4 - Khiem D. : Call Home: An Analysis of Hotline Miami

 

Call Home: An Analysis of Hotline Miami

Hotline Miami was an indie game released in 2012, published by Devolver Studios and developed by Dennaton Games. In the game you follow Jacket (yes that’s his name) as he unravels his memories and mysterious phone calls driving him to massacre the russian mob in late 1980s Miami. Jacket is a fairly mysterious figure and much of his characterization is decrypted by details of his journey such as his willingness to go out and murder hundreds of russian mobsters being rooted towards the history of his world. To truly understand him we must understand the environment as revealed by the game and its sequel as it contextualizes his actions and the type of man he is. Hotline Miami takes place in an alternate timeline where the events of the Cold War are escalated to say the least as now the war has Russia occupying the Hawaiian islands where we see the first chronological point of Jacket’s journey. He is a part of an elite unit called the Ghost Wolves, where he is sent on escalating risky missions each time coming out victorious. Much of these missions he “interacts” with his unit, especially Beard (again yes that’s his name), who is implied to be his best friend. As the missions stack on we understand at least at this point where his prowess came from and with each mission finished we see his relationship with the team and Beard especially built up. That is until his final suicide mission where they must take on an entire powerplant with no backup. Against all odds him and his unit make it through until the plant is put on lockdown and so they quickly rush to an exit to which an enemy IED is set off, halving one of the squadmates as well as severely wounding him. Beard would then carry him out of the plant and the day is narrowly won and they are sent home. Jacket would call home in Miami while Beard lived in San Francisco until the morning of 1986 while they were on a phone call, Beard along with San Francisco would be reduced to ashes, ending the war.

We now come back to present time and see how these effects have changed Jacket as we know him in the first game. From the summary we can determine that he is obviously driven, whether or not he is aware of it by a largely anti-russian sentiment as no sane person would continue day in and day out slaughtering people left and right no matter how evil. But there lies some more clues as he was written to be a sociopath as confirmed by the writers which justifies how he is able to dehumanize his foes so easily, perhaps shaped by the war as high proficiency in violence is often caused by an innate lack of morality or conscience on Jacket’s end. In the game we see many events and details like how he obsessively collects newspaper clippings of his escapades like a serial killer or the dreamlike sequences where he talks to voices in his head. Simply put, Jacket is a character of great discussion as many facets are left ambiguous to the point where I have literally run out of words to discuss any further in this blog post, but if you are interested a simple search will yield many video essays on him and the series as a whole, and with that I bid you adieu.

Word Count: 578

3 - Charlene H: Mirabel Madrigal And Her Gift of Empathy

 

Media Analysis

In the 2021 Disney movie Encanto, Mirabel Madrigal is the only one in her family without magical powers. Because of her lack of a gift, her family never truly appreciates her and treats her as less useful. She is imperfect in a supposedly perfect family.

Even though Mirabel is regarded as the black sheep of the family, she does not hate her family. She even supports them in the gifts that they have. Rather, she hates feeling different and longs to have a sense of belonging to her family. She wants to be taken seriously and be recognized by the people she loves. Though she does not have a gift, she tries hard to prove her worth, especially to her grandmother and the matriarch of the family, Abuela Alma. Unfortunately, Abuela accuses Mirabel of trying to ruin the family. When this happens, the two have an argument, and Mirabel points out Abuela's high expectations that have caused inner turmoil for her and her sisters.

Mirabel feels like she isn’t enough, and she is aware of how disappointing that can be. Having a strong sense of her insecurities, she wants to make sure that others do not feel the same way that she does. She loves people for their quirks and traits, and she hopes that they can express themselves without any constraints or unrealistic expectations. As she does not have a gift, this gives her a unique perspective on her family’s gifts, and she uses this perspective to help her family understand their abilities in different ways. She even tries to bring out the best in them. For example, she comforts her cousin Antonio before and during his ceremony. Mirabel also strengthens her relationships with her two sisters after learning that Luisa feels worthless when she isn’t productive and after helping Isabela break free from the pressures of being perfect. Mirabel also gets her uncle Bruno to reunite with the rest of the Madrigals, and she helps her cousin Dolores find love.

Throughout the movie, it becomes clear that strong familial bonds are what drive the miracle of the family’s magical powers and their living house. The more divisive that the family gets, the more that their magic fades. The only way that this can be fixed is when the family gets along, especially through effective communication. Mirabel is the key in bringing her family together, since she knows how to talk about and even resolve deep-rooted problems within the family. She causes her family to recognize what defines their character: how they learn to adapt and stay confident in what they do. By making them realize that gifts and expectations should not define them, not only does she help them reach their full potential, but it also demonstrates the most important ability of all: empathy. Empathy builds connections, unity, tolerance, and understanding. Empathy is what helps Mirabel’s family grow stronger.

Overall, the whole movie embraces those who may feel inferior in the environments that they are in. While Mirabel struggles with feeling like she doesn’t fit in, she still continues to be herself even when it doesn’t align with what people expect of her. Her journey to acceptance and self-discovery teaches the lesson that it is okay to not be perfect or special in the ways that society would want a person to be.

Word Count: 555

3 - Blu M: Passing Notes? Worth It.

 Day after day, more and more people become reliant on the technology that we know in modern times. With the tap of a finger, you are now able to send a lengthy message to anyone you desire, and that exact message can be copied to hundreds of people in your contact list, over and over again. You think to yourself “wow, that will make them smile” and it probably will. However, sending a digital message will always be one-upped by its “outdated” counterpart. Handwritten notes. A handwritten note still holds the same value in modern times because it shows the recipient how much you truly care, as well as gives the person a true memory of what you have said. 

To put it simply, the art of writing has been diminishing for several years, and it’s a shame. Before touchscreen phones and even keyboard devices existed, people depended on their voices, pens, and paper to communicate. This previous interaction would be much more personal and intimate, but now that’s not the case. Mindlessly tapping away at a bright screen, you can say whatever you want now, and with the tap of a single arrow button, someone can receive a message. There is a lack of meaning behind digital communication. When you give someone a handwritten note, it proves that you put a lot of consideration into what you’ve had to say. Recently, I actually got into an argument with one of my best friends, and we were butting heads constantly over text. I thought things were done for good, but I took the time to personally deliver them a handwritten letter that was a lengthy page long. In short, they cried and we reconciled. Our miscommunication was resolved all thanks to that lovely handwritten note. Meaningful. Memorable. Physical. If handwritten notes didn’t hold any significance now, our friendship would still be soiled to this day. 

Even more, when you text someone, things just aren’t as memorable. I for one, rarely remember even the most important things from texting, but I will remember a silly picture of a capybara wearing a donut that my friend just happened to send me. Even though my texting apps catalogue everything that my friends and I have said to each other, I won’t necessarily remember even a single thing. However, when giving someone a handwritten note, the chances that they remember what you’ve said will improve. Handwritten notes stand out from the digital world we live in every single day. When texting or emailing, the meaning behind our words are taken for granted, thus becoming something that’s just excused as soon as a conversation is over. When one receives a handwritten note, they’ll feel the true meaning behind what you have to say, and remember that moment indefinitely. Truly, a physical message holds a higher significance than a mindless message built of pixels.

Even though technology progresses more and more each day, old fashioned practices like handwriting notes should still hold the same meaning that they did years ago. While many may see it as a waste of their time, these messages will continue to have much more meaning than that of a phone. Of course, people will continue to submit to their devices like remotes do to a single TV, however, they should recognize that handwritten messages aren’t meaningless and should still hold a high regard in society nowadays.

These all include a handwritten note, and I keep them where I can see them! (Thank you family and friends :D) I cherish them all, and I have others around my place!

Word Count: 565

3 - Lilly T: Happiness, But at What Cost?

 

Yuki Yoshikawa - Horimiya

    Yuki Yoshikawa is a character that is usually shown as a happy and bubbly person who can create a warm and cheerful atmosphere for those who are close to her. She is often seen smiling and is a very sociable person. However, Yuki’s smile is her way of hiding her negative emotions in front of others. Rather than focusing on her jealousy, Yuki tries to be a good person instead. She also tends to think the more she wants something, the less she should talk about it if she wants to keep it. Yuki’s personality represents what a happy world would feel like, at the cost of your own happiness.

Word Count: 110

3 - Alejandro M: The 3 Lives of Plastic Bottles

Before you know some of the paths plastic bottles take after being used, you have to first know how they are made. The plastic being used is formed by chemically bonding oil and gas molecules together to make monomers, which are then bonded into long polymer chains to make plastic in the form of millions of pellets. They are then made into whatever you want it to be, like a plastic bottle. We then throw them away so carelessly, without even thinking about what happens to the bottles afterwards.

Path number one a bottle can take is it ending up in a landfill, like many of the other trash in this world. These dumps of trash just keep on piling up, as there are no other things you can do with it, and begin to absorb rainwater when it begins to rain. This rainwater absorbs into the plastic bottle and becomes leachate, water that is combined with these plastic particles. They begin to poison ecosystems and harm wildlife for so long, as it can take one bottle 1000 years to decompose.

Path number two is easily as harmful to the environment as number one. It can float into a stream that then reaches all the way to the ocean into a massive vortex where trash accumulates. The ocean currents trap all the garbage around this area into this one spot. Here, animals begin to be harmed by this oceanic garbage dump, by either being entangled in the mess or by eating it as they might think that it’s their own food. Most of these plastics don’t break down completely and just end up becoming micro plastics, which can rotate around the ocean forever.

Bottle number three is what many people should hope their bottle ends up being. This bottle is picked up by a recycling truck, which will then lead it to the recycling center. Here, the plastic is shredded into tiny pieces, which are washed and melted, to become plastic once again. That right there is recycling. This bottle can now become something else that can help us out in the future. 

Therefore, if you want to do something to help the environment without actually doing too much, then you should do something as easy as throwing your plastic bottles into the recycling bin so that it can be recycled into something new, and so it won’t kill the environment.

Word Count: 401

 

3- Antonio L. : Handwritten Cards

 A Pen & Its Ink 

When it comes to discussing handwritten cards and its value on the internet, we have to find something from the internet to compare it to. I'll be using digitally made business cards as one example. The two are very similar, however, one is made from a machine, easily modifiable, made with little to no errors, and can be easily replicated. This is a description of the digitally made card as people sacrifice doing the work themselves for having more options being displayed for them, and making big changes with the click of a mouse. 

    The handwritten card is nothing or sometimes similar to the digitally made card (depending on the skill of the person making them). It takes thought, error, and no initial ideas coming from a computer or device giving options to use. All of it's less than better upon description, but it has one very important feature, uniqueness. No one can replicate one another as everyone has their own ways and styles. 

    Another way to look at this is with art. Digital art takes the same amount of dedication to make as does standard art. The problem is the mindset of people on the internet, and wanting to take credit for things they want to have the ability to do. For example, one person can post a really good digital drawing on the internet, but someone who likes it may copy that exact drawing and take credit for it, without actually doing any of the work the original artist did, and sometimes they remove proof showing the original creator. And instead of apologizing for taking credit, the thief will begin shaming them for "copying" them. This builds a problem with credibility. 

    This problem isn't present in handwritten art, one example of this is the Mona Lisa. People can replicate it and say that "they own it", but Da Vinci's style was unique, and it's hard to copy others. Plus not many people can actually replicate the Mona Lisa, and when people use a picture of the Mona Lisa, they don't say that they made it, because that would be forgery.

    Laws make sure people don't get away with copying historical art and documents, but for all art, signatures are used to credit the original user, as signatures themselves are also very unique for every person. 

    In short, handwritten cards represent a refusal to our ongoing change in the modern day of digital work. This refusal to change allows these cards to possess more value than the copy-paste digital work seen on the internet (I'm looking at you NFTs). Handwritten means that it has to be made by YOUR hands, and even if it's very similar to another person's work, it's still unique exclusively to you. People can say they own digital artwork, but if you ask them to bring up a video or proof of them making the art, there'll be silence. If you show a handwritten card, it gains value as it's not something you can screenshot, nor claim as your own, but it's something made with your own pen and its ink.

 

Word count: 516

3- Krishna C. "Hope is not a Strategy"

“Hope is not a strategy”. That is a quote that relates to my life very closely. I’m not saying

that hoping for something you can’t control is wrong. Although if you are using hope as a strategy

for something you can control, I see a problem with that. Hoping for something you can control is

natural, it gives you the feeling that you are doing something in a situation that you have no

control over. In situations you can control, hope should not be one of your strategies because

it is taking the blame off of you and putting it on bad luck. Also if you fail at something or it doesn’t

go the way you wanted it too, you should know that you tried as hard as you could.

3 - Khiem D. : Cryophobia: an analysis of the Cold

 

Cryophobia: An Analysis of The Cold

The cold is something we often take lightly, a constant in life, an absence of energy in physics, a force of preservation. To Build A Fire by Jack London is a 16 page book about the cold, and a man slowly dying as a product of his hubris, one we share much too often. As strange as it sounds the story is one of horror, not of a being but of a concept, one we can learn from. “Fifty degrees below zero meant 80 degrees of frost. Such facts told him that it was cold and uncomfortable, and that was all,” only two pages in, our protagonist, trekking in the Yukon is presented with an obstacle to which he brushes off, mind you blood freezes at 31࿁ F, yet he presses on. Then another presents itself, clear and life threatening in the environment, his leg falls through the ice, yet once again he brushes it off believing in his experience, his ability to build a fire. So he would successfully, even had time to gather some extra kindling as well, then like a malicious entity yet, the heat from the fire would cause snow from a branch over the fire to fall, smothering it immediately. Once again the man is not phased and quickly cobbles together another fire, but as he goes to light it he would find that his hands had frozen shut. As the situation closes on him he would fiddle with it until he would light all of them, every red nip of the matches blaze alight as he clasps them. In that moment relief set in, even as his hands could not feel, even if he knew his flesh burns, he had survived and he plops it in the kindling. Fire, his saving grace, but in his hurry he would make his final mistake, in clearing some wet plant from the fire he would, with shivering trembling hands knock it too much, and like that his fate was sealed.

There is more to the book relating to his thoughts about murdering his animal companion to warm what little remained, but he as his energy drained, he would fall asleep, but if it hadn’t been made clear the lesson is one of overconfidence. In the face of what seems to a malicious entity, the cold is frighteningly unrelenting, unphased, and grimly omnipresent. From what we know, when the final star dies in the universe, the only one left will be the cold, the absence of. It is one of great interest just as much as the main character as it holds such a hold in horror from the enclosed Overlook Hotel from the shining to the research center in The Thing as it does not discriminate, it will trap both monsters and men, truly harrowing as it is absent from mind. A character with no face, just on par with the protagonist of this horror story, acts in many ways, and like our protagonist demonstrates, should not and will not be ignored. 

505 words

3 - Lucas V: Do you think handwritten cards still have value in this digital age?

     

    With having technology around, many people don’t handwrite cards as much because they can just easily text someone far away with their phones. I think that there is still value in handwritten cards because it’s something physical and one that someone can remember. Having to handwrite cards and send them through the mail is special because it shows that person your penmanship and how good it is. Whether it’s just a birthday/Christmas card or a postcard, this would show how much work you put into that one card and it brings out the creativity inside you. I still handwrite cards to friends and family that live far away. Usually, when I do, I would send them through the mail and that person usually sends one back. Those cards I keep forever because it is very unique and they don’t really go away. I have some postcards from my friend that lives on the East coast and I put them up on my wall because when I look at them they bring back happy memories of them. 

    With having digital cards or just text, it doesn’t really stick in my memory because it’s just a bunch of words that are automatically formatted with the same font over and over again. These just aren’t the same as the joy of getting mail that was to you from a friend or family member. Having that physical paper and the ink of a pen, makes it feel like you can imagine them writing with the imprints on the card. Hopefully, as time goes on more and more people will do this as the younger generation will stick to texting. All I know is that I will keep this handwriting tradition alive because I think it’s fun and it’s something that I enjoy.