The film from class that I most identified with was “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.” Of all the films we have watched so far, this film and the readings that accompanied it were the most interesting and applicable to my emergence as a new teacher. I was most excited to watch the film because I love Maggie Smith and had never heard of this film. As I began to watch, I became entranced by her performance and by attempting to discover the message the film is attempting to portray. After watching and reading the associated articles, I discovered that the primary point of this film is to express how significantly teachers can influence their students, and that this influence is not always appropriate. Reading the article, “Teachers as Products of Their Schooling: Disrupting Gendered Positions” (Sanford, 2002) I synthesized this theory with literature and developed a specific conclusion. While it may be appropriate in some educational situations for teachers to express their viewpoints to their pupils, it is more important to put aside our own agenda to develop our students’ own viewpoints and opinions.
Miss Jean Brodie is a colorful character. She teaches just about everything but what she is supposed to, and clearly favors some students more than others. She is confident almost to the extreme, but hides an internal struggle between her romantic partners. Her mantra of “the business of putting old heads on young shoulders” sounds like an admirable quality for any teacher. However, Miss Brodie openly expresses disdain for the Headmistress, Miss Mackay, and does not teach any of the required material. The film eventually shows Miss Brodie being betrayed by her students, losing her job, and falling out of love with her romantic partner...
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...rstand. Viewing these issues in the context of film allows for a complex story to unfold, and for potential teachers to grow as the characters do. Viewing film is so much more rewarding and engaging than reading text or dialogue. Watching the films allows me to internalize the situations and connect deeply with the characters. Deconstructing the story on film allows for much better understanding. Being a naturally visual learner, I can connect much better with the story when I see Miss Brodie’s billowy scarf or Miss Mackay’s high collar. Seeing the painting Miss Brodie puts up on the wall helps understand her love for art. Watching the films instead of reading the book helps me understand and connect better with the characters. By connecting better with the characters, I am able to better understand the concepts of diversity that underline the conflicts they face.
For example, the majority of the film was concerned with the key question of “Where did they come from?” In Jones’ book, we learn very early on that the people in question had in fact came from Africa, therefore nullifying any claims made towards them that they could be considered property. In the movie, we are kept in suspense of learning this truth all for the effect of building tension, to have this realization be the pivotal moment where it was clear who should win the case. With such heavy focus on this one element, the film neglected to expand on details of other factors playing a part in the court’s decision, such as the looming threat of civil war, international relations with Spain, and the push from President Van Buren who desired an outcome that would increase his odds of re-election. The film is also guilty in misrepresenting the way the case was handled in the Supreme Court. It is implied through the film that the words of John Quincy Adams alone swayed the judges into voting favorably against slavery, however as we learn in the book the case was really centered on the Atlantic Slave Trade instead of the issue of slavery within America. Spielberg’s inclusion of the fictional character Theodore Joadson also takes away from historical accuracy and diminishes the contributions of the abolitionist Lewis Tappan. Therefore it can be said that the advantage of reading the book over watching the film is that the book is less focused on tension building and more focused on providing details on the legal battle and the ramifications of the decision
Wallis, Claudia. “How to Make Great Teachers.” Time Online. 13 Feb. 2008. Web. 16 March 2011.
... class. This book was actually one of most interesting books I’ve read while I’ve been in college, and this course kept me interested the whole semester. The things it has taught me about the meaning of reading and evaluating other people and their personalities and who they really are. It actually came to mind a couple times, maybe I want to be a psychologist and help people with their problems. It just really amazes me how Perry’s dad can literally be the cause of four innocent lives gone. Throughout reading the book and watching both films, I began better at reading people and observing their personalities not only with the characters in the book but also outside the classroom and in the real world. The fact that everyone has a story and reasons they are the way they are. Perry had a story that no one knew about, and it has just taught me that everyone has one
At this point, the readers create their own movie in a way. They will determine important aspects of how the character speaks, looks like, and reacts. Whereas, in the movie, the reader has no choice but to follow the plot laid out in front of them. No longer can they picture the characters in their own way or come up with their different portrayals. The fate of the story, while still unpredictable, was highly influenced by the way the characters looked, spoke, and presented themselves on screen.
“If you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-”. The women of Scout Finch's life are: Miss Caroline, Miss.Maudie, and Aunt Alexandrea. We can see from these characters actions that even thought Scout doesn't have a mother, she does have important female figures that are willing to help guid her through life. Each woman helps raise Scout in their own way. From Mrs.Caroline, scout learns that teachers are here to help us, even though they aren't always kind in their ways. From Aunt Alexandra, Scout learns the mindset to becoming a lady, Aunt Alexandra also taught Scout about the Finch's family history. From Miss.Maudie, Scout learned about her father, and that it is a sin to kill a mocking bird.
What she learns from both experiences defines Scout’s youth, and in a parallel fashion, Scout’s perspective is what defines these parts of the story. She has a very unique voice, and the novel is incredibly ahead of its time in terms of having a “feminist center” (Shackelford 3). Harper Lee’s immense talent to harness the naive, brave, spunky voice of a young girl is what has the strongest impact on the reader, and is what Lee is remembered for. She makes it clear to the reader again and again that Scout is reprimanded for every part of her existence, similar to Boo Radley and Tom Robinson’s experiences in Maycomb County. She paints Southern society as “[using] superficial and materialistic values” to judge people (Shackelford 1). This parallelism only serves to further highlight the injustice that many characters in the novel face, and reveals the astounding racism that defined the
Throughout the novel, Atticus repeats to Scout an Jem the importance of seeing things from another point of view in order to understand what the other person is feeling. The theme of childhood is also another important one. The story takes place over a period of years, and the reader takes part in the adventure of the child growing up in a small Southern town. To Kill A Mocking Bird is a fascinating story about a young girl who sees the town through her little innocent eyes, this novel is a must for everyone to read because it displays racial tensions that are throughout out the town especially the citizens.
Children look up to their elders for wisdom and advice. They rely on someone experienced and with authority for guidance on how to live their lives. However, sometimes the people who are accountable for youth mislead them; they may have good intentions, but are not mature enough to exemplify their values and morals, or they simply are ignorant. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Aunt Alexandra plays a negative role: she is a proper, southern lady with a strict code of behaviour and etiquette, but is too closed-minded and obstreperous to change her ways or view the world from others’ perspectives. Calpurnia takes on the position of a positive role model by disciplining the children in the Finch household. Miss Maudie takes on the role of a motherly companion, who shares warmth and words of wisdom with Jem and Scout Finch.
When Miss Hancock came to teach at the high school, she was filled with eccentricity and liveliness. This enthusiasm quickly turned into disappointment as the students swiftly discounted Miss Hancock. The student's first impression of Miss Hancock was that she was a joke, and they didn't take her very seriously. This rapidly dampened Miss Hancock's spirit "By then, stripped of 15 years of overblown confidence, she offered her material shyly, hesitantly, certain of rejection, of humiliation," (Pg.
As a child grows, many people influence their development as a person. Some people impact more than others, and a select few really leave their mark. In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” several characters play this role. Among them, Miss Maudie Atkinson, a woman who proves herself a strong character, prevails as the one who has the greatest impact on Scout Finch, the protagonist of this novel. As Scout matures and grows up, her views on the world around her change. Through subtle yet effective ways, Miss Maudie teaches Scout many life lessons about being humble, judging, and attitude, all of which ultimately have a great effect on the kind of person Scout develops into and her outlook on the world.
In conclusion, details involving the characters and symbolic meanings to objects are the factors that make the novel better than the movie. Leaving out aspects of the novel limits the viewer’s appreciation for the story. One may favor the film over the novel or vice versa, but that person will not overlook the intense work that went into the making of both. The film and novel have their similarities and differences, but both effectively communicate their meaning to the public.
There are many more examples throughout this movie that can be connected or assessed to the many different concepts that was learned. There are many real-life events and these concepts are important because they allow people to see how different types of people and families deal with stress and problems and it is important not to judge or jump to conclusions and maybe take a step back and take time to consider what others may be going
Westland, Ella. "Cinderella In The Classroom. Children's Responses To Gender.." Gender & Education 5.3 (1993): 237. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
Movies can be entertaining but books allow the reader to put everything together in their head. Details make the reader conceive and connect, you don’t get that from films in the limited time which leads to deleted parts or abbreviation of developments. A great example would be the Hunger Games book verses the film.
"Books and movies are like apple and oranges. They both are fruit, but taste completely different.” said Stephen King (goodreads.com). It is indeed true, books and movies have several common things and yet have differences. They both give us the same story, but are viewed completely different. Reading books and watching movies are similar as they both tell a story and give details and information about the story. Reading books or watching movies gives the reader and the viewer the same feeling and emotions about the story. People can feel gloomy or pleased with the story after reading a book or watching a movie. Both books and movies have the same general concepts, which are the themes and main characters of