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Thatcherism explained in simple english
Thatcherism explained in simple english
Thatcherism explained in simple english
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The film, Billy Elliot, is about the social and personal crisis and the everyday life during the era of Margaret Thatcher. It is also about the social differences and stereotypes which still exist in the society. In this research paper I will analyse various roles in the family and the relationships of the characters in Billy Elliot during era of Thatcherism. I will focus on Billy’s relationships with people who somehow influence him from his grandmother to his ballet trainer.
We can explore the political and cultural background of Thatcherism to understand the events in the film. Margaret Thatcher was the first and only woman Prime Minister of the UK. During her three mandates there were many radical changes in every field of English economy, society and politics. Her era is called Thatcherism. Her policy contained privatisation; reduction of the power of the local governments, reduce the role of Trade Union, and reconstruction of the Welfare State. With these arrangements she and her colleagues created a very sharp North-South divide in England. The unemployment rate was higher in the North than the other parts of the country. Thatcher’s one thought was the coal mines were not economical so it would be a project to close the miners and the factories which were related to the coal mining. The miners did not really agree this theory and in 1984/5 the miners were on the strike.
The film is set in a fictional town, Everington, in Durham County. This is one of the towns which are included in strikes. It is a heavy-industry town where the strike has no point. The miners who go back to work in the mine are scabs. Billy’s, the main character’s father and brother work in the local mine. They try to cope with the current e...
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...can reach our dreams if we fight for them and we do not give up because we do not reach our aims right away. We can see scenes which from we can learn if we think about the meanings and whys and try to understand why and what happens. We can get many from this film.
Works Cited
Billy Elliot. Dir. Stephen Daldry. Perf. Jamie Bell, Gary Lewis, Julie Walters. Universal Focus, BBC Films, 2000.
Chodorow, Nancy. The Reproduction of Mothering. London: University of California Press, Ltd., 1978.
French, Sean. "I enjoyed Billy Elliot." New Statesman [1996] 27 Nov. 2000: 28. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.
Johnson, Norman. Reconstructing the Welfare State. A Decade of Change 1980-1990. Herdfordshire: Harvester Wheatsheaf,1990.
Romney, Jonathan. "Hovis ad." New Statesman [1996] 2 Oct. 2000: 45. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.
The movie Matewan takes place during 1920 in Mingo County, Matewan, West Virginia. The theme of the movie is laborers unionizing across race and national origin in the face of strikebreakers, infiltrators, accusations of communism and violence. The men of the town are employed by the Stone Mountain Coal Company as miners. The miners dislike the treatment they receive from the coal operators and try to form a union to address their wages. The townsfolk create a union when the the price per coal goes down to 90 cents a tonne. The miners go on a strike. The coal company brings in strikebreakers who are African American men from Alabama. When the strikebreakers arrive in town, they are attacked by the union members. A worker for United Mine Workers witness the attack and decides to take up residency in
One theme the story leaves us is that always chase your dreams no matter how hard it is and if you fail just stand up and try again.
2. Billy Elliot is set in north-eastern England during the 1984-1985 coal miners' strike, this is very important to acknowledge because it has a great impact on Billy & his circumstances. It is seen that Billy & his family live in the lower income sectors or England where there are no trees or grass & everything looks very dull & grey, also all the houses are very close together, in the neighborhood & time that Billy lives, the people do not seem very friendly or open minded as they are very angry with whole aspect of the mining strike. We know that these people are not open minded because they attack & ridicule the people who are going back to the mines & call them "scabs". This shows that the people are narrow minded & judgmental. This all adds to Billy's struggle as it would be very difficult for him to openly be a male ballet dancer when everyone expects him to fulfill the expectations of doing "boxing or wrestling or football" like his father openly says. It is very evident that because of these people's narrow mindedness, they are very stereotypical of male ballet dancers in thinking that they are homosexual, where as this is not at all the case with Billy & it is a struggle for him to prove that it is possible for a male to do ballet & not be homosexual in any way. Also there is a lot going on around him as his family is very involved with the mining strikes, as both his brother & his father are miners, this...
In one particular scene, director was truly a great one, featuring special focus on his dad life and the Colorado River. It was so cool to highlights of the movie by one of his favorite poem written by his dad when he was born, the Important Place. Also, this film was a good length, not excessively long but long enough to tell the story. This is really important today there were no such unwanted scene in the film, which literary the most closely and accurately delivered. In my opinion, this film is forced to possess the characters of a great aspect, and turns to make for quite the adventurous. There was no special character encounter rather than his dad, learned something from the secret Colorado River. Another great aspect of the film was the special footage that were introduce in this film was an enjoyable aspect to be a good documentary film, and that’s how this film is different from the rest.
The movie teaches us to look beyond the cover and into who someone is as a person. We also learn that sometimes contact with people makes us reconsider our judgement towards them, to find out the real person underneath.
Dir. Julie Taymor. Perf. Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 1999.
Thirdly, the setting of the story is set in Salinas, California. Ironically, the author was born in Salinas. It is the time of the Great Depression and middle-class has been hit hard. The story begins in Weed, a California mining town.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Britain was going through a difficult time and the Government was facing many problems; a lack of free markets, the public’s lack of support and a failing economy. People were unhappy and unsatisfied and for many people living in Britain, Margaret Thatcher was the reason why.
Hamlet. Dir. Franco Zeffirelli. Perf. Mel Gibson and Glenn Close. 1990. Warner Bros., 2004. DVD.
make us see exactly what he wants us to and this film is a very good
‘Billy Elliot’ is a classic story, set in 1984 in Northern England. It is about a boy who discovers a passion for dancing. The film brings out a strong message of being true to yourself and overcoming conflict but ultimately it is also a story of persistence. The film techniques in ‘Billy Elliot’ enhance the audiences view on Billy’s story by using a variety of techniques such as sound, lighting, acting and editing.
Goldman, Emma. The Social Significance of the Modern Drama. Berkeley. Edu, n.d. Web. 09 May 2012.
Also, in order to fully understand the meaning of this film we must answer two
The setting is very important to the story because it allows the reader to identify where the story takes place. The town is full of miners: “Miners, single, trailing and in groups, passed like shadows diverging home” (798). The miners are going back home after a hard day at work.
To conclude, I think this movie is a good example to show how a homeless person lived and how he survived his life from being a homeless. Throughout all his life he showed what can determination do even though there are obstacles in the way. Doing is best paid off his hardships. So from dreaming big, be determined on what you're trying to do, and be responsible on things will make you succeed in the future.