Generative Criticism – ‘Lego House’ by Ed Sheeran

“Lego House” is a song by British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released as the third single lifted from the debut studio album on 11 November 2011. The music video is about an obsessive fan (played by Rupert Grint, one of the stars of the Harry Potter series) who undergoes a mental breakdown, and ends with him seeing his idol as he is led away by security guards. I thought this artifact was interesting as the music video’s images contrasted so much with the actual lyrics of the song, which are displayed here:

I’m gonna pick up the pieces,
And build a Lego house
If things go wrong we can knock it downMy three words have two meanings,
There’s one thing on my mind
It’s all for you

And it’s dark in a cold December, but I’ve got you to keep me warm
And if you’re broken I’ll mend you and keep you sheltered from the storm that’s raging on now

I’m out of touch, I’m out of love
I’ll pick you up when you’re getting down
And out of all these things I’ve done I think I love you better now

I’m out of sight, I’m out of mind
I’ll do it all for you in time
And out of all these things I’ve done I think I love you better now

I’m gonna paint you by numbers
And colour you in
If things go right we can frame it, and put you on a wall

And it’s so hard to say it but I’ve been here before
And I’ll surrender up my heart
And swap it for yours

(Repeat stanzas 4 and 5) 

Don’t hold me down
I think my braces are breaking and it’s more than I can takeAnd it’s dark in a cold December, but I’ve got you to keep me warm
And if you’re broken I’ll mend you and keep you sheltered from the storm that’s raging on now

(Repeat stanzas 4 and 5)

What makes this artifact so interesting is how much the lyrics contrast, or perhaps, add to the images. Ed Sheeran’s lyrics are the typical promises of love and devotion repeated over and over, as he asks his lover for forgiveness and promises that he will do better. He talks about how they can protect each other, and be there for each other through each others’ difficulties.

However, these sweet lyrics naturally take on a more sinister overtone with the presented elements (from ideological criticism) shown in the music video. Rupert Grint, cast because of his likeness to Ed Sheeran, lip synchs his song as any music fan would do – he however, seems to believe the lyrics about Ed Sheeran, the singer himself .Idealogically, the person whom we believe is Ed Sheeran (played by Rupert Grint) follows the narrative of the song (Grint backstage, and him writing song lyrics as well playing the guitar) but digresses into the unusual with  Grint gradually becoming darker and less docile-looking, breaking his guitar and lego pieces apart, as well as crying – gazing adoringly at a scrapbook of Sheeran, chewing his used gum, and then throwing the book away. By the time the audience has realized he is stalking Sheeran, it ends with Rupert Grint trespassing on stage at Sheeran’s concert, and being led away in front of his idol. The presented elements suggest that Grint as the fan has taken the lyrics a little too literally against Sheeran, which is reflected in his obsessive behaviour.

Therefore  the audience has been allowed a more participative role in that they were duped into thinking Rupert Grint was actually singing when it was really Ed Sheeran which allows for shock value. We as an audience therefore participate in the discussion of this not-so-ordinary love song. The music video thus allows us to move beyond the conventional nature of love songs and explore how it isn’t sufficient – the contrast between the lyrics and the actual images shown allow for a different perspective on the lyrics to be taken – that not all love songs are necessarily about the healthy kind of love, but the darker, more possessive kind, especially if the other person does not return their feelings. It allows us to question the very nature of love. I believe that Ed Sheeran did a brilliant job in promoting his music video, as he is a relatively unknown artist whilst Rupert Grint is a major film star. His video shows evidence of this as it has scored over 21 million hits on Youtube.

Bioshock Infinite 3 – Pentadic Criticism

The third game in the popular Bioshock series, BioShock Infinite breaks away from the underwater setting of the first two games to take players into a floating city held aloft by dirigibles. The game is set in 1912. The protagonist and player is Booker DeWitt, a disgraced former private detective who’s picked up a new case, and his goal is to find Elizabeth, a young woman who’s gone missing and return her unharmed. The only problem is that she’s being kept on this flying city. Columbia was once a symbol of America’s success as a nation, floating around the world as a traveling World’s Fair, a marvel of human innovation. But strange things have happened since Columbia’s unveiling in 1900, and now the city has disappeared into the clouds. DeWitt knows how to find it, but over the years stories have been told about Columbia having unlawful heavy armament and deranged citizenry. Bioshock is reputedly one of the best selling video games of all time, selling over 9 million copies with the Bioshock series since its release.

The five elements of drama present: act, agent, agency, scene, and purpose are all seen here but to more or less varying degrees. It may be argued that Scene is the most relevant element of drama seen here, as DeWitt notes all of the propaganda posters he sees as he explores Columbia (“Let’s fight the foreign hoards”) and also other elements of the city such as how deserted it is, how its citizens are either deranged in the sense that they are excessively violent or isolated unless provoked; how it floats, and its sort of futuristic zip line. The city is set in the past but appears to have futuristic elements. However, it can also be argued that towards the end of the video, Act as an element of drama becomes more significant as it concentrates on DeWitt fighting and riding the zip line, as well as battling Elizabeth’s captors, among other machinations. Agency also contributes as DeWitt’s powers of telekinesis, as well as his accrued powers of controlling killer ravens helps him defeat the madness of Columbia; but contribute to the artifact less than Scene and perhaps Agency might. The agent, is virtually a blank canvas as he is played by the player who can customize him as he sees fit with appropriate powers and game control – however, his fundamental qualities are that he can accrue these powers in the first place, and his purpose is to save Elizabeth, which is overall the purpose of the game.

KONY 2012 – Ideological Criticism

“KONY 2012” was created by a man named Jason Russell, who on a trip to Uganda discovered the plight of thousands of African children. These children had been abducted and taken from their homes, and were forced to turn into either sex slaves or child militia for the LRA of Joseph Kony. Inspired by his son and one of the children named Jacob, Russell has fought to make the name of Joseph Kony known to policy makers and famous people alike to render the situation of the invisible children important to the government. This in turn will lead to Joseph Kony’s arrest, and the freedom of 30,000 children and their families.

The presented elements shown to us are that of the world, people, life, and then it zooms in upon Jason Russell’s son’s birth. After that, it shows his childhood life; then, to directly contrast with that, the discovery of the invisible children is portrayed with Jacob’s story. Crying, is seen, and so are militia, as well as thousands of African children. Images of guns, and mutilated children are shown. Government documents, African politicians, and eventually the US White house are seen. The American Flag. Facebook timeline and a scrapbook is also shown.  Jason’s son is shown frequently whether it in interviews or in small anecdotal moments. People protesting and chanting and attending KONY conferences are also shown as well as them canvassing the city to spread the word about KONY. These people are shown to be united. Celebrities’ faces are shown as well as game changing politicians. American soldiers in Africa. African woman with emergency radios. Joseph Kony’s face on posters, buttons, and t-shirts is shown as well as the KONY logo of Democrats and Republicans. Jason Russell as the narrator. Smiling African children receiving an education and coming to America are shown. The protesting Western youth are frequently shown. Advertisements come up, as well as George Clooney. Succinct words on signs such as JUSTICE and phrases like “WE’VE SEEN THESE KIDS. WE’VE HEARD THEIR CRIES. THIS WAR MUST END. WE WILL NOT STOP” also appear. Pledge boxes, bracelets, and web pages appear.

The suggested elements are that the contrast between Jason Russell’s child’s life (and almost every other Western child’s life) and Jacob’s life are extremely different and unjustified simply because of location. This is exemplified by their crying as well as the flashes of mutilated faces which highlights the unfair issue of location once again; if Russell’s son had been forced to be a child soldier, there would be a lot more media attention. The appearance of the Facebook timeline, as well as Youtube pages reinforce the idea that KONY 2012 is an ideology that is meant to be shared across the web in order to help the cause. The government is shown to be the one authority with the power, but this is overweighed by the sheer masses of youth and people protesting against KONY and demanding this situation be brought to the US government’s attention. This implies that change is possible as America is a democracy, and anyone from anywhere can and will participate in the cause because it is right. Celebrity faces (George Clooney) and other famous faces remind the viewer that they must press their favourite celebrities to vouch for the cause, so that their fans will be alerted of KONY and help aid his arrest. Images of the American soldiers in Africa, and then the smiling faces of the Africans imply that the staying of the American troops in Uganda will correspond to the freedom of the African children to be independent individuals who are able to seek their own happiness.

The article suggests that by the whole world participating in the arrest of Joseph Kony, these invisible children can be given happiness. It is very strongly said that as a world, if we allow this to go on, then we have lost hope as a world that cares about its citizens and each other. It suggests that it is extremely wrong to allow a man like Joseph Kony escape and continue to torture these children and their families for no real reason. It suggests that if this cause leads to Joseph Kony’s defeat, the world has hope for a better future for itself and for future generations to come, so they do not have to wake up in a world where a man like Joseph Kony is allowed to go on doing what he is doing.

Fantasy Theme Criticism – Pokémon: Gotta Catch ‘Em All Series

The famous anime TV show Pokémon: Gotta Catch ‘Em All follows an intrepid ten-year old named Ash Ketchum with a passion for Pokémon as he sets out on his dream to become a Pokémon master. Ash is accompanied by his friends Misty and Brock, both gym leaders; and Pikachu, his signature pokémon with electrifying qualities. Since the release of the Pokémon franchise, it has gained a massive following and garnered much popularity the world over, as children everywhere delighted in the individuality and qualities the Pokémon represented.

The setting of the series is set in the Pokémon world where trainers capture wild pokémon in their element, and then train them to battle each other in either gym or trainer battles. Location settings vary greatly as Ash and his friends travel from town to town, and it changes from wild terrain to enormous gyms. It is not explicit, but the series occurs in the Kanto region of Japan, Japan being the country where the original pokémon game originated.

Character themes revolve primarily around Ash and Pikachu,with Misty and Brock (along with their own Pokemon) to a lesser extent. The themes mostly concentrate on the friendship between trainers and their Pokemon, as the Pokemon mostly demonstrate a high level of loyalty after being captured and are even willing to fight for their trainers to the extent of being hurt. The series highlights Ash in particular as he cares about pokemon so much that he views them more as friends, and allows them to walk free away from their pokéball (a pokémon’s usual domain) in faith that they will not run away. Even though Ash is naive, his good heart and supportive qualities prove significantly important qualities that help him better himself as a pokémon trainer. These qualities also help him capture Pikachu’s heart and loyalty, whose electric demeanor had initially proven to be difficult.

Action themes primarily involve battling, and helping the less fortunate. An important step to becoming a Pokémon master is to win all the gym badges by defeating the gyms’ accomplished trainers in a fierce pokémon battle, and then going on to defeat the Indigo League, the elite of pokémon gyms. Smaller battles with minor characters occur as Ash and his friends are challenged by ordinary trainers on the way to these gyms as trainers utilize their wits and pokémon knowledge together with their pokémon’s abilities to defeat their opponent. Also, wherever Ash goes, there seems to be a situation that he and his friends need to remedy as they stop on the travels to help those in need; whether it is from pokémon thieves or a flash flood.

Furthermore, the series showcases the fantasy themes of the underdog, and to a lesser extent, good versus evil. Ash is an underdog because he is a naive ten-year old who initially does not have much knowledge of pokémon at all despite his love for them; and he is faced by several trainers and scenarios where his knowledge and experience would have proved insufficient. However, even despite this, his good intentions frequently prevail as he is awarded gym badges because he proved himself as a great pokémon trainer some way or the other. Ash and his friends also confront Team Rocket, pokémon thieves, on a regular basis, as well as battle darker forces in the pokémon world when they come across them.

Thus, the rhetorical vision constructed by these themes is that the world is a place that is just waiting to be explored and (like all original 150 Pokémon) conquered. Even though evil and malevolence may arise, the power of good will always pull through with the help of courage, teamwork, and a little help from friends, making Pokémon an enchanting series for children (and adults) everywhere.

Metaphor Criticism of ‘Transatlanticism’ by Death Cab for Cutie

“Transatlanticism”

The Atlantic was born today and I’ll tell you how…
The clouds above opened up and let it out.I was standing on the surface of a perforated sphere
When the water filled every hole.
And thousands upon thousands made an ocean,
Making islands where no island should go.
Oh no.

Those people were overjoyed; they took to their boats.
I thought it less like a lake and more like a moat.
The rhythm of my footsteps crossing flatlands to your door have been silenced forever more.
The distance is quite simply much too far for me to row
It seems farther than ever before
Oh no.

I need you so much closer [x8]

[instrumental break]

I need you so much closer [x4]
So come on, come on [x4]

 In this song by Death Cab for Cutie, Ben Gibbard explores the feelings of being in a long distance relationship in a simple metaphor where feelings of emotional distance parallel that of the physical. Transatlanticism is perhaps Death Cab for Cutie’s most highly critically acclaimed album, and the title song also received rave reviews.

The song begins with the sound of echoing train tracks, which further emphasizes the idea of travel and distance within the song. There are many references to water, as well as uncontrollable forces of nature such as in the opening lines, “The Atlantic was born today and I’ll tell you how…/The clouds above opened up and let it out.” This line suggests that the distance between the narrator and his lover was caused suddenly by circumstance or a natural force as suggested by the clouds. This line also reminded me of tears and how ‘they are let out’ like floodgates – perhaps the distance has been hard enough on the narrator that he has shed tears over his loss. The next verse further emphasizes the narrator’s helplessness as he was already standing on a ‘perforated sphere’ (a rocky relationship perhaps), and the sudden event which caused the separation of him and his lover “made an ocean/Making islands where no island should go” which further adds to the idea of separation and isolation.

It is not totally clear whether he and his lover were separated by external forces; that is, fate pushed them apart, or if natural events happened between the two lovers that pushed them apart. “Those people were overjoyed; they took to their boats” suggests that many people were willing to leave their relationships and depart from each other, unlike the narrator who thought it “less like a lake and more like a moat.” In this context, the water has changed from the form of the flooding of the Atlantic Ocean, to a lake, to finally, a moat that isolates him from the rest of the world, or perhaps, isolates his love. This impenetrable body of water that he cannot travel is emphasized by Gibbard’s use of the word ‘flatlands’: “The rhythm of my footsteps crossing flatlands to your door have been silenced forever more.” The rest of the lyrics make the meaning of the song much clearer, especially as to who he is referring to: “I need you so much closer/ So come on, come on.”Through the artist’s touching use of metaphor to describe an emotional and physical distance akin to an ocean, the song touches upon the melancholy, hope, and desire for intimacy between two people. This makes the song sincere, and compellingly beautiful. The song has even inspired its own term by the same song title, ‘transatlanticism’ on http://www.urbandictionary.com where it refers to long distance relationships and longing.

Narrative Criticism – The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery

The Little Prince, although ostensibly a children’s book, is one of the best novellas in the French language and has been translated time and time again into many different languages for millions to enjoy. It follows the story of a pilot who crash lands in the Sahara Desert and strangely meets a young boy, the little prince, who asks him to draw him a sheep – and from then on, the two companions travel through out the desert for survival as the prince, an alien, shares his stories of his journey to Earth, and all the people he has met and loved including a fox and a rose. The story, while very strange, has very clear objectives in that it teaches us about the importance of ‘matters of consequence’ – that is, matters such as finance and profit are far less important than the simpler things in life that are to be enjoyed and cherished. The story’s essence is also articulated in the lines the fox utters, “One sees clearly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

The story fulfills these objectives by utilizing very well-rounded characters, and a sincere narrator. The main characters in this narrative are the prince, an alien to Earth, and the narrator, the pilot, who is human. The prince although an alien, appears to be a young boy with curly brown hair; not many specific details are remembered of the prince’s appearance because the narrator has written the novella from memory. He does remember what he wore though, which was very grand clothing, obviously fit for a prince. The prince himself is very mysterious, and often times is noted to not answer the pilot’s questions when asked; but is sensitive as he enjoys watching the sunset, and cares very much for the only friend on his planet, the beautiful but proud rose. The little prince seems to capture the desired mindset of the pilot himself; as such an isolated boy, he has retained his childish beliefs and youthful innocence that the pilot appears to have cherished but lost along his way. The little prince, while on his travels, is friendly and inquisitive as any child would be, but points out truths that no adults would ever say; for instance, in an incident where a merchant on earth tries to sell him a drink that would make him not feel thirst for fifty-three minutes every week (for the reason to save time):

(Prince:) “And what do I do with those fifty-three minutes?”

(Merchant:)”Anything you like…”

“As for me,” said the little prince to himself, “if I had fifty-three minutes to spend as I liked, I should walk at my leisure toward a spring of fresh water.”

The little prince represents the purity and outlook on life that we should all desire to retain, to prevent ourselves from being too consumed in ‘adult’ matters and enjoying life.

The pilot however, represents the ‘adults’ who care for matter of consequence, but is different in the sense that he remembers what it was like to be an imaginative young child. Once desiring to be an artist as a child, he abandoned this ‘childish idea’ for the grown-up profession of a pilot. The narrator is different from the prince in the sense that as a human being, he takes time to understand and develop the lessons that life and the little prince present him, whereas the prince, as a supernatural being, understands almost instantly the lessons that are given to him. The pilot is crucial to understanding the objectives of the story as we understand the lessons as he does, as the little prince tells them to him; and he becomes a character that we can easily relate to. It is through the help of the parallels of both these protagonists that the main objectives of the stories are fulfilled, and the story becomes relatable and touches the readers’ hearts.

Genre Criticism of Napoleon Dynamite

Napoleon Dynamite, the movie, captures a snapshot in the life of a high schooler strangely named ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ and he and his friends exploits. The movie features a cast that is both quirky and strange including a dune-buggy and llama enthusiast grandmother, an overbearing, glory-days obsessed uncle, and a Mexican friend named Pedro. The plot emerges when Napoleon decides to help his friend Pedro win the role of class president in their school against ‘the popular kids’, whilst dealing with the bizarre eccentricities of his family back home and teenage life in general. I chose to analyze this movie because while it is indeed listed as a comedy, there are many elements that portray Napoleon Dynamite as an unconventional type of comedy that make it difficult to categorize as a true comedy.

Napoleon Dynamite is definitely not your traditional slapstick sort of comedy. The actors and circumstances do not seek to be humorous by using obvious jokes, or puns; but in capturing a sort of odd quirkiness in every moment of the movie, the littlest things become funny. Napoleon himself rarely ever smiles or laughs, but his expressions and the things he does prove quite laughable – for instance, his sheer conviction that ‘ligers’ do exist and that they do hold magical powers, or that his love for tater tots is so much that he stuffs them into his pockets to save for later. Many characters in the movie hold this same sort of defiant conviction that their behaviour is normal and believable, even though it is absolutely bizarre – Kip with his online girlfriend ‘Lafawnduh’ for instance, even though it is obvious that the other characters in the movie do not believe she exists (and in the end she does) – and this makes the movie quite funny.

Traditional comedies however have a sort of plot or movement that make the movie’s story move along and its characters with it; however much of this movie’s story appears to be quite stagnant, and moves away from its main plot a lot. The movie is not fully concentrated on achieving the success of Pedro’s class presidential campaign, but deviates amongst smaller, albeit funny, storylines as well. On the sidelines, Kip and Uncle Rico attempt to con people into buying their ‘strong as steel’ tupperware, Pedro and Napoleon attempt to ask the two most popular girls in school to the dance, and Napoleon at one point works in a chicken coop. The plot’s stagnancy appears to reflect on the stagnant nature of the small town Napoleon lives in as well – nothing really happens and few people really go anywhere. Traditional comedies also have characters with strong and assertive personalities with the ability to make witty and quick puns; however, Napoleon’s assertiveness is different. The brand of humor this comedy appears to be something that is more observed than something that is thrown right in your face, it doesn’t show you right away what is to be laughed at and many people may not get it right away, but once you take the time to observe it for its awkwardness and strange characteristics, the humor begins to emerge. Napoleon Dynamite successfully merges both the quirkiness of indie movies as well as the comedic grace and timing of great comedies, which make this movie an extremely successful one.

Cluster Criticism of Desperate Housewives Theme

The ABC show ‘Desperate Housewives’  follows the ordinary, and not-so-ordinary lives of four women who live on Wisteria Lane, whose lives are changed after the mysterious and sudden suicide of their friend, Mary Alice. The show is narrated from her point of view, as her omniscient presence illuminates the secrets, lies, and deception that occur behind the seemingly perfect facade of the neighborhood.

In the opening credits of ‘Desperate Housewives’, various famous paintings throughout history are utilized and I shall explain them so you don’t have to watch it more than maybe twice.

1. In the first few seconds, the classic painting of Adam and Eve is portrayed – however as Eve accepts the apple from the snake of sin, Adam is crushed by another, giant apple while she stands passively by.
2. In the next, a hieroglyphic of an Egyptian queen or Cleopatra stands but is drowned in her assistants as too many of them submerge her.
3. In the painting of ‘The Arnolfini Marriage’, contrary to the portrayal of married bliss seen in the original painting, the Duke of Arnolfini is shown eating a banana and callously throwing it aside as his young pregnant bride cleans it up – but then she is clearly shown tiring of this labour and throwing the broom away.
4. Then, Grantwood’s commonly parodied ‘American Gothic’ is shown where the farmer husband and wife stand but he is seduced away by a pinup girl and the wife is left to pickle in a can of tinned sardines.
5. The artwork then becomes more modern and a woman is shown struggling with an armful of groceries. A tin of soup she is holding falls and is held by
6. A young man in an Andy Warhol work. He then makes his companion cry and she returns the favor by punching him in the face and giving him a black eye as he falls to the ground.
7. The end frame shows the main characters of the show.

The reason why these images are so quickly shown is perhaps because the show desired to retain the light quirkiness associated with the show’s theme – if played too slowly, these images would become much more sinister and dramatic. These images, combined with the music, contain dark undertones as the images themselves subvert women’s roles in society by portraying them as passionate individuals; and this, along with the music which is quite joyous and happy could be a symbol for how the neighborhood, Wisteria Lane, seems perfect on the surface but on the inside behind closed doors, dark deeds such as infidelity, betrayal, and even murder occur – much like how individuals appear pleasant and charming superficially, but there are no clues as to their intentions.

These images clearly portray male and female roles throughout the ages; as well as  illustrate issues of domesticity. There is clearly a juxtaposition between the sterile stereotypes of women and their roles, and the reality that, under the surface, they are passionate and dirty individuals like any man. Women are portrayed as being a possible cause of men’s destruction as in the case of Adam and Eve (1), where the ‘apple’ is a symbol for sin and temptation. In the show, women themselves are as guilty as men for infidelities by cheating on their husbands or lovers, or by being overly promiscuous and leading other men to temptation for their own gains. Women are also shown as attacking other women as in the case of the Egyptian queen submerged by her supposed followers (2), where in their passive-aggressive ways, queen bees can be destroyed if there are enough women to mutiny – this defies the stereotype that all women should get along because of their common roles in the household. The women in these images also challenge their roles by standing up to their male counterparts as in the Arnolfini and Warhol paintings (3 and 6), where women in the show often stand up or exact revenge on their husbands or lovers but in more devious and passive aggressive ways. The image of the farmer and his wife (4) is more straightforward as it is extremely common in domestic life for the husband to leave his wife for a younger, and prettier version of her.   In (5), a woman is portrayed as holding groceries with no man to help her – yet she is stereotypically happy with holding the heavy load which contrasts with the next image (6). The show’s main themes are therefore clearly illustrated by these images that portray the show for how it really is – a quirky comedy that contains many serious dramatic elements; and how ‘desperate’ these seemingly ordinary housewives are for passion.

Neo-Aristotelian Criticism in Anton Ego’s review in ‘Ratatouille’

In Ratatouille, made in 2007 by Pixar, Remy is an aspiring young chef with nothing less than a strong passion and desire to cook – the only problem is that he is a rat. While being a rat presents its own problems in the kitchen, Remy also has to contend with his father’s disapproval, along with the pressure to prove himself successful by critics and humans in his field with the aid of the kitchen’s garbage boy – all whilst not being caught and exterminated. Remy ultimately becomes successful, by making a vegetarian peasant dish named Ratatouille that appeals to perhaps the most forbidding food critic in Paris, Anton Ego. In his speech, Anton Ego praises the work of Remy, whilst offering up one of the most basic truths about critics and art.

The rhetor in this speech is Anton Ego, so inspired by Remy’s cooking that he delivers an impassioned speech in his review. The reason he may have been so inspired by the simple dish is that it harkened back to his childhood, as indicated in a previous scene, where Ego is quite differently portrayed from the forbidding man he now is. He is shown in his childhood as a young boy who has fallen and scraped his knee and his mother cheers him up by cooking him a bowl of Ratatouille (the dish Remy coincidentally makes) which he loves, and that presumably inspired his love for food leading to his career as a critic. The artifact, Ego’s review, is also affected by his discovery of the truth that the chef was a rat, and this in combination with the dish he just ate, as well as Remy’s story, not only affected his review but his prior notion of Gusteau’s beliefs: “In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto, “Anyone can cook.” But I realize — only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.” Ego makes no secret of Remy’s story and cooking “(rocking) him to his core.”

In terms of Neo-Aristotelian criticism, Ego’s logos in his review are clearly to defend Remy’s dreams of a young chef, as even though he was a rat, he had the skill and talent to support his passion. Ego knows full well that eventually, the world will find out about Remy, and that he had been cooking for Gusteau’s 3-star restaurant for several weeks and serving unknowing customers – and his review is addressed to these people, as well as the people of Paris to acknowledge Remy as a true talent and accept him as a chef and not just to judge him superficially. He is very strong in this respect in that in terms of pathos, Ego utilizes humility in that he acknowledges the shortcomings of being a critic which makes the audience sympathetic to him. In terms of ethos, Ego had a very strong reputation as a critic and using the succinct, intelligent language he has built up as a critic, illustrates a sense of good will and acceptance towards Remy that echoes the acceptance the rest of the world should have for him.

Finally, his delivery is quite successful as well as in Pixar utilizing Peter O’Toole’s voice, the same man who starred in Lawrence of Arabia, Ego’s voice is quite distinguished, smooth, and unassuming with no stutters or gaps in between – which results in him being very strong and convincing to the audience watching the movie. In the movie’s world, however, his published review is read and not said, so as the audience is unaware as to how he sounds, this lessens his persuasive power. But even though he ends up fired because of it, Ego’s goal is successful in the bigger picture as it is indicated in the end scene that he has ended up as a successful, much happier businessman investing in Remy’s new business – which has become a hugely successful restaurant in Paris, with both rats and humans lining up outside his door and fittingly named ‘Ratatouille.’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JPOoFkrh94 – the link to the speech/review