Week 9 : Cinema and Television

In this topic I will focus on cultural literacy on the cinema and television. Cultural literacy have mostly different every countries. Hirsch’s definition of Cultural Literacy is “the fund of information possessed by all competent readers belonging to a certain culture.”(Hirsch, 1987). According to Jeff Smith, the importance of Hirsch’s work on cultural literacy is not about the knowledge but rather its ability to able for us to achieve” access to our shared public discourse”(Cook, Paul G., 2009, p.495). I wish to argue cultural literacy in cinema and television represent ethical and culture in different countries.

In this journal, I wish to argue cultural literacy is vital to know in every country social life. I take High School Musical as an example. In this movie,relationship is important as students. Nowadays, musical school is popular among teenage students in United States. Life as students is fun not too pressure. So, dance is one lesson to release tension in high school. Cultural literacy, life as students in United States are enjoy and fun with dance and musical.

As stated by Richard Hoggart, (1990) on his book titled, The Uses of Literacy stated that "....the strongest argument against modern mass entertainments is not that they debase taste - debasement can be alive and active - but that they over - excite it, eventually dull it, and finally kill it....They kill it at the nerve, and yet so bemuse and persuade their audience that the audience is almost entirely unable to look up and say, 'But in fact this cake is made of sawdust'". (p.196-7).

For the conclusion, we need to know every cultural literacy in every country. Peoples will critics if cultural literacy not accepted.

References:

~Turrow, J. (2008), Media today: An introduction to Mass communication. New York: Routledge

~ Hoggart, H. (1990). The Uses of Literacy. Harmondsworth: Penguin.