Theoretical Analysis of Mrs Doubtfire - 999 Words

Mrs. Doubtfire Mrs. Doubtfire is a corky, light hearted movie that gives a glimpse into the lives of a family going through a divorce. The film sheds light on the rockiness of a marriage between two middle aged parents. However, analyzing the movie from a different perspective paints it in a much darker tone. The comedy of the film covers up underlying predispositions the Western culture has on sex and gender. There are many blatant as well as minute details of the film that point not only to biases of sex and gender but also to the prevalence of gender roles. Also the film shows the stresses of veering away from a social institution engraved into our society and how the viewer responds to that action. Within the movie Mrs. Doubtfire†¦show more content†¦Sex is defined as biological differences that distinguish men from women, whereas gender is the state of being male or female in reference to social and cultural differences rather than biological ones (Conley). Note how the briefness of t hese definitions leaves much to be interpreted. Daniel is regarded highly in his career for his ability to create cartoon characters and portray them through his voice. Using this ability he is able to fool his family into believing this act. Of course Mrs. Doubtfire is a creation of how he would believe a typical nanny to act and appear. Before becoming a nanny he knew nothing of how to cook. This can be further understood by Talcott Parson’s sex role theory which argues that the nuclear family is the ideal arrangement in a modern society with a work-oriented father and domestic-oriented mother (Conley). These roles are complicated as the mother is slightly more work-oriented than what is idealized, however she is still the domestic-oriented mother as explained by sex role theory. Due to this fact Daniel is portrayed as the husband who knows not how to cook. A nanny who cannot is not sensible, as an elderly woman would be even more eloped in the woman’s gender culture . This is not overlooked by Daniel, as he is forced to become a better cook as a nanny. It is interesting to see how much the lives of the children seem to improve as this gender role is

Compare and contrast Marxist and Functionalist accounts of religion Free Essays

Both functionalists and Marxists share the common view that religion serves to legitimise the morals and laws within society. Many functionalists as well as Marxists do agree that society creates religion as a visual symbol of itself. Followers are ultimately not worshipping their religion, their worshipping society and everything it stands for. We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and contrast Marxist and Functionalist accounts of religion or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, this is where the split in views begins. Functionalists see Religion as serving towards the 4 pre-requisites of society. (Namely: Social integration, shared values, social solidarity, and social harmony). By ensuring these needs are met, religion reinforces collective values and promotes solidarity. Functionalism is not over concerned about the ‘why’ religion is allowed to assume this falsified symbolism, but instead recognises it’s use in keeping harmony and faith in society. Durkheim demonstrates this in admitting that religion does not have to be ‘super natural’. It’s important to note that mortal people and objects can gain a sacred status in society similar to that of the idols of religion. For instance: Princess Diana – a national symbol of charity and possibly the last real ‘princess’ of the British Nation in the people’s hearts. She has become sacred because she represents a good quality of society. From this, Durkheim believes â€Å"Understand what sacred things represent and you understand the values of a society†. Here we come into the first major difference between functionalism and Marxism. The former believes that there is a positive relationship between society and the individual. Worship society; believe in society. Marxists, however, inherently are discontent and have an ill view of society as it is. It is understandable how they are opposed to religion indoctrinating the people into a value set, pulling them into the collective conscience that ultimately supports capitalism and the idea that people deserve to â€Å"have their place†. Religion has allows supported class systems and promoted inequality. In gender. In work. In authority. Everything that Marxism is opposed to. â€Å"The rich man placed in his castle – The poor man placed at his gate† Malinowski, famed for his research at the Trabaind islands, did not see religion as a celebration of society, despite the same functionalist perspective as Durkheim. He did, however, agree that religion promotes solidarity. It does so by dealing with emotional stress / life crisis (disruptive events). Religion goes as far as to introduce ceremonies for dealing with various life crisis. Death is given a funeral. Love is given marriage. In all cases then hope is given through the expressed belief in immortality and fellow mourners serve to comfort and support the bereaved, so they can become functional members of society once again. Dangerous and unpredictable events are also surrounded in religious ceremony. Prayer is common before a possibly hazardous experience. These rituals reduce anxiety and increase confidence, strengthening unity in shared situations. Talcott Parsons shares this view and goes onto show how religious devices, such as the 10 commandments, provide the basis for many social norms and morals. Religion guides behaviour and helps in the formulation of decision through this. Finally, Religion is looked to answer the â€Å"ultimate questions† and give meaning to our existence. Humanity needs to feel as though there is meaning in all significant things; meaning to death and suffering, and justification of existence in itself. Religion works to show sense in contradictory scenarios that threaten the balance of ultimate beliefs. For instance, a man who is profiting through the doing of evil will be punished in the after life for his wrongful gain in life. Religion is a warning, a giver of justice, a provider of guidance and ultimate supernatural fear if one goes astray. Marx himself rejects any idea of supernatural aspect of religion. He describes religion as the â€Å"Heart of a heartless world†; The heartless world being the society moulded by capitalism. Religion is born out of a need for comfort, it does just this by cushioning the effect of worker oppression. Marxists have placed religion as part of the super structure, it helps justify the capitalist base as well as the whole super structure. (See rich man quote page 1). Religion as a tool of the bourgeoisie plays an important roll in justifying worker oppression, by showing that all will gain equal reward in heaven for doing the ‘right thing’. Religion has varying levels of strictness according to socio-economic class placement, especially in India where the cast system places strict restrictions and categorisations on a persons place in society. The idea of equal opportunity is ultimately crushed by harsh teachings and acceptance that a lower class worker is having a bad life because super natural forces placed them in that situation as punishment for wrongfulness in previous life. In conclusion, Marxist and functionalist similarities on the subject start and end with the acceptance of religion as a conservative force in society. Neo Marxism does accept the idea (like functionalism) that religion can sometimes be useful to society in bringing about change for the better. For instance the radical role of Liberation Theology. (Madura). Traditional Marxism is totally opposed to the oppressive role of religion and would be surprised to see that radical forces have emerged with some minority religious groups. Functionalists such as Durkheim and Parsons see religion as being a positive and perhaps essential part of the harmonious workings of society but have been criticised for ignoring the dysfunctional, disruptive, and divisive aspects of religion. They fail to consider hostility between religious groups within the same society. â€Å"It would seem that religion threatens social integration as readily as it contributes to it† (Stark Glock). How to cite Compare and contrast Marxist and Functionalist accounts of religion, Papers

Blood Brothers written by Willy Russell Essay Example For Students

Blood Brothers written by Willy Russell Essay On the 27th of June, we travelled down to the Phoenix Theatre in London, the play we saw is called Blood Brothers and is written by Willy Russell. The play is set in Liverpool and was written in the 1980s. The 1980s was known as Thatchers Britain. It was a time where unemployment was high and robbery, lies and deceit were all quite common. The play reflects all these things and also shows the barrier between the different classes of people or ratings as we could call them. Issues There were quite a few issues that stood out from the story line. This was something that to me made it an interesting play. It isnt like a corny program aimed at reducing crime, it is something that people can relate to, the issues are realistic. It is real people in real situations in a real place with real challenges facing them. Although the meetings between the two boys are strange, more unreal, they arent quite coincidences. This links to fate in a big way. Fate is very important to this story line as all the meetings and the shock ending rely on fate along with superstition. The superstition is shown throughout the play as extremely important from the swearing on the bible to the new shoes on the table and with each superstition, the narrator is close behind. The narrator is a dark figure, dressed in a perfect sharp black suit, whenever there is something linked with fate, superstition or something bad happening, he is always there. Perhaps portraying the role of Lucifer? Waiting for someone to take a step out of line? Class, as I mentioned before, are shown in this play in many different ways, From money and jobs to living status and even marriage status. The fact that Mrs Lyons only had to snap her fingers and they could move to a different house in the countryside shows how hard Mrs Johnstone had it, who was struggling to keep her children and had a house renowned for only wrong doings. The issue of loyalty is more hidden in the play, although Eddy is very loyal to his supposed mother and father, he still shows a strong respect for Mickey and his natural mother who he hardly knows. His supposed mother, Mrs Lyons, reacts badly to this in an almost crazed way. Is this a start of her madness? Mickey on the other hand is very loyal to his mother and sees his brother Sammy as a role model, our Sammyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ someone who he can look up to. Friendship also plays a big role. The boys are shown at three separate ages throughout the play, and at each, they manage to remain friends apart from near the end where the mood changes. Unemployment is another issue covered in the play, it links in with the robbery as it formed a source of money. This led to the jailing  of Mickey, which drove him to his drug addiction, another issue. The effects of this didnt just hit Mickey but bounced off onto Linda and other friends and family in the play. Linda became the main provider along with Eddy. Linda, from the very start, is shown to be a close friend of Mickey. She sticks up for him against his brother and friends and claims to love him in the teenage years, but she ends up in the centre of all the troubles. Love is an important issue of today, but it is what I would call one of the most important in this play. Although Linda and Mickey get married, whilst he is away in jail, the friendship bond between Linda and Eddy strengthens. When she kisses him its like a curse in its own right, taking Mickey to the edge and driving him into madness against his brother. WE must remember that the two boys are twins, could she see Mickey in Eddy? Or the other way round? In a way, Linda is fate as she brings the fate of their deaths onto them. .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1 , .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1 .postImageUrl , .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1 , .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1:hover , .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1:visited , .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1:active { border:0!important; } .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1:active , .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1 .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u86de98ffb10d4ad0093075b4fba658d1:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: How do your feelings change towards Malvolio during the course of the play EssayMood The mood in the play changed from funny to sinister, but it didnt occur over and over again, it happened all at once. It seems to arise when the characters make the leap from childhood into adulthood, then everything starts to go wrong. After the fair, when everything seemed to have been going really well, If only these three could stay like this foreverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ marks the point where your smile drops, your heart skips a beat and reality comes around. In the childhood years, its all fun and games, school included with cowboys and Indians to swearing at the teacher. In the adult years everything seemed to have gone wrong, with the unemployment, jail, drug addiction and confusion over love. At the start, the lighting is warm and yellow, making the stage scene look warm and fuzzy. The Johnstone house seems really dark and mucky though, with graffiti on the walls. On the other side of the stage, the Lyons house is clean bright and sharp. As if reflecting the goings on in each house. In the second half, when the mood was a lot more serious, the lighting didnt seem as warm. It seemed more blue and clear white light with sharp and if not dark night scenery in the background. This showed the change very well without any words or actions at all, just lighting and scenery. Story line The story line works because of numerous factors. There are cliffhangers to keep the audience gripped like where they move house just before the interval leaving an open space to what might happen next. The start is a brilliant example as it tells the end at the beginning. Its a shock start, which interests the audience straight away, and because its sad, it makes it more effective. The songs can be  quite emotional, drawing the audience into the story and with all the music surrounding you, it makes you feel a part of it all. Making it so that the tune of one song and most of the words can be kept but still change other words helps the story to flow along. I think it is really effective. Marilyn Monroe is a really catchy tune, but the mood of the song can easily be changed by its speed. I thought this to be a very useful idea. The mixture of really funny and really silly was good in this play but it wasnt too much as the seriousness tuned it down. The horse riding was ingenious with the cross between Mickeys version of cowboys and Indians and Eddys version of dressage. The shooting was a brilliant insight into the childrens games but it also gave you a glimpse of the big kids toys that they would be witnessing in the future. The swearing which seems to pop up isnt taken offensively by the audience, its put in so cunningly that its funny, especially as its young children saying it. The dirty movie and so called atomic bomb although rude, add spark to the play and give it that feel of just a bit of fun all over again, but in the back of your mind, you wait for the tragedy. Characters The actors are truly skilled to be able to act three different ages of one character. The ages used are of seven, fourteen and twenty-one. At each age something has to change, the walk is different, the tone of voice, the body language as a whole and the clothes worn. With small changes, the actors age, leaving you in doubt of how old they are. It is ridiculously simple but extremely clever. Mrs Lyons madness is a slow but revealing process. Like pealing an orange. You get a peek of her true self at the start where she is plotting with Mrs Johnstone, she seems desperate but at the same time you feel sorry for her. Gradually her paranoia overcomes her leading her to be a contributor in her, or should we say Mrs Johnstones sons death. .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955 , .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955 .postImageUrl , .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955 , .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955:hover , .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955:visited , .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955:active { border:0!important; } .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955:active , .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955 .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u80b29326929e834ca4393f8f72b04955:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Blood brother unit 2 in drama EssayIn the end I found this play to be extremely enjoyable, the story line although containing big coincidental meetings lies untarnished. From start to finish it had me gripped and although this was the second time I had seen this play, I still wanted, like with the first time, that it would not end in tragedy. Then again, sometimes the better stories are the ones which endings are sad, the ones that leave a deeper imprint on your memories.