Background
“A Time to Kill,” is a legal drama film based on the novel by John Grisham. The film tells the story of justice for a Black man who lynched his ten-year-old daughter’s rapists. Carl Lee Hailey connects to White lawyer Jake Brigance in the hope of being acquitted in a trial where the jury will be all-white. Additionally, after killing the rapists, Carl gains an enemy in Freddie Lee Cobb, the brother of one of the rapists, who enlists the support of the Mississippi branch of the Ku Klux Klan. This paper aims to discuss the film “A Time to Kill” and how it reflects the wider social perceptions.
What is the cultural impact of “A Time to Kill”
“A Time to Kill” is a drama film aimed at making the viewer feel the absurdity of racial prejudice. The narrative of the lynching is controversial, but the plot should not be interpreted too literally, as this is a feature film. The film depicts a situation where members of the Ku Klux Klan gather outside the courthouse to ensure that Karl is convicted, but they are met with resistance from Karl’s supporters. Such a scene can evoke more recent events associated with the BLM movement, ensuring the film is relevant to contemporary social issues.
What was your reaction when Brigance described the sadistic acts against Hailey’s daughter and then asked the jury, “Now imagine she’s white.”
After Brigance detailed everything that had happened to Hailey’s daughter and then asked me to imagine that this was a white child, I felt ashamed as I visually and emotionally encountered my deep prejudices. When imagining a child of another race, a White viewer will probably, against their own will, come up with justifications for the actions of criminals. At the same time, asking to imagine that the victim is a white girl can trigger a wave of natural disgust and anger toward the perpetrators. The viewer instantly takes the father’s side, unequivocally emotionally empathizing with him. The lawyer’s speech is extremely compelling, as it makes it possible to feel the difference in personal perceptions and reinforces Carl’s conviction that when the jury looks at the dock, they see not a “man,” but a “Black man.”
How would that role reversal question work if applied to the movies you have watched in your lifetime?
A similar technique can be applied to other films with Black or White protagonists. The film Black Panther is an interesting example of a comedy genre that criticizes the practice of including Black actors in Hollywood movies. In this film, all the actors are Black, and the only White actor plays the villain, who is despised and disrespected by everyone despite his superpowers. Watching the film is an instinctive resentment that allows one to better appreciate how ridiculous similar films look with the reversed scripts and cast.
In 1849, French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” – the more things change, the more they stay the same… How does this saying relate to “A Time to Kill”?
Even though 16 years have passed since the release of the film “A Time to Kill,” issues of racial prejudice remain relevant. The recklessness of the police and the unfounded fear of the citizens of the Black race cannot be explained and understood. Historically, racial prejudice has been exacerbated by government policies to segregate the Black population, including Jim Crow laws to create ghettos within big cities and disparities in the provision of services, and financial opportunities, including loans to buy real estate. The fight for Civil Rights was supposed to stop the oppression of Black people, but unfortunately, this struggle continues. Black Lives Matter had to cause a fantastic surge of public and media attention and become a meme so that a certain part of American society could accept the fact of equality between White and Black men and women.
How does the divided society in the movie compare with our society today?
The divided society depicted in the film remains virtually unchanged today. Fashion and some social trends are changing, but the separation is still present tangibly. The rejection of biases against race is still perceived as an achievement and not a natural consequence of the absence of absurd prejudices. Perhaps the issue of racial equality today is not only about equality in health care or employment but about seeing the “man,” not the “Black man.”
The Song “Just Give Me A Reason”: Interpersonal Communication
Communication is an essential human activity allowing individuals to exchange information and express feelings and their physical, social, and personality needs. Moreover, people need to communicate to react to different problematic situations, participate in decision-making, and address conflicts. In this regard, persons should be aware of communication competence principles and possess specific interpersonal skills to lead successful negotiations and resolve various clashes and tangles. This paper aims at discussing how the song “Just Give Me A Reason” by Pink and Nate Ruess relates to interpersonal communication and its characteristics.
The song narrates a complicated relationship between two individuals who experience conflict and attempt to find a solution. Based on the voice and plot, the couple is acquainted closely and even desperately loves each other. The singer clearly shows that she is willing to negotiate, listen to, and forgive. Moreover, she firmly believes that this deterioration in intimate relationships is temporary and can be easily resolved via simple explanation and step from another side. The singer asks for help by saying, “Just give me a reason, just a little bit’s enough,” thereby indicating that she strives to reunite and forget all previous enmities and misunderstandings (P!NK, 2013, 0:50-0:54). Thus, interpersonal communication in the song is highly problematic, but some hope for recovery glimmers.
The song concerns several characteristics of communication competence, including self-awareness, empathy, ethics, and listening skills. In this respect, the author reveals strong self-monitoring since she observes her communication behavior and adjusts it to the situation, trying to resolve conflict calmly, without excessive tension and quarrels (McWorthy, 2016). The songstress confesses that she is a “willing victim” and that her beloved has remedied some of her weak features (P!NK, 2013, 0:15-0:28). She is also apparently empathetic to her intimate partner, putting herself in his place, seeing his sufferings, and trying to speak with understanding. In addition, the singer feels that the individual she talks to is also vulnerable and does not want to take advantage of him, which is ethical. Finally, she is open to listening to her intimate partner attentively and responsively.
It is also worth discussing conflict management styles, such as accommodating, avoiding, compromising, competing, collaborating. Based on the tone of voice and words, it is clear that the couple has chosen collaborating manner because they strive to listen, discuss, and make a collaborative effort to resolve their intimate conflict (Benoliel, 2017). They even do not try to achieve some compromise since firm alacrity to give their relationship a second chance is evident in their words. In this respect, the songstress states that “we’re not broken just bent, and we can learn to love again” (P!NK, 2013, 0:58-01:01). In this phrase, she also manifests a fervent hope for reconciliation and reunion. Finally, it is worth noting that singers do not display any sign of blaming each other, which points to the high skill of leading interpersonal communication. They do not quarrel, scold, or reproach one another, making listeners think that their tangle will have a successful outcome.
In conclusion, the paper has discussed how the song “Just Give Me A Reason” by Pink and Nate Ruess is connected with interpersonal communication and its characteristics. In particular, the song narrates a couple that experiences a complicated relationship tries to find a solution. The singer concerns the several principles of communication competence, including self-awareness, empathy, ethics, and listening skills. For example, she is empathetic to the intimate partner, trying to speak with understanding and respect. The collaborative style was adopted by the author because she strives to cooperate to address their misunderstanding and reach a new, higher quality level of relationships.
References
Benoliel, B. (2017). What’s Your Conflict Management Style? Web.
McWorthy, E. (2016). Communication Competence. Web.
P!NK. (2013). P!nk – Just Give Me A Reason ft. Nate Ruess [Video file]. Web.
“I Love Lucy”: Retrospect, Supporting And Subverting Gender Roles
Introduction
TV shows of the past might appear to be simply relics of the bygone era at first sight. However, on further analysis, they can reveal a treasure trove of peculiar details and facts about the time slot that it is expected to portray. Moreover, with the fingerprints of multiple people working on the series all over it, any TV show inevitably encapsulates the unique characteristic of the time period in which it was produced. Therefore, despite its humorous and light-hearted nature, as well as significantly aged jokes, the sitcom known as I Love Lucy can disclose a substantial amount of information about the epoch that it depicted, as well as the people who made it and those who were represented by it.
I Love Lucy: Show Description
I Love Lucy was a 1950-1957 sitcom (situational comedy) series that was supposed to represent minor, comedic slice-of-life occurrences in the life of Lucille Ball, the protagonist, her husband Desi Arnaz, and two of her friends (“Women in the 1950s”). Remarkably, Arnaz was also Ball’s real-life husband, yet the specified fact did not seem to affect the production in any way (Morgan). The show ran for a total of six seasons, featuring 180 episodes (“Women in the 1950s”). Opening with a song that eventually warranted an Oscar and a short animation created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, famous animators with cartoons such as The Flinstones, The Jetsones, Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo, and many others behind their belt, the TV show
Key Details and Background
The focus on the life of a married couple, Lucy and Ricky, was the main focus of the show. Remarkably, Desi Arnaz, who played the part of Lucy’s husband Ricky, was also married to Lucille Ball in real life. The show received an Oscar for its opening score. Moreover, the refreshing animation shown while the score was playing was created by renowned William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.
Portrayal of Life: Subversion of Stereotypes
Developing what would become a typical sitcom formula in a couple of decades, I Love Lucy featured an overly simplified model of family interactions while also introducing the element of zaniness that allowed keeping the humorous tone of the show consistent. Specifically, in the course of an episode, Lucy would create a scheme that she expected to help her to explore other roles outside of the one of a housewife, whereas her husband Desi would actively work against the specified scheme (“Women in the 1950s”). Although the premise of the show might seem slightly unrealistic, it portrayed quite accurately the developing movement aimed at female liberation, specifically, the focus on women gaining economic and social freedom from husbands (Morgan). Thus, the continuous failure faced by Lucy could be seen as an unintentionally grim reminder of the difficulties that women faced in the U.S. while fighting for their basic rights.
Portrayal of Life: When reality Meets Wishful Thinking
The reinforcement of stereotypical family roles designated for women, primarily, the ones of a wife and a mother, are at the center of each episode series. Specifically, the formula, according to which Lucy’s dreams of becoming something more than merely a housewife and becoming an accomplished person are ruthlessly subverted each episode by her husband, which is portrayed as the proper status quo that must be upheld and supported (Morgan). The specified reinforcement of traditional family roles could be seen as a response to the nascent feminism movement in the U.S., which would reach its full swing in the 60s (Morgan).
Key Signifiers of the Era: The Nascent Feminist Movement
Despite the evident projection of traditional family roles onto the characters in I Love Lucy, the movie, possibly unintentionally, also reflects the gradual formation of the feminist movement in the United States. Specifically, while Lucy is portrayed mostly from a comedic perspective as an opposition to her husband, who is supposed to represent the side of reason, her rambunctious nature indicates the developing focus on women’s agency. For example, the famous quote “I was going to but then I asked myself, ‘Why?’” signals the emergence of agency in the protagonist (Lucy) and her desire to take action and initiative, which could be seen as unexpected and even brazen at the time (Morgan). Thus, while striving to focus on the traditionalist approach to family roles, the sitcom unintentionally subverts them, depictingthe spirit of the era quite accurately.
When Patriarchy Meets Feminism: Ushering a New Era
It appears that the show is partially wishful thinking, yet it also discloses some of the crucial characteristics of the era, thus letting the audience know what major transformations were taking place at the time. Specifically, the need to secure the traditional family roles could be observed in the portrayal of the lead characters, from how they were dressed to how they behaved.
What Would Not Have Been Shown Today
Since I Love Lucy was filmed quite a while ago, it represents a substantial number of ideas and tropes that are seen as outdated, ridiculous, and even embarrassing nowadays. For example, the power dynamics between Lucy and her husband Ricky, where Ricky is portrayed as a wise mentor and Lucy as a silly child is one of the aspects of the show that would not be greenlit nowadays. Specifically, due to the tendency to view marriage as support and cooperation between two people of equally high agency and independence, the relationship dynamics between Lucy and her husband would be considered weird, at best, and offensive, at worst. Specifically, the oft-misquoted “Lucy, ‘splain” places the couple into the roles of a mentor (Ricky) and a learner (Lucy) (“Lucy Splain (No Accent)”).
What Was Not Portrayed
Similarly, the show did not dare to venture into the areas that modern shows consider as mundane. The portrayal of Lucy as equally smart compared to her husband and, particularly, the interpretation of their relationships as those of partnership rather than of inequality would be quite common nowadays. Indeed, while a couple of decades ago, a complete role reversal would be expected, with wives being depicted as the rational party, and husbands being characterized as of a varying degree of immaturity, such as in Malcolm in the Middle or Family Matters, modern TV shows tend to portray a couple as partners with an equal degree of agency.
Conclusion
Representing the spirit of the era that it portrayed quite accurately, I Love Lucy showed the world where family roles were preset and unmovable, and where conflicts could be easily resolved within the series runtime. Although I Love Lucy reiterates the patriarchal tropes that were prevalent during the 1950s, the propensity toward women gaining agency could be seen in some of the aspects of the show, such as Lucy’s unbridled imagination and enthusiasm, which could be interpreted as initiative. Although the American feminism movement was at the stage of conception at the time, I Love Lucy signaled an important future change.
Works Cited
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- “Lucy Splain (No Accent).” YouTube, uploaded by you tube, 2018, Web.
- Morgan, Vhris. How I Love Lucy and Desilu Productions Defined the Modern Sitcom. PasteMagazine, Web.
- “Ricky Ricardo.”.” PxHere.com, n.d., Web.
- Rosenberg, Sari. “1951: “I Love Lucy” Premiered on CBS.” MyLifeTime, Web.
- Wilson, M. (2021). “‘I Love Lucy’: Fred Mertz Actor William Frawley Was Often Shown with Hands in His Pockets, Here’s Why.” Outsider, 2021, Web.
- Women in the 1950s. Khan Academy, 2020, Web.