Brokeback Mountain

As the years have gone by, you can see the change of how gays and lesbians are widely seen in mostly every tv show or movie in today’s society. This is something most of our own parents didn’t even grow up seeing gays throughout the media. Living in today’s time period, you’re able to see how the influence has changed the way people see gays and lesbians. The nation has become more accepting of the gay and lesbian culture verses back in the days of when our parents and even grandparents were our age. Not only was is rare to see homosexuals on television, it was portrayed negatively, and now you can see it portrayed positively.

In the first lecture for this class, Professor Creekmur asked the question; is sex popular (Creekmur Aug. 20)? As he often does in the course, Creekmur doesn’t give a simple, clear-cut answer, but instead offers a paradox, that while sex is an aggressively private act, it is also a good that is consumed, in our magazines and on our televisions. This paradox ultimately sets the stage for the rest of this class, demonstrating how something as intimate as one’s sexuality can come to reinforce popular conventions of normalcy and deviancy within society at large, and what this essay will attempt to address.

Many people from the United States hold the belief that being gay is something that has always been considered to be okay. They believe that it is just a given. Despite people’s current beliefs on the subject, for a very long time, it was something that was widely believed to be taboo. In the past, people were imprisoned due to their sexuality. Regardless, throughout the decades, people have pushed for the widespread acceptance of people who are part of the LGBT community. Today, homophobia still exists in some parts of the United States, but we have come a long way since the early 1900s.

Ideas about sex, gender and homosexuality have been changing rapidly over the past several decades in the United States. There are several obvious reasons for this. The primary one is legal: various legal decisions by the United States Supreme Court have altered existing law on the subject of sex and homosexuality, and substantially affected matters of gender as expressed in law. But there has also been a social shift driven by medicine, largely based on response to the AIDS epidemic at its height in the 1980s and 1990s, but also in terms of other medical matters such as contraception and abortion.

In the current society that we live in, there are many things that help shape our perception of sexual identity. In the discussion with the class, there was a consensus that family, media, religion were the major influencers on how we develop our sexual identities and how we view other’s sexual identity. From childhood, most of us are shaped by the view of our parents and often follow the same principles and views at them. Though many people usually divert from this thought process, it still serves as a foundation for our future views and principles, whether we agree with our parents or not. Going through our individual groups discussions, many people in my group felt that a large part of their perception about the LGBT community came from the media and how the community was portrayed in the media. We discussed that in our childhoods we were often presented with gay characters that were often very flamboyant, feminine

However society 's perspective on sexual identity has changed tremendously over the years. It used to almost be a disease that no one wanted to admit to having or have to deal with because that 's not what society viewed as “normal”. It was even said that only homosexuals can contract HIV/AIDS. In some cities, people got attacked physically because of the disagreement on homosexuality. Homosexual denied it their homosexuality because they didn 't want to be judged, but more and more people are admitting to it. Historical perspectives have changed too, especially in the U.S military service when homosexuals were banned from serving until 1993 when the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy was passed which allowed homosexual to serve in the military but not admit to it if they were asked. After World War II gay life flourished in urban areas such as Greenwich village and Harlem.

While many believe that homosexuality has only been seen in mainstream media for only a few decades, it has actually been with America cinema since the early 1920’s. The portrayal of homosexuality in film and TV has come a very long way since the 1920’s. What viewers see on TV about homosexuality is really just a representation of America’s changing public view on the subject. While we have come to accept the topic of homosexuality in American society more willingly, we have substituted much of our prejudice about gays with the stereotypes that we see on TV constantly. Because as a society we are constantly forced to see these stereotypes, we are being halted in our progression to accept all different kinds of lifestyles.

Whether mainstream society likes to admit it or not, gays and lesbians have their own sub-culture. It is a sub-culture that has existed since the beginning of time but has only recently been recognized as a reality. Homosexuals have a place in the histories of every culture throughout the world.

Brokeback Mountain, being the more homosexual romance-oriented Western that it is, subverts a large number of the typical traditional elements of the Western film genre as a whole, this one especially, by having another male be in the position of the love interest of the hero. Although this subversion in particular is very problematic for Jack, as it puts him in the shoes of being associated with all things relating to femininity in the relationship. For example, Jack is the one who makes the first move when seducing Ennis, using his own allure and sexuality into tempting Ennis when he calls him into the tent, leading Ennis down somewhat of a risky path. Ennis, however, is portrayed as somewhat of a saint, his being repressed and restrained by social standards, saying to Jack, “You may be a sinner but I ain't yet had the opportunity”. Another interesting typical thing in the Western genre that was altered was that instead of Indians being the villain, the enemy is that of a ignorant and oppressive society–a society that would kill Ennis and Jack for being “different”, Ennis says to Jack, “this thing takes hold of us at the wrong place, wrong time and we're dead,” which shows how much they both worry about it–but the two cowboys still have to find some way to pull through and struggle to find their true selves in this society, but it is also that fear which causes the devastating events

The constant struggle between the two characters to be together is heartbreaking and Jack’s death is purposely shown as a murder in order to create an emotional response from the audience. Roughton (2014, p. 89) highlights that Jack’s death being foreshadowed by Ennis witnessing the result of a bashing of a gay man as a child, links violence and punishment to homosexuality and sinning. Arguably, the biggest contester to homosexuality is the potential for sin. However, by introducing the audience to two characters whom they grow attached to and want to see happy, then demonstrating the consequences of their love in our current society, sparks a reaction from the audience that causes them to question why these traditional masculine values exist in our society. Hence, although Brokeback Mountain combines masculine icons with homosexuality to question traditional masculinity associated with the Western, it also demonstrates the consequences of challenging such values in our current society in order to highlight to the audience how devastating masculinity and its expectations can

Brokeback Mountain, both as a short story (Proulx, 1999), and film (Lee, 2005) explores the notion that the use of various settings to develop issues and themes allow the audience to gain a grater understanding of the characters. Just like the nature that controls the ranch and mountain lifestyle, the force of desire that comes so naturally guides every significant action Ennis and Jack experience in Brokeback Mountain, even when they know the specific actions are against their better judgment and against acceptable social dictums. From Proulx’s strongly descriptive language, to (2005)’s use of various landscape shots, the audience is able to relate issues and themes to the characters. The high rnages and peaks of Brokeback Mountain, that

The Western genre is undoubtedly one that is governed by the traditional male 'hero' and its masculine stereotypes. Rarely does the genre break away from this mould, however Ang Lee's renowned film Brokeback Mountain defies the set expectations of the Western and its celebration of masculinity. The film depicts the tragic love between the two central characters 'Ennis del Mar' and 'Jack Twist', set against the backdrop of the American

For example, a gay male may not be welcomed in a party due to his sexual orientation. It is only a question of ethics. Homosexuals are also put as either victims or villains in movies. They are depicted as belonging to a weird or foreign culture that cannot be tolerated. It is rare to have a movie that has the main character being gay or lesbian.

In the morning, Ennis said, “I’m not no queer,” and moments later, Jack replies with “Me neither. A one-shot thing. Nobody’s business but ours.” These indirect sayings illustrate how delicate their relationship is by defending their guilty pleasure. They know it’s wrong – everyone else thinks it’s wrong. None of this was normal. The disgust derives from sex-role conformity that restricts both Jack and Ennis’ options to have an open relationship. All those undesirable attitudes from the outside definitely restrict the two characters love for another in a locked box. Therefore, they lie to themselves to protect and to avoid the homophobic views from the outside world. They both share their doubts and fears to forget the unforgiving reality as they struggle to live normally with their family. It is much easier to forget than face the consequences of their sexuality. They will always be outliers.

The realization of the homosexuality in the modern western world as a cultural, sexual and a social category has been a result of complex power relations that surround sexuality and gender. The acceptance of homosexuality in the society has met its fair share of resistance and skepticism. The view that homosexuality can be in the same league as heterosexual has led it to be viewed as a normal behavioral and moral standard (Gallagher & Baker, 2006). Inasmuch as the skeptics may not want to accept the existence of homosexuality studies show that the habit is rampant today with many gay people coming out in the open. Of interest is the political acceptance of homosexuality with passing gay rights so that it can be recognized by law. This move has given homosexuals the ability to engage in legal entities like marriage (Gallagher & Baker, 2006).