Glee - "Sweetness and Light"

The term "sweetness and light," composed by Matthew Arnold in 1869, refers to something of high culture that we all strive for. It suggests an ideal that helps a person to grow, become more educated and bring equality to society. 

This week I am choosing a text that offers "sweetness and light" and is considered 'the best that is thought and said.' I found this challenging as I originally brainstormed about choosing a text considered high culture; something like a piece of classical music or some artwork, however this has little relevance or value to me. When reading Arnold's text 'Culture and Anarchy', he mentions how culture can speak to everyone who has access to it, despite social class...

Therefore, I chose the American hit musical-comedy drama television programme, Glee. Glee has been broadcast since 2009 and is currently on it's fourth series; as a huge fan I have been watching it since it was first aired here in the UK. The target audience is very broad as it contains easy to understand story lines, but also sexual references and subtle humour that only older viewers would understand. 

A lot of characters within the show could be seen as being "sweetness and light" as they each hold talents that people strive for in themselves. Personally, I admire the main character, Rachel Berry (played by Lea Michele) and see her as one of my role models. She plays a character who has had a huge transformation throughout the four series; she shows that working hard gets results, and to never let go of who you are. Not only is she very talented at what she does, she never lets anyone put her down or stop her; a trait that a lot of people could only hope to have. 

The show broadcasts people from different walks of life, whether this surrounds race, ethnicity, disability  economical situations or dreams. The main, regular cast contains two chinese people, a black girl, a boy in a wheelchair, two mixed race people, as well as other students who do not fit in to 'the norm.' From the first episode the viewer can see the values the show supports; that you should be yourself and not change for anyone. 

I think that this is a modern day version of "sweetness and light" and it holds a kind of culture that we all have in ourselves but are sometimes unwilling to show because we are afraid it doesn't follow the most recent trend or fit in with everybody else.