Christopher Fencel
Within both films, And the Spring Comes and Mona Lisa Smile, the themes heavily revolve around women. Females are the main characters in these movies, and as such the lives of these women are explored. Wang Cailing, the singing teacher and main character in And the Spring Comes, has the dream of becoming a famous opera singer. Her voice is beautiful yet she is solely judged by her looks. Multiple times throughout the film her “ugliness” is brought up and really is an important theme throughout the film. Wang blames her looks for all the unfortunate circumstances in her life. Katherine Watson, the newest art history teacher at Wellesley College, is on a mission to introduce the extremely conservative college girls to independent thought. The film is based in 1953, and shows that clearly in regard to marriage. Within the first half hour of the film, we see a race among the students to see who will get married first and Betty’s mother makes it extremely clear that pleasing her husband and being a subservient wife is of the utmost importance.
And the Spring Comes shares several themes with Mona Lisa Smile. Both clearly show that the only way for a woman to move upwards socially is to marry a good man. Marriage is a highly important aspect of both these films as Wang’s parents persistently ask why she isn’t married yet and a large portion of Mona Lisa Smile is about Betty’s marriage and divorse struggles. Each film expresses an extremely old style conservitive view of marriage. However, Wang and Katherine both go against the grain and do the exact opposite of what society expects them to do as women.
Wang, throughout the film, learns to become an independent woman and make it on her own. I believe the scene on the train really changed her. The man whom she had romantic feelings for and whom she assumed shared those feelings, flatly rejected her and said that he believes them to be just friends. This moment finally set her on the independent path she needed to journey down. Katherine spends her time at Wellesley teaching the girls independent thought, something very against the culture of the times. She dumps Bill after finding out he was a liar. And she was the only true role model to Betty. She chooses to explore Europe over coming back to Wessesley in the fall and makes a deep impact on all of the girls she taught. Through Katherine, the girls learned to think for themselves and live the lives that they truly desired, not the ones culture and society deemed acceptable for them.
In conclusion, both films express the themes of independent women and those said women finding themselves through hardship and struggle. I believe that Wang and Katherine find in themselves the power to live their dreams regardless of the men in or out of their life. They chose to go against culture and society and pursue their own goals.
Movie Essay
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Re: Movie Essay
Christopher,
I am surprised that we both agree on the themes of women empowerment. Some of our vocabulary like ‘revolve’, ‘circumstance’ even overlapped. A really good reading.
In your essay, you first put forward the same theme of the two films: they both revolve around women. Then as a short introduction, you discuss about the two female characters, Wang and Katherine, through which I could sense their personality vividly. You mentioned Wang’s ugly look and Katherine’s mission. These left me a deep impression.
The thread, marriage and women status is clear in your next paragraphs. Details of plot are given to show the association between the films. Wang and Katherine both strive to move upwards socially. And for this, they have to go against their given expectations.
But you mentioned Wang’s independence without analyzing her background. From my understanding, Wang’s wish does not solely rest on marriage. Circumstance is perhaps more complicating and even tragical for her. Would you like to give further explanations on the two characters’ differences? Like their different backgrounds and endings... I am also curious about this during my own writing.
Looking forward to your reply.
Zhu Ke
Your review of both films is comprehensive. First, you briefly narrate the plots of the two films, so that we can fully understand the lives of the two heroines. second, with plain words you show us the two women against injustice of their destiny. Whether Wang Cailing adhered to her dream or not she went to disheartened---- live a stable life in the end, or like Betty, finally won the war against fate. All reflect the ups and downs of the fate of women you mentioned. Anyway, In a word, I believe through your comments you expressed an overall positive attitude towards women's life on the films.
Dou Miaomiao
I am surprised that we both agree on the themes of women empowerment. Some of our vocabulary like ‘revolve’, ‘circumstance’ even overlapped. A really good reading.
In your essay, you first put forward the same theme of the two films: they both revolve around women. Then as a short introduction, you discuss about the two female characters, Wang and Katherine, through which I could sense their personality vividly. You mentioned Wang’s ugly look and Katherine’s mission. These left me a deep impression.
The thread, marriage and women status is clear in your next paragraphs. Details of plot are given to show the association between the films. Wang and Katherine both strive to move upwards socially. And for this, they have to go against their given expectations.
But you mentioned Wang’s independence without analyzing her background. From my understanding, Wang’s wish does not solely rest on marriage. Circumstance is perhaps more complicating and even tragical for her. Would you like to give further explanations on the two characters’ differences? Like their different backgrounds and endings... I am also curious about this during my own writing.
Looking forward to your reply.
Zhu Ke
Your review of both films is comprehensive. First, you briefly narrate the plots of the two films, so that we can fully understand the lives of the two heroines. second, with plain words you show us the two women against injustice of their destiny. Whether Wang Cailing adhered to her dream or not she went to disheartened---- live a stable life in the end, or like Betty, finally won the war against fate. All reflect the ups and downs of the fate of women you mentioned. Anyway, In a word, I believe through your comments you expressed an overall positive attitude towards women's life on the films.
Dou Miaomiao
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Re: Movie Essay
After reading your article, I feel very much. I think we have relatively similar perceptions of these two films. From the theme of these two films is about women, to always implement the topic of the two films—marriage, and finally to a deeper perspective, independence and dreams. These also confirm my impression of these two films.
I think your writing is progressive and very organized. The storyline is interspersed with your own feelings, and the narrative of the shooting time and the background of the story is added to make the whole article look more smooth. Understand the desires of these two movies. At the same time, let those who have watched these two movies have a great sense of identity with your opinion.
You mentioned that Wang and Katherine chose to go against culture and society and pursue their own goals in order to get rid of the bondage of marriage. I think this is what these two movies want to convey to us. Women ’s power is actually very strong. They are not men ’s accessories. They have their own dreams and pursuits. In the new era, this is what we preach and implement. Equality between men and women is far more than simple on the surface, it actually means that women have to be themselves, marry and pursue their dreams.Both of these movies are rare masterpieces, and they are of great significance both at that time and now. I hope more and more women can see these two movies and find themselves in them.
I think your writing is progressive and very organized. The storyline is interspersed with your own feelings, and the narrative of the shooting time and the background of the story is added to make the whole article look more smooth. Understand the desires of these two movies. At the same time, let those who have watched these two movies have a great sense of identity with your opinion.
You mentioned that Wang and Katherine chose to go against culture and society and pursue their own goals in order to get rid of the bondage of marriage. I think this is what these two movies want to convey to us. Women ’s power is actually very strong. They are not men ’s accessories. They have their own dreams and pursuits. In the new era, this is what we preach and implement. Equality between men and women is far more than simple on the surface, it actually means that women have to be themselves, marry and pursue their dreams.Both of these movies are rare masterpieces, and they are of great significance both at that time and now. I hope more and more women can see these two movies and find themselves in them.
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Re: Movie Essay
Hi, Christopher
Your movie essay revolved around the theme of woman's independence. Firstly, you briefly introduced the main characters and plots of the two movies. Then you list the common aspects of the two movies, such as the social demands on women, the old style conservative view of marriage and the final resistance of the two protagonists. By the way, it should be “conservative” instead of “conservitive” and “divorce” instead of “divorse”. In the end, you describe the ending and the meaning of them. Overall, your framework is clear, closely related to your topic, and your grammar is worth learning.
However, I think And the Spring Comes focuses on the description of the era in which women should be attached to men, rather than woman's independence. I don't agree with you that Wang learns to become an independent woman and make it on her own. For example, Wang goes to a matchmaking agency for a husband, and her high requirements indicate that she wants to live a better life depending on men. But it was a fake matchmaking agency, so her hopes were disappointment again. Therefore, in my opinion, And the Spring Comes has a strong tragic color and does not reflect the awakening of female consciousness.
Furthermore, maybe you can add some differences between the two movies. It’s a pleasure to communicate with you~
By Wang Wenjing
Generally speaking, the theme is clear in your film review, and you connected the content closely to 'independent women' which makes me know what you want to express.
But my understandings of movies are different from yours in some areas. In And the Spring Comes, you mentioned Wang' s appearance several times. You think her ugliness leads to her unfortunate circumstances and 'ugliness' is an important theme, but I think you should pay attention to an important point that Wang wasn't the only person who had a tragic experience. In the film, the ballet dancer' s tragic experience is also worthy of sympathy. Wang failed in the pursuit of her dream mainly because the background of China at that time, and 'ugliness' was just a small problem which hindered her in love more. At that time, people didn't have the ability to appreciate art because of the fetter of thought, which doomed them to failure. In Mona Lisa Smile, you can add more plots to prove the bondage of marriage to women. Maybe we should think about why those outgoing women often failed at that time, and I think relating to the social background in the two films will be better.
What's more, I think you can add more about the introduction about the two films, starting with directors, actors and story briefs, ect. And maybe you can make comparison and contrast on the two films, instead of only talking about similarities.
By Fan Kaiyi
Your movie essay revolved around the theme of woman's independence. Firstly, you briefly introduced the main characters and plots of the two movies. Then you list the common aspects of the two movies, such as the social demands on women, the old style conservative view of marriage and the final resistance of the two protagonists. By the way, it should be “conservative” instead of “conservitive” and “divorce” instead of “divorse”. In the end, you describe the ending and the meaning of them. Overall, your framework is clear, closely related to your topic, and your grammar is worth learning.
However, I think And the Spring Comes focuses on the description of the era in which women should be attached to men, rather than woman's independence. I don't agree with you that Wang learns to become an independent woman and make it on her own. For example, Wang goes to a matchmaking agency for a husband, and her high requirements indicate that she wants to live a better life depending on men. But it was a fake matchmaking agency, so her hopes were disappointment again. Therefore, in my opinion, And the Spring Comes has a strong tragic color and does not reflect the awakening of female consciousness.
Furthermore, maybe you can add some differences between the two movies. It’s a pleasure to communicate with you~
By Wang Wenjing
Generally speaking, the theme is clear in your film review, and you connected the content closely to 'independent women' which makes me know what you want to express.
But my understandings of movies are different from yours in some areas. In And the Spring Comes, you mentioned Wang' s appearance several times. You think her ugliness leads to her unfortunate circumstances and 'ugliness' is an important theme, but I think you should pay attention to an important point that Wang wasn't the only person who had a tragic experience. In the film, the ballet dancer' s tragic experience is also worthy of sympathy. Wang failed in the pursuit of her dream mainly because the background of China at that time, and 'ugliness' was just a small problem which hindered her in love more. At that time, people didn't have the ability to appreciate art because of the fetter of thought, which doomed them to failure. In Mona Lisa Smile, you can add more plots to prove the bondage of marriage to women. Maybe we should think about why those outgoing women often failed at that time, and I think relating to the social background in the two films will be better.
What's more, I think you can add more about the introduction about the two films, starting with directors, actors and story briefs, ect. And maybe you can make comparison and contrast on the two films, instead of only talking about similarities.
By Fan Kaiyi
Re: Movie Essay
Within both films, And the Spring Comes and Mona Lisa Smile, the themes heavily revolve around women. Females are the main characters in these movies, and as such the lives of these women are explored. Wang Cailing, the singing teacher and main character in And the Spring Comes, has the dream of becoming a famous opera singer. Her voice is beautiful yet she is solely judged by her looks. Multiple times throughout the film her “ugliness” is brought up and really is an important theme throughout the film. Wang blames her looks for all the unfortunate circumstances in her life. Katherine Watson, the newest art history teacher at Wellesley College, is on a mission to introduce the extremely conservative college girls to independent thought. The film is based in 1953 and shows that clearly in regard to marriage. Within the first half-hour of the film, we see a race among the students to see who will get married first and Betty’s mother makes it extremely clear that pleasing her husband and being a subservient wife is of the utmost importance.
And the Spring Comes shares several themes with Mona Lisa Smile. Both clearly show that the only way for a woman to move upwards socially is to marry a good man. Marriage is a highly important aspect of both these films as Wang’s parents persistently ask why she isn’t married yet and a large portion of Mona Lisa Smile is about Betty’s marriage and divorce struggles. Each film expresses an extremely old-style conservative view of marriage. However, Wang and Katherine both go against the grain and do the exact opposite of what society expects them to do as women.
Wang, throughout the film, learns to become an independent woman and make it on her own. I believe the scene on the train really changed her. The man whom she had romantic feelings for and whom she assumed shared those feelings, flatly rejected her and said that he believes them to be just friends. This moment finally set her on the independent path she needed to journey down. Katherine spends her time at Wellesley teaching the girls independent thought, something very against the culture of the times. She dumps Bill after finding out he was a liar. And she was the only true role model to Betty. She chooses to explore Europe over coming back to Wessesley in the fall and makes a deep impact on all of the girls she taught. Through Katherine, the girls learned to think for themselves and live the lives that they truly desired, not the one's culture and society deemed acceptable for them.
It is important to address some differences between the movies, however. Katherine and Wang, although both trying to be independent women, end up with different consequences based on their values and culture. Wang eventually tries to find a husband because she wants to live a better life when instead Katherine spends much of the movie teaching and showing the girls that you do not need a husband to live a better life. Katherine chose to venture to Europe on her own at the end of the film, without a man or husband. So, I think that both women have independent tendencies and values, and both strive towards being strong women, but in the end, Katherine defied societal expectations and Wang succumbs to them.
In conclusion, both films express the themes of independent women, and those said women finding themselves through hardship and struggle. I believe that Wang and Katherine find in themselves the power to live their dreams regardless of the men in or out of their life. They chose to go against culture and society and pursue their own goals.
And the Spring Comes shares several themes with Mona Lisa Smile. Both clearly show that the only way for a woman to move upwards socially is to marry a good man. Marriage is a highly important aspect of both these films as Wang’s parents persistently ask why she isn’t married yet and a large portion of Mona Lisa Smile is about Betty’s marriage and divorce struggles. Each film expresses an extremely old-style conservative view of marriage. However, Wang and Katherine both go against the grain and do the exact opposite of what society expects them to do as women.
Wang, throughout the film, learns to become an independent woman and make it on her own. I believe the scene on the train really changed her. The man whom she had romantic feelings for and whom she assumed shared those feelings, flatly rejected her and said that he believes them to be just friends. This moment finally set her on the independent path she needed to journey down. Katherine spends her time at Wellesley teaching the girls independent thought, something very against the culture of the times. She dumps Bill after finding out he was a liar. And she was the only true role model to Betty. She chooses to explore Europe over coming back to Wessesley in the fall and makes a deep impact on all of the girls she taught. Through Katherine, the girls learned to think for themselves and live the lives that they truly desired, not the one's culture and society deemed acceptable for them.
It is important to address some differences between the movies, however. Katherine and Wang, although both trying to be independent women, end up with different consequences based on their values and culture. Wang eventually tries to find a husband because she wants to live a better life when instead Katherine spends much of the movie teaching and showing the girls that you do not need a husband to live a better life. Katherine chose to venture to Europe on her own at the end of the film, without a man or husband. So, I think that both women have independent tendencies and values, and both strive towards being strong women, but in the end, Katherine defied societal expectations and Wang succumbs to them.
In conclusion, both films express the themes of independent women, and those said women finding themselves through hardship and struggle. I believe that Wang and Katherine find in themselves the power to live their dreams regardless of the men in or out of their life. They chose to go against culture and society and pursue their own goals.
Re: Movie Essay
My expectations were minimal as I was not sure what exactly to expect. I had only previously had one experience with international students. I was surprised at how well the Chinese students conducted themselves in the English language; their grammar and sentence flow was very good.
Three things that struck me were: the English language capability of the Chinese students, the in-depth analysis of the films, and their presentation of their ideas.
Yes, I made changes to my revised draft by taking suggestions from the Chinese students on how to improve my essay.
Yes, this activity is beneficial because it allows us as American students to engage with students from across the globe who have grown up in a different culture and thus bring new and engaging ideas to us that we can then discuss and debate with them.
7. Eye-opening, interesting, and fruitful
8. I thought the activity was done very well.
Three things that struck me were: the English language capability of the Chinese students, the in-depth analysis of the films, and their presentation of their ideas.
Yes, I made changes to my revised draft by taking suggestions from the Chinese students on how to improve my essay.
Yes, this activity is beneficial because it allows us as American students to engage with students from across the globe who have grown up in a different culture and thus bring new and engaging ideas to us that we can then discuss and debate with them.
7. Eye-opening, interesting, and fruitful
8. I thought the activity was done very well.