The griot of P.S. 118

Topic: Rites of passage

Sources: Hey Arnold! (the television show) and information acquired from my African Storytelling class here at HSU.

Relation: In our ANTHRO textbook, the incorporation phase of rites of passage is described by Arnold van Gennep as the transfer of a person from one social group to another (Robbins, 139).  There are a lot of rites of passage for American children that are supposed to incorporate them into society.  These rites serve to introduce them to the values and norms of the culture and society.  Hey Arnold! is a cartoon show that shows various rites of passage in its episodes and the character of Gerald is the one who initiates these rites.

 

Description: One day last week while I was feeling nostalgic, I decided to watch some Hey Arnold! on netflix.  I watched an episode called The List and I suddenly realized that the character of Gerald is very similar to a traditional west African griot.  The reason this is important is because the griot is the one who initiates people into the society through the sharing of sacred knowledge in the form of stories.  Listening to these stories is a rite of passage.  The list in the episode is the list of things for a kid to do in order to have the perfect Saturday.  When Arnold wants to attempt the list, it is Gerald who stands up and reads the list for the other children around.  Other times during the show, Gerald is referred to as a keeper of this or another tale and he is always the one who holds the sacred knowledge that will incorporate the various children in the neighborhood into society as they know it.   Many typical childhood rites of passage are depicted in Hey Arnold! such as sleepovers, camping, playing hookie, school plays, etc.  All of these are used to teach something about culture whether it is camaraderie, survival, or teamwork.

Commentary/Analysis: The griot is a very important character in west African history and spreads his knowledge of the culture through traditional storytelling.  As such, the griot is also the person who often initiates people into the society through different rites of passage.  In the tv show Hey Arnold!, Gerald acts as a griot and guides his fellow classmates into their rites of passage to become part of the larger society.  Because the rites of passage in the show are similar to those found in our culture, Hey Arnold! is a source of cultural knowledge and I might say that watching it was a sort of rite of passage for any 90s kid. 

Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors 

Topic : *Magic*

Source : The character of Gob in Arrested Development and other experiences with magicians.

Relation : On page 92 of the ANTHRO text, rituals and magic are described as, « special events set aside from everyday existence, drawing participants into an emotional involvement with the metaphors. Rituals produce special feelings ; people are carried away with symbolism, music, and social communion with others. » Magicians always create an environment, with their attire, music, etc, to attract and involve crowds. This image and experience is what sticks with us.

Description : When I sat down to think about magic for this blog, I immediately thought of Gob, played by Will Arnett, in the tv show Arrested Development. Gob is a magician and takes his work very seriously. He was part of the Magician's Alliance (although he was later kicked out), a group of magicians dedicated to keeping all the tricks to their illusions secret. Gob always employs a host of different things to excite the crowd : pyrotechnics, music ( always « The Final Countdown » by Europe), smoke machines, dancing, etc. Although, his tricks never seem to work, he believes that all the hype is worthwhile.

As I was thinking more about magic, I asked my fiancé if he had ever been to a magic show. He said he remembered going to one in kindergarten. The magician, an old man dressed in the typical cape and top-hat, said that he would pick the kid with the biggest smile to come up on stage. My fiancé apparently had the biggest smile, so he was allowed to be the assistant. He doesn't even remember the trick though, just that he pulled in a string and a box fell apart.

Analysis/Commentary : In both of these cases, the actual magic didn't seem to matter much at all. Only the environment and feelings of the crowd were important. Gob doesn't care if his magic works, as long as he looks « cool » doing it. My boyfriend doesn't remember the tricks performed in the magic show, but he remembers being a part of it. Luhrmann explains in the book that many times people are so overwhelmed by the feelings that they experience in during rituals that they are heavily inclined to attribute those feelings to magic. The environment that magicians create can be pretty impressive, even if their tricks aren't.    

(see video below)