Gran Torino : Cultural Conflict And Redemption

Discrimination, racism, classism, prejudice and more plague today’s society. These horrible issues do not affect one race, sexes, class, ethnicity, or age group; these issues affect all races, both genders, all ethnicities, and all age groups. For this film analysis, I have chosen to discuss the racism portrayed throughout a three-time Oscar award winning movie called Crash.

With respect to symbolic interactionism, people build meaning to life through social interaction. People operate the way they do because of their own characterization of situations. Symbolic interactionists appreciate social life through social interactions. From symbolic interactionists' point of view, the society is a product of social interactions where people utilize symbols to form meaning. Human's image, as opposed to societal image matters most in life. The society takes in patterned and organized interactions among people. In the movie Gran Torino, Walt's life becomes darker each day when increased number of Hmong and other racial groups move into his city. Walt considers himself as the embodiment of an ideal American person.

Paul Haggis directed the Oscar winning film Crash in 2004, a movie based around race, class, gender, ageism, and institutional discrimination. The movie was located in Los Angeles, which many of us know is a giant melting-pot for stereotypes. Culture is a set of human-made objective and subjective elements that in the past have increased the probability of survival and resulted in satisfaction for the participant in an ecological niche, and thus became shared among those who could communicate with each other because they had a common language and they lived in the same time and place. The they show a diverse variety of cultures, from American to Chinese, including White, African American, Chinese, Hispanic, Muslim, Christian, wealthy, poor, law makers, law enforcers, law breakers, and more. These people are who they are because of how they were raised, their experiences, and the values, rituals, and beliefs of their culture that they grew up with.Throughout my final paper I will be explaining how the movie tied into our class discussion specifically towards race stereotyping and prejudice shown throughout the movie.

Clint Smith presents the view of racial stereotypes that plague the lives of many people and how they negatively affect the freedom of choice and activity, of children and adults of race through figurative language and tone. His father sheds light on the boundaries created by society, and struggles to get the truth through to the naive Clint Smith. Clint Smith was unaware of the weight he would be burdened with through his life, and as a kid, he was only worried about having friends and fun. Clint Smith tries to get the point across that, the line between something being viewed as having good and malicious intent, can be skewed, by something as basic and inconsequential as race. Clint Smith sees and calls out all the stereotypes, and their effects on society in his works.

The themes that emerged for me in the first half of Native Speaker are race and language. Throughout the first half of the story, race seems to be the primary motivator for many of the conflicts that occur. While race was one of the defining factors that brought people of the same culture together, it also served as a mechanism that separated people of different races apart. One situation I think highlighted this circumstance well occurred when Lelia’s father, Stew, first found out about Henry. Once they met, Stew even admitted to Henry, “when I first found out Lelia was dating you I didn’t like it one bit.” He continues by saying, “Sure, some bright Oriental kid. And then when she told us you were getting married, I nearly yanked the phone

The much applauded and critically acclaimed film, “Crash” (2004) directed by Paul Haggis is a film which appears to want the viewers to observe themselves and their world inversely. This film presents a truthful representation of race relations, racial discrimination, and social and cultural tensions in modern American society. It shows the stereotypes and racial myths that still occur today and continue to create racism. The film presents the intricacy of the relationships between diverse social groups and about the effects of discrimination on the everyday life experiences of a number of people. More specifically, the movie touches on three different types of discrimination. First and foremost, it deals with racism. Next, it depicts

The aim of this paper is to study the interpersonal communication taking place in a cultured shocked neighborhood. The findings of these studies are applied to the film Grand Torino. In addition, this study will discuss the communication styles applied by the characters of the movie. I believe they are essential to understanding the reasons why in general individuals are racists, stereotypical and unable to adapt to different cultures as well as living with those who are different to us. We will first examine how Walt’s character adapts to the cultural

Using the language of the moving image, which includes cinematography, editing, sound, music and mise-en-scene, this essay will investigate the ideology of Racism in film. OxfordDictionaries.com describes racism as “Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.” When we, the audience think of racism in film, we traditionally think of movies for adults and often overlook the sinister aspect of racism in children’s films. I have chosen to contrast a recent R-rated film with a G-rated Disney movie from the 1990s. Disney films, even up until the 1990s have persistently reinforced the image of blacks or latino and asian races as being below whites. The

What images come to mind as one reflects upon his or her childhood? Playgrounds, blackboards, and soccer balls may be among the fondest of memories. Yet, for many, mermaids swim their thoughts, princesses get swept off their feet, and lions roar to their royal place in the animal kingdom. Disney films have captivated the American culture for years and have become a pivotal part of popular culture as well as a form of education. However, these films have devoured the youth of America and, in the process; have perpetuated an institutionally racist society based on harsh stereotypes. Minorities are often underrepresented, and even completely left out, of many Disney films such as Dumbo (1941), The Lion King (1994), Aladdin (1992), and

Most people are born with good hearts, but as they grow up they learn prejudices. “Crash” is a movie that brings out bigotry and racial stereotypes. The movie is set in Los Angeles, a city with a cultural mix of every nationality. The story begins when several people are involved in a multi-car accident. Several stories interweave during two days in Los Angeles involving a collection of inter-related characters, a police detective with a drugged out mother and a mischief younger brother, two car thieves who are constantly theorizing on society and race, the white district attorney and his wife, a racist cop and his younger partner, a successful Hollywood director and his wife, a Persian immigrant father, a Hispanic locksmith and his young

"Hollywood typically restricts its portrayals of Asians to a limited range of clichéd stock characters" (Restrictive Portrayals [RP], 2004). Examples of the common roles that Asian Americans play in movies are martial artists, Indian cab drivers, television anchorwomen and prostitutes (RP, 2004). Even if most Americans do not buy into these images because they interact with many Asian Americans who do not fit the stereotype, the areas of concern are those parts in the United States where there isn't a sufficient Asian population (Wu, 2002). Since many Asian people do not surround these Americans on an everyday environment, it is a safe assumption that they will draw their judgment of Asian Americans from how they are portrayed on film and television.

Sue invites Walt over to her house to have food, introduces him to the Hmong culture, and helps him bond with the Hmong community. Walt gradually not only learns Hmong culture but also becomes compassion to his neighbors. Compared to how Walt treats his Hmong neighbors at the beginning of the film, he enjoys the pleasant time with his neighbors and even treats Thao and Sue as a part of his family. Walt’s smiles, which he never does in the first part of the movie, represent his happiness. He smiles at his dog after his neighbors come over to ask help to clean the wasp nest; he plays a joke with Sue, Thao, and Youa at the barbecue. Therefore, those sympathy neighbors do change Walt’s lonely and bitter life. More importantly, Walt and Thao develop a father-son relationship. Walt realizes that he missed the chances to become at good father for his own son. He discloses his regrets when he makes a confession to Father Janovich: “I was never very close with my two sons. I don’t know how.” However, he fulfills a father’s responsibilities to Thao, such as teaching him do home repair and protecting his safety. Walt treats Thao as his “son” implies that Walt is full of compassion, responsibilities, and

In his film ‘Gran Torino’, Clint Eastwood tells the story of an unlikely relationship between Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski and his Hmong neighbours Thao and Sue. The film explores the possibility of redemption, “second chances”, and the hope that comes from having a positive future. Both Walt and Thao experience redemption in the film. Walt is saved from the guilt of murder and broken relationships. Ultimately, Walt finds “peace” with himself, with others and with God. Walt’s young neighbour Thao is rescued from a future of crime and violence, and the shame of attempted theft. Ultimately, Thao gains a future as a

Many people say that old people fear change as they have grown so accustomed to their old ways, however, in Clint Eastwood’s meaningful and captivating drama Gran Torino, it is exemplified that anyone is capable of change. Gran Torino shares a story about tolerance and cultural differences, but also one about hope, self-sacrifice, and unlikely relationships. In the film, an abundance of cultural diversity is met with much resistance, stereotype, and prejudice by the movies’ main character, Walt Kowalski. Walt’s world is changing; his wife has died, his Detroit neighbourhood is deteriorating, his relationship with his two sons is distant, and his Korean War memories continue to affect his ability to fully enjoy life. Through an unlikely bond with the Hmong family next door, Walt finally receives redemption by coming face-to-face with the same destructive prejudices consuming neighbourhood teenage gang members that have consumed him. Through the devices of characterisation, symbolism, and dialogue the viewers will witness Walt emerge as a more compassionate individual who becomes more accepting of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds around him.

Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino (2008) is a portrayal of human sacrifice and the racial intolerance that still exists in modern America. The film is set in a poor neighbourhood of Detroit. Clint Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a war veteran who has brooded over his experiences in the war for decades. Past trauma has caused him to believe that he cannot trust anyone, and he has therefore developed a deep racism. Eastwood uses many different techniques, including lighting, camera angles, and dialogue to show how the man Walt Kowalski develops throughout the film. Kowalski begins as an angry,