This is a new project I am undertaking where I will approach forms of media that are not generally respected or considered to have value outside of their fan bases or as simple entertainment, such as but not limited to videogames and anime, with an analytic eye towards the educational value they have. The same level of close reading expected in school assignments will be applied here, although presented in a somewhat more casual and brief format. Because I am coming at this from an English perspective, as well as to keep these posts as succinct as possible, I will mostly be leaving out aspects that might not apply to the theme being discussed such as game mechanics or art styles. My aim is to broaden what is seen as valuable resources in the classroom. Books have, and probably will continue, to dominate in that regard, but as has gone on other mediums have started to become integrated such as graphic novels and films. I see no reason why a newer medium like videogames as a whole should be completely ignored by the educational system. I don’t mean to say every game has value in every class, or in some cases any, but no medium does. This will be my ongoing case to advocate all the positives these rejected mediums can offer. My first topic for Close Reading with be:
A brief synopsis
Persona 4, which despite it’s title is a stand alone game and does not require you to have played the previous installments, centers on the main character, named whatever the player wishes, who goes to a small town to live with his uncle and younger cousin for a year. He attends the town’s high school and begins making friends with some students. Not long after he arrives, a bizarre murder is committed, and the victim happens to be the crush of one of his new friends. They decide to investigate, discovering a mysterious world accessed by entering TV screens filled with monstrous shadows. Through exploration of that world, it is uncovered that the killer throws his victims inside the TV as his method of murder. The only way they can be saved is if the player and his friends enter the TV world and rescuing whoever was thrown inside. In the process, though, each new character that you save who joins you on your journey must face their “shadow self,” a doppelganger that represents that character’s unique repressed or negative aspects they have of themselves. As the year goes on the group of students grows as the mystery takes turns and unfolds as they try and discover the killer’s identity, as well as what the world inside the TV really is.
What are the theme(s)?
Persona 4 has many strong themes throughout its lengthy narrative. This is one game, like others I plan on writing about later, that could be discussed at great length, but in the interest of keeping focus we will just look at one for now. That’s not to say we won’t revisit this or any other topic to explore other themes in the future. The one we will be looking at right now, however, is that of internal and external conflict. This game utilizes this theme more effectively, and with greater effect, than many more widely popular texts I have read. I believe it manages this, in part, due to the diverse nature of the fully fleshed out characters with relatable fears and doubts. Within the group of main characters, anyone would be able to identify, or at the very least empathise, with the personal demons they must face. While they are all high school students, and would therefore be easier for other students to identify with, I think the fear of feeling trapped on a set path in life, jealousy of a friend’s qualities, or not feeling comfortable in your own skin, can be applicable to anyone. Let’s look at just one character for a slightly more in depth example.
Kanji Tatsumi, a fan favorite, is the killer’s 4th attempted victim. He is first shown to the player on a news broadcast as a violent delinquent who single handedly starts fights with a biker gang who keep his mother up at night. He skips classes more than he attends them, and keeps up a tough, and self dependant demeanor at all times. Once he is thrown into the TV world, however, his shadow reveals a lot about his character. Here we get to see that the way Kanji presents himself, as an overly masculine street punk, is really just to hide his true interests in things that are more commonly associated as feminine. The player learns that Kanji’s mother owns a textile shop, and as a result, Kanji himself got quite talented at sewing. He was taunted and made fun of by other girls for doing something so “girly”, and over compensated in trying to act more masculine as a result. Being masculine became very important to Kanji’s image of what a man was supposed to be and did whatever he could to prove he was a real man, even if that meant getting into trouble, which was constantly conflicting with his love of sewing and crafts. His shadow is also represented as being homosexual, but it is left ambiguous whether or not Kanji himself is actually homosexual, or if that was just how his shadow was embodying what his own view of himself would be if he were to give up his act and accept his interests regardless of how people view them. When Kanji’s shadow is defeated, he starts trying to give up his delinquent act and becomes more open about sharing his interests as time goes on, but is still defensive about it at times.
A lot more could be said about Kanji and his internal conflicts. The topic of his sexuality alone could be a strong topic for a persuasive essay, but I’ll leave it with that one brief example for now.
Where it can be used in Education
Understanding character, and character development, are key in achieving deep levels of comprehension. In order to understand character, you need to know them inside and out. Persona 4 gives you not only the surface level of a diverse cast of characters, but also a glimpse into their fears, and secret desires. In other words, their internal struggles as people. It would not be a stretch to think that Persona 4 could be used as a complementary text, for lack of a better term, when first introducing this topic. The shadow versions of the main characters, the internal becoming external, could make the concept easier to grasp for some. One content area of English that I suspect nearly every topic written about will be applicable to, is creative writing. Character development and growth is an important aspect in that subject, and giving an exercise where students would have to write the shadow version of their main character could really help to flesh them out. Outside of the creative writing space, Persona 4 could be used for some literary analysis. With the example of Kanji I used earlier, a strong case could be made that his experience with his sexuality could be contrasted against another fictional character’s. The same could be said for all of the other characters as well.
If allowed to be the sole, or primary, piece of text for an assignment, I think it would be a waste of time listing all the areas Persona 4 could satisfy. It has just as much plot, strong characters and character development, and themes to put it at least on par with any young adult/ mystery novel.
As with every interpretation of a text, this is just my own. I would love to hear your interpretations if you’ve had the chance to play this game, or your thoughts on it having just heard the little bit I described. Is there a way you would utilize this game that I overlooked, or a flaw in my examples? Do you have any suggestions for what you’d like to see written about next, or a better way to organize how I present my writing? I would really like to start a dialog down in the comments, so respond however you like.
-J. Lennox
Some common core standards that Persona 4 can be used on its own, or as a companion text, to satisfy at a 9-10th grade levels of reading literature and writing:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1 (10.1a-10.1c) Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.6 Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
No comments:
Post a Comment