Literal
a. I, Alice Munson, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
b. I have completed the viewing and analyzing of 44 superhero movies dating from 1978 to present day.
Interpretive
30 hours of work alone goes into finding and viewing the movies themselves. While most the time, these movies would be watched for entertainment, with every movie I was asking myself these questions: how does it relate to the current age, was it popular (why or why not) (based on the money it made), and if I personally thought that the movie was good. So, it was more than just viewing movies, it was analyzing them to their core. Each movie has a concise review written out. This will be included in a Google Doc later this week.
Applied
One way that it helped answer my EQ, is that I had to really think about what was so appealing about some of these movies. It's no secret that the majority of these movies are horrible. There might be someone out there who liked them, but for the most part they were looked at with disdain. I had to figure out why. The major reasons are one: the writers of the movies didn't follow certain rules that the heroes had; or two: even if the writers did take the idea of the superhero to heart, there was nothing to connect the audience with the movie.
Conversely, I had to ask myself why the popular ones were so popular. The Avengers, the newest movie of them all, gained one billion dollars worldwide within its first two weeks of being in theaters. What made this movie so popular? One of the reasons is because everyone in the movie contributes some sort of connection to the audience. Thor and his quarrel with Loki represented those with familial issues, the ones striving for acceptance, and those who felt like they had been cast out. Captain America was for those who felt out of their time, for those two didn't really fit in. Ironman was for those who feel they are cast aside because they feel over-privileged and no one took them seriously when they said they wanted to help. The Hulk was the huge sensation that drew the audience in. He was a man who had gone through lengths to find who he truly was and how to control this beast inside of him. Black Widow was for all of those women who felt they were pushed aside because they were somehow perceived weak, but then came back with a fire in their hearts. All of these characters and the events that happened to these characters drew people in. That's what really helped me solidify my answers for my Essential Question.
Evidence