storiechapter2

Above is the PDF file of the completed tasks for Chapter 2 of “Mastering the Basics (And More) of Adobe FrameMaker 10.”

storiechapter1

Above is the PDF file of the tasks completed for Chapter 1 in “Mastering the Basics (And More) of Adobe FrameMaker 10.”

storiechapter3

Above is the link to the PDF file containing the tasks from Chapter 3 in “Mastering the Basics (And More) of Adobe FrameMaker 10.”

The Matrix contains many ideas about our interaction with identity.  In particular the scene where Cipher is bargaining with Agent Smith brings up many ideas about American identity.  Cipher bargains with the Agents to get himself reinstated into the Matrix.  He does not want to live in reality and greatly prefers the ignorance of being in the Matrix.  He has become disillusioned in the literal sense.  Cipher’s attitude can be seen as representative of part of the American identity.  Many Americans live in ignorance in today’s society.  In the beginning our country was founded on the idea of the informed citizenry, however the reality has become something very different.  Many Americans don’t bother with informing themselves about politics, whether it is in their town, in their country, or on the world stage.  Cipher represents these feelings in the American citizenry.  He is living in a world where practically all of humanity is enslaved by machines.  The Earth has been pretty much destroyed, the sun cannot penetrate the atmosphere, thunder storms ravage the landscape, and it is completely devoid of life.  Instead of dealing with these issues and fighting for his people he wishes to go back to the hallowed ignorant bliss he lived in while in the Matrix.

When Cipher is talking to Agent Smith he makes an important request.  He says, “I wanna be someone important…like an actor.”  This epitomizes the Matrix’s already inherent themes of simulation and relates it to American society.  Cipher wants to be put back into the Matrix.  He wants to be back in the simulated life, he wants to return to his artificial and fake sense of being.  This mimics the artificial life than the uninformed American citizenry compose.  Cipher represents their lack of desire to inform themselves and be contributing members to politics.  He represents the willful choice of ignorance and the “bliss” associated with it.  By asking to be an actor he adds an entire level to the simulation.  An actor in many American eyes is seen as an important person, where in reality all they do is entertain, they do not change the world.  In our society many famous actors are wealthy and famous, despite not being important people.  However, an actor’s job is to simulate.  An actor portrays a fake personality, they assume a role, just like Cipher and just like the American populace.  Cipher’s desire to be an actor displays the importance of simulation in American society.  Many people live created lives, they live a fake life.  Cipher himself is a simulation.

The Matrix is an essential film for American Identities. There are pivotal scenes in it which use several concepts that tie directly in several works from class and the character of Neo (The One) is the most essential in this. Neo finds in an early scene that his life has been an illusion. His whole world is actually computer-generated. The fact that Neo is able to get over his shock so swiftly makes a comment on the concept of reality. One of the concepts we have studied is hyper reality, the belief that there is no such thing as actual reality, just varying versions of it. The fact that Neo is able to accept the Matrix so easily suggest that he may have been aware of hyper reality and never truly accepted reality for what it is. This movie raises question if most people live under this belief; and if anyone truly believes in the world that they live in or if they are aware of the fact that reality is a just a version of something else. Interestingly, when Neo is given the choice between the red and blue pill, he does choose the red pill, the one that will break his sense of falsity. This suggests that people are looking for a sense of reality and to break out of hyper reality. The movie also makes a comment about the idea of American heroes. Neo goes from a lazy hacker to hero of the universe throughout the movie. Although being told the mission is dangerous, Neo chooses this option believing it will lead to heroism. This speaks about American nature and the desire to become something that is considered great. Physicality is emphasized throughout this; Neo doesn’t show much emotion. The way the viewer can tell he is getting more self-esteem is the way his fighting abilities progresses. This makes a comment on American mentality at the time and the way physicality is emphasized. Physical attributes and material objects are emphasized- at the time of the movie, computers were gaining popularity. The very concept of a world based on material objects that a computer could create would not have been possible ten years prior to the film being made. The movie also makes a comment about the way religion is emphasized in America; Neo is called “The One” and becomes a Christ figure in the movie. He is resurrected at the end of the movie. In addition to this, his Matrix name is Anderson, Anderson meaning “son of God.” Neo represents several important American great people throughout the name. In addition to playing the traditional hero- average boy turned into superhero- he takes on the role of a savior. The movie combines hyper reality and great American figures in making a comment on America at the time.

Several scenes in The Imitation of Life comment on American Identities and the way floating signifiers affects them. The floating signifier mainly used in this movie is race; and the way Sarah Jane tries to manipulate it to suit herself. Born to Black mother Annie, Sarah Jane tries to pass for White and live a life free of her heritage. The movie sends a clear message that when one tries to avoid their identity, disaster will clearly follow. From the beginning, Sarah Jane’s turmoil over her identity and desire to pass for white leads to issues with her mother. Sarah Jane and Annie are shown fighting early on in the film. Later, Sarah Jane attempts to date a white boy and when he discovers her dishonesty, she is physically beat. Later, Annie catches her working at a job which requires her to pass. At the end of the film, the ultimate disaster occurs: Annie dies, and it can be said that this was the result of Sarah Jane’s attempts to pass. Sarah Jane’s denial of her identity leads to her facing destruction at all levels. She faces severe physical consequences, after she gets eat by her boyfriend. She faces emotional destruction, as her relationship with her mother gets ruined. Her mother pays the ultimate price, as she dies as a result of it. It is said that Annie died of a broken heart due to Sarah Jane’s refusal to see her. The movie makes a commentary about avoiding one’s true identity. Sarah Jane refuses to do this, and as a result death occurred. Race, especially at the time when racism was still a prominent presence in the nation, caused turmoil for many people trying to pass. The title of the movie, Imitation of Life, even refers to this: Sarah Jane does not seem to be living a life, but rather an imitation of life. She does not actually have an identity, just a costume she has created and wears constantly. Sarah Jane is incredibly similar to the character of Clare Kennedy from Passing. Clare Kennedy also goes through the process of shedding her heritage and deciding to pass in the White World. For Both Sarah Jane and Clare, this leaves them void of emotional aspects of themselves. Clare and Sarah Jane both live imitations of life; they lack true substance. They restrain their pasts and both avoid their families, resulting in repressed negative feelings. Both characters face similar fate. Clare dies at the end of Passing, and Sarah Jane faces the death of her mother. Both authors make the same comment on the idea of Passing. When trying to pass out of one’s identity, they basically become imitations (in Clare’s case, it was theorized that she herself was a “floating signifier” and lacked any true identity) and eventually self-destruct. Both the writer of the film and the author of Passing do not believe it possible to deny an identity.

The final scene in Smoke Signals makes a powerful comment about the tying of personal culture in with American identities as a whole. Throughout the film, Victor and Thomas struggle with their Indian identities. As they progress through the journey, neither one wants to lose sight of their Indian identities but they also begin to come forth with their American Identities. The final scene is symbolic of the merging of the two. The final scene features Victor on top of a bridge, scattering his father’s ashes. As he does so, sweeping shots of the water and mountain are displayed. In the background, Thomas recites a poem about fathers. As he does, tribal music begins to pick up as Victor lets out a scream. The movie ends on this. The poem is symbolic of the father-son theme in the movie (the first line in it is “how do we forgive our fathers?” referring to Victor and Thomas’s conflicting feelings about Arnold) but also, of an American theme as a whole. The poem reflects something that is possible nationally for everyone to contribute to and likely, have their own experience with. Father-son issues are not limited to the Indian culture; most people in America have individual problems with this relationship. He talks about families issues and either emotional warmth or coldness. The idea of problems within the family takes the scene with just Victor and opens it up to the nation as a whole, cementing Victor and Thomas’s American identities. Simultaneously, the tribal music begins to play. This represents the merging of their American and Indian identities. While he is talking about a national issue, a piece of culture confined to Native American’s begins to play. Victor and Thomas do not necessarily believe that they can maintain both identities, but the final scene seems to indicate their acceptance that they can. Smoke Signals and Giovanni’s Room feature two of the similar themes. The first is the struggle that occurs when attempting to juggle two cultures. David struggles to choose a culture- his American culture tells him not to enter in his relationship with Giovanni, but his French culture dictates that it is more acceptable. Unlike Thomas and Victor, David is unable to make peace with the merging of two cultures. The second theme featured in both is the struggle between father and sons. Much of David’s fears come from his father, and his expectation that David find a nice girl and come home. Both Victor and David feel stifled by their father’s presence and feel it creating a driving force in their life. Victor drives him to resent his Indian identity due to what he feels is the false heroism of his father; David’s drives him to ruin his relationship with Giovanni. Both of these themes represent American Identities as a whole. Trouble within the family is a nation wide theme in books and films that has always existed. In addition, searching for the self within one’s culture and nation continues to be on going theme.

Planet of the Apes makes an interesting social commentary on American Identities. The final scene is essential in this commentary. In the final scene, Taylor and Nova travel to the Forbidden Zone, where it is revealed that it is actually New York City and he sees the charred remains of The Statue of Liberty. Prior to this, Dr. Zaius had the remains of the human civilization destroyed. Taylor cries out, in disbelief that the apes destroyed this mark of humanity. He refers to them as “maniacs” saying they “finally did it”. Although the comment on the surface may be referring to the apes, the commentary it makes on identities reflects on human’s self-destructive nature. At the time when the film was created, environmental crises and the effect humans had on Earth were beginning to become more prominent. The film shows the severe effects of this; believing that eventually humans could harm the Earth to the degree that it was able to be taken over by Apes. Americans at the time were beginning to behave in ways that would eventually harm them and the film tries to act as a foreshadowing of what could occur if we continue to behave in this manner. It also makes a comment on the lack of ability for Americans to take responsibility for their actions. The characters in Planet of the Apes do not ever consider the planet they are on is Earth despite several clues throughout the movie. This idea is similar to the one presented in the graphic novel Black Hole. Black Hole also focuses on the idea of self-destruction. The characters in this novel are aware that people they are engaging in sexual behaviors with are “sick” with the illness; however they so despite this, for personal gain. Similarly, people at the time when Planet of the Apes was filmed knew acting in a way could eventually lead to permanent damage being done to the Earth, but continued the behavior anyway. Both works make a commentary on acting in careless manners by showing the extremes that could occur. In the case of Planet of the Apes, it is an ape civilization taking control, in the case of Black Hole it is the humans growing mutations. Both works also use mutations. The characters in both are considered grotesque. In Planet of the Apes, it is disturbing to see the parallel view of apes in control and humans as subservient to them. In Black Hole, humans grow appendages that cause social isolation. This is part of the social commentary the authors are trying to make as they are making the point that if the inner self is acting in a greedy or disgusting way, then that is what the outer self will reflect. Both films also make a comment on the idea of paradise gone awry. In the Planet of the Apes, it is more explicit: the apes specifically say New York City was supposed to be paradise. In Black Hole, Charles Burns utilizes the teenage paradise and distorts it. Both use the idea of Americans taking paradise and destroying it through their own behaviors.

As the scene transitions from Trinity’s escape to our introduction to Neo the camera pans from within the computer to a close up of the screen and in big text across the camera frame the word “Searching…” This image becomes very interesting in the context of the character of Neo who is at this point literally searching. For what, he’s not exactly sure. In reference to frederic Jameson who writes that there is a certain fragmentation of identity that has occurred in our postmodern society. Here Neo is literally labeled as ‘searching’ and as we learn more about his character it becomes clear that he is looking for a way to understand his own identity and he isn’t able to do that within the Matrix.
As the camera continues to pan out from the computer, we see that it is searching through various newspaper websites. This is happening while neo is listening to music and sleeping, surrounded by indecipherable computer stuff. Neo is being bombarded by a seemingly uncontrollable amount of media, and he is literally unconscious of it. So much so that it is beginning to affect his identity as Mr. Anderson. Like in Delillo’s White Noise there is a blurring for the children of the reality of the television and their physical reality. This same idea is in effect here with Neo’s fragmentation of identity into Mr. Anderson and Neo. The Neo identity is one that is heavily involved with digital world and it’s this identity that begins to take over the Mr. Anderson Identity. This is a much more dramatic version of the blurring of realities in comparison to Delillo’s and is only in someways utilized here as a simulacra to create a hyperreal character that becomes almost universally identifiable. It’s similar to the creation of an icon, in Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics he uses the example of a realist’s interpretation of the human face contrasted with a simple drawing of a smiley face. Though we can identify both as faces we the smiley face comes to represent all smiling faces whereas the other face can only be representative of that one person. By eliminating certain details and maintaining only the most basic identifiable details it becomes an icon. With Neo certain simulacra are used to define him as an outcast, a trait many people can identify with. Jameson discusses the importance of ‘alienation’ in understanding the fragmentation of our identity. If our own identities weren’t fragmented to an extent Neo would be a far less identifiable character and The Matrix wouldn’t have had such widespread appeal.
As the scene continues, Neo wakes up and hears a visitor at the door after a brief conversation the scene jarringly cuts to a club scene and then again cuts to an alarm clock blaring and Neo waking up late for work. The jarring transitions create a visual allegory to Neo’s fragmentation of identity.
Neo’s identity from our very first introduction to him is fragmented, from the obvious Neo/Mr.Anderson division, to even our visual understanding of his life which seems to us very disconnected. It’s only once he is able to leave the Matrix that he and our understanding of what is going on becomes more coherent.