Ideological Analysis: On the Shallow Hal bus

At the beginning of class on Tuesday, September 3rd, students who read every word of the ideological analysis of "On this bus" (the homework assignment) were asked to take five minutes to comment on it.  Students who did not read every word of the homework assignment were asked to begin reading it.  After this writing assignment was collected, Dr. Benton informed students that if they do not complete a reading/summary-writing assignment before class they need to send him an e-mail after they have done the reading in order to avoid getting a zero.  The e-mail should include a 5-minute summary of the text.  Students who miss class are responsible for finding out what assignments they missed and for coming by Dr. Benton's office to pick up handouts, if necessary  (Faust 155, open from 1-5 M-F and by appointment).  Dr. Benton mentioned that all the homework assignments given so far would be listed on the course website (we've had four so far).

Rosa Parks (in dark coat) waits to board a bus at the end of the Montgomery bus boycott, December 26, 1956. Photo: Don Cravens/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

Dr. Benton then separated students into five groups, each of which discussed the characteristics of the ideological analysis.  Ambassadors from each group added bullet points generated by their group to the whiteboard.  In the ensuing discussion, we talked about how aesthetic analysis focuses on the words on the page, whereas ideological analysis focuses on the relationship between the words on the page and the social and cultural context that gives them meaning.  Both aesthetic analysis and ideological analysis may refer to other texts written by the same author or to texts written by other authors by way of contrast or comparison, but each has a different focus. Aesthetic analysis focuses on the emotional effects the author's stylistic choices may have on readers; ideological analysis focuses on the message, or philosophy, of the text.

Rosa Parks at the front of the bus

In our discussion of the ideological analysis of "On this bus," we talked about the significance of the bus as a cultural site in the post-Civil Rights era.  Specifically, we talked about Rosa Parks's symbolic refusal to go to the back of the bus and how the Supreme Court's ruling in the Brown vs. Board of Education case called the nation's attention to buses as places that mix races.  Caleb pointed out that to today's students segregation seems foolish and future generations make look at some of our current social beliefs and find them foolish.

We also talked about how ideological analysis notes the ways a text affirms or challenges conventional, traditional or stereotypical beliefs, views and associations.  In this context, we discussed how, according to the critic, "On this bus" affirms:

a) the value of overlooked people, who ride buses and use public transportation;
b) the view that we share life struggles;
c) the value of shared vulnerability.

The same affirmations, inverted, may be seen as challenging:

a) the superiority of the rich, powerful and successful, who drive their own cars;
b) the view that we are all hopelessly isolated;
c) the value of our demonstrated strength.

When making these observations about what a text affirms and challenges, the critic does not necessarily have to weigh in on whether he or she agrees with these ideological alignments.

We ended the class watching two clips from the 2001 comedy Shallow Hal starring Jack Black. Some students who had seen the film before summarized for others.  Dr. Benton then described the opening scene of the film (which we did not watch) and explained how it make comic use of the stereotypical image of preachers as models of virtue and restraint by depicting Jack's (morphine-addled ) father as foul-mouthed and shallow.

We then attempted an aesthetic analysis of two scenes we subsequently watched in which Hal is "hypnotized" by Tony Robbins and another in which the effect of the hypnosis is revealed.  We considered the emotional effect the scenes seemed intended to have on viewers (answer:  humor with some sympathy for the main character) and then went on to talk about the specific aspects of the scenes that were intended to produce that effect.  Dillon pointed out that we laugh at Hal's "painful lack of awareness."  He seems unaware, for example, that if the beautiful women he is pursuing used the same shallow criteria to judge him that he uses to judge other women, he would have no chance for success any of them, since his body type is not what is conventionally considered beautiful, and his dancing is socially awkward as well.  As Ammishadai pointed out, Hal is a "3" and he is going after a "10."

Turning to the question of an ideological analysis of the scenes, we noted that the humor we find in Hal's misguided attempts to hook up with supermodels implicitly endorses the kind of shallowness that Hal is, presumably, condemned for demonstrating.  In other words, while we laugh at Hal for focusing on the physical appearance of the women, we also laugh at him for overlooking his own physical appearance. When we laugh at Hal, are we not also being shallow?

Ammishadai noted that Hal's shallowness is normalized to an extent--that is, we don't think it is so strange--because it takes place in a club as opposed to, say, a therapy group (for an example of that, see About a Boy).  Because it is normalized, we may not notice it.

As Caleb noted, the film addresses some of the same issues that we see in "On this bus."  While the superficial quality of clothes is noted in "On this bus," Shallow Hal notes the superficiality of body types.

Homework:
Read the personal essay response to "On this bus."

Leah Whaley contributed to this report.