3 - Mona Lisa Smile and And the Spring Comes

[Elizabeth H.]

Eastern and Western rhetoric are often compared through the lens of important written texts, such as the Dao De Jing or Phaedrus. However, in order to compare Eastern and Western rhetoric in modern times, the rhetoric of film is a viable option, as films are often widely viewed by people of that culture. Therefore, films offer unique insight into the differences and similarities in Eastern and Western culture through rhetoric. One key cultural representation that is significant is women’s empowerment, and this rhetoric can be analyzed through both verbal and non-verbal strategies used in each film.

While there are numerous verbal strategies that are used in both films, the verbal strategies that will be addressed in this paper are pathos, logos, li, and yi. Pathos and logos are both commonly used strategies in Western rhetoric; pathos refers to an emotional appeal, and logos refers to a logical appeal. Li and yi are both concepts borne out of Eastern Confucian rhetoric; li refers to how people treat each other in a community and the responsibilities they have to one another, and yi refers to the concept of morality and how people should treat each other the right way. One scene in Mona Lisa Smile is when Betty Warren attacks Katherine Watson in the college newspaper. This scene appeals to many verbal rhetorical strategies, and provides cultural representation. Pathos is seen here through the emotional impact that this, now very public, struggle takes on both Katherine and her less liberal students, like Betty. Logos is seen here because it is logical for Betty, who disagrees with Katherine’s views, to use her voice in one of the only ways she is able to gain support against Katherine. Li and yi are both seen here because community and morality are both key. The question of whether Betty was right to attack Katherine in such a public space is questionable, which brings in the topic of whether or not this was a moral choice. Since this is such a public space, community is brought into the centerfold as well. All of these verbal strategies show how women’s empowerment is represented in Western rhetoric. Although both Katherine and Betty are portrayed as strong women who have strong views, there is clearly an issue with girl on girl fighting. This is not a new concept in Western rhetoric, as empowered women are constantly seen as fighting each other instead of working together; the women are normally fighting over a man, like in Mean Girls. This film is no different, and the issue is still over men, particularly whether theses girls should get married or not. Western rhetoric offers a narrative that even though women can be empowered, they must still fight over men.

And Spring Comes also uses verbal strategies to illustrate women’s empowerment. One scene that portrays this is Wang’s suicide scene after she discovers that her lover only thinks of her as a friend. Pathos in this scene is evident because suicide is deeply attached to feelings of despair and sadness. Logos is not as evident, but can be seen through a feminist lens. Women are taught that beauty is of the utmost importance, and that they should strive for men’s love. Wang’s suicide is then logical because society views her as ugly, and she is further traumatized by being rejected; therefore, she has no reason to live because the only options that society afforded her were to be beautiful or to have a boyfriend. Li is evident because with suicide, comes a sense of responsibility. Who is responsible for her attempted suicide? Is it Wang herself, or is it the society that outcasted her? Yi is clear here as well because society should not have treated Wang so poorly, and Wang’s lover and Wang herself should have both been more open about what they expected out of the relationship. This offers insight into Eastern views on women’s empowerment. Women who are not beautiful are clearly devalued in society, and this film is commenting on the effects of that on women’s minds. Also, this film is perpetrating the narrative that women who aren’t beautiful, cannot love themself or be loved by the people that they love. This film compared to Mona Lisa Smile offers a different view on women’s empowerment. Wang and Katherine are both empowered because they are pursuing their dreams, despite society not agreeing with them or inherently valuing them. Both films focus on women’s relationships to men, which is troubling because in order for women to be empowered, their struggles should be in the spotlight. For example, Mona Lisa Smile could have easily been about Katherine’s struggle as a female teacher during a time of intense male pressure for women to stay at home; this would have made the key issue of the film about women overcoming male dominance. However, the film writers chose instead to focus on Katherine and her student’s troubles with marriage. In And the Spring Comes, the key issue could have simply been Wang’s struggle to love herself despite society thinking she’s ugly; instead, the issue is her relationship with a man. The Western film gives an illusion of empowerment, but in reality, this film is just a reproduction of age-old movie tropes about women fighting over men. The Eastern film offers an illusion of empowerment because Wang is following her dreams and trying to overcome the fact that she’s not viewed as beautiful, but in reality, Wang is internalizing this pressure and the focus is on whether or not men love her.

Nonverbal strategies can be regarded as anything from clothes, lighting, framing, etc. In this paper, lighting and clothing will be the main focus of the film. In Mona Lisa Smile, the lighting is considerably brighter than And the Spring Comes; In addition, the Mona Lisa Smile cast is dressed much nicer than the cast of And the Spring Comes. Dark lighting is consistent throughout And the Spring Comes, as well as darker colors, like deep blues. This reflects the dark tone of the film. The clothing is also not beautiful, which reflects Wang herself not being beautiful. And the Spring Comes uses these non-verbal elements to signify the suffering that is happening; this film makes it obvious that “ugly” women, even talented ones, must face harsh realities. Mona Lisa Smile uses brighter lighting and nice clothes, which adds to the illusion that Katherine is empowering her students and showing them the light, or rather, the idea that marriage is not the only option. However, the fact that these women choose to tear each other down and fight, instead of build each other up and listen to each other, clearly makes this movie anti-women’s empowerment. The nice clothes are meant to show that Katherine and her students are empowered and professional, but the clothes are still typically feminine colors and articles of clothing, like skirts or dresses.

Again, Western rhetoric in this film is trying to portray women as empowered, but instead uses plotlines, like female infighting, to subtly disempower women. Eastern rhetoric in the film, And the Spring Comes, very obviously shows how Wang is disempowered by society, yet still trying to empower herself through her career. However, Wang is still unable to be loved because of her looks and much of the plot focuses on her relationships with men, not her own journey for self-love. It can be inferred from these two films that the West is offering women’s empowerment, yet still expects women to fight with each other and focus on their relationships with men. The East recognizes that women should try to empower themselves, yet it is clear that women who try will fail or be driven to suicide. Both of these films use verbal and nonverbal cues to offer insight into cultural representation, and both of these films are problematic when it comes to women’s empowerment.

[Anny L.]

Hi Elizabeth! You did a great job introducing eastern and western rhetoric in your introduction. It would be awesome if you could add in the two film titles so the audience know exactly what films you are referring to. I loved the flow and style of your essay. Especially, in the third paragraph where you offered specific examples of verbal strategies in the film, “And the Spring Comes.” I would have to agree with your statement of “Women are taught that beauty is of the utmost importance, and that they should strive for men’s love.” Even in today’s society, girls tend to see their value in how guys see or treat them. I also thought it was interesting how you pointed out the articles of clothing in “Mona Lisa Smile’. I never really paid any attention to what they wore in the movie until you mentioned that most of the clothes that they had on were skirts and dresses. Your essay also provided me with many interesting insights such as the difference in how western and eastern rhetoric is being portrayed as well as a theme of women fighting over men in both films. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your paper!

[Xuan W.]

Elizabeth,
I was impressed by your rational analysis. It seems that your article focuses on the eastern and western rhetoric and women’s empowerment behind the two different cultures. Your text structure is very clear and your explanations on your views are quite specific.
And there is one thing that I hold different opinion and want to discuss with you. From my perspective, both li and yi have the positive meanings. You said li refers to how people treat each other in a community and the responsibilities they have to one another, which means li is a neutral word to you, while I’d like to regard it as a positive quality that people should have. In my opinion, li means treating others well and politely. So I don’t think Wang Cailing’s suicide bringing her a sense of responsibility is the presentation of li.
I also like your fourth paragraph where you showed us a lot of details about nonveberal strategies like clothes, lighting and framing. These all show me a different way to appreciate the two movies. In short, thanks for your brilliant analysis!

[Elizabeth H.]

Anny, thank you for your response. I really appreciate it. I think that women were certainly focused way too much on men's opinions of them. I also think that the men's decisions and choices held way too much power over them. I would have loved to see these films directed by women. I think that male directors tend to focus on their experiences as men, whereas female directors add more depth to female roles because they themselves have experienced it. I will definitely add the film titles into the introduction. Thanks!

Xuan, thank you for your response as well. In regards to your comment on "li," I would love to discuss that further with you. I also understand li to have a neutral meaning. However, as a neutral entity, li, in my opinion, can then sway to either the negative or positive. In this particular case, I think that li tipped the scales towards negative. Neutrality is the baseline, but context forces li in certain directions. Perhaps, I misunderstood the concept, but that is how I initially read it. I would love to discuss this further with you! Thanks!

[Elizabeth H.]

Here is the revised essay. Sorry to post it after class; I emailed it to you last night, but I forgot to post it as well.

Eastern and Western rhetoric are often compared through the lens of important written texts, such as the Dao De Jing or Phaedrus. However, in order to compare Eastern and Western rhetoric in modern times, the rhetoric of film is a viable option, as films are often widely viewed by people of that culture. Therefore, films offer unique insight into the differences and similarities in Eastern and Western culture through rhetoric. One key cultural representation that is significant is women’s empowerment, and this rhetoric can be analyzed through both verbal and non-verbal strategies. This paper will analyze the verbal and non-verbal strategies used to present women’s empowerment in Mona Lisa Smile, a Western film, and And the Spring Comes, an Eastern film.

While there are numerous verbal strategies that are used in both films, the verbal strategies that will be addressed in this paper are pathos, logos, li, and yi. Pathos and logos are both commonly used strategies in Western rhetoric; pathos refers to an emotional appeal, and logos refers to a logical appeal. Li and yi are both concepts borne out of Eastern Confucian rhetoric; li refers to how people treat each other in a community and the responsibilities they have to one another, and yi refers to the concept of morality and how people should treat each other the right way. One scene in Mona Lisa Smile is when Betty Warren attacks Katherine Watson in the college newspaper. This scene appeals to many verbal rhetorical strategies, and provides cultural representation. Pathos is seen here through the emotional impact that this, now very public, struggle takes on both Katherine and her less liberal students, like Betty. Logos is seen here because it is logical for Betty, who disagrees with Katherine’s views, to use her voice in one of the only ways she is able to gain support against Katherine. Li and yi are both seen here because community and morality are both key. The question of whether Betty was right to attack Katherine in such a public space is questionable, which brings in the topic of whether or not this was a moral choice. Since this is such a public space, community is brought into the centerfold as well. All of these verbal strategies show how women’s empowerment is represented in Western rhetoric. Although both Katherine and Betty are portrayed as strong women who have strong views, there is clearly an issue with girl on girl fighting. This is not a new concept in Western rhetoric, as empowered women are constantly seen fighting each other instead of working together; the women are normally fighting over a man, like in Mean Girls. This film is no different, and the issue is still over men, particularly whether theses girls should get married or not. Western rhetoric offers a narrative that even though women can be empowered, they must still fight over men.

And Spring Comes also uses verbal strategies to illustrate women’s empowerment. One scene that portrays this is Wang’s suicide scene after she discovers that her lover only thinks of her as a friend. Pathos in this scene is evident because suicide is deeply attached to feelings of despair and sadness. Logos is not as evident, but can be seen through a feminist lens. Women are taught that beauty is of the utmost importance, and that they should strive for men’s love. Wang’s suicide is then logical because society views her as ugly, and she is further traumatized by being rejected; therefore, she has no reason to live because the only options that society afforded her were to be beautiful or to have a boyfriend. Li is evident because with suicide, comes a sense of responsibility. Who is responsible for her attempted suicide? Is it Wang herself, or is it the society that outcasted her? Yi is clear here as well because society should not have treated Wang so poorly, and Wang’s lover and Wang herself should have both been more open about what they expected out of the relationship. This offers insight into Eastern views on women’s empowerment. Women who are not beautiful are clearly devalued in society, and this film is commenting on the effects of that on women’s minds. Also, this film is perpetrating the narrative that women who aren’t beautiful, cannot love themself or be loved by the people that they love. This film compared to Mona Lisa Smile offers a different view on women’s empowerment. Wang and Katherine are both empowered because they are pursuing their dreams, despite society not agreeing with them or inherently valuing them. Both films focus on women’s relationships to men, which is troubling because in order for women to be empowered, their struggles should be in the spotlight. For example, Mona Lisa Smile could have easily been about Katherine’s struggle as a female teacher during a time of intense male pressure for women to stay at home; this would have made the key issue of the film about women overcoming male dominance. However, the film writers chose instead to focus on Katherine and her student’s troubles with marriage. In And the Spring Comes, the key issue could have simply been Wang’s struggle to love herself despite society thinking she’s ugly; instead, the issue is her relationship with a man. The Western film gives an illusion of empowerment, but in reality, this film is just a reproduction of age-old movie tropes about women fighting over men. The Eastern film offers an illusion of empowerment because Wang is following her dreams and trying to overcome the fact that she’s not viewed as beautiful, but in reality, Wang is internalizing this pressure and the focus is on whether or not men love her.

Nonverbal strategies can be regarded as anything from clothes, lighting, framing, etc. In this paper, lighting and clothing will be the main focus of the film. In Mona Lisa Smile, the lighting is considerably brighter than And the Spring Comes. In addition, the Mona Lisa Smile cast is dressed much nicer than the cast of And the Spring Comes. Dark lighting is consistent throughout And the Spring Comes, as well as darker colors, like deep blues. This reflects the dark tone of the film. The clothing is also not beautiful, which reflects Wang herself not being beautiful. And the Spring Comes uses these non-verbal elements to signify the suffering that is happening; this film makes it obvious that “ugly” women, even talented ones, must face harsh realities. Mona Lisa Smile uses brighter lighting and nice clothes, which adds to the illusion that Katherine is empowering her students and showing them the light, or rather, the idea that marriage is not the only option. However, the fact that these women choose to tear each other down and fight, instead of build each other up and listen to each other, clearly makes this movie anti-women’s empowerment. The nice clothes are meant to show that Katherine and her students are empowered and professional, but the clothes are still typically feminine colors and articles of clothing, like skirts or dresses.

Again, Western rhetoric in this film is trying to portray women as empowered, but instead uses plot lines, like female infighting, to subtly disempower women. Eastern rhetoric in the film, And the Spring Comes, very obviously shows how Wang is disempowered by society, yet still trying to empower herself through her career. However, Wang is still unable to be loved because of her looks and much of the plot focuses on her relationships with men, not her own journey for self-love. The verbal and non-verbal strategies reveal that although both of these women are portrayed as powerful, for focusing on a career and following their dreams, they are anything but. These women are still held captive by patriarchal ideas about what women should be. However, the difference between the Western portrayal and the Eastern portrayal of women’s empowerment is interesting because it reveals the differences and similarities in the cultures. The main similarity is that both women are struggling against an anti-female culture, and both women are trying desperately to break that role. The difference between these two films is how that struggle is portrayed.

It can be inferred from Mona Lisa Smile that the West is offering women’s empowerment through jobs. However, Katherine is in a job that is considered typically feminine, a teacher, still conforming to gendered dress, and engages in infighting with her students. Katherine’s central conflict is between her and her students; Katherine is trying to get her students to see prospects beyond marriage. This centers the focus on men, rather than women’s struggles. This film could have addressed the fact that the only jobs available to women were teachers or nurses, or it could have addressed sexual harassment in the workplace, or even it could have focuses on the cultural attitude towards women choosing careers over immediate marriage. By centering the struggle around students who are rebelling against Katherine, this film paints a picture where Katherine is seen somewhat as an enemy; she is not letting the girls get married like they wish. However, this film could have easily opened conversation about girls who wished they could have careers yet are forced into marriage because of cultural standards. By centering the struggle on girl on girl fighting, this film adheres to a very expected trope. The lighting gives a false sense of brightness, but the clothing and other strategies reveal the truth. Women can try to be empowered in the West, but they will only fight with other women and be forced into traditionally feminine jobs.

The East recognizes that women should try to empower themselves, yet it is clear that women who try will fail or be driven to suicide. It is also abundantly clear that “ugly” women will have to deal with a lot more than pretty women. Again, this internal struggle for self-love and acceptance could have easily been the central part of the film. However, the film instead focuses on Wang’s romantic relationships with men. The shift in focus from Wang’s own personal journey to center more on her relationships is saddening to say the least. The message illustrates that women searching for a career or any type of empowerment, especially ugly women, will be driven to extreme depression. In comparison with the Western film, this film is brutally honest because Mona Lisa Smile gives the illusion of empowerment while And the Spring Comes simply paints a tale of distress. Overall, both of these films use verbal and nonverbal cues to offer insight into cultural representation, and both of these films are problematic when it comes to women’s empowerment.

[Elizabeth H.]

Here is my reflection on the border-crossing activity.

My expectation for the border crossing activity was that I would be able to read other students essays and gain a different perspective on the films we watched in class. My expectations were certainly met. I am really excited that Xuan talked about their different ideas on li. I think that exchange went well, and I am excited to talk further about their opinions in person. I did not revise my essay on this comment, however, because I think we disagree. Xuan stated that li is used positively normally, but I did not use it as such. I believe li is neutral and can be used either way. I did, however, revise my essay based on Anny’s comment to add the titles of the movie into the introduction. I also added more analysis at the end.

The three things that struck me most were: (1) the writing style, (2) the insight and (3) the creativity. The writing was clear and open. I really liked that. Their insight was certainly interesting as well. I think my fellow American students tended to insert their own opinions, while the Nanjing students tended to summarize. This was interesting to me. In terms of creativity, I expected very direct titles, without much fanfare. However, the titles struck me as very innovative. In addition, the introductions to their essays were quite grabbing.

I incorporated Anny’s suggestion to add the movie titles in the introduction. I did not really address Xuan’s comment because I have a different opinion. While I agree that li is inherently neutral, I do not agree that that neutrality cannot shift when the context changes.

The three adjectives I would use to describe this activity would be fun, insightful, and intelligent. I chose fun because this activity was fun for me; I like to analyze things and this gave me an outlet to do so. I chose insightful because I think everyone offered great insights into the films. I chose intellectual because this was a very academic-centered activity.

The three adjectives I would use to describe my feelings would be excited, invigorated, and thoughtful. I chose excited because this activity made me excited for Nanjing. I chose invigorated because I feel more ready to go abroad now. I chose thoughtful because this activity made me think a lot.

I would have liked to, instead of writing the comments to each other, to video chat with the students. It would have been cool to talk over Skype or something, so that we get to see each other’s faces.

[Xuan W.]

Hi, Elizabeth, sorry to reply so late. I enjoy reading your revised essay and your reflection. I also learnt a lot from this activity. In terms of your essay, you mentioned many strategies of two movies. Your revised essay detailed the women issues, such as women's job matters and the differences of living situation between east and west women. And I was not surprised that you insist on your own opinion , and it's normal everyone has his/her own perspective to understand something. Although we disagree on the meaning of "li", I learnt a different way to think about it. Feel free to email me or chat with me through some social apps. My e-mail address is 161020046@smail.nju.edu.cn. ＾＿＾