds hope with the success of her final scheme. Of course, this success is short lived. Her arrest begins a new traumatic experience as she is separated from her children. This brings us to the final point of catharsis, when she is reunited with, and forgiven by, her children. The children experience a similar series of events, although they have different troubles to confront. The children are focused on making money to purchase their home, but in the course of events their worries evolve differently. Tina focuses overly on getting their home back, while Raymond becomes angry with his mother for abandoning her children just like their father. Again the final catharsis is one of coming together and forgiving. It is particularly interesting that the final scene is so cathartic for all three primary characters, despite the fact that they have such different problems being resolved.

I would also argue that this catharsis is witnessed by the audience, but it is not the same catharsis experienced by the audience. The audience in this film is likely to be better informed about these pyramid schemes than any of the characters. This story is based on the pyramid schemes of the 1990's. At the time, they were not nearly so well known and it was much easier for people to be caught up in them, especially immigrants who were often targeted. Because the audience has the benefit of present day awareness, they experience the film differently. The audience begins to worry about the family, and what will happen to them, when Elaine is first involved in her pyramid scheme. She is not entirely naive, but seems unaware of how serious the consequences of her involvement may be. Because of this, the audiences fears are different than Elaine's. It is only when she is arrested, that the audience's fears align fully with Elaine's and her children's. For the audience, the catharsis is a final event, in line with the character's. The audience realizes that their fear for the safety of the children, and for the safety of Elaine and her possible arrest, have been resolved. 

This is why the final catharsis is so interesting. It involves three separate characters, all with different fears and desires, as well as an audience with a separate outside perspective. It takes all these issues and provides  catharsis through forgiveness an acceptance.

Possible metaphorical significance of Pyramid Schemes

Something that Children of Invention made clear is that pyramid schemes ultimately cause nothing but trouble for the people that get involved in them. They cause legal issues for the people who partake in them, even if the people do not know that they are participating in them. However, for an immigrant family that doesn't know that these schemes exist and that they may not even get any money from them, they seem like an opportunity to get money quickly. The idea of pyramid schemes could also be seen in a metaphorical sense in that it could be a metaphor for immigrants coming to America in the first place. While it is less the case now, there have been many instances in the past in which immigrants coming to America hoping for a new and better life has backfired. An example of this is illustrated quite well in the Jungle. Jurgis and his family come to America hoping for new opportunities, and instead eventually find themselves stuck in the corruption of industry, and can barely survive. Pyramid schemes seem to serve as a more modern parallel for this situation; the partaker enters, thinking they can better their situation, and they ultimately end up worse off than before.

Children of Invention: Realism

I believe that the film directed by Tze Chun and titled Children of Invention is an excellent example of a piece of work that blatantly exemplifies the literary term and concept of realism.  By definition realism is a "form of fiction that provides a 'slice of life,' an accurate representation of reality."  The movie depicts the reality of life for Elaine and her children in her attempts and failures at multiple get-rich-quick schemes.  The audience witnesses both the excitement of the marketing opportunities and also the devastation of the characters when these pyramid schemes fall apart.  This rational look into life of foreign-Americans trying to support their families in any way they can is what makes Children of Invention a piece of realism.  There is another aspect to a more detailed definition of realism that claims that "it usually refers more specifically to a writer's accuracy in portraying the speech and behavior of a character or characters from a low socioeconomic class."  This feature gives even more evidence to the idea of seeing the film as a piece of realism.  Elaine and her children are indeed of low socioeconomic class, as Tze Chun depicts them excellently to be of Chinese decent. The foreign mother has an accent and is so clearly naiive to the trickery that takes place in American society, especially to those of her stature, and the American-Chinese children who although look like their mother do not talk like their mother seem to have more potential in American society as they grow up having learned from their mother's mistakes.  Children of Invention lends itself completely to these common definitions of realism in literature, even though it is not a piece of written work.

Audience Construction in Children of Invention

As we know, Audience Construction starts with the sender and is then lead to the receiver. Once it is processed through the receiver, they perceive the information presented. In the of Children of Invention, the narrator would be considered as the "sender." As the audience watches the film, they immediately start thinking about the image outside of what is seen on the screen. The audience is constructed in a way that the audience can relate with the characters and also connect with the characters in the film. This reaction in the film is seen through watching their body language, seeing their emotions and their reactions. We relate their emotions and situations with the emotions and situations in our own lives. Tze directs his film in a way that we are able to witness the family lives day-to-day. The audience then puts him or herself in the position that we are living a long with them in their life. By constructing the film we are able to see the emotions, we are able to feel like the characters. Contrasting Raymond with the younger Tina constructs the audience to feel the very real fear of losing what might be important to them as well as the fear of sparseness the family faces. The directed does a good job at keeping the viewer alert and promoting an excellent viewing experience. Without the body language, emotion and reaction, it would be hard for the audience to get emotionally involved with the characters and the film that makes it so good.

Appeals to Time in Children of Ivention

In Killingsworth's "Appeals to Time" he states that "time becomes a position of value that author's use to draw audiences to their own positions". I think that in Children of Invention time is a major theme throughout.The whole movie seems to revolve around time. The mother not having enough time for her children. She is always on a time crunch for her jobs. She has difficulty balancing her time. For example her children go to meetings with her and they have to sleep in the car. There never seems to be enough time, it is a central conflict in the movie. It pushes the plot forward and always adds a layer of anxiety which which i think the director strived for because it helps the viewer feel for the immigrant family. It builds up the intensity. This appeal to time may also be part of the process of catharsis. It appeal to time builds up the emotion to the point where it can finally be released when the mother realizes her mistakes.

Invention in Ishmael

In Ishmael, Quinn uses the invention of the character of Ishmael as a tool to more effectively express his ideas. Ishmael, as a gorilla rather than a human, has a sort of outside, almost unbiased view of the human race, and can therefore give a picture of the human race from the eyes of someone not affected by "Mother Culture." He also has experienced captivity, which is a reason behind why he is able to recognize the captivity of humans within their own society. The fact that he's had students in the past, all of which failed, also adds to the urgency of his message, because the fact that he's still trying suggests that it's something important. Ishmael is not human, yet he possesses the ability to communicate with humans in an effective, clear manner, and therefore is able to try to help them. Another factor that makes Ishmael effective as a the character of a teacher is that he uses Socratic dialogue in his teaching, getting the narrator of the story to understand the idea for himself rather than having it told to him. This creates a better understanding of the idea, and a better understanding of the idea for the reader, because the reader sees all the dialogue that results in the conclusion.

Sentimentalism in Children of Invention

In Tze Chun's film Children of Invention, much of the impact on the audience is done using emotional appeals, making the film a sentimentalist film. While there are the fact available--the financial situation of the family and their difficulty in finding ways to make money--much of the film focuses on the reactions of the children to these circumstances. When they have to leave their old house, the film shows the two siblings talking to each other, and it shows Tina asking her mom why they're leaving and when they'll be able to come back. Throughout the film, the reactions of Tina and Raymond to new developments in their situation are often the focus of scenes. When their mother disappears, most of the screen time is spent showing Raymond caring for his sister and the two of them trying to make money to buy their house back. In the end, the reunion of the family in their apartment is an emotional scene. Using these appeals to the audience, Tze Chun causes the audience to be concerned with the issue of pyramid schemes and how they pray upon immigrant families who do not know of their illegality or even their nature at times.

Great Grandpa Plays a Part

I found one scene particularly moving in Children of Invention is when Raymond and Tina find their way to their Great Grandfather's home and he tells Raymond that he is a good boy. The interaction between them is very sweet and it almost seems to give Raymond a sense that he is doing good, and he is not failing his sister, or even his mother. The inter generational conversation seems to be symbolic as well. He is saying that while its tough, he is still good. In a way it is reassurance to Raymond from an ancestor that it will be okay. This i think inspires Raymond and also is a pivotal moment for his maturity. It is symbolically passing wisdom down. I think that the grandfather in this moment becomes an agent for Raymond. He is able to help him understand the importance of staying strong and he offers him a sort of comfort and reassurance that Raymond needed. Through this conversation with his Grandpa it allows Raymond to have a mature realization about his life, this is what makes the grandfather and agent to him. Without the conversation with the old man Raymond may never have realized his own maturity as much as he did.

Pragmatism in Children of Invention

In reference to the Oxford English Dictionary, pragmatism is a method of understanding facts and events in terms of cause and effect, and of inferring practical lessons or conclusions from this process.  Based on this definition, it may be safe to say that the film Children of Invention might be completely free of any pragmatic aspect for the characters.  In watching the film form beginning to end the audience, however, may endure a pragmatic experience. As we see in the very beginning of the film we witness Elaine Chang  attempting to return product she was suckered into selling in an altogether too common pyramid scheme.  Then after this failure, we witness Elaine begin working for a woman named Bette in another altogether too common pyramid scheme.  From this, we as the audience are able to infer that Elaine clearly has not learned her lesson from the effects of the last marketing scheme she was apart of.  We as the audience see her blatant mistakes but cannot make her decisions for her.  To us, it is obvious because we see the situation from the outside and may not be in her financial situation trying to feed two children.  We as the audience go through a pragmatic process in learning from Elaine's mistakes even though she doesn't. It is therefore not fair to say that the film is completely void of any pragmatic dimension just because the characters don't experience it.  In the case of Children of Invention, the audience are the players who experience the pragmatic process.

Realism in Children of Invention

 During the movie I actually shed a tear or two in some scenes. I found Children of Invention to be brutally honest about the situation of immigrants in America and incredibly honest. I think as a born citizen I've never actually considered what it must be like to struggle as an immigrant. This year we have studied The Jungle and Maggie A Girl of the Streets which both addressed the situation of immigrants but that was in the past. The modern realism of Children of Invention was refreshing.

Realism is defined in our handout as an "accurate representation of reality". Further in the handout it is said that "the plots of these works works encompass all social classes and tend away from excessive sentimentalizing". Children of Invention has a plot that shows various social classes within the immigrant society. It shows the grandmother who became successful, a father who left and continues to have success in Hong Kong, and the mother who is struggling to utilize her college education to support her family. The movie isn't over sentimentalized in my opinion. It has on a great deal of emotion but it isn't an overwhelming amount because the main focus remains throughout just fighting to survive their social class above all. The viewer is left constantly hoping that the mother will somehow find success and that all of their problems will be solved. In Children of Invention it is almost like money would fix everything, which seems to be a more realist sentiment than anything. 

Quinn's Old Invention in Argument

While Quinn's Socratic dialogue led by an idealistic mentalist gorilla is new, Quinn's invented rhetorical argument is quite old. That is, the concepts that Ishmael espouses, namely those of sustainability, questioning of paradigm and man's superiority, have been advocated before by intellectuals since at least the 19th century, when Jeremy Bentham, the British jurist, advocated animal rights and utilitarianism. Ishmael, in questioning (and, more importantly, getting the narrator to question) humankind's attitude of superiority and toward domination of the earth and land, channel's Bentham's argument that animals have been both enslaved and viewed with prejudiced inequality, as well as more modern theorists' ideas, like that of philosopher Peter Singer. Singer advocates animal rights, against what he perceives as speciesism on the part of humanity toward animals of a perceived lower caste (that is, lacking sentience or self-awareness). To this end, Singer is in favor of humane treatment of animals (note the parallels between the treatment of Ishmael in the carnival and zoo) and vegetarianism in order to promote the equality of creatures, and revert to a sustainable, moral "gatherer" (as in hunter-gatherer) diet, a view Ishmael would likely thoroughly support via the release of man from his captivity from

What, exactly, is Quinn's invention, then? It is, at least in part, the contemporary, post-counter culture application of egalitarianism, anarchistic (read: terrestrial) utilitarianism, and sustainability. It is Quinn's application of these ideas in the logical discourse of Socratic dialogue that enables the reader and narrator to question the dubious societal paradigm manufactured in the Industrial Revolution, namely that everything was commodified, humanity is necessarily the superior being (compare to, say, pre-enclosure rhetoric and dialogue in the open field system, i.e. that land and animal should be held as a commons, etc.), and that profit or advantage should supersede sustainability and equality. This is what Quinn argues against through Ishmael, hoping that through gradual change (as was the case to bring society into this paradigm), ideas like Singer's and Bentham's, as well as Quinn's own, will supplant the unsustainable, illogical rules of now.