Report on the Movie 'Joy Luck Club'
Based on the Joy Luck Club, please write a 2-3 page report which should: 1. Address 2 ICC scenes/themes you can identify with. Reflect on these and include examples.
2. Address the questions "Am I (or a family member) more of a June or a Waverly?”. ”How did this come about?"
1.
One of the major ICC themes in the movie is the conflict between individualism and collectivism. Although not explicitly expressed, it has a strong impact on the whole course of the movie. The 4 immigrant Chinese mothers, having spent their childhood in Mainland China, embodied a strong collectivistic value. This is a dominant value in Asian culture, especially that of China. In such society, the priority of a group far exceeds that of an individual, and group-oriented interdependence is greatly emphasized. The negative experiences in China have, to a large extent, shaped the mindset of the 4 mothers. This is not the case for their daughters, who were born and raised in America, and embeded with the American values. They see themselves as independent individuals and their outlooks on lives greatly reflect the individualistic nature of their generation. This gave rise to a series of conflicts between them and their mothers. Collectivism, in its broadest sense, focuses on two key elements: priority of group goals over individual goals and cohesion within social groups. In the case of China, under influences from Confucius teachings, collectivism is regarded as a national virtue. China’s type of collectivism is specifically vertical collectivism, which is based on hierarchical structures of power and on moral and cultural conformity. As such, citizens are expected to conform to a certain standard of moral obligation; anyone who goes against it is shameful for doing so. Furthermore, the hierarchical structures of power gives an individual supreme power over those deemed as having lower ranks under the social hierarchy while requires absolute obidience to those with higher
2. Address the questions "Am I (or a family member) more of a June or a Waverly?”. ”How did this come about?"
1.
One of the major ICC themes in the movie is the conflict between individualism and collectivism. Although not explicitly expressed, it has a strong impact on the whole course of the movie. The 4 immigrant Chinese mothers, having spent their childhood in Mainland China, embodied a strong collectivistic value. This is a dominant value in Asian culture, especially that of China. In such society, the priority of a group far exceeds that of an individual, and group-oriented interdependence is greatly emphasized. The negative experiences in China have, to a large extent, shaped the mindset of the 4 mothers. This is not the case for their daughters, who were born and raised in America, and embeded with the American values. They see themselves as independent individuals and their outlooks on lives greatly reflect the individualistic nature of their generation. This gave rise to a series of conflicts between them and their mothers. Collectivism, in its broadest sense, focuses on two key elements: priority of group goals over individual goals and cohesion within social groups. In the case of China, under influences from Confucius teachings, collectivism is regarded as a national virtue. China’s type of collectivism is specifically vertical collectivism, which is based on hierarchical structures of power and on moral and cultural conformity. As such, citizens are expected to conform to a certain standard of moral obligation; anyone who goes against it is shameful for doing so. Furthermore, the hierarchical structures of power gives an individual supreme power over those deemed as having lower ranks under the social hierarchy while requires absolute obidience to those with higher