Liberalism In The Movie Pleasantville

The film Pleasantville had displayed a lot of importance in such a way we can relate to the past, up until now. This film had given many examples of different perspectives that I was able to capture and connect to. Although this film took place a while back, the director of this movie casted actors and actresses that are acting in present movies today. While these actors and actresses played their part, they portrayed their character in such a way where I was able to grasp and add my opinions of perspectives of what was going on. This film was mostly about change, so it was easier to get my personal opinions of this show. I was aware to find three perspectives in this film which were a functionalist perspective, internationalist perspective, and conflict perspective.

Liberalism, in general, was an ideological movement that emerged out of the ideas of the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century. It embraced the ideas of individualism which were established in the Renaissance and Reformation era. The Renaissance period sparked a belief in the importance of the individual in society. It helped promote the beliefs of classical liberalism which gradually formed into the liberal ideology of the 19th century. Individuals that were waiting to get their individual rights and freedoms were allowed to finally gain liberty and power through this period of time. Classical liberalism developed

The 1998 film, Pleasantville, written, produced, and directed by Gary Ross is a “swell” example of the three perspectives of sociology. Two 1990 teenagers get trapped in the blue-sky world of a 1950’s sitcom. While spending time with the people in the small town of Pleasantville, the teens begin to drastically change the the bland ways of the townspeople and alter their world completely. Throughout these events, viewers can find examples of the functionalist perspective, interactionist perspective, and conflict perspective.

This movie based off of a southern family living in Memphis, Tennessee will show you a true taste of southern hospitality. In every film you have your list of characters along with their personalities and most importantly their motives. Along with the certain qualities of every character comes the ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos which stands for the goodness of a film and/or ethics goes hand in hand with the sender of a film, Pathos which is the passion and emotions of a film which goes hand in hand with the receiver, and lastly the logos which is the logic/information that sends a message. Each rhetoric sends a message and surely puts a movie together.

The movie ‘‘Pleasantville’’, written, produced and directed by Gary Ross, approaches a period in America’s history which subsequent generations idealise as a better and more stable society. He portrays this time period of the 1950s as a time when people and life were less complicated; a time when everyone knew their place in society. However, as the film ironically shows, this was a time when people were more ignorant, racist and most certainly sexist. Ross demolishes this illusion of the great 1950s American society by showing how its defects are gradually changed from black and white to colour. Ross shows that ‘change is inevitable’ once a catalyst for change is added to the ordered life of “Pleasantville”. Once David and Mary-Sue begin

Liberalism emphasizes the importance of Rights in society, and that society’s role is to protect these rights and put them first.

Citizens of Pleasantville have certain knowledge about themselves and society, but because there is no exposure to differing ideas, individuals are stuck with the same opportunities and values. A specific example of this includes the community’s view on gender roles: men hold power as the head of society and women stay at home to cook and clean. There are no opportunities to change this structure, as the communication of ideas is restricted to what is known and not to anything new. The town leadership fears a true deviation from the accepted social order, and as a result, the citizens of Pleasantville conform to this system to prevent conflict. While this lifestyle provides harmony and order, conformity actually limits society from growing and enhancing. On the other hand, when individuals start voicing out their opinions, new ideas challenge the false peace that society had in their conformity. After Bud and Mary Sue introduce different and rather contradictory ideas, like sex, color, and individuality, people start pursuing their own passions as individuals, rather than as a whole society. With all these changes, individuals burst into color when choosing to leave “pleasant” behind for the freedom to express personal

To conclude, liberals are now staunch advocates of democracy as it provides personal development, consent and all individuals are equal. Modern liberals embrace democracy, but only in the specific liberal form. They reject other forms of democracy, which may be less pluralist or more participatory, as downright

Mrs. Henrietta Levitt is a liberal because she believes in an active government, immediate change to society, and not having our military as our main concern in the U.S. Mrs. Henrietta Levitt's views on the government is the main factor as to what makes her a liberal because a liberal believes in a government that helps people to get back on their feet and is willing to give them funding, while conservatives believe that those without jobs should become independent by themselves and without the help of the government. A liberal also stands for quick, or immediate change. Mrs. Henrietta Levitt says we need a moderate amount of change quickly, especially when talking about society. Conservatives believe in little to no change. And lastly, she

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In Pleasantville, the film displays the change of an extroverted and introverted pair of teenagers from the mid-20th century who take a life experiencing journey into a

     This film presents an individual that chooses not to conform to modern society, and the consequences of that choice. The main character

Furthermore, the movie Pleasantville reflects some of the cultural conflicts of the 1950s. To begin, racial discrimination in the 1950s was extremely prominent in society. Whites discriminated against blacks because they were taught that anyone different than themselves was evil. Pleasantville portrays this when the citizens thereof begin changing color from black and white to color. These people represent an embrace of cultural change which goes against the normal, stable and secure status quo. The people of color are persecuted against by those of black and white color because they feel their existence is threatened by this symbol of change. For example, this persecution is seen in the scene when Betty Parker is persecuted by five black and white people while out in town. The five boys threaten her with verbal and physical attacks, as would blacks or “coloreds” would be by whites in the 1950s. Another cultural conflict exemplified by Pleasantville is changing teenage culture. Two ideas that challenged the cultural status quo in the ’50s were the idea that sex is ok, and Rock n Roll. Teenagers embraced these changes, and these changes are seen in Pleasantville. For example, a location called “lover’s lane” is where teens would go in this movie to participate in taboo, status quo-challenging sexual activity with the opposite sex. The idea of this in the 1950s was not even considered,

Liberalism is a collection of political, social and economic philosophies that is centered around the rights of personal liberties, civil rights, economic freedom, controlled and democratic government and the rule of law. A controlled and democratic government is instrumental to liberalism. A controlled government is one restricted by the law. The most common example of this can be found in the United States Constitution. The Constitution has outlined the roles and restrictions of each branch of government while also setting a system of checks and balances.

This phenomenal movie is about the true story of Harvey Milk. He was a politician in San Francisco responsible for one of the most intense gay rights in American History. According to focusfeatures.com, Gus Van Sant is the director of this film. He has directed several other films like Good Will Hunting; according to the site, he was nominated for the Best Director Academy Award. A woman in the film begins the movie trailer stating that, “if homosexuals are allowed civil rights and so would prostitutes, or thieves or anyone else.” The main character of the movie, Milk, states that he is “40 years old and haven’t done a thing.” The setting of the trailer is 1978.