The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was a sitcom that aired in the early 90's about a teenager who was raised on the streets that is forced to live with his upper class uncle and family. The main character Will goes through a series of trials and tribulations that he must endure by maturing and learning more about himself and his family. The show is mainly comedic but definitely has elements of seriousness with real life lessons. What stuck out the most to me about the show was Will's personality because it reminded me of my own. I first started watching this show when I was in middle school and to this day I still watch the re runs that are aired. Me and my siblings absolutely loved this show and I can without a doubt say that I have seen every single episode and have memorized the theme song (I mean who hasn't right?) Fresh Prince Theme song
Will is definitely the comedian of his family and often has trouble distinguishing when his humor was appropriate or not in certain situations he faced, This was and still is a lot like me especially when I was younger because I was all cracking jokes and just having fun, I definitely made my place in my own family as being the one who is always making something into a joke and a lot of times I would frustrate my family because they didn't always think it was funny. This show made me learn a lot about my own personality and how I tend to handle lessons and obstacles I face in life and although it may not always be "appropriate" I think me being who I am definitely separates me from the rest of my family because I am definitely the most outgoing one.
In addition to his personality, Will and I share a similar upbringing as well. I went from living with my dad who I really didn't get along with to being raised (the remainder of my childhood) by my grandparents who were able to give me a lot more and definitely allowed me to find myself in a way due to the fact that I didn't have to worry about things I would have being with my dad, which is why it is no wonder why I always try to find humor in things and always try to be optimistic.
The other form of entertainment that sticks out from my childhood and probably had the most impact is A series of Unfortunate Events. It a series of 13 books about a 3 children whose parents died in an "accidental" fire and have to be cared for by their guardian Count Olaf. Things are not as they appear when the children first meet Count Olaf and he tries time after time to find a way to steal the children's fortune that their parents left behind. Each book is depicts a time where the Baudelaire children have to escape from the clutches of a disguised Count Olaf and his henchmen.
The reason why I think this book series sticks out so much is because they were the first books I read for enjoyment. Besides checking out random books to fulfill my goal for school I never really enjoyed reading. I started the first book in like 4th or 5th grade and finished them all by the time I was in middle school. These books made me love reading, I would look forward to picking up one of the books and dive deeper and deeper into the story as if I was in it. It was just so good, there are hardly any pictures in the books which didn't bother me because the images I had formulated on my own only intensified my experience from reading. When I look back on how much these books meant to me I am not surprised by how much of an impact it made on me as a kid but even now as an adult about to graduate college.
The deeper connection I have with the book is with the main characters themselves, the orphans. They are constantly challenged with having to be resourceful with their surroundings to get them out of the binds that they always seem to find themselves in. They rely heavily on what their environment has to offer and it fulfill a lot of needs that could not be met due to the lack of care and attention that Count Olaf gave them,
This makes me realize that my interest in studying media studies and effects can be traced back to these novels. I am truly fascinated by why and how we as a society rely on the media that we do to fulfill specific needs in our lives, now granted they are not always as dire as they were for the characters in A.S.O.U.E but the same theme can be linked to how we are dependent on media today. I considered myself dependent of the books to provide me an escape from having to deal with middle school and life in general but also it satisfied my need and desire to read more.
Here is a short clip of the author reading a brief description of the first novel Bad Beginning
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