Question: Does
the author consider opposing points of view? Does the author seem to treat
sources fairly?
Noah Berlatsky,
author of “Twilight vs Hunger Games: Why Do So Many Grown Ups Hate Bella” considers
both sides of Hunger Games’ main
character Katniss and Twilight’s
Bella. Both characters are very different in the roles they play. Both characters
are very different in the roles they play. Bella is in an internal fight for
passion, lust, and unser of her insicurities while occasionally being thrown
into the middle of confrontations involving her vampire boyfriend. Katniss, on
the other hand, is fighting an evil government to save her home and family. One
seems a little more noble and understanding than the other, right? The author
makes this point very apparent when he says, “Bella’s boyfriend dumps her and
she spends most of an entire book in a deep, infuriating depression.” The
author focuses on Bella’s emotional side, but when he describes Katniss, he
paints a very different picture. For example, Berlatsky says, “…Katniss: an
extremely competent, tomboyish young woman who is athletic, focused,
responsible, and able to take care of herself.” My problem with this article is
the fact that the author dosen’t seem to treat both sources fairly. Besides the
fact that the author admits to not reading any of the Twilight books, Berlatsky
never takes into consideration the types of backgrounds Bella and Katniss come
from. Katniss is from an underprivileged district where she must hunt for her
food and provide for her family at an early age. Bella on the other hand comes
from a suburban life and goes to high school. Two very different backgrounds
will almost always produce a different person because we are a product of our
reality.
I agree with you Cesar that the author paints each character in very different lights. In my opinion however, the author states characteristics that are prevalent in both characters. I concur with the author when he says Bella is clumsy and girly while Katniss is more athletic and able to take care of herself. Having read both series I have no issue in how Berlatsky describes the two characters. I think the author did a decent job in being for to both especially at the end of the piece. He state that Katniss has power but no desire and Bella has desire but no power. Going on to infer that each of them have their faults and ultimately want and need different things. Like you said people from two different backgrounds will make to much different people.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with you when you say that they come from completely different backgrounds. Of course they're going to act differently, they were raised in completely different time periods and areas. That's what frustrated me the most about the article. I feel like Berlatsky ignores that fact. I also think that Berlatsky was a bit biased towards Katniss. I know that we have discussed how being completely without bias is basically nonexistent, but I feel like the author leaned one way just a little too far. I did like how the author brought up different types of feminism and how they think and act. That was very interesting and it brought into light a few perspectives.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the different backgrounds they are enclosed in. Due to the backgrounds they have different roles they have to fulfill. Katniss is from a post-apocalyptic world where it is thrown into chaos and in order to survive you have to fight to the death. I personally understand that the situation you are given determines who somebody is, and in this case it is Katniss by being masculine, dangerous, cunning, and political. I really do not know much about Bella, but from the reading she is a teenage girl who lives in a modern landscape, who is trying to find love. She is a girly girl, and Berlatsky describes Bella as “stereotypically girly.” I agree that the author does not take into account the different situations both are thrown into. He has not read the Twilight books and does not have the full understanding of Bella and her characteristics.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cesar in that both characters are very different, in many ways than just masculinity or femininity, the author of “Twilight vs Hunger Games: Why Do So Many Grown Ups Hate Bella” considers both opposing points on how these main characters behave, and treats them both fairly, explaining the reasoning behind each of his major points in why more people dislike Bella while everyone loves Katniss. Noah Berlatsky knows that each character has their own desires, strengths, weaknesses, and he gives both sides the attention they need in order to come up with a legitimate argument that Katniss is favored more by people than Bella is.
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