ACROSS4SEAS.COM

Olivia Myers

Women in both China and in the United States are expected to meet certain criteria in order to achieve some sort of success within their society. Mona Lisa Smile and The Spring Comes show two well talented and educated women that are desperately trying to make a name for themselves in their environment, but the society they are in has requirements that determine who is able to become what is considered ‘successful’. In Mona Lisa Smile, Julia Roberts plays a new professor at a women’s academy where she is struggling to connect with both her society of teachers and the students whom take her course. She is constantly questioned and tries to prove her worth with her intellect, quick wit, and pleasant demeanor but constantly finds herself challenged by a society centered on female perfection. The Spring Comes also presents a teacher of the arts in Ms. Wang, an extremely talented opera singer whom cannot catch a break due to her appearance and impoverished living situation. These two women of the arts are held back and pressured by similar expectations of the culture that surrounds them.

Purity, beauty, and agreeableness are all valued traits shown within both movies for the women in the Eastern and Western societies. In the United States, the women were being trained to become the perfect wives for their husbands in order to reach a higher level in their society. Mona Lisa Smile showed that the women must not drink, date, act out of line or their own accord, and have to value their virginity. Their beauty is almost manufactured in the sense that the definition comes from how well those women behave and they each are expected to behave the same way. Robert’s character struggles with this, as she tries to break the mold of the expectations set on her without losing everything she has worked for and become disgraced. The school nurse lost her job due to attempting to disperse birth control secretly for the female students that did not want their sexuality exposed by pregnancy, which in turn caused a negative reputation for the school she worked for. If the school was shown to have employees that did not encourage virginity and purity above all else, even the health of the students, then that school would be frowned upon by the society of the time.

The Spring Comes shows the examples of success through the means of beauty as well. Ms. Wang was looked down upon, despite her talents, due to her physical appearance of having acne, scars, and imperfect teeth. Living in poverty discouraged others from socializing with her or wanting to be involved. Just as the West pressured women to become perfect wives, the East pressured women to get married and settle for the sake of having a husband. Despite her appearance, Ms. Wang was proposed to numerous times by men desperate to raise their social status through marriage and not by love. It seemed that only the beautiful women with talent and a high social status were able to achieve love and that notion left Ms. Wang suicidal. If the society she was in valued her talents above all else, she would have been given chances and opportunities she deserved.

In terms how their roles affected their ethos, or their credibility, the women believed they should be respected due to their talent but are reduced in effectiveness because of what their society considered that they lacked (husband, beauty, wealth, conservatism, etc.). This was shown in the beginning of Mona Lisa Smile when Watson (Robert’s character) was attempting to teach a lecture and the students undermined her credibility. She then had to struggle to gain respect and recognition despite her knowledge. In The Spring Comes, Wang tries to desperately sing for an audition to join the opera group she dreamed of getting into but they would not accept her because she was not beautiful, nor was she a resident of Beijing (a notification of her wealth status). The way the women lacked effective ethos was due to the way their society interpreted people of importance, which was mainly by appearance and social standing.

Both movies showcased how women are/were treated in a society that values women by their appearance and use for those around them. The women in the West were only valued for what they could provide as wives for their husbands and how well they fit the mold of factory produced perfection, and the women in the East were only valued for their physical appearance and ability to obtain a husband and family. Success was defined entirely by the men present in their lives or simply the social appearance of having a family, wealth, and beauty.

Dear Olivia Myers,
I am glad to be able to appreciate your article and know your views on these about two films, which has inspired me a lot. I have some personal opinions below, and I'm very glad that you can continue to read it.
First of all, the article is mainly divided into two parts to discuss the two films, starting from the experience of Catherine and Wang Cailing to analyze their personality characteristics, and compare them, and clearly show the differences between them. I think this is a good idea to write.
Secondly, as far as the theme of the two films is concerned, this article discusses the differences in the status of women between China and the United States. Westerners value what women can provide to their husbands, while easterners value women's appearance and family skills. In my opinion, in Spring Comes, Wang Cailing's tragic ending lies in her vanity. She pretended to be a teacher at the Beijing Conservatory of Music in order to gain respect from others. But in the end, she paid the price for her vanity--whether it was the failure of her marriage or the tens of thousands of yuan she was cheated. But she was also influenced by the views of the society at that time, a high-quality woman can get a better future and marriage. Of course, this is just a little bit of my opinion on the film, and you are welcome to ask questions about it.
Finally, the vision of this article may be too narrow, only to discuss the protagonist's life experience and the theme of the film. I think you can elaborate on the shooting techniques, music and tone of the two films, which will make a better comparison between the two films.
All in all, this film review is well written, straightforward in language, clear in logic, and expresses my views on the status of women in China and the United States. I think it is very well written, and for my views above, please come and put forward your questions and views. I'm very glad to continue to communicate with you.
Yours,
Zhou hanying

Hi, Olivia Myers
I am glad to have the opportunity to share my perspectives concerning to two movies with you.The heroines of these two films have similar expectations for the surrounding culture, but their society has strict requirements for success. As you mentioned, women's self-development is constrained by social definition of success. This society evaluates women's success by their beautiful appearance, successful husband and dedication to their family, but in fact, women can pursue their dreams unconstrained.
To sum up, your movie review is extraordinary. As for the discussion on the theme, we can also compare the two films from the aspects of social movement changes, methods and ways to achieve success. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Shuyou Xiao

Hi, Olivia Myers
I am glad to have the opportunity to share my perspectives concerning to two movies with you.The heroines of these two films have similar expectations for the surrounding culture, but their society has strict requirements for success. As you mentioned, women's self-development is constrained by social definition of success. This society evaluates women's success by their beautiful appearance, successful husband and dedication to their family, but in fact, women can pursue their dreams bravely.
To sum up, your movie review is extraordinary. As for the discussion on the theme, we can also compare the two films from the aspects of social movement changes, methods and ways to achieve success. I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours,
Shuyou Xiao

Hello, Olivia Myers
I am glad to have the opportunity to read your article and share my ideas with you. First of all, I really appreciate your unique views on these two films. Such writing angle is amazing, which is beyond my expectation. Indeed, in the western and Chinese context, the women in the two films seem to have the same "encounter", that is, they are living according to the secular standard, the meaning of existence and success, even if the success comes from the definition of others, they lose this right. And you have found the appropriate plot to make your case more convincing. Surprisingly, you also contrast the femininity of the two films in two different ways. For example, women in the west are expected to be good wives and to value service to their husbands more, in line with the social standards required in the industrial age.

However, women in the east are more dependent on men and value their own appearance and the ability of their husband and family. Their life is completely defined by men, or by society, and they also lose the right to find their own position on their own initiative. Nevertheless, you ignore that western women's willingness to be a good wife and devote themselves to their husbands is also a manifestation of losing themselves and being attached to others. In addition, while this kind of women is defined by others, have you ever thought that it is precisely because of the surrounding environment, so the protagonist of the film Katherine and Wang Cailing's image is more full, they pursue themselves, break the convention. In the process, this pursuit becomes their belief, because success is what they give themselves, not the outside world.

Thus, I'm looking forward to hearing if you have any thoughts on this, and I'd be happy to discuss it with you. Looking forward to your reply.
Yours
Zhang Peiyun

Dear Olivia,
I am happy to communicate with you.You have brought us a lot of wonderful views on the movies.
Your film review is mainly described in terms of how Eastern and Western women gain social recognition. The similarity is that both films show a society in which women are judged by their appearance and their use of the people around them. This shows that no matter in any country, the status of women at that time is not high. They must rely on the recognition of others to realize their self-worth.Society has laid down a lot of frameworks for women, so that women have to live the way they want.I agree with you on this point.
However, you mentioned in your article that women lack effective ethos, which I do not quite understand. I hope you can explain it to me, thank you!
Yours,
Lin

Dear Zhou Hanying,

1035143406 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 16, 2020 1:03 am Westerners value what women can provide to their husbands, while easterners value women's appearance and family skills.

I really like this quote you presented about my article. I think this summarizes exactly the point I was trying to focus on. That being said, I also agree with you that perhaps I should expande my view to encompass the film techniques that could affect the story. I am thinking of using the scene in Mona Lisa Smile where she is flipping through camera slides in the beginning to show how harsh the climate of the school is and how Catherine was struggling to maintain her faith in herself. As far as "And The Spring Comes" goes, I am thinking of using the scene in which the student who said she had cancer admits to Ms. Wang that she is healthy but wanted to be famous. Ms. Wang had lied to many people about her occupation as an opera singer in order for her to gain opportunities that would have been cut off to her, and in this scene she finally learns what that feels like. The director cut shots of the TV to a direct straight view of Ms. Wang so the audience feels what she does the whole time. By having the camera focused on her, we as the audience are only focused on Ms. Wang and not her student.

I would love to recieve some opinions on the few ideas about change I presented and I am thankful of the wonderful and well thoughtout reply.

Sincerely,
Olivia Myers

Dear Lin,

1035143406 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:00 pm They (women) must rely on the recognition of others to realize their self-worth. Society has laid down a lot of frameworks for women, so that women have to live the way they want.

I liked what you said here about how women at the time needed recognition from others in order to have value in a sense. To me, it seemed as if the women needed permission to achieve success and needed people to accept them for each milestone they hit. Concerning your question about ethos, I believe since the women portrayed in these films have a lower status in society compared to the men, they have a limited ethos. Ethos is essentially one's credibility as a speaker and therefore is the society does not value the speaker, they will not have any credibility/ethos evem if they have the skills. For Mona Lisa Smile, Catherine was a new, female professor that believed in herself outside of the conservative views of the school. This caused many students and staff to have doubts about her credibility. For And the Spring Comes, Ms. Wang used her false career as her credibility but it never quite worked out. If she did not use a career to help her case, many character in the film would never have listened to her.

Thank you for taking the time to respond and ask questions. I am looking forward to hearing your reply.

All the best,
Olivia Myers:)

Dear Shuyou Xiao

1578267199 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 16, 2020 2:51 pm As for the discussion on the theme, we can also compare the two films from the aspects of social movement changes, methods and ways to achieve success.

I really like this idea! I think this would be a great addition to the essay. Perhaps adding what these films may show about the future and the beginning of feminist movements about women's status in society will help develop a dimensional arguement. This is a great persepective!
Thank you for this comment, I think I will try to add this in and I look forward to hearing what you think about it.

All the best,
Olivia Myers

Dear Olivia,
I am very glad to hear from you, and it is also a great honor for you to listen to my advice and express your views on the comparison of the scenes of the two films.
I very much agree with you, which is also very enlightening. Your film review finally ends around the cultural comparison of the two films, and as I said in my last evaluation, I personally think it can be extended to the social background and culture of the two countries at that time. I don't know what your opinion is.
As far as I am concerned, American society at that time regarded women as vassals of men, and they thought that the purpose of women's high-quality education was only to better assist their husbands, and as said in the film, they were doing housework while looking at physics papers. Their lives are determined by their husbands. And China is also similar, the status of women is low, they can not get what they want, or even a happy marriage, but in that social context, not only women are not happy, ordinary men are also unable to realize their dreams, which may be the result of social class differences at that time.
The above is just my opinion. I am very glad to continue to communicate with you.
Yours,
Zhou hanying