Summary: In the twenty first century, racism is still a problem. To some countries , racism is used to describe discrimination directed towards a group. Racializing people usually refers to an individuals ethnicity. A person's ethnicity is based upon a myth, a myth of collective ancestry, that usually carries its traits. Language, religion, customs, and physical characteristics is what is usually related with ethnicity. Difference or diverseness of a person can cause, hatred, discrimination, and violence. Xenophobia is literally the fear of stranger, it is an ancient phenomenon. While racism is a historical construction covering the time from the fourteenth century to the twenty first.
What has been called a new racism in the United Stated, Britain, and France relates to culture rather than genetics. The arrival of numerous amounts of immigrants has changed the way France thinks of racism. It is more of a way to distinguish their culture as welcome or unwelcome. In Britain skin color and culture remain close to one another. While in France the color is not as important, in fact dark skinned may be acceptable or welcome. However, many of the most bloody and bitter ethnic conflicts have not been completely racialization. Most minorities are discriminated by cultural or religious belief, rather than genetics. There is temptation to expand the term racism, and even add xenophobia and persecution based on religious and cultural differences. Even though, it is not time to give in to that, specially since racism in a sense refers to the enslavement and colonial domination. Society might also fail to realize that religion and genetics are not similar.
Quote: "As has been suggested, religion easily becomes race in the twisted minds of racist skinheads in eastern Germany or the United States" (Fredrickson 150).
Reaction: Racism has become a struggle for many to try and get rid of the term all together, however the term has been becoming broader as society reaches the future. Referring to historical events in the United States, Africans were discriminated against and enslaved not for their beliefs but for their color, and the thought of them being of lower rank. In Germany, the Jewish were discriminated against for their beliefs, they were made to be thought of as inhumane. Now the term of racism is not only trying to be based upon physical characteristics or beliefs, but it has become a fear of people, or a certain type of person.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Racism (80-120)
Summary: When one comes to consider racism as an inevitable encounter with strangers and aliens, it completely takes the subject outside of history. If racism is thought of as a historical construction associated with the rise of modernity and with specific national contexts, then it can have an end to it. Plenty of historians, have made comparisons with whites and the Nazis, Jews. All of those racist regimes have been overthrown. Racism has existed long before the nineteenth century.
Many societies have been plural in racial prejudice and its tributes. They authorize the differences between dominant groups and the group being subjugated. The sense of racial difference and alienation is expressed in the laws a state is able to pass. Social segregation is mandated by law, and not merely the custom of product or private acts of discrimination. The state's goal is simply to bar all types of contact and equality with the segregators and the segregated. Also, such groups are excluded from being able to hold public office. The access they have to the resources around them are diminished, thus making them impoverished. This all well applied to the Jim Crow Laws of the South. Even though the blacks were free, laws were being placed on them which pretty much put them back under white control.
Societies have been made racist, they can be described as racialized societies. Even then they still fall in the same range of hatred with those who have already been introduced to racism. Whites among these, occupied an advantage position at the hands of indigenous populations. Common citizenship could long turn strong prejudices into exclusions of a kind that would be justified.
Quote: "The Negro is not bound by any treaty but only by brute force" (Fredrickson 112).
Reaction: Groups in South west Africa like the Nama were also targeted, they are the only surviving pure blooded descendants of the Khoikhoi which occupied most of southern Africa. The Germans intended to wipe out their entire race. They believed the Name were completely useless, and that they should not preserve the race. The Negroes were trying to be forced out of everything.
Many societies have been plural in racial prejudice and its tributes. They authorize the differences between dominant groups and the group being subjugated. The sense of racial difference and alienation is expressed in the laws a state is able to pass. Social segregation is mandated by law, and not merely the custom of product or private acts of discrimination. The state's goal is simply to bar all types of contact and equality with the segregators and the segregated. Also, such groups are excluded from being able to hold public office. The access they have to the resources around them are diminished, thus making them impoverished. This all well applied to the Jim Crow Laws of the South. Even though the blacks were free, laws were being placed on them which pretty much put them back under white control.
Societies have been made racist, they can be described as racialized societies. Even then they still fall in the same range of hatred with those who have already been introduced to racism. Whites among these, occupied an advantage position at the hands of indigenous populations. Common citizenship could long turn strong prejudices into exclusions of a kind that would be justified.
Quote: "The Negro is not bound by any treaty but only by brute force" (Fredrickson 112).
Reaction: Groups in South west Africa like the Nama were also targeted, they are the only surviving pure blooded descendants of the Khoikhoi which occupied most of southern Africa. The Germans intended to wipe out their entire race. They believed the Name were completely useless, and that they should not preserve the race. The Negroes were trying to be forced out of everything.
Racism (40-80)
Summary: The Europeans of the early and medieval times figured out that they could not completely get rid of other religions that did not refer to their God. Therefore, racism became the new policy to comply with. However, the highest religious authorities prohibited such form of ethnic predestination. The different beliefs, would create a distance between the slave traders and those who killed Jews. Unlike the Jews being blamed for everything that went wrong, the blacks were not considered cursed.
There was more controversy placed on Christian belief, as to how they believed that Adam and Eve were the progenitors of all humans. In the sixteenth century Giordano Bruno and Christopher Marlowe brought forth the belief that mankind had three ancestors, and that Adam was the forefather of the Jews only. This theory brought a racist fashion that all humans are not that single blood they believed to be. The modern concept of races has been classified by physical characteristics, primarily skin color. In western European the recognition of superior horses and dogs foreshadowed the ranking of human being with different characteristics.
By 1611, the Spanish dictionary included the word "raza" which would mean a caste or quality of authentic horses. This would refer to an amalgamation of Jewish or Moorish ancestors. It also believed around this time, that blood would have magical properties. That the blood of the Christians and that of the Jewish was clearly different. Whenever that word race was used, it mean that such races has an unchangeable characteristic.
Quote: "If they had asked men of science. they would have learned that the Negro in accordance with his formation, is not susceptible under equal conditions of education being raised to the same level of intelligence as the European" (Fredrickson 67).
Reaction: The age of democratic revolution began in the United States, with it they brought the doctrine of "all men are created equal". However, this reason would be hard to refer to the blacks and the Jewish, because they were considered less than human. That was until, the United States abolished slavery, and after the Constitution decided to reside with the Jews.
There was more controversy placed on Christian belief, as to how they believed that Adam and Eve were the progenitors of all humans. In the sixteenth century Giordano Bruno and Christopher Marlowe brought forth the belief that mankind had three ancestors, and that Adam was the forefather of the Jews only. This theory brought a racist fashion that all humans are not that single blood they believed to be. The modern concept of races has been classified by physical characteristics, primarily skin color. In western European the recognition of superior horses and dogs foreshadowed the ranking of human being with different characteristics.
By 1611, the Spanish dictionary included the word "raza" which would mean a caste or quality of authentic horses. This would refer to an amalgamation of Jewish or Moorish ancestors. It also believed around this time, that blood would have magical properties. That the blood of the Christians and that of the Jewish was clearly different. Whenever that word race was used, it mean that such races has an unchangeable characteristic.
Quote: "If they had asked men of science. they would have learned that the Negro in accordance with his formation, is not susceptible under equal conditions of education being raised to the same level of intelligence as the European" (Fredrickson 67).
Reaction: The age of democratic revolution began in the United States, with it they brought the doctrine of "all men are created equal". However, this reason would be hard to refer to the blacks and the Jewish, because they were considered less than human. That was until, the United States abolished slavery, and after the Constitution decided to reside with the Jews.
Racism (1-40)
Summary: Racism has been used in a way that does not describe the negative effects it has on ethnic groups or people. Hitler made up racist theories as an excuse for his treatment of the Jews. Same as the South did with Blacks, and the Jim Crow laws. Racism reached its highest point in the 20th century. Throughout history there has been a rise, and decline in the use of racism, however it is not yet wiped out from the world.
Now, it has been noted that religion has been one of the factors contributing to the invention of racism. The Greeks, Romans and early Christians placed people in either civilized or barbarous categories. These categories depended on the place in which an individual lived. The Romans had slaves, which represented all the colors and nationalities found on frontiers. As of their time, it is not exact as to whether what they did was a form of hatred towards dark skin color.
There was definitely prejudice among religions, for example the Jews. The Jews became unpopular with the Christians, because they had a different belief, that the New Testament overruled the old. They refused to recognize Christ, as it prevented the accomplishment of the gospel. The Christians could not judge the Jews for what they practiced, however they were criticized for not converting to Christianity as it was among them. The Jews were blamed for the worst possible human crime. Anti-Judaism became so strong a hatred, that it was rather better to eradicate the Jews than to try converting them. The Jews were thought to be evil, instead of having been thought of as having false beliefs. Attacks towards the Jews, began as early as 1096 during the First Crusade. Even though the Jews seemed to be quite useful, and harmless they were still viewed as a military and political threat.
Quote: "His blood be upon us and our Children" (Fredrickson 18).
Reaction: As of the organization of Christianity for the Jews, they were seen as guilty people for not following that belief. In Matthew 27:25 it is mentioned that the Jews cried out for the death of god. Therefore, anything wrong that was to happen would be fault of the Jews.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Girl Interrupted Film Criticism
http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/review/1999/12/20/girl
"But you can almost feel Mangold's panic when he feels the story might be losing steam: It wouldn't have been enough just to have the girls interacting with each other during their commitment; they have to have adventures, too. And Ryder, whose performance consists almost solely of turning on that wide-eyed, bewildered-doe look, gets her big moment in an embarrassingly overplayed scene where she confronts Nurse Whoopi with a flurry of heartless, nasty insults."
I agree with some of these comments, in the part where they say most of the movie is shown with the girls communicating, and that there should have been a little bit more adventure. Because, having read the book, it seems like more action happened, while in the movie mostly Lisa did the action. However, I disagree with the "overplayed scene" because the girls are supposed to be portrayed as lunatics, so that's how the event should take place.
"But "Girl, Interrupted" is always worth watching when Angelina Jolie steps to the fore. Somehow, she takes a thuddingly ill-conceived role and turns it into gold: Lisa is the bruised and beautiful troubled doll who's unfailingly charismatic (when she lifts a cigarette to her lips, a nurse stands at the ready with a lighter), the restless girl who's always trying to escape from the confines of the hospital, who blurts out the blunt observations no one wants to hear"
I agree with this critic, Angelina Jolie's character as Lisa is what leads the other girls to do most of what they did. She was the crazy one, escaping and telling Susanna how to do things. At the point where Daisy hung herself, Lisa just went took her money and left. She didn't care that Daisy had killed herself.
http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/dvd/review/2000/10/03/girl_interrupted
"The main problem with the film is that it looks like it started out as an ensemble picture and then ended up as a star vehicle for Ryder and Jolie. The brief sketches of the other girls who live in the institution scream for more attention: There's a pathological liar obsessed with the "Wizard of Oz," one who tried to burn her face off and another who is a (presumably) perfectly sane lesbian who has been shut away because she likes women."
I agree with this comment, the film starts with a picture of something dark, and at the end Susanna is on the cab leaving the hospital. The film also portrays the main characters exactly as shown in the movie.
"he tried to use "The Wizard of Oz" as a model to get away from traditional nut house dramas like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and how he had his production department tie leaves to trees in order to make the seasons change outside the grim institution."
I also noticed the Wizard of Oz come into play when Georgina was reading the book. Also, theres a few camera shot in which it starts up at the trees and goes down to the hospital, same way when Susanna was leaving her home she looked back and saw her mom through an angle of two trees. Same when she was leaving the hospital, from the back window of the cab there were the images of trees.
"But you can almost feel Mangold's panic when he feels the story might be losing steam: It wouldn't have been enough just to have the girls interacting with each other during their commitment; they have to have adventures, too. And Ryder, whose performance consists almost solely of turning on that wide-eyed, bewildered-doe look, gets her big moment in an embarrassingly overplayed scene where she confronts Nurse Whoopi with a flurry of heartless, nasty insults."
I agree with some of these comments, in the part where they say most of the movie is shown with the girls communicating, and that there should have been a little bit more adventure. Because, having read the book, it seems like more action happened, while in the movie mostly Lisa did the action. However, I disagree with the "overplayed scene" because the girls are supposed to be portrayed as lunatics, so that's how the event should take place.
"But "Girl, Interrupted" is always worth watching when Angelina Jolie steps to the fore. Somehow, she takes a thuddingly ill-conceived role and turns it into gold: Lisa is the bruised and beautiful troubled doll who's unfailingly charismatic (when she lifts a cigarette to her lips, a nurse stands at the ready with a lighter), the restless girl who's always trying to escape from the confines of the hospital, who blurts out the blunt observations no one wants to hear"
I agree with this critic, Angelina Jolie's character as Lisa is what leads the other girls to do most of what they did. She was the crazy one, escaping and telling Susanna how to do things. At the point where Daisy hung herself, Lisa just went took her money and left. She didn't care that Daisy had killed herself.
http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/dvd/review/2000/10/03/girl_interrupted
"The main problem with the film is that it looks like it started out as an ensemble picture and then ended up as a star vehicle for Ryder and Jolie. The brief sketches of the other girls who live in the institution scream for more attention: There's a pathological liar obsessed with the "Wizard of Oz," one who tried to burn her face off and another who is a (presumably) perfectly sane lesbian who has been shut away because she likes women."
I agree with this comment, the film starts with a picture of something dark, and at the end Susanna is on the cab leaving the hospital. The film also portrays the main characters exactly as shown in the movie.
"he tried to use "The Wizard of Oz" as a model to get away from traditional nut house dramas like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and how he had his production department tie leaves to trees in order to make the seasons change outside the grim institution."
I also noticed the Wizard of Oz come into play when Georgina was reading the book. Also, theres a few camera shot in which it starts up at the trees and goes down to the hospital, same way when Susanna was leaving her home she looked back and saw her mom through an angle of two trees. Same when she was leaving the hospital, from the back window of the cab there were the images of trees.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Girl Interrupted Film
The setting of the film starts out dark
While the movie begins, there is Susanna speaking in the background as the camera does a close-up on her face to show her emotions as to how she feels, about being mentally ill, or maybe its just her being a girl.
They also show another close-up when Susanna is at the hospital, we can see the pain she's going through.
Over the shoulder shot, when Susanna talks to her once teacher whom she had intercourse with, and he wants to go into her room but Susanna does not want him to, the shot is over Susanna's shoulder to show the teacher's expression.
The hospital does not look as bad as described in the book, in the film everything seems much brighter not like a prison.
Medium shot, as Susanna is called up to drink her pills, it shows the faces of the rest of the patients at the hospital, and their behavior.
When Susanna is to fake drinking her medication, they use a bird's eye view, looking down from a mirror, also it is a frame within a frame.
When Susanna is first walking into the bowling area, there's a type of horror music that plays, but once she feels comfortable enough to play, a happy song begins to play.
In the movie Valerie appears more often, and as the mother figure to the girls.
There's a dolly shot being used, going in to the girls room through the windows.
A fade away occurs, while the film tries to show the girls life at the hospital.
Sorrow music being played, after she is written up for drugging the nurse.
Sad song plays when Daisy hangs herself. There's a black cat, that leads Susanna where Daisy has hung herself, black cats are known for bad luck.
Fades away again, when Susanna begins to realize her future, and that she is not crazy.
Camera lowers down from the sky to the hospital, an aerial shot. Frame within a frame is used when Susanna looks through the rectangle glass of Lisa's confinement room.
Ends Susanna on cab leaving the hospital, Lisa is still tied to a bed, and Susanna's voice closes.
While the movie begins, there is Susanna speaking in the background as the camera does a close-up on her face to show her emotions as to how she feels, about being mentally ill, or maybe its just her being a girl.
They also show another close-up when Susanna is at the hospital, we can see the pain she's going through.
Over the shoulder shot, when Susanna talks to her once teacher whom she had intercourse with, and he wants to go into her room but Susanna does not want him to, the shot is over Susanna's shoulder to show the teacher's expression.
The hospital does not look as bad as described in the book, in the film everything seems much brighter not like a prison.
Medium shot, as Susanna is called up to drink her pills, it shows the faces of the rest of the patients at the hospital, and their behavior.
When Susanna is to fake drinking her medication, they use a bird's eye view, looking down from a mirror, also it is a frame within a frame.
When Susanna is first walking into the bowling area, there's a type of horror music that plays, but once she feels comfortable enough to play, a happy song begins to play.
In the movie Valerie appears more often, and as the mother figure to the girls.
There's a dolly shot being used, going in to the girls room through the windows.
A fade away occurs, while the film tries to show the girls life at the hospital.
Sorrow music being played, after she is written up for drugging the nurse.
Sad song plays when Daisy hangs herself. There's a black cat, that leads Susanna where Daisy has hung herself, black cats are known for bad luck.
Fades away again, when Susanna begins to realize her future, and that she is not crazy.
Camera lowers down from the sky to the hospital, an aerial shot. Frame within a frame is used when Susanna looks through the rectangle glass of Lisa's confinement room.
Ends Susanna on cab leaving the hospital, Lisa is still tied to a bed, and Susanna's voice closes.
Girl Interrupted (68-168)
Summary: Susanna begins to think about how she was admitted to the Hospital, and about the doctor who placed her there. The doctor that made her believe she had a mental illness. She tries to narrow down what a mental illness is, she says it has two types fast and slow. However, to others not experiencing this it may look simpler than what it is. Susanna herself believes she suffers from both, the inability to act, and the obstacles that make it hard to act. According to Susanna's doctor he had examined her for three hours, but Susanna says otherwise, she says it was only twenty minutes.
While in the hospital, the patients realize how hard life is outside of the McLean. They witness all the violence going on, and how it does not seem like a battle to win. Even though, Susanna thinks the hospital has them all confined, she feels that in a way its a haven. She doesn't have to worry about what's going on with the rest of the world, no need to worry about parents, or homework. A girl who cannot relate to Susanna is Torrey. She was recently admitted into the hospital, and her parents blame her for everything that goes wrong. Torrey, like Susanna in a way is glad to be at hospital. She no longer has to be in Mexico, trying to cope with her addiction. Then her time at the hospital is cut short when her family comes to pick her up, Torrey does not want to leave, and of course Lisa would be the one to throw a tantrum. Though, Valerie the head nurse was already used to Lisa and knew what she was up too. Torrey was gone back to Mexico, and the girls were back to their normal days at the hospital. Another patient is checked in to the hospital, her names Alice. One day Alice went through something none of the girls could explain,
The nurses quickly transfered Alice to a new room, this room had nothing but a mattress. Her room quickly filled up with waste. The girls stay away from Alice after they see what she has been going through. Once again Susanna begins to think about her mental illness, her counselor is the only man that makes her feel comfortable. Susanna discuses with him how she is 18, and she's still in that hospital. He then arranges that the nurses let her be about more freely. Once having been in the hospital for quite a while, Susanna begins to explain her views on the brain and the mind, rather than her mental illness. She comes to a conclusion that this concept cannot be divided, the mind is part of the brain, unlike the way mental illness can be divided. Susanna also talks about her future husband, and what she encountered during her working time.
After her release from the hospital, Susanna claims herself to have a borderline personality, in which certain things in her a damaged but not completely. Everyone, at some point left the hospital, and Susanna caught up with some of her friends outside the ward.
Quote: "Our privacy, our liberty, our dignity: All of this was gone and we were stripped down to the bare bones of our selves" (Kaysen 94).
Reaction: The title of this chapter is bare bones, and it ties in with what Susanna thinks of the hospital, as a place of both confinement and liberty. In a way they were free, they were in a place that kept them safe, there was not much that could go wrong there. Then comes in what they think about their dignity, it is like they can do nothing but act sad to avoid the things they do not want to face. During this chapter, was when Torrey became a patient, and in a way she was free from the drugs of Mexico, but she was confined to this place. This shows the patients control over the situation.
While in the hospital, the patients realize how hard life is outside of the McLean. They witness all the violence going on, and how it does not seem like a battle to win. Even though, Susanna thinks the hospital has them all confined, she feels that in a way its a haven. She doesn't have to worry about what's going on with the rest of the world, no need to worry about parents, or homework. A girl who cannot relate to Susanna is Torrey. She was recently admitted into the hospital, and her parents blame her for everything that goes wrong. Torrey, like Susanna in a way is glad to be at hospital. She no longer has to be in Mexico, trying to cope with her addiction. Then her time at the hospital is cut short when her family comes to pick her up, Torrey does not want to leave, and of course Lisa would be the one to throw a tantrum. Though, Valerie the head nurse was already used to Lisa and knew what she was up too. Torrey was gone back to Mexico, and the girls were back to their normal days at the hospital. Another patient is checked in to the hospital, her names Alice. One day Alice went through something none of the girls could explain,
The nurses quickly transfered Alice to a new room, this room had nothing but a mattress. Her room quickly filled up with waste. The girls stay away from Alice after they see what she has been going through. Once again Susanna begins to think about her mental illness, her counselor is the only man that makes her feel comfortable. Susanna discuses with him how she is 18, and she's still in that hospital. He then arranges that the nurses let her be about more freely. Once having been in the hospital for quite a while, Susanna begins to explain her views on the brain and the mind, rather than her mental illness. She comes to a conclusion that this concept cannot be divided, the mind is part of the brain, unlike the way mental illness can be divided. Susanna also talks about her future husband, and what she encountered during her working time.
After her release from the hospital, Susanna claims herself to have a borderline personality, in which certain things in her a damaged but not completely. Everyone, at some point left the hospital, and Susanna caught up with some of her friends outside the ward.
Quote: "Our privacy, our liberty, our dignity: All of this was gone and we were stripped down to the bare bones of our selves" (Kaysen 94).
Reaction: The title of this chapter is bare bones, and it ties in with what Susanna thinks of the hospital, as a place of both confinement and liberty. In a way they were free, they were in a place that kept them safe, there was not much that could go wrong there. Then comes in what they think about their dignity, it is like they can do nothing but act sad to avoid the things they do not want to face. During this chapter, was when Torrey became a patient, and in a way she was free from the drugs of Mexico, but she was confined to this place. This shows the patients control over the situation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)