Introduction The 2003 film Elf (Berg, Kormarnicki, Robertson & Favreau, 2003), while seemingly inconsequential for intercultural communication studies, provides a relevant and interesting case study for problems in intercultural communication. On his journey of finding his birth family and his identity in America, Buddy the Elf encounters several challenges in intercultural communication as he experiences culture shock, difference and conflict between the Elf and American cultures. This paper will provide a brief synopsis of Elf’s plot and key characters, and will then explore several issues as they present themselves in the film. First, the issue of value orientations and how they present in both American and Elf cultures will be analyzed. Next, the process and implications of acculturation will be examined in Buddy’s case, including his complete assimilation to a new culture by virtue of adoption and how this impacts identity and communication. Finally, issues in nonverbal communication differences in the Elf and American cultures will be explored, followed by brief concluding remarks.
Synopsis
The film Elf (Berg et al., 2003) follows the adventures of Buddy, a human adopted into Elf culture, as he journeys from the North Pole to find his human father in New York City. As an orphan waiting to be adopted, Buddy was accidentally taken to the North Pole in Santa’s sack. Buddy grew up immersed in the Elf culture and way of life, and was not told of his human origins until he was well into adulthood. Upon learning this, Buddy travels to New York City to find his birth father Walter, a grinch-like publisher at a children’s book company. Unwelcomed by his father, Buddy befriends Walter’s son Michael and begins to make a life in New York, dating a shy, Elf-portraying department store employee named Jovie.
Slowly adapting to life in New York and workig to build a relationship with Walter, Buddy hits a setback when he accidentally offends an author with whom Walter is trying to sign a book deal in order to save his faltering company. Walter yells at Buddy for this mistake, and Buddy spends Christmas Eve sad and alone wandering in New York City. While walking alone, Buddy sees Santa’s sleigh crash into Central
I’m not the least bit kidding when I say that Elf is maybe one of the most accessible portrayals of cross-culturalism in popular film. And despite its abundance on several networks during Christmastime, it’s film that a lot of people, I think, wouldn’t automatically approach with a critical eye, probably because it includes Will Ferrell in yellow tights eating syrup spaghetti and
One night, Santa Clause was delivering gifts at an orphanage. One of the toddlers at the orphanage wakes up and climbs out of his crib. “BANG” he fell on the ground and started to crawl towards Santa Clause gift sack. Buddy starts his journey once he got into Santa’s gift sack. Santa did not realize that a toddler snuck into his gift sack. Santa arrives back to The North Pole, and the elves and him hear something moving in the sack. A second later a baby crawls out of the gift sack. Santa and the elves were in shock when they saw the baby. The baby’s name is on the baby’s
Describe the ACCULTURATION level of at least 2 main/lead film characters. Elaborate as to which factors led you to make these determinations for each character (14.28 Possible Points). 100 word minimum between the two
The social sciences, the study of human in society and the relationships between humans, connect with how humans interact with each other. Especially how they treat each other after problematic issues, like when their goodness is at stake impacts human behavior. Thus, leading to the expression “throwing someone under the bus” and causing distress to both parties of this situation. The first example is a classic Christmas film, Elf. The second example is an episode from a popular TV show, Gossip Girl, based on a novel series by Cecily von Ziegesar. During these difficult circumstances of throwing someone under the bus, someone will always be hurt in the process, whether it is physical or emotional.
Unconsciously, we all speak different languages; we categorize the way we speak by the environment and people at which we are speaking too. Whenever a character enters an unfamiliar environment, they experiment with language to find themselves and understand reality. For immigrants, language is a means to retain one’s identity; however, as they become more assimilated in their new communities their language no longer reflects that of their identity but of their new cultural surroundings. When an immigrant, immigrates to a new country they become marginalized, they’re alienated from common cultural practices, social ritual, and scripted behavior. It’s not without intercultural communication and negotiation
It was Christmas Eve when Buddy finally found a home that he could call his own after stowing away in an old fat man's red bag. Little did he know that he was taking a trip to see Santa Claus, the North Pole, and would never come back...
Western culture is and has been influenced by the values and norms of the majorities dominant ideologies. The ruling class determines the acceptance of discourse and interaction within given settings. This creates a sense of difficulty for minority groups whose customs, values, and norms are not acclimated to the ideologies of the dominant actants. To obtain acceptance within a foreign culture or society, the minority are requested to adapt and adhere to the new set of values. In the brief video with Seth Myers and Jon Snow, it is apparent that the struggle to conform to cultural changes is very difficult for minority groups. Furthermore, the video implies that Western culture places importance on the use of superficial discourse that neither holds significance to the topics of communication or includes overly personalized information. Instead, Western culture shows a fascination with "over the top" drama and exaggerated story telling.
Elf the Broadway Musical is about an orphan boy, Buddy, who crawls into Santa’s toy sack and is taken back to the North Pole where Buddy is raised by elves. Eventually, it is revealed that Buddy is a human contrary to his belief that he is also an elf. This shocking, yet obvious truth leads him on a quest to find his dad, Walter Hobbs. Once Buddy arrives in New York City, he meets his dad who has no interest in Buddy or
In James Cameron’s critically acclaimed Avatar, there are many issues/disputes that are represented, but there is only one that especially stands out; cultural assimilation. Cameron’s purpose for this is to better represent and portray the possibility of assimilation to today’s modern audience. He adopts a visually stimulating tone to better impact and leave his viewers with a lasting impression of his portrayal, that will better convey the feelings of transgression in the supremacist audience he is trying to reach. This is known by the type of subject he is tackling and by showing a similar situation, unrelated to the ‘textbook cover’ of Native assimilation, but leaves the same impact.
One of the most interesting and complicated experiences one can have is the experience of moving from one country to another. More specifically, the country of one’s home to a completely foreign place. Although this is very specific to immigrants, their children also typically experience this phenomenon of merging two cultures within one person. This is mostly due to the fact that those children grow up in one culture at home while being exposed to another culture and way of life simultaneously in their present environment. In particular, the experience of being Afro-German is one often overlooked, yet is incredibly fascinating as one begins to explore the intricacies relating to the merging and clashing of two different cultural backgrounds and vernaculars, which in turn create a narrative unique to those children of two worlds. Nigerian filmmaker Branwen Okpako explores these particular narratives in her social documentary films, Dirt for Dinner and The Education of
From the movie Elf I learned a substantial amount of life lessons from Buddy the elf. Buddy is a human that was raised by elves who loved him very much. When Buddy was just a baby, he crawled into santa's gift sack and went back to the North Pole with him. Santa decided to keep him and let one of the elderly elves raise him. When Buddy grew up he tried to do what the other elves were doing in the factory but he couldn't do it right because he wasn't an elf.
Buddy, The Buddy Holly Story was a Live musical stage play located at the Muny Opera in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri. The musical was Wednesday, July 15, 2015, at 8:00 p.m. It was a beautiful night, not too hot, not too cold but just right. The Muny Opera in the summer is known for its outdoor musicals, especially in the summer seasons. The theater seats about 11,000 people who watch live performances on the proscenium stage setting.
"The Tiniest Elf" is the whimsical story of a little girl, her innocent wish, and her adventure to find Santa
On his first day of work, he had some training, and were given a tour of Santa Land. It was a really beautiful wonderland, with ten thousand sparkling lights, false snow, train sets, bridges, decorated tree etc. They were given the codenames for various posts, such as “the Vomit Corner”. When someone vomits, the nearest elf is supposed to yell Vamoose which is the name of the janitorial product used by the store. They have so many titles, one day he could be an Entrance Elf, a Water Cooler Elf, a Bridge Elf, Train Elf, Maze Elf, Island Elf, Magic Window Elf, Santa Elf, Photo Elf, Cash Register Elf, Runner Elf, or Exit Elf. They were given a demonstration of the various positions in action, performed by returning elves who were so animated and relentlessly cheerful. Everything from the elves said had an exclamation point at the end of it.
It was that time of the year when the leaves fall from the trees turn the various yellow, orange, and red. When the birds fly South, darkness rises faster in the nighttime and visits longer in the morning. The skies turn to grey, and the weather turns to a freezing Antarctic. He hated it the old elf high up in the mountains. Of course in the middle of the year when the weather was warm, you could only dream as far as the eye could see. Anything was possible in his eyes. Until winter. Every time the snow rolled in the old elf’s days seemed to take longer and longer. But it was no time for this kind of thinking he had to start getting the proper provisions for the