I have become more aware of the content of the television shows that I now watch because this class has made me realize that almost everything that is produced for the general public has been carefully crafted to get and keep the audience's attention. After learning about using semiotics as a tool to analyze media I can now look at a television show and start finding out what the signs are that are being used to get my attention. I now notice the kinds of camera shots that are being used as well as the kind of music that is played to get people to pay attention. I have also started thinking about the way the story is structured whenever I watch any show on television. This week's discussion of Marxist criticism made it seem a little harder to use as a way of analyzing media, since it seems limited in how it can be used in this area.
        This week I was unable to watch much television due to a tight schedule but I did watch the Halloween episode of "Freaks and Geeks" during class, so this is the only show that I can criticize at the moment.  In this particular episode we saw a typical American family that included a mother who was trying to hold on to the family tradition of celebrating Halloween, a dad who seemed concerned about everyone else in the family and a teenage daughter and son who both had grown out of the childish habit of celebrating Halloween. The episode seemed to highlight the complexities that are involved in most group relationships, since the daughter, Lindsay was trying to fit in with a group of her peers that did not share her values while her younger brother seemed comfortable in his group with two other boys who were as awkward as he was. The family seemed to be held together by the mother, who was the one who made all the decisions and who went as far as to buy costumes without giving anyone in the family the opportunity to choose an outfit for his or herself. The episode also highlighted the power structure within the family as well as in each peer group. According to Marxist analysis , the mother's position within the family was that of a hierarchical elitist - the individual who felt responsible for everyone else because of her position as a leader in the family. Lindsay was portrayed as fatalist, someone who was no quite sure where she stood in terms of her group, but who was willing to go along with the other members in order to be accepted.
            Although the episode also touched on the topic of friendships within groups , it was the dynamics that was portrayed within family that helped us to understand why Lindsay decided to abandon her group of friends and return home after she had inadvertently egged her little brother as he went trick or treating in the neighborhood.