Diary entry Walt kowalski Gran torino This week the young asian boy who moved in nextdoor attempted to steal my gran torino as an initiation for an asian street gang. I caught the asian kid and his mother, is making him work for me. He seems like a good kid who is just hanging around with the wrong group of people.…
The areas densely populated with families tended to watch more family friendly films like the Curious Case of Benjamin Button rather than Gran Torino. Notably, the areas that had a lower population of Asians was typically the same area that did not have as many views of the film. The reasoning behind Gran Torino being popular with the Asian community is most likely connected to the overall storyline of the white lead actor putting aside his Asian prejudices and befriending his Asian neighbors. This connects to the Asian community on a number of levels because of discrimination during the Gold Rush, World War II, and the Korean War. The hope of a future where the prejudices against the Asian community does not…
When we study texts comparatively, the influence of context on various forms of speculative fiction allows us to gain a greater insight into humanity. Through this comparison, we begin to better understand the deindividualisation of society that occurs under corrupt economic and political systems. In other words, we better comprehend how humans lose their sense of self at the hand of oppressive governments who wish to unify society as one. Fritz lang’s, Metropolis, composed in 1927 aims to warn Germany's middle-class society not involved in political or economic affairs of the poverty, conflict and fears of the future. Lang harnesses German expressionism throughout the film to portray a futuristic reality in which the ending conveys positive…
The Bronx Tale is a movie based in the 1960’s. There were a lot of differential discrepancies between races. In this period of time, it was taboo for a white Italian to have any kind of relationships with a person of color. One of the main characters named Calogero was surrounded by friends who discriminated against blacks. However, Calogero was raised in this kind of environment, he seem to be optimistic about black people.…
Francis Ford Coppola’s film The Godfather, epitomizes the theme “it’s business, not personal”. The movie was created in 1972, showcasing Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) and Michael Corleone (Al Pacino). This movie shows the struggles of the Corleone family to protect their empire from the other mafia families living within New York.…
Gran Torino, focuses on the relationship between Walt Kowalski, a retired Korean War veteran who has just lost his wife, and his neighbors, who are of the Hmong culture. The story revolves around Walt, the teenage son, Thao, and daughter, Sue. The Hmong people are from Asia. This creates tension between Walt and the family because of Walts stereotypes and racism. He refers to them as “gooks” which is a derogatory slang term for Asian people, most commonly Koreans, this is something he took away from the Korean war. Walt does not see his culturally diverse neighbors as anything but “gooks” because he believes that Koreans and other Asians are all the same. There are many cultural differences between Walt and the Hmong family. They are a family rich with tradition and cultural values. Yet, they also struggle to adapt to the American…
To what extent do the Kowalskis and the DuBois represent a clash of cultures in “A Streetcar Named Desire”?…
The play offers a romanticized vision of slum life that nevertheless reflects the atypical characteristics of New Orleans. The mix of characters and social elements around Elysian Fields demonstrates the way New Orleans has historically differed from other American cities in the South. It was originally a Catholic settlement (unlike most Southern cities, which were Protestant), and consequently typical Southern social distinctions were ignored. Hence, blacks mingle with whites, and members of different ethnic groups play poker and bowl together. Stanley, the son of Polish immigrants, represents the changing face of America. Williams’s romanticizing is more evident in his portrayal of New Orleans as a city where upper-class people marry members of the lower class, fights get ugly but are forgotten the next day, and the perpetual bluesy notes of an old piano take the sting out of poverty.…
“I don't want realism. I want magic! Yes, yes, magic! (9.117). Magic, is often associated with the concept of circumventing reality. Individuals try to live unconstrained within their fantasy when they dislike the way that reality appears to be for the. In “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Tennessee Williams protagonist, Blanche Dubois finds herself to be in a situation of living in illusion instead of reality. Williams’s addresses the importance of individuals who attempt to live unconstrained, through Blanche. Through her elusion 0f reality, her fantasy meets the inconvenience of Stanley Kowalski, who poses as reality. Through the ups and downs of fantasy attempting to prevail unrestricted in the presence of reality, the characters of the play…
Right from the start, Blanche is already a fallen woman in society’s eyes. She is sufficiently self-aware to know that she cannot survive in the world as it is. Reality is too harsh, so she must create an illusion that will allow herself to maintain her delicate, fragile hold on life.…
Streetcar is a play with many interpretations as John Bak’s survey of the critics illustrates ‘A play about post war F.D.R. America’ and Savran p.89 describes the 1940-50 American South with civilization in collapse with profound economic ,social, and political reorientation. Another view is ‘A psychological study of a fragile mind‘s struggle to negotiate nostalgia with reality’.…
How does Williams alert us for the tragedy that is to follow in scene 1 of 'A Streetcar Named Desire'?…
1. - New York. Starts off in case, trial against two young boys that hurt Amerigo Bonasera’s daughter. Get sentenced to 3 years in confinement to the penitentiary and suspended the sentence. They went free.…
In the early twentieth century, women were still dependent on men. It was difficult for a woman to have a job and be financially independent. In addition, at this time, women had to keep their virginity to have a chance to get married. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams is placed in the picturesque French Quarter in New Orleans. The play starts when Blanche DuBois comes in New Orleans to visit her sister Stella after she lost the family plantation Belle-Reve because of money problems. She then meets her brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski, a World War II veteran. As soon as they meet each other, a mistrustful rivalry starts between them. A Streetcar Named Desire depicts the conflict between two opposing views as a poker game between Blanche and Stanley for control.…
A movie I watched and liked a lot was Gran Torino. I thought this movie was great! There is a lot of culture in this film. Gran Torino is about Walt, a Korean War veteran, who’s neighbor Thao Vang Lor is pressured into stealing his Ford Gran Torino by this gang. Thao is caught and Walt makes sure he deserves a punishment. Walt makes Thao do chores around the house for a month. During this time, Walt and Thao develop a strong relationship among each other. I learned a lot about Korean culture such as the food they eat. At one part of the movie, Walt is invited over for dinner at Thao’s house. He is introduced to many foods that he never even heard of. The food looked really good to me! It reminds me of some of the foods I eat such as rice and curry. Thao and his family tells him to try everything. I learned from this movie that Koreans are very friendly and love to get together and host special events. I also learned that the kids live with their parents and take care of them until death. I thought this was really interesting because this is how Sri Lankan culture is too. We as kids are suppose to take care of our parents as they get older. I liked this film a lot and I hope I watch it again in the…