University of South Florida A Historical Site Architecture Discussion

Part 1 – Peter Pan 

Before you start this assignment 

Read the following sections from this J.M. Barrie collection of plays, archived for you here   

The Introduction

Peter Pan (1911)

When Wendy Grew Up (1911)

01. .025 points, At least 25 words > Simply compare and contrast the characters of Peter Pan and Wendy Darling. In order to get credit for your answer you must specifically reference either the play Peter Pan (1911) or When Wendy Grew Up (1911) posted directly above. 

02. .025 points, At least 25 words > Would the story Peter Pan still make sense if the character of Peter Pan grew up in the end as Wendy Darling does? In order to get credit for your answer you must specifically reference either the play Peter Pan (1911) or When Wendy Grew Up (1911) posted directly above Q01. 

• 03. .025 points, At least 25 words, Note the point value change > Make the argument that Mouse, Tory and Paulie are Lost Girls in the way J.M. Barrie defined the Lost Boys in Peter Pan (1911). We covered the story of Mouse, Tory and Paulie on the previous assignment, see especially Q06. I reposted a clip from the movie version of Mouse, Tory and Paulie, which we haven’t covered in this course really, but it quickly and easily captures this one “Peter Pan” point. In order to get credit for your answer you need to specifically reference J.M. Barrie for your definition of “Lost Boys,” (you can find him posted just above Q01 on this assignment), and Swan’s The Wives of Bath (1993), for anything you want to assert about Mouse, Tory and Paulie, (first assigned on A06 and archived here).

04. .025 points, At least 25 words > Make the argument that Mouse is Wendy to Paulie’s Peter as J.M. Barrie conceived of Wendy and Peter in Peter Pan (1911) and When Wendy Grows Up (1911). In order to get credit for your answer you need to specifically reference J.M. Barrie for how you describe Peter Pan and Wendy, (you can find him posted just above Q01 on this assignment), and Swan’s The Wives of Bath (1993), for anything you want to assert about Mouse and Paulie, (first assigned on A06 and archived here).

Part 2 – Pop cultural Peter Pans 

• 05. .025 points, At least 10 words, Not the point value and word count change > Since the early 1900s, (around the time the original play version of Peter and Wendy, was written), slim, short haired, cisgender women have played the title role of Peter Pan. Click hereLinks to an external site. for a list. Based on what you know about the character of Peter from either the play Peter Pan (1911) or When Wendy Grew Up (1911) posted directly above Q01, speculate on how this very specific history of gender casting might affect the viewer’s understanding of the character Peter Pan, especially with regards to his relationship with Wendy Darling. Explain and defend your response.

Mary Martin in 1960

• Little glimpse at Alison Williams in 2016 – She performs at the very beginning of the montage

06. .025 points, At least 25 words, Note the word count change here > Would it work to have a slim, long haired, cisgender man, (i.e., not a boy, but a man), play the character of Wendy? In order to get credit for your answer you must specifically reference either the play Peter Pan (1911) or When Wendy Grew Up (1911) posted directly above Q01 to show you know the important traits of this character and how they are a part of the story of Peter Pan. And, as always, be sure to explain and defend your response. 

07. .025 points, At least 25 words > According to Walt Disney’s 1953 interpretation of Peter Pan and Wendy (1911) who is Tinkerbell and who is Captain Hook and what are the purposes for their characters in this story? Explain and defend your response.

Tinkerbell in “Peter Pan” (1953)

Captain Hook in “Peter Pan” (1953)

Captain Hook in “Peter Pan” (1953)

Part 3 – The real true story of a real life lost boy 

Before you work on the questions below make sure you review my little Michael Jackson life course description hereLinks to an external site. and click on and watch the videos embedded inside. 

08. .025 points, At least 25 words > Describe Michael Jackson’s physical transformation from a child to an adult in your own words using the both resources posted directly below. The second one has a lot of different videos embedded in it, so make sure you let me know which one you are using when formulating, explaining and defending your response.

Resource 1Links to an external site.

Resource 2

09. .025 points, At least 25 words > Okay. Say all you had were the globally popular Michael Jackson videos posted directed below. What lesson do we learn about gender and sexual identity about the little boy and then self identifying cisgender, heterosexual man singing? To get credit for your answer you must reference the images and/or lyrics of each of the videos posted below and be sure to explain and defend your response.

Michael at age 8

Michael at age 12

Michael at age 23

Michael at age 35

10. .025 points, A list, Note the word count change > Watch Michael Jackson’s “Have You Seen My Childhood” (1995) here and find the following ideas from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan (1906), as well as pop cultural twists from Peter Pan.

The idea that childhood is innocence

The idea that childhood is something one can escape to

The idea that childhood is inherently feminine

The idea that childhood is finite

I posted the lyrics underneath the video, so you can use imagery or words to form this list. To access some selections from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan (1906), click back here. 

Have you seen my childhood video and lyrics 

Have you seen my Childhood? – I’m searching for the world that I come from – ‘Cause I’ve been looking around – In the lost and found of my heart – No one understands me – They view it as such strange eccentricities – ‘Cause I keep kidding around – Like a child, but pardon me – People say I’m not okay’ – Cause I love such elementary things – It’s been my fate to compensate, for the Childhood I’ve never known – Have you seen my Childhood? – I’m searching for that wonder in my youth – Like pirates in adventurous dreams – Of conquest and kings on the throne – Before you judge me, try hard to love me – Look within your heart then ask – Have you seen my Childhood? – People say I’m strange that way – Cause I love such elementary things – It’s been my fate to compensate, for the Childhood I’ve never known

Part 4 – The Peter Pan syndrome

11. .025 points, At least 25 words, Note the point value change > Based on what you learned about Freudian and Jungian theory from A05 and A06, do you think Freud and/or Jung would have agreed with the idea that humans could come to acquire the Peter Pan syndrome? Read Parts 1 and 2 of 1982 pop psychological sensation, The Peter Pan Syndrome by Dan Kiley, archived for you here.

12. .025 points, At least 25 words > Read literary critic Stacy Wolf’s (famous) critique of Peter Pan in late 20th century American popular culture here. Stacy uses a ton of academic jargon in her writing, but still, read through as best you can and answer this question: How does Stacy Wolf’s interpretation of Mary Martin performance of Peter Pan undermine Kiley’s theory of the Peter Pan syndrome? You can find a clip of Mary Martin’s performance as Peter Pan assigned under Q05 on this assignment. In order to get credit for your answer you have to show an okay understanding of Wolf’s argument and a good understanding of Kiley’s theory 😉 Kiley was first assigned above and you can quickly access his book here.

13. .05 points, At least 25 words, Note the point value change > Dan Kiley’s Peter Pan syndrome assumed that Peter Pan was cisgender and heterosexual. Would his theory work for a transgender adult woman like Jennifer Finney Boylan? I first introduced Jenny on A04 and a quick link to her book is here. In order to get credit for your answer you need to show a good understanding of both Kiley’s theory and Jenny’s book, so be sure to explain and defend your response.

Part 5 – Putting everything together 

14. .05 points, At least 25 words > Make the argument that a pop star is a good way to understand a social psychological concept from popular culture. In order to get credit for your answer you need to reference the Peter Pan syndrome and Michael Jackson specifically; define the Peter Pan syndrome based on your knowledge from Q11-13; reference at least one of the sources archived about Michael Jackson here; and, as always, be sure to explain and defend your response. Below are some definitions to help you formulate your answer.

Popular social psychology (sometimes shortened as pop psychology or pop psych) is the concepts and theories about human mental life and behavior that are purportedly based on formal, academic, scientific social psychology and that find credence among and pass muster with the populace. • In the U.S. in 2020, pop culture refers to cultural products such as music, art, literature, fashion, dance, film, cyber-culture, television, and radio that are consumed by the majority of a society’s population. Popular culture is those types of media that have mass accessibility and appeal. • A pop star is a famous and successful singer or performer of pop music.

15. 1 point, At least 25 words, Note the point value change > How does the character of Peter Pan in any form – literary, theatrical, animated, musical, social psychological – fetishize childhood? Need a definition of fetishize? A fetish is an inanimate object or idea worshiped for its supposed magical powers or because it is considered to be inhabited by a spirit. To fetishize something is to turn it into a fetish. In formulating your answer be sure to be clear about which Peter Pan (or Peter Pans) you are thinking of, (i.e., the one Dan Kiley writes about, the one J.M. Barrie created, the one Mary Martin performed?), and, as always, be sure to explain and defend your response. Kiley, Barrie, Mary Martin? They all come up earlier on this assignment 😉