Film Analysis: “The Help”

Vickie presentment To Communications Dr. Nikki Hodgson March 25, 2013 Film Analysis The armed service How did people role non-verbals to make it their status and identities in The economic aid? (e. g. artif toys used by moneyed/poor, language tones/volume, dress codes, appearance, rituals, etc. ) The lines amongst black and livid atomic number 18 befoolly delineated by much than color in this film.While the socialite light women, even so on r bulgeine days for mundane activities, dress in pretty pressed dresses, manicured nails, stiffly styled hair, and nice jewelry (reminds me of June Cleaver), the maids must(prenominal) violate identical uniforms, construct severe hairstyles, and little or no jewelry. Their greatest possession is the purse they carry this involvems to be of great importance, especi all(a)y to Yule Mae when she is arrested. The maids atomic number 18 disallowed to speak in company unless it involves serving of some kind and must always address sn owy folks with sir, maam, or miss.The maids must submit to ovalbumin authority in all things (for fear of job loss or worse) and concord their voices low and silence in order to avoid tension or stress. And sassing (verbal and nonverbal) is a punishable eat upense as seen when Minny uses unsmooths bathroom during the storm. unsmooth could non c be less somewhat Minnys safety in going outside during the dangerous storm, more all over earlier is more refer just about how clean her toi allow remains. on that point argon many facial nerve expressions and body postures that convey status/identity as fountainhead as artifacts.Hillys consistently raised chin and haughty expression marking her as quite self-important and the self-appointed leader of the socialites. Conversely, the maids (with the exception of Minny) keep their eyes down, if not their heads, circulates to their sides, unless working, and maintain a social keep (more than 4 or 5 feet) from duster people. Ske eter and Celia are the two livid exceptions since they both accept the black women as equals and treat them with respect and kindness. potentiometer prejudice and discrimination be expressed nonverbally? How? Provide examples from The Help when prejudice and discrimination was expressed nonverbally.One of the physical ways used in this movie to express prejudice is the use of hand gestures by Hilly. She flicks her hand in an upward motion when she orders Minny to cut a slice of pie for Mrs. Walters. The hellish facial expression indicates her hate of the black woman, especially because of her refusal to obey an order. There were several in posts when Skeeter was speaking with one of the maids and one of the Junior League women caught her that they reflected their reproof and distaste for so soulfulnessal an interaction between a innocence and a black person.A painful expression is worn by Aibileen as she is forced to overhear Hillys insulting speech about the need for separate bathrooms. Not tho does the hurt show on Aibileens face but she also hides in the hallway rather than have to be present during the conversation, as if she should be embarrassed of her skin. some opposite example, this one involving tweed rejecting white, is when Celia shows up at Elizabeths during the bridge auberge lunch. Not only do they refuse to answer the door but make a half-hearted attempt to hide from her when she comes to the window.They are giggling, covering their mouths with their fingers (as if this is a grand joke or oh, so cute), and you tin overhear uncouth remarks about her desperation and obvious lack of social etiquette. One start example was in the grocery store at the end of the movie. Aibileen and Minny are shopping, walking down the aisle side by side with their carts. However, when a white woman approaches Aibileen it is made clear that she is to move aside and let the white woman pass, which she does with an apologetic look and hanging of her he ad (as if she were ashamed for having been in the way).Give me an example of person in The Help whose nonverbal doings was insulting, ridiculing, or chagrin to others. Which character was not insulting or demeaning to others? Explain. There are more variations of prejudice in this movie than reasonable between races. One of the painful moments, at least for me, was when Celia Foote shows up, uninvited, to the bridge clubhouse luncheon at Elizabeths house. Pie in hand, she is hoping to make friends and finally be include in the social circle of Jackson.However, at Hillys urging, the correct group hides and is shushed in a poor attempt to evade Celia, who is considered an castaway because of where she came from and how she grew up (poor). Celias face, when she realizes what is happening, is painful to see and as she comes up out of the flower bed, her short attempt to be brave dissolves into tears. I accept where Celia came from and how she grew up gives her a greater compass ion and understanding of the maids lives.She seems childlike in her acceptance of them and is ignorant of proper social etiquette. She simply takes them as they are, view them as human bes and fellow women, and bestows care and affection generously. She is also free-spoken-minded concerning Hillys behavior and tries to shed a kinder light on why there is conflict between them, even after the luncheon debacle. Have you ever made a prejudgement about someone because of their nonverbals? If so, provide an example. Anyone who says they have never prejudged another person is lying.It is, unfortunately, in our temper to judge others, especially when we work out we are better than they are. Most of the condemnation we are wrong, but, once in awhile, we get it right. I was hired at The Home Depot in Kansas several years ago as a cashier. Shortly after I finished my training and was retch on the register another woman, about my age, came out of training and coupled me up front. She, l ike me, was an extrovert and seemed happy and friendly, coaxing confidences out of all of us. Particularly me, since we shared (or at least I thought we did) a customary faith.It wasnt until later that I found out she was not only cheating on a conserve and using a boyfriend for free shelter and food, she was also a liar and a hazardstabber. She had been telling others things we had shared in confidence, with a little embellishment for trustworthy measure. My mistake was giving her credit for being a good person because of her clean appearance, she was well-dressed and accessorized, she had a winning smile and bubbly gagter, and seemed so open with her life and beliefs. She cemented these nonverbals with proclamations of sincerity and Christian values.I suffered some very embarrassing moments over my misjudgment. Have you ever had a negative nonverbal experience? name me about it. It was Wednesday choir practice and I was academic term with the directors wife on the front row waiting for rehearsal to begin. Her husband was on stage arranging his music and making small express with us. I responded to one of his gaps with a cute, and I though humorous, quip of my own. I found out immediately that she didnt appreciate my rumourmonger and perceived it as a territorial dispute (him being the ground when she stomped on my foot with extreme force (I limped for a couple days) and growled in my face, Hes mine I was stunned and Im sure it registered on my face. However, she was unapologetic and stomped away. I was mortified since we were not the only people in the auditorium. Clearly, she communicated her anger, resentment, disgust, and an unspoken threat to keep my hands off her property (since I didnt like him, my thought was shed be the only one whod have him anyway). Explain the differences in the use of goods and services of proximity between the two cultures in the movie.While the white socialites observed white rules of space (hugging, sitting close, twining, etc, though it is stiff and emotionless) the blacks were not allowed to engage white people this way. There was a social distance maintained, unless children were involved. The maids would stand a distance of more than 4 or 5 feet away from white people and wait to be commanded. It was rather humorous to me that the white women didnt want the maids to touch their utensils, cups, dishes, skin, toilets, etc. ut were entirely at serenity with them cooking (handling food), laundering (the clothes stirred by blacks then touched their bodies), and mothering the children. Even when Skeeter goes to Aibileens own house, Aibileen has a difficult time sitting in Skeeters presence (she finally ends up sitting on the arm of a chair, the furthest place away from Skeeter) and, for a time, continues to act as if shes waiting on the white woman. As we see the intimate times in Aibies house between she, Skeeter, and Minny, it becomes clear that the black people share space much more than whites do.They touch one another, hug firmly (as opposed to a light, meaningless embrace), laugh loudly, and have much more passion in life than their white employers. Define culture black eye. The friendships created between Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny broke societal rules during the 1960s in Mississippi. How did people react when the secret friendships were revealed? Did people experience culture shock? Explain. Culture shock is the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.There was an uproar, socially, about Skeeters relationship with the two maids. People were incensed that she would debase herself, her family, and her race in this way (by fraternizing with the enemy). However, as people began to read the book, I conceptualise they were faced with the choice of what to do with this knowledge. The stories in the book revealed the truth about what happens behind the scenes to the black women that serve white families and raise white children. numerous of these stories, Im sure, were ugly, painful, and humiliating.Once everyone knows the truth, each person must choose how to lot with that truth. This creates a type of culture shock. Some, like Skeeters mama, chose to support her and acknowledge fault. Others, like Stuart, openly denied the truth or validity of Skeeters stance and ended their relationship. Hilly is very obviously divided within herself when Aibileen asks her, Arent you tired Miss Hilly? Arent you tired? I think she meant tired of holding on to an outdated way of thinking, fighting the tides of change, and being such a sad, lonely, mean person. 8. How did Skeeter deal with cultural tension between both cultures? Provide an example. a. Skeeter started out the same way all the other young women did. The daughter of wealthy, respectable white families, and raised by a black nanny/maid. Upon arriving home from college, she integrates herself back in to society by care the various meeting, luncheons, and bridge club dates. However, as she sees and hears the ugly, supremacist treatment of The Help, she begins to bite back at her friends, though small at send-off.The initial example of this is at bridge club when Hilly is discussing her Home Health Sanitation initiatory and Skeeter finally busts out with, Maybe we should build YOU a bathroom outside, Hilly As her incense grows, Skeeter begins to form friendships with the maids Aibileen and Minny in a hope to write a book and thereby, maybe, right a wrong. She lies about her conversation in the kitchen with Yule Mae and intentionally plays a joke on Hilly with the toilets on the lawn. These are Skeeters little ways of dealing with the racial situation she finds herself in.I was a bit disappointed in the indirect ways she chose to voice her reproach but it was a dangerous time for black sympathizers as well as the blacks themselves. 9. Did the more powerful societal group in Th e Help establish the rules for communication? How? a. The power group, the white women, certainly set the rules on how, when, where, and to whom the maids could interact. Fear was the crux of their power. The maids chafed under the supreme rule of the white yet they were powerless to do anything about it or they would lose their jobs and be blacklisted. Or worse, imprisoned or killed.Because of white supremacy sentiments and Jim Crow laws, blacks could be mob-lynched (killed by hanging or dragging) for the smallest of infractions, even if they were imagined. So, the black women only utter their feelings to one another, in private, and even then they whispered. Otherwise, they kept their heads down, did their work, and tolerated the abuse. Times have changed how we communicate with others. How can you improve your intercultural communication skills? Provide examples. a. One of the biggest obstacles to accept and positively interacting with an other person is a closed-minded attitude .We must first be willing to accept the fact that our own way of thinking, believing, and doing things is not the only right way. So, an open-minded approach is always best when communication with others. Another way to hone good skills is to look for ways to positively interact with others, especially those with whom you do not share a common culture. Volunteer work, random acts of kindness, being openly friendly, making eye contact, smiling, and even attempts at vocal niceties can open many avenues to deeper, more meaningful experiences.Get involved with the community. I had many opportunities to interact with Hispanic people during bounce break while volunteering at the Parks & Recreation Center. One other thing that occurred to me (and has for some time) is to learn their language. This can be applied to more than just a foreign language, like Spanish. A language can be any nonverbal code (touch, time, distance, body language, artifacts), dialect, or jargon. alone of these ca n give valuable information in order to communicate more effectively and with respect and equality.