Comparative Literature 153: “International Cultures: Film and Literature” Dr. Thomas Jay Lynn * Penn State Berks * Fall 2015 * MWF 12:00-12:50 Franco 101 * Office Meeting Period MWF 1:15-2:15 (For an office meeting during this or a different time, please e-mail, phone, or speak to me in advance, if possible.) Office: 117 Franco * Office Phone: (610) 396-6298 * E-mail: TJL7@PSU.EDU Please note: This syllabus and various other course documents (including essay guidelines) will be posted online at our ANGEL course site. “I am proud of my humanity when I can acknowledge the poets and artists of other countries as my own. Let me feel with unalloyed gladness that all the great glories of man are mine.” ~ Rabindranath Tagore …show more content…
At the Writing Center, which is a free Penn State Berks resource, a trained writing tutor will work with you at any point in the writing process from brainstorming ideas to polishing a final draft. To make an appointment, go to berks.mywconline.com. If you have questions, call the Writing Center at 610-396-6407 or email bk-writingcenter@psu.edu. Want to Give Help? You may wish to consider participating in PEPP (Penn State Educational Partnership Program). This program pairs PSU students with promising middle and high school students for mentoring. This is a valuable service to the local community and a great way to expose prospective students to Penn State Berks’ programs. For more information about PEPP, please contact Guadalupe Kasper, director of PEPP, at gur10@psu.edu or at 610-396- 6272. What You Will Do in CMLIT 153, “International Cultures: Film and Literature,” Fall 2015 ➢ Read, think, and write deeply about four international films and four related novels. Keeping up with the assigned reading and completing reading assignments prior to the appropriate classes are vital components of a successful course. In additional careful consideration and thoughtful responses to the four films that you will view are essential. Please be proactive by preparing for each appropriate class at least one specific and thoughtful question or observation about the current film and at least one for the current novel. Sharing these
1) Culture. (Write two double-spaced pages on culture, talk about BOTH films.) The films present us with a vision of futuristic societies. You should provide an analysis of this society as if you were an anthropologist discovering a new culture. What seems to be the rules, norms, values, laws and symbols of this culture? Is there a dominant culture? Are there any subcultures or countercultures, describe them (and indicate why some are subcultures and others counterculture)? Describe a few elements of material and nonmaterial culture.
Japan is home to millions of individuals. All of them with different beliefs, religions, and traditions. Japan has a long and influential visual arts history. More specifically, the Japanese film industry has had a large influence on the cinematic world stage. Due to Japans tragic and destructive history, several different categories of society were affected. Their economic industry and visual arts industry are just some examples. Japans history has had consequences on both its social and political sectors. These reactions/repercussions can be seen in Japans film industry. In my paper, I will be looking at the political and social issues involved in the movies Spirited Away and Roshamon. The repercussions of World War 2 are important in understanding both of these Japanese films. The women portrayed in these films are both respected and docile. Moreover, the genres of these films have had a lasting effect on society.
“The purpose of this paper is to write about the similarities and difference of two movies: The Choice and The Notebook. Nicholas Sparks really knows how to set a romantic/emotional, but also creates a very predictable love story plot-line. You could predict the ending before the movie started with only knowing who the movie was based on a Nicholas Sparks novel. There is always a boy who falls for a girl and has to work extremely hard to get her. Then, something happens, but in the end they are always together. The Notebook and The Choice both show how life is about choices, you have to fight for what you love, and the good guy wins; but, in The Choice the ending will leave you wanting to know more about these characters and their story and that is why The
Jarmusch’s Dead Man film is depicted with such peculiarity and at the same tone in a convincing tone. The transitions to different scenes is accomplished through fading out to black and then black in making every scene, a sense of extensiveness as though each was a movie on its own just like a stanza in a poem. The story is portrayed in myriad aspects like drama and action. However, the elements are incessantly inconspicuous and indescribable. Notably, the comparison of a character to the famous poet seems like bizarre choice but later it proves the suitability by conglomerating the movie. Jarmusch gives an apparent dichotomy between civilizations and the white’s general characters (white and Indians). This paper gives ananalysis and exploration
The second part of my paper will be the analysis of the film. I will focus on how hate groups such as the one portrayed in the movie develop and grow when someone uses the right rhetoric on the right people. Setting, actions, and character development will also be discussed in detail in this section. This film has several scenes that show the fantasy theme unfold and develop. I will analyze each scene for any visions, fantasy types, or symbolism that occurs.
A. Give a summary of the plot and characters and the story that unfolds in this movie. Give a detailed description of the main characters’ personalities, culture, socioeconomic and historical contexts, their relationships, set the stage of “who they are’ when the movie begins, and then tell the story of what happens over the course of the film.
In this essay, three movies; City of God, Güeros and Wadjda were compared and their variations were discussed, each movie had an equal coverage. The factors in which the comparison was based on where, mobility, social disconformity, isolation and any cultural factors that influenced the lead actress actions,
The purpose of this essay is to discuss how social and cultural issues surround movies. The movie chosen to analyse these issues is the Bollywood movie, Padmavat (Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 2018). The essay will begin by introducing how films affect social cultures. Following this, I will address the issues that the movie has faced and also, other possible theories.
In preparation for this discussion, I found a review of Lost in Translation (Coppola, 2003) that was written by Elvis Mitchell (2003) for the New York Times. After reading his review, I will discuss whether he likes the film, and how he supports his position. I will also discuss whether I agree with his opinion and supply supporting points.
The following sections of this BookRags Premium Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare &Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
The first way to analyze a film in an academic fashion is through contextual analysis. This method of analysis is reliant on the concept of time. “The key point is that all rhetoric is presented at a specific time and place and cannot be understood apart from that time and place.” (Rowland, 2002, p.35). For each time and place, there is differing contexts that will shape the way the
In each incipit, they encounter animosity, hardship, and even danger. They venture across novels from Belgium, Ireland, Japan, Latin America, and three fictitious countries. In each novel, they are obstructed by conflicts created to stop them from reaching their goal. This is a representation of the magnified efforts of evil to curtail the valiant persistence of the hero and heroine.
“Anna Karenina” and “Out of Africa” are two films that can be compared to a roller coaster ride at a carnival. A roller coaster ride excites and thrills us but at the very same time we feel anxiety and fear. The roller coaster rises, falls, twists and turns. This defines the journey of the characters as they embark upon their travels which are filled with peaks of joy and valleys of heartache, sorrow and death. The characters are vulnerable and impressionable as they face the dangers of adultery, self-discovery and feministic resistance. Perceptions, assumptions, fantasy and opinions are formed by the characters as they embark on their roller coaster ride. This adds to the intrigue and suspense on their epic journey to uncover their inner truths.
The larger majority of the Introduction to Cinema 2366 course was viewing films. Subsequently, the films we viewed in the class have affected me in four “gifts of the humanities.” As a student, my interests have developed around the social issues of classism and racism in America. Therefore, the course has given me food for thought via films which tackle social issues causing me to rethink the ways I understand these issues as well as understand film rhetoric to gain a deeper knowledge of how society understood these problems. Cinema also allows viewers to gain a sense of the past, this is especially true of the course since the films we’ve watched were opened 1959 or before. In this way, I have been able to understand historical events (such as the dust bowl, the great depression, and the red scare) through characters who are relatable, causing me to understand that though time and geography may differ between me and these characters, there exist timeless truths of humanity. The course has also allowed me to extend myself intellectually. Before enrolling in this course, I had little knowledge about cinema and its place in our society. The course has provided me with a new-found appreciation for the art of film which is an important subject in academia rather than “just an elective.” Lastly, I have realized the idea of “the infinite person,” via this film course. Through the films viewed in class, I have found myself relating to characters I regularly would not have. For
“The next one is Lust, Caution and holy crow, no way” the intern exclaimed “It’s got way too much sex in it.” Anchee’s eyes widened at her intern as other woman started babbling “And the movie sort of drags along a bit in the first part while they are establishing the background and the audience is anxiously dreading the sex. I mean, it’s a great story, the acting is fabulous, the attention to the on-set detail is beyond words, and it’s a complex story that encourages a watcher to think deeply about how war is made up of so many battles a person will never see.” She took a deep breath “Make no mistake, I think the film is fascinating and I love all of the hidden meanings and implications buried in the film, and how it poses the problem of the main character falling in love even while being fully aware that love will be her absolute downfall. The patriotic implications there are crazy. But! I don’t think I would personally assign it in a classroom setting due to its extremely graphic content” Anchee stared, a smile creeping over her face.