Introduction American schools have long been controversial places where social reproduction is both interrupted and reinforced. Utilizing the concept of capital, this paper is going to take a close look at how the American schools as the intermediaries responsible for exchanging and building capital play their roles in the cycle of social reproduction. Specifically, this paper exanimates the role of schools in the film of Finding Forrester, through the case of the film’s main character, Jamal Wallace. First part of the paper provides the background information regarding main cultural capital and social capital that Jamal possesses and lays down the foundation for later discussions. Second part of the paper then specifies the symbolic value of Jamal’s capital, illustrating how his capital would advance or harm his upward mobility contextually. Third part of the paper considers the function of schools in Jamal’s story, explaining how schools enable him to exchange and build capital of other forms with existent capital. Finally, the last part of the paper concludes the role of school in Jamal’s socially reproducing cycle, illustrating both how schools interrupt and reinforce this cycle. One thing to keep in mind is that Jamal’s case is independent and special in a sense. The conceptualized role of schools in this paper might not be an appropriate illustration of the American schools as a whole. Jamal, the Student Jamal Wallace, protagonist of the film, is a 16-year-old African
Malcolm Gladwell, the author of Outliers, a novel depicting success, provides different examples of how an individual can achieve success in every chapter of his book to show his audience that success, despite a variety of barriers, is in fact in our control. A very important chapter titled, “Marita's Bargain”, explains the flaws in today’s public school systems. He shows the problems with the solutions to fix them while showing the alternatives to the regular system such as the KIPP Program in New York. The KIPP Program (Knowledge is Power Program) is a new kind of middle school that selects students from less fortunate locations and uses unique teaching strategies to turn them around into fantastic learners. In the chapter, Gladwell is extremely descriptive by using visual words to paint the picture of the South Bronx in New York City. He describes the buildings that were built in the 1960’s as squat and bleak looking. Gladwell had an interest in this subject as it involves success, however he had no prior experiences to produce the piece. Gladwell establishes personal credibility through the use of knowledge, reason, and facts and figures. He comes across very knowledgeable on the subject presenting great data with excellent vocabulary. He is able to do this with no obvious bias as well. Gladwell shows authority because he is well known for writing novels that involve success. His intention is to teach and explain how schools need to change the length of vacation breaks
Jay Macleod’s ethnography, Ain’t No Makin It, sheds light on the institute of education in America and how the country’s capital economy both mirrors and produces inequality by creating hierarchies that make social mobility obsolete. He does this through the use of two groups of predominantly Caucasian and predominantly African American youth who reside in the same low income neighborhood and attend the same school. He soon learned that in contrast to the Hallway Hangers, the predominantly white group who for the majority believed that there was no escape from their socioeconomic background, the Brothers, the predominantly African American group do aspire to hold middle class jobs in the future that provided stable incomes and commit to long term relationships with significant others. However, in his pursuit to conclude his research on the two groups MacLeod found that with the exception of one or two, members from neither of the groups were able to climb up the social ladder and bring about change to their status. Although the two groups did share a common upbringing, they differed in race, beliefs, ideas, and attitudes and therefore their failure to achieve success cannot be seen as mutual.
Bulman explains, “I analyze these films as data, as cultural artifacts, to see what patterns and trends they reveal…I intend to gain access to certain aspects of American society through the myths that Americans tell to them in the movies (12).”Therefore, this shows how the division of social groups and economic inequality plays a role in our perception of American society. Bulman introduces his topics of different social school by separating each and dismembering them WORK ON INTR
The movie Forrest Gump played by Tom Hank is a story about Forest Gump a simple man and his journey through life. Gump was simple minded and lived his life by a set of values taught to him by his mother (Sally Field). While Forest sat down waiting for a bus, he tells his story. Forest takes part in several defining historical moments such as the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal and also had painful experiences. Despite his setbacks and naive nature, he struggles and triumphs in everything he did. Forrest developed a good self-esteem and self-concept with the help of his mother’s observation, love, and sincerity. With his mother and Jenny’s encouragements, he was able to overcome his physical handicap and become an outstanding runner among other things. This movie is an example of the how a child’s mind developed through series of stages. This paper shows the following key points; intellectual disability, Erickson’s intimacy vs isolation, low self-esteem, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Lareau, in Unequal Childhoods, focuses on socioeconomic status and how that affects outcomes in the education system and the workplace. While examining middle-class, working-class and poor families, Lareau witnessed differing logics of parenting, which could greatly determine a child’s future success. Working-class and poor families allow their children an accomplishment of natural growth, whereas middle-class parents prepare their children through concerted cultivation. The latter provides children with a sense of entitlement, as parents encourage them to negotiate and challenge those in authority. Parents almost overwhelm their children with organized activities, as we witnessed in the life of Garrett Tallinger. Due to his parents and their economic and cultural capital, Garrett was not only able to learn in an educational setting, but through differing activities, equipping him with several skills to be successful in the world. Lareau suggests these extra skills allow children to “think of themselves as special and as entitled to receive certain kinds of services from adults” (39). Adults in the school system are in favor of these skills through concerted cultivation, and Bourdieu seems to suggest that schools can often misrecognize these skills as natural talent/abilities when it’s merely cultivated through capital. This then leads to inequalities in the education system and academic attainments.
Identity is what defines a person, their personality, interests, and their ideals. For some people, it's easy to show off their personality, but for others, and can be hard. Some people see it as a way for people to criticize them based on who they are. In the movie, Finding Forrester, William Forrester is a well known author for his popular book, yet he hides away in his apartment because he doesn’t want to be judged based on his work. This leads to struggles that William deals with all because he wants to keep his identity hidden. A young boy named Jamal Wallace has a similar issue. He is academically gifted, yet he doesn’t show it off because he doesn’t want to stick out from his friends. The two eventually meet, become friends, and solve their issues together. Jamal helps William escape his apartment, while William gives Jamal tips on what makes a good writer. Finding Forrester gives a good lesson in being true to oneself and expressing personality. If someone is too self-conscious about their personality, it can be hard to keep their identity hidden, especially in uncomforting situations.
Continuing on, the lighting in the movie, Finding Forrester, emphasises how William Forrester has been living and feeling since the death of his brother. The scenes created in Forrester’s apartment remain, for the most part, in the dark. The darkness expresses that deeper, unsaid emotion Forrester is holding on to. Consequently, it gives Forrester a new attitude when he is by himself versus when Jamal is there. One night, Jamal takes Forrester to a basketball game, trying to pull Forrester away of his apartment allowing him to enjoy the activities he once did when he was younger. The night consisted of streetlights and stars when Forrester continually asks if it is light outside before they leave, and when he does walk out, he wears a hat and
This country’s education system was built on the back of meritocracy and was created to function as an objective measure of a child’s performance and their intelligence. It was the gateway to the American Dream, and provided everyone with an equal chance of success in America. It was a place of not only intellectual, but also personal growth. In her essay “From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work,” Anyon argues that this is no longer the case. Anyon’s study concludes that from the fifth grade, students in poorer communities are groomed to succeed in low-class, blue collar jobs, while children in wealthy communities are prepared for more desirable careers. Anyon analyzes four different types of schools that all varied based on
Sixteen candles was written by John Hughes, this movie was his first 1980s teen movies. Hughes was inspired by Molly Ringwald, to write the screenplay. As, he was finishing up writing the screenplay for Mr. Mom and National Lampoon’s Vacation, Hughes' agents at ICM gave him a stack of photos of young actors. When he was going through the stack he noticed Molly Ringwald, then began write the screenplay for the Sixteen Candles. John Hughes finished the script over a single Fourth of July weekend. Hughes also was so impressed with Anthony Michael Hall's performance in National Lampoon's Vacation that he created the role of Ted “The Geek” just for him. Michael Schoeffling got the role of Jake Ryan, as the leading male because of his good
To progress in society, one needs knowledge to further themselves. If one does not gain a good foundation for that knowledge, society will leave them behind. There are certain obstacles that prevent others from pursuing an education such as an inability to access a place of learning, not getting good education from teachers, or just flat out quitting school to make easy money by joining a gang. In Gwendolyn Brooks, “We Real Cool,” seven delinquents quit school to engage in rebellious behavior and in Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson,” a teacher takes several underprivileged children to a high-class toy shop. By using point of view, diction, and symbolism, Gwendolyn Brooks and Tone Cade Bambara show the reader why it is important to learn
To be open-minded is being open to new cultures and to be accepting of your own. Finding Forrester is a movie about a writer that has been missing for many years. Jamal, who is a basketball player and writer goes up and finds him. They develop a friendship, and Forrester mentors him with his writing.
The movie “Gone with the Wind” is about a rich southern girl named Scarlett O’Hara and her life hardships set during the time-period of the Civil War. In the story, Scarlett is forced to watch helplessly as her family’s wealth and lives fade as the confederacy loses the Civil War. Even though, the movie is mainly centered on the dilemmas of Scarlett’s love life, there are many historical accuracies that immerse the viewer in the southern mindset as well as the timeframe. The portrayal of class structures and the confederate attitudes before the Civil War are both accurate and engaging details that the movie successfully implements. In the film, these examples are displayed mainly through the dialogue and setting.
Editing is all about bringing a creative force into a film. The process could mean fixing a number of things like moving things around, meaning to arrange, select, and assemble - this goes for every component in the film. What you visualize, hear, with the use of special effects all are components that are edited and added to the film in a unique way to create a good story. The movie to be analysis is the film Forrest Gump with editor, Arthur Schmidt, he won an Oscar at the 67th academy awards for best film editing. Arthur Schmidt had three responsibilities as an editor in the film, which are spatial relationship, temporal relationship, and rhythm.
The film Forrest Gump uses a lot of information and historical events and expresses them using aesthetic techniques such as sound, cinematography, editing, etc. The director Robert Zemeckis uses form to explain the overall meaning of the film specifically with symbolism from popular phrases and gives visual examples throughout the story.
Forrest Gump is a movie that was released in the summer of 1994 and is based on a novel by the same name that was written by Winston Groom almost a decade earlier in 1986. The movie was directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Paramount Pictures. The film features Tom Hanks as the main character Forrest Gump who is a slow-witted character but also has a heart of gold and is extremely courageous. The supporting cast consists of Gary Sinise (Lt. Dan), Robin Wright (Forrest’s mother) , Sally Field(Jenny) , Mykelti Williamson (Bubba), among others. In this critique I will be summarizing the plot and analyzing what I liked and disliked about the movie and whether it stands the test of time.