Chapter 8

I really enjoyed the first article “The Offbeat Allure of Cult Films.” I thought that it was a very good idea to interview young people, as the author, Sayoh Mansaray, did. It was very effective because the people she interviewed are the reasons why these movies, such as Napoleon Dynamite and Rocky Horror Picture Show, do so well. Interviewing teens is a good way to bring in a different perspective. Why not go straight to the source, instead of reading what professionals have to say about why so many teens are in love with these cult films. I also thought that Mansaray did a good job defining what a cult film is. If someone had not seen Napoleon Dynamite or Donny Darko, they might not understand what a cult film is. The author is able to define it well saying they are “quirky movies,” “off the beaten path,” and “nonmainstream films [that]… differ from other films in theaters… because they aren’t as clean and processed.” Mansaray also used story of Marshall, a young girl, throughout the entire article. I thought it was a good way to make the essay flow and bring it full circle.
The second article “Pink Think” by Lynn Peril also did a good job proving its point. I thought it was well outlined, using bullet points to make each argument clear. However, the article did appear quite bias. Peril sounds like a feminist who takes the rights of women and the negative effect of gender roles very seriously. She had many examples of how women are “oppressed” but failed to mention how women have progressed so much since she was born. She seemed to focus all on the negative things going on and none of the progress. The article did make a strong argument though. It appealed to the pathos, especially those of women. The article was very powerful for its somewhat short length as well. She also did well defining “pink think” as “a set of ideas and attitudes about what constitutes proper female behavior.” This was very important to her argument. Without this readers would have been very confused. Her specific definition allowed the article to be successful.