Aaron Kane
The Philosophical Meaning of Success in “Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes”
The American movie “Mona Lisa Smile” and the Chinese movie “And the Spring Comes” tell different stories of success, with “success” being relative to their respective culture’s philosophical background. “Mona Lisa Smile” is based in Western ideals; “And the Spring Comes” is based in Eastern ideals.
“Mona Lisa Smile” has a clear protagonist, Katherine, and antagonist, Betty. In the movie, Katherine is put into an unfamiliar situation, faces hardships for going against societal norms, and eventually “succeeds” by inspiring her students to live independent lives. “And the Spring Comes” has Wang as the protagonist and society at large as the antagonist. Wang is already familiar with the world around her, faces hardships in her pursuit of becoming an opera singer, and by the end of the movie leaves her dreams behind to raise an adopted child.
“Mona Lisa Smile” is based heavily in the Western idea of free will and the Aristotelian idea of rhetoric as a means to an end. Katherine has her students reevaluate the world around them through her facts, actions, and character, and convinces them that being free-willed individuals is the best course of action. This is evidenced towards the end of the movie when Betty states that Katherine was the only one who cared about her when her relationship fell apart.
“And the Spring Comes,” on the other hand, is based on the Daoist idea of “free will” not truly existing due to the constant influence of outside factors. Several factors work against Wang’s pursuits, including her living situation, the actions of her friends, and public opinion of opera as evidenced in the street performance scene. By the end of the movie she finds peace not by convincing the world of her worth, but by taking a different course of action and accepting that she cannot control the many factors that influence her life.
While Katherine realizes her dreams and Wang does not, neither character can be considered “unsuccessful” in the philosophical context of their movies. Katherine is successful because she uses rhetoric as a means of persuading her audience: by the end of “Mona Lisa Smile,” Betty applies for law school and thanks Katherine for her influence on Wellesley College. Wang is successful because she finds meaning to life beyond her initial dream: by the end of “And the Spring Comes,” she works as a butcher and no longer faces grave hardships in pursuing her goals.
Both films can be interpreted as “arguments” between the main characters and their societies, where the main character argues for change, and society argues for maintaining the status quo. Katherine “argues” for female independence in a highly conservative society; Wang “argues” for her worth in a society that does not value her talent. Katherine wins her argument, while Wang loses hers; but in each case, the movie’s overarching philosophy prevails.
“Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes” showcase the contrasting influence that Western and Eastern philosophy have had on storytelling. Katherine succeeds by changing the world around her; Wang succeeds by accepting the world as it is.
The Philosophical Meaning of Success in “Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes”
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Yingying L.
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 7:54 pm
Re: The Philosophical Meaning of Success in “Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes”
Dear Aaron Kane，
Hello！
After reading your article, I am amazed at your thoughts. It's so great! You have a detailed analysis of the "success" of Catherine and Wang Cailing, which is something I did not think of. So I admire you.
But my different point of view is that I don't think Betty is Catherine's antagonist. In my opinion, they are more like friends. Both of them are outstanding women. Catherine helped Betty a lot. At the end of the film, they undoubtedly established a profound friendship.
Thank you!
Hello！
After reading your article, I am amazed at your thoughts. It's so great! You have a detailed analysis of the "success" of Catherine and Wang Cailing, which is something I did not think of. So I admire you.
But my different point of view is that I don't think Betty is Catherine's antagonist. In my opinion, they are more like friends. Both of them are outstanding women. Catherine helped Betty a lot. At the end of the film, they undoubtedly established a profound friendship.
Thank you!
Re: The Philosophical Meaning of Success in “Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes”
Hello!
I like the topic of your article very much. It is quite a deep topic. The comparison of the Western idea of free will and the Daoist idea of “free will” is my favourite part. I am surprised to see your analysis of the Daoist idea of “free will”. It is really amazing. So maybe we can communicate further on this topic next time. Besides, I am interested in the Western idea of free will and the Aristotelian idea of rhetoric you mentioned in your article, especially the Aristotelian idea of rhetoric. Could you please tell me more about it and how the film “Mona Lisa Smile” embodies it？
I like the topic of your article very much. It is quite a deep topic. The comparison of the Western idea of free will and the Daoist idea of “free will” is my favourite part. I am surprised to see your analysis of the Daoist idea of “free will”. It is really amazing. So maybe we can communicate further on this topic next time. Besides, I am interested in the Western idea of free will and the Aristotelian idea of rhetoric you mentioned in your article, especially the Aristotelian idea of rhetoric. Could you please tell me more about it and how the film “Mona Lisa Smile” embodies it？
Re: The Philosophical Meaning of Success in “Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes”
Hi all! Thank you for your responses.
I do think I should build on what I meant by "free will" in this article, and discuss more in-depth how the concept is portrayed in both movies. Thank you Shilei L. for this suggestion.
Going off what Yingying L. said: looking at the movie again, I agree that Betty was not the "antagonist" of the movie. Mona Lisa Smile is actually more similar to And the Spring Comes in that the "antagonist" is society's opinions as a whole.
Thanks to both of you for your suggestions! I'll be using this site for the next week if anyone wants to talk about their work.
I do think I should build on what I meant by "free will" in this article, and discuss more in-depth how the concept is portrayed in both movies. Thank you Shilei L. for this suggestion.
Going off what Yingying L. said: looking at the movie again, I agree that Betty was not the "antagonist" of the movie. Mona Lisa Smile is actually more similar to And the Spring Comes in that the "antagonist" is society's opinions as a whole.
Thanks to both of you for your suggestions! I'll be using this site for the next week if anyone wants to talk about their work.
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Yingying L.
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 7:54 pm
Re: The Philosophical Meaning of Success in “Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes”
Hi，Aaron！
Catherine and Wang are actually two very different roles.
Catherine is more brave than Wang. Wang does make me feel sympathetic because she returns to dullness after pursuing no results.
But their attitude towards love is the same, not compromised, not casual. I think this is also an important aspect of feminism in the film.
What do you think?
Yingying
Catherine and Wang are actually two very different roles.
Catherine is more brave than Wang. Wang does make me feel sympathetic because she returns to dullness after pursuing no results.
But their attitude towards love is the same, not compromised, not casual. I think this is also an important aspect of feminism in the film.
What do you think?
Yingying
Re: The Philosophical Meaning of Success in “Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes”
This is a good point. While their roles are different, their characters are similar in many ways. And their attitudes are ultimately unchanged by societal influence or the paths they take. It's a strong statement about independence.Yingying L. wrote: ↑Sun Apr 21, 2019 6:21 am Hi，Aaron！
Catherine and Wang are actually two very different roles.
Catherine is more brave than Wang. Wang does make me feel sympathetic because she returns to dullness after pursuing no results.
But their attitude towards love is the same, not compromised, not casual. I think this is also an important aspect of feminism in the film.
What do you think?
Yingying
Thanks again!
Re: The Philosophical Meaning of Success in “Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes”
Hi, Aron!Aaron K. wrote: ↑Tue Apr 16, 2019 6:04 pm Hi all! Thank you for your responses.
I do think I should build on what I meant by "free will" in this article, and discuss more in-depth how the concept is portrayed in both movies. Thank you Shilei L. for this suggestion.
Going off what Yingying L. said: looking at the movie again, I agree that Betty was not the "antagonist" of the movie. Mona Lisa Smile is actually more similar to And the Spring Comes in that the "antagonist" is society's opinions as a whole.
Thanks to both of you for your suggestions! I'll be using this site for the next week if anyone wants to talk about their work.
I am sorry to be late for response. Thank you for your response. Actually, I am really interested in how do you understand the Daoist idea of “free will”? Because even in China, many students do not know anything about Taoist ideas, let alone allow them to analyze this Taoist thought from the film. Could you please share your thoughts on this with me?
Look forward to your idea.
Shilei
Re: The Philosophical Meaning of Success in “Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes”
Hi Shilei!
To my understanding, the Taoist idea of "free will" is this: Since we are constantly influenced by outside factors, and interact with other things while making decisions, true autonomy or "free will" is impossible; and, knowing this, it's better to let things happen as they will, and do things non-corrosively. In my initial draft, I tried to correlate this with Wang leaving her singing dream behind, "going with the flow" as she could not control the world around her.
Although, I should mention, Wang doesn't "go with the flow" completely, since she's still a single mother in her 30's. I think the idea of free will still exists to some extent in "and the spring comes," just that it doesn't manifest as Wang fulfilling her singing career.
To my understanding, the Taoist idea of "free will" is this: Since we are constantly influenced by outside factors, and interact with other things while making decisions, true autonomy or "free will" is impossible; and, knowing this, it's better to let things happen as they will, and do things non-corrosively. In my initial draft, I tried to correlate this with Wang leaving her singing dream behind, "going with the flow" as she could not control the world around her.
Although, I should mention, Wang doesn't "go with the flow" completely, since she's still a single mother in her 30's. I think the idea of free will still exists to some extent in "and the spring comes," just that it doesn't manifest as Wang fulfilling her singing career.
Final Draft: The Philosophical Meaning of Success
Hi all. This is my finalized draft of this assignment, based on your feedback. I'll post my reflection of this assignment by tomorrow or Thursday.
The American movie “Mona Lisa Smile” and the Chinese movie “And the Spring Comes” tell different stories of success, with the definition of success being relative to their respective culture’s philosophical background. “Mona Lisa Smile” is based in Western rhetoric, while “And the Spring Comes” is based in Eastern philosophy.
Both movies have their female lead as the protagonist and society at large as the antagonist. In “Mona Lisa Smile”, Katherine is put into an unfamiliar situation, faces hardships for going against societal norms, and eventually overcomes her hardships by inspiring her students to live independent lives. In “And the Spring Comes,” Wang is already familiar with the world around her, faces hardships in her pursuit of becoming an opera singer, and by the end of the movie leaves behind her dream of becoming a singer.
“Mona Lisa Smile” is based on the Aristotelian ideas of effective rhetoric, and of rhetoric as a means to an end. Katherine has her students reevaluate the world around them through her actions and character, and convinces many of them that they do not need to focus solely on getting married to be successful. Kathryn’s ethos is evidenced towards the end of the movie when Betty states that Katherine was the only one who cared about her when her relationship fell apart. “And the Spring Comes,” in contrast, presents a heavy Eastern (particularly Daoist) influence. Several factors work against Wang’s pursuits, including her living situation, the actions of her friends, and public opinion of opera as evidenced in the street performance scene. By the end of the movie she finds peace not by convincing the world of her worth, but by taking a different course of action and accepting that she cannot control the many factors that influence her life.
While Katherine realizes her original dreams and Wang does not, neither character can be considered “unsuccessful” in the philosophical context of their movies. Katherine is successful because she uses rhetoric as a means of persuading her audience: by the end of “Mona Lisa Smile,” Betty applies for law school and thanks Katherine for her influence on Wellesley College. Wang is successful because she finds meaning to life beyond her initial dream: by the end of “And the Spring Comes,” she works as a butcher and no longer faces grave hardships. Wang’s actions represent the Daoist idea that most things in the universe are beyond our control – and if they cannot be controlled, why try to control them? Her path is also consistent with the idea of doing things non-coercively, a common theme in both Daoist and Confucian texts.
Kathryn and Wang have divergent paths, but similar characteristics. They are steadfast in their actions, and their beliefs are unchanged by outside influence. Kathryn cannot convince Joan to attend law school, but continues to encourage her other students, and Wang still dreams of being an opera singer by the end of “And the Spring Comes” despite all that she has been through. Kathryn could have chosen to give up; Wang could have continued to pursue her dreams. But both find peace from paths that they chose, exercising their independence.
“Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes” showcase the contrasting influence that different philosophies have had on storytelling. Both are stories of free will, independence, and success in a society working against the protagonists. Kathryn changes her society, Wang does not, but both are successful in the paths they take.
The American movie “Mona Lisa Smile” and the Chinese movie “And the Spring Comes” tell different stories of success, with the definition of success being relative to their respective culture’s philosophical background. “Mona Lisa Smile” is based in Western rhetoric, while “And the Spring Comes” is based in Eastern philosophy.
Both movies have their female lead as the protagonist and society at large as the antagonist. In “Mona Lisa Smile”, Katherine is put into an unfamiliar situation, faces hardships for going against societal norms, and eventually overcomes her hardships by inspiring her students to live independent lives. In “And the Spring Comes,” Wang is already familiar with the world around her, faces hardships in her pursuit of becoming an opera singer, and by the end of the movie leaves behind her dream of becoming a singer.
“Mona Lisa Smile” is based on the Aristotelian ideas of effective rhetoric, and of rhetoric as a means to an end. Katherine has her students reevaluate the world around them through her actions and character, and convinces many of them that they do not need to focus solely on getting married to be successful. Kathryn’s ethos is evidenced towards the end of the movie when Betty states that Katherine was the only one who cared about her when her relationship fell apart. “And the Spring Comes,” in contrast, presents a heavy Eastern (particularly Daoist) influence. Several factors work against Wang’s pursuits, including her living situation, the actions of her friends, and public opinion of opera as evidenced in the street performance scene. By the end of the movie she finds peace not by convincing the world of her worth, but by taking a different course of action and accepting that she cannot control the many factors that influence her life.
While Katherine realizes her original dreams and Wang does not, neither character can be considered “unsuccessful” in the philosophical context of their movies. Katherine is successful because she uses rhetoric as a means of persuading her audience: by the end of “Mona Lisa Smile,” Betty applies for law school and thanks Katherine for her influence on Wellesley College. Wang is successful because she finds meaning to life beyond her initial dream: by the end of “And the Spring Comes,” she works as a butcher and no longer faces grave hardships. Wang’s actions represent the Daoist idea that most things in the universe are beyond our control – and if they cannot be controlled, why try to control them? Her path is also consistent with the idea of doing things non-coercively, a common theme in both Daoist and Confucian texts.
Kathryn and Wang have divergent paths, but similar characteristics. They are steadfast in their actions, and their beliefs are unchanged by outside influence. Kathryn cannot convince Joan to attend law school, but continues to encourage her other students, and Wang still dreams of being an opera singer by the end of “And the Spring Comes” despite all that she has been through. Kathryn could have chosen to give up; Wang could have continued to pursue her dreams. But both find peace from paths that they chose, exercising their independence.
“Mona Lisa Smile” and “And the Spring Comes” showcase the contrasting influence that different philosophies have had on storytelling. Both are stories of free will, independence, and success in a society working against the protagonists. Kathryn changes her society, Wang does not, but both are successful in the paths they take.
Reflection
And here's my reflection on the assignment. It's been great talking to all of you!
Border Crossing Reflection
1) What were your expectations for the border-crossing activity? Are your expectations met? Why or why not?
Prior to this assignment, Mr. You told us that, generally speaking, people of different cultures “think” in distinct ways that are reflected through their writing. Of course, people raised in different cultures will have different thoughts and ideas from one another. I expected the activity to be an exchange of ideas, in that sense. And my expectations were met – the students I talked with had ideas that had never even crossed my mind. Shilei challenged the way I defined “free will,” and Yingying convinced me that the main characters of the two movies were more alike than I had previously thought.
2) Please name three things that struck you most when you interacted with the Chinese peers, and explain why. (You may comment on the differences and/or similarities in lexical choice, writing style, idea presentation, rhetorical preference, cultural convention etc.)
My Chinese peers focused more on the content of their essays where I was more concerned with how the content was presented. Their peer feedback offered me a lot of questions about the ideas in my essay like my ideas of free will and rhetorical backgrounds. I also offered idea-related feedback in my responses, but offered a lot more technical critiques.
The Chinese students’ essays were written in a much more conversational tone than mine. Shilei Li started her essay by saying “Today, I saw two movies” and Yingying Li starts her essay by saying the movies aren’t really her type (honestly, they’re not my type of movies either.) My essay was very rigid and academic in comparison.
The Chinese students’ essays also followed a different structure than mine. Even though each of their essays had a “main point” to them, the essays felt more like discussions of the movie and less like an argument for “this is what you should think of it,” as mine was. It’s different than how I learned to write in school, but it’s unique and interesting – writing shouldn’t be restricted to a single, ridged format, I think.
3) Did you incorporate what had been discussed into the revised draft? If so, please elaborate on how the discussion had led to the revisions you made. If not, please explain why.
Yingying Li pointed out that Betty wasn’t really the “antagonist” of “Mona Lisa Smile,” which I had claimed in my first draft. I’ve edited this in the revised draft. Sheili Li asked me to expand on my idea of “free will.” I’ve edited my final draft to make this idea a little more cohesive. Both students also offered some really good ideas about society and independence, which I decided to incorporate in my final draft to an extent. Other than that, I’ve made some general changes to the final draft for structure and readability.
4) Do you think the activity is beneficial to you in terms of knowledge gains or skill enhancement? If so, please elaborate. If not, please explain why.
Yes! Just being able to interact with people from different cultures is a fantastic experience, and I've learned a lot about writing from being able to read Sheili and Yingying's essays and feedback. That being said, I would have liked it if we were able to talk about a wider variety of things. Limiting our discussion to just the two movies felt very restrictive. I’d be really cool if we could talk about our schoolwork, day-to-day lives, or other media beforehand.
7) Could you provide three adjectives to describe your feelings about the activity? Please explain your choice.
Educational – My essay was built more like an argument than a discussion of the two movies, while the Chinese students’ essays were built more like discussions. Their feedback, and replies to my feedback, offered a lot of insight, a lot of ideas that I had previously dismissed or not even thought about. Shilei, in particular, challenged the notion of how I defined “free will” in my original drafts. Having your ideas challenged is essential for becoming a better writer, I think.
Engaging – Yingying and Sheili were great to talk with and, as I’ve said, both offered some really great ideas for my writing.
Short – it feels like we didn’t really engage with the students for very long. Personally, I would have liked to meet these students prior to the exchange in some way. Communicating just through text, without really knowing each other, felt kind of awkward. If we were able to “meet” each other sooner, I think the conversation would go on for longer and also feel a lot more natural.
8) Any additional comments, suggestions, and observations you would like to make to better help us assess your performance in this activity?
Like I said, I think the conversation would have gone on longer if we had more time to learn about one another, and also had more to talk about than the two movies. Other than that, this assignment was a great opportunity to learn about thought in writing through a unique perspective.
Border Crossing Reflection
1) What were your expectations for the border-crossing activity? Are your expectations met? Why or why not?
Prior to this assignment, Mr. You told us that, generally speaking, people of different cultures “think” in distinct ways that are reflected through their writing. Of course, people raised in different cultures will have different thoughts and ideas from one another. I expected the activity to be an exchange of ideas, in that sense. And my expectations were met – the students I talked with had ideas that had never even crossed my mind. Shilei challenged the way I defined “free will,” and Yingying convinced me that the main characters of the two movies were more alike than I had previously thought.
2) Please name three things that struck you most when you interacted with the Chinese peers, and explain why. (You may comment on the differences and/or similarities in lexical choice, writing style, idea presentation, rhetorical preference, cultural convention etc.)
My Chinese peers focused more on the content of their essays where I was more concerned with how the content was presented. Their peer feedback offered me a lot of questions about the ideas in my essay like my ideas of free will and rhetorical backgrounds. I also offered idea-related feedback in my responses, but offered a lot more technical critiques.
The Chinese students’ essays were written in a much more conversational tone than mine. Shilei Li started her essay by saying “Today, I saw two movies” and Yingying Li starts her essay by saying the movies aren’t really her type (honestly, they’re not my type of movies either.) My essay was very rigid and academic in comparison.
The Chinese students’ essays also followed a different structure than mine. Even though each of their essays had a “main point” to them, the essays felt more like discussions of the movie and less like an argument for “this is what you should think of it,” as mine was. It’s different than how I learned to write in school, but it’s unique and interesting – writing shouldn’t be restricted to a single, ridged format, I think.
3) Did you incorporate what had been discussed into the revised draft? If so, please elaborate on how the discussion had led to the revisions you made. If not, please explain why.
Yingying Li pointed out that Betty wasn’t really the “antagonist” of “Mona Lisa Smile,” which I had claimed in my first draft. I’ve edited this in the revised draft. Sheili Li asked me to expand on my idea of “free will.” I’ve edited my final draft to make this idea a little more cohesive. Both students also offered some really good ideas about society and independence, which I decided to incorporate in my final draft to an extent. Other than that, I’ve made some general changes to the final draft for structure and readability.
4) Do you think the activity is beneficial to you in terms of knowledge gains or skill enhancement? If so, please elaborate. If not, please explain why.
Yes! Just being able to interact with people from different cultures is a fantastic experience, and I've learned a lot about writing from being able to read Sheili and Yingying's essays and feedback. That being said, I would have liked it if we were able to talk about a wider variety of things. Limiting our discussion to just the two movies felt very restrictive. I’d be really cool if we could talk about our schoolwork, day-to-day lives, or other media beforehand.
7) Could you provide three adjectives to describe your feelings about the activity? Please explain your choice.
Educational – My essay was built more like an argument than a discussion of the two movies, while the Chinese students’ essays were built more like discussions. Their feedback, and replies to my feedback, offered a lot of insight, a lot of ideas that I had previously dismissed or not even thought about. Shilei, in particular, challenged the notion of how I defined “free will” in my original drafts. Having your ideas challenged is essential for becoming a better writer, I think.
Engaging – Yingying and Sheili were great to talk with and, as I’ve said, both offered some really great ideas for my writing.
Short – it feels like we didn’t really engage with the students for very long. Personally, I would have liked to meet these students prior to the exchange in some way. Communicating just through text, without really knowing each other, felt kind of awkward. If we were able to “meet” each other sooner, I think the conversation would go on for longer and also feel a lot more natural.
8) Any additional comments, suggestions, and observations you would like to make to better help us assess your performance in this activity?
Like I said, I think the conversation would have gone on longer if we had more time to learn about one another, and also had more to talk about than the two movies. Other than that, this assignment was a great opportunity to learn about thought in writing through a unique perspective.