Cultural Essay

[ama6629]

Alexander Alomar

Mona Lisa Smile and And the Spring Comes are both movies centered around a female protagonist trying to fulfill their dream after moving to a new state or country. The difference between the movies stem in the themes and cultures of what these two protagonists experience. Katherine Ann Watson, the lead protagonist of Mona Lisa Smile, starts her new job as a professor in an all-female Wellesley College. Though in doing so, she finds that the students she teaches all closely follow the traditions of getting married and living the rest of their lives as housewives. Watson, not agreeing with this tradition, tries to encourage these students to break these traditions and use their education to seek out better lives for themselves.

Wang Cai Ling, the leading protagonist of And the Spring Comes is a professor seeking out her dream job of becoming an opera singer in Beijing. However, in trying to fulfill her dream, she is ultimately rejected and seeks out something else to do with her life. In the meantime, Cai Ling is not married and is constantly finding men in her life but no luck in forming a relationship. In terms of culture, Watson is encouraging other women to avoid the common tradition while Cai Ling is haunted by it.

Cai Ling is often reminded that she should get married at her age, but she never finds the right man. The only one in the movie that she fell for didn’t see her the same way, and the other men who wanted to marry her were only thinking of themselves. She mentions the idea of just living life by herself, but it’s constantly seen as a negative that she isn’t married. The Chinese culture of the movie is centralized on the woman being married at a certain age, and how not having a husband can be detrimental. It is to the point that Cai Ling’s friend who practices ballet wanted to marry her strictly to improve both their status among society.

Meanwhile, Watson is a woman who isn’t yet married, and while other characters see that as a negative, she does not. Many of her relationships are ones she’s broken away from simply because she does not feel ready to be in that level of commitment. It doesn’t affect her social status nearly as much, and she’s able to have a life of her own as a professor. In fact, a lot of conflict arrives in trying to get one of her students, Joan, to follow her dream of becoming a lawyer instead of being a stay at home wife.

In terms of logos, both main characters are teachers and their students respond to them in different ways. Cai Ling’s students often seek her out to help them fulfill her dreams. It began with the artist in the beginning who went with her to Beijing to chase his goal, and then ended with an aspiring opera singer lying to Cai Ling to get her to teach her for the competition in Beijing. Her students see her knowledge as valuable so they do what they can to get her to share said knowledge with them. Sometimes it’s through tricking or lying to her, but there is some value to her talent that motivates them to go that far to learn from her.
Watson’s career is centered on teaching, and her students tend to not listen to her. At the beginning of the movie, she found that the students had already studied everything on the syllabus and realized she couldn’t teach them unless she went beyond what the syllabus said. She tried to convince Joan to follow her dream as a lawyer but she ultimately ignored that encouragement to be a housewife. Similarly, she doesn’t find Betty’s honeymoon to be an excuse for avoiding class, and she is blamed for attacking their tradition.

In terms of tradition, Mona Lisa Smile tries to subvert the expectations of women in that time, focusing on the idea of life still being fulfilling without the need to fulfill a man’s desires. And the Spring Comes holds tradition in which Cai Ling struggles with the fact that she is an older woman who hasn’t married and how that affects her status among society. In terms of logos, Cai Ling has knowledge and talent that is constantly sought out by others trying to achieve her dreams, while Katherine’s knowledge and message are constantly ignored by her students who continue to fall victim to general expectations of them.

One key commentary that both films agree on is that society shuns the concept of an older woman living her life without a husband. The pressure of marriage hangs over the heads of Cai Ling and Watson, but in the end the two don’t give into marrying for the sake of marrying, and would rather carry on by themselves waiting for the right man even if that man never arrives. However, the different perspectives on marriage between eastern and western culture exist in how it is handled.

Watson teaches in a world where women are expected to marry but she isn’t pressured to marry nor is devalued for not doing so to the extent of Cai Ling. In the case of the ballet dancer, he wanted to marry Cai Ling simply to help them both rise in social status. Western culture perceives the woman as belonging to a man, so the standard is that their end goal should be to marry and have children as it is the extent of their purpose. In eastern culture, the marriage between a man and a woman is simply the standard once they’ve grown older. The idea of not starting a family is considered a failure in both genders, as opposed to an anomaly in just one. And it seems more likely that people in the east will get married even if they don’t love each other just to make themselves look better.

Marriage perceived by the west is a lifestyle and one that women are limited to, while it’s a symbol in the east that let’s society believe you are successful. Though this stands as a commentary of all that is wrong with society, as both movies explore. And the conclusion that both films come to is that women can enjoy life on their own and work towards a better future without the need of a husband.

[1226847047]

Dear Alexander Alomar
Hello, I am glad to read your article and know what you think of these two films. I have some personal opinions below, and I'm very glad that you can continue to read it.
In terms of some details of the two movies, you retell them very well, but this part of the content in the full text is too large. As far as I’m concerned, you can delete some details, and just retain a brief introduction to the two films. In paragraph 5, when you compare the logos of two movies, there is a misunderstanding about your perception of the detail. For example, “Cai Ling’s students often seek her out to help them fulfill her dreams”. In fact, Cai Ling’s first student Zhou Yu made her a teacher just to woo her. And her second student Gao Beibei took advantage of Cai Ling to win fame. Maybe the paragraph 5 to 6 should be modified.
However, your analysis of the different attitudes towards marriage in Chinese and western cultures reflected in the two films is excellent. Although both of the two heroines' misfortune are caused by people’s stereotypes about marriage, the reasons and results are different. I especially like the sentence " Marriage perceived by the west is a lifestyle and one that women are limited to, while it’s a symbol in the east that let’s society believe you are successful." I think it's accurate and profound.
Looking forward to your reply and your opinions!

[3030843098]

Hi, Alexander Alomar
I’d like to share my views with you about this essay. If there is any wrong with the tense and sentence, please forgive me.
First, every point you make is backed up by details of the movie, which I think is very great and I need to learn. And if you can make more general sentences, it would be greater. After reading your essay, I know that your essay wants to make a comprehensive analysis of two films from various aspects and it involves the logos, tradition, the common benefits and shortcomings, and so on. However, I can not get to the point of your essay at the first sight. Because you seem to assign a fair amount of weight to each part. I don’t whether it is your tradition or your elaborate design. And in my view , I prefer to put more attention and go further to our focus. You can tell me in reply.
Second, I said that your details about the movie is great, but it maybe a little too much. If I were an audience who had never seen these two films, after reading your view, I would already know the content of the film, and there would be no unknown charm or interest. So if you can display less details, maybe it will be better.
Third, in terms of links between paragraphs, I think the links are appropriate, which deserves me to learn. Then I want to tell you what puzzles me the most. After the fist sentence of the first paragraph of this essay, I think it should be disconnected from the following sentence. That is, to make this sentence a separate paragraph. Because I think, as the master sentence of the full essay, this sentence is necessary as a separate paragraph. Besides, there is a mistake in the fifth paragraph in the typesetting systems, I think it is maybe just a little careless mistake and if you pay a little attention next time, it won’t happen again.
Forth, since my ow grammar is not very good, I need more time to give you an opinion. So I am sorry that I can’t give you advice for the time being and I will read it a few more times later.
I am looking forward to your letter!
Fengjie Cheng

[yml5247]

Hi Alex,

From your article, I read a lot of good conclusions about the two films. To get better, maybe you should get more your personal analysis and statement from the two movies. Also, you can combine the cultural differences between China and the United States for a deeper study, or combine some analysis on film shots, scripts, filming, and so on.

[ama6629]

Hi Fengjie Cheng,

Thank you for reading my essay. I find myself agreeing with your statement that it's difficult to find my point in this essay topic from the beginning. I think that I added a bit too much to the essay and, through reading it again, see where it starts to lose focus. I'm interested in what you mean by saying that my first sentence of my first paragraph should be its own paragraph. As I use the first paragraph to introduce both films in a way that brings them together so readers would understand why I'm contrasting them to begin with. I'm not sure if that could be its own paragraph honestly. I will also take into account how much I resummarize the story, and narrow it down to key moments so it doesn't feel like readers are looking at a summary. Thank You.

Alexander Alomar

[3030843098]

Dear, Alexander Alomar

I am very happy to receive your reply, and I can feel that you understand my meaning. I feel very honored and happy to know that others have affirmed my suggestion. Besides, your words and sentences are excellent, attentively and carefully. I noticed that you’re using the simple present tense and I think the unity of the text is really nice.
I am looking forward to your letter! Have a nice day!

Sincerely,
Fengjie Cheng

[ama6629]

Cultural Essay Revision

Alexander Alomar

Mona Lisa Smile and And the Spring Comes are both movies centered around a female protagonist trying to fulfill her dream after moving to a new state or country. The difference between the movies stem in the themes and cultures of what these two protagonists experience. Katherine Ann Watson starts her new job as a professor in an all-female Wellesley College. Though in doing so, she finds that the students she teaches all closely follow the traditions of getting married and living the rest of their lives as housewives. Thus, Watson tries to encourage these students to break these traditions and use their education to pursue better careers
Wang Cai Ling is a professor seeking out her dream job of becoming an opera singer in Beijing. However, in trying to fulfill her dream, she is ultimately rejected and seeks out something else to do with her life. In the meantime, Cai Ling is not married and is constantly finding men in her life but no luck in forming a relationship. In terms of culture, Watson is encouraging other women to avoid the common tradition while Cai Ling is haunted by it.
Cai Ling is often reminded that she should get married at her age, but she never finds the right man. Many of the men she meets propose to her only for their self gain in social status. She mentions the idea of just living life by herself, but being single at her age is constantly seen as a negative. It shows how heavily focused Eastern culture is on being married, to the point where it’s better to have just anyone than simply be happy on your own.
Cai Ling’s friend who is a ballet dancer is constantly seen as strange by his own culture. So he tries to marry Cai Ling because he feels having a spouse will finally lift that curse from him and make him appear as more acceptable in that society. The implications of this character’s motive show the pressure of marriage in eastern culture that almost relays a message that if you’re an adult who doesn’t have a family, you’re an outcast.
Watson is a woman who isn’t yet married, and while other characters see that as a negative, she does not. Many of her relationships are ones she’s broken away from simply because she does not feel ready to be in that level of commitment. It doesn’t affect her social status nearly as much, and she’s able to have a life of her own as a professor. Much of the conflict arrives in trying to encourage other women to do the same.
Both main characters are teachers and their students respond to them in different ways. Cai Ling’s students often seek her out to help them fulfill their dreams. Her students see her knowledge as valuable so they do what they can to get her to share said knowledge with them, whether it be experience in Beijing or her talent as an opera singer. In some cases it’s even to the point of manipulating her.
Watson’s career, which is teaching, mostly consists of her students ignoring her. At the beginning of the movie, she found that the students had already studied everything on the syllabus and realized she couldn’t teach them unless she went beyond what the syllabus said. She tried to convince Joan to follow her dream as a lawyer but she ultimately ignored that encouragement to be a housewife. Similarly, she doesn’t find Betty’s honeymoon to be an excuse for avoiding class, and she is blamed for attacking their tradition.
In a way, the characters’ struggles are opposite of one another. Watson is trying to influence the world around and inspire it to change to fulfill her perspective. Cai Ling is surviving in a world that’s constantly trying to change her and pull her closer to its societal standards. What this informs about the two cultures is that western culture seems to value choice more but is still governed by long lasting traditions that the majority of people will follow simply because it’s what they know. Meanwhile, eastern culture enforces its traditions to the point where any one who decides to live differently is constantly beat down and deemed an outcast.
Because of this, it seems more likely that talent in eastern culture can go unnoticed if it does not fall in line with their social norms. In the end, Watson was able to inspire at least one individual to seek out a more fulfilling life than that of being a housewife, and maintained her job as teacher because of her talent. While Cai Ling suffered under a culture that deemed her too different, and had to come to terms with it and settle into a more comfortable life. Both stories are about characters defying society, but one so happens to push what is normal upon people harder than the other.