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Cultural Context - Coggle Diagram
Cultural Context
‘Some Like It Hot’
Control and violence
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Violence is shown in a humorous way, it’s not meant to be taken seriously. For example after all the shooting in the opening scene, only a few bottles of whisky are damaged
The drunk man who splatters Spats Colombo’s shoes is brought outside but appears later on totally unharmed
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The chase involving spats’s men and the two witnesses is highly comical, not really menacing
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Love and marriage
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Both sexes seem happy to lie and cheat to achieve their aims. Ex. Joe is a charmer who uses his looks and charms to use women such as Nellie, his agent’s secretary. Ex. Many of the women in Sweet Sue’s band want to marry rich men Ex. Even jerry gets swept up in trying to find a rich husband! Dressed up as daphne, he accepts Osgood’s marriage proposal!
At the end though, love might seem to triumph. Joe tells the truth to sugar and she kisses him passionately.
Jerry tells Osgood that he is in fact a man, and Osgood doesn’t care, saying “well – nobody’s perfect”!
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Values
Mainly, characters values are based on their own needs/desires rather than consideration for the greater good. Joe, for example, is self-serving in regards to Nellie and how he uses Sugar confiding in him (Josephine) to seduce her
Jerry and Sugar are focused on money and their own security and are willing to lie and deceive to achieve this
There is a distinct lack of regard for the law throughout the film. Even the Police seem indifferent to crime (ex. Agent Mulligan – “my compliments to the chef”)
However, towards the end characters’ values change – Joe, Jerry and Sugar all learn that money and sexual conquest aren’t all there is to life. Joe even admits to being a “liar and a phoney”
Early in the fil Joe asks jerry, “And why would a guy want to marry a guy?” At the end of the film we see a liberal and tolerant view of society where Osgood is smiling happily and totally unfazed when he learns that his fiancée is a man.
A Doll’s House
Control and violence
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Torvald treats Nora as a possession, or plaything or as a child.
He refers to Nora as his “dearest treasure” and admires “all the beauty that is mine, all my very own”
After the dance, Torvald wants to bring Nora to bed and is shocked when Nora refuses him.
Torvald is not necessarily cruel or violent. He reflects beliefs of the time that men were in complete control of their household.
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Torvald is frightened of being under the control of Krogstad now that he is open to blackmail but ironically, this is the exact power that he himself holds over Nora and he sees nothing wrong there.
Torvald's reaction to the bad news in the 1st letter and the good news in the 2nd letter is to control Nora even more. (she will be “doubly his own” and he will be her “will and conscience”). This is a depressing indictment on Torvald and on the power imbalance in society at the time.
Nora has a certain power over men because of her beauty. She uses her physical attributes effectively on Dr Rank.
The only power women have is to sacrifice themselves. Mrs Linde had to leave Krogstad for a rich man for her family; Nora’s nurse had to sacrifice her children; Nora has to sacrifice her own children to gain independence.
Love and Marriage
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Nora even has to lie about eating macaroons, like a child would.
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He makes Nora dance in a way that excites him sexually, and then is shocked afterwards when she will not sleep with him – “You won’t – you won’t? Am I not your husband?”
If they had a more equal relationship, Nora would not have had to take the loan out behind his back. She only took the loan to help save his health.
Even though Nora took the loan to save Torvald’s life, he is furious because of his reputation in public.
Ironically, when Nora tells him she is leaving, Torvald accuses her of acting “like a child”. He has treated her like a child and like any child, she is now growing up and demanding her independence.
It is easy to blame Torvald for his attitudes, but this was a widespread attitude in the 19th century.
Christine Linde had to deny herself love by marrying a rich man to look after her family. There is a note of hope at the end when she and Krogstad speak openly and honestly about the past and form an open, honest relationship going forward.
Values
Middle-class values are on display. Norway had a thriving economy at the time and had a growing middle class.
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Respectability was important to the middle classes. Krogstad is working hard to gain respectability but Torvald is concerned that Krogstad is too familiar with him.
Keeping up appearances – Torvald is more concerned about reputation than his wife. After he learns of the loan, he wants to keep up the appearance of being happily married.
When Nora announces she is leaving, Torvald is mostly concerned about what people will Think: “And you don’t consider what people will say!”
We see the limitations of lower-class life through Nora’s nurse, Anne.
Torvald has no real interest in his family – they only have to appear happy and well dressed to make him look good.
Room
Control and violence
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He broke Ma’s wrist once wen she tried to escape and told her he’s starve her to death if she tried it again.
He watched Ma giving birth to her 1st child and didn’t get medical assistance for her resulting in death to the baby. When he believed Jack is dangerously ill he again would prefer to let him die rather than seek medical assistance.
Old Nick even says to Ma once that there are “plenty of girls who would thank their lucky stars for a setup like this, safe as houses”. His self-righteousness and belief that he is acting well is absolutely chilling.
Jack did not understand the danger he was in in Room though, and for him it was actually his home. Jack loses a sense of control when he leaves Room whereas Ma regains a sense of control.
Old Nick is not representative of wider society though. He is a ‘Garden-Shed Ogre’, a monster who disgusts other people.
Ma is disappointed that escaping room doesn’t give her the freedom she thought it would. The media have sensationalised her story and hound her to the point where she actually takes an overdose.
Ultimately, Ma gains some control over her life by moving to the independent living facility and they visit Room and get closure. Even Jack now sees Room as a small, dark place.
Love and marriage
Romantic Love and marriage do not play a key role. The focus is more on true love wherever it comes from.
There is no relationship between Old Nick and ma, but he thinks there is. Ironically, he believes he’s saving Ma from ‘Perverts’ and thinks she should consider herself lucky to live in such luxury accommodation. In his twisted view, they have a relationship where he is the provider and she is the nagging wife.
We do see marriage between Paula nd Deana and it is happy and their child Bronwyn is happy. Gandma and Steppa have a healthy relationship too. The normality of these relationships is in stark contrast to Ma and Jack’s situation.
The strain of Ma’s abduction led to Ma’s parents separating, because she “never stopped hoping” whereas he “thought Ma was dad and had a funeral for her”.
Grandma has found a kind and sensitive man in Steppa but Ma struggles to accept him, saying that he is “nearly seventy, and stinks of dope”. However, Steppa is tactful and sensitive and bonds with Jack. Steppa is the polar opposite to Old Nick. This demonstrates that although there is no marital or biological ties between some people, all that ultimately counts is love and kindness.
Values
Room is basically a novel about parenting and family bonds. Ma’s values are shaped by maternal love. Being a mother gives her strength in her darkest hours. She tells Jack that before his birth she had no purpose and cried so much that she “didn’t have any tears left”.
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Ma is willing to sacrifice everything for Jack. For example, when they are starving and down to their last bagel, she eats a quarter and lets Jack believe she is “not very hungry”.
The novel shows that there is no such thing as a traditional or normal family. Jack was born of rape, but Ma loves him dearly and does not care about his father. Ma and Jack are the family unit and Old Nick, the biological father, plays no role.
Old Nick’s value system is totally warped and based only on his own perverted desires and views of the world. He is an example of what can happen when extreme misogyny is given free reign. He sees women as totally inferior.
After the escape, Jack discovers that he has another family. Although Grandma struggles at times, she totally loves ma and Jack and would do anything for them.
Grandpa cannot accept Jack. He can only think of Old Nick being his father and cannot see that Jack is totally innocent in all this.
Steppa fills the gap that Grandpa leaves and this shows that biological ties are far less important than kindness, acceptance, patience and love.