U NIT S EVEN : R EADING I CONS A S TUDY IN P OP C ULTURE

R ESPONSE #1 W RITE DOWN EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT M ARILYN M ONROE.

R ESPONSE #2 I N THE POEM BY O LDS, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE LINE “ JUST AN ORDINARY WOMAN BREATHING ”?

R ESPONSE #3 H OW DO THE LYRICS OF E LTON J OHN DIFFER FROM THE VERSES OF THE POEM BY S HARON O LDS ?

R ESPONSE #4 I N WHAT MANNER TO THE POEM, THE SONG, AND THE PHOTOGRAPHS REMIND YOU OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WE TURN CELEBRITIES INTO ICONS ?

R ESPONSE #5 W HAT DO THE FOLLOWING CELEBRITIES HAVE IN COMMON ? W RITE DOWN THE NAMES OF ANY YOU RECOGNIZE.

A SSIGNMENT : A NDY W ARHOL R EFER TO ASSIGNMENT ENTITLED “A NDY W ARHOL A NALYSIS.” U SING THE W ARHOL PAINTING YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN, WRITE A RESPONSE TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS : 1) WHAT ROLE DO YOU THINK ORIGINALITY AND UNIQUENESS PLAY IN W ARHOL ’ S AESTHETICS ? 2)W HAT CULTURAL VIRTUES AND VALUES SEEM TO BE PRIVILEGED IN HIS ART ?

A SSIGNMENT : S EE HANDOUT ENTITLED C ELEBRITY I CONIC S TATUS C HOOSE 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.

A SSIGNMENT : R EAD “H EROINE W ORSHIP ” BY H OLLY B RUBACH. S EE HANDOUT.

R ESPONSE #1: B RUBACH B RUBACH DEFINES THE MODERN ICON AS A “ HUMAN SOUND BITE, AN INDIVIDUAL REDUCED TO A NAME, A FACE, AND AN IDEA.” H OW DOES SHE ARGUE THAT THE NATURE AND IMPACT OF HUMAN ICONS HAVE CHANGED OVER TIME ? W HAT OTHER DEFINITIONS OF THE TERM ICON DOES SHE WORK WITH IN THIS ESSAY ?

R ESPONSE #2: B RUBACH W HAT DISTINCTIONS DOES B RUBACH DRAW BETWEEN THE WAYS IN WHICH WOMEN AND MEN RELATE TO FEMALE AND MALE ICONS, RESPECTIVELY ? H OW DO HER ASSERTIONS RESONATE WITH, OR DIFFER FROM, YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES WITH MALE AND FEMALE ICONS ?

A SSIGNMENT : S EE HANDOUT ENTITLED “C ELEBRITY I CONS.” E XPLAIN HOW THE CURRENT ERA OF “ VISUAL INFORMATION ” HAS CHANGED OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ROLE OF ICONS, MODELS, AND CELEBRITIES IN A MERICAN CULTURE, CITING AS EXAMPLES THE MALE AND FEMALE ICONS YOU FIND MOST IMPORTANT.

R ESPONSE #1 W ARHOL W HAT SHARED CHARACTERISTICS CAN YOU IDENTIFY AMONG THE W ARHOL PAINTINGS ? W HAT DOES HE GAIN OR LOSE BY REPEATING THE IMAGES ?

H OMEWORK : G O ONLINE AND FIND A PARODY OF THE PAINTING CALLED “A MERICAN G OTHIC.” P RINT IT, AND BRING IT WITH YOU TO CLASS TOMORROW.

D EFINITION : G OTHIC R EVIVAL S TYLE

D EFINITION : P ARODY

R ESPONSE #1: A MERICAN G OTHIC T HE UPPER WINDOW OF THE HOUSE IN THE BACKGROUND OF THIS IMAGE IS DESIGNED IN THE G OTHIC REVIVAL STYLE. W HAT QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS CAN YOU SEE IN THE HOUSE THAT DEFINE THIS STYLE ? W HAT DOES THE G OTHIC REVIVAL HOUSE CONTRIBUTE TO THE OVERALL EFFECT OF THE PAINTING ?

A SSIGNMENT : R EFER TO HANDOUT ENTITLED “A MERICAN G OTHIC P ARODY.” U SING THE PARODY YOU BROUGHT TO CLASS WITH YOU OF G RANT W OOD ’ S FAMOUS PAINTING “A MERICAN G OTHIC,” WRITE THREE FULLY DEVELOPED PARAGRAPHS, ONE FOR EACH OF THE FOLLOWING : 1) E XPLAIN WHICH ASPECTS OF W OOD ’ S ORIGINAL IT DRAWS ON, 2) EXPLAIN WHAT IS BEING PARODIED AND 2) WHY YOU FIND IT HUMOROUS