My research paper

My research paper is on the effects of Disney movies on society. I believe they have a positive effect on people, and I refuted the claims of people who don't. First I took a look at an article written by a woman named Kira. In her article she examines the top ten frugal lessons learned in Disney movies. She discusses important lessons such as: take responsibility for your actions, and don't be afraid of a challenge. I took her information and connected it with the movies they are portrayed in. I also used an interview with Anika Noni Rose who is the voice of Tiana in the movie The Princess and the Frog. She says that people nagged and complained that there was no African American princess in any movies. So, Disney created The Princess and the Frog where Tiana is a black girl living in New Orleans and she falls in love with Prince Naveen of Maldonia. Even after this movie was made, people still had something to complain about: Prince Naveen is voiced by a Brazilian actor, not a black one. Rose says that people are never satisfied, and instead of complaining about that, they should realize that Princess Tiana is the first American princess, and what honor that brings. I refuted claims of people who believe that there are traces of violence, racism, and sexual innuendos in Disney movies, and that they have a negative impact on society, especially on children. I took each one of those topics and used evidence and support to prove why they are incorrect. 

Comments blog #6

By the way, I commented on Ingrid's and Jonathan's blogs.

Once Upon A Mattress

What do you get when you mix the classic story of The Princess and the Pea with the flashy exaggerated showiness that is Broadway? Well, you get the hit musical Once Upon A Mattress. This story narrows in on Winnifred the Woebegone, “Princess of Icolmkill, Guardian of the Midgard Serpent and Warden of the Ragnorok Marsh Lily.” As you can tell by her name, she’s a very interesting princess, straight from the swamp. Winnifred, nicknamed “Fred” has been fetched by Sir Harry of the castle to become the bride of the kingdom mama’s boy Prince Dauntless the Drab. The kingdom has a Marriage Law that states: “Throughout the land no one may wed ‘til Dauntless to the altar’s led.” When Fred arrives at the castle, the temperamental Queen Aggravain refuses to accept her as a “genuine bonafide princess” and decides she must devise a plan to get rid of her. She and the wizard test her for sensitivity. Dauntless’s father, the king, literally has no say in this, since he is under a curse cast long ago that reads: “King Sextimus will never talk until the mouse devours the hawk.” Queen Aggravain places a pea under 20 soft downy mattresses, and tells the wizard that any true princess would feel it and be too uncomfortable to sleep. To ensure that Princess Winnifred fails the test, the Queen calls for a ball where everyone will dance the extremely tiring “Spanish Panic,” she summons a hypnotic mirror, a nightingale to sing a lullaby, and fixes her a warm glass of special milk. Will Fred pass the test? Will she be able to marry Prince Dauntless and lift the Marriage Law for the rest of the kingdom? Or will she fail like all the others and leave everyone in the kingdom sad with lost hope? 

Comments

I commented on Linden and Victor's blogs.

Research

I absolutely disagree with the statement: You can’t use the pronoun I.

If you are writing a research paper, using your opinions and crediting yourself for them is important, as long as you have factual support. I think kids are just taught not to use the pronoun “I” so that every sentence isn’t an opinion. I was always scared to use it because I was taught that it wasn’t allowed. But I think it’s mainly because my teachers were trying to get me to see the difference between research papers and argumentative papers.

I agree with the statement: You can use your own writing voice.

Even though a research paper is supposed to be more formal, the use of a person’s voice will keep it from making others fall asleep. When someone writes in their voice, you get a feel of who they are, and it makes the paper more interesting to read. I think that people should always write in their voice, unless of course they are writing a strictly factual scientific journal or something like that. But an article in the newspaper or in a magazine is meant for entertainment, and should be written so. I know I don’t read magazines to make myself get bored and fall asleep. That defeats the purpose. Using your voice in a paper also makes it unique to you. Ten people could write a paper on the same prompt with the exact same information, and all ten papers would be completely different because everyone’s voice is different.