The Film A Whale of a Ride Essay Example for Free

The Film A Whale of a Ride Essay The film â€Å"Whale Rider† took me on a whale of an emotional ride. Though there is a recurrent and overarching feeling of â€Å"great-whale-in-the-sea† calm, strength and beauty, there is a strong undercurrent of emotional turmoil, with which each of the main characters struggle. Each experiences an Eriksonian/Psychosocial crisis: At 12 years old, the main character, Paikea â€Å"Pai,† has successfully navigated through Erikson’s first four stages. She exhibits much industry over inferiority, with more skills and competence than her peers. Riding her bicycle, she passes a bus full of boys, she beats hemi in a taiaha (fighting stick) challenge, she’s always a lead in local cultural performances, and her writing earns her a prestigious award. Pai’s struggle is in the Identity vs. Identity/Role Confusion stage. She wants so much to become the leader that she feels called to be, and is obviously equipped to be, but her father, and Maori tribe tradition, doesn’t allow a female to be chief/leader. She’s torn between her desire to lead, and her Paka’s and tribe’s refusal to allow her to lead. At one point, she nearly leaves for Europe with her father, before being called back to stay on the island by the whales. Pai stays true to her â€Å"true† self, and her virtue is fidelity. ï‚ · Grandfather, Koro (a.k.a. Paka), experiences Generativity vs. Stagnation, and Integrity vs. Despair. He’s obviously been very generative in raising Pai to be such an amazing young lady. However, due to his Maori tradition â€Å"blinders,† he begins to stagnate, because he won’t allow Pai to continue on her path to leadership. Along with his slide from generativity to stagnation, he moves from integrity to despair, despairing that as much as he wants it, and as hard as he’s working for it, a new Maori leader/chief escapes him. It’s not until the end of the story that Koro breaks free from his â€Å"inside-the-box† thinking, stagnation and despair, and embraces Pai as a gifted leader, saying to her â€Å"wise leader, forgive me. I am but a fledgling new to flight.† Now that’s generativity and integrity in action! It’s  uplifting to see Koro regain his caring and wisdom. Like Koro, grandmother, Nani, experiences Generativity vs. Stagnation, and Integrity vs. Despair. But unlike him, makes much more of an effort to stay in generativity and integrity. She slips into despair, only when it seems that stubborn Koro m ight never accept Pai, or any of his children, as they are, for who they are. This is when Nani leaves him, bringing Pai along with her. She possesses all of Erikson’s stages’ virtues, especially love, care and wisdom. Pai’s father, Porourangi, experiences Identity vs. Identity/Role Confusion, and Intimacy vs. Isolation. He affirms his identity as an artist based in Europe, in the face of Koro’s challenge that he should be leading, or at least staying with and supporting, his people. After obviously sharing deep intimacy with his wife, he found new love with a woman in Europe, with whom he fathered another child. It was clear that Porourangi shared intimacy and understanding with Pai, despite the fact that they lived so far apart. He also shared a love-hate intimacy with Koro, apparent in their greeting embrace, followed by their angry dispute. Uncle Rawiri, also experiences Identity vs. Identity/Role Confusion, and Intimacy vs. Isolation. He initially assumes the identity of his dead-beat friends: a â€Å"live-for-today† slacker. He seeks intimacy with his girlfriend, and to a lesser degree, with his buddies. When Pai asks him for help learning taiaha, Rawiri begins to recreate his identity as a strong, fit, Maori tribesman. He even starts jogging on the beach! In addition to establishing a stronger identity, he builds upon his intimacy with Pai, and gains generativity and integrity as he teaches her and helps her along. Koro’s parenting pattern seems to be a mix of Authoritative and Authoritarian Parenting (page 264). Based upon how well-adjusted Pai is at the age of 12, it’s apparent that Koro and Nani use plenty of authoritative parenting. However, when it came to Pai’s stepping out of the Maori traditional â€Å"box,† Koro took a much more authoritarian approach, disciplining Pai harshly, and giving her no opportunity to discuss her opinion or emotions. Part of Koro’s punishment was his aloofness and withholding of affection. Since Pai was likely more used to Koro’s and Nani’s authoritative approach, it must have been that much more difficult for her to bear Koro’s authoritarian  parenting. I appreciate that Pai reaches a stage of Kohlberg’s Three Levels and Six Stages of Moral Reasoning (page 336), that’s beyond her years. While most 12-year-olds would function in Level 2, Stage 3: â€Å"good girl† and â€Å"nice boy,† and some in Level 2, Stage 4: â€Å"law and order,† Pai achieves the morality of Level 3, Stage 5: â€Å"social contract,† and Stage 6: â€Å"universal ethical principles.† It would be much easier for her to follow Level 2 moral reasoning, following Koro’s wishes, and staying within the traditional Maori â€Å"good girl† and â€Å"law and order† moral boundaries. But urged on by a passion for her family, people, history and beautiful local sea and island wildlife, she rightfully breaks the Maori social contract and follows universal ethical principles, in order to bring hope and life back to the whales, her family and people. She does so by asserting her leadership, in opposition to Ko ro and her Maori community’s tradition of male leadership. I loved this movie because it was so visually and aurally beautiful, and the characters were passionate and believable. Pai has passion for her family, people, traditions and natural surroundings,. Koro has the same, but is forced to wrestle with the realization that there are no Maori boys or men qualified to lead. It was a joy to see him figure it out in the end, and head out to sea alongside Pai, who was everything he yearned for but couldn’t see that it/she was right in front of him. Nani is an amazing, passionate nurturer, who knows how to, for the most part, run things, while keeping Koro thinking that he’s in charge. Being an artist myself, I appreciated Porourangi’s passion for his art and family though it was obvious why he couldn’t live with Koro. It was fun to see Rawiri’s passion for teaching Pai the â€Å"old ways† carry over to influence him to clean up his own act. I dream of someday positively impacting people with my art, in the face of many voices (often including my own), which say that it’s not practical or possible. So it was encouraging for me to see Pai hold on to her dream and succeed. The scenes that stood out for me were the ones that showed Maori culture: Rawiri, and later, Pai, demonstrating their taiaha skills, Pai’s performances, and the final scenes of boat-launching festivities. I also appreciated the awkward, mostly silent dinner scene after Koro caught Pai taiaha fighting with Hemi, the humorous scenes with the under-achieving boys, and the imaginatively shot and magical  whale-riding scenes.

Essay on the Dysfunctional Family of The Glass Menagerie

The Dysfunctional Family of The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dysfunctional. Codependent. Enmeshed. Low self-esteem. Emotional problems of the modern twenty-first century or problems of the past? In his play, The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams portrays a southern family in the 1940's trying to deal with life's pressures, and their own fears after they are deserted by their husband and father. Although today, we have access to hundreds of psychoanalysis books and therapists, the family problems of the distant past continue to be the family problems of the present.    The three family members are adults at the time of this play, struggling to be individuals, and yet, very enmeshed and codependent with one another. The overbearing and domineering mother, Amanda, spends much of her time reliving the past; her days as a southern belle. She desperately hopes her daughter, Laura, will marry. Laura suffers from an inferiority complex partially due to a minor disability that she perceives as a major one. She has difficulty coping with life outside of the apartment, her cherished glass animal collection, and her Victrola. Tom, Amanda's son, resents his role as provider for the family, yearns to be free from him mother's constant nagging, and longs to pursue his own dreams. A futile attempt is made to match Laura with Jim, an old high school acquaintance and one of Tom's work mates.    Jim is very self-assured and attempts to help Laura with her problems of self-esteem and shyness. Laura seems to be responding to his efforts of help when he unexpectedly announces his engagement to be married. Of course, this brings an end to the well-planned evening. At this point, there seems to be a wake-up call for these characters. A... ... yet, escape into their own, personal cocoon of fear and insecurity.    In conclusion, nothing really changes from beginning to end. Laura is still dependent, very shy, and lonely. Tom still has no real future, even though he runs away to fulfill his dreams. Amanda has no job and continues to relive her past. We really don't know what happens to Jim. In an effort to free themselves, these characters become more entangled in their problems. The ending is sad, without hope. However, The Glass Menagerie is timeless. Many of us can relate to these characters in some way. Most of us struggle in some way with fear, insecurity, dysfunction, codependency, and the complexities of life. Yes! The problems of the past continue to be the problems of the present. Works Cited Williams, Tennessee. The Glass Menagerie. New York: New Directions Publishing, 1999.

Culture diversity Essay

Individual Final Assignment- What information about diversity in the United States has helped you better understand or relate to others in ways that you may not have in the past? Have you learned something new about your own racial, ethnic, or cultural history? Trends in immigration will continue to shape the demographics of the United States. What will the U.S. population look like in the year 2050? Why do you think so? What challenges does the United States face due to the diversity of its people? What are the benefits of such a diverse society? How can we foster a climate of acceptance and cultural pluralism in the United States? In what ways do the media perpetuate stereotyping and prejudice? Provide examples to support your assertion. In what ways do the media help foster appreciation for diversity? Provide examples to support your assertion. How might individuals and the United States work together to reduce prejudice and increase appreciation for diversity? How might you change your own behaviors to be more inclusive and pluralistic? Diversity in the United States Studying Cultural Diversity has opened my eyes to the information dealing with the many issues in today’s society. I never paid attention to diversity in the United States before I took this class I was well aware of the issues in my society but this class made me understand why it is happening and where it all started. It taught me that different racial and ethnic groups have unique cultural traditions which make them who they are. The United States is very diverse. The term diversity is used to refer to the many demographic variables, including race, religion, color, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, age and education. America’s diversity has given this country its unique strength, resilience and richness. The United States has a racially and ethnically diverse population. The United States census identifies six ethnic and racial categories: White American, American Indian and Alaska native, Asia, African American, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander. It also included Hispanic or Latino American Being the largest minority group in the nation. White Americans are the racial majority in the nation. I am an African American Woman. I am very familiar with my culture and background history. Studying diversity this semester has opened my eyes to the values of my cultures also showing me how hard people fought for the rights of my peoples. I am aware that civil rights activists fought for my rights not only as an African American but because I am a woman as too. There were many civil rights movement and acts that fought against discrimination against minority groups. African Americans make up the largest subgroups and are descendants of Africans who were transported to the United States in the mid-1600 during the slave trades. Before the 1600’s this id no record of African Americans. African Americans have a hard time with ancestral background because slave owners did not keep up with the records of their slaves. Most African Americans resided in the southeastern and south central states. The diversity in the United States today have made it more difficult for many people to place themselves on the racial and ethnical landscape. The racial and ethnical landscape is constructed to out socially and not naturally. This is what causes the landscape to be subject to change and different interpretation. There is an increasing change in the respect for biracial identity and multiracial identity groups. In history mixed races were considered to be taboo and unheard of. In today’s society you see more biracial couples and children. This shows that there is some acceptance in diversity. The labels names for subordinate have evolved American Indians to Native Americans to native people or Negros to Blacks to African Americans. I have learned that the various issues in which our nation faces dealing with prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes which leads to the issues concerning hates crimes. The United States population is expected to increase by the year 2050. According to the United States Census Bureau projections the portions of the resident of the United States who are white and non-Hispanic will decrease significantly by the year 2015. The minority status is not about numbers there is no denying that the White American majority is diminishing in size relatively to the growing diversity of racial and ethnic groups. Over the next couple of decades the United States population is expected to increase rapidly in its older population and a large increase in racial and ethnic  diversity. Although the expected increase in the population the white population is expected to decrease due to the diversity and the increase in multiracial identity groups. Diversity comes in all forms. In today’s workplace technology is rapidly growing and experiencing rapid changing the ways of living. Businesses are working on an international level dealing with different race, religion, ethnics, age and gender. It is important the company owners to understand the true meaning of diversity when managing an increasingly growing diverse group of people. Simple misunderstandings can arise from basic cultural differences, communication style, or work attitudes. These misunderstandings can create challenges. Gender communication issues can range from communication styles and perception, opportunities and can even cause sexual harassment. Racism is the belief that these inherited characteristics can affect the individual’s abilities or behaviors. The concepts of diversity are practiced world-wide by people and organizations. When an organization has a group that belongs to a diverse group it demonstrates organization and celebrates the diversity that exists in people of different backgrounds. It promotes humanistic values. Active persuasion of diversity in the workplace directly impacts productivity and profitability of the organization as well as its employees. Promoting diversity reduces absenteeism rates, lower employee turnovers and reduces legal responsibility of discrimination lawsuits. Being able to understand different identity groups will improve the work stability with each other. If this is practice then cultures will have no problem working with each other. We can foster a climate of acceptance and cultural pluralism in the United States by being civil and tolerant. Being respectable to one another and treating each other equally. If we can practice living in a community with other identity groups we will establish a well-defined multi-cultural group. Media perpetuates stereotyping and prejudice in ways of being bias to one side than the other. Media stereotypes are inevitable especially in advertising, entertainment and news industries. Stereotypes are a signal or  clue that acts like a code that gives the audience an understanding of the person or a group. When you see things advertised on television it gives you a perception of what they are promoting. Thing that are viewed on television are our biggest influence. For example a child watches something violent on TV then goes to school and acts out in violence. This is a good example to show how much television and the media influences our society. The Media helps foster appreciation for diversity by promoting the differences between different identity groups. The media has a powerful influence on people’s attitudes and perceptions. The media encourages the tolerance of diversity constructing national identity. Prejudice is the attitude that rejects an entire group. People working together to eliminate prejudice and discrimination requires people to accept others. They would need to exploit the fear of being threatened and eliminate the need to blame others for their own failures. People should practice person-centered thinking which would allow them to overlook the differences with other identity group and accepting as equal. Practicing this will allow people to be able to work comfortably with others. The most influenced points are in education, ass media, intergroup contact and workplace training programs. If we can control what is being taught in school to prevent crime and reduce discrimination we could reduce the crime level due to racist acts. We could also be careful what is being presented on television which influences their viewers. I have always been familiar with the problems and issues that have been presented in this course. I have never had a problem working with other identity groups. Although I have had my own personal views to favoritism in the workplace and other industries I understand that diversity is mindful that racial and ethnic labels are just labels and no race is considered a pure race. People based their lives on what makes someone different from them. Plan on practicing more on finding what makes us alike rather than what makes us different.

Essay about A Man of the People Political Analyzation

The book A Man of the People is a postcolonial view on politics that is written by the author Chinua Achebe. There is a set stage of corruption, embezzlement, adulatory and bribes which all tie to the political arena that is described in the book. The political office won is has been merely a tool for the politician to secure wealth and control over a society being robbed for the self interest one mans greed. There are modern aspects of political campaigning. This postcolonial palace as some of the modern technologies we have today and some that we do not use. There is some major political difference from what was analyzed in the other book written by Chinua Achebe called Things Fall Apart. There are also some traditional similarities†¦show more content†¦They can also be herd on the radio, and unlike today are played on loudspeakers that are placed on cars. There are speeches given and a voting system set in place for electing candidates. There is even a pension system that Odili Samalu father benefits from because he retired from being a government interpreter. There is a funded government educational system in place, that which shows that there is a modern type government in place. There is much corruption that is tied to the way in which things have been structured in the book. The current president which is Chief Nanga has been using taxes to fill his own desires and buy off problems. He is has building himself a four story house with the money he makes. He even goes to buying off a womans father for her hand in marriage. His he supported by American and British capitalist interest whom fund his political party. There are strikes and violent mob attacks on official people that have created this financial tension on the poor. The political system seams also to be a parliamentary based system of government. In the being of the book the narrator notifies us of this when he is describing Chief Nangas climb to power. The parliamentary system can be bought into and that follows with some other aspects of the political structure in the book. For instance when Chief Nanga bribes Max to change sides and help the P.O.P and he instead uses it for the C.P.C. benefit. ThisShow MoreRelatedThe Roman Way Of Life Has Been Known To Us As One For Domination1588 Words   |  7 Pagescampaigns however, accompanied by on home soil with political sparked violence and triggered civil unrest due to reformations and thirst for power. Through direct analyzation of ancient sources written by Plutarch on the lives of the Gracchus brothers Tiberius and Gaius, the outbreak of The Social War as well as the Roman general and later dictator Sulla, we can discuss as to what caused violence to become an endemic part of Roman political life during 133 – 43 B.C. 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