Tokyo Drift Essay Example for Free

Tokyo Drift Essay â€Å"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift† by Justin Lin is a film that allows viewers to attain a heightened level of understanding of the concept of belonging. It extensively explores the notions of separation, connection, displacement and acceptance throughout varying contexts to demonstrate that belonging carries different meaning to individuals. From the beginning it is evident to the audience that the main character, Sean, is no stranger to displacement as his mother states â€Å"This is our third town in two years† implying that they regularly change their location of residency. Her tone suggests that their continuous displacement is undesirable as it increases the difficulty associated with establishing connections with people and places. Sean, who is American, is then forced to move to Tokyo after repeated law infringements for street racing. A montage is shown of him travelling through the city and attending school where he is highlighted as being a single, lone, confused westerner among thousands of Japanese people living their daily lives. This montage is a visual technique which communicates the main character’s feeling of disconnection by depicting him and his actions differently to the rest of his social surrounding. Sean soon establishes a connection with the young street racing community of Tokyo which develops from a common interest in cars. This connection allows room for acceptance by his peers, however their full acceptance of him is still hindered by his many other differences. These remaining obvious differences, explored through the contexts of race, language, values and environment, lead to him being named â€Å"gaijin†, the Japanese word for ‘outsider’ by some within the street racing community. To those that befriend Sean, their acceptance is derived from his connection in the context of an interest in cars. To those that label him as an outsider, they believe he shares no connection with them as he is from a different race, country and culture. This effectively conveys the idea that the concept of belonging carries different meaning to individuals. Later in the story Sean gets to know an important female character, Neala, who appears have a well established identity within the street racing community of Tokyo and he is told that she was once also called a gaijin. Sean then says â€Å"I thought you were born here? † and she replies â€Å"Outsider can mean many different things†. While she appears to have a place in society, other contextual differences not evident in the film, cause her to feel separated; however Sean’s perception of belonging creates an image of her feeling connected with her social surroundings. Through the exploration of different components within the concept of belonging such as difference, connection, displacement and acceptance, â€Å"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift† is an excellent text in allowing viewers to develop a heightened understanding of the concept of belonging.

The Use of Laughter in Poetry by Langston Hughes Essay -- Biography Bi

The Use of Laughter in Poetry by Langston Hughes Jessie Fauset explains in her essay The Gift of Laughter that black comedy developed not as a method for blacks to make people laugh, but as a necessary emotional outlet for black people to express their struggles and hardships. The "funny man" took on a much more serious emotion than appeared on the surface level. Comedy was one of the few means black people had available to them to express themselves. The paradoxical definition of laughter is applicable to all human beings; the limited means of expression is unique to those in an inferior place in society, such as the black Americans of the Harlem Renaissance. In a sense, what makes the struggles represented by the black comedian comic is the white audience member's ability "to retain mastery over himself and the situation" (Swabey 184). The white audience can laugh at the struggles and hardships on stage because of their refusal to accept the role they have played in the oppressions that caused them. Marie Collins Swabe y also writes in her book Comic Laughter that "By uncovering neglected hypocrisies, illusions, vanities, and deceptions in the behavior of persons and societies...while making us laugh, also removes in part our blindness with regard to certain factual and moral weaknesses in mankind" (11). Generally speaking, comedy makes us aware of certain character flaws. Fauset entertains this idea in her essay by wondering, "...if this picture of the black American as a living comic supplement has not been painted in order to camouflage the real feeling and knowledge of his white compatriot" (161). Whether or not the black comedy of the Harlem Renaissance caused an epiphany for the white audience is not cl... ...nd His Continuing Influence. Ed. C. James Trotman. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1995. 119-129. Phelps, Thomas C. "An Introduction to Arnold Rampersad." Langston Hughes: The Man, His Art, and His Continuing Influence. Ed. C. James Trotman. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1995. 19-34. Rampersad, Arnold, ed., and David Roessell, assoc. ed. The Collected Poems ofLangston Hughes. New York: Vintage Books, 1994. Simpson, J.A., and E.S.C. Weiner, eds. The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd Edition. Vol. VIII. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989. Swabey, Marie Collins. Comic Laughter. Archon Books, 1970. Tracy, Stephen C. "Langston Hughes: Poetry, Blues, and Gospel--Somewhere to Stand." Trotman, C. James, ed. Langston Hughes: TheMan, His Art, and His Continuing Influence. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1995: 51-61.

Why Millennials Are Screwed

Throughout the article, Hobbes uses sarcastic humor and hyperbole to not only get his point across, but to also be relatable to his audience; the millennials. Hobbes uses this to seem credible and therefore worthy of our trust. Hobbes states that older generations say â€Å"our problems are all our fault: We got the wrong degree.† This statement not only reeks of sarcasm but also subtly points out the foolishness of the generations whom would say this in Hobbes' opinion. He also goes on to say we have â€Å"killed cereal and department stores and golf and napkins and lunch† which out of context makes little sense and yet in context, still makes little sense. He does not go on to explain why he mentioned these specific items nor does he dive into any of the topics he described, but he does makes a great attempt to get the reader to laugh and therefore create the first moment of trust. Continuing to use sarcasm not only helps the reader to find humor in an unpleasant and gloomy topic but establishes relatability to Hobbes. Exaggerating his own situation by saying, â€Å"my rent consumes nearly half my income, I haven't had a steady job since Pluto was a planet and my savings are dwindling faster than the ice caps the baby boomers melted,† helps the reader to relate to Hobbes even more and therefore trusts him to be providing accurate information. His ability to write as though he is writing to a friend through humor relaxes the reader and establishes a deeper connection. In addition to humor, statistics flood this article and subtly attack the readers fear. Hobbes provides that 1 in 5 young adults between the ages of 18 and 34 are living in poverty and that they are half as likely to own a home(6), which are alarmingly figures. Giving such dramatic statistics makes the reader think about their own situation and whether that statistic includes themselves, and perhaps worse, themselves in the future. This creates a sense of concern that fuels the reader to care more about the topic and follow Hobbes as he continues to scare. Although Hobbes did not create the visual aspects of his article, it is important to note that the updated animations throughout the article contribute to him implanting terror into the mind of his readers because of their dramatic context. The use of a graph regarding 2007 and 2009 graduates and their earnings yearly is a great example showing us how a 2009 graduate could earn almost sixty-thousand dollars less than a 2007 graduate (16). Those are relatively large numbers that generate anxiety among the millennials reading this article because not only does it make them think about the statistics but also how it could relate to themselves. Undoubtedly Hobbes provides endless amounts of information as to the topic: why millennials are screwed. In fact I believe he is right. Our generation is heading for disaster and Hobbes does an immaculate job at recording why. His use of humor and sarcasm is what made this piece of writing so enticing and relatable.

Genre Borrowing and Political Message in the Host

Genre Borrowing and Political Message in The Host Released in July 2006, Bong Joon-ho’s The Host garnered both widespread popularity as the highest grossing South Korean film ever released in Korea. It was also screening at the Cannes, New York, and Toronto film festivals and seen by more than a quarter of the Korean population. The Host embodies political messages both political conditions inside Korea and its relationship with United States. Bong shows an ambivalent relationship between South Korea and United States by borrowing Hollywood genre in his films. The Host uses genre that strongly identified with Hollywood, which is blockbuster plot and monster movie. But Bong does not simply copy Hollywood. This movie is a rare combination†¦show more content†¦Through this and other episodes, Bong satirized the very notion of Korea as the â€Å"miracle of the Han,† recasting that economic â€Å"miracle† as a mutant monster and revealing the high financial, social, and moral costs of modernization. (889) Another example of genre borrowing film is Shiri. Shiri tells about the efforts of two of South Korea’s best special agents, who uncover killings in connection to an apparent resurfacing of Hee, a legendary North Korean sniper and assassin. When it also reported that a highly-trained North Korean Special Forces team are plotting to use a dangerous new explosive in South Korea, it’s up to the agents and counter-terrorists to stop any potential threat that will further escalate the North and South Korean conflict. Like The Host, Shiri is also a big-budget movie that uses blockbuster genre, which often thought of solely as an American product or genre. But Shiri or The Host as Korean blockbuster film does not represent an imitation of theShow MoreRelatedPostmodernism and the Simpsons10775 Words   |  44 Pagespostmodernism. Irony and imitation are frequently used together to break down conventions, which is one of postmodernism’s distinct anti-foundational tendenc ies. Many of postmodernism’s features stem directly from a disdain of both aesthetic and political authorities that are in the practice of imposing norms. Postmodernism has reacted to the authoritarian hierarchization of culture by subverting conventions, blurring previously distinct boundaries and rejecting traditional aesthetic values. If theRead MoreFamous Amos12788 Words   |  52 Pagesculturally and socially diversified, its people are also early adopters and are open to western cultures. Its strong currency and steady stock market performance indicates economic strength which add to its attractiveness. 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