Research Project

My research paper is going to be about how The Help details the Civil Rights Movement and fight for freedom throughout history. I will do this by mapping the growth of black music and culture in a comparative way to the movie. I am very excited to write about this because I am taking a different approach to the history of African Americans in America. Also, as a pianist, it will be good to research the history of music genres such as jazz and the blues. On the site for one of my sources It describes how old slave songs were reworded during the Civil Rights Movement. One of the songs they sample is one that my choir is working on. It is called “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho”. The old one seems more chant or church like but the one we are working on was redone in a jazzy style. I am interested in what information I can find to support my ideas.  This will possibly benefit my future in music as well. I will be taking jazz lessons next semester because I have had an interest in jazz for the longest time. One of my professors says it is a good asset to have as a musician. I would also like to find out the difference between jazz and blues. I would also like to see how they are related. My topic was slightly difficult to figure out at first. I think that I am on the right track now that I figured out how to link music with The Help. I try to relate everything to music.  It sounds obsessive but I think that it is fun when I can find relations to everything. It is like how people find a specific song that they love because it relates to their experiences or emotions. The only hard part now is figuring out how to stretch the info into 8 pages. Hmmm. Hooray. 

WC: 326

The Help

The Help is a magnificent story about women in the 1960’s finding their place in society by trying to tackle racism through the publication of a book. In the movie, Skeeter (Emma Stone) writes a book based on the experiences of Aibileen (Viola Davis), Minny (Octavia Spencer), and many other women who serve as nannies for white families.

The film tackles two main issues during the 1960’s including black rights and women’s’ rights. It also confronts more theatrical issues within a family and between mother and daughter. I feel the director’s use of family conflict helps the audience relate more the characters’ struggles since most women do not have to deal with the same issues on a daily basis in present times. The actresses are flawless in performance and are very convincing as outstanding women in society. They are likable and that is always a plus for connecting to the audience and giving a great performance. I felt the sorrow that the characters expressed and the joy they experienced. It was a rollercoaster of emotions. Minny was my favorite character because of her addition of comedy into the film.

The setting of the film is also very relaxing. It is mainly shown in suburbs and in the fields. Something about a house out in the pastures is very relaxing to me. It opens the viewer up to inner emotions and releases tension. This feature has the same feeling as The Color Purple which is a film based in the south that centers on Celi (Whoopi Goldberg). She is basically in the same situation as Minny with an abusive husband. It also centers on hard times African American women faced in the past legally and at home. The same colors are also used for the DVD covers creating a visual connection between the movies. Since The Color Purple was a critically acclaimed movie, I am sure the instance was not on accident.

While conducting ethnography research, I closely notated the actions of others while watching The Help. All of those I came in contact with about the movie fully enjoyed it except for one of my roommates. The movie is mostly geared towards women and sensitive men. There are some slow points in the movie which caused the test subjects to flee to Facebook and other electronic devices. This could also just be the effect of society evolving to use technology all the time.

All groups of people should relate to the film because of racial discrimination that they may face still today. It shows how ignorant people are wrong when they act inappropriately according to social bias and fear of strange or different things. Also women should relate to the film because it is indeed about women.

I am quite pleased with the film and praise the cast and directors for their work and dedication to such a great story. Everyone has my full recommendation to see it. I would rate The Help five stars for bringing back the nostalgia of a classic type of movie. You do not see such films anymore and as an avid film viewer, it is great to see recent feel-good movie on the shelves. The Help is sure to be a classic!

WC:538

Customer Review: (Find my post by adamsalas17)

http://www.filmjabber.com/movie-preview/the-help.html

Week 7

Yayyy its Spring Break! Too bad I’m not going anywhere tropical and warm. Instead I will be relaxing and practicing piano. I have a bunch of mew music to work on and am excited to start memorizing it all. Sleeping in, watching late movies, and eating tons of ice cream are just what I need to unwind. I will also try to stay productive over break by reading some books about music and doing some research also about music.  Now that my schedule will be free, I can catch up on my Words With Friends games that I have been ignoring. I now go days at a time without responding to others. I will be seeing the dentist as well. Oh joy. I love the dentist. In addition to clean teeth, I will hopefully be getting a job. I applied at the Park District for work in the spring and must go to an informational meeting during break. I think it is also a type of interview. While thinking of jobs I realize that I do not have a résumé to use for more sophisticated jobs. I should really try and compile a list of my strengths and accomplishments to land a job somewhere nice.  The idea of a résumé creeps me out. I do not want to be judged by one sheet of paper. I think personal interviews are much more informative about a person. My cousin’s first birthday is this weekend and I cannot wait to go. It is nice to see all of my family. I am mostly excited for the cake and desserts though.  I hope that it will be warm over break so I can enjoy outdoor activities such as riding my bike and exploring the river. I really like exploring nature and experiencing the outdoors. I hope my break is as enjoyable as lemonade on a hot summer day in Hawaii. 

WC:317

Week 6

This week we are supposed to go see a movie at The Normal Theatre or rent one from the Movie Fan but I went home this week to attend a wake and funeral. SO, I watched a movie here instead. The movie I watched was Kick Ass. I told myself I would never watch this movie because it looked so dumb but I was talked into it. I came to the conclusion that it was still pretty dumb but somehow I liked it. It is shocking how much you can make a little girl do in movies now. She was swearing like a sailor and cutting drug dealers limbs off, not to mention shooting people in the face. This definitely was not intended for children. Some parts were pretty funny and pretty epic like the whole bazooka shooting the main bad guy out of a tower in New York but most of it was just overbearing. I can only imagine how many angry parents left the theatre with their kids learning some vulgar language and sexual concepts. That should not really be an issue because of all the stuff kids find online and on television anyway. One of the most unsettling concepts was the end when the bad guy is beating up the little super hero girl. He was choking and punching her in the face. It was so graphic. I am only squeamish when it comes to little kids and old people getting abused or killed like in the movie The Stepfather. That was a very unsettling movie. I suppose the directors did their job though since they conveyed some sort of emotion to the audience. Moral of the story, don’t beat up old ladies or little kids and don’t try to be a superhero because you will only get shot or shanked in the stomach. You will end up being blown out of a window by a short range missile or in an ambulance wearing a scuba suit.

WC: 330