Paper #2: Youth Culture After watching the film, “Rebel Without a Cause”, there’s two questions that I believe that I can answer thoroughly: “What is the main theme of “Rebel Without a Cause?”, and “Why do you think the film takes place in 24 hours?”. Starting off with the overall/main theme of the film, self-identity. In the film the main character, Jim Stark, was one of the many young boys in this complicated world who was struggling to find who he was. Everyone, including himself, knew that he was a troublemaker, but he could never seem to put a finger on exactly why. Of course Jim isn't exactly an angel as getting through trouble is sometimes a two way road, but it also wasn’t always his fault. I will say that he did cause his family to …show more content…
Then there’s his mother, Carol, who wears the pants of the family, the dominant one. Moving to a new home and a new area can be tough on anyone, but especially a young teenager like Jim. It’s not easy finding a whole new friend group, or even one person to accept you for who you are. Before that can happen though, you need to know who you are as a person. Once you figure out who you are, what makes you happy, and who you want to surround yourself with, you’re golden. This film represents a perfect example of the many possible struggles someone can face in life while trying to find who they are. I know I’ve already touched base on the main character, Jim Stark, but now I want to give some of the other characters the spotlight. The other character in this film that truly made the biggest change, in my opinion, would be Judy. In the beginning of the film Judy was a troubled lady who was getting in trouble alongside her boyfriend, Buzz. Buzz was the leader of his own high-school gang, stirring up some sort of trouble on a daily basis. Judy always seems to have a negative attitude and outlook on a lot of things, including Jim when they first
The purpose of this paper is to analyze a movie and list five sociological concepts outlined in our textbook, Sociology A Down-To-Earth Approach, 6th edition by James M. Henslin, which was published by Pearson Education, Inc in 2015, 2013, and 2011. I have chosen the movie, “The Breakfast Club.” This is a 1985 movie directed by John Hughes. It is about five high school students that have detention on a Saturday for nine hours. The five students are played by, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, and Anthony Michael Hall. These five students are deviant in their own particular ways and have different stereotypes. Eventually the students share personal information about their
Rebel Without a Cause calls attention to society’s obsession over hyper masculinity, fears of overly dominant women, homosexuality, and juvenile “delinquency” during the 1950s. Popularity of suburban life arose – along with the necessity to fit in. Accompanying the pressures of gender roles were also the rise of alcoholism, depression, anxiety, and rage. Moreover, the film explores the conflicts that lied within teenagers because of the social standards that were forced upon them.
In the movie Rebel Without a Cause, the characters portray many characteristics of a teenager living in the Atomic Age post World War II as well as modern day society; with little guidance it appears the youth of America feels lost and alone. This movie was released in 1955 and was recorded in California. This was the last film that James Dean ever starred in; which was a devastating blow to such a blossoming young man’s career and superstardom.
One of the major themes that are presented throughout the whole entire movie is the dysfunctional relationship between one of the characters and their fathers. The movie portrays father figures as problematic which then shape the actions and the characters themselves as the movie progresses. We can see all three dynamics of the father figure presented through Jim, Judy, and Plato. Through Jim, the father figure that he is presented with is a father who is weak allows himself to be walked on by Jim¡¯s mother and grandmother. Judy¡¯s father, on the other hand, is quite the opposite of Jim¡¯s father in that he is the overbearing, masculine, and insensitive. Lastly, we see the absence of a father figure in the life of Plato which completes the list from all three sides.
Back in the 1950’s the idea of masculinity was a loosely-defined term. It was a time in which the country was dealing with men returning from years at war and struggling to assimilate back into society. As a result, many were forced with the challenge of being the breadwinner of the family while maintaining what were considered conventional fatherly characteristics of that time. Rebel Without a Cause challenges this notion through the portrayal of Jim’s father Frank Stark. Frank is not the typical post-world war two breadwinner of a father, rather, Carol Stark provides for the family. Additionally, Frank lacks the ability to stand up to his wife, something Jim longs for. As a result, Frank lacks the ability to control his own son. Jim’s insecurities about his father further influence his impulsive nature. We first see this when the teenagers take a field trip to the planetarium. Jim is approached by Buzz and his friends who start clucking like a chicken. At first Jim doesn’t want any trouble, but after Buzz kicks Plato, a switch goes off in his head and a fight breaks out. Acting on impulse, Jim yells, “All right--you want it, you got it!” (Stern). Jim’s impulsive nature and need to prove himself gets him into even more trouble when he agrees to a chicken-run with Buzz. Jim doesn’t want to race, but does not back down as his pride is questioned. This feeling of peer pressure is one that is all too familiar with any teenager. When Jim asks his father for advice on the situation, he replies, You know I never stop you from anything. In ten years you'll look back on this and wish you were a kid again” (Stern). Unsatisfied with his father’s answer, Jim storms out of the house as his desperate father tries to reason with him. The chicken-race that follows is a great illustration of masculinity, for what is more masculine than loud, powerful American automobiles.
Good parenting is one of the most important factors to well behaved teenagers. Well, in Nicholas Ray 's 1955 film Rebel without a Cause, the lack of good parenting is the underlying cause of all the major events. This movie is set in the suburbs of Los Angeles, where Jim Stark and his family just recently moved in. In order to give him a fresh start, his parents think that it’s the town is what gives him problems. It is due to this lack of good parenting that teenagers such as Jim, Judy, and Plato are so rebellious and misguided with their behavior. The opening scene of the movie has Jim, Plato, and Judy at the police station being held in custody due to their unlawful actions. When Jim’s parents show up at the police station they are not very worried about what he has done, but rather prefer argue over opposing views on how to handle the situation. In the meanwhile Judy is picked up by her mother, which only worsens her father issues. As for Plato the absence of his mother shows how there is not much care for him. Parents are usually the ones children look up to for guidance and inspiration and without them teenagers will usually spiral out of control and into many different problems.
Rebel Without a Cause is an unconventional story with a conventional, classical approach to storytelling. The film follows the seven traits of Classical Hollywood Cinema and is adapted to the hybridization of film noir, which was primarily a style of B movies, and teen drama films, which was newly emerging in the 50s.
Rebel without a Cause is a powerful performance that demonstrates the struggles of an all-American, middle-class family. James Dean, Natalie Wood, and San Mineo are remarkable actors that play significant roles of adolescent characters in the film. This tale is based on teenagers that have troubled lives due to the ignorance of their parents. The main message the film portrays is that children’s behaviour is influences by their parents and their parenting skills. There are several themes in this film, however the predominant theme is that conflict within the family can encourage disaffected youth.
The Anti-Federalists were not in favor of ratifying the new Constitution. Some Anti-Federalists wanted to keep the Articles of Confederation, others wanted to add some things and change some things in the new Constitution before they agreed to ratify it. Some very important Anti-Federalist’s were Patrick Henry, George Mason, and Richard Henry Lee. Anti-Federalists tended to be poorer and in lower classes than the Federalists. These people feared a central government and were afraid that the government proposed by the new Constitution could easily turn into a tyranny. The Federalists argued that the United States needed a strong central government in order to stand a chance against foreign powers, amongst other reasons that were all beneficial
The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson (with the help of Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, as well as many others), was signed on July 1st, 1776 in Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence to appeal to the British Parliament and King and explain why the American Colonies wanted independence from England. Thomas Jefferson and the other delegates from the Second Continental Congress agreed that, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator certain unalienable rights” (p. 112) which became the base for nearly all of the points made in the document. Logical and emotional statements were used throughout the document to make impactful statements that would convince the audience of the seriousness of the matters they were presenting.
Brassy fanfares, sweet flute melodies, and intense strings. These are the types of music that are used in the film “Rebel Without a Cause”. This film was released in 1955. James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo star as the lead characters of Jim Stark, Judy, and John "Plato" Crawford. The orchestra music for “Rebel Without a Cause” serves three functions: it reflects the emotions of the teens, it acts as element of the mise-en-scène, and it causes the audience to feel a particular emotion.
Richard Yate’s novel, Revolutionary Road, is an exploration of those people living in American suburbia during the 1950’s. It provides commentary about their struggles, their achievements, and the overall absurdity of the era. He describes a society that is still very much affected by a post-war mindset, and a return to more traditional gender roles that had been discarded during World War II. It created an era that emphasised conformity and sameness, holding onto its sense of security at any expense. While this new conventionality affected all members of American society, it touched women especially. He stresses this through the character of April Wheeler, through her
John Beckett mentions that the Glorious Revolution has been considered a historical event related to the political issues. The main target of this historical event was to create a commercial freedom in Europe. After this revolution was done, trade relations in Europe went up, and the Bill of Rights was also created in 1689. Today, the Bill of Rights is shown and known that it was the first building stone for the British constitution because it limited the monarchic power. During the eighteenth century, the period of the Age of Enlightenment is considered between 1713 and 1789 because Anthony Pagden states that Europe was like a republic of states, and it was like a union acting together and talking with one voice. The Age of Enlightenment
In every society, there is conformity and nonconformity, although we may not notice it. Conformity is when someone is doing the same thing as others because they do not want to be the only one doing differently. Example, if there was a whole class raising their hands would you want to be the only one with your hand down, no so you would raise it with the rest of the class to not look like you don't know anything. This is called social pressures it when a large group is doing something and you're the only one not then you want to be doing whatever that large group is doing.
This chapter talks about social change and how it happens and the theories behind social movements. The five essay questions at the end of this chapter are answered below.