After the 9/11 attacks, the world reacted in shock. Never before had the U.S. been attacked so close to the heart of the nation. As the dust settled, a dominant narrative took hold of the country....Show moreAfter the 9/11 attacks, the world reacted in shock. Never before had the U.S. been attacked so close to the heart of the nation. As the dust settled, a dominant narrative took hold of the country. This narrative cast America as a victim on the geopolitical stage, and through this narrative America’s leadership committed itself to overcoming its victimhood and becoming the hero by waging a war on terror. One of the earliest symbols used in this narrative was the FDNY - these brave firemen, who had rushed into danger to help civilians as the tower collapsed, came to symbolize both the national trauma and the heroism of the U.S. Many works have been written which analyze this narrative from many different angles, with the main takeaway being that this narrative succeeded in mobilizing the population of the U.S. towards war. Due to this heavy focus on this dominant narrative and the road it paved to war, some elements have not received their due attention in academic literature. This thesis will focus on two of these elements. This thesis focuses not on the impact of this dominant narrative on geopolitics, but on the impact of these narratives on its protagonists: the “heroes” of the FDNY. This thesis traces the changes in narratives surrounding these firemen with particular attention to the presentation of masculinity and trauma in these narratives. To discuss these narratives, this paper focuses on three publications: the documentary 9/11 by the Naudet brothers, the book American Ground by William Langewiesche, and the FX TV show Rescue Me. In these cultural objects, the masculinity of the FDNY firemen is presented very similarly, but the authors situate that masculinity completely differently in a gendered power order. All three narratives also address the impact of that “situating” on the trauma suffered by firemen after 9/11. This thesis finds that each of these narratives objectifies firemen in different ways and that this objectification causes further difficulties in providing firemen with mental health support.Show less
This thesis explores gender roles in contemporary South Korean society through their representation in television melodrama. The thesis argues that the opinions held by the society are not apparent...Show moreThis thesis explores gender roles in contemporary South Korean society through their representation in television melodrama. The thesis argues that the opinions held by the society are not apparent in the conservative societal practices. This is explored through survey data collected by Statistics Korea. It also argues that popular media such as television melodrama should represent rather the held opinions than the held practices in order to further the adoption of less conservative practices. The study of Wang’s Family shows that this is not the case. Concentrating on the gendered division of labor, the textual analysis of Wang’s Family shows that it represents the practices not the opinions. This shows that there is still work to be done in closing the gap between opinions and practices in the society regarding the gendered division of labor. Wang’s Family also represents other forms of gender roles that still persist in the society.Show less
