Unit Seven Reading Icons

Read handout over introduction “Reading Icons”

Icons Study

Lesson: Class Study of an Icon Marilyn Monroe

Response #1 Write down everything you know about Marilyn Monroe.

Assignment: See handouts… Read short bio. Read “The Death of Marilyn Monroe” by Sharon Olds. Read “Candle in the Wind” by Elton John.

Response #2 In the poem by Olds, what do you make of the line “just an ordinary woman breathing”?

Response #3 How do the lyrics of Elton John differ from the verses of the poem by Sharon Olds?

Now, consider the following photographs of Marilyn Monroe…

Response #4 In what manner do the poem, the song, and the photographs remind you of the ways in which we turn celebrities into icons?

Response #5 What do the following celebrities have in common? Write down the names of any you recognize.

Assignment: See handout entitled “Celebrity Iconic Status.” Choose a celebrity who has passed away, and write a response in which you argue for or against the proposition that celebrities are granted an even greater iconic status after they die.

Lesson: Holly Brubach

Assignment: Read “Heroine Worship” by Holly Brubach. See handout.

Response #1: Brubach Brubach defines the modern icon as a “human sound bite, an individual reduced to a name, a face, and an idea.” How does she argue that the nature and impact of human icons have changed over time? What other definitions of the term icon does she work with in this essay?

Response #2: Brubach What distinctions does Brubach draw between the ways in which women and men relate to female and male icons, respectively? How do her assertions resonate with, or differ from, your own experiences with male and female icons?

Examples of iconic celebrities…

Assignment: See handout entitled “Celebrity Icons.” Explain how the current era of “visual information” has changed our relationship with the role of icons, models, and celebrities in American culture, citing as examples the male and female icons you find most important.

The Artwork of Andy Warhol

Consider these three paintings by Warhol…

Response #1 Warhol What shared characteristics can you identify among the Warhol paintings? What does he gain or lose by repeating the images?

Assignment: Andy Warhol Refer to assignment entitled “Andy Warhol Analysis.” Using the Warhol painting you have been given, write a response to the following questions: 1) what role do you think originality and uniqueness play in Warhol’s aesthetics? 2)What cultural virtues and values seem to be privileged in his art?

Homework: Go online and find a parody of the painting called “American Gothic.” Print it, and bring it with you to class tomorrow.

Definition: Gothic Revival Style Identifying features of Gothic Revival are steeply pitched roofs, usually with steep cross gables; intricately carved verge boards (barge boards) along the eaves and gable edges (beyond the mid- 1860's, intricate vergeboards were replaced by decorative cross bracing at the uppermost point of the gable); vertical board-and-batten siding in gray and earthy tones; tall diamond-paned windows most often placed in gables, having pointed arches or two or three arches grouped together. Most often there is a one-story porch which may be full-width or only situated at the entry. The porches are supported by flattened Gothic style arches.

Definition: Parody A parody is a work that closely mimics another work's style and manner for the purpose of ridicule; a spoof or take-off.

Examine the painting entitled “American Gothic” by Grant Wood.

Response #1: American Gothic The upper window of the house in the background of this image is designed in the Gothic revival style. What qualities and characteristics can you see in the house that define this style? What does the Gothic revival house contribute to the overall effect of the painting?

Grant Wood's painting has become a familiar and popular icon in American culture. One way that this phenomena has manifested itself is through PARODY of Grant's familiar image in advertising and popular culture.

Note the following parodies…

Assignment: Refer to handout entitled “American Gothic Parody.” Using the parody you brought to class with you of Grant Wood’s famous painting “American Gothic,” write three fully developed paragraphs, one for each of the following: 1) Explain which aspects of Wood’s original it draws on, 2) explain what is being parodied and 3) why you find it humorous