Stereotypes in the film American Beauty - 2078 Words

Stereotyping In Modern Film Stereotypes are extremely prominent in modern cinema, the first example that springs to mind is that of the film American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes, in 1999. Here is a seriocomic look at suburban America, which utilizes various stereotypes in order to make a broader statement on the symptoms supposedly brought upon us by living boring suburban lives. While the stereotypes work to the filmmakers advantage in the films cutting comic stages, once the film devolves into melodrama, the stereotypes become much more apparent, changing the film from a scathing satire to a parable of sorts. The plot of the film can be summarized by saying that it concerns the character of Lester Burnham, just as he is about to†¦show more content†¦While one senses that his wife is overly materialistic, her reaction is more believable because of the fact that she is most likely shocked by his sudden display of affection, and made uncomfortable by it. The idea that the stereotypes in this film are used as shortcuts does not really work in this case because the stereotypes are so fully explained by various methods such as voice over that they are not shortcuts at all, but are in the fact the actual substance of the film. Nor are these stereotypes manifested out of the fortress of tradition. This would imply that the stereotypes of the film are used because of the conventions of the genre, and this film is anything but conventional. As a matter of fact, the film tries so hard to be original and idiosyncratic that it is clear that the last thing it intends to do is adhere to the conventions now standard in the majority of films. However, this just makes the film even more maddening because while the fact that the film is made by stunningly original auteurs is more or less stuffed down the viewers throats, one can not help but feel that they are a little too familiar with the territory that this film explores. The bored and unhappy American family has been written about for ages and ages before 1999, the year this film was released. Another thing one must examine when discussing the purpose of stereotypes in film is their sociological value versus their aesthetic value. The sociological value, meaning theShow MoreRelatedSociety Vs Beauty : A Girl Like Me, The Director Of The Film986 Words   |  4 PagesSociety vs Beauty Many of us are faced with the idea that we will never be able to live up to society s expectations. That no matter what we do as human beings, nothing will ever be perfect to society. In the short documentary film â€Å"A Girl Like Me,† the director of the film examines the importance of color of skin, hair and facial features for young African American women. The director s purpose was to empower the women and let them know they can overcome these false stereotypes. The film startsRead MoreDo Animated Disney Characters Portray And Promote The Beauty Goodness Stereotype Essay1512 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Do Animated Disney Characters Portray and Promote the Beauty Goodness Stereotype† (Bazzini et al,. 2010). Introduction The following essay will critically discuss the proposed journal article â€Å"Do Animated Disney Characters Portray and Promote the Beauty Goodness Stereotype† (Bazzini et al., 2010). This research study aimed to look if Disney films can influence young children’s judgement of their peers. An abstract should contain a summary of the journal article (Bryman, 2004). The introductionRead More Stereotypes in the American Media Essay1361 Words   |  6 PagesStereotypes in the American Media Propaganda is an effective device that is used to influence and manipulate human behavior by appealing to emotions. When propaganda is combined with stereotypes, it usually produces negative results. A simplified view of a group of people, spread by mass communication can cause people to be more narrow-minded and can alter their perspective. Living in the Information Age, people are exposed to a constant stream of ideas and images. These ideas can reflect theRead MoreKing Kong: A Cultural Snapshot949 Words   |  4 Pagesview the novel and film as representation of the early 30s and thus a resource to understand the cultural context of the times. In particular, King Kong provides a window through which a modern audience can understand and interpret racism of the 1930s. The main stereotypes presented in the story, King Kong, were those of African Americans. A main message conveyed was the hyper-sexuality of African Americans, with the message revolving around the stereotype that African American males have an exaggeratedRead MoreCritical Thinking Of The Grand Budapest Hotel1102 Words   |  5 PagesProfessor Tumminello The Art of Theatrical Cinema March 12, 2016 Critical thinking of The Grand Budapest Hotel and American Beauty The Grand Budapest Hotel is one of the most spectacular films of the 21st century. The movie is interesting and beautifully shot comedy directed by Wes Anderson. The Grand Budapest Hotel consists of a prologue, five parts, and an epilogue. The film features many successful actors, but the main story revolves around an interesting narration of Zero Moustafa (playedRead MoreGender Roles Of Disney Films1598 Words   |  7 Pagesafter fairytale. Most Americans grew up with Disney and have a strong connection with the brand. Yet, there is a lot more to a classic Disney film, then what the average American sees the first time viewing. Gender roles, also known as gender stereotypes, are things to be considered appropriate to certain men or women and we are constantly surrounded by them without even realizing it. Cultural gender roles in America have changed over time, from when Disney animated films were first released.Read More Teaching Children How to Discriminate Essay673 Words   |  3 Pagesdiscrimination and stereotypes toward different race, ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality and region that Disney presents in their animated films. Lippi-Green also points out the use or misuse of foreign accents in films, television and the entertainment industry as a whole. Such animated films are viewed mainly by children. Lippi-Green makes a central argument in which she says that children are taught to discriminate through the portrayal of the different accented characters in Disney films. Read MoreThe Walt Disney Corporation1698 Words   |  7 PagesThe Walt Disney Corporation is a well-known entertainment industry that has been around since 1923. Disney has always been geared towards the production of popular culture for children and youth. Mà ¼ller-Hartmann suggests that â€Å"the animated films with their cute animations and music are especially important†¦since they speak directly to the emotions and thus, the sub-conscious. [Animation] works its audience magic purely on a purely subconscious level† (401). According to Towbin et al., â€Å"children’sRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Reel Injun774 Words   |  4 Pagessubject of Native American characters comes up in conversation, most picture Tonto from the film The Lone Ranger. However, many don’t realize how the film industry has created a stereotype that has affected generations of Native Americans. From mascots to logos of tobacco and other products, the early westerns have help mold minds into placing Native Americans into something they are not. The documentary Reel Injun help shed light on the subject as well as raise awareness to how these films have not onlyRead MoreWomen s Portrayal Of Women Essay1307 Words   |  6 Pagesanalyzing multiple films such as Whiplash, Birdman, American Sniper, Snow White and the Huntsman, Project X and 21 Jump Street, Resident Evil, Underworld it was evident that women were negatively portrayed in films. Examples of such negative roles are that women are hypersexualized, cast in stereotypical roles and are considered less valuable because of age. Even though more films are casting older women, creating less stereotypical and sexually objective roles, the majority of films still capture women

Effective Communication And Constructive Feedback For...

Conflict is inevitable in the workplace. Where there are people, there will be conflict. Nurses work in highly stressful and demanding environments which is why it is important that student nurses learn to adopt techniques and skills that will assist them in managing conflict. Assertive communication and constructive feedback are strategies that can assist in managing conflict. It is important that student nurses be taught strategies on how to cope with conflict as poorly managed conflict can result in verbal abuse, medical errors and poor patient outcomes. In this scenario, a student nurse is incorrectly applying a dressing to the patient when she is approached by the frustrated buddy nurse. The buddy registered nurse does not act†¦show more content†¦935). Ineffective interpersonal skills are clearly present in scenario three. Causes of ineffective interpersonal communication can be chaos, confusion, fear, stress, conflict and inefficient systems (Vertino, 2014). The non-verbal communication techniques used by the registered nurse reflect chaos, stress and conflict and is an unacceptable way to treat a student nurse, especially in front of a patient. Johansen and Cadmus (2016, p. 211) found that the stressful and demanding environment that nurses work in can impact the nurses work stress levels and how they deal with conflict. It is evident that the registered nurse was frustrated in the scenario by her use of non-verbal communication such as tone of voice, volume, body language and facial expressions. Working as a buddy registered nurse whilst providing therapeutic care to multiple patients can be stressful and time-consuming at times. It is important that nurses still consider their actions whilst working in a stressful and sometimes chaotic environment. In this scenario, the registered nurse did not manage her anger well and stormed into the hospital room whilst speaking loudly and fast-paced to the student in front of the patient. The proximity between the nurse and student and the nurse’s use of sharp and fast hand movements demonstrated annoyance and threat. This indicates that the registered nurse approached the situation by using the dominating conflict managementShow MoreRelatedCommunication Is The Process Of Acting On Information872 Words   |  4 PagesCommunication is the process of acting on information (Beebe et al, 2011). It is a two way process, but the way the receiver perceives the message could be different (Seller, 2010). Therefore, the way we interpret message depends on our values, beliefs and attitudes (Beebe et al, 20011). Moreover, â€Å"the better we understand our own behavior and values, the more consistent we will be in our interpersonal and supervisory relationships† ( Forkosh, 2009). The lectures and seminars gives theRead MoreDeveloping Capacity Of Employees : An Effective Performance Management System Essay975 Words   |  4 Pagesviews and a sense of connectivity. Ultimately it creates an atmosphere of trust and drives strong employment engagement. Induction, goal setting, on-going dialogue about LD, positive, constructive and two-way feedback are highly beneficial in motivating employees to do their best and go the extra mile. An effective performance management system (PMS) delivers the priorities of the business, aligns individual and strategic business objectives and ensures employees understand their role and contributionRead MoreConflict Resolution Essay1547 Words   |  7 PagesConflict Resolution The nature of a work team makes them vulnerable to conflicts and disagreements. Because people carry the weight of personal values, experiences and beliefs into the work team, there is always the possibility that conflict will arise. That is why recognizing the signs and source of conflict will help understand the role of conflict in the work team. Here is list of signs of conflicts that the work team should be aware of: 1. Anger, irritability, sarcasm 2. Without holdingRead MoreKurt Lewin s Leadership Styles1526 Words   |  7 PagesAuthoritarian leaders, also referred to as autocratic leaders, take complete authority when making decisions. Punishment, threats, demands, rules, and procedures are tactics authoritarian leaders use to gain control. Authoritarian leadership involves managing the completion of a task within the given deadline. Employees will be subject to inspections and scrutiny under this type of leadership system. Authoritarian leadership is appropriate for specific settings. This style is better if used in a highRead MoreSelf Reflection1245 Words   |  5 Pagespeople see us and how we communicate with others is what enables us to authentically form relationships. Interpersonal communication is a â€Å"distinctive transactional form of human communication involving mutual influence, usually for the purpose of managing relationships† (Beebe, Beebe, Redmond, Geerinck, Wiseman-Salem, 2015). By exploring the strengths and weaknesses of my communication skills, it will enable me to learn more about myself which in turn can positively influence my relationships in bothRead Morelevel 3 supporting teaching learning Essay1166 Words   |  5 Pagesfrom own practise of supporting children and young people to asses and manage risk. Assignment 4 Task 1: describe the duties and responsibilities of own work role. Task 4: demonstrate the ability to reflect on practise. Task 7: demonstrate use of feedback to evaluate own performance and inform development. Task 9: demonstrate how to work with others to review and prioritise own learning. needs, professional interests and development opportunities. Task 10: demonstrate how to work others to agreeRead MoreLack Of Strong Communication Skills1533 Words   |  7 Pages Strong communication skills are necessary in order to coordinate daily operations which may require multiple people participating in the care of a patient. Evidence has shown that a lack of strong communication has led to negative patient outcomes and financial losses for the institution. Effective communication will help deliver the plan and staff members will know exactly what is expected off them versus trying to figure it out on their own. Good communication will also help to prevent errorsRead MoreThe Right Job1332 Words   |  6 Pagesenvironment, leader of that organization, as well as my personal and professional values. There are things that interest me in the world of work. I do enjoy adventurous and risk taking activities and my interests lie in finance, being creative, managing, organizing and getting results through others. Also, I am driven for recognition at work, the need for responsibility, having control over my own work and being accountable for my actions. I love variety and change in my work and I am not motivatedRead MoreHow Organizational Behavior Will Make Me an Effective Manager.1043 Words   |  5 PagesThere are many models and concepts explained in Organizational Behavior that will influence my actions to become an effective manager. In regards to my own characteristics, I am very adaptable to work situations and I like to brainstorm various solutions to the problem. This is related to the contingency approach in which a person uses management tools and techniques in a situational appropriate manner. When a problem arises, it is vital that a manager should analyze multiple soluti ons and look atRead MoreSome Discussion Topics960 Words   |  4 PagesDiscussion Board 5: Conflict as a Process: Conflict can be described as a process that begins when an individual perceives that another person is about to or has negatively affected something that is important to him/her. Therefore, the conflict process consists of various stages with the first one being the existence of situations that create enable conflict to arise. The other stages in this process are cognition and personalization, aims, behavior, and results. Group Think and Cohesiveness:

Plot Analysis Free Essays

In her ground-breaking play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun,† Lorraine Hansberry challenged widespread cultural conceptions about African Americans. By focusing her play on stark realism, Hansberry was able to create a play which, in both theme   and technical execution, offered something radically different than the portrayal of American life typically seen on Broadway stages in the mid twentieth century. The impact of the play, both visually and   textually, on American audiences was visceral and controversial. We will write a custom essay sample on Plot Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now Hansberry relied on depicting vastly disparate emotional states and conditions for her characters, as well as enticing her audience to experience the world of her characters with as much empathy as possible. The play’s opening, for example, establishes that the Younger family is waiting for a ten-thousand dollar insurance check to arrive after the death of the family’s father. The fact that the family is so steeped in poverty that each of them concocts elaborate schemes and ideas of how to spend the money before it even arrives, grips the reader or alert audience member with emotion and concern.   The â€Å"intrusion† of the expected money also begins the tension in the play and drives the conflicts between the play’s characters., most notably between Mama and Walter Lee. In order to engage the audience, and to cause them to identify with the Youngers, Hansberry uses the device of realism, which includes the construction of a one-room apartment set, complete with all the trappings of poverty: cramped quarters, worn furniture and carpets, and a conspicuous lack of privacy. Before the audience has even begun to grasp the events of the   play, they are immediately aware of the family’s dire financial situation. The shock of the set at a purely visual and spatial level communicates the Youngers’ distress to the audience.   Teh ensuing emotional tension between Mama and her son is meant to show that the external attributes of poverty have corresponding emotional and psychological impacts and have extended to the relationships between the characters. By the end of the opening scene, the reader or audience member knows that great hope and expectation has been pinned by the family on the insurance money and many readers or spectators of the play would probably intuit that the family’s emotional crisis goes far beyond anything which can be repaired with money. The idea is to advance the plot in a realistic manner so that the audience or reader not only experiences the events of the play but feels the emotional resonance which is intended to be a part of the event which are portrayed.   In order to accomplish this, every aspect of the play, not only the plot, are steeped in realism. One element of dramatic technique that enables Hansberry to successfully create a dynamic and realistic drama is her use of vernacular in the play’s dialogue. Unlike the blank-verse constructions of Shakespeare, or the witticism of Oscar Wilde, or even the dreamy musings of Tennessee Williams, Hansberry delivers the dialogue of â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† in colloquial language and this aspect of them play enhances the play’s verisimilitude. The realism of the play then causes the audience to more closely identify with the play’s characters and plot, and each of these aspects of the play helps to communicate the important sociological and racial themes that drive â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun.† This attention to realism and detail is important to the play’s plot, also, because as the vents of the play unfold, the reader is drawn more deeply into an emotional connection with the characters because the characters seem for all intents and purposes to be actual people who face actual, real-life struggles. As the plot progresses, the insurance check actually arrives and in their haste to be a controlling interest in the spending of the money, each of the Youngers manages to ignore the others emotional needs in pursuit of personal materialistic dreams. When Mama decides to use the money to move the family to a white neighborhood, a further sense of doom pervades th action as the Youngers fall further into emotional discord. Throughout the progression of the plot, the play’s dialogue leaves an opening for the emotional outpouring which is markedly absent from the (seemingly banal) progression of events. Hansberry’s dialogue, in fact, becomes a key driving force of the play’s ultimate revelatory impact on the audience. As the play progresses and the characters become more clearly defined with motivations that the audience can identify with (or despise)   the dialect of the play begins to attain a lyrical uniqueness — a vocal music which was unlike any other play on the Broadway stage of the time. Lines such as â€Å"Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams†¦.’† (29) or â€Å"â€Å"There is always something left to love. And if you ain’t learned that, you ain’t learned nothing†¦.†(135) attain the status of aphorism in the context of the play and divulge important social and racial realities that, for most Americans in the mid-twentieth century, existed, if at all, as merely si-debar newspaper articles or in some other abstract realization. Hansberry’s play, through its fierce and relentless realism, coupled with its themes of yearning and dreaming seemed to marry the â€Å"American ideal† to the â€Å"American nightmare† in a verbally original and thematically cathartic fashion, elevating the dialogue of racial issues in America to a place of cultural acceptance. Simultaneously, the play’s plot moves in an arc of excited expectation to dissolution of dreams while expressing the internal progressions of the characters with a portrayal of external events. When Mrs. Johnson tells the Youngers about a black family that was bombed because they moved into a white neighborhood, the audience feels the dream of Mama’s to live in a better neighborhood deflating. The audience realizes that money, alone, despite the naivete with which the Youngers regard its power, will do little, perhaps nothing, to change the misery of their lives. The Youngers have regarded money and the future hope of what it may bring with a sort of â€Å"exotic† hopefulness which, in its perceived futility during the vents of the play, should cause emotional frustration and dissonance in the reader and in the the audience. This dissonance reflects the same dissonance which exists between the Younger’s dreams and their actual position in the world. By combining a realistic set with realistic dialogue, a kind of exoticism was reached by Hansberry, through the depiction of extreme poverty and want, which is a powerful force in granting the play unity of theme, place, and time in keeping with Aristotle’s theories of dramatic construction in his Poetics. This latter attribute helps ground the play in the traditional dramatic structure which off-sets the aforementioned â€Å"exoticism† of the play’s set and characters. Despite the reluctance for most Americans in the late 50’s and early 60’s to face the racially based challenges of that era, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† demonstrated, through creative expression, the urgency of the plight of African Americans in a racist society. The play’s climax, when it is decided that — despite the conflicts and hardships that the money has caused —   that Mama’s plan to move to a new neighborhood will go through, exerts a sense of hopefulness in the face of manifested obstacles (and potential violence) which seems to suggest that optimism, ambition, and â€Å"togetherness† can weather storms and find fulfillment despite the truth of prejudice and poverty. However, a close reading of the play is just as likely to reveal in the reader, a sense that the Youngers are simply caught in a vicious cycle of hope and despair and that with each new breath of hope a corresponding crush of bad luck or ill-fortune will be experienced.   It is not fitting to say that the play, therefore, has a â€Å"happy† ending, but simply an ending which reflects an unending cycle of hope against an equally unending series of obstacles. Work Cited   Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Random House, New York. 1959 How to cite Plot Analysis, Papers

Collecting Nuts free essay sample

I watched my tiny Filipino grandmother light her unfiltered Camel cigarette then proceed to smoke it backward, with the lit end in her mouth. I know very little about her. We are separated by 5,000 miles, and there is a language barrier; I wish I could speak her dialect, Ilocano. At the tender age of 75, she still picks macadamia nuts in Hawaii. It is hard work. The nuts are gathered from the ground after they fall. To collect them, workers have perfected a squatting walk, which would be hard enough without the Hawaiian sun. I asked my mom why my grandmother works even though she does not need the money. She explained that my grandmother enjoys the routine and accomplishing something. With the money she saves from working, my grandmother stocks up on supplies to bring to her village in the Philippines that has no electricity or running water. The people are thrilled to receive even the most basic American goods. We will write a custom essay sample on Collecting Nuts or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The children love toys from McDonald’s, and the favorite gifts for adults are towels. My grandma usually gives away her own clothes, leaving Hawaii with many suitcases and boxes and returning with only the clothes on her back. Most of what I know about my grandmother is from stories my mom has told me. Even so, I think we’re very alike. Though I’ve never endured an eight-hour workday picking nuts, I have spent hot days balanced on a ladder building a roof for a West Virginian family. When we finished this task, I felt the same sense of accomplishment my grandmother has after she gathers her quota of nuts. Volunteering helped me realize the importance of her generosity. She proves that one person can have an enormous impact on the world. Even though she’s small in stature, she’s big in heart, bringing happiness and hope to an entire village. Following my grandmother’s lead, I believe that my life will mean more if I develop skills to produce more than I consume, leave the world a better place, and stay focused on the words â€Å"The most important things in life are invisible.† Whether that means improving alternative energy methods, engineering a crop to be hardier, or making buildings more efficient and accessible, I deeply believe that the more I learn, the more I can give.