Reflective Essay #3

Reflective Essay #3

            After reading through some of my classmates’ blogs and pondering more about superheroes I came up with the question, are superheroes great role models or influences for younger children? I know in a few of our readings this question has come up and even in our class discussions this topic has been talked about briefly. I came up with this question or thought, because of all the violence that is put into superhero comics, movies, etc. To me, I love superheroes and everything they stand for but I think the violence maybe too much for younger audiences. In my opinion, I think the fighting and violence causes problems for young children and it might influence them to become violent because their favorite superhero is. I do not think that superheroes should be rid of, I just think that children should not be the targeted audience in the comics, books, movies, cartoons, etc.

            As a child growing up, I loved watching Batman and all the superheroes so much that I made it a habit to watch them as much as possible. Most of the toys I had growing up were Batman, Spiderman, or Superman. I also had several t-shirts that had superheroes on them as well. I loved watching Batman and Robin so much that I acted out their parts with my brother and my friends. We loved playing games that involved us playing the parts of our favorite superheroes. At times we would get into it so much that one of my friends actually got punched in his eye. The fighting that is included in many of the superhero stories is what concerns me the most. Do we want our children reenacting these fighting scenes that might get them hurt or better yet allow them to think that behavior is acceptable? My point in this paper is that I love superheroes, but I think we should not introduce our children or any child to superheroes until they are older.

            I think once children are old enough to distinguish between right and wrong then we can bring superheroes into their lives. At this point, we can teach them that what Batman or Superman is doing is done for a reason and not just for fun. I think also this would help our children to not be as violent as they get older. As I stated before, I grew up loving superheroes, but cartoons and movies are a lot different now than they were when we were little. I think to help reduce the violence among children at a young age we need to cut it out until they are old enough to understand. Superheroes play a big role in how most of us grew up, but the violence and fighting is going to become a problem if we just let our children watch it.

Reflective Essay #2

Matt Batton

Dr. Harrison

Reflections

Reflective Essay #2

2/6/2012

Reflective Essay #2

            Do you ever wonder what it would be like to have a secret identity? You could have another side of you that nobody knows about except yourself. Clark Kent and Superman, Bruce Wayne and Batman, or Peter Parker and Spiderman and many other superheroes had secret identities that helped protect themselves as well as those they loved. This secret identity allowed them to walk amongst people without ever being noticed. What do you think it would be like if you had a secret identity? What if you had a secret identity, but you did not know about it? As we have talked about in class, many of us have dual personalities to satisfy those in our lives that important to us. For instance, I am a son, a brother, a boyfriend, and a teammate along with many other labels. How I act when I am around those individuals is different from each other. When I am around my parents, I am respectful, well mannered, and entertaining. However, when I am around my brother I am entertaining but I also set a role model standard for myself to set for him. As a teammate, I am more aggressive and motivational. I push myself and my teammates to be the best they can be as well as give all they possibly can. As a boyfriend, I am generous, entertaining, and loving. Some of my traits I carry from personality to personality, because I see how they work out in some situations and I try to apply them in other situations when I need to. I find this interesting, because I notice that some superheroes tend to do this as well. They allow their personal life get involved with their secret identity and that is when they start to get into trouble. In a way, these different personalities make up who I am, but they also give me a secret identity when it comes to who I am around. I think myself and others tend to do this, because you want to fit in and get along with those you are around, so you adapt who you are to help fit in. Even though we do not have super powers, we do have “secret” identities. The way we act around others is different depending on whom we are with. With that being said, I like to think of us as superheroes without super powers.

Reflective Essay #1

Matt Batton

Dr. Harrison

INTG 323

Reflective Paper

1/30/11

  Reflective Essay #1

            When you were younger, did you ever have an idol? Someone that you looked up to and idolized or someone that you wish you could become at any point in time. I did. When I was younger, I idolized Batman. While thinking about the different superheroes to do this paper on, I keep coming back to the thought of Batman. I think that is because ever since I was a kid, Batman has always been my favorite superhero. I am not quite sure what draws or attracts me to the idea of him, but I might have a clue. When I was a kid, I always used to watch the Batman cartoons and movies. After watching these cartoons and movies for so long, I just fell in love with the idea of him. I loved Batman so much, my parents would go out and buy me Batman toys, clothes, and costumes all the time. Anything and everything that I had that dealt with a superhero always had Batman on it. As I got older, I started becoming more interested in Batman and everything involving him. I liked the story of how Batman came to be, the villains, Robin, and everything else. I loved Batman so much that since his suit was black, my favorite color became black. There is several reasons behind why I am attracted to Batman, but I think the main reason I like him so much is because he does not have super powers. One memory that comes to mind when I think of Batman is the encounter I had just like him. In the movies, Bruce Wayne or Batman has an encounter with a bat when he was a young kid. When I was little, a bat got into our chimney and started flying around the house until my dad killed it. Ever since then, whenever I think of Batman I think of that one memory. When I think of Batman, I also think about all the villains that he encounters in the different television shows and movies. Another reason I like Batman so much, because he is not always about violence. By imagining “What Would Batman Do”, I think I would be able to help solve and end a lot of disputes without violence. Batman to me is about justice for those who do wrong and protection for those who are in danger or need protection. I think by being fair and justice in all my decisions in life and protecting those that I feel I need to be protected, I would be like Batman when I get older.