Puns & Wordplay:
Taking the well-known story "Beauty and Beast", Justin Bieber puts a spin on it and contemporizes it: the setting isn't some castle on the outskirts of rural village but a nightclub. And the story isn't about a beauty and a "beast", but a beauty and a "beat." As an added plus and with a bit of a smirk, you're left wondering if Bieber is the beast who's on the prowl for a beauty in the club.
Swift's song, which I love for its playfulness and sassiness, has that refrain of "wee-eeee!", a sound of pure exhilaration and glee. What I love about it is that while it sounds juvenile and playful, it's a very grown up thing that she's doing by committing to walking away from an unhealthy relationship. Girl ain't playin' around.
The Song "What is This Feeling?" from Wicked:
In "The Grimmerie" production book that I purchased at the merch table when I saw Wicked live, composer Stephen Schwartz explains his inspiration for the song:
Winnie gave me the notion of writing a "hate-at-first-sight" song. That seemed like a good idea to me, very amusing. So I listened to a lot of classic falling-in-love songs. And I just wrote down all the phrases from the lyrics. The phrase "What is this feeling" stuck in my head.
Selections from Eve Ensler's "I Am An Emotional Creature"
Fairytales Retold
Looking over all of the unit content, it's quite a variety, and I'm pleased I was able to bring in so many contemporary, relevant works that students are already interacting with. The unit starts in two weeks, so now it's time to start designing the activities and start collecting materials for the following unit, "Art as Narrative."
Any ideas for "play" resources to use in the future or "narrative" ideas for my upcoming unit? Remember, all genres are on the table: lit, music, visual art, film, advertisements, etc.