Image credit: Photo illustration by Natalie Matthews-Ramo/Slate. Photos by David Lee/Lionsgate, MGM, Amazon Prime Video, NBC, Universal, Twentieth Century Fox, and Yoni S. Hamenahem/Wikipedia.
“Bond. James Bond.” Such a recognizable movie quote even though it has no punchline, makes no clever point. Does it matter that his name is James and not, say, Clive (very English!) or Butch (very strong and also alliterative)? Such a silly question. But of course it matters; at least, his name follows a definite pattern of action hero names. Demetria Glace, data researcher and author, investigates a pattern she has observed in the names of action heroes in this March 2023 report in Slate.
Read it here.
EXPLORE, REFLECT, SPEAK UP.
1. It’s an interesting point that Glace makes about the preponderance of action hero names starting with the letter J, and she certainly backs up her observation with thoughtful and thorough research. In the end, though, so what? Do her findings have any real world implications? Do they need to? Why or why not? How well does Glace establish the relevance or importance of her findings? Explain your responses.
2. Glace starts out with a compelling question about the names of action heroes, but before she gives even a glimpse of the answers, she explains her research methodology in meticulous detail. Summarize briefly what steps she took to research her question. Do you think Glace made a good rhetorical decision to give that much information about the process before she offered any answers? Why or why not? Explain your reasoning.
3. LET’S TALK. Glace focuses exclusively on action movies. Might there be similar patterns in other movie or TV genres, perhaps with different letters or naming patterns? Do women protagonists tend to have names that begin with vowels? Do villians tend to have longer names than other characters? Let your curiosity lead you. Then, work with a few classmates to do an investigation. First, choose a genre or sub-genre. What are your initial observations; do you notice any tendencies or patterns that might merit a closer look? You don’t need to be as meticulous or thorough as Glace was, but organize the tasks of data collection and analysis. Once the tasks are identified, divvy them up so that each person has specific information to find. Then, share your results with your teammates and see what emerges. (Wikipedia and IMDb are good places to start.)
4. AND NOW WRITE. Glace ended up identifying four theories that might account for the preponderance of J names. Which of these theories resonates most with you? Do you have any other theories? (You might; the question is far from settled.) Write an essay assessing Glace’s four theories, her evidence, and her methodology and adding your own comments, doubts, and observations.
LetsTalkLibrary 