Culture Through Cinema
Watch 3 movies and write 3 descriptions of one's impressions.
How to write your two-page essays: carefully reread the essay prompt and write your comments using Microsoft Word.
Essay must be two pages in length, double-spaced, size 12 font.
Culture through Cinema Essay Prompts for Fall 2016:
Europa, Europa: Obviously, thankfully, much has changed in Europe since the events that take place in this movie. However, Solek is in many ways typical of what occurred on a large scale in Europe during World War II. He is a young Jewish man displaced by the horror of the Nazi persecution of his people. He subsequently lives in Poland and Russia, but ultimately returns to his true and most important cultural identity as a Jew. He is the product of many cultural influences: German, Jewish, Polish, Russian, Communist, and even National Socialist. Comment on how, when necessary, the human being can be culturally adaptable but that just as often a single cultural influence can override all others. How did this happen in the film? It is true that Solek managed to live a double life, but why do you think this young man couldn't or wouldn't completely renounce and forget his identity as a Jew when doing so would have been so much easier? What might you have done in his place?
Culture through Cinema Essay Prompts for Fall 2016:
Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas) : To answer this question, you will need to review quickly (Google and/or Wikipedia) what the Christmas truce of 1914 is and who was involved in World War I. Also, consider the word "fraternity"-(not in the college context of Greek life, but rather its broader meaning of brotherhood). In the film, discuss what triggers the fraternization/mixing between soldiers of different sides. Think back to specific instances that lead to fraternization (the reasons why they come together). Which scene of fraternization is the most striking (or moving) to you personally? Explain why. Also, consider those soldiers who did not want to fraternize with others from a different side. What do you make of their position?
Culture through Cinema Essay Prompts for Fall 2016:
Rabbit-Proof Fence: The story of the colonization of Australia by Europeans parallels that of the conquest of North America. The Aboriginal people of Australia, like the North American Indians, were, in many cases, displaced from their homelands and forced to adopt a European language and cultural norm as their own. Today, many Australian aboriginal groups suffer high rates of alcoholism and incarceration, living in conditions similar to those that may be found in on some reservations in North America. How might the policies of conquest and forced cultural and linguistic assimilation, such as when the three young girls are taken from their home and placed in a boarding school, have contributed to the loss of ancient cultures and languages in both Australia and North America? Did forced removal of children from their families occur here in North America as well? Are the high crime rates, unemployment, and alcoholism prevalent in some Indian and Aborigine communities today connected to the destruction of their cultures? How so? Do you think that authority figures such as Commissioner Neville truly had the well-being of his "charges" in mind? If necessary, do a quick bit of research on the topic before answering.
Length : 2 pages.