Reference no: EM132190690
Question :1. "I am not a Starfleet commander, or T.J. Hooker. I don''t live on Starship NCC-170... or own a phaser. And I don''t know anybody named Bones, Sulu, or Spock. And no, I''ve never had green alien sex, though I''m sure it would be quite an evening. I speak English and French, not Klingon! I drink Labatt''s, not Romulan ale! And when someone says to me ''Live long and prosper'', I seriously mean it when I say, ''Get a life''. My doctor''s name is not McCoy, it''s Ginsberg. And tribbles were puppets, not real animals. PUPPETS! And when I speak, I never, ever talk like every. Word. Is. Its. Own. Sentence. I live in California, but I was raised in Montreal. My name is William Shatner, and I am Canadian!"
Aside from the humor of this quotation by William Shatner, the actor who played Captain Kirk in Star Trek, it alludes to several themes in our course in California history. One is that of myth and reality and the recurrent difficulty of telling the two apart in California (American?) history. Another theme is the importance of the mass media in modern society, a media still centered in Los Angeles (where Star Trek was created, taped, and franchised). A third theme is the importance of immigrants to California history. Are there other themes embedded in the quote that I'm missing?
Using this quote and its themes as a point of departure, analyze its meaning. Then discuss and illustrate the themes embedded in it by using as many of the works we have studied in our course as possible. Be specific (as ever) and cite your sources.
Question 2. "[California].is not a mere state. On the contrary, it is, and has been since 1848, a commodity, something to be advertised and sold to the people of the U.S. like mouthwash, automobiles, corn plasters."
Using this quotation as a starting point, in what way has the commodification of California been a key theme in its history? After first defining the term "commodification," give examples of what "commodifying California" has meant and means in California history. How has this tendency set it apart from other states (if indeed it has) and how has it affected the popular perception of California throughout its history? In what way has it shaped the state''s history?