Ms. Hanna

First, I want to thank Ms. Hanna for coming to class to discuss a topic we have not covered a lot in class; homosexuality. As I have expressed in papers and projects I have am an avid supporter of people having the choice to love whomever they want; even if it's the same sex. Although we have come many miles forward, homosexuality is still frowned upon in many places in the world and not widely accepted. I truly hope that equality among all lovers will occur in my lifetime.

Ms. Hanna discussed homosexuality as an illness; unfortunately, this was not the first time that I heard this. I cannot express how hurtful it is to be in love with someone and people look at you like you have a deathly illness. It's unfair that same sex couples have had so many restrictions when coming to loving one another. In my experience, the same sex couples that I know are so genuinely happy. What fascinates me is that same sex couples endure frequent struggles, are not allowed to be themselves in many areas, and are often judged, but after all of that they still love each other; if anything, it is inspiring.

Ms. Hanna read a poem that said, "I die of love for you, but keep it secret". This signifies two struggles, in my opinion. First, I believe that it shows the difficulties that an individual faces with self identity. They think they might love someone of the same sex, but they do not know if that is normal; therefore, their uncertainty keeps their feelings secret. Secondly, they love the other but are not allowed to express their love because of the consequences they would face being a homosexual. No one should have to keep their love for someone secret and they should be able to freely and respectfully display that love just as any heterosexual couple would be able too.

I was intrigued when I learned that words such as "naked" and "make love" are banned in some Middle Eastern countries. I cannot imagine Americans walking around trying to filter these common words from our language and everyday lives. Sometimes I think that Americans can take their freedoms for granted and this just shows how lucky we are to have our freedom of speech.

Yard Work is Hard Work

Jodi Mack was an awesome presenter; she is young and extraordinarily creative! I admire her ability and patient to create animation in the way that she does. I do not see animation like hers often, but I think that is why I was so fascinated. Jodi incorporated love, desire, and environmental sustainability into her work.

My favorite part of her presentation was the enthusiasm she shared about environmental sustainability and recycling. She used junk mail, magazines, and other pictures to create her videos. I think it’s great for her to share her passion with her viewers about making a healthier environment. I believe that is something she desires. She dreams of a cleaner and less wasteful world and is able to express that through her work.

Jodi has an unbelievable talent. She said, like our class has often discussed, that media forms our expectations of love. Whether we read, watch or listen, our society forms our expectations and desires for the perfect love and the perfect relationship. As children, we read what love is meant to be like in story books with fairytales. As we grow older, we start watching TV and movies while listening to an array of music that talks or displays imagery of love. Yes, all of these methods show the happiness and sadness to love—but more heavily focus on this perfectly ideal life of love and happiness which just is not accurate. I think this course is making me bitter towards love, because I seem to think about things more negatively and with less care when it comes to the subject. I don’t think my opinion on desiring will ever change because I feel that I always want, want, want! Realistically, I think it’s easier to desire than it is to love and the film “Yard Work is Hard Work” exemplifies this. If they have this house and make it their own, and show that these desires sometimes overpowered their love. Their love struggled when all their assets were in a slump. I think her film showed that it is easier to desire then to love. 

Poet Mr. Garren Smalls

Poetry can sometimes sound like a foreign language, but whats fascinating is if you read deeply into poems they can hold so many meanings and so many truths. Poetry can pose many questions about love and about life. As Mr. Smalls was reading poetry to us and with the discussion following each poem I began to ponder a few questions that he posed; can love conquer hate? What does love really require? Are we going to be able to come together and grow as human beings? 

In both love and life, I think it will be difficult for all humans to come together as one for the better of society. For example, we have not come together as one to support each other in marriage opportunities. We also have not come together in creating a less judgmental society or accepting individual differences. There is so much in our world that is unjust and divided that its hard to be optimistic that we could even come together as whole. 

I don't think as a whole love can conquer hate. Ideally, it would have to be a perfect world for this to be true. It saddens me that there is so much hatred in our world. For example, the recent Boston Bombings that killed three and wound over a hundred people was a horrific act that shows no love for one another or our society. 

In class we focus on the love that two people share as well as the desire that coincides with living, but we don't look in depth to love in a broader aspect. Can we love our earth, our neighborhood, our school? To answer this, I believe we can love everything--I feel that people make a choice not to love the things in their life. Mr. Smalls titled his talk "Fires that dare to ignite" which he later expressed that this meant that to love requires courage and commitment to whatever it is that you love. Toning in to what Mr. Smalls had to say, made me understand the importance and the courage to commit to your own life as well. 

We have talked frequently on finding love in another because of what we lack in ourselves. If we our lucky enough to find that person to fill those voids we are more whole, more complete. I believe that we need to commit to our own life first, focus on desires and well being before we try and invest that time into another person. I do believe that we need to love ourselves before we love another. 

To keep our love strong, regardless of who it is with (i.e, friends, partner, family) we need to communicate. We need to do more than just talk, we need to listen. Mr. Smalls said that we often talk, but we don't really listen to what the other person is saying which ultimately leads to love lost. Is it possible to master the art of communicating? 

I know my thoughts are scattered, but its because so much was going through my mind when Mr. Smalls was reading the poetry. I had a hard time answering some of the questions I found myself asking in my head or being asked. I will definitely look more into Mr. Smalls work because it gets my gears in my head cranking. Overall, his presentation was really enjoyable. 

Why We Love, Why We Cheat

I was unable to attend Dr. Lucy Brown’s lecture on Tuesday evening, so I took the liberty of checking out the website she had sent out to us seeyourfeelings.com. As I was scanning through the website briefly, it became obvious that the two women at the forefront, Lucy Brown and Helen Fisher, are two incredibly smart and fascinating women. Both these women have invested their lives to the science behind love. Due to the inability of being in the lecture on Tuesday, I decided to listen to a TED talk by Helen Fisher titled, “Why We Love, Why We Cheat”.  From the beginning, I started to question what it means to be “in love.”

Fisher spoke on romantic love saying that we seek special meaning, we are sexually possessive, we emotionally crave the other person, we are motivated by the other person, and we become obsessed with the other person. Fisher conducted research where she looked at the brain of people who were in love and those who were in love, but heartbroken through a machine. She asked multiple questions, but the two most striking were “What percent of the day do you think about him or her?” and “Would you die for him or her?” To Fisher’s surprise, people answered the first question with “all night and all day” while the second question was answered with a “yes.” When the brain was actively in love it looked like it was on a drug, Fisher gave the example of cocaine.

Fisher explained that three brains are involved in the process of loving; lust, romantic, and deep attachment. Lust is responsible for the sexual drive—the “intolerable itch” we have to please. The romantic aspect focuses on the energy it takes to mate with one person while the attachment aspect is to be able to tolerate the other person.

Fisher discussed that more marriages today would be considered symmetrical marriages meaning that the two people are equal. This stems from the continuous advancement of women in the world in regards to economic power, health, and education. Fisher also elaborated on the strengths that women have over men such as verbal ability, imagination, the ability to collect data, and the ability to plan. This woman is awesome in giving other women a moral boost!

Fascinatingly, we can and are allowed to love multiple people at once. Fisher referred to this as the mental “committee meeting.” Honestly, I am not sure about how I feel about being able to be in love with multiple people to fill different needs because I certainly don’t want to share my boyfriend with anyone unless I give it the OKAY!

Lastly, Fisher discussed the use of anti-depressants and its relation to love. She said that anti-depressants are being used at a greater percentage than ever and it has effects on our ability to love. First, anti-depressants alter the dopamine levels which are associated with romantic love and the emotional connections. Secondly, anti-depressants used long-term kills the sex drives which kills orgasms therefore killing our ability of attachment to the other person.  As Fisher said, you mess with one part of the brain you ultimately mess with the other parts too! I believe that we need to love to be living, just like if we did not desire we would dead and as Fisher put it, “A world without love is a deadly place.” 

Desire for Freedom Through Slavery

Anthony Reed, a professor at Yale University, shared his passion and knowledge about slavery through the use of films. I have learned about slavery, racism, and the Civil Rights Movement all throughout my education   which is bitter sweet for me. I grew up with almost no diversity regarding race and ethnicity, but as I came to college I began to explore all different varieties.

Slavery in cinema has some signature icons such as cotton fields, plantations, faithful song, white powerful men with guns and whips, and hard working black men and women. I could never imagine experience this traumatic event first hand, but I do believe in the powerful debates and discussion that this unfortunate time of history taught us to have. Some of our nations greatest leader rose among the dark to defend the rights that blacks should receive of citizens of our country. Now I understand that slavery was long before the Civil Rights Movement, but they carried similar desires; the desire to be free.

Amistad, a film that Reed focused his discussion primarily on, shared the quote "Give us us free." This quote was so powerful because I could not imagine yelling for my freedoms when all these people wanted were to walk without chains and not get beaten. Reed explained that slavery was a labor relationship; yet, the individuals had no opportunity to have any other relationship. Slaves were unable to have intimate  social, or academic relationships.

In recent decades, I have come to know many stereotypes of African Americans. I strongly disagree with these that I have learn and I truly believe in equality. Equality is something that not only African Americans desire. Woman desire equal pay, work and educational opportunities, the poor desire the comforts of living with basic necessities, and many nations desire to be great like the American nation (although it's not always so great). We desire what we don't have and what we want more of, but many of us have our basic necessities. Slaves desired the freedom to live their own life that many were denied. Slaves wanted the opportunity to create individuality among themselves and their friends and families (if they had family).

It saddens me to know that there was so much hatred in our past, but our history is what we learn from. Ideally, if we know our history it won't repeat itself. Equality is so important among many people in the work place, in ethnicity, in sexual orientations, etc. and as hard as we try our nation will never be completely equal. As there are many negatives to this inequality, it creates our economic status and individual standing. Reed said that many of these films are not accurate entirely, but they don't have to be to exhibit the horrific period of our nations history. With optimism for our future, I hope generations to come will not face anything to the extreme that our past generations had to endure.

Before Sunset

Before Sunset, the sequal to Before Sunrise, is the continuation of a conversation through which two people have fallen in love. Celine and Jessie are two strangers who met on a train and decided to spend some time together in Vienna before they had to depart. In their brief time together they found love. There was great passion and unbelievable desire for each other. Upon departure from each other, they decided to not give each other contact information and meet again six months later at the exact place from which they were leaving. Before Sunrise leaves you hanging onto your seats and waiting in anticipation, will they actually meet again? 

Before Sunset is nine years later. At this point, Jesse is married and has a son named Henry. He is a New York Best-Selling author who writes about a fictional love story about a very special moment in time. We learn later, that his hopes to writing this book and doing a book tour might give him and Celine a chance to meet again. Jessie's story was an idealized version of the night he had spent with Celine. When they did meet again, nine years later they both had a very different version of love. Jessie was unhappy, but would remain unhappy for the sake of his son. He never felt real love, but he felt he was fulfilling the necessary obligations that one had to deal with in life. Jessie never let go of his love for Celine, in fact, he lived it daily through his book and through dreams. 

On the other hand, Celine's idea of loved seemed very different from Jessie's and very cold. She preferred to have her boyfriend be away so that she could could still have her and independence, but still miss him. Later in the movie, she cracks and blames Jessie for the reason she can't love. 

In one discussion, Jessie said that "if you liberate yourself from desire then you will find that you already have what you need." What caught my attention as they were talking about desire is that Jessie said "need" to desire is to "want." As they talked with each other, Jessie said that we are "designed to be dissatisfied," as if we are meant to always want more; nothing is ever good enough. Although Celine believed that it was a sign of depression to think that way, I find it very true. I believe that we always want more. We want more in clothing, at work, more money, more time, better love; we are designed to want more, more, more! Why can't we seem to get a grasp on this want? If Celine and Jessie met six months later, would they still desire each other the way that they did nine years later? Had they given each other their contact would they have lost the spark? I think that they would have. 

It's so hard to put a limit on wanting. Personally, I know I have what I need, but I want more. Sometimes I think it wouldn't be bad to be content, but does that mean I am settling for less than I might be worth or capable of? Before Sunset captured the missed time and lost love of two people perfectly. The movie also captured how longing and desiring for another is so plausible through our fantasies and that's what keeps us hopeful that maybe someday we will be able to grasp what it is that we think will fulfill our desires. 

The Dirty Deed

I am an open book when it comes to sex and secrets inside the bedroom, but I never thought about what it might take to write about it. Steve Almond, New York Best Seller, writes graphically about sex and the encounters two people may have in the rawest form. This technique is not only fascinatingly interesting, but naughty and passionate. Almond made it apparent that sex comes with some emotional connection, but it doesn't mean that its the only thing on a person's mind when the deed is being done. Almond emphasized that there are many ways of loving and that you don't need to love someone. Almond said that when you love someone you love the "ugly" parts of them or the wounded. This concept was shared when Almond read his short story "Skull" and the man fell in love with the sexual interaction that he shared with his girlfriend and her damaged eye. Love is about finding another person and paying attention to who they really are. Is this possible though? Do we really ever know who the other person is? Sometimes I would like to think I know my boyfriend really well, but then so much of my time I spend wondering what is going through his head and why he processes his thoughts the way we do. I love him, but if I can't answer these questions and recite everything about him have I not paid enough attention? 

I wish I thought to being money to class on Tuesday because I certainly would have purchased his book. I really appreciate his openness and his candidness to love and sex. Some people struggle talking openly about sex let alone writing about it. Almond catches the details that some may never write or even think about and the details that some wish to carry out in their own sexual endeavors. 

On a final thought, Almond said "the path to truth runs through shame" and I can not seem to get this statement out of my mind. Why? I know the expression the truth hurts is often used and maybe this has something to do with it. Is the truth shameful? Unfortunately, I think about my life and some decisions I made and sometimes I believe that it is... I don't regret decisions I have made in my life, but if I could do it again I certainly would have made different decisions in sex, love and fulfilling my desires. I think we need to be able to take what we knew and revisit it so that our future doesn't hold truths that have passed through shame. Sexually or not, our truth doesn't need to be shameful; does it? 

Desire in Tunisia

Halfaouine is a movie that depicts the ideal image of desire through a young boys eyes named Noura. Noura is a boy seeking manhood, but is not at the age where it is acceptable. Young children go to community showers with their mothers until they are at age an age where they are too old or too curious. Noura watched the old teenage boys harass woman and “hit on” them as he was growing up. Come the age of twelve Noura became very curious. He would beg his mother he needed a shower and refused to go to the men’s shower so that he could see the naked women. The women represent the desire for manhood. Noura wanted to discover all parts of a woman’s body looked like and during the shower times that was not possible. The women had exposed breasts and bottoms, but cover their front private areas with a cloth or a ban. Noura’s family maid was young and attractive and he believed he could fulfill his desires by touching and undressing her in the dark at night. At home point Noura even tricked her into exposing her body so that he could massage her. Noura was smart in find ways into the world of a woman. He truly wanted to experience manhood and the curiosity was getting the best of him. After the maid was caught by Noura’s mother she was out of a job so at that point there was no more loss for her. The maid met Noura in his room under the covers and waited until he arrived. Upon arrival Noura received a slight smile and the lights went off. The maid brought a young boy into manhood. Noura’s desire of exploring the female anatomy was temporarily filled, but this will lead him to wanting more. There is no amount of something that is full of adventure and curiosity.

I found the process of circumcision very fascinating in that its extremely different from what I am accustomed to as an American. I didn’t realize it was so ritualistic in other cultures. My question about this experience is how it plays into the role of love and desire. I know there is a connection, but I am not finding it in my mind to share with you my opinion. Is circumcision very ritualistic in other cultures or is it just Tunisia?

The cultures were so drastically different from what I know as an American. I could not imagine growing up the way this culture did and I mean this with no disrespect. It’s incredible people can grow, develop and find strength in seeking and desiring love. 

Love, Murder, Scandal & The Penny Press

Professor Burt's session on love and desire in the Penny Press was fascinating. I always wondered what intrigued people to read gossip or watch (now a days) reality TV that just seems so over the top ridiculous and this is why...the Penny Press. Who knew that something that costs as little as one cent would turn into something worth billions today?

The first Penny Press was "The Sun" in New York City in 1833. There were many advantages to this brilliant idea including that it was aimed at the working class, used language that the average person could understand, was sold for a penny, spoke of love, murder, crime and scandal and appealed to everyone's emotions. Most importantly this paper and the many to follow covered gossip.

Women and men during this period were divided into two spheres; the domestic and the public. The women filled the domestic sphere by staying home, caring for the husband and the family and tending to household needs. The men were the bread winners bringing home the dough to support the family and sometimes, without the wife's knowledge had other women on the side. This life, in my opinion, seems absolutely brutal and boring. The goal of the woman in a relationship was to master how to please a man while a man had the freedom to do as he pleased. If a woman wanted to succeed in life she must follow "the rules" and this idea meant that a woman was to wed and create a family and serve a husband, but not to be single and promiscuous. I am sure that some women defied the rules of society and those would have been great articles to read in the Penny Press.

The Penny Press dramatically covered love stories and love stories gone bad, after all, that is our favorite kind of love story! I love reading about love spoiled by hatred, jealousy, adultery or abandonment. These are the stories that crime shows like CSI and Criminal Minds base many of their episodes on. Why are those appealing? I think we have such an unrealistic of what love is and what love should be. We constantly desire something more, someone more, someone better. We aren't content with what we have because there is better to be had. Well, that is cynical and bitter, but it makes for a good story that can suck you right in. This is what the writers of the Penny Presses all around the nation wanted...a good story. In this story the authors knew that they could write in segments which would automatically prompt a ready to purchase another copy. It was a business scandal, but a triumph for the men and women writing stories, gossiping and digging up the latest dirt on the neighbor in town. The Penny Press gave many their few minutes of fame whether it was for the better or not.

Novels, shows & movies dive into what we want to consider uncharted territories. These can't be true, god awful, but terribly addicting stories that some people could never imagine. It's a money market, a scheme, but a very good one at that. These stories make us suspicious of our other, make us think "what if" and make us wonder...is there truly any way to love another without meeting fatal consequences whether it's in real life or written in the paper?

Love & Desire Through Ancient Artifacts

Is this woman overweight or she beautiful? Today, one might argue that she is overweight and facing serious health risks some including back problems, but in ancient times this woman was considered beautiful. A women of full breasts and large hips shows that she is fertile and capable of producing many children. Dr. Richard Freund was enthusiastic throughout his presentation and I found understanding into how archaeology is so intriguing. Archaeologists find artifacts that relate to all aspects of our life and each artifact has a unique story like the one above. It is believed that women would hold on to this little figurines for luck and hope to be able to reproduce. While listening to Dr. Freund I started to think about our previous classes in love and desire and why we haven't talk more about fertility when its the basic foundation to what we discuss. If we were not born, we would not love or desire anyone or anything so I feel it is important to think about why we produce and why some of us don't or are not interested to reproduce. Speaking as an American, the typical and sometimes stereotypical dream for Americans is to grow up, get an education, get married and have children. But why? Why is fertility so important and why now do people rush to have a child if not many? Children are a trophy in some people's eyes; a possession or something to brag about, in others a reward for doing well, while others a child is a mistake. According to Guttmacher.org, a 2006 survey said that of every 1000 women in CT 52 have unintended pregnancies. Just from those numbers it  is expressed that numerous children are unplanned. Many people however, have children to show them off. I sometimes feel that this thought comes along with the idea that "my child is better than yours." What is unfortunate to me though is that some people are not fertile and can not reproduce. Those woman, in my opinion, are the one's most interested in having children and most disappointed when they can't. Do we reproduce because we love the other? Or do we reproduce because we feel its our obligation as women and we were giving this system we must utilize it? This is something I would like to talk more about in class and be able to discuss what my peers might think as well as the authors of what we have read thus far might think. In my opinion, fertility is a huge part of love and desire and there are so many questions to be answered, I just don't know where to start! 

Dating After Divorce !

First off, Happy Valentine's Day! <3

After growing up with divorced parents I have a good understanding that dating after divorce is an essential part to a person's recovery, coping, and developing. When I was young I never understood clearly the reasons why my parents didn't get along or why they didn't act like other parents. Their coparenting skills were low and they did not communicate well which always made it a struggle to connect with them on even terms. What I realize now is that they were unaware of effective methods of being divorced and co-parents. Dr. Miller-Ott is fascinated by the communication and action among men and women following divorce: is it okay to date? What do I have to tell my ex? What do I tell the person I am dating? How much do I tell the person I am dating? To I disclose really personal aspects of my life? Do I throw all my baggage out on the first date and say take it or leave it? Do I introduce my dates to my children? How involved should my parents be in the process? These are all questions that Dr. Miller-Ott wants and has found some answers to. Dr. Miller-Ott's enthusiasm excited me and interested me. Something we discussed a lot in lecture is the "baggage" that we carry as individuals and how that can effect our new relationships. I personally believe that there is an appropriate amount of information to disclose on the first few dates; however, it shouldn't be with an all or nothing frame of mind. Good or bad our baggage is what makes us who we are and that is something we should embrace. Depending on the length of the marriage a newly single person might not be familiar with the dating world and it could be very different from what it was when they were young. For example, Dr. Miller-Ott used an example of a woman in her 50s who use the take it or leave it method with a new date, but she had been married for years and since she last date the world was a very different place. Fifty years ago, we did not have FaceBook, eHarmony, ChristianMingle, FarmersOnly and all the other ridiculous group specific dating websites. This concept allows an individual to lay out as much information as they would like and then share it with the world. People that are interested in them can search for specific information and find matches that meet their needs or what they are looking for. This method of dating can make it a lot easier for divorce people to get back into the game. Dating is an important part of growing and developing, in my opinion. Each new partner or relationship regarding of the seriousness can teach you so much. For example, dating can teach people how to communicate with other people both verbally and non-verbally. Dating can allow you to experience new situations, possibly even more diverse situations and help you step out of your comfort zone. Everyone can define dating very differently, one person might feel that a date is dinner and a movie while others may think it is purely sexual. Finding that definition and those boundaries is important for individuals to share share with the person that they date and may consider seeing so that there are expectations of the needs of each individual. Another aspect that I really like of Dr. Miller Ott's discussion is that we should set expectations for our partners. We can't expect the other person to meet our expectations or needs if we do not share what those are. This is the first step to having a successful relationship following a divorce because you can know from the get go what will work and what won't. I loved Dr. Miller-Ott's lecture it was extremely powerful and her passion for this subject was so refreshing. 

Love & Friendship

Dr. Borck mentioned at one point Derrida's view that people should merge horizons and leave out politics. I truly agree with this thought because politics makes everything complicated. Politics hinders relationships, friendships & partnerships in many different aspects. For example, many times couples have differing views on how they view the world and it can bring negativity and challenge to the relationship.
I also feel that in love and friendship it is that we as individuals are both the friend and the enemy. We can be our own worst enemy and that can negatively impact our relationship with all those we communicate with. Dr. Borck mentioned Plato briefly as the "sexy philosopher" which I thought was funny because I made a random connection with my life to this. I find sometime that I remember people differently from their physique. I felt like Dr. Borck's method of referring to him in this way was to relate it better to the audience which I appreciated.
Overall, I thought Dr. Borck was very enthusiastic about the subject. I thought it was very dense and at some points I had a hard time understanding the material because it was so detailed. I can tell that she is passionate about this subject so I thoroughly enjoyed listening.

Before Sunrise

Before Sunrise challenges the common introduction of two people who fall in love within a matter of hours through conversation. In most relationships (where love follows) it takes time for two people to become comfortable to the idea of what love means to them. The two characters in Before Sunrise met on a train and decided to embark on a brief adventure until Jessie leaves to head back to America. Celine is a European women whose ideas differ from Jessie's sometimes seemingly typical American remarks. Celine and Jessie hit it off from the first conversation and as it progressed we learned many perspectives of love.

One phrase in the movie that caught my attention in particular was when the couple was discussing that as couples grow old they lose the ability to hear each other. I was fascinated by this remark because I look at my Grandparents and I think that they hear each other and understand each other well. I believe that they have many silent conversations. Many people truly believe in a forever with another and that could not be possible or happily if they were unable to hear one another.

I find it intriguing how strangers are so open to confiding in each other when they have never even shared some of what they do with someone that they are close with. Why do we as humans trust someone who we don't know so quickly, but not a friend or family member? I believe that sometimes we do that because we feel we won't be judged or that if we are they won't hold it against us because at the end of the day we won't ever see them again, or so we hope!

The concept of the Jessie and Celine being awake in their dream seemed so true. I believe if the world wasn't such a risky place more people would dare to go on an adventure with a stranger, but give the lack of security we feel from others we are often far more unlikely to do so. The opportunity seems grand to be able to take chance so freely and not worry about the bad from a situation. I think this is an adventure that could tell a life time fully of stories. 

Annie Hall

Annie Hall was a great comedy in that it hit on many important aspects of love and gender roles. More specifically, I thought it was interesting how Alvy uses a women's menstrual cycle against Annie when she was in a bad mood. Coincidentally, I feel like it is common for issues to arise when a women is on her period, but I don't think its fair for a men to use something against a women that comes naturally and without choice.

I thought it was ironic how Alvy could not get over Annie when in most movies and scenarios it's the other way around. However, I liked this approach because it shows that a man too can have these mixed feelings and emotions as well as a sensitive side. Finding a sensitive side in men is hard to do, unless you're lucky. I think more relationships would be better off and longer lasting if both the man and woman could be more open and honest with each other. I felt like in Annie Hall they addressed their issues with a psychologist, but never with each other. No relationship will work without communication. I truly believe communication is the key to a successful relationship.

I liked how the movie clearly distinguishes the difference between the New York lifestyle and the California lifestyle. In NY you have a cold and almost fridgid mood and in California you had the happy go luck spirit. I think both locations identified with Alvy and Annie and their lifestyles. I thought it was a good way to find better understanding of who each character is.

Overall, this movie was effective in showing that relationships are still similar today as they were in the 70s. It shows how even though so much changes in time, but human characteristic remain similar in some aspects throughout generations.