"I'm not much on rear window ethics," said Lisa Fremont, played by Grace Kelly, at one point in Rear Window.
Director Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, Rear Window tackled the ethics of the "peeping tom". Despite the film having been released in 1954, watching it today, it appears to not have been aged after all. Today, there are cameras that the paparazzi holds, satellites, and the internet all constantly watching people. Lines are being crossed, and the privacy of people are being invaded.
Magazine photographer L.B. Jeffries, played by Jimmy Stewart, is confined to a wheelchair after breaking his leg on an assignment. He gradually becomes a "peeping tom" as he watches the lives of his neighbors. When Jeffries suspects a murder, he brings out binoculars and a telescope to watch even closer.
Jeffries is limited as to what he can do, so he accepts the help of Lisa and his nurse, Stella, played by Thelma Ritter, and they become his "legs." Jeffries focuses so much on his neighbors' lives, that he misreads his own, and underestimates Lisa's adventurous will. When Lisa risks her life for evidence, and is confronted by the murderer, Jeffries realizes that he could happily stay with Lisa after all.
Rear Window's success and popularity may be due to it's subject matter, rather than it's entertainment. It's difficult to distinguish the line between whether watching others is ethical, or not. Rear Window raises the question, "how much of a right do we have to watch each other?' Perhaps, Hitchcock believed that we all have a right to watch each other, nonetheless, we all continue to struggle with that question and answer today.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
The Woman's Influence on Manhood
Contemplating the implied presence of the absence of women in the play, Glengarry Glen Ross is interesting to say the least. No women are concretely present in the play but have an influential impact on the decisions of the men in the play. Harriet Nyborg was in the wrong, in my opinion, to have agreed to sign a contract to purchase land with no real intentions. However, I feel that Mrs. Lingk was somewhat in the wrong, forcing her husband to change his mind. Perhaps, Mr. Lingk should have stood up to his wife or maybe they could have at lesat negotiated on their decision. She made her decision too late and caused a lot of trouble for her husband, Roma and even Levene.
It's evidently true that a woman does not need to be present to have an influence. Mr. Lingk's manhood was impacted by Mrs. Lingk, probably making him feel that he was lacking manhood, indeed. The direction of the play could have taken a completely different turn if it weren't for Mrs. Lingk. Of all the women mentioned in the play, she had the biggest influence of them all.
The womens' absent presence in the play is dealt with in a way that implies that the women have a higher influence on the men than the influence that the men have on the women.
It's evidently true that a woman does not need to be present to have an influence. Mr. Lingk's manhood was impacted by Mrs. Lingk, probably making him feel that he was lacking manhood, indeed. The direction of the play could have taken a completely different turn if it weren't for Mrs. Lingk. Of all the women mentioned in the play, she had the biggest influence of them all.
The womens' absent presence in the play is dealt with in a way that implies that the women have a higher influence on the men than the influence that the men have on the women.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Expression is Powerful
Kahn's essay for her argument on King Lear is very agreeable. King Lear holds his emotions in and never lets his emotions show, until he is deeply hurt and betrayed by his daughters. He may believe at first, that men showing emotion makes them appear weak and feminine. He is king, making him believe that he has to be strong and not let his emotions get the best of him.
Once he feels hurt, vulnerability and anger, he no longer holds any emotion back and finds that expressing emotion doesn't necessarily strip him of power. I especially agree with Kahn's first point in her argument. She says, "When Lear begins to feel the loss of Cordelia, to be wounded by her sisters, and to recognize his own vulnerability, he calls his state of mind hysteria, 'the mother,' which I interpret as his repressed identification with the mother." I feel that since the mother is absent, King Lear replaces the feminine traits with much masculinity. Kahn also points out that Lear feels that the needs and traits associated with women are supposed to be hidden. It's as if King Lear believes there is no place for feminine traits in his kingdom.
King Lear probably never wanted to give in to his feelings and express them with tears but the anger and hurt he felt toward his daughters overwhelmed him. Instead of being masculine and hiding his emotions, he finally puts that aside unconsciously, as he cries and finds that he can still defend himself by expressing his emotion. King Lear learns that everyone is human and expressing himself gives him more power than he had before.
Once he feels hurt, vulnerability and anger, he no longer holds any emotion back and finds that expressing emotion doesn't necessarily strip him of power. I especially agree with Kahn's first point in her argument. She says, "When Lear begins to feel the loss of Cordelia, to be wounded by her sisters, and to recognize his own vulnerability, he calls his state of mind hysteria, 'the mother,' which I interpret as his repressed identification with the mother." I feel that since the mother is absent, King Lear replaces the feminine traits with much masculinity. Kahn also points out that Lear feels that the needs and traits associated with women are supposed to be hidden. It's as if King Lear believes there is no place for feminine traits in his kingdom.
King Lear probably never wanted to give in to his feelings and express them with tears but the anger and hurt he felt toward his daughters overwhelmed him. Instead of being masculine and hiding his emotions, he finally puts that aside unconsciously, as he cries and finds that he can still defend himself by expressing his emotion. King Lear learns that everyone is human and expressing himself gives him more power than he had before.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Through Marjane Satrapi's Eyes...
Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel, Persepolis, is very powerful. I enjoyed this novel and found it heartbreaking but vivid, in the sense that the work came "alive". The images explained almost more than the words had. Satrapi expresses her experiences as a child and in the movie, also as an adult. The audience views and reads Satrapi's experiences through her eyes. With that being stated, I believe the novel had more of an impact than the movie had. The novel and movie have the same elements in them both, but the novel seemed as if it was in more detail than the movie. Oddly enough,the novel contained more specific and vivid details and images than the movie did.
On page 43 in the novel, Marjane's father told her when she was a child that politics and sentiment don 't mix. I feel that he was telling her this to try and explain to her that politics do not care or take into consideration peoples' emotions and feelings at all. Marjane appeared to have a very loving and supporting family. I really liked her character as a child, also as an adult, but it's as if she owes her commmitment and promise to stay true to herself, to her family. Her mother, her uncle Anoosh and her grandma, in particular, were the three I believe to have had the biggest influence on her. She took her mother's support, her grandma's advice and her uncle's stories to heart and became a strong, independent woman.
During her childhood, she was a very fortunate and lucky child. Her parents felt strongly about the war, protested, shared with Marjane what they thought about things and explained things to her. Her parents made sure she had her own freedom and she was able to be herself and express herself freely. Marjane knew the truth from her parents and they didn't hold anything back from her. Marjane's parents trusted her completely and wanted her to live a happy, normal life, regardless. They cared deeply about her safety and made the ultimate sacrifice when they took her to the airport to go to Austria. To be so selfless and make your child your number one priority is to love your child unconditionally and being the best parent you could possibly be. That is exactly what Marjane's parents had done and they were very proud of her when she came back. They saw the woman she was and were able to say that she did stay true to herself.
I believe Marjane's grandma had the most important influence in her life. Right before the ending credits for the movie, there is Marjane's memory of her grandma telling her that she used jasmine flowers to keep fresh. I think that Marjane values and treasures her grandma's words and will never forget the impact her grandma had on her life.
I think it can be said that Marjane Satrapi is content with her life and decision to live in Paris. She has been through tough and unforgettable ordeals and has experienced a lot, to say the least. She maybe felt it important to share with the world her journey as a child during that time in Iran and her journey as an adult, in a "completely diffrent world", through her eyes. Everyone can learn something, the decision to be open-minded just has to be made.
On page 43 in the novel, Marjane's father told her when she was a child that politics and sentiment don 't mix. I feel that he was telling her this to try and explain to her that politics do not care or take into consideration peoples' emotions and feelings at all. Marjane appeared to have a very loving and supporting family. I really liked her character as a child, also as an adult, but it's as if she owes her commmitment and promise to stay true to herself, to her family. Her mother, her uncle Anoosh and her grandma, in particular, were the three I believe to have had the biggest influence on her. She took her mother's support, her grandma's advice and her uncle's stories to heart and became a strong, independent woman.
During her childhood, she was a very fortunate and lucky child. Her parents felt strongly about the war, protested, shared with Marjane what they thought about things and explained things to her. Her parents made sure she had her own freedom and she was able to be herself and express herself freely. Marjane knew the truth from her parents and they didn't hold anything back from her. Marjane's parents trusted her completely and wanted her to live a happy, normal life, regardless. They cared deeply about her safety and made the ultimate sacrifice when they took her to the airport to go to Austria. To be so selfless and make your child your number one priority is to love your child unconditionally and being the best parent you could possibly be. That is exactly what Marjane's parents had done and they were very proud of her when she came back. They saw the woman she was and were able to say that she did stay true to herself.
I believe Marjane's grandma had the most important influence in her life. Right before the ending credits for the movie, there is Marjane's memory of her grandma telling her that she used jasmine flowers to keep fresh. I think that Marjane values and treasures her grandma's words and will never forget the impact her grandma had on her life.
I think it can be said that Marjane Satrapi is content with her life and decision to live in Paris. She has been through tough and unforgettable ordeals and has experienced a lot, to say the least. She maybe felt it important to share with the world her journey as a child during that time in Iran and her journey as an adult, in a "completely diffrent world", through her eyes. Everyone can learn something, the decision to be open-minded just has to be made.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Binx Bolling's Search
Some people have a journey in life which he or she tends to follow. Some people in life have a search which he or she intends to find. Others have no search or particular journey in life, and just live through life. Binx Bolling, the main character in Walker Percy's novel, The Moviegoer, has a search he wants to find in life. In fact, the novel in whole, focuses on his intentions the most.
It is unknown what exactly Binx's search is, but one might conclude Binx's search to be a search for an important and specific meaning in life. Binx lives an ordinary life as an ordinary individual with a constant routine. Perhaps, he is searching for changes that will positively benefit him.
Although Binx never makes it quite clear what his search is, the Epilogue in the novel reveals clues. On page 237, he says: " For another thing, it is not open to me even to be edifying, since the time is later than his, much too late to edify or do much of anything except plant a foot in the right place as the opportunity presents itself-". It seems as if Binx made the decision to discontinue his search, maybe because his intentions changed. Binx possibly came to a realization that he was never actually himself, that he was always being the person everyone else expected him to be. That probably made him unhappy and he decided to go on a search in the first place.
After continuously searching, he may have stopped searching to find the realization that he simply needed to stop and focus more closely on himself. He appears to have the feeling of not needing to say anything about his search, maybe because what he was searching for the entire time, changed or was already there. Binx seems to be satisfied and content with his direction in life in the end of the novel. He accepts himself and is happy with his life, feeling no need to search any longer.
It is unknown what exactly Binx's search is, but one might conclude Binx's search to be a search for an important and specific meaning in life. Binx lives an ordinary life as an ordinary individual with a constant routine. Perhaps, he is searching for changes that will positively benefit him.
Although Binx never makes it quite clear what his search is, the Epilogue in the novel reveals clues. On page 237, he says: " For another thing, it is not open to me even to be edifying, since the time is later than his, much too late to edify or do much of anything except plant a foot in the right place as the opportunity presents itself-". It seems as if Binx made the decision to discontinue his search, maybe because his intentions changed. Binx possibly came to a realization that he was never actually himself, that he was always being the person everyone else expected him to be. That probably made him unhappy and he decided to go on a search in the first place.
After continuously searching, he may have stopped searching to find the realization that he simply needed to stop and focus more closely on himself. He appears to have the feeling of not needing to say anything about his search, maybe because what he was searching for the entire time, changed or was already there. Binx seems to be satisfied and content with his direction in life in the end of the novel. He accepts himself and is happy with his life, feeling no need to search any longer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
