Text and Culture - Essay Example

Text and Culture Episode Summary The second episode of the second season of the popular American sitcom Roseanne explores the complexity of sisterhood by depicting the relation of Roseanne and Jackie and Becky and Darlene through parallel plots in the episode. The scene opens with the sisters shown together in Roseanne’s home as she is mourning her bad haircut after which Jackie tells Roseanne that she intends to join the police force after Roseanne’s inquiry regarding her police manual which Jackie is reading. Jackie’s decision to become a cop irks Roseanne who believes that she is not good enough to become a police officer and that her desire to become one is only temporary because of her lack of commitment. This declaration infuriates Jackie who leaves Roseanne’s house. Roseanne informs her husband Dan about the fight between her and Jackie and Dan responds by saying that even though he does not believe that Jackie has what it takes to become a cop it is likely that she would be accepted by the police department. Roseanne and her family are having dinner and Darlene is constantly teasing Becky, she reveals that Becky has been reading her father’s magazine ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ and that she wants to be like the girls who appear in the magazine. Roseanne asks Darlene to stop her mischief and quit bothering Becky to which Darlene becomes angry and leaves. Darlene is shown to be at Jackie’s house where she discusses the issues at home with her aunt. Darlene recounts that no matter how hard she tries it is impossible for her to become like her sister Becky who is perfect in everything and is loved dearly by their parents, especially their mother. Jackie responds by telling Darlene about her relationship with her older sister, Roseanne and how she has tried to control her life and her decision despite of her own personal failures. The two younger sisters appear to understand each other’s position and their place in the family as the younger sibling. Darlene comes back home and Roseanne questions her about her conversations with Jackie but Darlene refuses to share the information. Jackie arrives and thanks Darlene for putting the pail near her bed because she had been drinking; Roseanne hears this and becomes infuriated. The two sisters argue and eventually start hitting each other, they take the fight to the couch and Jackie hits Roseanne and asks her to apologize for going against her wish of becoming a cop and demands that she support her. Roseanne apologizes but insists that she has one thing to say before lending her support. Roseanne makes an imaginary gun with her hand and points at Jackie while asking her how she would respond to such a threat, Jackie is only able to raise her hand in order to slap the gun before Roseanne tells her that she is now dead. Jackie agrees to become a meter maid instead because she would get to make some money and wear a nice uniform. The objective of this essay is to comprehensively examine and analyze the genre, narrative and character of an episode of the famous situation comedy, Roseanne. The episode which has been selected for the purposes of this discussion is titled ‘The Little Sister’ and is the second episode of the show’s second season which was originally aired on September 19, 1989. Moreover, in addition to the assessing the elements of the aforementioned analysis, the essay also undertakes the development of a framework which has been conducted in accordance with Propp’s character functions by customizing the model with regard to the chosen television program and the representation of the specific episode. The examination of genres in various mediums of entertainment is associated with the occurrence of three phases through the aid of which the affiliation of a particular work can be determined. These stages involve 1) outlining the medium 2) outlining a particular genre as linked to the identified medium and 3) defining the presence of particular codes in the work as suggested by the understanding of the genre. Through this process the genre related assessment of Roseanne’s chosen episode ‘The Little Sister’ can be conducted. Feuer (1987, p. 131) shares an interesting observation which features the issues that are related with defining the genre of television shows by suggesting that, the instability which is posed by this medium of entertainment through the absence of a flow and recurrent intervals caused by advertising makes it challenging to essentially define or label television works as opposed to the classification of motion pictures. This notion necessarily postulates that despite of labeling a particular television program with a specific genre, their exists the possibility that the show may explore a range of thematic elements which may at some point or through some episode might deviate from the original premise of the core genre. In accordance with the foundations of applying generic rules to the identification of television genres, it can be stated that Roseanne’s episode ‘The Little Sister’ is defined under the classification of a situational comedy or sitcom which is centered on the home and family. This categorization is based upon the primary premise of the episode which depicts familial relationships and shared dynamics between sisters, husband and wife and parents and their children. The transformation and progression of television programming implies that content is continually being modified to address the needs of an ever-changing audience. The preferences of these audiences may be determined on the basis of social and cultural factors that are projected in the changes that are brought by factors which contribute towards the development of a social construct. Given this aspect of audience preferences and the changing demands of the market, it becomes imperative for the television industry to prepare itself for the market through the amalgamation of genres. Applying this perspective of genre evaluation to Roseanne’s episode ‘The Little Sister’, Lacey’s (2000, p. 133) framework which has been termed as the ‘repertoire of elements’ can be utilized to derive conclusions regarding the specific genre of the selected episode. The core premise of Roseanne is based upon the notion that the show is situational comedy which focuses upon the lives of a working class family, the Conners. Roseanne Conner, the show’s protagonist is a married woman and a mother of three children. However, in ‘The Little Sister’ the plotline which is the focus of attention from the main character’s perspective portrays Roseanne’s relationship with her younger sister Jackie who has decided to become a cop. Roseanne’s disapprove of Jackie’s decision is depicted during the course of the episode by shedding light on upon the domineering and rather stubborn facet of the main character’s personality who refuses to let her sister ‘chase her dreams’. Thus, the conflict in this particular narrative is defined by Jackie’s persistence for becoming a cop and Roseanne’s condemnation of the decision which seems unjustified and inflexible till the occurrence of a resolution which arrives towards the very end of the episode. Nonetheless, as the protagonist Roseanne’s function is projected as the resolver of the conflict however, during the course of the episode she must also learn to accept that she does not govern the life of her younger sister who is an adult. As a mother, Roseanne’s character is faced with the problem of counseling her daughter Becky, who after having gone through her father’s girlie magazine questions her mother about the girls who are presented in the publication and what their fathers think about it. In the meanwhile, Roseanne’s younger daughter Darlene is shown to have a rebellious and unruly personality in the episode which must be addressed by the protagonist as her mother. The setting of this episode predominantly depicts the houses of the Conner’s and Roseanne’s sister, Jackie. Through this depiction the audience is able to understand the complexity of human relations as they occur within the immediate family. The web of relationships which has been explored in this episode is also intriguing because it transcends the common notion of examining romantic relationships or parent-child relationships in a familial setting by discovering the bond of sister in the case of Roseanne and Jackie and Becky and Darlene as well as the bond that is shared by an aunt and her niece as demonstrated by Jackie and Darlene. Iconography in the episode is characterized by the creation of a domestic setting where the family home projects a couple who lives with their children, hence, the placement of five chairs around a table, the presence of family photos on the drawing room wall and children’s water color painting which have been put on the fridge with the help of an ice cream shaped magnet. On the other hand, Jackie’s bachelor abode is much more compact and smaller in size and even unkempt compared to Roseanne’s household. The thematic element of the episode focuses upon the emergence of a conflict in Roseanne and Jackie’s relationship which is eventually resolved by the departure of the episode. The primary plot of the episode is based upon Jackie’s ambition to become a cop and Roseanne’s disapproval of the idea which appears to be stubborn and dictatorial. Moreover, Roseanne’s condemnation of Jackie’s decision to join the police force also leads her to believe that her older sister is controlling her life even though Jackie realizes that she has the potential to make responsible and successful decisions. A parallel plot in ‘The Little Sister’ runs in the depiction of the relationship which is shared by sisters Darlene and Becky where, Darlene accuses her older sister of reading her father’s girlie magazine because she ‘wants to be like those girls’. Similar to Roseanne and Jackie’s relationship where Jackie experiences the pressure of being governed by the authority of her older sister, Darlene experiences a feeling of inadequacy and inferiority as she feels that Becky is appreciated more by her parents and especially her mother. Darlene’s reaction to this aspect of her life is often projected by her disorderly behavior and her behavior towards Becky which is particularly negative. Assessing the narrative standards and quality of Roseanne, Mittell’s (2006 p. 30) observation regarding the status of current narratives in the American television industry can be incorporated by stating that the presence of complexity in narrative does not assure the presence of quality or the provision of value in a television program. Thus, it can be suggested that even though Roseanne’s premise focuses on the depiction of an average working class family it does not imply that the narrative only focuses on exploring standard storylines which provide no entertainment value whatsoever. According to Senzani (2010 p. 246) the narrative of Roseanne is based upon challenging hegemonic discourses on the issues of class and gender. For example, in the episode ‘The Little Sister’ the job titles that have been mentioned in the plotline include the positions of a cop and meter maid which shed light upon the opportunities which are available for people who belong to the working class in terms of career prospects and opportunities. In the final scene of the episode, as Roseanne pulls an imaginary gun on Jackie and tells her that her late reaction of slapping the gun would have gotten her killed, Jackie contemplates upon the other career option which is available to her by stating the benefits of the job such as receiving some benefits and some money (Roseanne 2005). This contemplation outlines the mindset that as a member of the working class, Jackie’s demands from a job do not encompass personal fulfillment, career growth or job satisfaction in fact her monetary needs are so fundamental that they have the ability to control her career decisions, which is projected as a reality for her social class. This concept essentially distinguishes the individuals who would prefer to hold a job for intrinsic reasons rather than focusing on extrinsic factors such as Jackie. Moreover, another fundamental element of the ideological portrayals in Roseanne is related to the portrayal of the relationship which is shared by Roseanne and her husband, Dan. As noted by Simmons and Rich (2013 p. 6), the show depicts the distribution of household matters between the man and the woman where the responsibility of raising children is distributed. For example, in ‘The Little Sister’ Dan’s responsibilities towards his children project him as a good father figure who is involved in their lives and understands their concerns. Moreover, Roseanne and Dan’s relationship is characterized by friendly bickering and joking around. For instance a humorous dialogue in the episode which results in spontaneous laughter occurs when Dan asks Roseanne about Darlene’s stay at her Aunt Jackie’s house saying, “Are we missing an offspring?” to which Roseanne replies “Yeah, where do you think I got the bacon?” (Roseanne 2005). Furthermore, Dan’s support and understanding of his wife’s situation is also depicted in the scene where he takes his children away from the house to ‘fix the boat’ when it becomes evident that Jackie and Roseanne should be left alone to talk resolve their disagreement. Applying Propp’s character function to the premise of Roseanne’s episode ‘The Little Sister’, it can be identified that Roseanne plays the role of a villain and a hero which is an intriguing element of the episode’s narrative. Roseanne’s disapproval of Jackie’s decision and her inability to accept her sister’s desire to become a cop without confronting her with rationale reasoning and suggesting that she is not good enough to be a police officer is what poses the conflict in the first place. Thus, in this situation Jackie is a victim because she is unable to achieve her dream because of Roseanne’s unjustified opposition and is constantly oppressed by her sister’s domineering nature which comes to the point where it seems that she is controlling Jackie’s life. Eventually, Dan becomes the helper in the scenario because he realizes that the sisters need to resolve their issue immediately therefore, he orders the children to give Roseanne and Jackie some space by even sternly ordering the disobedient Darlene in the process who refuses to leave the scene. Moreover, when it Jackie and Roseanne are shown fighting on the couch Dan looks over them and even referees their supposed match so that the sisters are able to realize that the nature of their conflict is foolish and that it should not come in the way of their relationship. The metaphorical prize in this situation is Roseanne’s success in the quest to save her sister from entering a profession which could put her life at risk, therefore, by evolving into a hero Roseanne is finally able to convince her sister to reconsider her career decision and become a meter maid instead of joining the police force. The analysis of Roseanne’s episode titled ‘The Little Sister’ aids the exploration of complex discourses on class, family roles, relationships and the evolution of gender roles in the American society of the late 1980s. The success of the show suggests that audiences were able to associate themselves with the television program and appreciate the characterization which depicted the life of working class American citizens. References Feuer, Jane 1987, ‘Genre Study and Television’ in Robert C. Allen (ed.), Channels of Discourse: Television and Contemporary Criticism, Routledge, London. (also Tutorial 8) Lacey, N. (2000). Narrative and genre: key concepts in media studies. New York, St. Martins Press. Mittell, J. (2006). Narrative complexity in contemporary American television. The velvet light trap, 58(1), 29-40. Senzani, A. (2010). Class and gender as a laughing matter? The case of Roseanne.Humor. 23, 229-253. Roseanne, Goodman, J, Goranson, A., Gilbert, S., Fishman, M., & Metcalf, I. (2005). Roseanne. The complete second season The complete second season. [United States], Carsey-Werner Distribution. Simmons, J., & Rich, L. E. (2013). Feminism Ain’t Funny: Woman as “Fun-Killer,” Mother as Monster in the American Sitcom. Advances in Journalism and Communication, 1, 1. Read More