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blog #5: stranger things s4 critical review

Stranger Things season 4 is finally here, and fans are eager to dive back into the world of Hawkins, Indiana and its cast of lovable characters.

Stranger Things season 4 has finally arrived, bringing with it a wave of nostalgia for the 1980s and a renewed interest in the horror genre. As fans eagerly dive back into the world of Hawkins, Indiana, it's worth considering how the show fits into the broader cultural context of 80s nostalgia and the resurgence of horror in recent years.

For this vlog, I wanted to expound on two questions I had formulated since we were tasked to read an article regarding Lucas being held at gunpoint in the season finale. Those questions are:

a) What is the significance of the scene in which Lucas is held at gunpoint, both within the context of the show and in terms of broader themes? b) How does Stranger Things season 4 fit into the broader cultural context of 80s nostalgia and the resurgence of the horror genre in recent years?

Without expounding any further, let's get started! Grab a drink (or two?), this is about to be a long one.

Stranger Things season 4 is steeped in nostalgia for the 80s, drawing on everything from classic movies and TV shows to iconic fashion and music from the era. This nostalgia is often driven by a desire for simpler times, when the world felt less complicated and more innocent. For many viewers, Stranger Things taps into this desire, offering a vision of the 80s that is both idealized and deeply familiar.

But nostalgia is not just about looking back; it's also about the ways in which we use the past to understand the present. Season 4 engages with this aspect of nostalgia by exploring issues related to memory, trauma, and cultural identity. Throughout the show's four seasons, we see the characters grappling with the legacy of their past experiences, from the trauma of Eleven's childhood in Hawkins Lab to the challenges of growing up in a small town with limited opportunities.

At the same time, Stranger Things season 4 also engages with broader cultural themes related to the horror genre. By drawing on the tropes and conventions of classic horror films, the show is able to explore issues related to fear, anxiety, and the human psyche. This engagement with the horror genre is part of a broader trend in recent years, as audiences have shown a renewed interest in horror media that draws on classic films from the 70s and 80s.

One example of this engagement with horror can be seen in the scene in which Lucas is held at gunpoint. This scene not only adds to the tension and suspense of the show, but also explores issues related to power, control, and trauma. It raises questions about how individuals and groups use violence and coercion to maintain power and control over others, and how these dynamics play out in the context of broader societal and cultural issues.

Now that I've finished with my critique on the two questions, I just want to expound why I wanted to focus on these questions. Honestly, I wanted to do it because watching that episode genuinely scared me. It didn't seem out of the blue for a character like Lucas to die like that in the real world because racism against black people is still so rampant to this day. It scared me because I can't begin to fathom how realistic it was. I was very glad we were able to talk about topics like this for a class because it needs to be talked about more often. The show being set in the 80s and it being not too far from the reality people face is very concerning. There must be something done and talking about it is a good start.

To summarize, Stranger Things season 4 is a rich and complex piece of media that engages with a variety of cultural themes and trends. By tapping into audiences' nostalgia for the 80s and engaging with broader cultural issues related to trauma, memory, and the horror genre, the show offers a unique perspective on the world we live in today. Whether you're a longtime fan of the show or a newcomer to the world of Hawkins, there's something in Stranger Things season 4 for everyone to enjoy.

© sophiarchives, 2023

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blog #4: coining a term

It’s almost daily that we encounter new words to add to our vocabulary.

Some have good meanings, the others bad. This week, we were given the liberty to create a term to describe an unnamed phenomena of our choice. It was honestly a struggle trying to pick just ONE phenomena to focus on since there are so many to choose from but in the end, we ended up deciding to focus on Mental Health. 

Mental Health has always been a taboo topic of conversation. In recent years however, society has been more open to the thought of it but it doesn’t mean that it’s a topic you can just easily open up to with anybody. According to a survey done by Rakuten in May 2022, 63% of Filipino respondents stated that they felt more anxious or stressed during the past 12 months. It’s even harder to think about how so many people choose to stay quiet about how they feel because our country is so conservative. Opening up to the wrong people might result in damaged and invalidated feelings. This is where the word we coined comes in. Psychological Misjudgement is a term that people can use to refer to the invalidation of one’s emotions as it is reduced to something trivial. 

To easily understand this term, let us view a situation where this comes into play:

Aya has been feeling under the weather for the past few months. She doesn’t know how it happened but one day she just woke up and felt this void inside of her. Whenever someone sees her however, she looks fine. She’s smiling and is happy with anyone she talks and interacts with. When she finally gained the courage to talk to one of her close friends regarding how she truly feels, she was taken aback when her friend said that she was just imagining it all. She was always so happy so the fact that she was sad was probably a figment of her imagination. Aya felt sad, invalidated even. It took so much pep talks for her to be able to even just open up but the fact that it was reduced to something trivial stung her.

What Aya’s friend did was Psychological Misjudgement. We decided to name a specific problem under Mental Health so that people are aware that there is a term for what they are doing. It’s also to bring light to the invalidation of the feelings of someone because as much as it’s sad to think about, this phenomena happens pretty often. In bringing light to this, we hope that people try their best to do this less because it’s really not a great thing to do. Mental health will always be a hard topic to talk about but with everyone’s help, we’ll be able to get to a time where it is freely talked about in no time. 

Let’s cooperate with one another and make this world a better place. 

© sophiarchives, 2023

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blog #3: exploring chatGPT

Technology is just so captivating.

The fact that you can do almost everything through the help of technology is baffling, is it not? Hey blog! It's been a while. This week, we were given the freedom to interact with ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by OpenAI that was released in November 2022. It is relatively new but that doesn't take away from the fact that it can do almost everything.

Upon opening the site, I was given the chance to interact with the bot immediately. It felt like talking to a friend since you could ask it for advice, stories, friendly debates and a whole lot more. I had a number of interesting conversations with the bot but I want to focus on two that quite literally made me say "Woah. Now that's cool.":

When we were assigned to do this, it was the start of February. I did not know what topic to bring up since I didn't really have much questions so since it's the month of Valentines, I decided to theme my questions and topics around love. I asked a majority of questions (as someone who went through something just quite not romantic but can be classified under the romance aspect of life) and the bot always had answers for me. Like I said, it felt like talking to friend except this friend focused more on facts rather than being empathetic. I didn't mind it to be honest as the advice and facts it was feeding me helped me understand and process my own feelings. One of my favorite things ChatGPT said to me while on this topic is this...

This is a reminder not only to me but to everyone that is reading this entry that healing is a journey you'll have to face at your own pace. 🤍

Another good thing to note about ChatGPT is that it's very neutral when it comes to topics you'll usually need to have a side on. We talked about the LGBT Community and everything else in between that topic of conversation. I loved hearing the bot's knowledge on the topic since some facts mentioned I didn't even know myself. This blog entry would be a lot longer if I include screen caps of the whole LGBT debate that took place so i'll just insert one that proves my point that this bot is neutral. (I asked this as a joke by the way, I just wanted to see what the bot would say)

All in all, this whole exploration I did on ChatGPT was really insightful. I do think that it could have a lot of other features that would make the experience a lot better but for now, what we have is already perfection. I could definitely see it as something that could help in my language and literature studies because of it's many abilities but also because it's easy to use. One question or message and the answers will be right there for you.

As I end this blog, I hope that i've managed to influence you into exploring ChatGPT in your free time. I'm sure you'll be surprised by it's features just like me. Happy exploring, seeker!

© sophiarchives, 2023

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blog #2: the climate crisis network

Climate Change has been a topic of conversation in both personal and societal conversations for as far as I could remember. It’s quite ironic really: how people only mention it when it is absolutely necessary or if they know that opening the topic up would benefit them. In short, Performative Activism. I despise it when people talk about things just because it would make them look good when in reality, the ones who actually care are given the least appreciation. 

In comes this topic, The Climate Crisis Network. The Concept Map we were able to form wasn’t as extensive as we would like it to be but looking at it now, it’s already perfect the way it is. How we were able to connect the main topics with the additional information and the subtopics all connect well and is simple enough for our viewers to understand. 

To better digest the diagram we provided, I will briefly explain how the concepts relate to each other.

Before we start, it’s fair to take note of the following:

Circles - Main Topics, Boxes - Addtl. Info & Subtopics, Arrows - relationship of the variables to one another and Lines - connect the information and concepts from the main topics 

The main topic, Climate Change, has an arrow connecting it to humans as it is known that this phenomena affects humans. From the Humans circle, the related concepts that we connected it to is when humans put pressure on nature, it is also us that ends up suffering more. From that part, the box connects back to Climate Change because the suffering being talked about is Climate Change itself. Going back to the humans circle, there is now an arrow connecting that to illnesses and wildlife, related main topics as when wildlife interacts with humans they could get illnesses. However, wildlife only interacts with humans because there is a loss of habitat. Major reasons of habitat loss are Deforestation, Urbanization, and Air Travel. With Urbanization and Air Travel being two of the factors that increases the risk of infectious diseases, it all relates back to humans who need to find solutions by acting immediately so that we are able to solve Climate Change. 

To end this post, I wanted to remind everyone to be kind to our climate and to our world in general. It isn’t always that we’ll have the Earth take all the harsh things we are doing to it. Be kind to the world and in return, it will be kind to you. 

© sophiarchives, 2022

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blog #1: einstein-inspired school

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go to a school that was curated to specifically make students feel at home while still developing the skills they need to be able to face life?

In comes Heimat Academy. Paying homage to the founder of the school, Albert Einstein, we made a school that is both a home and an institute that will help shape our students into the people who will be the backbone of this country.

It was actually very fun to work with my partner in creating our own Einstein-inspired School. Not only did we learn more about each other but we also learned more about ourselves. I was able to unleash my creativity in making this and I find that part the best part of the project making process. At first, it was kind of challenging trying to find a time most convenient for my partner and I. It wasn’t easy trying to balance making a whole school and curriculum while having a lot on my plate. This project, like most, taught me how to manage my time well while still enjoying what I was doing. My partner also made making this project a little more bearable. She made me believe in the saying that choosing the right person to work with helps with easily completing a task. I genuinely enjoyed working with her, getting to know her better and just finding out more about each other. It is projects like this where I learn the most about myself which is why I absolutely adored every single step of the making process. Not only am I satisfied with the final output but I also am satisfied with every single memory I got while making this.

To end off this blog post, I wanted to leave a tiny excerpt from the essay that inspired this activity, On Education by Albert Einstein: 

“Knowledge is dead; the school, however, serves the living. It should develop in the young individuals those qualities and capabilities which are of value for the welfare of the Commonwealth.” 

© sophiarchives, 2022

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blog rules

To make everyone’s stay on this blog a safe experience, please take note of the following rules. 

✱ Be nice to the people you interact on here.

✱ Keep this blog sfw. Anything out of what I think is sfw, I will be blocking. 

✱ This blog is a safe space. You are free to comment your thoughts about anything under my posts but also please know your boundaries. 

✱ My DMs are always open if you need someone to talk to! 

Thank you for helping me in keeping this blog a safe place for everybody ☻

© sophiarchives, 2022

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about me

Hey! You’ve reached @sophiarchives ☻

I’m Sophia Mitra but you can just call me Sophia on this blog. I’m a high school student who has a deep love for books and literature in general. My favorite genre is anything romance: rom-com, historical romance, contemporary romance and others. As I write this entry, I’am currently reading Emma by Jane Austen. 

Other than books, I also enjoy a variety of activities. I don’t really enjoy those tasks or activities that require me to use too much of my energy (with the exception of my favorite sport, Volleyball). When I have the time, I either listen to music under RNB, K-Pop or OPM or watch movies that I find interesting.

I enjoy singers like Stray Kids, NewJeans, IVE, NorthStar Boys, Keshi and Hojean. For movies, cult classics like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Breakfast Club and Grease are the ones that piqued my interest.

Before I end this entry, I wanted to share a line from one of my current favorite songs as a reminder:

“You’ll be alright, just take it slow. One day at a time.” - One Day At A Time, ATEEZ

Everything will be alright, just take it slow and easy for now. Always remember that you are loved and cared for. Hugs!

© sophiarchives, 2022

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© sophiarchives, 2023