Paper Example on Racism and Representation of Women in Hollywood Films

Submissive, shy type, dragon lady, prostitute/eager for sex and damsel in distress.

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This statement illustrates how women, especially Asian, in the Hollywood movies are perceived and highlighted as sexually passive and submissive.

- Why does Hagedorn say that The Joy Luck Club film "carries a lot of cultural baggage" (para. 11)?

This is because the film involves Chinese-American migrants who relocated to San Francisco, which is The Joy Luck Club setting, and who created the Joy Luck club that largely renders Chinese culture such as games and food. The cultural baggage suggests that there was a conveyance of values of one culture to another culture.

- What sorts of images of Asian women challenge racial stereotypical images of Asian women in The Joy Luck Club movie?

One sort of the images used in the Joy Luck Club movie as a form of a contest to racism stereotypical images was the china doll which depicted the disparities of feminine obedience. Consequently, these disparities were representations of harmonized categorization such as Geisha Girl, Lotus Flower, Servant, or China Doll to show compliant, humble, while others like sex Nymph showed erotic, cunning and devious.

- How did the response to Butler and Help differ?

In The Butler, white characters are subordinate to Cecil's show. The whole idea is intertwined with her life. In The Help, however, Aibileen's story is firmly tangled with the white ladies who are close to her. This idea, however, did not go down well as it underpins the conception that black women are not capable of acting on their own, that made it a movie that shows racism as well as can be one of sexism in movies example.

- What does Viola Davis mean by saying, "The black artist cannot live... in a revisionist place" (para. 6)?

She tries to elucidate that the Africa-American artists are much apprehensive with the appearance and message rather than implementation. Consequently, their image is narrowed down to a level where they are completely impractical. The disgusting part is that the blacks have set this notion in their mind-set, which is only destroying them.

- Define "magical negro"?

The magical Negro is a supportive firm personality, mostly in a narrative, who by the use of distinctive acumen or supremacies assists the white characters out of distress.

- Define in your words the "mammy" (para. 6) role in films.

A mummy is a cumbersome, Africa-American woman, with a tender figure and enormous breasts in films.

- Films that employ "magical negro" why is this problematic archetype?

The notion that Magical Negro are characters set in a movie to favor and protect only the white characters raises a question on racism in films. It, therefore, discriminates black to the point that they do not need help or protection in their time of anguish.

- Explain in your words Max Weber's notion of "disenchantment" (para. 4)?

This is a personality that portrays rationalized and rigid cultural aspects of the western society, where methodical comprehension is critically esteemed compared to faith or perception. All progressions are focused on domestic objectives as opposed to customary civilization.

- What is Folch's explanation for why Western film audiences find the supernatural and futurism appealing?

He claims that the western society is tenacious to contemporary science, an upsurge in secularism and objective market economy are managed through bureaucracies instead of a bond of cultural devotion. They see the universe as intelligible, coherent and scientific. They thus tend to incorporate scientific ideas in their films. For these reasons the western society always strives to reinsert the hypothetical mystery into the heart of methodical progressions.

- According to Folch, what are the cultural reasons Indian film audiences are not "keen on" science fiction and fantasy?

Folch suggests that the Indian film audiences are not so much bound to fictitious and imaginary films because they like focusing on the cultural contexts rather than from the world-weariness.

- Why have Hollywood producers had to make a difference in deciding how to portray a female hero? How can a female serve a damsel in distress?

In most cases, Hollywood has been found to use radical means in the way they portray women in movies. They usually use the criteria of social labels of females for men that leads to objectification of women in movies. Men are usually in control which upset the social casting of women and in return, disturb communication. In damsels in distress women would be given minor and lesser characters with narrow and constrained rising agility.

- Does 9/11 have an impact on the comic industry?

9/11 effect was tragic in every industry, in the comic industry, it affected it economically. However, the comic industry was revolutionized during these disastrous moments as more and more comical films were produced to help the Americans, especially children to cope with the deadly effects, rather than focusing much on disgusting and emotional pictures of the aftermath.