1. Some of my key takeaways from the exam is that I need to review more professional terminology and mention camera shots, angles and framing which I forgot to do in the exam.
2. In my next exam something I will do to improve is try to organise my ideas better so that the structure of my essay is clearer.

Thetis is a poem about transformation and power as it alludes to the original greek mythology tale of a goddess with the power to shapeshift and transform her form at her will. In the poem it mentions one of the main reasons for her transformation is to escape from the control of her pursuer  who, although thetis technically has more power, is described as the “hunter” or “predator” in the relationship. No matter how hard she blends with the nature of the earth, her pursuer always manages to damage or find her and eventually ends up pregnant with his child. In the last paragraph especially, there has been many debates over the meaning of the lines as it can refer to many possible theories such as thetis realising that she can never be free from the hands of her pursuer, therefore transforms herself or that as a mother, she willingly transforms her life to revolve around her son, Achilles.

In what ways do the films in the #TalkAboutBias campaign challenge racial bias in contemporary America?

The two films “The Talk” and “The Look” both highlight racial attitudes that are present in contemporary America, showcasing through the transition of time that behaviours and attitudes towards black citizens are still very much present. Both ads not only focus on racism that black people face on a daily basis but also focuses on the severity of the issue bias, how false narratives and media stereotypes can lead to racial profiling and a dominant discourse being constructed. The ad “The Talk” indicates the conversation black parents have to offer their children, warning them of the prejudice they would face. Through a short montage of vignettes ranging from the Jim Crow Laws to present America, it disputes a number of concerns that black people are encountered with, such as beauty standards, police brutality, bullying and white privilege. The ad “The Look” explores the stereotyping of black males and how media misrepresentation can effect the treatment they receive.  It is centered around a normal day in the main protagonists life (who is a black male) and presents the various kinds of bias he faces. From unconscious to systematic bias as well as explicit and implicit bias, the ad also manifests contrasting perspectives through the eyes of the protagonist and antagonist.

The Talk:

The Talk is a series of short vignettes ranging from the era of Jim Crow to modern America. It targets the dangers black people have to encounter due to racial bias and prejudice, which first coexisted with segregation around the 19th-20th century. Furthermore, the short film displays the many forms of discrimination black people face as a result of the injustice, such as white washed beauty standards, bullying, exclusion from society, racial profiling and police brutality.

First Scene:

Second Scene:

Third Scene:

The Look:

The Look is an ad emphasising unconscious bias and how that is stemmed from media stereotypes, racial profiling and systemic bias. It follows a normal day of a black male and only chooses to show contemporary America, however in the campaign and website for The Look, Procter and Gamble manages to retrieve past incidents related to each setting of the film and effectively argue the connection between the early stages of segregation and the systematic bias which can lead to unconscious bias being implemented into the minds of society. The impact of this is shown in several different scenes of the film where the surrounding people all react to the black protagonist in either implicit or explicit bias, which is represented through the disgust on their face or the cautiousness towards him.

Based on the feedback I have received from my Othello Essay, I think I will be focusing on 1) drafting a plan before writing my essay so that my ideas will be organised and communicated more clearly, 2) working on answering the question more in depth and analyse the scene as well and 3) analyse quotes more closely from the chosen scene and also bring in other quotes from other scenes.

During the second CAT I think something that I struggled to do was to remember to connect it to the ideas we’ve learned in class such as identity, representation and culture as well as use the correct terminology i.e. collective identity and dominant discourse.