Pink and Say

Pink and Say

by: Patricia Polacco

A Pentadic Analysis

As a child, I was given many books that emphasized the importance of culture and highlighted the vitality of friendship and kindness. During my childhood, one of my favorite books was Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco. This beautiful story logged the brief friendship of a black boy named Pinkus Aylee (Pink) and a white boy named Sheldon Curtis (Say). These two 15 year olds were soldiers in the Civil War from two very different backgrounds. Pink, a slave, literally fought for his freedom and Say, was a young man who was wounded while escaping from his unit during battle. Pink found Say shot and left for dead. He took Say to his house in Georgia and he and his mother, Moe Moe Bay nursed him back to health. Say was fortunate enough in his lifetime to have shaken the hand of then-President Abraham Lincoln. He one day took the hands of Pink and Moe Moe Bay and shook them. He did this to give them the opportunity to shake the hand of a man who shook Abraham Lincoln's hand. This was a very genuine and passionate moment in the book that gave both Pink and Moe Moe Bay hope for a better future. Soon after, upon the murder of Moe Moe Bay by marauders, both Pink and Say headed back to war. During this time they were both sent to a Confederate prison and are separated. As they were pulled away from each other, they grabbed for each other's hands and shared one last moment. Say went on to lead a beautiful life and raise a family. It is said that soon after their separation, Pink was hanged by the Confederate troops. This story "serves as a written memory" of him. In my opinion, this story is the perfect artifact for a pentadic analysis.

The Pentad

• The purpose of this story is to show that race is meaningless when it comes to true friendship and to commemorate the life of Pinkus Aylee.
• The act used to overcome the racial barriers was the forging of Pink and Say's friendship and Patricia Polacco telling this story commemorates Pink's life.
• The agents are Pinkus Aylee (Pink) and Sheldon Curtis (Say).
• The agencies are love, kindness, and the willingness to put race aside.
• Finally, the scenes include Civil War era, Georgia, and Pink and Moe Moe Bay's house.

RENT: No Day but Today

Criticizing the Ideologies

Ideological criticism is the type of criticism that focuses on the beliefs or ideologies of a particular artifact. Currently, this is the form of criticism that we have been studying in my rhetorical criticism class. For our assignment, we first had to choose 3 artifacts. Now, we are narrowing them down to 1 artifact and we are going to analyze them based on the methods of ideological criticism. The artifact I chose was the movie version of a Broadway hit, RENT. This musical is about more than just singing and dancing. It encompasses many ideologies such as, sexual orientation, social and economic class, anarchy and the overlying ideology of "Carpe Diem" or "Seize the day".

In the movie Rent, the 8 main characters experience plenty of good times and their fair share of hard times. Throughout the movie, many different ideologies are expressed. This culturally diverse group of friends all have different thoughts on different situations. One of those being sexual orientation. Although all of the characters are seemingly tolerant to this alternative lifestyle, it is widely known that many individuals across America are not. This is a constantly reoccurring situation in this film being that 4 out of the 8 main characters are in fact, gay.

Another belief that may be challenged in today's society are the social and economic classes depicted by the characters in this movie. The majority of the characters in this film are a part of the "squatter" community in the Alphabet City and East Village of New York City. As one can assume, they are dirt poor artists who take shelter in abandoned buildings as to avoid the obligation of paying rent. Although this does speak for the majority of the characters, some of them do have money or have come from a family with money and have successful careers in the business world. It is sometimes hard for the two subgroups to relate to one another because of this barrier. While one group feels oppressed by society's materialist adaptation of the "American Dream," the other group strives to achieve this level of social and economic hierarchy.

Thirdly, there is the ever present belief of anarchy. This ideology focuses on the lack of government or a governing body. In this alternate reality, one believes that the world would be better off if each individual had the freedom to dictate themselves. This movie clearly shows that the characters are not very fond of authority. For example, one of the characters, Tom Collins, was terminated from his position as an instructor at MIT for his theory of actual reality and his teachings of anarchy. Another example of anarchy in this film is the protest that the character Maureen has to fight the oppression of the new owners of the buildings that her friends live in. Her protest and its attendees have a clear hostility towards any system of superiority.

Finally, there is the overlying ideology of "Carpe Diem" or "Seize the day". This optimistic outlook has a still, looming presence through the storyline of this movie. Even through the struggles of poverty, fighting addiction, and living with a disease in which you body attacks itself, these people still find a way to live every day to its fullest potential. They often mention the phrase, "No day but today". It is obvious that this phrase has given hope to this dynamic group of people. This ideology in particular shines light on the dark situations that they deal with on a daily basis. It is these beliefs in never letting an opportunity pass you by that leaves the theater in the hearts of every member of the audience and inspires a generation of hopeful youth to stand up and against any obstacle.

3 Artifacts That Could Be Analyzed Using Methods of Ideological Criticism

3 Artifacts That Could Be Analyzed Using Methods of Ideological Criticism

The first artifact that I would like to analyze using methods of ideological criticism is movie version of a VERY popular Broadway play, RENT. I have chosen this particular film as an artifact because the lifestyle choices of the characters in this film are very interesting. For instance, these people have chosen the bohemian lifestyle which includes squatting in the abandoned buildings of the Alphabet City and East Village in New York City. This is one of many aspects of this movie/culture I would like to explore.

Another artifact that can be analyzed using these methods is the show Criminal Minds. I'm sure this choice seems crazy but I would chose this because of this shows unique method of catching the "bad guys"! Unlike most crime shows, Criminal Minds focuses on the behavioral aspects of the criminals. The Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) if the FBI are the team responsible for creating a behavioral and physical profile for the serial killers and catching them because of their ability to "think like a killer" and anticipate the next move of the killer.

Finally, the third item that I have chosen to analyze using methods of ideological criticism is my all-time favorite movie The Color Purple!! I have chosen this movie because of its story of struggle between a woman and a man, the struggles between blacks and whites, and the struggle of overcoming all obstacles. One prime example is when Celie, the main character, decides to break away from the tyrannical rule of her husband Mister. After all of the abuse she endured throughout the course of this film, she finally stands up for herself by saying no to his oppression and overall mind control. I believe that the way that Mister successfully controls the mind of Celie is interesting and worth some critical investigation.