Author: Anja

Classism on the streets.

Time of year: Winter. cool breeze. Warm coats, boots and scarves. Spending time at home

Place and time: On the streets of Wellington. Wealthy area. Centre city. Busy with activity. Everyone is happy and engaged. Overview of the scene and then ‘zooms in’ to the stranger on the streets. Progresses from Day to Night. Lots of activity vs the quiet of the night.

Who is there: Wealthy businessmen. Curious children. Everyday shoppers. A lonely stranger on the street.

This piece of creative writing is expressing the prejudice of everyday society using a structure-based of a prologue to a famous play by Dylan Thomas. This piece is based on the prejudice ideas of society that are viewed towards someone that is sitting on the street. We will be following the structure of Dylan Thomas’s piece as it will be showing a scene through a changing in time. I will be utilising this and showing a change of time from day to night. The streets of Wellington are my setting. I hope to use the people and the setting to enhance how different people are treated, just by their position on the street. Are they walking past with expensive bags, or looking long fully at the windows of shops, or will it be someone that is sitting with their belongings on the ground? I will use the type of people that are there, to convey the way in which people are judged by how they look. I hope to convey the busyness of the streets in the day and slowly bring in the character sitting on the streets as it moves towards a quieter night. To convey the loneliness, and how disregarded by the society he is. I hope to portray this and bring light to it, then bring in the voice of the character. The first part of the text is set to feel that the person on the streets in a burden and shouldn’t be there and is lower than them in class, while the last paragraph will be from his point of view and seeing how different the world looks and how hurtful our actions are to others. For the first four paragraphs this I want to build on the hatred society feels towards this man and build on the setting, then in the last paragraph, change the scene to be from his point of view. Using features such as using positive connotative language to describe the scene then negative connotative language when the man comes into view and anything about him is mentioned to help create the idea of him being disregarded by society.

Initial response

Brief plot overview:

A series of different characters with various backgrounds, whose stories all collide with a crash.

Discuss a character that was of interest to you and explain why?

The character that was of interest to me was Graham Waters. He interested me because of how he was treated. He tries to do everything for everyone and then gets blamed for his brother’s death. He is constantly working for everyone and no one notices. His mother even goes to say that she knows who caused her sons death “you did”, referring to Graham. He tried to help but he was so busy helping everyone else, then his mother tells him to blame himself for the death of Peter. Causing the death of someone can ruin anyone life but he was told that he was responsible for it from his mother, who he does so much for. This is important because this is the scene that helps to show how relatable he is. Graham is a very relatable character as many people work to do everything for everyone, but are not noticed for doing so. This is why Graham was of interest to me.

What do you believe the director’s intention was. Explore this and the moments that allowed you to experience this.

The director intended to portray the racism that is prevalent on the streets of L.A. and America in general. This was achieved through so of the scenes in the film. One of these moments was when Peter and Anthony were on the streets of L.A. and speaking about how they asked themselves ” Are we dressed like gang-bangers? Do we look threatening?” They would continue this and then put it down to being coloured. They are sharing how they feel unaccepted in society and the next crimes they commit are just what they are expected to do. If you doing expect anything higher of coloured citizens other than being thief’s and bad people, then many will not aspire to be anything more. Paul Haggis has effectively used the language used by Peter and Anthony to show the racism commonly found and affecting peoples lives.

How did Haggis use stereotypes to manipulate viewers

Paul Haggis effectively used stereotypes to manipulate viewers to think a certain way about the characters. This was used with Jean and Rick. Haggis used the stereotypes of rich people to create their characters. They were rich, well dressed, had a nice house and car, and were a target for thieves. This overview of the characters is perfectly lined up with the stereotypes of rich people in society nowadays. Having more money makes you a target, but for Jean and Rick, anyone in their home with less money than them will take their keys and sell them so others steal from there and they are paranoid about everything. This is using the stereotypes of the characters to get viewers to think of them as the victims and

Discuss and research the setting of L.A. Why do you think it was set here and how did it influence the plot/interactions? (911)

Placing the setting in L.A. was a bold but well-done choice. The scene shows how prevalent racism and classism are along with the sexism that is also found. These themes were common and important as they show…

Where there any cinematography techniques that stood out to you? Choose one and discuss it’s effect ( presenting directors intention, causing a viewer realisation.)

A Cinematography technique that stood out to me was when Farhad Golzari almost shot Lara. When this scene played out, there was quiet music then the screen was almost frozen. This was a clever cinematography technique that helps create the emphasis that leads the viewers to belive Lara has been shot. It stood out to me because of the way that you know Farhad Golzari will shoot Daniel Ruiz. A plot twist has already taken place when Lara comes out to help her daddy. The realization that Lara is still delayed and so it leads the viewers to believe that she could be dead as she is so still, but then the relief flows through their veins. This was accurately executed as the viewer’s reactions are in line with the director’s intention. It stood out to me by looking at the reactions of my family when they witnessed this scene. I straight away could see that their reactions were what the Director intended and this is why I think it is a clever scene and stood out to me.

‘Analyse how setting was used to reinforce an idea in the written text.’

The written text is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and the idea is the racism that takes place in 1930’s America.

The setting of To Kill A Mockingbird is in the Fictional town of Maycomb Alabama in 1930’s America. During this era, the town of Maycomb has just come out of a Depression and the Jim Crow rule was in place.

Paragraph 1: Time Period (1933-1935)

Paragraph 2: The Finch family (the founding family of Maycomb Alabama)

Paragraph 3: Classism (How the classism of the 1930’s made up the setting)

The scenery is unfamiliar territory; looming up ahead me and ready to take me into a place I don’t belong. Trees beckon me towards my uncertain fate in this new world, and I feel the hard ground beneath my feet. Cool to the touch. The atmosphere seems: strange, uninviting, and mysterious. Strange faces guide my way in as all the new children, like me, gather in groups. I walk in lonely. Chattering comes from among those groups; rising above the other voices. Overpowering, unsettling and capturing my hearing. Clusters of buildings make up our surroundings. A playground in the midst. Yellow and green fields surround us, waiting to be used again. One tree seems to beckon someone to climb up and be above the world. Standing just to the left of the playground; it’s leaves bright green. Welcoming. Deceiving. My attention is broken as the adults gather us together, as equals, on the deck to show us our place. Their command only shows us how different we all are. How were are individuals in this big new place. How we will have to strive to be a group.

We are all separated, and gathered into our rooms. I do not fit in. I do not speak up. I do not belong. My book is all that pulls me through the day; a hard lump in my bag. Welcoming and Inviting. It engages me through the first two hours, but still cannot ease my panic for break. When our break eventually comes I sneak outside; trapped among the other children racing to find the best place to sit with their friends. Where can I sit? Where can I go? Are my thoughts as I stand in the doorway. There is only place no one else has gone, the deck. Sitting on it is like sitting on rough sandpaper that is crumpled with use, but where else can I go. All I am is a mouse surrounded by elephants, so close to being trampled. I sit alone, but not truly alone, because I cannot be truly alone when I have a book to read. My book is one object that can take me away from this world. Where all I can feel is that I am: lonely, scared, frightened, unloved, and unworthy of anything that I receive. Including attention. My books can take me to places I will never explore, and experience thing I never would. Like true friendship. It can also take me to a place where I belong. Unfortunately stories do not last forever, so soon I am pulled back to reality. Back to my normal place. The place where I am just a chameleon. Blending in but not belonging.

The scene around me is welcoming. It is grand and amazing but also scary. People around me are now as familiar to me as my most visited location. One path that I follow is warm to the touch thanks to receiving help from the sun. Trees are no longer threats and the atmosphere seems light and easy. Hiding a secret. The children around me are now teenagers, and just as much trouble. An important thing to notice is that I am no longer alone. Yes I am alone while walking to the place were we meet, but I will no longer be sitting alone during the day and reading. Now I can sit among friends. Feel involved. Feel liked. I am not surrounded by endless chatter anymore but it is replaced by silence with the occasional whisper. A detour via the tree tells me that it is not so inviting, and that the green leaves that used to envelop its arms are now bare. I can also see the empty space where buildings used to stand tall and proud and the newly filled spaces where they perch. After a walk up the grass covered bank, I see the room where all of us meet, and my friends be soon. Already, I have made note on my way up here that the adults are far less controlling then they used to be. Most of them anyway.

Even though it has been four years, I still do not speak up. My book is still inviting, but I now have more reasons to come back up from it. Still reading during interval and lunch but now sitting in the bright green quad that is home to many growing trees. We sit there and talk, read and work on our homework. The grass that we sit on during breaks feels like soft, green, fluffy carpet. Feeling more at home here than ever before and it is no longer unfamiliar scenery. It is now the place that I spend most of my time visiting, from Monday to Friday, the place that I first had real friends. Friends that I can chat to and read with. Friends that are like my family. Friends that I can connect with and have my back. I am still lonely and self-conscious sometimes, but they can be a great encouragement though those times. I am glad that I can finally have friends, even though there are fights that are going on around me. There is still one thing that still sets me apart and has evolved with time. I am still a chameleon. Blending in but not comfortable in my own skin. Belonging in this place.