The movie Slumdog Millionaire (Boyle, 2008) is realistic. It does not sugarcoat life. The struggles of growing up in India while there were riots against the Muslims certainly showed how hard it could be to live. Also, it is very possible to go from “rags to riches” and end up finding someone that one lost many years before. While Slumdog Millionaire can be compared to another Cinderella story, it is not the typical story. Sure, Cinderella was forced to do chores by her evil stepmother, but she had singing animals to help her and people were not trying to kill her or take her eyeballs out. There are some things, though, that others find impossible or downright foolish. The things that people tend to be very skeptical about are possible.
The idea of making it big after some adversity in childhood is heard about all the time. Of course, there are many celebrities that made it to the top after living in poverty. Adversity does not always have to be poverty, though. It can be something as simple as getting over
…show more content…
It is not that hard to believe, especially when he goes around asking everyone if they knew her. It also took him years to find her. There are billions of people on the planet and what are the odds of running into someone when going on vacation in another state? Or even seeing them in the store? There are seven days in a week and twenty-four hours in a day. There are also a variety of different stores; Weis, Walmart, Giant, small town stores, etc. Even in a local area, the odds of being at the same store at the exact same time are low. It happens all the time, though. And half the time it is a coincidence and those people are not even looking for each other. Jamal was actually looking for Latika, which increases the odds of finding her. The fact that he still knew she was with Maman helped, too. All he had to do was find a kid begging for money that worked for
This goes to show that with guts and determination, those who are desperate enough to bring about a change, are the ones who are able to utilize what they have to get what they desire. Poverty, addiction and abuse are major obstacles that individuals from rough background face on their way to success. Moreover, it is their education and their ability to utilize their talents, as well as having the audacity to chase their ambitions incessantly, that helps them utilize and exploit the opportunities that open up for them.
It can be hard to live in high poverty and come out and be highly successful, but the author Wes proves it can be done. I also think this book shows how important it is to make good life choices and to listen more to your parents when growing up, so you don’t stray on the wrong path in life.
Barbara Ehrenreich’s story, in her book “Nickel and Dimed,” was humbling to read. Her quote at the end of her book left me speechless. She states, “I grew up hearing over and over to the point of tedium that hard work was the secret to success: ‘Work hard and you’ll get ahead’ or ‘It’s hard work that got us where we are.’ No one ever said that you could work hard—harder even than you ever thought possible—and still find yourself sinking ever deeper into poverty and debt (220).’” When I first started to read this quote I thought it was going to be encouraging, but by the end my heart felt heavy for people like Ehrenreich that are stuck in poverty and can’t seem to get out, no matter how hard they work. It is such an eye opener to me because I have grown up hearing things such as “work hard to get what you want”, which is similar to what Ehrenreich has heard as well, yet Ehrenreich didn’t find this to be true. Being privileged and having parents that support my financially is something that I take for granted.
It is much harder to exit poverty once one is inside, but that doesn’t mean that he has to give up and stay there. The book says, “They (lower class) are bound to tire of getting so little in return and to demand to be paid what they're worth. There'll be a lot of anger when that day comes, and strikes and disruption. But the sky will not fall, and we will all be better off for it in the end” (Ehrenreich 120). This shows that the lower class work very hard. Some of those people might be at the top of the social chain in a couple of years if they find the right path. People should always be striving to fly up the social ladder. People should do whatever it takes, no matter how much work and effort it
...des of the world we can still see similarites with the strugggle of living in poverty. They both are trying to support thier family and complete thier own personal goal. But Li and Wayne aren't the only ones struggling Li and Wayne represent a whole mass of people who are living in poverty and are seeking job opportunities and want to have a decent life. A dollar a Day gives us the behind the scenes look on how people who live in poverty persevere to make thier life better. This documentary shows how the trade of goods can lead to job loss in America but job opportuinties in China. I think we can all agree that people who live in poverty and are seeking jobs want the government to reform the job market because the government right now in China and America aren't creating more job opportunities and the government is not doingenought to help people come out of poverty.
Every film can be related back to socially significant issues that occurred during the time it was released. It’s a snapshot of the issues during that time period. Film is not created in a vacuum. As described in our textbook, film “Conveys “the temper of an age of a nation” as well as that of the artists who produces it” (Belton 22). Films tend to reflect current society, country ideals or beliefs in order for the audience to relate. Some of those techniques used include, the American dream, family, corruption, divorce, and crime. If a director decides not include current social issues than it becomes harder for an audience to relate to the film because they will not be able to connect to the characters and get into their shoes. One film that encompasses all of these current social issues is American Hustle (David O. Russell, 2013). This film is a melodrama because of the context and social issues this film deals with. American Hustle has a social significance to today’s current culture, society, beliefs and social issues through the use of the American dream, corruption, divorce, crime and family.
In the podcast, Americas Poverty Myths, #3: Rags to Riches, Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield discuss what causes the issue of poverty and how to get out of it. Gladstone and Garfield argue that to get out of poverty you need to be lucky and that people stay in the station in which they are born. Although I agree that being lucky can get you out of poverty, I don’t believe that it is the only way to escape the cycle of poverty because many people have gone from rags to riches without the help of luck. Gladstone and Garfield argue that you need to be lucky in order to get out of poverty, but that is not always the case.
... Although it may not seem fair that there are rich people blowing money on impractical and meaningless things while living in poverty, it’s a reality that the United States has experienced for centuries. Works Cited Desilver, Drew. A. “U. S. Income Inequality, On The Rise.” Pew Research Center.
For example, while growing up Zlatan had a passion for soccer but due to his financial state, couldn’t afford transportation. In result, he stole a kid’s bike down his street to ride to practice. As you can see, this hardship pushed Zlatan to desire and strive for a better future for himself. Also, not only was Zlatan poor but his parents were divorced and his dad was an alcoholic leaving only beer in his fridge for Zlatan to have for dinner. Ibrahimović shook off the shackles of poverty and discrimination to become one of the world’s greatest footballers, the captain of Sweden and a millionaire. Another example, of this is in Walt Disney’s family because they were not very wealthy nor well- off, causing Walt Disney to drop out of high school to enlist in the army. Unfortunately, he was
The film Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of an impoverished boy, who lost his mother at a young age because their Muslim community was persecuted by Hindus, and the survival of him and his older brother along with another street child, Latika. The children came together to do whatever is necessary to survive, such as being in a ring of beggars, stealing shoes, and faking as tourist guides. Throughout the movie, Latika and the brothers continue to get separated from one another, but years later, the brothers finally find her as she is about to be sold as a sex slave or child prostitute. The older brother, Salim, changes his demeanor when he shot and killed the man who was in charge of the ring of beggars and child prostitutes. After this occurred, the children go into an abandoned hospital, where Salim throws Jamal out of the room, but still has Latika in his custody.
In life and in fairytales there are always those that try to harm others or put them down, and fairytales teach children that those who do that do not succeed in the long run. The story of the Pied Piper is a perfect example of this. The people in the city of Hamelin refused to pay the Pied Piper even though they had promised. Because of this the Pied Piper led the children of the village away with his magical music (Young). As one can see this story shows how those that do wrong will be punished for their wrong and cruel acti...
The story Q & A, written by Vikas Swarup, illustrates the lives of those in the slums of India and how those living there experience life. The novel recites the unimaginable journey of a slum dog who becomes a billionaire. Throughout the rags to riches story of Ram Mohammed Thomas, he is presented with several catalysts which change his life.
In the film, “Slumdog Millionaire” showed the world how India is a society that is filled with violence and abuse. Slumdog Millionaire exposes the tragic effects of poverty in many different cities of India. The film talks about a Mumbai boy, Jamal, who grew up in the slums that became a contestant on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” During the contest, Jamal were arrested under suspicion of cheating. Jamal was being interrogated by the police, and revealed events from his life history to explain why he knew the answers on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”
Do the poor in this country have a choice not to be poor? Do the less fortunate have the same access to opportunities as the middle and upper classes? Do government programs designed to help the impoverished actually keep them in the lower ranks? These are all difficult and controversial questions. Conservatives and Liberals constantly battle over these issues in our state and federal governments. Local and national news media provide limited insight to the root causes and effects of the nation’s poor. There is obviously no simple solution to resolve the plight of these often forgotten citizens. Most of us associate poor as being in a class below the poverty line. In fact there are many levels of poverty ranging from those with nothing, to those with enough to survive but too little to move up. I believe many of our nation’s poor are so by their own doing. I will share observations and personal experiences to support the argument that being poor often is a result of individual choice. One needs merely inspiration and perspiration to move up the socio-economic ladder in the United States. We live in the land of opportunity where anyone with the drive and determination to succeed often can.
Jordan Belfort is the notorious 1990’s stockbroker who saw himself earning fifty million dollars a year operating a penny stock boiler room from his Stratton Oakmont, Inc. brokerage firm. Corrupted by drugs, money, and sex, he went from being an innocent twenty – two year old on the fringe of a new life to manipulating the system in his infamous “pump and dump” scheme. As a stock swindler, he would motivate his young brokers through insane presentations to rile them up as they defrauded investors with duplicitous stock sales. Toward the end of this debauchery tale he was convicted for securities fraud and money laundering for which he was sentenced to twenty – two months in prison as well as recompensing two – hundred million in restitution to any swindled stock buyers of his brokerage firm. Though his lavish spending and berserk party lifestyle was consumed by excessive greed, he displayed both positive and negative aspects of business communications.