Hello and welcome to our Module 5 writing assignment! These assignments will continue to reinforce the material that we have learned in this week’s lesson. In this week’s module, we discussed the different types of music in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.

For this assignment, I would like to define and discuss Opera, which began to receive widespread recognition and appeal in the Baroque Era. What are some of the defining aspects of Opera? What must a work include to be considered Opera? Explain what an Aria is versus a Recitative. What are some of the famous Operas and Opera composers from this week’s module? Are there any common themes between the composers or their Operas? Finally, do you like Opera? Why or why not?

As far as format, think of these writing assignments as at least one page minimum essays in MLA format. Points will be deducted for short papers. Make sure to cover everything I ask below in detail and do not leave any questioned unanswered.

Write a one page minimum essay in MLA format.

Topics to Address:

• What are some of the defining aspects of Opera?
  • What must a work include to be considered Opera?
• What is an Aria? What is a Recitative?
  • What role do they each serve in an Opera and how do they compare?
• Who are some famous Opera composers mentioned in the module? What are some of their significant Operas?
  • Do you notice any common plot elements between them or their works?
• Do you like Opera?
  • Why or why not?
  • These professor’s notes may be quoted

  • The Baroque Era (1600-1750)

    In our last module covering the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, we heard an emphasis on monophonic textured music (Chant) that slowly developed into more complex polyphonic textured music (Organum). Moving into the Renaissance, music continued to embrace homophonic texture more and more. In the Baroque Era, polyphonic texture as well as homophonic texture will continue to be explored and expanded upon! We also made a sharp distinction between religious and secular music in our last module. We will continue to look at both sides of music in the Baroque Era. We will also see the advancement of instrumental music and the development of Opera. Many significant composers also emerge in the Era, including J.S. Bach and Handel. Before we dive into listening examples and composers, we must first discuss a few musical concepts that will emerge in the Baroque Era.

    Virtuosity

    Virtuosity is a term meaning remarkable technical skill. Usually this is in reference to a musician’s great skill on an instrument or as a vocalist. As a whole in the Baroque Era, musicians became more skilled and could pursue musical performance as a profession. As a result of this, complicated technical music was composed for these highly skilled musicians. In fact, many Baroque composers themselves were virtuosic musicians on their respected instruments. Improvisation was also prominent, as composers and virtuosic musicians could make up complex music on the spot. These will all become evident when we listen to some instrumental music of the time period.

    Basso Continuo and Major/Minor Tonality

    Harmony also grew in complexity and drew closer to what we know today. In short, composers in the Baroque Era developed a short hand system of constant organ or harpsichord accompaniment. We will get into the specifics of the harpsichord later, but for now, it is the earlier ancestor of the modern day piano. You will notice these keyboard instruments constantly accompanying many Baroque works, particularly vocal works. We will also finally see a combination of instruments and vocalists.Finally, with this evolution of harmony, we will finally see the use of Major (happy) and Minor (sad) scales that we discussed previously. Music of the previous era had not quite fully embraced or developed a concrete system as they have in the Baroque Era. There are a few more concepts to cover in this module, but let’s begin moving through our chapters and listening examples.

    Early Baroque Vocal Music

    Two composers we will briefly look at early in the Baroque Era are actually women composers, which is quite rare for the era! While we won’t be looking at them in great detail, we will listen to their works to see how vocal music is changing in the early Baroque Era from the previous musical Era. The first composer we will listen to is Chiara Cozzolani (1602-1676), an Italian Nun famous for her religious works. She is pictured below.Let’s listen to Cozzolani’s Magnificat below.A Cozzolani listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 21- LG 10) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Cozzolani: Magnificat. How does this differ from the religious music in our previous module? Listen for the combination of vocals and instruments as well as major and minor tonality. Do you hear the Basso Continuo from the organ? What is the text? Still in Latin?

    Our other composer early Baroque vocal composer is Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677). Strozzi was a famous composer as well as performer. Her music focused on topics of love and were sung in the Italian language, making them secular/vernacular works. Note how different her music sounds in comparison to Cozzolani. She is picture below. A Strozzi listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 21- LG 11) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Strozzi: Amor dormiglione. What language is the text in? Again, listen for the instrumental accompaniment alongside the voice. What form is this work in? Do you think it is in a major or minor key?

    Opera

    One of the largest developments of the Baroque Era is the development and popularization of Opera. By definition, Opera is drama, music and poetry all in one package. Opera is meant to depict a “hyper-reality” or an emotional over exaggeration of reality. There are a few key components of an Opera we must exam to better understand the genre. Recitative: A recitative in an Opera is a piece of music that moves the plot and action forward in the story. It is usually designed to mimic human speech. Aria: An Aria is a highly lyrical and emotional song that serves as a contrast to the recitative. When the characters in an opera express deep emotion, they sing an Aria. Arias are the most popular pieces in an Opera and what the audience waits for. Overture: Next, we have an Overture. An Overture is a purely instrumental work at the beginning of an Opera that lets the audience know that the show is about to begin and also features melodies that they will soon hear in the Opera. Libretto: Finally, a Libretto is the text, or script for an Opera. The most famous composers and influential figures in early Baroque Opera, such as Claudio Monteverdi, were Italian. Because of the widespread popularity Italian composers, all other European countries sought to emulate their style of Opera. Below is a listening example of Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell. Purcell was a well known and highly regarded Baroque composer known for his Operatic works and others.A Baroque Opera listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 22- LG 12) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Purcell: Dido and Aeneas, Act III, Opening and Lament. Listen for the difference between Recitative and Aria. Does the Recitative mimic human speech? Is the Aria emotional and appealing to you? Do you hear Basso Continuo accompaniment? How do the instruments interact with the vocalist? Do they ever become the focus, or is it solely on the singers?

    Below is a portrait of a Baroque Opera performance.

    J.S. Bach and the Lutheran Cantata

    If you recall from our last module, we discussed Martin Luther’s separation from the church and the changes he made to religious music as well. These simpler hymns in the vernacular language are known as Chorales. The entire congregation was encouraged to sing along with these hymns. Eventually, these hymns expanded in complexity as composers innovated upon the style. These became known as Lutheran Cantatas. Perhaps the most famous composer of Cantatas is J.S. Bach.J.S. Bach (1685-1750) is one of the most significant composers in Western music history. Born in Germany, Bach quickly gained renown as an organ virtuoso. He went on to serve at the high level post as the head of music in St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. He was a prolific composer who wrote many instrumental works, influential keyboard works, and religious choral works. He is most famous for his complicated and polyphonic textured music featuring constant motion. With his emphasis on religious music, he did not see worldwide recognition during his lifetime. His music gained widespread acclaim and popularity shortly after his death and many of his children went on to become influential composers in their own right. We will be looking at Bach’s instrumental works late, but for now we will focus on his Cantatas. Cantatas are multiple movement works that were an integral part of the Baroque Lutheran worship service. Let’s listen to an example. A Cantata listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 23- LG 13) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Bach: Cantata No. 140, Wachet auf, Nos. 1, 4, and 7. Listen for the interactivity between the instruments and the choir. Do you hear the polyphonic texture and complexity? Do you hear the Basso Continuo? What language is the text in? Does this fit with Martin Luther’s ideas on music?

    The below image is a famous portrait of J.S. Bach.

    George Frederic Handel and The Oratorio

    George Handel (1685-1759) is a composer whose works have stood the test of time and are still performed regularly today. Originally born in Germany, he traveled around Europe before settling in London and composing for the Royal Academy of Music. At first, he primarily composed Italian style opera, but soon shifted to composing Oratorios. While Bach was famous throughout Germany, Handel’s music was famous throughout Europe and the world. An Oratorio is a religious work featuring a choir and an orchestra. It is based upon a biblical story but features no costumes, scenery or acting. Handel’s oratorios have proven to be his most famous and defining works. Handel also composed many instrumental works that we will touch upon later in the lecture. Now, let’s listen to perhaps the most famous oratorio and works in music history.A Cantata listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 24- LG 14) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Handel: Messiah, Nos. 18 and 44. How does this work differ from Bach’s Cantatas we’ve listened to? Does the texture feel different? Does it sound like a grand performance? How does Handel’s writing differ from Bach’s?

    Handel pictured below!

  • Instrumental Music in the Baroque Era

    As previously mentioned, instruments were undergoing technological evolution. We slowly begin to see instruments that we are familiar with to this day. Because of this advancement, instrumental music became a focus of many composers and was accepted to a wide degree. The Baroque orchestra is quite small in comparison to modern orchestras and does not feature every instrument that we have studied yet. Below is a breakdown of what instruments are featured primarily in instrumental music of the Baroque.

    Baroque String instruments

    • Violin, Viola, and Cello.
    • Apart from the orchestral string instruments is the Lute. The lute is the ancestor of the modern guitar.

    Baroque Woodwind instruments

    • Wooden Flute (transverse flute), Oboe, Bassoon, Recorder

    Baroque Brass instruments

    • Trumpet, Horn and Trombone

    Baroque Percussion instruments

    • Timpani

    Below is an image of a typical Baroque orchestra, but it does vary between composers quite a bit. It is quite different than what we discussed in Module 3!

    Baroque Keyboard instruments

    • Harpsichord — While the modern day piano makes sound by a hammer striking a string inside the instrument, a harpsichord plucks the string instead, giving it a distinct sound. Because of this, it is not capable of sustaining long notes like the piano. Below is an image of a Baroque Era harpsichord. It is far smaller than a modern day piano!

    

    • The Organ is another keyboard instrument of the Baroque Era that features two or more keyboards for the hands and another for the feet. This means that the performer must use both their hands as well as their feet to read several lines of music simultaneously. The most common organ is a pipe organ, as pictured below, and they are often large enough to take over entire rooms.

    Handel and the Dance SuiteAs we saw the Renaissance Era, instrumental music was primarily used for dancing. This persists into the Baroque Era. Alongside composing Oratorios, Handelalso composed purely instrumental music. One of the most famous instrumental genres was the dance Suite. This genre contained many different dances within the entire work, which can be seen on page 148 of the textbook. Perhaps Handel’s most famous suite is Water Music. Let’s listen below.A Handel Suite listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 26- LG 16) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Handel: Suite in D Major from Water Music, Alla hornpipe. How does this differ from the instrumental music of the Renaissance? Does it feel like dance music? What instruments can you hear? Is this example binary or ternary form? Is there a repetition at the end that makes it ternary?

    Vivaldi and the Concerto

    In our last page, we discussed virtuosity meaning great technical skill on an instrument. The perfect example of this is the Baroque instrumental genre of a Concerto. A concerto is an orchestral composition that features a virtuoso soloist being accompanied by the orchestra. The soloist often performs with a high degree of technical skill on their instrument. Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was a virtuoso violinist and revolutionized writing for the instrument. Vivaldi was an Italian priest who was the music master at many orphanages in Venice. He wrote many different works but we will be focusing on his most famous concerto The Four Seasons. The Four Seasons is a work that features a solo violinist and four movements, each aligning with a season of the year. The Four Seasons also has a poem that influences the action in music. This is known as program music and is something we will be returning to later. A Vivaldi Concerto listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 27- LG 17) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Vivaldi: Spring, from The Four Seasons, I. Listen to how the solo vionlist interacts with the orchestra. What musical textures do you hear in the work? Does the violinist sound virtuosic and technically talented? Again, more Basso Continuo!

    Vivaldi is pictured below with his violin.

    Bach, Keyboard Music and The Fugue

    The last section of instrumental music we will review is Baroque Keyboard Music. As mentioned above, the harpsichord and organ were the primary keyboard instruments of the Baroque Era. Bach was a virtuoso on these instruments and his compositions for keyboard defined the keyboard music of the era. He composed in genres such as Preludes, Inventions, Toccatas, and what we will focus on in this section, Fugues.A fugue is a polyphonic textured composition in which one theme defines the entire work. The theme often begins in one voice/part, and then moves onto the next. This process is known as Imitation. This leads to music that sounds dense with polyphonic texture. Bach would often improvise these fugues and have his students write them onto paper. A Bach Fugue listening example and brief lesson from The Enjoyment of MusicGo to Playlists (Chapter 28- LG 18) and listen to the provided examples.

    1. Bach: Contrapunctus 1, from The Art of Fugue. As you listen, hear how the opening theme is passed down through different parts. Can you hear the dense complexity of the work? Does a solo organ work have the same feeling as an orchestral work? What is different?

    Below is a manuscript of a fugue written by J.S. Bach. Even if you cannot read music, the image gives you a good idea of the evolving complexity of a Bach fugueThis brings us to the end of our module on the Baroque Era. We discussed major composers such as Bach, Vivaldi and Handel. We heard the development and combination of instrumental and vocal music. We also heard polyphonic and homophonic textures become more popular. Opera began to explode in popularity and composers rushed to embrace the genre. Keep all of these themes in mind as we move into the Classical Era next module.

Examine two of the films listed in this module.  One must be a foreign film from the M6 Foreign Films Selections (18 films) and the other an independent film from the M6 New Independent Cinema Selections (20 films). You will find many options if you scroll down each page, or you could select movies that you have cleared with the instructor in advance. Write a short (1000 words) essay focused on the following question: What are the characteristics of independent film with particular regard to performance beyond the basic definition? In other words, how do your films EXPAND the basic definition?  The presentation and readings will help you understand the basic definition.  You must do more than merely show how each of your movies meet the basic criteria as an independent film. The movies in this section are easily identified as meeting the basic definition, but you need to go further in your analysis for your essay. Please avoid extensively summarizing the plot at the expense of analyzing the actor’s performance.   Please remember the peer review policy and wait for your peers to be assigned.  You will have the two-day grace period to complete your peer reviews.  I’m changing the policy on late peer reviews for this assignment. They will be assigned no later than 9 am after the deadline, then I will run the tool to assign peers randomly during the two-day grace period.  Therefore, there will be no peer assignments upon request.  There will be no peers assigned within two hours of the expiration of the grace period.  You must keep checking if you submit late in order to find your peers.   Please place this information in your header:

Name
Word Count
Independent Film Title (date)
International Film Title (date)

Give your essay a title and center it below the header information.

I’ve received several inquiries from students who are having trouble understanding the prompt. The presentation, videos and readings will help greatly, but if you are still wondering what to do, I’ll try to simplify it for you as much as possible here:

You know the basic definition of an independent film from the presentations, readings and videos.

You know that independent and foreign films both fit the basic definition (e.g., budget, produced outside the big studio, cast, story, etc.).

As you know from watching the presentation in this module, when you watch movies today with strong ensemble casts or art films with international actors made independently outside the dominance of the corporate studios, you are witnessing the effect of foreign films on the Hollywood film industry.

Therefore, do not merely describe how your independent and international films meet the basic definition, but focus on how they expand the definition. Find elements in the films that you recognize as being unique and influential.   Consider how your films might affect the way big-budget films are made. 

Some examples include camera techniques, storyline, personal issues that concern a director, a role that a celebrity might not usually perform.

1. This assignment is the culmination of the course, pushing you to think for yourself and try to find elements that distinguish your independent and foreign film from the mainstream. You can’t merely say ”budget under $20M” or “premiered at Sundance” and leave it at that.  
2. As an example, the producers of the big-budget ($110+M) big-studio bomb Ghost in the Shell could have learned a lot from the independent film Ex Machina ($16M).  A good essay on Ex Machina would focus on the elements in the film that make it important and meaningful other than its budget and foreign origin (UK). I might also bring in examples from the film Her, which has an independent feel to it (what does that mean?), released by a small U.S. studio and had a relatively low budget.  
3. A simple way to look at this assignment is to ask whether your chosen films could teach Hollywood and the money machine of CGI-driven movies.  Many students seem to think this assignment is about identifying why their choice is independent when the basic definition is clear in the presentation and readings. This assignment requires higher levels of critical thinking.   The best papers are very specific in saying how these films EXPAND the basic definition.   What can Hollywood learn from Indies?  Why are independent film festivals like Sundance so important?  Why do top actors do indies when they can make more money doing television or a CGI feature?  What do your selected films have that could enhance major studio film making?
4. M6 International Films Selections
5. MODULE 6
6. Movie Choices for Film Response 4
7. Select

INSTRUCTIONS

Here is your first set of videos to choose from for your Film Response assignment. You will select one of the following videos from this page and from the M6 New Independent Cinema Movie Selection page to watch.  

If you can’t find a film here, check the Kanopy database in the USF Library.  Here’s the link to World Cinema on Kanopy:

Kanopy at USF Libraries (Links to an external site.)

Currently most of the movies default to the YouTube links. However many of them are also available on one or more of the following platforms:

1. iTunes (Links to an external site.)

Amazon Video (Links to an external site.)

Google Play (Links to an external site.)

Hulu (Links to an external site.)

Netflix (Links to an external site.)

Redbox (Links to an external site.)

Vudu (Links to an external site.)

THE KING’S SPEECH (2010)

England’s Prince Albert (Colin Firth) must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be able to communicate effectively, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) hires Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his stammer. An extraordinary friendship develops between the two men, as Logue uses unconventional means to teach the monarch how to speak with confidence.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

Available on YouTube for $2.99

MY LEFT FOOT (1989)

No one expects much from Christy Brown (Daniel Day-Lewis), a boy with cerebral palsy born into a working-class Irish family. Though Christy is a spastic quadriplegic and essentially paralyzed, a miraculous event occurs when, at the age of 5, he demonstrates control of his left foot by using chalk to scrawl a word on the floor. With the help of his steely mother (Brenda Fricker) — and no shortage of grit and determination — Christy overcomes his infirmity to become a painter, poet and author.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

Available on YouTube for $2.99

ROMA (2018)

Written and directed by Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón, director of “Gravity” & “Children of Men.” This film is in Spanish with English subtitles. It is also in black and white. Focusing on the life of Cleo, a maid in Sofia’s household, who cleans and takes care of the family while both of them struggle with their personal lives against the context of social turmoil in Mexico in the 1970s.  It has a rich cinematic texture that bristles with emotional impact.  The director clearly loves the medium of film as a way to tell stories of real lives. 

Available on Netflix

• 

PINK (2016)

This Hindi-language courtroom drama directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury focuses on the trial of a woman who is implicated in a crime. A retired lawyer steps forward to help her and her two friends clear their names.

Available on Netflix

• THE FAREWELL (2019)

Billi’s family returns to China under the guise of a fake wedding to stealthily say goodbye to their beloved matriarch — the only person that doesn’t know she only has a few weeks to live.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

• Available on Amazon Prime for free

CENTRAL STATION (CENTRAL DO BRASIL) (1998)

• Bitter former schoolteacher Dora (Fernanda Montenegro) supports herself by taking dictation from illiterate people in Rio de Janeiro who want to write letters to their families and then pocketing their money without ever mailing the envelopes. One day, Josue (Vinicius De Oliveira), the 9-year-old son of one of her clients, is left alone when his mother is killed in a bus accident. Reluctantly taking him in, Dora joins the boy on a road trip to find his long-missing father.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

Available on iTunes

• 

CITY OF GOD (2002)

In the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s, two young men choose different paths. Rocket (Alexandre Rodrigues) is a budding photographer who documents the increasing drug-related violence of his neighborhood. José “Zé” Pequeno (Leandro Firmino da Hora) is an ambitious drug dealer who uses Rocket and his photos as a way to increase his fame as a turf war erupts with his rival, “Knockout Ned” (Seu Jorge). The film was shot on location in Rio’s poorest neighborhoods.

• Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

WADJDA (2012)

• A rebellious Saudi girl (Waad Mohammed) enters a Koran recitation competition at her school and hopes to win enough money to buy her own bicycle.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

• THE SEVEN SAMURAI (1954)

A samurai answers a village’s request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food. A giant battle occurs when 40 bandits attack the village.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

NEERJA (2016)

Neerja is an Indian film directed by Ram Madhvani and written by Saiwyn Quadras and Sanyuktha Chawla Shaikh.  This biographical thriller features Sonam Kapoor as the title character, Neerja Bahnot, a model and purser for Pan Am on a flight hijacked in Karachi, Pakistan.  

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

Available on Netflix

THE LOBSTER (GREECE) (2015)

In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into beasts and sent off into The Woods.

EX MACHINA (UK) (2014)

Caleb, a 26 year old programmer at the world’s largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world’s first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl./span>

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000)

In 19th century Qing Dynasty China, a warrior (Chow Yun-Fat) gives his sword, Green Destiny, to his lover (Michelle Yeoh) to deliver to safe keeping, but it is stolen, and the chase is on to find it. The search leads to the House of Yu where the story takes on a whole different level.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

CINEMA PARADISO (1988)

Young Salvatore Di Vita (Salvatore Cascio) discovers the perfect escape from life in his war-torn Sicilian village: the Cinema Paradiso movie house, where projectionist Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) instills in the boy a deep love of films. When Salvatore grows up, falls in love with a beautiful local girl (Agnese Nano) and takes over as the Paradiso’s projectionist, Alfredo must convince Salvatore to leave his small town and pursue his passion for filmmaking.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

Available on Netflix streaming (Links to an external site.)

THE FOREST (2016)

A monk turned teacher befriends a bullied young student, whose life changes when she bonds with a mysterious boy who dwells in a haunted forest.  Thai language with English subtitles.  Directed by Paul Spurrier.

Note: This is not the film with Natalie Dormer with the same title about the Japanese suicide forest.   

You may find it at this link on Vimeo. (Links to an external site.)
Password: commercialfilms

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

Available on Vimeo

THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING (1988)

Successful surgeon Tomas (Daniel Day-Lewis) leaves Prague for an operation, meets a young photographer named Tereza (Juliette Binoche), and brings her back with him. Tereza is surprised to learn that Tomas is already having an affair with the bohemian Sabina (Lena Olin), but when the Soviet invasion occurs, all three flee to Switzerland. Sabina begins an affair, Tom continues womanizing, and Tereza, disgusted, returns to Czechoslovakia. Realizing his mistake, Tomas decides to chase after her.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

Available on YouTube for $2.99

LAGAAN: ONCE UPON A TIME IN INDIA (2001)

The year is 1893 and India is under British occupation. In a small village, the tyrannical Captain Russell (Paul Blackthorne) has imposed an unprecedented land tax on its citizens. Outraged, Bhuvan (Aamir Khan), a rebellious farmer, rallies the villagers to publicly oppose the tax. Russell offers a novel way to settle the dispute: he challenges Bhuvan and his men to a game of cricket, a sport completely foreign to India. If Bhuvan and his men can defeat Russell’s team, the tax will be repealed.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

Available on Amazon (Links to an external site.)

A Touch of Sin (China) (2013)

Steeped in violence and sorrow, this is an astonishing movie from the Chinese director Jia Zhangke. Divided into four chapters, it was inspired by a series of widely reported violent conflicts in China that haunted him. Together the vignettes allow Mr. Jia – as he put it to me in an interview – to “paint the face” of contemporary China.

Zhao Tao, Mr. Jia’s wife and frequent star, plays Xiao Yu, a young receptionist at a sauna. It’s immediately clear that she’s having a rough go of it. She’s in an affair with a married man and his wife not only knows it, but one evening assaults Xiao Yu with the help of two thugs. Like all the sections, this one is largely a slice of brute naturalism spiked with beguilingly surrealistic moments, many involving animals. The overall mood is one of escalating, palpable unease.

Yi Yi (Taiwan) (2000)

A packed, enthralling three-hour chronicle of modern Taiwanese family life, “Yi Yi” has the heft and density of a great novel. Its point of view is shared among Yang-Yang, his older sister, Ting-Ting, and their father, N.J., a video-game designer in the grip of a quiet but intense midlife crisis.  (Links to an external site.)Roger Ebert (Links to an external site.) described “Yi Yi” as “a movie in which nobody knows more than half the truth, or is happy more than half the time,” something that could also be said (optimistically) of life itself. And “Yi Yi” is one of those movies that you remember less as something you saw than as something you experienced, as if you were one of the Jians’ Taipei neighbors.

Timbuktu (Mauritania) (2015)

Not far from the ancient Malian city of Timbuktu, proud cattle herder Kidane (Ibrahim Ahmed aka Pino) lives peacefully in the dunes with his wife Satima (Toulou Kiki), his daughter Toya (Layla Walet Mohamed), and Issan (Mehdi Ag Mohamed), their twelve-year-old shepherd. In town, the people suffer, powerless, from the regime of terror imposed by the Jihadists determined to control their faith. Music, laughter, cigarettes, even soccer have been banned. The women have become shadows but resist with dignity. Every day, the new improvised Shariah law courts issue tragic and absurd sentences. Kidane and his family are being spared the chaos that prevails in Timbuktu. But their destiny changes abruptly. 

CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR (THAILAND) (2016)

Soldiers with a mysterious sleeping sickness are transferred to a temporary clinic in a former school. The memory-filled space becomes a revelatory world for housewife and volunteer Jenjira, as she watches over Itt, a handsome soldier with no family visitors. Jen befriends young medium Keng who uses her psychic powers to help loved ones communicate with the comatose men. Doctors explore ways, including colored light therapy, to ease the mens’ troubled dreams. Jen discovers Itt’s cryptic notebook of strange writings and blueprint sketches. There may be a connection between the soldiers’ enigmatic syndrome and the mythic ancient site that lies beneath the clinic. Magic, healing, romance and dreams are all part of Jen’s tender path to a deeper awareness of herself and the world around her.

DHEEPAN (FRANCE) (2016)

Dheepan is a Tamil freedom fighter, a Tiger. In Sri Lanka, the Civil War is reaching its end, and defeat is near. Dheepan decides to flee, taking with him two strangers – a woman and a little girl – hoping that they will make it easier for him to claim asylum in Europe. Arriving in Paris, the ‘family’ moves from one temporary home to another until Dheepan finds work as the caretaker of a run-down housing block in the suburbs. He works to build a new life and a real home for his ‘wife’ and his ‘daughter’, but the daily violence he confronts quickly reopens his war wounds, and Dheepan is forced to reconnect with his warrior’s instincts to protect the people he hopes will become his true family.

UNDER THE SAME MOON (LA MISMA LUNA) (MEXICO) (2007)

Tells the parallel stories of nine-year-old Carlitos and his mother, Rosario. In the hopes of providing a better life for her son, Rosario works illegally in the U.S. while her mother cares for Carlitos back in Mexico. Unexpected circumstances drive both Rosario and Carlitos to embark on their own journeys in a desperate attempt to reunite. Along the way, mother and son face challenges and obstacles but never lose hope that they will one day be together again.

MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (CHINA) (2016)

The life of Tao, and those close to her, is explored in three different time periods: 1999, 2014, and 2025.

SING STREET (IRELAND) (2016)

A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes.

GIRLHOOD (FRANCE) (2014)

A girl with few real prospects joins a gang, reinventing herself and gaining a sense of self confidence in the process. However, she soon finds that this new life does not necessarily make her any happier. Oppressed by her family setting, dead-end school prospects and the boys law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of 3 free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her dress code, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping that this will be a way to freedom.

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Romania) (2006)

The title is a spoiler. When we first meet Dante Lazarescu, a retired Bucharest resident in his early 60s (though he looks older), he is complaining of stomach pains. A little more than two and a half hours later – more or less in real time – he has left this world, unmourned and all but unnoticed. Why should we care? That is the question – not at all rhetorical – posed by Cristi Puiu’s bleak, gripping, weirdly funny second feature. At the Cannes Film Festival, “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Links to an external site.)” was a word-of-mouth sensation. “Did you see that three-hour Romanian movie? Oh, man. You’ve gotta see it.” And that’s still true. Mr. Puiu’s film was an early sign of the flowering of Romanian cinema that would bring international acclaim to young auteurs like Cristian Mungiu (“4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days”) and Corneliu Porumboiu (“Police, Adjective”). Like his colleagues (and sometime rivals), Mr. Puiu uses long takes and minimal camera movement to create a sense of lived reality that is absorbing almost to the point of claustrophobia. He zeroes in remorselessly on the petty absurdities and large iniquities that define life in Romania more than a decade after the fall of Nicolae Ceausescu’s Communist dictatorship.

M6 New Independent Cinema Selections

MODULE 6

Movie Choices for Film Response 4

Select

INSTRUCTIONS

Here is your list of independent films to choose from for your Film Response assignment. You will select one of the following videos from this page and from the M6 Foreign Films Movie Selection page to watch.

If you can’t find a film here, check the Kanopy database in the USF Library.  Here’s the link to Independent Cinema on Kanopy:

Kanopy at USF Libraries (Links to an external site.)

Currently most of the movies default to the YouTube links. However many of them are also available on one or more of the following platforms:

iTunes (Links to an external site.)

Amazon Video (Links to an external site.)

Google Play (Links to an external site.)

Hulu (Links to an external site.)

Netflix (Links to an external site.)

Redbox (Links to an external site.)

Vudu (Links to an external site.)

THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984)

“This Is Spinal Tap” shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts, including everything from its complicated history of ups and downs, gold albums, name changes and undersold concert dates, along with the full host of requisite groupies, promoters, hangers-on and historians, sessions, release events and those special behind-the-scenes moments that keep it all real.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

WAITING FOR GUFFMAN (1996)

When the town of Blaine, Mo., approaches its sesquicentennial, there’s only one way to celebrate: with a musical revue called “Red, White and Blaine.” Hoping the show will be his ticket back to Broadway, impresario Corky St. Clair (Christopher Guest) rounds up a cast of enthusiastic but untalented locals (Eugene Levy, Fred Willard, Catherine O’Hara) to perform his masterwork. But, when Corky reveals that theater agent Mort Guffman will attend the opening, things really kick into high gear.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

RESERVOIR DOGS (1992)

A group of thieves assemble to pull of the perfect diamond heist. It turns into a bloody ambush when one of the men turns out to be a police informer. As the group begins to question each other’s guilt, the heightening tensions threaten to explode the situation before the police step in.

Retrieved from Google (Links to an external site.)

 

THIRTEEN (2003)

Directed by Catherine Hardwicke and written together with the then 14-year old Nikki Reed, the film debuted at Sundance where Hardwicke won the Directing Award for Drama.  Reed played a featured part in her acting and writing debut.   Fox Searchlight Pictures subsequently acquired the film and it went on to gross a total of $4.6 million at the U.S. box office.

Though it received numerous favorable reviews from critics, Thirteen generated some controversy for its depiction of youth drug use and self-harm (“cutting”).  The film earned Holly Hunter an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress and Golden Globe nominations for Hunter and Evan Rachel Wood. 

Retrieved from Google

EIGHTH GRADE (2018)

Thirteen-year-ol

The discussion question for this week is: consider a situation that confronted you with a moral dilemma. Describe the situation, then discuss what each of these theories of obligation would have required you to do: natural law, utilitarianism, Kant’s categorical imperative, virtue ethics, Buddhist ethics. Do these theories provide clear guidance about what you should do? Explain.

For the first post you will need to start a new thread and offer your thoughts on the discussion question. This post should be at least 300 words.

For each of the other three posts you will need to go to a thread created by another student, read his or her thoughts (and any comments that have already been written), then offer a response. These posts should each be at least 100 words.

FIRST RESPONSE TO REPLY: A recent moral dilemma I have been confronted with is the decision to end a friendship with a best friend, whom I had previously been deeply in love with. The friendship was, to put it lightly, volatile, causing both of us extreme emotional harm. To protect the privacy of this friend, I will not give more details about the nature of this volatility. The friendship was ended by me, and I wonder every day if this was the morally correct thing to do.

Natural Law would dictate that one of the basic forms of good is friendship, and therefore the ending of a friendship that was as deep and intimate as ours would violate the natural order of human nature. Most likely, I have committed an immoral act under the scheme of natural law.

Utilitarianism would dictate that the decision to end the friendship should only be made if the amount of happiness caused by the action outweighs the amount of unhappiness caused by it. The benefits of ending the friendship include the removal of the extreme emotional turmoil both of us experienced during periods of aforementioned volatility, and the removal of accusations and paranoias. The harms caused by this decision include loneliness for both of us and a loss of intimacy and a support system for both of us. Utilitarianism would have me weigh the significance and degree of the benefits and losses caused by the action of ending the friendship, and to make the decision if and only if the benefits outweigh the losses. For my own well-being, the decision was just under utilitarianism. For my friend, I cannot say, as it would be in this situation difficult or impossible to measure the amount of happiness or unhappiness the decision caused (this is specific to this situation I believe, due to the whole volatility thing)

Kant’s categorical imperative would recommend that the main considerations of taking action if I would want for all people in the same situation to act as I would act: that all people should end a friendship as volatile and difficult as this one was. Under the same maxims that I used to make this decision; I believe that it is right under Kant’s first imperative to have ended the friendship. On his second imperative, that a person should not be treated as a means, but as an end in themselves, I believe that the decision made is perhaps not as justified, as in the decision was made solely by me.

Virtue ethics would have me wonder what kind of person would end a volatile friendship, and what the true motivations were for doing so (and how those motivations align with character traits). A person would decide to end a friendship if the hurt caused by it outweighed the happiness caused by it if they were… well, looking out for themselves. My reasoning in my action was not just for my own benefit, but for that of my friend also. I was not the only one experiencing extreme turmoil. Someone who is both selfish and selfless may do as I did, considering the emotional turmoil of myself and of my friend. Ideally, a balance of selfishness and selflessness should guide me. I do not know what virtue ethics would call my action, but I’m not sure that it is good.

Buddhist ethics would say that I have not broken any of the five precepts in my decision, but I may have caused harm to my friend. Buddhist ethics would most likely want me to be unselfish in the greatest of ways, and to make sacrifices for the well-being of others. It would most likely have me work to mentally diminish the amount of pain felt by me in the friendship and maximize the amount of happiness given to my friend by continuing the be a support system. I believe Buddhist ethics would call my action morally wrong.

In my opinion, some of these systems give advice better suited to my personal flavor of ethics than others. I find that utilitarianism and Buddhist ethics are most clear and logical. The interesting thing about that in the context of this discussion board is that my interpretations of each system gave me different verdicts on the morality of my actions in this situation.

This discussion board was very emotionally taxing for me to complete. This is a good thing. Ethics are not easy, nor should they be.

SECOND RESPONSE TO REPLY: As a child growing up, my father raised me by his values. My father taught me to be kind, honest, and to treat others as you want to be treated. I carried these values throughout my childhood up to my teens. There were hick ups, here and there, but for the most part I stayed on the right path. Immediately after graduating high school, I enlisted into the United States Army. In basic training, the military teaches you core values, such as: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. All of these are good values to have, regardless if you are serving in the military or not. Everyone’s integrity is tested at least once in their lives. My integrity was tested more than once while I was serving in the Army. Since I was little, I have never enjoyed running, and you do a lot of running in the Army. One day, we had a brigade 12k run. In simple terms, around three hundred soldiers, from different battalions, have to come together and run side by side in columns. Before the run was going to start, my buddies went to a near by building to escape the dreadful run ahead of us. I had to reason with myself, do I really want to run? When I can simply hide away with my buddies to avoid suffering, or do the right thing and suffer with the other soldiers? After contemplating my options, I decided to have integrity and suffer. In my opinion, you are what your actions portray you to be. “Through our actions, we shape the kind of person we gradually become, and the kind of person we are is, in turn, expressed through our actions.” (Velasquez 539) Aristotle discusses that virtue ethics shapes us to a person we want to be. Aristotle states that we acquire virtues through experiences and training by the communities around us. My community was my father and the military. These two aspects of my life have had major influences on my virtue ethics and my decision making skills on the topic of morals. The Kantian approach supports the idea that we should treat others how we want to be treated. The golden rule states, “we should do to others as we wish them to do to us.” (Velasquez 552) The Utilitarian Approach suggests that morals depend on the situation. If I I would have left with my buddies to avoid pain and misery, then morally that would be okay. The slap on the rest compared to the long dreadful run makes it the better alternative to pick. According to natural law, if my intention aims at the good and not the bad, then it is morally okay. (Velasquez 557) I would prevent physical damage and pain to my body if I do not run. This perspective makes it morally okay according to natural law. All the theories have clear explanations, but provide only subjective guidance to what I should have done in that moment. All the theories are right, but wrong at the same time.

THIRD RESPONSE TO REPLY: I thought a lot about certain moral dilemmas I have encountered through my life, and nothing seems to stand out more than the decision that was left up to me at the age of 21 whether to keep my father on life support or pull the plug and let him go. My father spent most of my life in and out of the hospital with heart problems, and at the age of 33 had a quadruple bypass, and ultimately was put on the heart transplant list at the age of 48. Sadly, before he could get the heart transplant a procedure was needed called an ablation. He ended up passing away during that procedure. After hours of the doctors working to bring him back, we were ultimately left with the decision to keep him on life support or pull the plug and let him go. My mother who would normally be the one to make the decision was beyond a mess, as were we all, however the decision was left up to me, and it was the hardest one I have ever had to make.

The Natural Law theory which asserts that there is a moral code which applies to all humans and which exists within our nature would have allowed me to make the decision knowing that my dad would have never wanted to spend the rest of his life being hooked up to machines with very little quality of life. The utilitarianism theory which favors acts that produces the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest amount of people, would have told me to keep him here on earth with us, because we could not bear the thought of losing him. Kant’s categorical imperative theory which tells us that something that a person must do no matter what the circumstances, and it being imperative to an ethical person. I feel as though this theory is a little confusing as if I could have walked away from the situation all together that night, I would have, however that is not what would have been the “right” thing to do. Virtue ethics which is not concerned with what we ought to do, but with what kind of person we should be, would be me making the decision and taking into account not only the wants of my family, but the wants of my father as well. The Buddhist ethics theory which is closest to the ethic theory would also allow me to think of the consequences that each choice had, and how it would ultimately affect those around me, and my dad. While I do not believe that all of these theories provide clear guidance on what I should have done, I do believe that they play a role, and that different circumstances bring about new ethic approaches, and ways to decide what is the appropriate decision with different moral dilemmas, and how to make the decision on what to do in each circumstance.

investigative Assignment #1 – Learn about culture and educational success (Week 4)

Part A – Talk with three people (anyone you have access to in your home and through phone, email, etc.) about their perspective on educational success and culture.

The goal is to learn about people’s viewpoints on whether or not there is a connection between one’s cultural background and educational success. Even those who say they do not “have culture” often draw on cultural aspects of their lives to navigate education. Ask them the following questions. Feel free to ask others.  

1)  When you hear the word culture, what does that word mean for you? Would you say you have a culture? Please explain.

2)   Do you think there’s a connection between someone’s culture and educational success (e.g., good grades in school, going to college, etc.)? Why or why not? What about any connection between culture and economic success (e.g., good career/job, high salary, owning a home, etc.)?

3)   Think about your own educational experiences, do you think there’s a culture in schools? Why or why not?

4)   If they say yes to #3 ask: Can you tell me a little about the school culture in some of the schools you’ve attended (think of a school that stands out for you)?  Do you think school culture can influence whether or not students are successful in school? Why or why not?    

Part B – Submit on Canvas via Turnitin no later than Saturday, April 23 by 11:59PM 

In approximately 4-5 double-spaced pages with 1-inch margins, answer the following. You must use the following format.

Section #1 – In approximately 1 ½ -2 pages, describe who you talked to (no names, use friend, co-worker, mother, cousin, husband, partner, etc.) and a little about their background (if you know anything), then summarize your conversation with each person. You do not need to transcribe the interviews word-for-word.

Section #2 –  In approximately 1 ½ -2 pages, use your interviews and material from week 2 (readings and/or lecture), and one reading from either week 3 or week 4 to discuss what you learned about perceptions of culture and educational success. You must refer to specific points in Sections #1. You must refer to specific points from the material in week 2. You must refer to specific points regarding the main research results discussed in the week 3 or week 4 reading. Think about any connections between the material and the interviews. Think about whether or not the interviews seem similar or contradictory to the class material.

1) Select one of your interviews that stands out to you. Choose one that was the most interesting or the most surprising. Write a brief summary of your interview (4-6) sentences.

2) Then write about what you learned overall from all of your interviews about people’s conceptions of culture and educational success. You don’t need to summarize the other two interviews that you conducted. Just talk in general about what you learned from your interviews as a whole (3-5 sentences).

Reply

Yuying JinYesterdayApr 18 at 2pm

Manage Discussion Entry

1. I interviewed my suitemate; we have known each other since the beginning of the school year and her answers to the interview questions are somewhat expected. She believed in the idea that if you work hard, you will overcome obstacles (I disagree with this fantasy); therefore, this may impact the way she sees the connection between education and success. She explained that some cultures do prevent girls from obtaining an education. However, when I asked how race plays a role in education, she explained: “I don’t think race has an impact on educational success. There is…racial education discrepancy, but that doesn’t prevent anyone from obtaining a higher education.” When asked about the connection between culture and economic success, she answered that there may be a weak connection, but the obstacles from culture can be overcome (which is a fantasy belief I frown upon). The answer which surprised me the most was her answer to the last question: Does school culture influence student success? She explained that if the student is “smart enough,” they should be able to distinguish between what’s right and wrong; so school culture does not really matter if you are “smart enough to know [what you are supposed to do].”
2. People’s understanding of education mostly came from their own experiences and family expectations. All of the people who I interviewed explained that culture does have an impact on educational success. However, when asked about the connection between economic success and educational success, people tend to spend more time thinking over this connection. This may be because the people who I interviewed are all college students, therefore, they have not yet been in a financial hardship/failure (they can only refer to what they have seen or heard). What I found interesting was that my participants’ answer to the first part of the second question aligns with what they have experienced in school (they tend to give me examples of how their culture affect their concept of education).

Chelsey NavarroYesterdayApr 18 at 12:54pm

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1) The first interviewee I talked to is my high school best friend that currently attends the University of Southern California. This interview surprised me because she touched on how she identifies as part of Mexican culture, but culture can be different when it comes to education. She said that culture has become a statistic for identifying where people stand academically (eg white people are more likely to graduate than people of color and black/hispanic students have to take more pre-req classes to get into other classes). I also though it was very insightful of her to share her experience attending USC a PWI as a Latinx student because the culture of the school is not based on identity, but rather on similar interests. I thought this was a very interesting take to identify the culture of her school because many of the students there are not aware of how culture can impact other people’s identities. I also thought it was shocking when she mentioned that the school did not create a First-Generation student center until 2020 and their most recent admitted class only had 16% first-generation students. She feels that this culture at USC has caused her to feel like she does not belong there and feel unheard among other talented students.

2) Overall what I learned from my interviews was that culture can be important and separate from education. All of my interviewees were Mexican and they stated how it shapes their language, food, beliefs, and being family oriented. However some of my interviewees mentioned that culture can be important at the individual level for education or be used as a statistic. Some of my interviewees said that their family culture made them work harder in school because they know how hard their parents worked for them to come to this country and wanted them to get a better education. The culture and environment of the schools is a common similarity that all my interviewees had because they stated that feeling out of place, lacking community, and seeking out social life/new opportunities all impacted their educational experiences especially coming from smaller high schools or where there were more students of color.

Ardia RadityoYesterdayApr 18 at 12:34pm

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One of the most interesting responses that I heard from my interviewee was somewhat related to the case(Linda Howard) discussed in the class, as an old friend of mine that used to go to the same college with me experienced a biracial family coming from a different culture (Asian-European) that diversity was shared within him. My interviewee defines culture as something that told the origin story of where other people come from and is proud of who they are no matter what other people think about their culture. He doesn’t agree that there’s a connection between someone’s culture and their educational success as he thinks that there’s shouldn’t limitations in gaining knowledge due to cultural background. Yet, he thinks that there are somewhat relations that can be seen between culture and economic success, as there were certain pressures that arrive from society as a whole. Moreover, he thinks that there’s a culture in school because he has met a lot of people coming from different backgrounds since the school that he attended was an international school that has allowed him to experience diversity. Yet, he thinks that school culture doesn’t affect how the student can be successful or unsuccessful if every student befriends anyone and is not isolated by cliques in helping each other reach success. It’s a matter of will he said that influences defining a person’s success.

Overall, all of my interviewees had a similar definition of culture, which tells their background stories in response to being able to interact with other people in concern not to hurting how they would feel in the public/society. Furthermore, some of them had a different opinion on how culture and educational success relates to the outcome that arrives from it, as one of them said that culture defines how people perceived problems through their perspective that was built within themselves impacting the result of a person’s educational success. Meanwhile, my other interviewee said the opposite as he thinks that there are no relations that lie within a person’s educational success because he feels that there shouldn’t be any limits or boundaries that were set for a person to get access to knowledge affecting their success in their educational studies.

Edited by Ardia Radityo on Apr 18 at 12:39pm

Topic Proposal/Outline: Develop a provisional thesis and general argumentative direction. Mention at least five direct quotations from your chosen text “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow” 

For paper: Discuss issues of race, class, and gender in Richard Wright’s “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow”—how are these three societal morays framed under Jim Crow laws, and what conflicts arise because of this?

EXAMPLE PAPER:

[student name]

Professor

ENG 223

22 April 2020

A Perspective on Heritage Through Walker’s “Everyday Use”

African American heritage from different perspectives. The symbols give readers the choice to decide for themselves which aspects are “right” or “wrong.” The story describes how two “unsophisticated” characters, Momma and Maggie, interact with a “progressive,” character, Dee, who is conflicted between rejecting her unsophisticated past and embracing her racial history. Walker’s characters, names, and household objects in “Everyday Use” symbolizes the friction between progressive and unsophisticated perspectives on African American heritage, creating a timeless story that is as relevant today as it was on the day of publication.

Walker contrasts between progressive and unsophisticated perspectives on heritage when describing her characters. First, she creates a raw, unsophisticated, somewhat backward representation of African American heritage by describing Momma and Maggie. For example, Momma insults her own intelligence, saying, “Who ever knew a Johnson with a quick tongue?” (Walker 315). Later in the story, Momma thinks to herself, “I never had an education myself” (Walker 316). This gives the hint that Momma does not see the value of putting modern-day education in high priority for the life that she lives. Walker also takes a deeper look inside

Momma’s mindset as she writes, “I was always better at a man’s job,” creating the image of lower-class labor (Walker 316). Walker also uses imagery to describe Maggie: “Have you ever seen a lame animal, sidle up to someone who is ignorant enough to be kind to him?” (Walker 316). These descriptions of these characters symbolize an unsophisticated view of African American heritage.

Walker’s description of Dee is in sharp contrast to that of Momma and Maggie. To quote David Cowart in his article, “Heritage and Deracination in Walker’s ‘Everyday Use,’ Wangero has realized the dream of the oppressed: she has escaped the ghetto” (Cowart 172). Dee looks and acts in a way to show that she has progressed beyond the unsophisticated ways of her mother. Walker provides us with a more classy image as she describes Dee: “Her feet were always neat-looking, as if God himself had shaped them with a certain style” (Walker 317). Walker also describes Dee’s skin tone, saying “Dee is lighter than Maggie,” associating lighter skin with more sophistication (Walker 316). Dee’s choice of attire also creates the contrast: “A dress down to the ground… Earrings too, gold and hanging down to her shoulders. Bracelets dangling and making noises” (Walker 317). This image helps create the distinction between the characters, as Dee is more flashy and sophisticated than Momma. Walker also describes a sense of underlying friction that exists between them as Momma tells how Dee, “burnt us with a lot of knowledge we didn’t necessarily need to know” (Walker 316). This is the first big clue Walker gives to the reader that there is not only a different perspective on heritage, but that it also has some existing tension attached to it.

Walker uses naming of her characters to further symbolize just how deep this friction between progressive and unsophisticated goes, with Dee’s initial greeting to Momma and Maggie, “Wa-sa-zo-Tean-o” (Walker 317). This moment represents the progressive side of heritage announcing its arrival to the unsophisticated side. Once the conversation starts between Momma and Dee, there is a correction made that lets the reader know just how determined Dee is to prove her progressive point using her new name: “Not ‘Dee,’ Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo” (Walker 318). This sharp correction on Dee’s part is also followed up with a sharp explanation: “I couldn’t bear it any longer being named after the people who oppress me” (Walker 318). The new name represents Dee’s attempt to connect with her African past, and disconnect from her lower class slave heritage. Momma, representing the unsophisticated side, fires back, “You know as well as I do you was named after your aunt Dicie,” showing that the name “Dee” is also still a part of her heritage (Walker 318).

Dee’s interest in Momma’s household objects also symbolizes the tension between unsophisticated and progressive, through the difference between Dee and Momma’s treatment towards them. As they sit down to eat collards and pork, Dee has an epiphany about the benches, saying “I never knew how lovely these benches are. You can feel the rump prints” (Walker 319). Walker is showing that Dee now appreciates things she did not really think about before, that have been used in the family for a long period of time. Another example of this appreciation comes with the churn top: “this churn top is what I need… Didn’t uncle Buddy whittle it out of a tree you all used to have?” (Walker 319). She follows with a demand: “And I want the dasher too” (Walker 319). In this passage, Walker reveals Dee’s longing for some part of the unsophisticated side of her heritage.

This theme continues with the quilts symbolizing heritage in the following passage: “Out came Wangero with two quilts. They had been pieced together by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and me” (Walker 320). Dee asks Momma if she could have the quilts because they had been stitched by hand by her previous family generations. Unfortunately for Dee, Momma has other plans for them, creating controversy between their two perspectives. Momma says to Dee, “I promised to give them quilts to Maggie” (Walker 320). Walker then uses Maggie’s character to explain the ways the different characters view heritage in the quilts, when Maggie says, “She can have them, Momma, I can remember Grandma Dee without the quilts” (Walker 321). Maggie does not need these objects to remember her heritage. However, Dee feels the need to hang them on the wall to be admired and remembered, and to show how far she has progressed in modern American society. In Momma’s more unsophisticated perspective, she wants to use the quilts for everyday use, by giving them to Maggie as she starts her life with her husband, even if this will eventually destroy them. This climactic event leaves the reader reflecting on which perspective is more “right” or “wrong” in terms of how to respect one’s heritage.

Although Walker offers two different perspectives on heritage, the common theme between them is that both perspectives want to respect the heritage that they come from. Heritage is an important aspect of life. It forms the foundation of our individual identity. It also helps us understand ourselves, encouraging us to understand others with different heritages. Dee makes the statement to Momma, “You just don’t understand” (Walker 321). Momma asks, “What don’t I understand” (Walker 321). Dee replies, “Your heritage” (Walker 321). Momma and Maggie’s definition of respecting their heritage comes in the form of the life that they live and how they want to use the household items that have been in their family for generations. Dee’s definition of respecting her heritage is personal progression through getting an education, sophisticated dress, and changing her name, while still celebrating her family items by having a special place for them. In her mind, she is respecting her heritage by making something of herself in modern American society, and relays this message to Maggie in the following passage: “You ought to try to make something of yourself, too, Maggie. It’s really a new day for us” (Walker 321).

I believe Dee to be “more right” in this story. There is an argument that Dee is being shallow and a phony to her heritage by turning her back on Momma’s more unsophisticated perspective. However, as Sam Whitsitt notes in his article, “In Spite of It All: A Reading of Alice Walker’s ‘Everyday Use,’” “But this turning away does not eclipse or erase a link to what one leaves behind” (Whitsitt 443). Dee has somewhat turned her back on this unsophisticated mindset, but she still revisits it and wants to hold on to part of it as she continues to progress in modern society. She even wants to help her sister progress with her. If it were not for progressive mindsets like Dee’s, her heritage would be completely lost over the course of time. That is why in this case, the means justifies the ends. 

Works Cited

Cowart, David. “Heritage and Deracination in Walker’s” Everyday Use”.” Studies in Short Fiction 33.2 (1996): 171-184.

Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.” In love & trouble: stories of black women. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1973.

Whitsitt, Sam. “In spite of it all: a reading of Alice Walker’s” everyday use”.” African American Review 34.3 (2000): 443-459.