Like the Wind -- Women, be Brave to Yourself

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Hello! Cheng Jinghan and Shi Haiping
Thank you very much for your affirmation of our works. In fact, I think our works still need to be improved. Can you give us more valuable suggestions? Or we can explore more research directions together, and explore the deeper meaning of the two films! --By Zhou Yang and Li Simin

[rzp80]

Dear Zhou Yang and Li Simin,
The way we discuss patriarchy typically has to do with oppression of females. But like you pointed out, men can be oppressed by this system. (I will use America as my example because that is the culture I am most familiar with). Patriarchy is typically seen as forcing both men and women into stereotyped roles. Women are usually more focused on because we have less freedom, but society pressures men into being masculine. This would look like being strong, smart, and providing. They also shouldn't express their feelings, but instead be tough. Hu Jinquan is a great example of someone who would be criticized for not being "masculine" enough. Our society has gotten better at accepting people for who they are, but sadly this bullying still continues. Sometimes it is referred to as "toxic masculinity" because a man might feel the need to "act out" (through violence, aggression, or constantly trying to prove himself as masculine) in order to feel that he fits into this patriarchal world.
If you are looking to add to your essay, you could mention how Hu Jinquan is excluded from society because of this.
I hope this helps you, and I am curious to see if you have similar experiences.
Sincerely,
Rachel

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Hi
I think you've done a good job of exploring the deeper meaning of these two films, and we've explored a lot of areas for improvement. We look forward to continue to improve our articles in the following revisions and look forward to more cooperation between us.
Cheng Jinghan and Shi Haiping

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Hi Jinghan and Haiping,
Thank you for your comments and affirmation of the depth of analysis of our article. We also get some inspiration from your articles and exchanges, such as the role of music in plot development and emotional expression in the non-verbal strategies mentioned in your article. There are also the shooting skills of the lens for the promotion of the plot and the suggestive role of the theme, and so on. 
Look forward to more cooperation and exchanges between us.
Sincerely,
Zhou Yang and Li Simin

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Hi, Rachel
I read your explanation of patriarchy, that forcing men and women into their own stereotypes, which makes my original vague concept of patriarchy clearer.

I quite agree with you. In fact, many men or women in order to meet the expectations of society, have to play the role they should play, hiding their nature, but patriarchal oppression of vulnerable groups has never stopped. I used to hear of the "toxic masculinity" in an article about #MeToo movement iand it is also the embodiment of the existence of oppression.

To answer your question, maybe because I'm still in school, I haven't stepped into the society, I don't feel oppressed or excluded by the group. In fact, the equality between men and women in China is relatively high, sometimes women can even play a leading role in the family. As far as I know, the suppression of patriarchal society in South Korea seems to be very serious. Women in South Korea are quite inferior and there have been frequent scandals regarding degrading women disclosed in recent years. Of course, some women in China are still oppressed in remote areas, but in general, I think as Chinese girls, we are very happy and lucky.

P.S I don't know how foreign media describe China in this regard, but I think China is definitely a country with a high degree of equality between men and women.--By Zhou Yang and Li Simin

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Hi, Rachel
I read your explanation of patriarchy, that forcing men and women into their own stereotypes, which makes my original vague concept of patriarchy clearer.

I quite agree with you. In fact, many men or women in order to meet the expectations of society, have to play the role they should play, hiding their nature, but patriarchal oppression of vulnerable groups has never stopped. I used to hear of the "toxic masculinity" in an article about #MeToo movement and it is also the embodiment of the existence of oppression.

To answer your question, maybe because I'm still in school and I haven't stepped into the society, so I don't feel oppressed or excluded by the group. In fact, the equality between men and women in China is relatively high, sometimes women can even play a leading role in the family. As far as I know, the suppression of patriarchal society in South Korea seems to be very serious. Women in South Korea are quite inferior and there have been frequent scandals regarding degrading women disclosed in recent years. Of course, some women in China are still oppressed in remote areas, but in general, I think as Chinese girls, we are very happy and lucky.

P.S I don't know how foreign media describe China in this regard, but I think China is definitely a country with a high degree of equality between men and women.--By Zhou Yang and Li Simin

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Revised Essay
Like the Wind -- Women, be Brave to Yourself

Mona Lisa Smile tells the story of 1953 in the United States. Catherine, who graduated from the open-minded Berkeley University, went to Wesleyan Women’s School to teach art history. But Catherine, full of ideals and passion, was bold to challenge the stale teaching system with her rich art history knowledge and interesting and enthusiastic teaching style. Finally, she has won the respect and the love of students, and is called the “Mona Lisa” by her students. And The Spring Comes is a movie about the hope hiding in tragedy. The film mainly tells the story of Cailing Wang, a music teacher from a small county, who is unwilling to live an ordinary life and decides to pursues her blue-sky dreams relentlessly but finally accepts reality under successive blows.

Both films have manifested women’s pursuit of self-worth. The free wind traveling around the world will never be captured and controlled just like the women who are brave to break the chains and chase after their goals. Catherine is successful. She wants the girls at Wesleyan Women’s School to get rid of their traditional position of being a good wife, and to provide students with extracurricular paintings to inspire their thinking in non-traditional learning. In the end, she did not compromise with life to stay at school with traditional teaching methods, but allowed girls to become their own masters and see the world from a new perspective. But in the And the Spring Comes, this pursuit is a failure. Cailing Wang, who was born in a small county, regards singing in Beijing and then singing at the Paris Opera House as her dream, but reality will shatter her ideal, and she can’t even gain a foothold in Beijing without relatives. In a small county, no one would understand this art, and the crowd scattered after the snow, leaving her alone to sing in the snow. But she finally surrendered to life, adopted a girl and returned to her traditional identity as a woman. Reality, like the wind of winter, broke her dream. But it gave her a safe place to settle down -- her family, which was her spring in the harsh winter.

Then we want to add that when it comes to character portrayal, And The Spring comes actually do better though Catherine in Mona Lise Smile is successful. Mona Lisa Smile, the protagonist, Catherine Watson, actually is built up or presented in a flat way, she is described according to a simple single thought or nature, that is, a noble teacher who dares to challenge the secular world compared to Wang Cailing who is sometimes vain or silly. Wang Cailing’s character is three-dimensional and round. We can see the her different characters, inner conflicts and so on.

Another point, we would like to talk about the marriage concept conveyed by the two works. Never yield to the shackle of traditional marriage, women who like the wind should choose their own traveling destination. In the film Mona Lisa Smile, Catherine transmitted her value marriage concept that be yourself and never be a slave to men brilliantly, guiding female students to walk out of the stereotype role in the marriage, to pursue their own value boldly and to realize their potential in their career. In the movie And The Spring Comes, the heroine Cailing Wang is not willing to be trapped in a small city or to be a housewife instead she dare to pursue her dreams. Although her dreams are broken, she still has her own perseverance when in the face of marriage without easily compromising with the world, she finally adopted a child and lived her own happy life.
In this level, both movie convey us the women’s freedom in marriage, While actually there are some subtle differences in marriage concept expressed by two films. Catherine encourages students to focus on their own development instead of giving up their marriage totally, or in other words students can take into account the dual status of scholars and housewives. The desire to become a housewife has never been completely abandoned. At this level, it reflects the desire of women for self-worth, but it is not thorough. Wang Cailing’s view of marriage is even more tragic. If she can’t find a suitable lover, she would rather not get married all her life. Her attitude towards the relationship with men actually shows a full affirmation of self-identity--following her heart. Mona Lisa Smile is more concerned about the relationship with men, and And the spring comes taps into the many possibilities for women to live their own life. So, we can see they express their desire in different ways--partial compromise and radical. Then when we rethink about the endings of two films, we can’t help but ask which one is a better way for women to purse their self-worth in this patriarchy society? It is a good topic worth thinking about.

Both movie use the non-verbal strategy of “Tone” to imply the ending of the movie.

Tone refers to the multiple tones of the light and dark of the object represented by the lens under the action of light. It is an important means for processing picture composition, creating a live atmosphere, enhancing language effects, and expressing thoughts and emotions.

The tone of Mona Lisa Smile is bright and colorful. when shooting, the climate is close to late autumn and overflow a classic romantic atmosphere. Scenes like Churches, banquets and campuses repeatedly appear in the movie with bright colors. The characters also have exquisite makeup, elegant clothes, and beautiful accessories. These harmony, elegant and romantic scenes makes viewers feel comfortable. It seems to imply that although Catherine has encountered some setbacks, she finally let the girls enlighten their ideas, see the world from a new perspective and become the masters of their own lives.

On the light, the movie And The Spring Comes chooses relatively dim light as a whole, showing an atmosphere of deep anxiety and helplessness. The glum light predicts the sad core that characters are obsessed with dreams but are finally defeated by the cruel reality. Scene like Jinquan Hu pushing his bicycle alone on a cold winter night was presented to the audience in cold colors, showing his despair and agony when he is excluded by the patriarchy society even though his gender is male, thus giving viewers more soul shocks and the expanding the film theme in a more board way. While a few parts still choose a softer light, it implies a glimmer of hope in life after the failure of the dream. For example, the last shot that Cailing Wang played with her adopted daughter, Xiao Fan, was an orange soft light that seemed to indicate that this would Cailing Wang newly defined the beginning of life. This combination of cold light and warm light indicates that the personal experience or mental path of the characters is very tortuous, makes the film more diversified, and the theme more profound and rich.

Don’t wait for the wind coming for you, brave women, can be the most care-free wind by yourself.

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Reflection

We are looking forward to participating in this transoceanic exchange activity and have gained a lot. 

Because of the cultural differences, we have different ways of thinking when analyzing the two films, and the perspective of analyzing the films is certainly different. In the analysis of films, students from various countries must have a deeper understanding of their own countries. They can supplement each other’s lack of parts in the exchange. 

Fortunately, our goal has been achieved. When communicating with Rachel, we noticed the stereotype of women in American movies that she mentioned in the film reviews, which we didn’t notice when we watched the Mona Lisa Smile. We did notice the complexity of Cailing Wang’s character in And the Spring Comes, but there was no in-depth analysis. Therefore, combined with the background of the two films, we deeply discussed with Rachel in the following about the social stereotype of women, the different views of the protagonists in the two films, and whether men were oppressed by stereotypes in the patriarchal society. 

When communicating with my Chinese peers, we were pleasantly surprised that our peers and we all paid great attention to the background of the development of the film story in our way of thinking, and then both noticed the gap between ideal and reality in And the Spring Comes. But there was a small difference in expression, which our group understood the gap as the failure and success of women’s pursuit of self-rights. However, in terms of non-verbal strategies, we think differently. Chinese peers analyze films from the non-verbal strategies of music and shooting, while our group uses light and tone. This gives us a new way of analysis. 

The above gives us a lot of new analytical ideas, and it is also very helpful for our knowledge growth and skill improvement. 

After consideration, we revised the three-dimensional characters we discussed with Rachel and the oppression of men in the patriarchal society into the review, and compared Catherine’s and Cailing Wang’s views on marriage. We think that the depiction of the protagonist Mona Lisa in the foreign film Mona Lisa is very flat, but the depiction of Cailing Wang is full and has a three-dimensional sense. Secondly, we also discuss the concept of women’s marriage conveyed in the two films. We expanded the original description of marriage from only the similarities in the two films to the comparison of the differences, and combined with the theme that women’s pursuit of self-worth of the article. During the discussion with Rachel, we also found that although there are stereotypes of women in movies and in today’s society, men can not escape the framework of stereotypes in the patriarchal society. For example, the United States requires men to be strong, and Jinquan Hu in the movie is discriminated against because he is not masculine enough (He likes ballet) and is suspected of being gay because he refuses to marry. As a consequence, We polish our non-verbal strategy by modifying Hu Jinquan’s example, and make a deeper analysis of this character. He is also a victim of the suppression of men by patriarchal society, thus deepening the role of tone in theme rendering. Then with regard to the analysis of the non-verbal strategies such as clothing mentioned by Shi Haiping and Cheng Jinghan, we did not consider adding it because of the length of the film review. Owing to the analysis of light, sound and light is enough to show our theme, we do not think it is necessary to describe it in too much detail. 

We think this activity is wonderful, funny and thought-provoking. We exchange our various opinions after watching the same movies. Foreigner students give us novel perspectives to think about things and encourage us from time to time. We also raise questions to them and share with our own stories to them. We think we all learn much from the process. For instance, after watching other people’s film reviews, we found a new non-verbal strategy to analyze the two films. It is also found that the two films can be analyzed from the aspects of personal growth and female stereotype, and the causes of the tragedy of supporting roles in the film can also be found in combination with the social background. Therefore we exchange our respective understanding of the background of the film era and complement each other. 

Because the communication time is only two weeks, we felt that this time was sufficient at first. But later, because of the jet lag between the two countries and the timeliness of information feedback, we felt that we had not finished what we wanted to say. It would be better if this time could be extended in the future. In addition, there is an American friend who does not feel very active in our online discussion, we expect him to join in for feedback.