Power In Saving Face: Power And Identity In Saving Face

(Academic assignment)

Power and Identity in ‘Saving Face’

Our spacious society consists of different varieties of people. People have various identities depending on their status, age and settings. Most people have multi-identity to express themselves in each situation properly. In a same person, they may not be the same with their family at a dinner as they are when they are in a meeting; this is not the result of deception. Actually, when people interact, they adjust their speech, their vocal patterns and their gestures to accommodate to others (Turner & West, 2010). Therefore, perception from others to one person could be different depend on their aspects, relationship and expectation to that person. People always indicate the power to

In addition, the study of power in a society is often referred as a politics. Power comes with another term which work together as people’s individuality; identity.

Identity is used to describe a person's conception and expression of their individuality or group affiliations such as national, identity and cultural. The term is used more specifically in psychology and sociology and it may be defined as the distinctive character of individual (Schein, Larry E. Greiner, Virginia E., 1988). Power and identity directly play important role in our daily life; power is in everywhere. Garfinkel (1967, p.33) stated that “Social order arises in the very ways that participants conduct themselves together. The sense of a situation arises from their interactions.” Therefore, group power begin with one person then follow by others which create unity of a group.

In the movie ‘Saving Face’, in the scene that people sit in a circle and discussing about Wil’s mother pregnancy, I can recognize the power of the group. The situation started with a question “Pregnant?” follow with “At her age?” by the member of the group then, many following comments come “It’s a scandal”, “A disgrace”, “It’s better than a