Here’s a little tune to get you in the mood for either taking exams or marking them! (Warning: this tune is extremely catchy–if you click on it, you may find this song in your head for the rest of the day.)
My favorite part? The one-legged pigeon. Now, that’s cinema vérité, babies!
I like this song from Enchanted because it’s a pretty clever satire of all of those Disney Princess movies in which exiled royalty find themselves overwhelmed with the urge (or in Cinderella’s case, forced) to clean up after filthy dwarves, stepsisters, or others (as the introduction explains.) What’s with all of those fantasies of high-status women performing extremely low-status work? Some Marxist feminist American Studies or film studies scholar ought to look into that (if she hasn’t already.) It seems rather exploitative of the honest work that working-class women do all of the time–as thought performing this work is shameful. (Even with the friendly forest creatures’ help. I guess they help illustrate the idea that these women are part of a “natural” aristocracy, since they can call on the animals to get the job done.)
I think Amy Adams was terrific in this–I didn’t realize until after I had seen Julie and Julia last summer that she was the same actor who played food blogger Julie Powell in that movie. She needs some better, smarter parts than the RomCom crapola that gets thrown at women actors until they hit 40, when they get to play “Mom” roles in RomComs and DudeBro flicks.
Historiann 
Now, if only rats and roaches could be trained to grade papers! Have to confess this kinda creeped me out, though it’s nice to know Amy Adams can sing. Still, ewwww, roaches.
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Roxie, my favorite fairy-tale related grading fantasy derives from the Shoemaker and the Good Elves, in which I leave a stack of papers out on my desk at night and awake in the morning to find them all marked!
But, that’s never actually happened to me.
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That was truly adorable!
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Enchanted is a whole lot of fun, I agree.
Amy Adams is terrific in the movie adaption of Doubt, which is not at all fluffy.
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Just give everyone As!
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My favorite grading fantasy would be that I accidentally leave a bread-crumb trail of dropped and badly-written papers from my half-open backpack as I take them home at night to finish up the grading there. When I wake up the next day and find the last two dropped papers on the porch steps, I discover that the proverbial little birds have come along and eaten up all the rest.
Hey, if their dogs have to eat, the birds do too! There should even be a grade default icon for this possibility.
This song hasn’t stuck in my head, so far.
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This is lots of fun, and of course the dress is *exactly* what I wear when I have to clean the house…
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I loved that movie!!!!
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Amy Adams is pure gold in this as is the clueless Prince. Now if only there were magic grading fairies to clear away your marking for you!
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I fantasize about grading gnomes. But at this point, I’d be ready for cockroaches if they’d cooperate!
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Just give everyone As!
I’d love to do just that. Returned a midterm earlier this week (we’re on quarters) for which the average grade was in the 30’s (out of 100). I refrained from saying it was harder on me than it was on them but really, who wants hand back that exam? Not me. I’ve spent hours talking with colleagues about “what happened.” Those who failed did so because they didn’t study. The few who have stopped by my office to talk about their predicament admit this and yet as a group they are pretty sure that the problem lies elsewhere (according to the Oracle of the Facebook).
It’s a required class for our majors. The trouble is with some basic mathematics but their complaint is the equivalent of “I’m not an English major, it’s unreasonable for you to expect me to know how to write a sentence.” I find this an interesting counterpoint to the supposition that classes intended for non-majors should not be too difficult. Apparently, courses in you major should also not be too difficult. If you have selected a major, you are by default good at it. Or something.
Every cohort is different and my colleagues agree that this one of ours seems particularly full of procrastinators but I wonder if there isn’t something else going on as well. What motivates them? Why do they want this degree and what, other than go into debt, are they willing to do to get it? Do they really think that a college diploma is all they need to get ahead?
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Love that clip.
You know, I was thinking about Disney heroines recently, too. Not in terms of the labor aspect you mentioned – which is a really good point – but in a sense of “who created all these heroines? Men?” IE, I’m curious where these conceptions of womanhood are coming from. I’d love it if someone’s written on it, but if not perhaps it will be my second or third project…
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Amy Adams also had a nice supporting role in Charlie Wilson’s War. She seems too talented for Hollywood films in general, frankly. Here’s hoping she seeks out a few indie scripts.
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