NAVIGATING THE GLOBAL- Tori Brown
Sofia Coppola's film, "lost in translation" offers a perspective of the global world, highlighting globalisation and its impact on human nature. She uses the protagonists to examine the difficulties and faults humans make when navigating through modern codes of language, sexuality and building a connection in a alien culture. Her film evaluates an impossible relationship, infused with ambiguity, misinterpretations and tension, to comment on the constraints in a seemingly limitless world.
Both Charlotte and Bob already exist in a highly globalised world, with Bobs field of expertise, acting, constantly involved with connections overseas. Furthermore, Coppola emphasises this by placing them in one of the most
…show more content…
technologically advanced cities on the planet, Japan. However there are strong elements of the 'local' throughout the film, such as Charlotte’s trip to the shrine, her experience with traditional flower placement and navigating her way through traditional Kyoto where she observed a classic Japanese wedding. She also implements this idea visually, for example the comparisons between the highly urbanized city to the natural transverse shot of mount Fuji. Coppola purposely juxtaposes the synthetic 'western' age and deep-rooted tradition of Japan to establish the importance of relishing traditions in order to maintain identity as well as commenting on globalization's power to corrupt cultural aspects that make a country unique. While 'navigating' their way through Tokyo Japan, confronted by its inaccessibility, the protagonists are forced to look 'beneath the illuminated surfaced' and undergo a series of self-examination.
This is evident in the scene when Charlotte observes the city from the Hyatt skyscraper seemingly in a trance of questioning and uncertainty. The above shot camera angle composes her looking out the window in a fetal position which depicts her in a vulnerable state of isolation. The bustling city of Tokyo looks connected and collaborative; the 'insiders', therefore labeling her the alien. Casting her as confused and lost is justified continually throughout the film, for example the elongated takes of her in her hotel room listening to self-help tapes. She's aware she doesn’t quite 'fit in', resulting in the belief that something is wrong with *her*, not the isolating circumstance she’s been stranded in. This leads to her strive to 'fix' and improve who she is as a person. I have noticed this to be a reoccurring element of 'navigating the global' as we as humans have a distinctive desire to hunt for meaning and strive to better ourselves. This is projected throughout the film, but emphasised in the hotel bedroom scene when Charlottes admits her angst to Bob about not knowing 'what [she is] supposed to be' and Bobs admittance to his wife he wants to lead a better lifestyle over the phone- "I want to eat Japanese". Coppola demonstrates the idea that when people feel alienated by …show more content…
our surroundings, we tend to focus within and undergo an intense self-assessment. These insecurities of the protagonists when travelling in a country of ‘otherness’ is accentuated with the decision to eliminate subtitles.
This is parallel to the idea that *reality* has no subtitles, therefore for the audience to have an authentic appreciation of the alienation the characters are feeling, they must also be quite literally 'lost in translation'. This is a comment that Coppola is trying to engage with; people feel powerless when found in a situation they cannot fully comprehend. It is then obvious human behavior to search for a connection with anyone of familiarity when dumped into circumstances of isolation. One could assume that for this reason Bob and Charlotte's relationship was not a product of 'love at first sight' but due to their western similarities, they were doomed from the beginning and automatically drawn to each other to form an inevitable
bond. Coppola 'navigates' global discourses by focusing on late capitalist culture, alienation and dislocation. She successfully demonstrates a paradox between this highly connected globalised city and the alienation and isolation that follow. The protagonists can recognize a few western similarities (heavy advertising, movies, music) but ultimately, everything is 'not quite' just like home thus off-putting and a common source for ridicule. For example when Bob is a guest on a popular Japanese show, the extremeness of the hosts quirky personality and the bright jubilant set contrasts with Bobs subtle humor and dull appearance forming an uncomfortable atmosphere for Bob and a comical one for the audience. The enhanced technological connection made in the city is once again contrasted to the characters feelings of 'out of touch-ness' as they attempt to navigate elements of their normal life.
She has been traveling to these places since the late 90’s and early 2000’s. She has written multiple articles and filmed a great number of short films from an assorted amount of perspectives to fully grasp the essence of the turmoil in these areas. In this particular article and film, Murphy documents the personal aspects of a young girl and her troublesome life. Being a privileged, educated woman from Connecticut could cause emotions and bias to run rapped through Beth Murphy. She sees a more difficult and different situation than she has ever experienced, let alone imagine, and it creates thoughts and feelings because the situation is hard to comprehend. She spent days and hours with Pashtana and her family, how could she not develop an attachment to them and their story. Watching a young girl show so much passion for something we all dread is special and unique and Murphy was mesmerized by this intensity. Beth’s bias and investment in Pashtana and her family is what made the article and documentary all the more emotional and powerful. Murphy uses strong adjectives and and personal opinion to make the reader feel as though you spent as much time with Pashtana and that you know Pashtana as well as she did. Beth Murphy uses her bias and connection to this story to only enthrall the reader more and further make a point about
“Se Habla Español,” is written by a Latin author, Tanya Barrientos; and Amy Tan, a Chinese author, wrote “Mother Tongue”. In both literate narratives the authors write about their experiences with language and how it impacted their lives. In This essay we will be discussing the similarities as well as the differences in the stories and the authors of “Se Habla Español” and “Mother Tongue”. We will discuss how both authors use a play on words in their titles, how language has impacted their lives, how struggling with language has made them feel emotionally, and how both authors dealt with these issues.
As a young child, Rodriguez finds comfort and safety in his noisy home full of Spanish sounds. Spanish, is his family's' intimate language that comforts Rodriguez by surrounding him in a web built by the family love and security which is conveyed using the Spanish language. "I recognize you as someone close, like no one outside. You belong with us, in the family, Ricardo.? When the nuns came to the Rodriquez?s house one Saturday morning, the nuns informed the parents that it would be best if they spoke English. Torn with a new since of confusion, his home is turned upside down. His sacred family language, now banished from the home, transforms his web into isolation from his parents. "There was a new silence in the home.? Rodriguez is resentful that it is quiet at the dinner table, or that he can't communicate with his parents about his day as clearly as before. He is heartbroken when he overhears his mother and father speaking Spanish together but suddenly stop when they see Rodriguez. Thi...
[2] Missing is a rather confusing film to follow at first. Admittedly, I had to view it a few times to understand what was happening. Perhaps the initial feeling after seeing this film is confusion. However, after having watched it a second, fourth, eighth time, what I really felt was anger. Each time I watched the film, the anger and disgust would grow, so much so that it pained me to watch it again. However, in identifying the cause of my anger, I began to realize many things.
In his essay, “ Brooklyn Bridge,” the author explores the “appetite” of a particular New Yorker. This woman is described as staring,full of awe,at the New York Skyline from another borough. She is ambitious and sees New York as full of endless possibilities. Throughout the collection he portrays New York transplants or prospective residents as being driven by the longing to grab a piece of the city for themselves.This drive is a pattern that is repeated in these works of Whitehead. In his essay “Port Authority instead of focusing on the New York ideal of one individual Whitehead focuses on a body of people about to move to New York. Througout the collection Whitehead switches back and forth between focusing on an individual and focusing on a crowd. In this essay Whitehead also highlights the sameness within the people hustling and bustling in and out of Port Authority. He implies that the same quality of brokenness has led them all here, “They’re all broken somehow… Otherwise they would have come here differently,”(15). Even though they are all from different places and all have different destinations the essence of New York has drawn them all here. Colson’s account of the passengers shows that they are all feeling the same feelings of hope in regards to coming to New York. Although they all hope for different things the theme regarding the passengers is
The frustratingly reminiscent tone encompassed in Julia Alvarez’s “Bilingual Sestina” works to emphasize the author’s difficulties of assimilating into a new culture. When she looks back and reflects on her past memories in her hometown, she yearns for the same simplistic lifestyle. Correspondingly, the constant repetition of the six end words further expresses her conflictions as she must fuse together two different cultures to truly find her identity.
She must take note of the woman that she sees in the pattern to make sense of its mysteriousness: “Then in the very bright spots she keeps still, and in the very shady spots she just takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard.” Not only is this woman that is a core part of the misfit held in some sort of prison, so is Jane. In the “bright spots”, in view of her husband and other people, she must “stay still” and pretend she is alright. However, in the “shady spots”, when she is alone, Jane allows herself to let go and, thanks to the misfit, is able to be aware of the bars that surround her own life. This exact woman and the misfit that she is a part of, is the exact reason why Jane is even given the opportunity to escape the prison that makes up her current reality. The misfit, the yellow wallpaper, even lets the woman inside of it out of its grasp during the day: “It is the same woman, I know, for she is always creeping, and most women do not creep by daylight.” Just as the misfit is abnormal and doesn’t conform, this woman shares the same traits and she has become a part of the misfit. Jane is aware of the fact that creeping by daylight is abnormal, just like the misfit. In the beginning Jane most likely would not have accepted this behavior. Now Jane even admits to creeping, just not in plain sight.
Shire, D. (2011). The Conversation: Interview with Francis Ford Coppola and David Shire [Blu-ray]. Studiocanal.
Since God creates the tower of Babel, human race is separated into many distinct societies due to the inabilities to communicate. Each differs from one another by its own culture, language, ethnicity, etc. Moreover, in all societies, each individual has difference sex, physical and psychological abilities, etc. Nevertheless, regardless of all the differences among men, it is often claimed that human experience is universal. In Babel, a movie portrays the nature of humankind by illustrating the life of people who are very distinct from each other within interconnected storylines. This film demonstrates the evidences of all human experience life in a fundamentally similar way such as the tendency to give up everything for their loved ones, sexual lust and regret.
Cheech Marin’s film, Born in East L.A., spotlights many key issues brought upon mainly by immigration. This comedic production hits the hearts to many because while it may be humorous, it is also a reality to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide and so it hits close to home to many. Immigration is the main topic of this motion picture, but I want to focus on one subdivision of it only; language. The linguistic barriers in between a border is evident in the movie and especially a reality in our world.
In Wim Wenders’ 1984 film, Paris, Texas, we find its theme of loneliness harboured in Travis Henderson, but very much so in the film’s imagery, eloquently captured by Dutch cinematographer, Robby Müller, “When I choose to work on a film, the most important thing to me is that it is about human feelings. I try to work with directors who want their films to touch the audience.” And his imagery does just that in Paris, Texas.
Using both English and Spanish or Spanglish the author Gloria Anzaldua explores the physical, cultural, spiritual, sexual and psychological meaning of borderlands in her book Borderlands/La Frontera: A New Mestiza. As a Chicana lesbian feminist, Anzaldua grew up in an atmosphere of oppression and confusion. Anzaldua illustrates the meaning of being a “mestiza”. In order to define this, she examines herself, her homeland and language. Anzaldúa discusses the complexity of several themes having to do with borderlands, mestizaje, cultural identity, women in the traditional Mexican family, sexual orientation, la facultad and the Coatlicue state. Through these themes, she is able to give her readers a new way of discovering themselves. Anzaldua alerts us to a new understanding of the self and the world around us by using her personal experiences.
Gloria Anzaldula is a Mexican-American writer who wrote “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” Through this chapter, Anzaldula voices her views on language, and what it means to her. Anzaldua states “a language which they can connect their identity to” (Anzaldua 530). She is multi-lingual and believes that her languages are not only a part of who
Unlike any other movie, Gasper Noe’s Irreversible (2002), with his own unusual but unique way of telling a story, shows how violence roots from love, how pain roots from pleasure, how imagination roots from reality and how death roots from life. This movie focuses Marcus and Pierre’s battle with the illusion of justice to avenge Marcus’ girlfriend, Alex, from her atrocious fate. And beginning this with the ending, Gasper Noe has created not just a realistic and powerful movie but has explained, as well, what it means
In the "Cultural Implication for Translation" by Kate James, the author describes how translation is an activity which deals with at least two cultures, which makes translators face the problem of how to treat the cultural aspects of a source text and how successfully conveying these aspects in the target text. These problems vary according to how big the difference between the two languages is. Also, the aims of the source text will have implications for translation as well as the readers of both source text and target text.