Zujaja

English and History graduate, and recently finished an MA in Contemporary Literature, Culture and Theory at King's College London.

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    Latest Topics

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    Policing the War on Drugs in 'The Wire' and 'Breaking Bad': A Comparison

    Analyse the way David Simon’s ‘The Wire’ (2002) and Vince Gilligan’s ‘Breaking Bad’ (2008) portray the War on Drugs and the efficacy of policing. Would be interesting to compare representations of surveillance, public policy and drug communities (i.e. how the centrality of drug trading affects social, economic and cultural structures in Wallis’s neighbourhood in ‘The Wire’ v. Jesse’s town in ‘Breaking Bad’). Might also be useful to look specifically at the first seasons and compare the way policing is represented as a response to political zeitgeists in each show and how methodologies have changed. For example, ‘The Wire’ came straight off the back of 9/11 which is cited heavily in the first season as the reason behind the lack of police resources and subsequent thriving of illegal drug pedalling.

    • I like this topic a lot and I think that that shows you have chosen are perfect examples. My only critique would be the scope of the media one would have to analyze - both "Wire" and "BB" are very long series - a writer would have to know the ins and outs of 7+ seasons of material to be comprehensive. This is also difficult because, within those seven seasons, the thesis could easily change back and forth several times.I think taking "Season 1" of each show might be a more attainable goal. – AndyJanz 7 years ago
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    • I also like this topic a lot and think you have chosen a couple of really rich texts with so much to delve into. I think there is also a comparison to be made in the major kingpins of the respective shows Avon Barksdale & Gus Fring, as they have some similar characteristics in their businesses. Also intrigued by the idea of comparing Baltimore's drug culture to that in New Mexico. – billd 7 years ago
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    • This is an extremely unique and enthralling topic. I think both television series exhibited forms of social corruption caused by drugs and poor policing of them. The political 'war on drugs' is one which surfaces itself in both narratives- the wire especially as it really fleshes out this corruption, whereas breaking bad features a more personal narrative circled around the issue of drug distribution however the characters within it are indicative of this social struggle. – AdilYoosuf 6 years ago
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    Latest Comments

    Yes! Zeke is the best incarnation of Baz Luhrmann’s writer-hero, and I agreed with your comparison of him with Christian. I hadn’t thought of Nick though, so your take was really interesting! Thanks for writing this, good to see a positive discussion about such a fantastic show.

    From The Get Down to Moulin Rouge: A Look at Baz Luhrmann's Writer-Heroes

    Hi Sydnee, a really good article! I like how you’ve adapted Eco’s essay for an interesting discussion of contemporary memory studies and U.S. tourism. There’s a lot of debate amongst Holocaust historians as to whether exhibitions like the one you’ve talked about weaken the cultural importance of the Holocaust, and hollow out its meaning for capital gain; or if they in fact make this history more accessible and relevant to the contemporary world. I wonder whether the discussion would be different if we considered these kinds of exhibitions elsewhere in the world- would that problem of being ‘lost in hyperreality’ still exist if we were closer to where that hyperreality was trying to take us (in this case, Germany)?

    All in all, really enjoyed reading!

    Lost in Hyperreality: Entering The Museum of Tolerance

    While I take issue with the claim that Disney films reinforce gender conventions (Mulan, Hercules, The Princess and the Frog, and Tangled come to mind), this is an very enlightening article! I did not grow up with Charlie Chaplin and was only introduced to him in my late-teen years, but your comparison here sheds some interesting light on his work. Might have to take a look at some of his stuff!

    Why We Should Educate Our Children with Chaplin instead of Disney

    Definitely agree about the profoundly enlightening preface, I’m glad you mentioned it!

    6 Reasons Why Everyone Should Read The Picture of Dorian Gray

    I completely agree with your comment about Bridge to Terabithia. The film’s beauty is derived from the friendship that formed outside of their ‘magical kingdom’, and the loss of that friendship is even stronger when the escapism Jesse seeks from the forest doesn’t change that Leslie is gone. To market it as a magical adventure is detrimental to the film’s legacy, and ignores the story’s message- that you need to find and hold onto the good in the world you live in rather than a fantasy because only that can be truly fulfilling.

    And great article, your choices were spot-on!

    10 Misleading Film Trailers

    I’ve just started listening to Night Vale and I completely agree! The fandom that surrounds it certainly adds to the enjoyment- I’ve been particularly impressed by the insistence in fanart to retain Carlos’ skin-colour, as it happens all too often that characters of colour are white-washed into oblivion. I agree as well about the atmosphere the podcast’s sound effects, narrator, and music evoke, it’s brilliant. And it has a very ‘Lemony Snicket vibe’ to it, if you think about it, with its black humour.

    10 Reasons to Listen to Welcome to Night Vale