'Slumdog Millionaire'
The trailer of 'Slumdog Millionaire' starts off with a shot of the slums. This overall represents the day to day livings of each person living in this poverty filled society. The importance of giving the audience a shot straight away is to ensure that they grasp the anchorage meaning of the title 'Slumdog' so that they become aware throughout the end that the story line will be related to someone from this 'slum' throughout the remaining trailer.
The trailer represents the indian characters in many different ways. One shot we see a capably bright boy who has the ability to make it on to the telivision show 'Who wants to be a Millionaire' however due to him being from a slum and actually being able to win £1m shows that there are labels stuck to him. The labels show this boy being stereotyped as a cheat and liar as he is just labeled as a 'slumdog' who simply, 'cannot know the answers.'
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This in a way represents indians in a negative way, simply due to the fact that, just because some people do not have the best of lives, they are bound to be a failure. This brings in elements of the 'oriental' stereotypes' of how although the lead character 'Jamal' is uneducated, he is definately wise
NANDY = Colonization; the colonized have been brutalized by the colonizers. This shows thta as Jamal is labeled as a 'Cheat' that he is represented as the colonized in this movie, because he is the one that is being abused here. However, the colonizers are non other than people from his own race, yet due to their authoritive power and elite background, Jamal is seen as the weaker role as he is a 'slum dog' which makes it easier for him to be the character or have the emotional feelings/qualities the colnizers are not supposed to have.
Danny Boyle on India
Danny boyle simply talks about the way it was for him to go to india and to make the film. There are scenes shown from the movie of little kids running around through the streets of the indian shanty town areas. This is not representing India in a negative way as it is a true insight of reality, which is not portrayed in the media often. This is the reason why some people may say that India is being represented in a negative way.
Danny Boyle talks about India in a positive way throughout the clip and the way life really is for some people.
British Asians
Poorna Shetty talks about the reactions of people from the asian community and whether they agree with th representations shown on screen. P.Shetty says 'I feel Boyle's depiction of Mumbai is spot on.' Shetty says how she agrees with the way Boyle has depicted Mumbai. This is true as Boyle is giving the audience a real Taste of Mumbai. The goods and bads. Although at places Indians have been represented as negative, where the slums and poverty and how every kid is devious through the way they manage to trick people into buying things just to make a living. As well as there being begative people within a community who aim in making money by using and abusing these children. There are also positive represenatations, for instance, the knowledge of this 'Slumdog' is so great, that he manages to win himself £1m, all based around different stories from his childhood.
Although some people are relieved that India has now had the oppurtunity to be shown as the way it really is for some people in the poorer areas, it has also become an issue for others. The representation of the cops beating up this young man who is telling the truth clearly shows that India's authoritive figures areebing stereotyped as ones to take bribary as well as use illegal ways to find out the truth, even if it means that the man may be innocent. This is a highly negative representation, it could be saying how Certain countries are more in controll as they have a controlled legal role in the way they treat their criminals/suspects, however, as India is not such a rich contry, it lacks the way it treats others etc.
Poverty Porn
This article is all about the way that the movie is trying to represent similar links between what is actually happening in the poorer parts of India. However, the writer argues how many different directors have also come along to India and done the same, Filemed a movie, Won awards, and then carried on, never revisiting the area or thinking again about these issues. Ian Jack explains how a lot of research has been carried out, however the fcat that some people from the indian industry alone disagree shows that they may totally disagree with the way the asian lifestlyes and communitys are being represented in this movie.
Tuesday
Monday
First paragraph again!!
In Long Beach, it all comes down to what you look like, it’s all about colour.”[1]
[2] ROSE (1989) cited in SHOHAT, E. and STAM, R. 1994: ‘Unthinking Eurocentrism: multiculturalism and the media’ pg.21, London: Routledge
Does the movie ‘Freedom Writers (2007)’ reinforce common stereotypes of people from ethnic minority backgrounds?
It has almost become somewhat of a tradition, for ethnic minorities to always be related within a circle of violent behaviour. The media constantly targets youths from different minorities in ways where hegemony uses culture to promote power. In this case it would be the ruling by cultural influence where white people have the power and dominant control over people from ethnic minorities.
Set in Long Beach, California, Freedom Writers (2007) puts forward this negative stereotype of people within the ethnic community belonging to a vicious crime filled environment. The characters within the movie belong to a segregated community, where each race is divided into separate tribes. The students are represented as a central point to the movie, and the way they struggle to break free from the chaotic atmosphere around them to emerge as one, putting away the elements of the ‘Other’, and accepting their classmates for who they are rather than their ethnic backgrounds. “Racism is like a poor kid who grew up needing someone to hurt.”[2] This quote implies that racism is something which affects someone in such a way, that the outcome would be to hurt someone. Perhaps this is the reason, why the action of the youths in this film was due to all the segregation between them. Freedom Writers holds strong stereotypes of people within the African-American, Latino, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Caucasian race to be associated with violence, gun/gang crime and drugs which has therefore resulted in people believing in these given stereotypes.
[2] ROSE (1989) cited in SHOHAT, E. and STAM, R. 1994: ‘Unthinking Eurocentrism: multiculturalism and the media’ pg.21, London: Routledge
Self Evaluation
· Attainment:3
I have made progress from my last interim. This is because before I did not have sufficient information on my independent study, and now that I have started to write it, I have gained more and more information along the way.
· Effort : 3
I really think that I do put a lot of effort in and do try my best. However, it could be improved a lot more. I think this term I have put in a lot of effort into all of my work but it still can be improved a lot more.
· Punctuality:3
This area really needs to improve as I am frequently turning up late to lessons. However, when I do come, it’s never the case of forgetting equipment as I always have what will be needed within the specific day’s lesson.
· Submission and quality of homework:2
I feel that my quality and submission of homework has improved vastly since the last interim report. This is because all my homework is completed to a high standard. I would like to make sure that I put in a lot of effort this term so that this could perhaps go up to a 1.
· Ability to work independently:2
I feel I can work independently really well; I did need help with my independent study as I was unsure but that is not a problem. I have started my independent study and am still independently researching through different media texts.
· Quality of writing:3
I personally think that my quality of writing still needs to improve. I need to practise structuring my essays as I usually just tend to have all the paragraphs muddled up!! This term I have learnt a lot of different media theorists and key terms which would aid in helping my quality of writing.
· Organisation of Media folder:2
I have given myself a 2 for my media folder as I got a credit for it when it was checked in class!! My media folder is organised well, and I always make sure to put all of my notes and handouts in the correct order.
· Oral contributions in class:4
I don’t really think that I contribute much in lessons as much as I should. This is partly due to the fact that sometimes it takes time for me to be able to understand something we are learning about, which results in not being able to answer confidently.
· Standard of Module 5 blog:3
I feel my blog has all of the homework tasks completed which have been asked to be done. However, I feel that when I am researching about my independent study, even when I just read through information, I should post that onto my blog. This is because maybe it will come handy when writing my essay.
· Standard of Module 6 blog:4
I think that this blog is not up to that much of a high standard as my med 5 blog. This could be due to the fact that Mr Bush just gives us a lot of extra work!! But the work that I have completed on the blog has been completed to a satisfactory level, which could easily be improved.
ebi:
*Need more work to do on med 6 blog
*Attend lessons on time
www:
*All of my work is up to date
*My independant study is half complete
I have made progress from my last interim. This is because before I did not have sufficient information on my independent study, and now that I have started to write it, I have gained more and more information along the way.
· Effort : 3
I really think that I do put a lot of effort in and do try my best. However, it could be improved a lot more. I think this term I have put in a lot of effort into all of my work but it still can be improved a lot more.
· Punctuality:3
This area really needs to improve as I am frequently turning up late to lessons. However, when I do come, it’s never the case of forgetting equipment as I always have what will be needed within the specific day’s lesson.
· Submission and quality of homework:2
I feel that my quality and submission of homework has improved vastly since the last interim report. This is because all my homework is completed to a high standard. I would like to make sure that I put in a lot of effort this term so that this could perhaps go up to a 1.
· Ability to work independently:2
I feel I can work independently really well; I did need help with my independent study as I was unsure but that is not a problem. I have started my independent study and am still independently researching through different media texts.
· Quality of writing:3
I personally think that my quality of writing still needs to improve. I need to practise structuring my essays as I usually just tend to have all the paragraphs muddled up!! This term I have learnt a lot of different media theorists and key terms which would aid in helping my quality of writing.
· Organisation of Media folder:2
I have given myself a 2 for my media folder as I got a credit for it when it was checked in class!! My media folder is organised well, and I always make sure to put all of my notes and handouts in the correct order.
· Oral contributions in class:4
I don’t really think that I contribute much in lessons as much as I should. This is partly due to the fact that sometimes it takes time for me to be able to understand something we are learning about, which results in not being able to answer confidently.
· Standard of Module 5 blog:3
I feel my blog has all of the homework tasks completed which have been asked to be done. However, I feel that when I am researching about my independent study, even when I just read through information, I should post that onto my blog. This is because maybe it will come handy when writing my essay.
· Standard of Module 6 blog:4
I think that this blog is not up to that much of a high standard as my med 5 blog. This could be due to the fact that Mr Bush just gives us a lot of extra work!! But the work that I have completed on the blog has been completed to a satisfactory level, which could easily be improved.
ebi:
*Need more work to do on med 6 blog
*Attend lessons on time
www:
*All of my work is up to date
*My independant study is half complete
First Paragraph
Does the movie ‘Freedom Writers (2007)’ represent typical stereotypes of people from ethnical backgrounds?
“In Long Beach, it all comes down to what you look like, it’s all about colour.”[1]
The Blaxploitation genre came forward in the early 1970’s where the movie ‘Shaft (1971)’[2] was the first movie belonging to this genre. This genre is specifically targeted at Black people of where the films within it tend to take place in an urbanised setting referred to as ‘the ghetto’. Blaxploitation films contain many negative stereotypes of black people, of which certain characters are portrayed in being associated with drugs, gun crime, and violence. Similarly, Freedom Writers also contains elements of this specific genre.
Set in the ghetto, Freedom Writers brings to us a true life story of a teacher so devoted to her students and the happenings of their classroom. One thing in common, helping the ,film fall within the Blaxploitation genre, is how these youths were all segregated into their own separate tribes of Strauss’s Binary opposition theory of Black vs. Cambodians, where only Blacks associated with Blacks and Cambodians associated with Cambodians etc. “Racism is like a poor kid who grew up needing someone to hurt.”[3] This quote implies that racism is something which affects someone in such a way, that the outcome would be to hurt someone. Perhaps this is the reason, why the action of the youths in this film was due to all the segregation between them. The categorisation of these students was the root cause of fights that would outbreak in the classroom, playground and even on the streets, of where children as young as 15 where using guns and involved in murder rather than being at home within the late hours of falling darkness.
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[1] ‘Freedom Writers’ (2007)
[2] ‘Shaft’ (1971)
[3] ROSE (1989) cited in SHOHAT, E. and STAM, R. 1994: ‘Unthinking Eurocentrism: multiculturalism and the media’ pg.21, London: Routledge
“In Long Beach, it all comes down to what you look like, it’s all about colour.”[1]
The Blaxploitation genre came forward in the early 1970’s where the movie ‘Shaft (1971)’[2] was the first movie belonging to this genre. This genre is specifically targeted at Black people of where the films within it tend to take place in an urbanised setting referred to as ‘the ghetto’. Blaxploitation films contain many negative stereotypes of black people, of which certain characters are portrayed in being associated with drugs, gun crime, and violence. Similarly, Freedom Writers also contains elements of this specific genre.
Set in the ghetto, Freedom Writers brings to us a true life story of a teacher so devoted to her students and the happenings of their classroom. One thing in common, helping the ,film fall within the Blaxploitation genre, is how these youths were all segregated into their own separate tribes of Strauss’s Binary opposition theory of Black vs. Cambodians, where only Blacks associated with Blacks and Cambodians associated with Cambodians etc. “Racism is like a poor kid who grew up needing someone to hurt.”[3] This quote implies that racism is something which affects someone in such a way, that the outcome would be to hurt someone. Perhaps this is the reason, why the action of the youths in this film was due to all the segregation between them. The categorisation of these students was the root cause of fights that would outbreak in the classroom, playground and even on the streets, of where children as young as 15 where using guns and involved in murder rather than being at home within the late hours of falling darkness.
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[1] ‘Freedom Writers’ (2007)
[2] ‘Shaft’ (1971)
[3] ROSE (1989) cited in SHOHAT, E. and STAM, R. 1994: ‘Unthinking Eurocentrism: multiculturalism and the media’ pg.21, London: Routledge
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