WRIT Large 8.6 (Analyzing Popular Culture) by University Writing Program University of Denver

WRITL ARGE RETROSPECTIVE

NOVEMBER 2019 VOLUME 8, ISSUE 6: ANALYZING POPUL AR CULTURE

ÂŠ UNIVERSITY OF DENVER WRITING PROGRAM

WRIT Large is published by the University Writing Program at the University of Denver

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An Introduction to Issue 6 “Analyzing Popular Culture” In “My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead,” New York Times bestselling author Chuck Klosterman cautions readers on our collective fear over popular culture. He explains that “Zombies are like the Internet and the media and every conversation we don’t want to have. All of it comes at us endlessly (and thoughtlessly), and—if we surrender—we will be overtaken and absorbed.” We are consumed by and consumers of our culture, barraged by Thanos memes, cats of any variety (from the grumps to the chonks), and bombarded by Game of Thrones merch. Yet, our extreme fascination is fleeting, as volatile as the bitcoin market. Since the cultural revolution of the late 60’s, popular culture has become an important area of academic study. From LOL’s to Lacanian analysis, cats to Comic-con, t-pose to presidential tweets, Disney’s Frozen to Fitz and the Tantrums, we are consistently absorbing and modifying our culture. University of Denver students are critical consumers of popular culture by virtue of their education at this University. However, this consumption is not thoughtless. Emblematic of the meme, a contraction of the Greek mimesis “to imitate,” students’ definition of popular culture spreads, repeats, and evolves over time but does so by exposing underlying assumptions and examining shared cultural experiences. Students are not mindless consumers waiting to be overtaken and absorbed. If anything, they are shaping cultural identity. Poised to thumbs up or thumbs down the next viral trend. This issue of WRIT Large: Retrospective celebrates three students as they absorb, modify, and actively engage in ideas about popular culture to influence the world around them.

— April Chapman-Ludwig Teaching Assistant Professor University Writing Program

Contents pg. 5

Kade Wilson, “‘Conceal, Don’t Feel’: A Queer Reading of Disney’s Frozen”

Originally published in WRIT Large Volume 4 (2015) pg. 12

Angus Kitchell, “Wandering the World of Calvin & Hobbes”

Originally published in WRIT Large Volume 3 (2014) pg. 17

Paul Elsberg, “This is the Life: The Empowering Movement of Hip Hop at

Good Life Cafe”

Originally published in WRIT Large Volume 6 (2017)

pg. 23

Meet Our Authors

pg. 24

Call for Submissions

pg. 25

Acknowledgments

“Conceal, Don’t Feel”:

A QUEER READING OF DISNEY’S FROZEN Kade Wilson

by WRIT 1633: Fans and Fan Writing Practices | Professor Juli Parrish Originally published in WRIT Large Volume 4 (2015)

INTRODUCTION Disney’s 2013 animated film Frozen was an enormous success, grossing over one billion dollars and ranking as the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Consequently, Frozen has a huge fan following, with many fans buying into what is called the “queer Elsa headcanon,” a fan-developed interpretation of the film in which Elsa, one of the protagonists, is queer. A comprehensive queer reading of Frozen sheds light on common queer narratives and creates a lens through which to view other texts more queerly. This paper seeks to combine much of the disparate research into one cohesive reading of a specific Disney film and then analyze why queer readings, and queer readings of this film in particular, are so inviting and important.

WHAT IS A QUEER READING? The first important question to explore is what queer readings are and how they are constructed. It is necessary to define what is meant by “queer,” both as a noun and a verb. According to Caitlin Ryan and Jill Hermann-Wilmarth, “queer” refers not only to the community of gender and sexuality minorities commonly known as LGBT, but also to any sexuality, relationship, gender identity, or gender exVOLUME 8, ISSUE 6

pression that falls outside of what society has constructed as “normal” (145). In their words, “Our use of queer theory is not focused on whether or not people (or characters, as we will see) are gay, but rather assumes that categories around gender, sexuality, bodies, and desire are artificially strict to begin with” (Ryan and Hermann-Wilmarth 147). This is to say that queering a narrative does not entail searching for some type of hard evidence that a character is queer, but rather searches for ways in which the narrative breaks down traditional boundaries and leaves room for reading a character or a situation in a way that doesn’t fall within the dominant hetero-patriarchy. Once we have defined queer, we can move onto, more broadly, defining a queer reading. As Henry Jenkins notes in Textual Poachers, fan audiences in general construct a variety of readings—including queer readings—of the texts they read and watch, adapting those texts to meet their needs and ideas. For Frederik Dhaenens, Sofie van Bauwel, and Daniel Biltereyst, queer readings are concerned with “repositioning texts outside the borders of heteronormativity” (335). To put it simply, a queer reading involves searching a text for themes, ideas, or messages that seem contradictory to what we are taught is “normal.” As Dhaenens puts it, “the practice of queer reading should not be interpreted as making texts queer but rather as trying to understand how texts might be understood as queer” (341). Ryan and Hermann-Wilmarth discuss several strategies for constructing queer-readings of literature, including page-by-page analysis, holistic analysis, themed analysis, and gendered analysis (144). In this paper, I use a themed analysis to pick out elements of Frozen that defy traditional ideas surrounding gender and sexuality, whether literally or metaphorically, in order to construct a comprehensive queer reading of the ways that Frozen can be queered.

MAGIC OR CURSE: ELSA’S POWERS AS QUEERNESS The film Frozen follows the story of sisters and princesses Anna and Elsa of Arendelle. Elsa has been confined to her room since childhood because she cannot control her magical powers to create snow and ice. Elsa is finally allowed out for her coronation ball, where Anna meets and falls in love 6

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with Prince Hans, who is secretly plotting to marry Anna, then kill Elsa and gain the throne. During the ball, Elsa inadvertently reveals her powers and escapes to the mountains. When later confronted by Anna, she accidentally shoots ice into Anna’s heart, to be healed only by an act of true love. Though Anna originally believes a kiss from a man she loves will thaw the ice, it is her attempt to save Elsa that thaws her heart and teaches Elsa to control her powers. The first description of Elsa’s powers comes from Anna. Anna calls them “the magic,” and the ice and snow are shown to be childishly playful and fun, with nothing inherently bad about them. Elsa’s powers only become negative when she becomes frightened and scared or when others react badly to what she can do. For example, when Elsa and Anna are playing and Anna begins to jump too fast, Elsa becomes frightened, even saying, “Wait, slow down!” Elsa’s fear then causes the mishap where Anna’s head is struck by ice. Queer identities are not inherently bad; they do not inherently harm anyone, and queer love doesn’t have fundamental differences from heterosexual love. However, the way society frames queer identities is what makes them negative in society’s eyes. Elsa’s powers serve as a metaphor for this framing and for queer identity. The film establishes early on that Elsa’s powers are not a curse. When asked by the troll leader, the king immediately replies that Elsa was born with her powers rather than cursed by them. This definition of Elsa’s powers parallels discussions of queer identity, insisting on the innate nature of sexual orientation and gender identity rather than due to some sickness of the mind or spirit. The effects of society on Elsa’s powers become apparent early on, as she is slowly socialized to believe negative things about herself. Though she has only ever hurt one person, and in an accidental, non-malicious way, Elsa has internalized the connection between her powers and harming others. She tells her parents that she doesn’t want to hurt them, and her father responds that “getting upset makes it worse,” showing how Elsa’s perceptions of others and her beliefs about how they will react to her powers influence how she expresses herself. These ideas Elsa holds about herself affect her well into her teenage and young adult years. In “For the First Time in Forever (Reprise),” Elsa distinct-

ly calls her powers a curse, claiming that she can’t control them, as though some external power is influencing her. The idea that her powers are not an inborn and beautiful thing reflects how queer identities are painted by society today; these identities are demonized and described as the product of some external force, whether that be improper parenting, skewed media images, or sin. Elsa has also absorbed this idea, trying to deny and repress her identity as if it were the function of a curse rather than embracing the magical potential that her natural identity holds.

REPRESSION AND PARENTAL INFLUENCE Anna and Elsa’s parents play a particularly important role in Frozen. Though they die early on in the story, their short presence leaves a lasting impact on Elsa. Many of Elsa’s core feelings about her powers stem from the lessons her parents (specifically her father) taught her, telling her to “conceal it, don’t feel it, don’t let it show.” As dictated to her by her parents, Elsa needing to learn control over her powers turns into a need to repress her powers and attempt not to feel. This idea is easily accessible for a queer audience, as much of the modern discourse surrounding queer sexualities and gender identities is to repress and hide rather than to embrace and love. An essential part of the narrative of many queer youth is an attempt to “not feel” their sexuality, often as dictated to them by their religion, community, or family. Elsa’s uphill battle to keep her powers hidden is a clear parallel to this all-too-common situation. However, the harder Elsa tries to not feel her powers, the more she cannot control them. During “For the First Time in Forever,” Elsa is shown singing about repressing her powers (“Don’t let them in, don’t let them see”) while standing directly underneath an intimidating portrait of her father. The visual parallel between her father’s coronation and hers is made clear when Elsa imitates his pose and then breaks it as ice begins to cover the objects she is holding. Her father’s advice still has power over her even long after his death, and Elsa is still striving toward his ideals. In many Disney princess films, the conflict between father and daughter parallels the state of the kingdom, and the plot is effectively resolved

through the courtship and eventual marriage of the princess (Do Rozario). Though this trope applies to Frozen, significant parts are changed. Elsa’s relationship with her father and his advice does fall in line with the state of Arendelle. When Elsa’s powers are finally revealed during the ball, she runs away to escape to the North Mountain, where she has the ultimate conflict with her father’s advice. When Elsa runs away, she freezes over Arendelle completely, demonstrating how negative her powers can be when she feels scared or threatened, in this case by both her potential betrayal of her father’s advice and the immediate reactions of the people around her. Once she has escaped that environment, she can think more clearly, and, as her ballad “Let it Go” demonstrates, she can reject her father’s ideals. During the song, she throws away her gloves, cloak, and tiara. The gloves and cloak, used physically to cover Elsa and repress her powers, symbolize the “conceal, don’t feel” mentality championed by Elsa’s father. By literally letting these objects go, Elsa obtains freedom from the physical, mental, and emotional constraints of her father’s ideology. Because parental ideologies are established as “normal,” by releasing these symbols Elsa is queering the established rules set forth by her parents. Elsa sings, “The fears that once controlled me can’t get to me at all,” further demonstrating her rejection of her father’s normative ideas. Additionally, Elsa’s continual emphasis of the phrase “good girl” (in “Let it Go,” she sings, “That perfect girl is gone”) leaves room for a queering of Elsa’s gender identity. Though Elsa’s rejection of her father’s idea of “the good girl” could be a way of becoming a “bad girl,” this also could be read as a rejection of the idea of being a “girl” altogether. Elsa’s rejection of the ideology that was forced upon her from childhood opens many opportunities to queer her narrative. As she sings, Elsa builds a beautiful ice palace. In contrast to the dark state of Arendelle, which Elsa froze while still under the influence of her father’s repressive ideology, the palace she builds while freeing herself is beautiful, showing what she can accomplish when free from the limitations others place upon her. Rebecca-Anne DoRozario argues that the tension between father and daughter in princess movies is typically resolved through courtship; however, in Frozen, it is resolved through Elsa accepting herself and Anna’s act of true love VOLUME 8, ISSUE 6

to save her at the film’s end. This rejection of heterosexual courtship, along with Elsa’s relationship with her parents, allows for Elsa’s character to be queered.

ELSA AS A MONSTROSITY The first words spoken by Elsa and Anna’s parents in the film are, “Elsa, what have you done?” From Frozen’s beginning, Elsa is set up as “the bad guy” by those around her. Even from that very first line, other characters in the story frame Elsa as evil. This idea becomes essential for a queer reading of the film. The outsider as a monster is a potent trope in queer readings and dates back to queer interpretations of the Disney film Beauty and the Beast. As Sean Griffin discusses in his book Tinker Belles and Fairy Queens, the Beast was often said to represent an AIDS victim, due to how he is misunderstood and constructed as a monster by those surrounding him. Griffin also describes how society teaches that queer individuals are “bad objects,” a concept crucial to understanding how Elsa’s construction as a monster can be read queerly (68). In Frozen, Elsa’s character is made to be a monstrosity in several ways. When the troll leader is showing Elsa her future, he states that fear will be her enemy. This line could be taken to mean that Elsa’s fear is her own enemy, which is later demonstrated in the film through her powers becoming unmanageable when she gets upset. However, the image the troll leader actually displays is one of red figures attacking Elsa, not of her own fear damaging her. The fear of others is the most dangerous part of Elsa’s powers and not her own control of them and her emotions. This is a familiar queer narrative. Even though there is nothing inherently harmful or bad about queer sexualities (or sexuality in general), the reactions of others, especially those motivated by fear, can be potentially dangerous to queer individuals, and Elsa illustrates this struggle. When Elsa’s power is first revealed to the public at the coronation ball, it is framed in a dangerous way. She shoots out spikes of ice around her, which could potentially harm those in the surrounding area. However, Elsa doesn’t actually harm anyone throughout the entire movie. She often threatens others with her powers, but it is always a form of self-protection. For example, when the Duke of Weselton’s men attack her, she shoves one of them 8

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against the wall with ice, a scene that, to those just entering the room, makes her appear to be the aggressor. However, Elsa’s behavior is motivated by self-defense against physical and emotional threat. Despite this, the immediate reactions to her powers are fear and anger, with the Duke calling her a monster immediately afterwards. These reactions then serve to foster more fear and anger in Elsa herself, which results in a negative cycle where only the dangerous parts of her powers are shown. Negative reactions from others are, unfortunately, an intrinsic and painful part of the lives of queer individuals, and these reactions understandably create adverse feelings in the queer community. Expression of these feelings by the queer community only feeds more unfavorable ideas and stereotypes about queer individuals, increasing the antagonistic reaction to them, creating a cycle much like the one in which Elsa is trapped. This cycle is emphasized in a literal way when Elsa fashions a monster out of snow in order to protect herself from the emotional confrontation instigated by Anna. Elsa’s creation of a monster with her powers can serve as a direct analog for the anger and pain many queer individuals feel. And the fact that she used her powers, which can also be used for beauty and good, to make a monster can be read as queer. Elsa’s construction as a monster is further realized in the film when Prince Hans (who has been against Elsa from the film’s onset), in response to seeing Elsa pinning a man up against the wall, calls out to her, “Don’t be the monster they fear you are!” His statement results in Elsa’s distraction, which is enough time for the pinned man to shoot the chandelier on the ceiling. The chandelier then falls and traps Elsa, ultimately allowing Prince Hans to imprison her. Hans’ comment not only allows the viewer to see how others in the film have constructed Elsa as a monster, it also causes Elsa to pause for a moment to ask: “Have I become a monster?” The idea of being called a negative thing so many times that one starts to become it is also a very queer narrative. Through different means of socialization—such as religion, school, the media, and family—many queer individuals are taught that non-heterosexual sexualities are somehow wrong, immoral, or sinful. Elsa’s sudden and forced reflection on whether her powers are monstrous is a painful reflection of a social reality many individuals face, and it further constructs her as a mon-

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strosity. The fact that she has been told to conceal her powers as if they were a negative thing (despite her parents’ clear statement that she was not cursed but rather born with the magic) has made her internalize ideas about the inherent negativity of her socalled “curse,” as Elsa sings in “For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)”: “I can’t control the curse.” Because of the constant construction of Elsa as a monster by other characters in the film and her own internalized negativity, when she is confronted by Hans’ statement, she actually has to consider whether she is a monster, resulting in a moment painful for even non-queer viewers to experience. However, Elsa, as one of the film’s two main protagonists, cannot remain constructed as a monster through the film’s end, and the dismantling of this construction is accomplished in an inherently queer way. After Elsa creates a giant snowstorm to free herself from captivity (another act of self-defense), the winds only stop after Hans falsely reports that Anna is dead because Elsa struck her in the heart with ice. Elsa is still constructed as a monster by Hans here, but the information is obviously false to the viewer, who now understands that Elsa cannot be the antagonist of the story. Hans’ lie constructs him (in the viewer’s eyes) as the monster and removes this burden from Elsa. Once he lies to Elsa about Anna’s death, the snowstorm stops entirely, and Elsa doesn’t even try to fight back when Hans draws his sword in preparation to kill her. Quite simply, Elsa has given up and doesn’t even have the will to repress her power anymore.

Elsa has become the victim of another’s construction of her, a plot point that is queer in its nature, as many queer people, especially queer youth, are either killed or take their own lives due to the false and highly damaging perceptions of others. Elsa has accepted her fate and is willing to die because she has internalized the idea of herself as a monster, making her a tragic hero that is willing to punish herself with death for a crime she didn’t actually commit. Elsa’s acceptance entirely reverses her construction as a monster for both the audience and for Anna, who steps in at the last moment to save her sister, thus sacrificing herself. This “act of true love” serves as the turning point that allows Elsa to see clearly and bring back summer in Arendelle, and it shows how Hans and the Duke of Weselton, not Elsa, are the real monsters of the story.

DUALITY AND FANTASY WORLDS IN FROZEN Frozen’s opening scene has the viewer looking out into the world from underwater. From this moment on, the idea of “inside” and “outside” worlds is repeatedly demonstrated in the film. As Ryan and Hermann-Wilmarth discuss, queer identity as shown through queer readings of popular texts is often about “creating a queered hybrid world,” where aspects of traditional society and queer society can coexist (154). A good example of this is Laura Sells’ discussion of The Little Mermaid. Sells says, “In this dualistic and hierarchical construction, the human VOLUME 8, ISSUE 6

world can be aligned with the white male system and the water world situated outside [the patriarchy]” (177). Rather than existing underwater and on land as in The Little Mermaid, these two worlds exist in the case of Frozen as the so-called “magic” and “reality” worlds that are constructed around Elsa and her powers, with reality representing the hetero-patriarchy and magic becoming representative of anyone outside the “norm.” This division of worlds manifests in a concrete way when Elsa is locked in her room and, in a larger sense, when both sisters are locked in the palace. Anna has the entire palace to roam, but she longs for both the outside world (representative of reality) and entrance to Elsa’s room (the mini-world that has been created around Elsa to maintain her powers). Elsa is trapped in a small world inundated with her magic, and despite how she may long to enter the reality of “normal” society, she must remain where her parents and society have placed her, supposedly for the good of both Elsa and those around her. Even once the gates to the palace are opened and Elsa must come out of her room, she has a clear conflict between her desires and what she believes is necessary. In response to Anna’s probing about why the gates can’t be open all the time, Elsa merely responds, “[They] just can’t,” never providing a clearer explanation. Here, the viewer can distinctly see how Elsa is seeking to combine her real and magical worlds. She enjoys being in the “reality” world of the castle with open gates; however, she believes the only place she can exist is in her room, the “magical” world of ice that has been built around her, teaching her to feel shame about her powers. When Elsa escapes to the North Mountain later in the film, she literally creates her own world, a palace made of ice. This castle, in contrast to the one in Arendelle, is made from and by her ice powers, creating another “magic” world that she uses to escape the pressures of the hetero-patriarchy. However, Elsa cannot exist in an isolated state and is confronted again with reality when Anna comes looking for her. In “For the First Time in Forever (Reprise),” Elsa pleads with Anna, trying to convince her to return to Arendelle. Elsa sings, “You mean well, but leave me be/Yes, I’m alone but I’m alone and free/Just stay away and you’ll be safe from me.” The song demonstrates both Elsa’s desire for a world of her own and her recognition of the prob10

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lems of living an isolated life. Though she wants to have a meaningful relationship with Anna, she still maintains that her loneliness is justified because she is free to use her powers as she wishes, without harming anyone else or being harmed by society. The solution to this problem would be the combination of Elsa’s reality and magic worlds, resulting in a place where she can have love and acceptance but also feel free to express her identity without judgment or anger from those around her. The film goes on, however, to reveal that Elsa isn’t yet ready to gain her power within Anna’s system (the very system that oppressed her), and the sudden confrontation between the real and magical worlds is distressing, resulting in her shooting Anna in the heart with ice. The conflict between reality and magic is also demonstrated when Elsa’s confrontation with Anna during the ball escalates, culminating in Anna pulling off Elsa’s glove. Anna here functions as a clear representative of the “real” world where people function properly in society through conventions like heterosexual marriage, making this literal “outing” of Elsa’s hand, the vehicle of her powers, even more dramatic. The removal of Elsa’s glove creates the tension that causes her to shoot ice spikes in a circle around her, further revealing her powers to everyone. Being “outed” creates the turning point where Elsa can no longer pass as non-magical (or straight) and so is no longer safe inside the hetero-patriarchy. Her various outbursts show the tension between reality and the magic world Elsa constructs (or has constructed around her), demonstrating a queer narrative where rejection from mainstream society necessitates the building of one’s own external fantasy world. By the end of the film, Elsa’s magic and real worlds have finally become one. She resides in the Arendelle palace, where the gates have opened, rejecting the isolation that characterized earlier moments in the movie. Additionally, Elsa’s powers are widely known and, as far as the audience sees, widely accepted. Anna’s role as the vehicle of “reality” has also diminished, with the notion of marriage (earlier shown to create the tension that facilitated Elsa’s outburst) abandoned. Additionally, Anna is talked into skating on the ice that Elsa created. Even Olaf, a snowman brought to life by Elsa, has a place in Arendelle. Though summer, and thus normality, has been restored, Elsa creates a snow cloud to follow Olaf around, ensuring he

doesn’t melt. These examples of the magic and real worlds blending together demonstrate the perfect conclusion of a queer narrative: the comforts of mainstream society intertwined with the magical aspects that have served as the vehicle for Elsa’s queerness throughout the film. Sells writes that in The Little Mermaid, Ariel’s ascent into the human world is “sanitized” by Disney, changing her desire for knowledge and power with desire for love (180). In this way, Ariel is stripped of her autonomy, and the film sends the message that she has succeeded within the white patriarchy by mutilating her body and losing her voice. However, Frozen eschews this sanitization. Elsa’s desire to be accepted for who she is isn’t diluted by a love interest. She wants acceptance from her friends, subjects, and family, particularly Anna. Elsa’s achievement of this goal on her own terms sends a dramatically different message than The Little Mermaid. Rather than succeeding within the realm of heteronormativity, Elsa queers the system and makes her individuality an inherent part of Arendelle. She isn’t content with living outside society, but she also isn’t content with giving up a part of herself to live in it, as Ariel does. To resolve this, she combines the two worlds, creating an ideal fantasy for many queer individuals—a world where

they can live a “normal” life but also have their queerness be visible and accepted.

CONCLUSION Frozen is important to read queerly because of its high visibility and popularity, in addition to its unique plot devices and subversion of many norms of its genre. Queer readings such as this one, particularly of popular Disney films and children’s films, serve an important cultural role. They generate important conversations, as they illuminate identities and ideas that are often obscured by mainstream media. Everyone deserves to see their identity represented in their media, and children’s media in particular are lacking in positive portrayal of queer characters. Though queer readings of texts such as this one are a strong beginning, they cannot be the end. Representations of openly queer characters in children’s media need to exist as role models and guides for children struggling with their identities in a world that is often uninviting and intimidating. But for now, Frozen fans of all ages can look to Elsa and see something beyond a side character or a one-dimensional stereotype. Elsa is a queen: powerful, beautiful, and queer.

WORKS CITED Dhaenens, Frederik, Sofie Van Bauwel, and Daniel Biltereyst. “Slashing the Fiction of Queer Theory: Slash Fiction, Queer Reading, and Transgressing the Boundaries of Screen Studies, Representations, and Audiences.” Journal of Communication Inquiry 32.4 (2008): 335–347. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

DoRozario, Rebecca-Anne C. “The Princess and the Magic Kingdom: Beyond Nostalgia, the Function of the Disney Princess.” Women’s Studies in Communication 27.1 (2004): 34–59. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

Frozen. Dir. Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck. Walt Disney Pictures, 2013.

Griffin, Sean. Tinker Belles and Evil Queens: The Walt Disney Company from the Inside Out. New York and London: New York UP, 2000. Print.

Jenkins, Henry. Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture. New York: Routledge, 1992. Print.

Ryan, Caitlin L., and Jill Hermann-Wilmarth. “Already on the Shelf: Queer Readings of Award-Winning Children’s Literature.” Journal of Literacy Research 45.2 (2013): 142–172. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.

Sells, Laura. “‘Where Do the Mermaids Stand?’: Voice and Body in The Little Mermaid.” In From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture. Eds. Elizabeth Bell, Lynda Haas, and Laura Sells. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1995. 175–92.

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 6

Wa n d e r i n g t h e W o r l d o f

Calvin and Hobbes

Angus Kitchell

by WRIT 1733: Honors Writing | Professor David J. Daniels Originally published in WRIT Large Volume 3 (2014)

IN THE WINDING HISTORY OF THIS NATION, THERE IS perhaps no artistic genre that so accurately and thoroughly encapsulates the American psyche as the comic strip. A lowborn conglomeration of bubbled speech and colored chaos—the bastard child of visual art and scholarly literature—the comic strip is a combination so vivacious it often defies the laws of visual presentation, bulging over the edges of its paneled confines in its eagerness to exist. It is possibility incarnate. And tellingly, its history has many parallels to that of the American people. What began as a movement of the counterculture, an artistic uprising of sorts, gradually morphed from a peripheral art to a stronghold of cultural identity, showcasing its diversity of subject material and versatility of presentation. However, as noted by Ramzi Fawaz, professor of American Studies at George Washington University, it was not until the 1950s and beyond that the genre would reach its zenith, undergoing a fundamental transformation in response to the heightened social and political commentary that stemmed from the aftermath of World War II. With an abundance of new material and a readership that spanned a wide demographic, the comic strip became a mouthpiece for the plethora of progressive movements shaping the nation’s ideology—a 12

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move that catapulted the genre to the forefront of social and political relevance, where it still remains today. In short, it is the comic strip’s ability to present pressing social and political commentary that affords it this continued success. Such is the case in Bill Watterson’s Sunday classic Calvin and Hobbes, in which Watterson’s marriage of childish exuberance, social commentary, and philosophical quandary make for a uniquely appealing literary and visual adventure. Given that the strip’s eponymous characters make reference to the 16th and 17th century philosophers John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes, it comes as little surprise that Watterson explores a broad spectrum of philosophical issues through the thoughts and interactions of his characters. Indeed, as they make their way through daily life, Calvin and Hobbes are often seen discussing matters of identity, consumerism, environmentalism, political power, and countless other realms of lofty thought. The juxtaposition of this sophisticated contemplation with youthful naiveté and recklessness serves as one of the central sources of the strip’s humor, as Calvin simultaneously pairs immaturity with a level of thought that far exceeds the realistic cognitive capabilities of a 6-year-old boy. And while examining the influence of Hobbesian thought or Calvinism in the strip would undoubtedly lead to interesting conclusions, I wish to explore Watterson’s work in relation to a separate pair of philosophers: the American naturalist Henry David Thoreau and 4th century BC Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi. Both have personal philosophies with many parallels to themes explored in Calvin and Hobbes. Examining the strip in this philosophical context helps to reveal the subtleties of Watterson’s work and the social

commentary it provides. Although separated by thousands of years, Thoreau and Zhuangzi shared similar philosophies, noting the value of wandering through nature as a means of expanding one’s intellectual domain and escaping the restrictions imposed by society and language. For both Thoreau and Zhuangzi, the experience of learning was of greater value than knowledge itself. This very same philosophy is one of the central motifs of Calvin and Hobbes, offering a lens through which Watterson explores imagination, education, and cognitive development (in addition to the other themes mentioned above). These philosophical undertones are the genius of Calvin and Hobbes, adding tremendous depth to what appears on the surface to be a simple children’s comic. What Watterson has created is a wonderfully complex mixture, at once a timeless characterization of the joys of youth and a powerful medium for social commentary, capitalizing upon society’s narcissistic need for self-admiration while simultaneously appealing to our critical nature and desire for candid self-assessment. And it all starts with Calvin. A 6-year-old boy who is as precocious as he is mischievous, Calvin is impressionable but still largely unbiased, making him the perfect vehicle for cultural analysis. Watterson takes full advantage of this dynamic, using Calvin’s youthful impressionability to reflect the misguided priorities of our society while satirizing the mainstream media. When viewed through the eyes of a 6-year-old, many values of American society appear comically outlandish. This perspective lends an added dose of practicality to discussions of cultural ethics, causing readers to pause and reconsider topics they previously had not questioned. VOLUME 8, ISSUE 6

Using Thoreau as a lens, Calvin’s naiveté puts him at a great advantage, as he is not beholden to the deceptive and limiting confines of conventional knowledge. Problems arise when existing knowledge is valued over the process of discovery, thereby preventing us from examining an issue objectively. As Zhuangzi notes, instead of treating each item, moment, or event as a separate and unknown experience, society attempts to contextualize these ideas within pre-formed definitions, which then eliminates opportunities for learning. As a genre, comics are unique for their ability to present information without this contextual baggage, as the paneled layout and limited space of a typical strip force each incident to be considered on its own. In his writings, Zhuangzi tells a story of a man who possesses a set of massive gourds, vegetables whose hollow shells were used by the ancient Chinese to transport water. So large are the gourds that the man complains they are of no use, as they are unsuitable for their conventional purpose. Rejecting this perspective, Zhuangzi proposes that the man use the gourds as a makeshift sailing vessel in which to explore the local waterways. This fable has a close parallel in Calvin and Hobbes in Calvin’s numerous imaginative uses for a cardboard box. As anyone who has read the strip will know, a few strokes of a permanent marker transform a tattered box into Calvin’s trusty transmogrifier, which conveniently changes him into any creature (real or imaginary) he desires. Cross out the word “transmogrifier” and replace it with “time machine,” and suddenly Calvin is soaring above a primordial swamp as he surveys the dinosaurs of the Triassic. A few more pen strokes and the box is now a duplicator, churning out clones that Calvin uses to finish his homework, complete his chores, or serve as a stand-in come bath time. (Alas, this final trick always seems to create more trouble than it saves, but one must admire the attempt.) Through the use of his yet undestroyed childish imagination, Calvin transforms a seemingly useless item into a means for adventure, personal discovery, and education. However, when Calvin recounts these adventures to his parents, teachers, or peers, his epiphanies are rejected as frivolous child’s play. In these adventurous panels, Watterson criticizes society’s contempt for anything that falls outside preconceived boundaries of truth and knowledge, as well as its efforts to pull children from their 14

WRIT LARGE: NOVEMBER 2019

youth and plug them into a standardized system of education and development. Watterson frequently portrays elementary school as a place of stagnant and constrictive learning, leaving little doubt as to the source of Calvin’s hatred of educational institutions. With the proper nurturing, Calvin’s blossoming creativity could undoubtedly be channeled towards educational growth. Imagine for a moment that instead of living during the Warring States period of China in the 4th century BC, Zhuangzi had lived in the American Midwest suburbia of the 1980s. Had this been the case, he would have welcomed the chance to make Calvin his pupil. In fact, Calvin lives much of his life in accordance with the teachings of Zhuangzi. In particular, Calvin exemplifies the wandering of the mind that Zhuangzi finds so important in developing cognitive flexibility and in distancing oneself from the dangers of conformity and homogenization. At any given moment, Calvin’s perspective of the world may undergo a sudden and drastic change, whether in physical scale, dimensionality, coloration, or some other form of abstraction. At the whim of his imagination, Calvin might shrink to the size of a bug or spontaneously grow until his head sits well above the clouds. Seconds stretch to hours, planes of geometry come and go, and the law of gravity is found to be fallible after all. Such adventures sometimes culminate in a revelation, but, in line with the philosophy of Zhuangzi, it is the experience itself, the expansion of perspective, that demonstrates the ability to examine the world outside of the framework provided by society. In these panels, Watterson cleverly blends philosophy with simple childhood nostalgia, transporting his audience back to a time when the universe was a mysterious entity of endless possibility, an interactive canvas waiting to be painted with imagination. Imagine now that Calvin has finished his lessons with Zhuangzi for the day. As the two of them walk back towards Calvin’s house from their hypothetical temple in the woods (if you’ve read the strip, you know that Calvin’s neighborhood is surrounded by a remarkable expanse of pristine forest), they are joined by none other than Henry David Thoreau and soon are engaged in deep philosophical conversation. In Watterson’s creation, it is here in the wilderness that Calvin and Hobbes do much of their deepest thinking, reflecting on topics as robust and varying as religion, morality, identity,

society, and life itself. Whether lazing on boughs of a tree, trudging through a snow-covered field, or flying down a forested hillside in a small red wagon, Watterson uses these panels to subtly demonstrate the inherent value of nature, often voicing concerns on the deteriorating state of the environment as a result of human impact. As our philosophers wander their way through nature, Zhuangzi and Thoreau gradually morph into a singular entity, who may be referred to simply as Hobbes. Apart from his role as Calvin’s partner in crime, Hobbes provides Watterson with a soft-spoken counterpart to Calvin’s constant chatter. Watterson often uses this facet of Hobbes’s personality to criticize humanity as a whole, typically in the form of a short but powerful comment that forces Calvin into an uncharacteristic moment of silence and reflection. One can assume that such panels are intended to have the same effect on the reader. However, what makes this strategy so effective is that it comes in stark contrast to the customary cheerfulness of the comic. In fact, it is this contrast of triviality and sophistication—these long stretches of heartwarming humor punctuated with brief moments of earnest criticism—that separates Calvin and Hobbes from other comics. The use of the comic strip as a medium for sociopolitical commentary is a well-established facet of the genre, and is by no means unique to Calvin and Hobbes. As an example, Garry Trudeau’s acclaimed comic strip Doonesbury has found longterm success in its dry, politically charged humor, touching on topics as weighty and controversial as the Watergate scandal, the Iran-Contra affair, and the Iraq War. In contrast, many comics opt to avoid such serious topics, focusing instead on more youth-friendly themes. FoxTrot by Bill Amend and Zits by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman have both enjoyed wide readership while consciously circumventing politically charged subject matter. The genius of Calvin and Hobbes, then, is Watterson’s ability to fuse the political with the childlike, explaining the universal appeal of his creation. To be fair, the foundation of the comic strip is built on childhood and its freedoms, curiosities, and pleasures. But it is the shrewd infusion of sociopolitical commentary, subtle enough not to distract a youthful reader and yet still sufficiently prevalent as to catch the eye of a parent or oth-

er sophisticated reader, that solidifies Calvin and Hobbes as an object of cultural interest. To believe that simplicity precludes profundity is to miss the spirit of Watterson’s work. And while Calvin’s physical and mental wanderings feed the unpredictable tales that draw us to the work, what we truly value in Watterson’s creation, and in many classic comics, is its stability, even if we do not immediately recognize its importance. Across the genre, it is the relationship between the characters and the reader that makes the comic strip so powerful. Accordingly, the rare comics whose characters grow along with its audience in real time, like Lynn Johnston’s For Better or For Worse or Frank King’s Gasoline Alley, often develop the most devoted followings. The rationale is one that transcends comic strips, appearing in all manner of literature, cinema, and television. As we watch our favorite characters develop in unison with our own growth, the gap between fiction and reality becomes ever narrower, promoting a perceived understanding or emotional connection. This is what made Harry Potter (in which characters aged at almost real time for over a decade) the bible of a generation. We see our own growth mirrored in that of our heroes. In light of this trend, I sometimes find myself wondering what Calvin would be like today if his maturation had been concurrent with my own development from childhood through adolescence and beyond. Thankfully, Watterson never considered this thought. Or perhaps more likely, he considered it briefly and realized it to be an abject contradiction to everything that Calvin and Hobbes stands for. To remove Calvin from childhood would be to undermine the entire foundation of the comic strip. Without the wonder and imagination of youth, the comic’s philosophical side would fall flat, and the authenticity that Watterson worked so diligently to maintain would be irreversibly damaged. The same reasoning motivates Watterson’s deliberate and steadfast resistance to the merchandising of Calvin and Hobbes. How can his characters be taken seriously if their creator cannot stand up to the very societal constructs he seeks to criticize? Like a nursery rhyme or fable that conceals a broader moral implication, Calvin and Hobbes disguises an honest self-evaluation of our own societal flaws within the sentimental veil of childVOLUME 8, ISSUE 6

hood and its charms. And while Watterson’s portrayal of the latter of these two elements is enough to make Calvin and Hobbes one of the best-loved comic strip collections of all time, it is the subtle sophistication that continuously prompts readers of all ages to return to the shelf and flip through its pages. With each new reading, a previously unseen or overlooked profundity manifests itself, making the strip equally gratifying to children, adolescents, and adults. Through this multidimensionality, Watterson has developed an unprecedented strategy in character development. Over time, Watterson’s characters grow increasingly complex, not through the creation of additional storylines or new details, but through the personal development of the reader. While the story exists in full all along, it reveals itself to readers incrementally, growing

along with individuals from childhood to maturity as they become more able to understand and process increasingly sophisticated themes. Blissfully ignorant and yet infinite in his own simplistic wisdom, Calvin will ever remain the consummate philosopher, arriving at ephemeral epiphanies and abandoning them just as quickly as he wanders life’s winding path in the company of his tiger friend. As long as there are Sunday mornings and summer afternoons, snowy fields and trickling streams; as long as there are cardboard boxes and crimson capes, snowmen to be built and water balloons to be thrown; as long as there are dinosaurs in the back yard and monsters under the bed, Calvin and Hobbes will continue to captivate each new generation. Once it has, it will stay with them for life.

WORKS CONSULTED Barthes, Roland. “Toys.” Mythologies. Trans. Annette Lavers. New York: Hill and Wang, 1984.

Dull, Carl. “Zhuangzi and Thoreau: Wandering, Nature, and Freedom.” Journal of Chinese Philosophy 39.2 (2011): 222–239.

Engle, Gary. “What Makes Superman So Darned American?” Superman at Fifty: The Persistence of a Legend. Eds. Dennis Dooley and Gary Engle. Cleveland, OH: Octavia, 1987. 79–87.

Fawaz, Ramzi. “‘Where No X-Man Has Gone Before!’ Mutant Superheroes and the Cultural Politics of Popular Fantasy in America.” American Literature 83.2 (2011): 355–88.

Hoffman, Diane. “Childhood Ideology in the United States: A Comparative Cultural View.” International Review of Education 49.1 (2003): 191–211.

Ray, Robert. B. “The Thematic Paradigm.” Signs of Life in the USA. 6th edition. Eds. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. New York: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2008. 439–46.

WRIT LARGE: NOVEMBER 2019

Paul Elsberg

by ASEM (MFJS) Jammin’: Technoculture & Improvisation | Professor Trace Reddell Originally published in WRIT Large Volume 6 (2017)

A GLARE FROM BRIGHT FLUORESCENTS BOUNCES OFF the soft blue sky and lush green grass. The colors cling to a canvas stretched thin, oscillating with the overcompressed thump bursting out of old house speakers. Da Da Dada dum DA! Your heart skips a beat. Da Da Dada dum DA! Eyes surround you. What will you say to impress them? Neurons fire like lightning bolts through your mind, down your chest, pushing and pulling your limbs back and forth; you are overcome by the power of rhyme, rhythm, and pure emotion burning within. Intensity reaches its boiling point as razor sharp lyricism cuts through trepidation to turn the crowd. Flow is in the air; do you feel it? The crowd bobs and weaves, unified as a community, challenging swords to sharpen swords that will pierce the night sky, revealing freedom through articulate expression in its rawest form. Da Da Dada dum DA! An outstretched arm swings back. Da Da Dada dum…

The music cuts out. The painting is lopsided from the blow. B. Hall gives you a glare; the crowd lets off some steam as you step from the stage, slapping hands on the way to your spot shoulder to shoulder with your peers. On comes the next MC ready for their chance to shine. Wisps of virtuosos swirl with the aromas of fresh produce, coffee beans, and chronic, swelling with the crowd’s energy into the vibe. The room is alive at the Good Life Cafe this Thursday night. VOLUME 8, ISSUE 6

“CENTRAL AVENUE BREAKDOWN” 1 The year is 1989. Journey through the concrete jungle of South Central Los Angeles to Crenshaw and Exposition. At the corner of this intersection sits a small health food store and community space called the Good Life Cafe. Janie Scott-Goodkin and Omar Walker stand behind the register, smiling as their friends shuffle through the aisles of organic, local produce in what is otherwise a “food prison.” 2 The setting sun casts a radiating orange glow onto the tables pushed against the walls to make space for soft whispers from a brass trumpet. Jazz and blues slowly fill the vibrasphere as brushes bounce off cymbals, ricocheting against the linoleum and through your ears. The sound is deeply rooted in the rich jazz history of South Central from the 1930s to the late 1950s.3 In the back sits a small woman gently huddled over the warmth of a steaming cappuccino; as B. Hall watches the facial contortions of the musicians, she is reminded of the intense concentration of her son, R/Kain Blaze, when he raps.4 This scene was the seed that would blossom into a weekly hip hop open mic night for South Central youth to express themselves, as did the great jazz musicians of the past. Thursday nights marked a safe haven for young community members to forget their differences and come together around the shared experience of live lyricism. According to Zion Butterfly, a regular at the Good Life Cafe, “If you were affiliated in the gang environment, you didn’t really have to submit to that. It gave you an alternative, an option.” 5 The Good Life Cafe fostered new expressions of hip hop and lyrical improvisation that empowered generations to come. At the core of these styles was a relentless pursuit of improvement and a care for the craft. As Chali 2na, another regular, noted, “We all congregated at the Good Life, and it became a mecca for skill.” 6 “SO MANY TEARS” 7 The conversational tones at the Cafe engaged the presence of racial and social injustice woven into 1 2

Finley, “Food Justice.”

3 4

Johnson, “Jazz History.”

This is the Life.

Hampton, Central Avenue Breakdown.

Ibid.

WRIT LARGE: NOVEMBER 2019

the environment over decades. Institutional systems’ long neglect of black communities inflicted deep wounds that reverberated through the music of the times. In an interview from 1992, hip hop icon Tupac Shakur spoke to how his music was grounded in rage over the injustice suffered by black communities: I think that when there’s hopelessness, people revolt because it’s like there’s nothing else. [...] We’re going, is America going to help us ever? [...] All these things are showing us no.8 In another interview from 1994, Shakur elaborated on this long history of injustice and its influence on his expression of self: We asked ten years ago. We was asking with the Panthers […] we was asking with the Civil Rights Movement. [...] We was asking. Those people that were asking, they are all dead or in jail, so now what do you think we are gonna do? 9 Our nation’s negligence poured gasoline on an already volatile environment ready at any moment for a match to strike a state of emergency. That spark came in the form of the Rodney King verdict on April 29, 1992. Local historian and teacher Phillip Chardon recounts the lead up to the South Central riots: Rodney King was severely beaten by the police on March 3, 1991. [...] The mostly white jury in the case against the white officers came back with a verdict of “not guilty” [...] Nobody could believe it. The officers were on tape and they were still not convicted. The feelings of anger and disappointment had built up long enough, and within minutes of the verdict, rioting started in South Central on Florence and Normandie.10 Glass was smashed; guttural screams erupted through the streets over car alarms and sirens. Anger and chaos poured steadily over the tipping point. Infuriated by heartbreak and suffering, a hurricane of fear and rage ripped through storefronts, homes, and everything it touched. Amidst 6

Ibid.

7 8

Shakur, “So Many Tears.”

Shakur, Tupac Interview on Christmas.

Shakur, 1994 Interview. Chardon, “LA Riots.”

the madness, a stereo uttered bombastic tones to fight the power. The disempowerment created by the Rodney King verdict reflected the hostile aesthetic of gangsta rap, but this aggressive braggadocio fueled a culture built on putting others down. Young rappers in South Central were looking for another way to express themselves.

the microphone and music being shut off. This dynamic offered a stark contrast to the gangsta rap scene, popularized by the enraged aesthetic and commercial success of N.W.A. In the words of C.V.E., “It let you know that the West Coast was more than just gang banging.” 13 Other rules like not touching the paintings and not chewing gum encouraged the community to treat the space with “THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELE- care and respect. The rules promoted the health of VISED” 11 the community as directly related to the care given Thursday nights at the Good Life signaled a shift by its local citizens. from the widely popular confrontational styles of Harsh critique required other musicians to show rap to the more contemplative aesthetics in West up and take their craft seriously. The Cafe was Coast hip hop. Pioneered by the poetics of Gil notorious for chanting “please pass the mic!” on Scott-Heron and Umar Bin Hassan of the Last wack MCs lacking skill and originality. The hunPoets, and mimicking the sonic riffs of Miles dreds of people sardined into the cafe didn’t travel Davis, this revolutionary voice emphasized lyrical through rush hour traffic to be disappointed. Even prowess and raw expression to offer solutions to famous musicians like Fat Joe weren’t off the hook the broken social infrastructure. Media character- just because they had a record deal. When Fat Joe izations of West Coast hip hop commonly framed came in nonchalant, treating the opportunity with South Central musicians as thugs and outcasts little respect, he was quickly booed off the stage. In not to be taken seriously as valid sources of social such a competitive environment, MCs challenged commentary. But they drew inspiration from Scott- one another to progress in ways that put the Cafe, Heron, who espoused that “the revolution will put the artists, and their expressive improvisational you in the driver’s seat” when you take control of forms of West Coast hip hop on the map. your life, not when you accept the status quo delivered by your television set, and from the Last Poets, “INNER CITY BOUNDARIES” 14 who publicly advocated for the revolutionary role of At the heart of the Good Life scene was the Freecommunal empowerment and support.12 style Fellowship: P.E.A.C.E., Myka 9, Aceyalone, At the Good Life Cafe, hip hop was a source of Self Jupiter, and James Sumbi, their producer. The positivity built by inclusive dynamics and a passion grade school friends became some of the most talfor messages of Afrocentrism and social justice. ented MCs in South Central. The Fellowship’s The artists who emerged from this scene varied in emphasis on improvisational forms and dense philsubject matter and style, but the common theme osophical experimentation epitomized the complex they shared was a dedication to expressing the expression of self in Good Life hip hop: quality of their character, beliefs, and sense of self I gotta be righteous, I gotta be me in their lyrics. Their message was clear: the ability I gotta be conscious, I gotta be free to articulate your beliefs through music could act I gotta be able, I gotta attack as cultural capital essential to placing you in the I gotta be stable, I gotta be black.15 driver’s seat. Fight for what you believe in, not with The Freestyle Fellowship was one of the first groups your fists, but with your voice. to translate the exploratory practice of improvisaThe Cafe established a framework to encour- tional soloing and riffing, shared by diverse artage creativity through a strict set of rules that con- ists Miles Davis, Jack Kerouac, and Jackson Polstrained the common expressive forms in gangsta lock, into hip hop freestyling. In The Anthology of rap. A curse word would immediately result in Rap, Adam Bradley and Andrew DuBois explain, 11 12 13

Scott-Heron, “The Revolution.” Ibid. This is the Life.

14 15

Freestyle Fellowship, “Inner City Boundaries.” Ibid.

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“Together, they [the Fellowship] defined what photographer-writer Brian ‘B+’ Cross has termed Los Angeles’s ‘post-gangsta’ era. [...] Their sound is heavily influenced by jazz music, not simply in their beats, but also in their use of scat.” 16 This style of improvisation differed from confrontational aesthetics at the time in that it didn’t directly attack another individual. In “We Will Not Tolerate,” the Fellowship echo a firm Afrocentric perspective reflective of the vibes in the Good Life Cafe: We will not tolerate Beating Lynching Burning Whipping Pillaging Torturing MASS MURDERING OF BLACKS We arrrre Not your O-R(rrr)-D-I-N-A-R(rrr)-Yiiiii-R(rrr)-A-PP-E-R(rrr)-N-I(iii)-G-G-E-R(rrr)-S 17 Smooth-as-silk flows weave through a range of jazzy instrumentals built on pre-boom bap styles, exploring the social and environmental influences on the black community’s sense of self. Above all, the Fellowship is clear when they scream, “We will not tolerate FEAR!” 18

“INNER KNOWING” 19 Myka 9 led the fearless Fellowship brigade to new heights of improvisation and self-expression. His impeccable flows took paths seldom followed on journeys through the mind, reveling in the state of being that freestyling facilitates. Long after it became clear the Freestyle Fellowship would not attain commercial success, Myka 9 could still be found in a pink-lit club rumbling “like a stampede of elephants through the jungle of ignorance.” 20 While the Good Life propelled artists like the Freestyle Fellowship to new lyrical heights, many of the artists never found the moxie and business sense to become relevant in the broader public eye. 16 17 18 19 20

Bradley and DuBois, The Anthology of Rap. Freestyle Fellowship, “We Will Not Tolerate.” Ibid. Myka 9, “Inner Knowing.” Myka 9, Freestyle About Knowledge.

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The artists became a prime example of the American music industry’s dedication to the bottom line over originality, skill, and thoughtful content. Volume 10, the stage name of Dino Hawkins, laments, “We almost took over rap, and we made it that fucking close man. It hurts my heart that I still think about it every day of my life!” 21 “WE HOLDING ONTO WHAT’S GOLDEN” 22 The bright spot that carries on the essence of the Good Life Cafe today is Jurassic 5. Growing up, Chali 2na admired the Freestyle Fellowship as talented rappers in the local community. Speeding through sentences like Muhammad Ali tiptoeing around the ring, Chali 2na’s cadence and fast-paced delivery continues to echo techniques often employed by Fellowship members. Rewind to the Fellowship’s “Inner City Boundaries,” where Aceyalone dances through lines with a sense of acceleration like his larynx is pressing on a gas pedal: Once we have the knowledge of self as a people then we could be free And no devil could ever enter the boundaries I stand in the center around all these sounds I see Blessin’ Allah that I found the key That’s how we be 23 Now fast forward to Jurassic 5’s “Freedom.” The same back and forth oozes through Chali 2na’s expertise with rhyme: Yo, seldom travelled by the multitude The Devil’s gavel has a couple fooled My culture’s screwed cause this word is misconstrued Small countries exempt from food cause leaders have different views 24 Both artists deliver a similar sense of complete control over complex thoughts, rich with rhyme and inflection. They toss lyrics back and forth like a hot potato, emulating the experimental, improvisational flows that never quite captured the attention of American popular culture but that set South Central free. 21 22 23 24

This is the Life. Jurassic 5, “What’s Golden.” Freestyle Fellowship, “Inner City Boundaries.” Jurassic 5, “Freedom.”

The connection they make in these lyrics lies at the root of why the Good Life Cafe is important. Our society has problems because our communities aren’t responding to social injustice in ways that empower ourselves and others. Artists at the Good Life demonstrated that hip hop can be the connective tissue that facilitates shared understanding across cultures. Taking pride in our differences allows us to engage in an immensely valuable

conversation of what it means to be an individual living with injustice daily. Improvisational lyricism is a call to action. Stand up and speak for who you are, what you believe, and the world you want to see come to fruition. We’re not balling, or shot calling We take it back to the days of yes y’all-in’ We holding onto what’s golden (“On a stage I rage and I’m rollin’”) 25

Jurassic 5, “What’s Golden.”

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 6

WORKS CITED / PLAYLIST Bradley, Adam, and Andrew DuBois. The Anthology of Rap. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010.

Chardon, Phillip. “LA Riots.” South Central History. Last modified July 12, 2016. http://www.southcentralhistory.com/ la-riots.php.

Finley, Ron. “Food Injustice: The Revolution Starts in the Garden.” Huffington Post. Last modified May 3, 2014. http:// www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-finley/prison-break_b_4862026.html.

Freestyle Fellowship (musical group). “Inner City Boundaries.” Innercity Griots. Compact Disc. 4th & Broadway. 162-444 050-2. 1993.

Freestyle Fellowship (musical group). “We Will Not Tolerate.” To Whom It May Concern. Vinyl. Sun Music. SM-1001. 1991.

Hampton, Lionel. Central Avenue Breakdown. Vinyl. His Master’s Voice. B 9750. 1949.

Johnson, Arthur. “Jazz History: South Central Los Angeles.” Art Johnson (blog). Last modified July 14, 2014. http:// thedevilsviolin-artjohnson.blogspot.com/2014/07/jazz-history-south-central-los-angeles.html.

Jurassic 5 (musical group). “Freedom.” Freedom. Vinyl. Up Above. UA 3037-1. 2003.

Jurassic 5 (musical group). “What’s Golden.” Power in Numbers. Compact Disc. Interscope. 0694934482. 2002.

Myka 9 (musical group). Freestyle About Knowledge of Self. Video. 4:24. Uploaded February 3, 2016. https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=TJ-LWwALFaY.

Myka 9 (musical group). “Inner Knowing.” 1969. Compact Disc. Fake Four. FFINC006. 2009.

Scott-Heron, Gil. “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. Vinyl. Flying Dutchman. BDL 1-0613. 1974.

Shakur, Tupac. “So Many Tears.” Me Against the World. Compact Disc. Interscope. 95748-2. 1995.

Shakur, Tupac. 1994 Interview. Video. 5:15. Uploaded on January 11, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMXz

LhbWtmk.

Shakur, Tupac. Tupac Interview on Christmas, Poverty, and Racism. Video. 8:49. Uploaded on December 13, 2009, https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOZAq_QDoH0.

This is the Life: How the West Was Won. Directed by Ava DuVernay. 2008. USA: Forward Movement, 2009. DVD.

WRIT LARGE: NOVEMBER 2019

Meet Our Authors KADE WILSON

written for volume 4 in 2015

Kade is a sophomore at the University of Denver majoring in German and English with a concentration in literary studies. She spends her time as a member of DU’s Queer Student Alliance, Diversity Committee, and Mock Trial team. She also laughs hysterically over cat videos or funny Buzzfeed posts with her roommate of two years. Kade grew up in Aurora, Colorado, with her parents, brother, and feline best friend.

ANGUS KITCHELL

written for volume 3 in 2014

Angus Kitchell, originally from Seattle, Washington, is a sophomore majoring in Ecology and Biodiversity. His hobbies include hiking, skiing, kayaking, and general exploration of the outdoors, and he is a recipient of the Clean Plate Club lifetime achievement award.

PAUL ELSBERG

written for volume 6 in 2017

Paul Elsberg—who has loved to freestyle rap as a form of self-expression since he was fourteen—graduated from DU in June 2016 with a degree in Emergent Digital Practices and Applied Computing. His home city is the familiar Denver, Colorado. Paul’s hobbies and interests include backpacking, creative technology, and contemporary art.

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 6

Submit Your Work

We welcome not only essays and research papers but also scientific and business reports, creative nonfiction, multimodal projects, and more. If accepted for publication, your work will appear in 2021’s Volume 10.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Texts may be submitted electronically (by students or by instructors on behalf of students, with their permission) to the Editorial Board at writlarge.du@gmail.com by June 15, 2020.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: • Submissions must be the original, previously unpublished work of the authors (group submissions are also accepted). • Authors must assume full responsibility for the accuracy and documentation of their submission, and a bibliography must be included, when appropriate. • Authors selected for publication must agree to work with an editorial team (of faculty and students) throughout the Fall 2020 quarter and to participate in all editorial activities. • Please limit each submission to 20 double-spaced pages or fewer.

WRIT LARGE: NOVEMBER 2019

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We are very grateful to Doug Hesse and the DU University Writing Program for funding and supporting this project. We would like to thank all of our present and former colleagues who have generously contributed to WRIT Large over the past eight years.

FACULTY EDITORS For Wilson (vol. 4 / 2015): Geoff Stacks For Kitchell (vol. 3 / 2014): Megan Kelly For Elsberg (vol. 6 / 2017): Megan Kelly

2018â&#x20AC;&#x201C;2019 EDITORIAL BOARD April Chapman-Ludwig, David Daniels, Megan Kelly, Heather Martin, Juli Parrish, & LP Picard

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WL RETROSPECTIVE (8.6)

ANALYZING POPUL AR CULTURE

NOVEMBER 2019