Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Masculinity in films essay
Masculinity in film dissertation
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Masculinity in films essay
In the film “Gran Torino” violence and the use of revenge is needed to help protect those who can not do it themselves. Walt does not really want to help at first but will change with time as he knows his time is short. In the film Walt has to reconcile his guilt for his past experiences in war and life. Walt is trying to establish tranquility and safety in his neighborhood that is suffer from gang violence and is falling apart. He does this by his actions of eventually helping those in the neighborhood by building it up and getting revenge on those who have wronged the vulnerable in society. He is able to reach out to those in his community even though they are completely different than him and is able to promote the general welfare of the community. He is able to …show more content…
This respect is needed if he is able to help them from their troubles. Masculinity is shown by Walt and is needed to help things get done for the community. Walt takes the time to help Thao learn what it means to be a man as he gains in self-confidence. Walt uses Thao to help repair various things around the neighborhood. These qualities are something that is lacking in Thao’s family as their father is absent. Walt also helps Thao understand what the American dream is all about. For Thao and many other Americans, this is getting a decent job, car, and a girlfriend. Thao is able to achieve these things with the help from Walt. Walt is able to crossover the many barriers that are between him and his Asian neighbors and is able to help them out when they are in trouble. In the genre of war film’s, Walt is faced with a challenge he must overcome and he does this by fighting to his death to make things right and better for the next generation. The challenge he faces is the falling apart of American society and the growth of problems from violence by gangs. Walt has faced the problems and horrors of war and is willing to make up for
He was taught at an early age to think about others and to care for the needs of those around him.
Walter wants financial freedom, he doesn't want just enough money to provide for his family, but rather he tells his mother "I want so many things. " Walter is materialistic and greedy, corrupted by a superficial “American dream”. Walter has no desire to find out about himself through his African American heritage. He believes he can define himself through money, money is everything to this man.
his honesty. In comparison to all of the politicians, he is by far one of the
...ontrol of his personal ambitions to benefit the whole or in Walter's case the family. Certainly it would be unfair for Walter give up his aspirations. The issue is whether Walter can distinguish between a fantasy of reality and a dream deferred.
Daily, the public is bombarded with violence, not only on television, but also in other media, such as newspapers and tabloids. Natural Born Killers, a prime example of violence in the media, is a movie about two lovers, Mickey and Mallory Knox, who go on a killing spree across the Southwest. The movie takes a satirical look at how the media romanticizes violent crimes. Natural Born Killers has sparked a lot of controversy, as seen in the opposing views of Richard Corliss and Richard A. Blake.
Stereotyping, racial slurs, and labeling and norms are seen and used on a daily basis and can be observed in virtually any aspect of life, from race to religion. These aspects are used repeatedly throughout the popular movie “Gran Torino.” Clint Eastwood plays the raunchy character Walt Kowalski, a Korean War Veteran, whose memories from the war continue to haunt him. His values, and beliefs lead him to pass judgment upon others that he encounters. He doesn’t seem to get along with anyone in his decaying Detroit neighborhood but an unlikely bond with his Hmong neighbors lead him to redemption, coming face-to-face with the same catastrophic bias’s consuming the community gang members that have consumed him.
“…And aside from being a force of nature, he’s a pretty good guy.” As said by Robert Parker, introducer of speakers at a benefit, Voices Louder Than Words, at Harvard. (P.R. 1 Pg. 161)
An example of this is when Walt saves Thao from the Hmong gang who are trying to take him away and Walt comes out threatening them. All the people of the Hmong community believe Walt is a hero and deliver food, flowers, and gifts to his door as thanks. As a retired veteran who fought for his country, other Americans only look him at as a grumpy old man. The most amazing part of this film is the conclusion. Walt sacrifices his life for the Hmong community to be able to live peacefully in their neighborhood and so that Thao and Sue can better than lives without the bad influence of the Hmong gang constantly harassing them. The cultural differences are ever-changing throughout the movie and in the beginning Walt comes from this individualistic culture and he doesn’t care much for those around him with the changing times, but at the end, after he becomes close with Sue and Lor and the entire Hmong community he also learns the importance of the collectivism
Gran Torino is a fascinating film which projects racial prejudice and celebrates the journey in overcoming racism through the development of a personal relationship
...the deeds done for your family. Instead of choosing to give up the home his mother purchased for the family Walter stands up and chooses not only a better home for his family but also a better life. He chooses to keep a place his mother purchased that went against his dreams to provide his son with a real home and in doing so he finally and truly understood what it was to have his manhood restored.
Walter attempts to reinvent himself through his work and relationships to try and provide for his wife and family. Walter is fighting a battle within his household because he believes that Ruth, his wife, “couldn’t be on [his] side that long for nothing,” even though she is just trying to do what is best for everyone involved (Hansberry 32). Walter cannot see past his dream to realize the impact it would have on everyone else if it failed, so he drowns his sorrows in alcohol. Although “he knows the possibility of failure is also a vital part of the American success story” Walter is not just risking his own future, he is risking his child’s, mother’s and sister’s and without a second thought to his personal relationships, he blindly makes an investment on the chance of having the wealth and house he desires for everyone (Washington 98). Walter is so focused on reinventing his work life and having money that he loses sight of his family’s values and ideas. He does not care about Ruth being pregnant and the possibility of aborting their child as long as he can achieve his goals. Walter is living in a dream where he believes that “anyone can become anything he wants to be,” and that is not true in his case with the social and racial standards that are set against him (Washington 95). Walter sees wealth as ensuring happiness and having everything he desires, which is why he is pushing his family so hard for the money, causing issues. Even though all the odds are set against him in this time period, Walter cannot see past being able to provide for his family and having the American Dream that he most
Gran Torino is a suspense film directed by Clint Eastwood, which portrays the relationship between a 78-year-old Koran war veteran and his neighbors who are from Laos. The main character, Walt is a racist who still has memories from the horrors of war and has a dislike for anyone, including his own family. After his young neighbor Thao is coerced by his cousin’s gang into stealing Walt’s prized Gran Torino, a unusual relationship forms between the pair. Walt starts to respect Thao and his culture while fulfilling a fatherly role that Thao is lacking. Eventually, Walt has to confront the gang knowing that the confrontation will end in his death. Apart from the stereotypical, get off my lawn quote, this film depicts the relationship of family concerning the care for older adults, the struggle with despair and meaning later in life, and the morality of a good death. This paper will address each of these themes.
The film “Gran Torino” shows us the growth of a person and the relationships and actions that led to this growth. Walt changes a lot – he overcomes his cultural differences with the Hmong family and his strong bond with them helps him find redemption. He dies satisfied with his life. For me the film gives a message that if a person is not at peace he or she could not achieve self-actualization. I think that we find ourselves through changes. The challenges and the constant struggle for what we need and what we have never had helps us improve. As we accept the challenges that life gives us and the people around us, we find peace with ourselves, just as Walt did.
All of that are just accomplishments to him. What really is amazing is how he started from scratch, he made friends in the production business and he worked his way to the top. He is a perfect example of the American dream. He is an American icon to be modeled after. Walt had many failures and he kept trying and trying till he prevailed. Once you see his accomplishments and how successful he was and then you read his biography, you will understand how he represents the American dream. There is nothing individualistic about him or his parks. Walt’s goal was to create a world where you can dream and think. You can have faith that one day your prince charming will come or that you may save the world but it is on a smaller scale than that, it is closer to reality. Your husband or wife is that prince or princess and you rescue them from a certain stage or a stagnant part in their life. If you’re a father or mother, you are your children’s superhero. That is the view that he is trying to prove to
The ‘Gran Torino’ symbolizes Walt's belief that hard work and integrity earns you what you want in life. Ironically, Thao Hmong, a neighbour of Kowalski, attempts to steal this symbol, and in doing so puts in motion his eventual earning of its inheritance. As the the pair bond, each begin to understand each others’ values and beliefs. Aside from symbolising the unity of multiculturalism, this relationship allows Thao to learn that the car represents the integrity and respect that comes from those who earn it, not demand it. As Walt begins to see this change in Thao, he rewards him by slowly trusting him with the Gran Torino, washing it, driving it on a date, an obviously symbolic gesture of trust. Finally, Walt handing over his legacy, the Gran Torino, to Thao near the end of the film, is a symbolic gesture of his acceptance of multiculturalism. He became more open to a racially equal neighbourhood, and a racially equal America. Meanwhile, the film showcases the power of the individual by introducing new meanings to one’s salvation that can be realized through America’s multicultural promise.