MYTHS & HEROES : THE AMERICAN DREAM

This cartoon has been published in 2008 in the newspaper Rocky Mountain News, drawn by Edstein.

There are three characters, which are a father and his children. The scene takes place in the living-room. The father is sitting on a armchair. Next to him, there is a table with a lamp on top of it. A framed picture is hung on the wall as well. That's a african-american family and the father is telling his son and his daughter that in America, they can grow up to be anything they want and that this time, it's true. 

The last sentence refers to the 2008 presidential election, won by Barack Obama, who is the first black president of the United State. The latter proves that it's possible for black people to be anything they want, even president. 

During the 1960's, there was the Civil Rights Movement, with its famous leader Martin Luther King trying to end the racial segregation. But even if they fought for it, the defacto segregation in North and de jure segregation in South were still existing.

Nowadays, de jure segregation has disappeared completely and the defacto segregation has been reduced a lot. 

It is a very positive and optimistic cartoon because the father's words are full of hope. He dreams about the end of the discrimination.

This one has been done in 2014 by a cartoonist who is named Andy Marlette. Published in the News Journal, this cartoon is composed of four frames. 

In each one, a black boy is showing his father the headline of a newspaper. In the first frame, the headline is about Trayvon and the father answers he is sorry but that's just Sanford. In the second one, it's about Jordan Davis and the man says the same thing except for the last word "Florida". On the third one, Eric Garner is related to New York and in the last one, Michael Brown, he says "America".

Why the last name, Michael Brown, represents America ? This man was the last victim in a long series of police brutality and did up in murder against black people and he was the last traw that breaks the camel's back. Therefore, this issue has been extended little by little in the whole country which is still plagued by the race question. 

Whereas the fist cartoon was optimistic, this one is the opposite because it shows that discrimination and violence against black people still exists in every state of North America. 

The shooting of Michael Brown occurred on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri, a northern suburb of St. Louis. Brown, an 18-year-old black man, was fatally shot by Darren Wilson, 28, a white Ferguson police officer. The disputed circumstances of the shooting of the unarmed man sparked existing tensions in the predominantly black city, where protests and civil unrest erupted. The events received considerable attention in the U.S. and elsewhere, attracted protesters from outside the region, and generated a vigorous debate about the relationship between law enforcement and African Americans as well as created a national dialogue about police use of force doctrine in Missouri and nationwide.

This cartoon, made by Steve Sack and published in Star Tribune in 2014, is an echo of the latter picture because it deals with the same issue : the series of police brutality and murders. 

We can see three groups of people. On the left, there is a cameraman  with a bag where is written "MEDIA"who is shooting a scene. In the middle, there's a policeman of Ferguson, (the city's name appears on his bulletproof vest) who is pointing the third group, composed of black people, with his gun. Both of these two latter groups are screaming "DON'T SHOOT". 

Actually, the word "shoot" has a doble meaning in this picture. The policeman says it refearing to filming whereas the "shoot" said by black people means "fire a bullet". 

The criticism is about policemen who allow themself to be violent and do not respect laws that they are supposed to represent. 

Of course, they don't want to be on camera while they put their autority to a bad use. Therefore it's quite clear that in this issue, the media plays a big part because it exposes them and informs the population.

Unlike the other cartoon which is very negative, this one uses a play on words and a certain situation comedy in order to make people aware of what happens. Even if they illustrate the same problem, this one is more comprehensible and in my opinion, more effective.

"You don’t want to die in a matter of seconds because of cops.” This has fueled the Black Lives Matter movement across the country and has put the American Dream for our younger generations into better perspective.

Contrary to all the others, this time it's a photograph taken in 2016. It tackles the same issue of the Ferguson case but less with a criticism than with a protest march. We can notice a large number of citizens and in the middle, a placard catches our attention : "Black Lives Matter" is the slogan. We can also make out another catchword which is "We Want Justice". 

All of them deprecate brutality against black people in which police men are involved. They gather so as to fight for all victims and to end the racial discrimination. For them, black lives matter as much as white lives. This protest march must approve the idea of equality and they definitely believe that black people need to be respected just as any other citizen. Indeed they deserve to be considered equal to white people, since we are all the same inside. Martin Luther King said once that "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that; hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that". And it is precisely what we can see in this photograph, white people reunited to fight for black people's rights and equality. 

MYTHS AND HEROES : THE AMERICAN DREAM

Definition of The American Dream : The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, the set of ideals (Democracy, Rights, Liberty, Opportunity, and Equality) in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers.

First of all, it would seem that the word which comes first to americans' mind is "Opportunity". The latter is at 20% the first choice and at 15% the second. We can deny the importance of the success in the american culture and the possibility to try what they want.

"Opportunity is followed by the idea of Freedom with 19% of people who think about this word at first and 14% secondly. It's a well-know fact that America seems a country of rights, where everybody is free. Actually, it's not quite real, it would be more a myth. That's why lots of people believe that the american dream is the representation of freedom. Then, the third important aspect of the answer is Family's ideal. It's the third word chosen by americans in their first choice (with 17%) but it's the most chosen in second choice (with 19%). Other ideas are revealed like Financial security, Happiness, a good job, and so on. 

This document reveals a different and more realistic americans' point of view about The American Dream. On the one hand, it seems obvious that the fist preoccupation of americans is having enough money for retirement. We can see that because 47% of people are redefining the American Dream with this fact. On the other hand, owning a home is also a very crucial thing and 17% of them redefine it in that way. Moreover, some other definitions are given like Retiring early, paying for child's education, having money to invest, and so on. It's quite clear that they afraid of not having enough money for the present and the future as well.

Thriller - Mystic River

Mystic River is a thriller movie directed by Clint Eastwood. It was initially released in the USA in 2003 and features Sean Penn who won the Academy Award for best actor, Tim Robbins who won the Academy Award for best supporting actor, Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden and Emmy Rossum.

Sean (Kevin Bacon) and Jimmy (Sean Penn)

The opening scene relates the kidnapping of a kid, Dave Boyle, who was playing with two friends. He is sequestered a couple of days. But the film takes place a long time after this tragedy, when boys have become men. One night, Dave (Tim Robbins) comes back home with blood on his hands and tells his wife that he was mugged by a man that he may have killed. However, his wife (Marcia Gay Harden) doesn't find any news about the man in the newspaper. Both keep it secret.

The following day, a young woman's car is discovered, filled with blood. The girl, who is Jimmy Markum's daughter (Emmy Rossum), is found dead and more precisely murdered. The father (Sean Penn), who was one of the chilhood friends of Dave and also his brother-in-law, wants to kill his daughter's murderer before the police finds the latter. Actually, the detective who takes up the girl's case (Kevin Bacon) is the third boy of the beginning. Therefore, the three boys find themselves together again in this strange situation.  

All the movie is based on these two mysteries, which seem very close. The investigation concentrates little by little on Dave, but is he really the culprit  ? That's the question. 

The movie is considered as a thriller (and a very good !) for differents reasons. 

First, the central protagonists who are Jimmy, Dave and Sean face death. Jimmy faces the death of his daughter, Dave faces the death of the man who has killed and also his own death. Sean faces the death because he is a detective.

Then, the main storyline for the protagonists is a quest : find the culprit. Sean tries with the investigation's way whereas Jimmy is intent on finding him before, in order to kill him and avenge his daughter. He's helped by two bad guys of the family. Dave, for his part, wants to hide what he has done and not to be considered as guilty. Dave is very vulnerable but it doesn't seem that Sean and Jimmy can be put down.

The main plotline focuses on a mystery : the mystery of the woman's death. Who and Why ? Until the end, we don't really know who is the murderer, even if we make some suppositions.

Moreover, the film's narrative construction is dominated by the protagonists' point of view. We follow the police enquiry thanks to the Sean's point of view. A large part of the movie is filmed with the Jimmy's point of view to show how he tries to take revenge on the culprit for the murder of his daughter. The Dave's point of view is also very important in order to increase the tension because he's very scared and feels uncomfortable all the time.
The characters are very realistic in their representation on screen. The father's reaction when he learns his daughter's death is very natural and his mourning too. The attitude of Sean, who is detached and involved at the same time, is exactly the behavior of a policeman. They're not superheroes and Dave, who has made a very good deed, protecting a boy from a pedophile, isn't the heroe that everybody applauds but he's a simple human, "the boy who escape from wolfs".
Sean, as a policeman, wants to find the culprit and bring him to court. Jimmy, as a father, want to avenge his daughter but it's a personal justice.

At first, I didn't know which movie to choose because even if I love thriller books, I don't know so much thriller movies o series. Mystic River was in the teacher's list and as I love the director Clint Eastwood, I was directly attracted to the film Mystic River. During the week-end, I watched him with a friend in english with english subtitles and I found it so interesting, moving and exciting. And, of course, with a lot of suspense!

WITNESS as a Documentary on the Amish way of life

1) ORDNUNG: BASIC PRINCIPLES

The Ordnung, which is a German word meaning rules, regulations, and order, is a set of rules to regulate the private, public, and ceremonial behavior.

→ Men and women are expected to wear distinctive clothing.

→ Members must speak a German or Swiss dialect.

→ Owning an automobile is forbidden. Instead, members are required  to travel by horse and buggy.

→ It is forbidden to own a television, radio, camera, or computer.

→ Higher education such as high school and college is generally is allowed.

→Divorce is forbidden.

→Joining the military is forbidden.

→It is taboo to wear jewelry or any other ornament or garment that emphasizes vanity.

→Community members are not allowed to sue anyone.

→Members must use self-propelled farm machinery.

→It is forbidden to tap electricity from public utility lines

Illustration in the film : 

In the movie ‘witness’, we notice that the majority of man has a beard and wears a hat whereas women have to cover their head with a bonnet and wear a dress.

During the opening scene and some others, we hear some Amish speak German dialect even if the film is in english (which shows the importance of their own language in their life).

To go to catch the train, Eli, Rachel and Samuel use an horse-drawn buggy. Also, when John Book lives with the Amish community, he goes with Eli to the city in buggy.

We observe in the Amish farmhouse that there is no trace of technology.

All members are very humble in their appearence. Their clothes and their attitude are very modest. For example, Rachel doesn’t apply make up or doesn’t wear jewerly.

They use candles to light the house as soon as the sun goes down because they don’t have electricity.

2) SHUNNING

Based upon religious scriptures, the Amish believe that members who openly sin again traditional church doctrines must be purged from the church as a warning and safeguard to maintain the purity of the church.

Members who are excommunicated and shunned are avoided by active members in all social and business activities. However, the offenders are always welcomed back to the community if they repent.

Illustration in the film :

At one point, Eli, the father-in-law of  Rachel, threatens her to be shunned. According to their rules, she can’t listen music and he blames her because just before, she was dancing with John to the music of the car’s radio. Considered as a sin, what she has done could be a reason to be shunned but at this point, she rebels against the Ordnung and stands up to Eli saying that she isn’t a little girl anymore and she can take care of  herself. She seems call into question her religion and her life in the Amish community.

3) AMISH HISTORY

Mennonite and Amish history is generally thought to begin

on  January 21, 1525 in Zurich, Switzerland.

Who was Jacob Amman? What did he do? When? Where?

Jacob Amman is a young Mennonite leader, from the Alsace region of modern-day France, who formed in 1693 his own Christian fellowship : The Amish community.

When did the Amish first migrate to the USA?

The first migrations of the Amish began in the 1720's.

Illustration in the film : Ø

4) AMISH BARN-RAISING

An Amish barn raising is an important example of the selfless practice of assisting one's relatives, neighbors and community through life's many hardships that characterizes the Amish people of Lancaster County. It is such close-knit devotion and loyalty that has protected the community over the generations.

In fact, the Amish barn raising experience becomes a social occasion bonding the families and neighbors in mutual assistance

Illustration in the film :

The scene of the Amish barn-raising happens when John Book is almost cured and all the Amish gather together at the farm of one of them.

John, Daniel and other men raise the barn, facade by facade, without any specialized machines while women are preparing the meal and children are playing.

They raise a barn in order to give new-married a hand and all the day was a symbol of sharing, helping and generosity.

5) AMISH RELIGION & BELIEFS

Amish religion is based upon the basic tenets of early Christianity and a desire to be faithful to God

They believe that  that the Bible is the Word of God and that the Church is the body of Christ fulfilling God's purposes on earth.

Amish beliefs also emphasize the importance of  humility, obedience, and simplicity.

They believe that true Christians should never use violence or force. The word of God is more important than any other.

Illustration in the film :

Several scenes show how much the Amish are religious.

Just before eating, they pray to God. Also when they go bed.

At one point, when they come back from the town, the Amish are annoyed by some guys but even if they are ridiculed by them, the Amish don’t react. They don’t use any violence against other people even though they are disrespectful towards them.

6) AMISH HOMES

Although modest and simple, the typical Amish house reflects the importance of the family, daily work and humility.

Amish homes are usually large with two stories since many Amish families consist of  six or seven children. The homes tend to be plain and are usually painted white, green, blue or brown which are the colors of nature.

Illustration in the film :

Eli, Rachel and Samuel live in a farmhouse, which is built in typical Amish way.

It’s an humble and simple farm, with modest others structures. There aren’t farm machinery because Eli uses horses, and old fashion tools. With the colors of the nature, the house seems to merge in the landscape.

7) AMISH CHURCH SERVICES

In Lancaster County, there is a tradition that Amish church services are held in the homes of the congregation

This Amish tradition expresses the simplicity, purity

and community spirit that is so essential to the Amish faith and way of life.

The Amish women are required to prepare the communal meal which is served at noon in the home of the member hosting the service

Illustration in the film :

The community spirit of the Amish is very present in the movie.

In the opening scene, we saw that all the community attends Jacob’s funeral. Then, when John is badly wounded, one Amish with some medical knowledge, come to see him but wants to send him to the hospital. Rachel convinces him to help them in order to protect Samuel. At the end, when Samuel ring the bell, every Amish farmer who hear it, come to the farmhouse to give a hand.

8) AMISH WOMEN

Amish women are expected to place the needs of their family, church, and community above their own.

They are responsible for managing the household, preparing the food, sewing and ironing the family clothes, and assisting the needs of their neighbors

Illustration in the film :

Rachel behaves according to the typical Amish way. She prepares the meal, she manages the household while men are working outside. She considers the needs of her family above her own.

Moreover, she helps them to do some labour working in the fields because there aren’t enough men.

9) AMISH CHILDREN

Amish children are disciplined to be respectful and obedient to their elders.

To prevent their children from becoming spoiled, the parents teach their children to "surrender" their selfish will as opposed to always trying to get their own way.

Illustration in the film :

Samuel, the little kid, is very discreet. He is obedient to his mother, for example when she asks him in the train station to put his hat on his head. He is very respectful towards John Book or his grandfather but also towards policemen in the office.

10) AMISH CLOTHING

Old Order Amish men and boys generally wear dark suits without lapels which fasten with hooks rather than buttons. They wear brown shoes for work and black shoes for formal occasions. Broad-brimmed hats are worn outdoors.

Quote 6 items of clothing that women and girls wear:

1. dresses
2. full skirts
3. caps
4. aprons
5. black shoes
6. stockings

What do they never wear?

1. Jewerly
2. Make-up

Illustration in the film :

At one point, Rachel explains to John that it’s a sign of pride to wear buttons. That’s why Amish men wear suits with hooks.

In the movie, we see that Eli, Daniel, Samuel and others  wear always a broad-brimmed hat.

In the opening scene, all women wear black dresses for the funeral with skirts. The cap and the apron are also mandatory.

The fact that they are all dressed in the same way proves that there are very significant rules about the clothes.

Never, in the movie, Rachel dares to wear jewerly or make-up. The Ornung forbids everything which emphasizes the vanity.

Witness

Characters Worksheet

Witness

The Trailer : 

Witness is a thriller released in 1985. 

This movie talks about a young boy who is the witness of a crime. At first, the culprits didn't really know if the kid had seen the crime but when they understand that it's the case, he became a danger for them and they want to kill him.

 So, a detective (Harrison Ford) tries to protect him and his mother bringing them in Philadelphia but as the killers are still prosecuting them, then he decides to hide them in the countryside. The policeman and the mother fall in love with each other and begin a relationship but the bad guys are still looking for them and seem determinated to catch up them...

With the end of the trailer (when the guy say "I know where you are" and then we see three men, two of whom have guns, walking toward a farm in the countryside), I expect to view a final crime with the sacrifice of the man who is played by Harrison Ford so as to safe their life and the woman could killed the bad men to protect her son. I expect a dramatic end with the detective's death but not entirely dark with refound freedom of the mother and the child.

BARTON FINK

   
This Cohen brothers movie, Barton Fink, was released in 1991. It's could be considered like a comedy and a drama, it was nominated for 3 oscars and the star actors who play into are John Turturro and John Goodman. The title character, played by John Turturro, is a Broadway playwright, based on Clifford Odets, lured to Hollywood with the promise of untold riches by a boorish studio chieftain. Staying in the eerie Hotel Earle, Barton develops severe writer's block. His neighbor, jovial insurance salesman Charlie Meadows, tries to help, but Barton continues to struggle as a bizarre sequence of events distracts him even further from his task.

   Joel and Ethan Coen are two brothers. Both were born in Minneapolis in Minnesota (USA). Joel in 1954 and Ethan in 1957. Joel has been married and has one child. Ethan has been married too but he has two children. They are producer, writer and director and they did a lot of films together. Combining thoughtful eccentricity, wry humor, arch irony, and often brutal violence, the films of the Coen brothers have become synonymous with a style of filmmaking that pays tribute to classic American movie genres, especially film noir. 

   John Turturro is a very talentued actor. He was born in 1957 in Brooklyn in NY and he became fascinated by movies during childhood. He began with theatre but I played small roles during a decade but his breakthrough performance was in the movie Do the Right Thing in 1989 with Spike Lee.
In 1991, the Cohens cast him as the titular Barton Fink, a performance which garnered Best Actor honors at the Cannes Film Festival.
 In 1992 he wrote and directed a little-seen indie feature that won him a Golden Camera award for Best First Feature at the 1992 Cannes Festival
In 1998, the actor again collaborated with both Lee and the Coen brothers, working with the former on He Got Game and the latter on The Big Lebowski.
Also in 1998, Turturro wrote, directed, produced, and starred in Illuminata, a comedy. 
He was casted by others producer and played a lot of roles (small roles or lead roles)
In 2004 he worked for Spike Lee yet again in She Hate Me. In 2005 he wrote, directed, and acted in the blue-collar musical Romance & Cigarettes.
In 2011 he would join the Pixar family voicing Lightnin' McQueen's.

 John Goodman proved himself both a distinguished character actor and engaging leading man. A native of St. Louis, MO, Goodman went to Southwest Missouri State University on a football scholarship, but an injury compelled him to seek out a less strenuous major. He chose the university Drama Department. Moving to New York in 1975, he supported himself by performing in children's and dinner theater, appearing in television commercials, and working as a bouncer. He contributed topnotch supporting appearances to such films as Everybody's All-American (1988), Sea of Love (1989), Stella (1989), and Arachnophobia (1990), and starred in such films as King Ralph (1991), The Babe (1992), Born Yesterday (1993), and The Flintstones (1994). Goodman did some of his best work in Matinee (1992)
Goodman appeared on series.
He also voiced the part of Baloo in The Jungle Book 2's (2003)