1. According to Braun (2000), the liaison between Buffy and Angel demonstrates the “emotional complexity of many ordinary human relationships” (para. 9). She also states that the series in general “demonstrates adult love quite well in its exploration of the aggression that accompanies intimate love relationships” (para. 10).In what ways do you think Buffy the Vampire Slayer achieves this?
2. The forces of darkness in Buffy, including vampires, demons and monsters are often symbolic of the experiences we encounter as we move from adolescence into adulthood. How can Buffy’s relationship with Angel be discussed in this way?
3. Why is the use of symbolism or metaphor, as seen in Buffy, often a more engaging or meaningful way to explore human experiences?
4. How does Buffy the Vampire Slayer play around or question traditional stereotypes often seen in more traditional forms of television?
5. The week 11 screenings contain evidence of the “moral ambiguity within the main characters” (Braun 2000, para. 15). Can you discuss this and provide examples from the screenings?
1. Braun (2000) suggests that Buffy the Vampire Slayer reflect the complexity of real human personalities as well as relationships by letting the viewers understand that, Angelus is obviously the aggressor therefore we, as the viewers all expect Buffy to see him as an enemy in the show. On the other hand, we also see Buffy’s violent obsession towards vampire as well as her capacity for rage. But the reality is that the more she kills the more violent she becomes. There are some episodes that demonstrate both the dangerous element present in sexual love as well as the capacity of previously loving and caring people to turn on each other. As Buffy can be seen as Angel’s split object in Melanie Klein’s theory, just as Angel plays the same role for Buffy. After Angel turned back into vampire, his previously intense love for Buffy was completely vanished and turned into contempt and aggression. The act of sex represents both Buffy and Angel as a fundamental break from their previous idealization of their respective. When Buffy realized that Angel has turned back into vampire, her goal is to kill Angel by penetrating a wooden stake into his body; this reflects the sexual penetration that caused Angel’s resurrection as a vampire, and this shows either Buffy’s attempt to make up for the damaged she has caused or triumph over the perceived bad object. Metaphorically, viewers can see Angel as Buffy’s lost ‘object’ in Klein’s theory, and Buffy as Angel’s lost object. As we can see Buffy’s goal of penetrating Angelus with the wooden stake as a reversal of their first sexual encounter and exchange of gender roles, furthermore, we can see that both characters have the abilities for great love as well as great aggression towards each other, which reflects the complexity of human relationships.
5. I think the moral ambiguity in Buffy is one of the main features that make the show interesting to watch.
A good example to illustrate the moral ambiguity of the characters in Buffy is the change of personality of Angel after his first sexual encounter with Buffy.
Angel is depicted as a good character in the earlier episodes of Buffy, saving Buffy's life in several occassions. It is not long before the character of Angel developed into the romantic interest of Buffy.
However, Angel's evil character will be restore if he ever encounter "perfect human happiness". The sexual encounter with Buffy is qualified as such perfection.
Angel is rebirth as a vengeful and vicious vampire after sleeping with Buffy. His character has shift from good to evil because of sex.
Also, more moral ambiguity can be seen in other characters in Buffy such as Oz, the sensitive band member that transformed into a vicious werewolf three nights of every month. Anya is also one of the characters with moral ambiuguity, who is a now-human teenagerwho was once an immortal and evil demon.
The twist in the plot often left the audience wondering who is actually the good/bad guy in the show? Or is there even a good person at all?
4. Well, I can't help but notice that Buffy fights against the traditional gender roles.
Buffy is an interesting show in terms of depicting a young woman without a male authroity figure although she is the typical blonde bimbo in appearance.
Buffy is a story that has a female protagonist in a male adventure story. After all, isn't a significant part of Buffy is about her coming-of-age, cast in genrally male tones. While her friendships and relationships are non-negligible, they are assigned the importance and roles of a typically male story. Buffy's boyfriends are conquests rather than lovers whereas companions are sidekicks, not girlfriends.
The Buffy character was a reflection of teenage girls despite her vampire-slaying nature. She was so different that she soon become the topic of conversation in women's studies programme and students began to write essays on the transformation of women characters on television.
Buffy is different from the previous tough female character and Buffy is the mixture of serious and funny, sexy and strong, feminine and masculine that had not oten been seen in mainstream pop culture.
I quote Early :
" Buffy exposes stereotypes and coded symbols that shore up a rigid war-influenced gender system in an attemtpt to chart new meanings of womanliness and manliness."
According to Braun, Angel is originally depicted as a morally ambiguous character that begins a romantic interest with Buffy and provides the emotional and sensual support for the slayer. (2000)
As we know, people may become good and Evil in the gender relationship involves love. Actually, there are a lot of the dark forces appeared as the metaphors refer to the real life events of features.
Almost every one has the experience about that the unstable emotional and moral confusion in adolescence. Commonly, youth will feel some sensual eager in the gender relationship. Meanwhile, youth also will be very yearning to involve with adult. They just play with it or want to use it as a tool to shown their maturation. Relationship also is one kind of the self identity specific in some scenes to represent them.
On the other hand, youth may not be really mature to accept the consequent of the relationship or stronger enough to face the emotional blow. They may behave more particularly under the stress. Even puff it into more serious situation.
Episodes about the relationship and consequent of it between Buffy and Angel become a very obvious theme which refers the alterable and dangerous features in the real gender relationship. For example, one person dumped another, if that one was still in love may fell into dark and violent.
Buffy wears a yummy sushi pyjama and commands his allies to act this or that and so on…….
However, everybody just looks at her and does not react as her wish.
Buffy looks around and then finally back on her pyjama, said:
I know it looks funny to talking like this while wears my yummy sushi pyjama…….
Here I think Buffy is really joking with the traditional rule of the commands and manners, which people jugged the power by the looking and wearing.
It is also a metaphor represent the official spoke people always in the formal suit and adjusted the people’s real needs. On the other hand, it presents that real humanity was banded by the media affection or judgment.
6. Honestly, I was a little bite upset by the Buffy episodes in this week.
First of all, I felt stomach twisting when I watched Buffy made love with an adult in her seventeenth birthday. I don’t know why director arrange those episodes, it might be a good metaphor or symbolism which most of yours even include me are fascinating to discuss it. However, it is a crash to me. This may because of that I am an Asian who came from China. There is a very strict law for teenager female protection. It is illegal to make love with a girl under eighteen years old even she is motive to do that. We call that is an adolescence sexual abuse, and the punishment will be really heavy as a serious rapist. So people, how can I get used to this week’s screen, adolescence sexual abuse on TV positively relates to romance sense and meaningful encouragement.
I think people know the teenagers are highly susceptible to fashions, trends and styles. They are always open for adopting any new technological devices and behavioural patterns when these are considered to be "hip" and "cool". So I just wondering the Buffy was so popular distribute in the teens group. How many teenagers will inmate Buffy’s fashions, trends and even sexual styles? So involve with an adult is also a cool action being??? Poor parents, how many inducements are attracting their children in this world.
Actually, I have been wondered why the western teenagers are so free to try anything without parental control and self band force. Now, I got the answer and felt really right to be a DINK here. Moreover, I felt really glad there is no encouragement in the popular TV program and people will feel guilty to talk about it in China. Are you guys really felt Lolita complexity is ok. At least I am not the one to say all right.
Secondly, as Rax said in his discussion “Metaphorically, viewers can see Angel as Buffy’s lost ‘object’ in Klein’s theory, and Buffy as Angel’s lost object. As we can see Buffy’s goal of penetrating Angelus with the wooden stake as a reversal of their first sexual encounter and exchange of gender roles, furthermore, we can see that both characters have the abilities for great love as well as great aggression towards each other, which reflects the complexity of human relationships.”
Maybe my heart is too soft and tender, I will never get used to see that two people have been loved each other so much but then become a aggressor to each other. Yes, Braun is right, “adult love quite well in its exploration of the aggression that accompanies intimate love relationships” (2000)
However, what about Buffy, she is not an adult; she is just a seventeen years old girl. Yes, she is the Hero in this story; she will pass it as a new ordeal or key to continue next threshold, and then reward and on the road back.
But I really can feel Buffy’s suffering when I was watching that “Buffy’s violent obsession towards vampire as well as her capacity for rage. But the reality is that the more she kills the more violent she becomes. There are some episodes that demonstrate both the dangerous element present in sexual love as well as the capacity of previously loving and caring people to turn on each other.” (Rax, 2007)
Paul said: “This is a cruel world.” Yes, it is. However, that is also why people have literatures. We can build our ideal world in the writing. So what about the popular genre? I don’t think there are only cruel features in popular genre.
Paul, Darryl,
Please make the popular genre completed with some idealistic critical reading!
I don’t think your guys will give me D by my protest. We have democracy here, all right???
Hello, everyone ^^ Responding to question 6, I really enjoyed the Buffy episodes this week. Actually, I think I have similar experience to Angel. Angel is a vampire, his vampire nature is bad. But when he met Buffy, he changed because of Buffy’s influence to him and the love between them. For me, I had been smoking for 6 years, many people including my family and friends had advised me to quit smoking but I just could not. However, when I met a person who is so important to me, I was persuaded. I knew it was hard, but there was just something invisible which kept pushing me to quit, just like Angel. I believe that invisible power is love. Therefore, I enjoyed the Buffy episodes this week
15 comments:
1. According to Braun (2000), the liaison between Buffy and Angel demonstrates the “emotional complexity of many ordinary human relationships” (para. 9). She also states that the series in general “demonstrates adult love quite well in its exploration of the aggression that accompanies intimate love relationships” (para. 10).In what ways do you think Buffy the Vampire Slayer achieves this?
2. The forces of darkness in Buffy, including vampires, demons and monsters are often symbolic of the experiences we encounter as we move from adolescence into adulthood. How can Buffy’s relationship with Angel be discussed in this way?
3. Why is the use of symbolism or metaphor, as seen in Buffy, often a more engaging or meaningful way to explore human experiences?
4. How does Buffy the Vampire Slayer play around or question traditional stereotypes often seen in more traditional forms of television?
5. The week 11 screenings contain evidence of the “moral ambiguity within the main characters” (Braun 2000, para. 15). Can you discuss this and provide examples from the screenings?
6. Did you enjoy the Buffy episodes this week?
1. Braun (2000) suggests that Buffy the Vampire Slayer reflect the complexity of real human personalities as well as relationships by letting the viewers understand that, Angelus is obviously the aggressor therefore we, as the viewers all expect Buffy to see him as an enemy in the show. On the other hand, we also see Buffy’s violent obsession towards vampire as well as her capacity for rage. But the reality is that the more she kills the more violent she becomes. There are some episodes that demonstrate both the dangerous element present in sexual love as well as the capacity of previously loving and caring people to turn on each other. As Buffy can be seen as Angel’s split object in Melanie Klein’s theory, just as Angel plays the same role for Buffy. After Angel turned back into vampire, his previously intense love for Buffy was completely vanished and turned into contempt and aggression. The act of sex represents both Buffy and Angel as a fundamental break from their previous idealization of their respective. When Buffy realized that Angel has turned back into vampire, her goal is to kill Angel by penetrating a wooden stake into his body; this reflects the sexual penetration that caused Angel’s resurrection as a vampire, and this shows either Buffy’s attempt to make up for the damaged she has caused or triumph over the perceived bad object. Metaphorically, viewers can see Angel as Buffy’s lost ‘object’ in Klein’s theory, and Buffy as Angel’s lost object. As we can see Buffy’s goal of penetrating Angelus with the wooden stake as a reversal of their first sexual encounter and exchange of gender roles, furthermore, we can see that both characters have the abilities for great love as well as great aggression towards each other, which reflects the complexity of human relationships.
6. Nope, sorry. :P
5. I think the moral ambiguity in Buffy is one of the main features that make the show interesting to watch.
A good example to illustrate the moral ambiguity of the characters in Buffy is the change of personality of Angel after his first sexual encounter with Buffy.
Angel is depicted as a good character in the earlier episodes of Buffy, saving Buffy's life in several occassions. It is not long before the character of Angel developed into the romantic interest of Buffy.
However, Angel's evil character will be restore if he ever encounter "perfect human happiness". The sexual encounter with Buffy is qualified as such perfection.
Angel is rebirth as a vengeful and vicious vampire after sleeping with Buffy. His character has shift from good to evil because of sex.
Also, more moral ambiguity can be seen in other characters in Buffy such as Oz, the sensitive band member that transformed into a vicious werewolf three nights of every month. Anya is also one of the characters with moral ambiuguity, who is a now-human teenagerwho was once an immortal and evil demon.
The twist in the plot often left the audience wondering who is actually the good/bad guy in the show? Or is there even a good person at all?
4. Well, I can't help but notice that Buffy fights against the traditional gender roles.
Buffy is an interesting show in terms of depicting a young woman without a male authroity figure although she is the typical blonde bimbo in appearance.
Buffy is a story that has a female protagonist in a male adventure story. After all, isn't a significant part of Buffy is about her coming-of-age, cast in genrally male tones. While her friendships and relationships are non-negligible, they are assigned the importance and roles of a typically male story. Buffy's boyfriends are conquests rather than lovers whereas companions are sidekicks, not girlfriends.
I agree with Pear.
The Buffy character was a reflection of teenage girls despite her vampire-slaying nature. She was so different that she soon become the topic of conversation in women's studies programme and students began to write essays on the transformation of women characters on television.
Buffy is different from the previous tough female character and Buffy is the mixture of serious and funny, sexy and strong, feminine and masculine that had not oten been seen in mainstream pop culture.
I quote Early :
" Buffy exposes stereotypes and coded symbols that shore up a rigid war-influenced gender system in an attemtpt to chart new meanings of womanliness and manliness."
According to Braun, Angel is originally depicted as a morally ambiguous character that begins a romantic interest with Buffy and provides the emotional and sensual support for the slayer. (2000)
As we know, people may become good and Evil in the gender relationship involves love. Actually, there are a lot of the dark forces appeared as the metaphors refer to the real life events of features.
Almost every one has the experience about that the unstable emotional and moral confusion in adolescence. Commonly, youth will feel some sensual eager in the gender relationship. Meanwhile, youth also will be very yearning to involve with adult. They just play with it or want to use it as a tool to shown their maturation. Relationship also is one kind of the self identity specific in some scenes to represent them.
On the other hand, youth may not be really mature to accept the consequent of the relationship or stronger enough to face the emotional blow. They may behave more particularly under the stress. Even puff it into more serious situation.
Episodes about the relationship and consequent of it between Buffy and Angel become a very obvious theme which refers the alterable and dangerous features in the real gender relationship. For example, one person dumped another, if that one was still in love may fell into dark and violent.
4. There is a scene what I remembered:
Buffy wears a yummy sushi pyjama and commands his allies to act this or that and so on…….
However, everybody just looks at her and does not react as her wish.
Buffy looks around and then finally back on her pyjama, said:
I know it looks funny to talking like this while wears my yummy sushi pyjama…….
Here I think Buffy is really joking with the traditional rule of the commands and manners, which people jugged the power by the looking and wearing.
It is also a metaphor represent the official spoke people always in the formal suit and adjusted the people’s real needs. On the other hand, it presents that real humanity was banded by the media affection or judgment.
6. Honestly, I was a little bite upset by the Buffy episodes in this week.
First of all, I felt stomach twisting when I watched Buffy made love with an adult in her seventeenth birthday. I don’t know why director arrange those episodes, it might be a good metaphor or symbolism which most of yours even include me are fascinating to discuss it. However, it is a crash to me. This may because of that I am an Asian who came from China. There is a very strict law for teenager female protection. It is illegal to make love with a girl under eighteen years old even she is motive to do that. We call that is an adolescence sexual abuse, and the punishment will be really heavy as a serious rapist. So people, how can I get used to this week’s screen, adolescence sexual abuse on TV positively relates to romance sense and meaningful encouragement.
I think people know the teenagers are highly susceptible to fashions, trends and styles. They are always open for adopting any new technological devices and behavioural patterns when these are considered to be "hip" and "cool". So I just wondering the Buffy was so popular distribute in the teens group. How many teenagers will inmate Buffy’s fashions, trends and even sexual styles? So involve with an adult is also a cool action being??? Poor parents, how many inducements are attracting their children in this world.
Actually, I have been wondered why the western teenagers are so free to try anything without parental control and self band force. Now, I got the answer and felt really right to be a DINK here. Moreover, I felt really glad there is no encouragement in the popular TV program and people will feel guilty to talk about it in China. Are you guys really felt Lolita complexity is ok. At least I am not the one to say all right.
Secondly, as Rax said in his discussion “Metaphorically, viewers can see Angel as Buffy’s lost ‘object’ in Klein’s theory, and Buffy as Angel’s lost object. As we can see Buffy’s goal of penetrating Angelus with the wooden stake as a reversal of their first sexual encounter and exchange of gender roles, furthermore, we can see that both characters have the abilities for great love as well as great aggression towards each other, which reflects the complexity of human relationships.”
Maybe my heart is too soft and tender, I will never get used to see that two people have been loved each other so much but then become a aggressor to each other. Yes, Braun is right, “adult love quite well in its exploration of the aggression that accompanies intimate love relationships” (2000)
However, what about Buffy, she is not an adult; she is just a seventeen years old girl. Yes, she is the Hero in this story; she will pass it as a new ordeal or key to continue next threshold, and then reward and on the road back.
But I really can feel Buffy’s suffering when I was watching that “Buffy’s violent obsession towards vampire as well as her capacity for rage. But the reality is that the more she kills the more violent she becomes. There are some episodes that demonstrate both the dangerous element present in sexual love as well as the capacity of previously loving and caring people to turn on each other.” (Rax, 2007)
Paul said: “This is a cruel world.” Yes, it is. However, that is also why people have literatures. We can build our ideal world in the writing. So what about the popular genre? I don’t think there are only cruel features in popular genre.
Paul, Darryl,
Please make the popular genre completed with some idealistic critical reading!
I don’t think your guys will give me D by my protest. We have democracy here, all right???
Just joking!!! Nice holiday, everyone!!!
Hello, everyone ^^
Responding to question 6, I really enjoyed the Buffy episodes this week. Actually, I think I have similar experience to Angel. Angel is a vampire, his vampire nature is bad. But when he met Buffy, he changed because of Buffy’s influence to him and the love between them. For me, I had been smoking for 6 years, many people including my family and friends had advised me to quit smoking but I just could not. However, when I met a person who is so important to me, I was persuaded. I knew it was hard, but there was just something invisible which kept pushing me to quit, just like Angel. I believe that invisible power is love. Therefore, I enjoyed the Buffy episodes this week
Post a Comment