Differentiations

Perusing the friendly confines of Renee Hobbs' Reading the Media, I stumbled upon Chapter Five, a chapter discussing the representation of different genders and opinions through the media. One of the first things that struck out to me was this line: "All media texts are 're-presentations' of reality" (74). One may not think of the media as such, but everything you read or see or listen to is an attempt from someone to influence your thinking or perception about a certain topic. This can be a real 1984 thought if you are one to give into conspiracy theory, but for the sane it brings to realization a sobering thought. Even now I am listening to Metallica sing about faded rock stars. On the surface, it doesn't mean much but when I really look into it, Papa Het is warning me not to take fame for granted and that even those that are great will indeed fade. Enter Percy Bysshe Shelley's Ozymandias here ("My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings, / Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!" (10-11)).
The point of that last passage, other than referencing a pretty sweet poem, is that everything we read is telling us something and even something as 'brainless' as a Metallica song (which is something I most certainly would not agree with) can have the relevance of a poem by a revered author such as Shelley (take your pick as to which one).
Speaking of which, Hobbs also talks about Frankenstein and the media's portrayal of the oft-misunderstood creature. If you have taken ENG 356 with Dr. Alwes, you may have read Frankenstein and if you did, you have seen her Frankenberry box. Being a child in the 90's, I most certainly have consumed a box or two and laughed at the silly monster on the box. And like most people that had never read Frankenstein, I was expecting to hear Mad Scientist Dr. Frankenstein summon Igor and shout It's ALIVE! But alas, I was surprised to see that the creature was not some beast under the control of Victor, but so repulsive that Victor was sick for months after his creation. In the book, I honestly felt bad for the monster; what kind of life can you lead when you are hated by everyone- especially the one who created you? Anyway, when they made the movies, they took an excellent story and made it into something that would make money; the bane of everything good in the world. Apologies for my tangential rantings, I have a point buried here somewhere. What I am trying to say is that Shelley used the Monster and his birth to be symbols whereas Hollywood used them as cash cows. Sometimes beautiful ideas are woefully misrepresented and sadly most people will never know the author's true intentions.