Papers by Michael Arthur Soares
English Journal, 2020
A veteran teacher argues that dystopian texts are urgently needed to help students to conceive a ... more A veteran teacher argues that dystopian texts are urgently needed to help students to conceive a "brave new world.
Illinois English Bulletin, 2017
brave new pedagogy: critical analysis, selection and implementation of dystopian text in the seco... more brave new pedagogy: critical analysis, selection and implementation of dystopian text in the secondary classroom michael a. soares "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face-forever." George Orwell, 1984 The Defamiliarized Zone "Mr. Soares, can we read the The Hunger Games?" Sometimes it's Divergent or The Maze Runner. It used to be The Giver, and with the current dystopian text craze still in force, it is sure to be any number of different genre novels in the coming years. I hear the question every semester and I generally evade. Of course, I will make an attempt to meet the students halfway, offering to teach the text if students are willing to
The Journal of Popular Culture, 2020
The Journal of Popular Culture, 2023
I believe in second chances, I believe in redemption, but, mostly, I believe in my friends. Super... more I believe in second chances, I believe in redemption, but, mostly, I believe in my friends. Superman ("Wake the Dead," Justice League Unlimited) Legacy Actors in a Meta-Franchise I N THE RICHARD DONNER-DIRECTED 1978'S SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, Kirk Alyn makes a brief uncredited appearance as General Sam Lane, father of Lois Lane. Alyn holds a prominent place in Superman media lore as the first person to perform the caped hero on screen, appearing in two film serials released by Columbia Pictures in 1948 and 1950. Alyn (uncredited in these productions as well) set precedence, along with Noel Neil as Lois Lane, for how Superman characters transitioned from comic book renderings to live-action performances. Superman: The Movie strives to distill the then-forty-year history of the character and literally begins with the image of a comic book being opened before launching into the opening credits of the live-action film; therefore, it is significant when Alyn, along with Neil portraying Ella Lane, Lois's mother, appears in the landmark Donner production. Ian Gordon argues, "If baby-boomers remembered Superman fondly and claimed him as their own, the movie version of the late 1970 s and early 1980 s gave them a chance to relive those memories and introduce their children to the character" (185).
The Journal of Popular Culture, 2015
People from all over America-from all over the world-who went to the city to live the lives they ... more People from all over America-from all over the world-who went to the city to live the lives they wanted, to be the people they wanted to be. That's the idea America was founded on. But it's not just for people born here. It's for everyone. And it's for people like me.. ." (Superman 711). "'Truth, justice, and the American way'-it's not enough anymore. The world's too small. Too connected" (Action Comics 900). "About as American as it Gets" I N 1978, SUPERMAN, STARRING CHRISTOPHER REEVE, BECAME A BLOCKBUSTER FILM, thrusting Superman onto the world stage with a force previously unachieved. For decades, a uniquely American character, complete with a "melting pot" immigration story, Superman always represented what was "super" about what many Americans considered the nation's superior cultural approach to basic human justice. Always a reflection of the times, Superman over the last seventy-five years has shifted both in persona and mission, evolving with each generation to match the domestic mood. However, the hero's increasingly global platform has complicated his story even as America's role as the lone, and perhaps declining, superpower and interconnected world events alter both the image of the nation and its superhero. Although Superman remains a symbol of American exceptionalism, his international image challenges his mission at home and exposes his gravitation toward more global pursuits. The end of the Cold War, for example, was previewed by the plot of Superman IV, which found Superman saving Russians and seeking to rid the world of nuclear weapons. Another such evolutionary leap followed the tragedy on September 11, 2001, resulting in a Superman who in Action Comics 900 is willing to engage a complex conversation about not just the paradigm of his adopted homeland, but a more sophisticated understanding of the negotiation of cultures that are increasingly borderless. Similarly, while 2013's Man of Steel finds the Superman character reassuring his audience that he is "about American as it gets," his actions to spare the Earth from alien conquest find their inspiration in far more than his sense of justice bred in the American Heartland upbringing. They also spring from his recently recovered Kryptonian heritage. For Superman, being American is not enough, and only his articulation of identity in both cultures provides him with the tools to rescue the planet.
Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 2016
Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, 2014
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Papers by Michael Arthur Soares