Snow Falling On Cedars Conflicting Perspectives Essay

Conflicting perspective always exist due to the inevitable subjectivity of composers, and the inevitable differing opinions of those around us. Conflicting perspectives are represented by the composer in a way that conveys their personal opinion with the aim to influence their responder’s perspective of the issues and themes presented, not in an unbiased and even-handed manner. This is evident within both Snow Falling on Cedars written by David Guterson and the 2008 film Invictus directed by Clint Eastwood within which the negative and ongoing impact of racial tension and prejudice is shown, and the differing perspectives and understanding of human values is explored by both composers.
In Snow, the composer’s subjective opinion of the impact of racial tension and prejudice is clearly illustrated through the use of the personality of Nels Gudmunsson. This character is a blind man who has lost the use of one of his eyes, shown when he colloquially states “one of my eyes is useless”. It is shown that Nels is the only character present in the courtroom that is able to see the truth past the prejudice that has been
It is established that there are conflicting perspectives between past and present, with people of the present having a greater understanding of the implications of apartheid. However, some are still ignorant - shown when a woman tries to give a Springbok Jersey to a young African child. Another lady informs her “If he wears it, he will get beaten up. For them, Springbok still represents apartheid.” Within this scene, the director uses positioning to held audience understand tensions, and close ups to show the confusion on the woman’s face and the shock of the boy. This small scene is representative of how some white Africans are trying to reach out, but still do not understand the existing implications of