Modernism and Cinema

Identity in The Jazz Singer. Jakie is placed between various identities and worlds, most notably religion and theater, and the community of recent Jewish immigrants and the more secularized, assimilated, diverse world of show business. Develop a thesis statement that explores some of these complexities of identity in The Jazz Singer.

How do the racist traditions of minstrelsy and blackface (performance styles developed by white Americans mocking African-Americans in songs and skits), fit in to Jakie's identity struggles or help him mediate between various worlds? Does the film seem in any way to acknowledge or be aware of the racism of the minstrel tradition? If not, how does it seem to view minstrel performance?

I would suggest focusing your study on one or two important scenes of the film. You will probably want to do a bit of further research on minstrelsy before you write this paper. The documentaries Ethnic Notions and Blacking Up on Kanopy are useful starting places, and there are good resources available both in the library and online.

Mother and Son in The Jazz Singer. Jakie Rabinowitz/Jack Robin has a very strong bond with his mother. He even sings two songs about mothers on stage.

Develop an argument about what this relationship represents in the film. and perhaps also about how Jakie's mother Sara Rabinowitz is depicted. Some ideas: you might want to analyze the lyrics of the two songs he sings with mother themes, consider how his girlfriend fits into this picture, or analyze the performance of the actor who plays his mother Sara, Eugenie Besserer.

You might also want to expand slightly outward from this topic to consider a few related themes: does Jakie feel guilt and/or shame about his family? How do we know? What role does his mother play in the family dynamics? What symbols of the relationship are used in the film and why are these particular symbols chosen?

essay, 5-7pages (double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins)