I will examine and problematize the representations of old age and aging based on the way the protagonist of this film, Carl Fredriksen, has been portrayed. I will explore the way in which this film, simultaneously, relies on representations of elderly men to maintain socially acceptable bounds, and poses challenges to these same social boundaries to create a narrative of alternative masculinity in old age. I will focus on discourses of declining in old age, Ageism, self-reinvention, and concepts of alternative masculinity.
While watching this film I have asked: what narratives based on stereotypical depictions of old age are employed in the film; to what extent the narratives presented in the film create and / or provide discourses to the keep older folks within socially acceptable bounds; and / or challenge social boundaries? I also explored how this film makes use of chronological age as a category to justify social inequality and divisions. At the same time, I observed how this film uses processes of agency and transformation of the Self in old age.
This film offers two extreme perspectives to look at old age. On the one hand, the film’s plot relies on stereotypical representations of elderly men, keeping them inside of widely socially acceptable boundaries, while at the same time it also challenges social boundaries by creating alternative forms of masculinity for older male to, essentially, contradict a widely accepted declining narrative on old people.
Almost from the beginning, this animated film presents the audience with a character of an old and lonely widower, Carl Fredriksen. He is depicted as a methodical, set-in-his-ways, bad-tempered and sulky man. He rises up at 6.00 AM with the sound of an alarm clock, strai...
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Ageing is something that everyone will eventually experience if they are fortunate to live a long life. The process of ageing comes with various negative and positive outlooks. In western culture, ageing for both genders is particularly condemned. In the media in particular, the process of ageing for men and women vary greatly. Where, women are condemned for ageing more than men are. Media greatly highlights on the stereotypical notion of ageing especially in the aspect of portraying men and women and their social roles through advertisement. I will be discussing
In today’s society, America is represented by the young, the cool, and most importantly, the active. In past generations, the elderly were looked upon in admiration for their accomplishments in life. Now, they are tossed aside, due to their inability to work in this day and age. In a summary of the fiction piece, Time Machine, by H. G. Wells, there is tell how “...in the land of everlasting youth, the problem of ageing-if it is a problem- has been apparently resolved. A genre of utopian and dystopian writers raise often unanswered questions about the place of the elderly in future society. In the past, as in the present, that experience has often become grim. This book is about, bluntly, the killing of old people...” Although the death has not occurred yet in the modern age, the lack of respect has gone up substantially. This is shown in one text in particular. In the nonfiction, A Celebration of Grandfathers, by Rudolfo A. Anaya, his grandfather’s quotes give insights on the signs of respect, hard work, and wisdom.
This paper will be about two movies that have older adults for the lead character. The paper will focus on the roles of the older adults, stereotypes, and age norms. The first movie chosen will be about Still Alice. The second movie chosen will be about I’ll see you in my dreams. Each movie will be presented and examined in terms of the different medical disorders the lead characters experienced and facts about the conditions. Also, comparisons will be made concerning the movies chosen.
In the classical Western and Noir films, narrative is driven by the action of a male protagonist towards a clearly defined, relatable goal. Any lack of motivation or action on the part of the protagonist problematizes the classical association between masculinity and action. Due to inherent genre expectations, this crisis of action is equivalent to a crisis of masculinity. Because these genres are structured around male action, the crises of action and masculinity impose a crisis of genre. In the absence of traditional narrative elements and character tropes, these films can only identify as members of their genres through saturation with otherwise empty genre symbols. The equivalency between the crises of genre and masculinity frames this symbol saturation as a sort of compensatory masculine posturing.
Examining different scenarios, such as toy proportions, outlook from inmates in jail, and the ideas portrayed of what the ideal man consist from the viewpoint of man, the movie depicts these things to show how pop culture, social constructs, and masculine identities influence their opinions. Consequently, men believe they can gain respect and admiration from others from their use of violence and threats. Katz asked inmates about their ideology of masculinity; they said that masculinity is about having power and respect. Furthermore, they showed concerned about what the other inmates thought of them and their masculinity. Boys and men have to carefully shape their persona to fit the ideal standard of masculinity, no matter the cost. Katz and Earp break down the social constructs of masculinity by looking at the ideas of the “ideal man,” violence leading to masculinity, and degradation of masculinity by attacking individuals with the notion that they are acting
Everyone will grow old, as the aging process of the human body is inevitable. However, each day in our life can bring on new adventures, new friends, and knowledge of the world a round us. Yet, many people have negative views towards those who are considered older adults and thus, have a negative belief on the aging process as a whole. Throughout the quarter, COMM 119 has taught us why there is this negative stigma around the aging process and specially, on older adults as a group. This paper will address my stereotypical views of the aging process before COMM 119, the effect of improperly discussing death and dying, as well as what it means to be a successful ager. Understanding these topics have helped me realize that my viewpoints of elder
Jackson Katz is an author, a lecturer, filmmaker and a well known anti-sexist male activist. He’s made a few documentaries and has written articles and short stories on ending violence against woman and sexual equality. One of Kat’s writings is a non-fiction article called “Men, Masculinities, and the Media”, in it he writes about the challenges of male identity, how the media defines masculinity and how it correlates with sexual equality. In the beginning of the article, Katz makes a comparison about masculinity and The Wizard of Oz. He compares Toto pulling back the curtain and revealing a scared, pathetic man pretending to be someone great, the Oz, to the way media portrays man and influences man. He mentions that the curtain symbolizes a shield to protect men’s vulnerability and humanity (Katz 1). Media image is an important influential source to woman and man; it follows throughout generations and can shape the ideas and behavior of both sexes. In “Men, Masculinities, and the Media”
Aging is universal and it is a process that everyone has to go through. The only difference is that everyone goes through this process at their own pace influenced by factors that will be discussed later on in this paper. When we think about factors that have an influence on older adults and how their life may be affected, we must consider the different social institutions while analyzing influences from social factors, cultural factors, and personal values. Abuse to older adults, stereotyping and informal care and technological advancements that affect older adults are the three topics that will be discussed in this reflection. Furthermore, will connect the three topics I have chosen to the knowledge that I have gained from my interaction
It is difficult at best to think positively when older people are viewed as “incompetent, boring, inactive, dependent, unproductive, weak, unhealthy, passive, ugly, dull, and sad” (Gething, 1999, p. 2). Essentially, a stereotype as such asphyxiates the wind from your sail early in one’s journey into old age. Then again, if the finish line is one of oppression, marginalization, and disempowerment, it’s a race best lost (Ranzijn, 2002). The most poignant negative affiliated with aging unquestionably centers on the end of life concerns. Although, our hope is for a peaceful demise there exists a chance of tremendous pain and suffering. The latter remains my biggest fear, which in and of itself sheds a negative light on aging. Subsequently, I turned to the article, Positive Psychology and Productive Aging in hopes it would provide
Ageism is all too common in films. While there are still so many movies packed with stereotypes that view aging as negative, there is a recent movie, which portrayed aging positively in some aspects, the movie ‘The Second Best Marigold Hotel’. While this movie does contain stereotypes and humor about aging, it also shows the visitors leading active, happy, free and independent lives. They are not portrayed as being sick or frail, but instead they are embracing life and their experiences regardless of their age.
Coming-of-age is a process of maturation, realization, and transition. It has been approached in a number of ways throughout film history. At times, such approaches render similar as youth, no matter the decade, face the same developmental dilemmas and look to achieve the same life milestones. Other similar aspects include context like school, for instance, which has long been a favorite as well as important setting in youth-oriented films in which the character(s) come of age. However, contexts and approaches in depicting this theme have also differed over the years, understandably so as films must adapt to the political and social climate in which they are made. Nonetheless, films across time have de...
Theories concerned with ageing are constructed in an attempt to objectively satisfy the inquiries that arise after studying ageing and to provide evidence based clarifications. In the context of this essay, they allow troubleshooting regarding issues around the type of support would be expected to be needed by Betty and her son. Bengtson et al, (1999) accepts the potential pragmatism of the theories nevertheless he argues that they can be generalised and unimaginative. The controversy regarding theorising ageing becomes especially relevant when they are applied in isolation failing to address that “the science and positivism are severely limiting… for understanding aspects of ageing.” Bengtson et al (1999)
The Trouble with Men: Masculinities in European and Hollywood Cinema - Phil Powrie, Ann Davies and Bruce Babington.
sn't it funny how day by day nothing changes but when you look back everything is different…” A pretty face will age, a perfect body will change and likewise “a man” will change with time. Age is something that time has brought upon us, be it a woman or a man, the development of individuals over time has always enthralled me. Lately, in pursuit of answers myself I came across a piece of literary work Summer of the Seventeenth doll. A pioneering play of the 1950’s written by Ray Lawler which encapsulates the ideals of masculinity and its changing form. The story revolves around the seventeenth mark of an annual tradition wherein two masculine sugarcane cutters, Barney Ibbot and Roo Webber, travel south to
In the past decade, there were a lot of people would like to explore about what is gender and how can gender connect with the film. Normally film is someway people could express their own idea of everything in life and use different methods to represent in film.( ) For example the film I would like to discuss here is The Darkest Hour(2017), which shows the culture and language in 1940 that filmmakers always be the masculinity and hardly talked about femininity.