Blog #9

FINAL BLOG

1. In 300 words, write a draft of your literacy narrative.

Star Wars. If these two words were said in the 1970s and in present day, the reactions would be completely different. Forty years ago, people would be jumping with excitement over the new blockbuster hit movie that was created by George Lucas in 1977. The fanboys and girls would know all about Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Wookies, Ewoks, and would be able to quote famous dialogue lines from the movie(s). They would know that Darth Vader ended up being Luke’s father and that Princess Leia was his twin sister. However, in 2010, if I were to ask someone about Star Wars their response would be, “Huh? What’s that?” If I told them that I bought a new lightsaber, they would most likely reply, “Oh yeah, I bought some lifesavers too!” Obviously there was a barrier between our contact zones. (Villanueva).

How do I know about this cultural phenomenon that happened way before I was born? As an avid Star Wars fan, my father introduced my brother and I to “a galaxy far, far away” at a very young age. He exposed us to all three of the original films and ingrained knowledge about them into our brains. In 1999, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace went to theaters, which was the first movie of the prequels that were being developed. My father allowed my brother and I to take off of school in order to see the movie and in that same year, my brother and I dressed up as Star Wars characters for Halloween. We also own various actions figures, many video games, and about eight toy lightsabers.

The movie series definitely had a great impact on our lives. For example, when I hear the term “bounty hunter” my mind automatically goes to Bobo Fett. I believe that my dad caused me to have more literacy in this subject area than most people my age. Because of his actions, I was able to experience something that is lost in my generation. I find it mind-boggling that people do not know about this movie franchise and do not even have the will to know and learn about it. This knowledge I have about Star Wars makes me more literate because it is “the ability to understand, use and create tools of expression in a system of communication…and can be applied to a variety of discourse communities.” (Class).

2. Question – Class Readings

The text in an advertisement can be seen as all of the following except

a. Amplification through complication

b. Immediate Verbal Context

c. Ethos

d. Metacommentary

3. Final McCloud Reading Question

1. Navigating through a series of panels embedded in each previous panel will give a sense of:

a. enhancing virtual reality

b. diving deeper into a story

c. thinking outside the box

d. none of the above.

Works Cited:

1. “Definition of Literacy.” Class Notes. April 15, 2010.

2. Villanueva, Victor. Bootstraps: From an American Academic of Color. Urbana, IL: NCTE. 34-50.