Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
gender in equality in the films industry
people addressing gender inequality in the film industry
gender representation in cinema
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: gender in equality in the films industry
Attitudes towards women, and their role in American Musical Theatre.
For my essay, I am going to look at the attitudes towards women, both
from men and other women, and the significant role that that women had
in telling the stories in American musical theatre.
Showboat was the first musical of its kind. Up to this point, musicals
consisted of songs and dances, with often feeble storylines based
around the big stars. Showboat had a real story, adapted from a novel,
and both the singing and dancing told the story.
At the beginning of Showboat, after we have been introduced to the
main characters, we hear the main female characters attitude towards
men and love.
'Fish got to swim, birds got to fly,
I got to love one man till I die.
Can't help lovin' dat man of mine.'
Julie seems like a surrogate mother to Magnolia, giving her advice, as
we see Magnolia's relationship with her own mother is very strained.
Parthy doesn't want her daughter to have anything to do with the stage
or Ravenal, the two things her daughter is most passionate about.
Julie, on the other hand, just offers Magnolia advice and listens to
her. We see Magnolia and Parthy's differences highlighted by the
composer's use of the perfect fourth to show Magnolias closeness with
the river, and the augmented fourth or tritone to show Parthy's
distance from the river and its ideals.
We see a mother-daughter relationship, where the mother wants one
thing for her daughter and her daughter wants the opposite.
The action in the musical then jumps forward and we see a now married
Magnolia, destitute in a boarding house. She has been abandoned by
Ravenal, just as her mother predicted. We then see Julie, now an
alcoholic, who has also been abandoned by her husband. Magnolia comes
to audition for a job where Julie is working. She sings 'can't help
lovin' dat man' and Julie leaves her job so Magnolia can have it.
Magnolia doesn't see Julie, but Julie supports her in this way. The
musical ends happily, with Magnolia, Ravenal and their daughter Kim
being reunited.
Showboat was totally revolutionary, and tackled issues that had never
been looked at through this medium before. It paved the way for all
kinds of other issues to do with women to be looked at.
Porgy and Bess was a totally new concept. Not only did it have a black
cast, but it showed the life t...
... middle of paper ...
... but out
of place in the liberal seventies.
In conclusion, the attitude towards women has changed and developed
with that in the developed world. Musicals have both reflected this,
whilst at the same time maintaining a continuity of strong female
characters. Musicals, whilst being looked at as 'light entertainment,'
constantly looked at new issues, often to do with women, to challenge
their audiences and society at large. The role women played was
obviously integral to the musical's stories as well as also in raising
these issues. The roles women played varied widely from mother,
daughter, strong, weak, and authoratitive. The issues varied from
domestic violence to single parents, and forced society to pay
attention to the way these were affecting women's lives. This focus
helped play a part in getting equal rights for women and reflects on
the society we have today.
Bibliography
Enchanted Evenings - Geoffery Block
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Ethan Morden
Gonzl's book of the Musical theatre
Kurt Gonzl and Andrew Lamb
The Complete Lyrics of Cole Porter
Hamish Hamilton
http://musicals.net
http://libretto.musicals.ru
http://www.stlyrics.com
Throughout time, women in movies and other similar texts are shown to be generally focused on men. This might make sense if every movie ever made was set in a time where women had absolutely no rights but of course, that is not the case. Older and more modern depictions of women in media, both show women whose lives revolve around men. Even movies that market their female characters as strong and powerful are still shown to be dependent on the male leads and puts them first. Also, since women in movies have more of a focus on men, female to female relationships suffer in the same films. There are very few exceptions to this unfortunate truth.
...e pervading racial stereotypes and promote racial and social integration. Porgy and Bess is one of the only pieces of its time that allowed African-American artists the opportunity to perform, creating that integration. Gershwin music is still played today by orchestras. As a member of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra, I have played “Summertime” and “I Got Plenty of Nuttin.’” Although the music is played by my string instrument, I can still feel the jazz and the groove that Geshwin created. The music in it is really beautiful and has memorable melodies that people have held on to. Porgy and Bess is a wonderful American musical work that is significant and has launched the careers of many African American artists.
Stephen Sondheim was born in New York on March 22, 1930. His mother was a fashion designer, and his father a dress manufacturer. At age ten, Sondheim’s parents divorced, and he moved to rural Pennsylvania with his mother shortly after (“Stephen Sondheim- Academy of Achievement”). In Pennsylvania, Stephen befriended his neighbor, James Hammerstein, as well as James’ parents Dorothy and Oscar. The Hammersteins would become like a second family to Stephen. He especially admired Oscar, a musical theatre giant, saying of the man, “I wanted to be whatever Oscar was… if Oscar had been a geologist, I would have become one too” (“The World of the Play: Stephen Sondheim”). Sondheim, mentored by Hammerstein, went on to study music and, eventually, became one of the most distinguished composers in musical theatre (“The World”). Stephen Sondheim’s writing redefined American musical theatre and inspired creativity among others in his field. He has worked on some of the most iconic modern musicals and continues to make meaningful contributions to the world of musical theatre (Miranda).
Movies are a big part of people’s lives; everyone has a favorite movie, or set of movies. They have impacted people’s lives since they were first made, and continue to do so today. In recent years, movies have cast women to play the roles of heroes. Although women have been playing heroic roles recently, they have always been role models in movies, which have set examples for future generations, empowered women, and have shed light on the feminist movement in the U.S.
Gender Roles. A hot button topic that has become a topic of conversation for years now. When we think of Gender roles what things come to mind? With Men we often think of qualities such as strength, toughness, bravery, and masculinity and being a Husband. With Women we often think of characteristics such as: care taker, Wife, nurturing, cooking/ cleaning, and often very supportive. But another big question that we should be asking ourselves is where and how these gender roles and stereotypes have come from? And for the answer to that question we should look to our media consumption. For years now TV shows and Movies have truly shaped what gender roles should be in our society. These ideas are planted in our minds even at a young age, whether
Within Tennessee Williams's story about love and abuse within marriage and challenging familial ties, there lie three very different characters that all see the world in vastly different ways. These members of a family that operate completely outside of our generation’s norms, are constantly unsure of themselves and their station within the binary not only of their familial unit, but within the gender binary that is established for them to follow. Throughout the story of the strange family, each character goes through a different arch that changes them irrevocably whether it is able to be perceived or not by those around them. The only male, Stanley is initially the macho force in the home who controls everything without question. He has no consequences for his actions against his wife and is never held accountable for treating the people around him poorly; this lasts until Blanche arrives. Blanche is an outwardly demure, but spirited young woman who after experiencing untold misfortune breaks mentally and decides to no longer care what others may think of her. She lives her life lavishly and foolishly by having dalliances with younger or richer men who shower her with gifts and attention to get sex from her all too willing form. Her effect on Stanley is one of temptation and challenge; she continually tries to convince her sister that she is too good for the man and in turn fosters a resentment for her in him. Stella acts as the antithesis of Stanley and Blanche’s extreme personalities. She is innocence and purity where they are the darkness that threatens to overtake her life. Throughout, Stella is a pawn that they both try to use against the other to no real avail as she is determined to make the best choice for herself. In th...
Traditionally, an image of Honky tonk girls permeate the collective unconscious of the American country music (Wilson, 2000). Honkey tonk are referred to bars that play country music and women in country music are represented as corrupted temptresses who sit in honky tonks with painted lips and tinted hair to seduce men or as innocent virgins who are loving and patient (Wilson, 2000). However, contemporary female country musicians reject this traditional view on women because such simplistic dichotomy fails to recognise diverse identities that are adopted by women in a contemporary world (Wilson, 2000). In other words, country music provides a space for female musicians to challenge normative gender roles that dominant culture embraces and
Popular music in the United States throughout the decades have always consisted of different genres of music and during the late 70’s and early 80’s, many of the popular bands consisted of only male artists and members. In an era dominated by male artists, Fleetwood Mac featured their lead female singer Stevie Nicks, who went on to transcend the gender expectations of the time and pursue a solo career in the midst of heavy adversity. Fleetwood Mac’s lead singer, Stevie Nicks, is a prime example of the evolution female artists have endured as they struggled to gain equal footing in this male dominated industry. This essay will examine the different factors contributing to Stevie Nicks’s popularity, along with her breaking these normative masculine roles and the way she combined different genres and personal
One of the very first electrified streets in the United States was Broadway. This gave it many opportunities to become a large icon for our nation. As we know now it is one of the most well-known places for great entertainment. However Broadway was not always the iconic entertainment center it is today; it was stolen, had New York City emerge around it, and persevered through many difficult economic and cultural times.
Many companies spend over millions of dollars advertising every year, and these advertisements influence how an individual thinks and acts in a society. It becomes a significant aspect of our lives whether it has come to our acknowledgment or not. It influences us to the extent we believe the information presented in the media are “normal”. To be precise, advertisements create and define the social norms. These concepts are strongly built into my mind since a young age, especially the gender roles between men and women.
The role of females during much of the Twentieth Century is domestic. Two well-known authors during this time period have conflicting views of how women fulfill these roles. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, the women portray two very different perspectives on the roles of women within families and the values they instill within their families. The value the women share about money is one of the most prominent perceptions the authors portray. Both pieces of Modern literature differ in the perception of a woman’s rightful role as well as the importance of family in relation to monetary wealth.
The nexus of status, gender, and societal roles are consistently topics of interest among people, and can be found throughout the plays of William Shakespeare. More evident in their original production, however, through modern renditions and personal interpretation of readings these topics reoccur often His work dictated specific roles for men and women. Through analyzing said roles one can derive insights regarding the esteem of women and how the relative devaluing of women shaped normal gender roles. However, Shakespeare provides conflicting interpretations, dependent upon the light in which his work is read. Among the possible differing interpretations of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” stands a reoccurring argument throughout history of, men vs. women in a battle of status/power. After reading the play one could make the argument that women are inferior to their counterparts, however, at the same time, the argument could be made that women have more power than men, and both positions be considered accurate.
How do we choose the music that we listen to? We could be affected by the music itself, the lyrics could touch us on a personal level, or we may have a predisposition to a certain genre of music due to the geographic area we live in. Our background and upbringing can even play a role in our musical choices. However we come to that ultimate decision, how many of us actually pay close attention to the language used in the songs that we like? Could it be that some of our favorite artists or compositions actually contain language that can be considered sexist or harmful?
Theatre serves to reflect society. From Shakespeare to Sophocles, a playwright’s work illustrates the different mechanics within a culture or time period or society. Theatre offers viewers the experience of taking a step back and looking in on themselves. In this way, theatre is a mirror for the world and the way it functions.
In this paper, I will be focusing briefly on my knowledge and understanding of the concept of Applied theatre and one of its theatre form, which is Theatre in Education. The term Applied Theatre is a broad range of dramatic activity carried out by a crowd of diverse bodies and groups.