Tuesday, September 24, 2013

More Meaning Than I Expected

                I have been surprised to learn in class how much depth and meaning some telenovelas have. Not to say my telenovela, La Reina Del Sur, is all that thought-provoking, but many of the novelas we learn about in class have actually had very meaningful backstories. While my novella is mostly just dramatic and suspenseful (I’m definitely not complaining about that though,) I have enjoyed learning about the wide array of messages hiding in the plots of various novelas.

                In my introduction to public relations course last year, we learned about how some causes and organizations will actually use television shows as a platform to voice their message. Popular television shows will often times have messages inlaid in their programming that are meant to stand out to viewers, like an anti-texting-and-driving campaign or message about drug use or underage drinking. A lot of shows in the US have positive messages that are delivered to their audience and will oftentimes include a short monologue at the end of the show where one of the main characters discusses the importance of this issue.
                I thought it was interesting that certain telenovelas did similar things in their storylines, such as several of the different character’s stories in La Mujer Perfecta. I think it’s so awesome that the writer of this novella chose to include several touchy subjects – a main character who is autistic and a character who struggles with the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. I thought that the character with autism was a really interesting dynamic because not a lot of shows, even in the US, showcase characters with disabilities. I think it is really empowering that they have a character with Asperger’s Syndrome in La Mujer Perfecta.
                It was also really interesting to see the storyline of the character who develops breast cancer presented in class. I agree that it is a really important issue to be showcased and I believe it’s a touchy subject for people to understand. I thought it was great that they featured this in La Mujer Perfecta because it did so much to raise awareness and increase the number of women who got mammograms.
                It’s interesting to me how many telenovelas we learned about in class that have done similar things to promote awareness of certain topics. I think it’s great that writers are willing to take chances in their shows in order to get across a message to their audiences. 

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