We kicked off our Extended Essay (EE) Journey last February, around the third week and we have been dwelling in topic selection; identifying sources that will inform us of breadth and depth of topics, using thinking tools such as the KWL-I Chart and Mind Maps to see connections and organize our thinking. Add to this is the relearning of Managebac as a platform to document our reflections as we learn and navigate in the EE. In previous years we would require our students to write a topic/research proposal and present it to a panel. Realizing the importance of "thinking slow" in this phase of the EE, and how crucial research and inquiry are, we thought of writing an Exploratory Essay. To help our students in this exercise, we sent and showed them model texts.
Below is one of them, written by me.
Exploratory Essay: Understanding Intertextuality as Literary Theory and Strategy in Selected Songs and Music Videos of BTS
By Ms. Zee 😊
Of the varied specialized dictionaries, I used to establish
a definition of Intertextuality, it is Julia Kristeva’s work that is
consistently mentioned. Graham Allen’s recent work on Intertextuality (2020),
which has a comprehensive and extensive coverage, is cited as well. These are
the two scholars who have written extensively on the topic of Intertextuality;
therefore, I will make time to do research on their publications to deepen and
extend my knowledge on my chosen topic. For my exploratory essay, I will focus
on establishing basic but foundational knowledge on Intertextuality.
This brings to light the music video of Spring Day by the
KPop group, BTS. There are three notable scenes and images that are fused
together. The effect is an intriguing, almost luminous, message on loss,
longing and the desire for justice in a seemingly hopeless world. The explicit
use of Omelas to name a hotel/dorm harkens to Ursula Le Guin’s riveting short
story; the lone train traveling in a wintry landscape is reminiscent of the
post-apocalyptic movie, Snowpiercer (2013); and the folkloric image of a pair
of shoes hanging in a tree branch magnifies the yearning for freedom and
individuation. These borrowed texts provide a layered and emotionally textured
narrative that invite viewers to discuss and reinterpret the message through
literary appropriation, allusion and socio-cultural phenomenon. Even the song
lyrics are picked up by fans and casual audiences contributing to a rich
discourse on pop-culture and its relevance of storytelling to the human
condition (Lazore, 2024). By referencing images and literary elements from a
short story, a movie and folkloric beliefs, Spring Day as a song and music
video transforms into a story that fans and casual viewers discover as both
mystical and illuminating evoking a variety of emotions and multiple
interpretations. Spring Day has never left the MelOn Charts since its release
in 2017. It has won numerous awards in South Korea and has been performed in
different artistic forms since then.