Pathos In Sacred Beauty

Pathos In Sacred Beauty
Collateral beauty– a simple phrase that contains a plethora of complexity. After watching Allen
Loeb's film "Collateral Beauty" I was quickly reminded of a picture that I encountered several years
ago at a memorial ceremony for the Holocaust. Both sources reveal how love, time, and death are all
connected and reveal moments of beauty even in the most desperate situations. The director of the
movie, David Frankel, uses frequent transitions between layers of reality that leave the audience
confused about whether events are true or if they are simply figments of a disturbed mind. Similarly,
the image's audience is faced with two realities of the past and the present: Holocaust prisoners and
present day Israeli soldiers. This confusion reflects ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
And you betrayed me! I saw you every day in her eyes and I heard you in her voice when she
laughed, and I felt you inside of me when she called me "daddy" and you betrayed me. You broke
my heart." This rhetorical choice instigates pathos while also showing insight to the main character's
disparity. Also, both pieces use pathos to trigger the viewers emotions. By keeping their audiences in
mind and using the effective rhetoric of pathos, the writer and photographer make the viewers much
more sympathetic towards the subjects. In the movie, Frankel films excellent actors an effective
usage of display, style, and design that help carry out the message in an impressive matter. The
pictures design is formatted in a way that leads the eye from left to right– past to present. The past
portrays a time of despair and hopelessness not only for Jews but also homosexuals, gypsies, the
disabled, and any other lifestyles the Nazis deemed unfit. Now, on the right side of the picture, one
can see the current glimpses of hope– the soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces that protect and
serve Israel in efforts to make sure that nothing similar to the Holocaust will ever happen
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American Beauty Term Paper
Term Paper: American Beauty
What are the costs of living in a success–driven, consumer–oriented, image–obsessed society? This
challenge to contemporary America's suburban culture finds a voice in Sam Mendes' 1999 movie
American Beauty. The film's complex subtlety underscores its implication that subtlety itself is a
casualty in our society. American Beauty's tagline exhorts viewers to "look closer," but the film
expresses ambivalence concerning what is revealed by closer inspection. On one hand, protagonist
Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) and his young neighbor Ricky Fitts (Wes Bentley) speak of the
unappreciated beauty surrounding us; however, Lester also begins to question the values of a world
that seems perfect but is actually a ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Mendes and cinematographer Conrad Hall substitute film of a lower resolution to add realism to
shots supposedly filmed with Ricky's video camera. Black and white footage in the closing montage
sequence differentiates Lester's memories of his life and family from the story time of the flashback
that makes up the rest of the movie. However, the most important feature of American Beauty's
camerawork is the use of the technique to reinforce the message of the movie's tagline, which tells
viewers to "look closer." Though zoom–out shots occasionally appear – most notably in the closing
helicopter shot – they are far outnumbered by zooms that bring the audience closer to the subject.
This preponderance not only contributes to the film's theme but also emphasizes zoom–outs,
particularly in the final shot of the film. Ricky makes abundant use of the zoom feature on his
camera, and because his subject is often Jane, close ups on her are common. One particularly
interesting example appears in the scene of Angela spending the night with Jane in the movie's first
section. The girls notice that Ricky has spelled out "Jane" in the yard in burning letters. Surmising
that Ricky is filming them, Jane retreats flustered while Angela, ever the exhibitionist, dances at the
window. Rather than focusing on Angela, the crass, unsubtle beauty, Ricky zooms past her to settle
on Jane's face reflected in a mirror. From her faint smile – an

American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes and The Virgin...
Reality. Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary defines reality as "something that is neither derivative
nor dependent but exists necessarily." But what is real by today's standards? Does what appears to
be normal equal reality? By looking at two different films it seems that the old cliche stands correct.
Things aren't as they appear. American Beauty and The Virgin Suicides give classic examples of
how "normal" and "happy" suburban life is anything but. American Beauty, directed by Sam
Mendes (1999) and The Virgin Suicides, directed by Sofia Coppola (2000), share many of the same
themes even though the plots are contrasted. Underneath the layers of white picket fences, beautiful
houses, and safe neighborhoods, lies a truth. A truth so dark ... Show more content on
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For they too were in their own cells. They both were confined to the hurt and desperation of having
one of their children take her own life. Was it because of failure on their parts? The answer to this
they will never know. And so they will continue to live in the prison of ignorance.
Other elements that are seen throughout both of these films are infatuation and obsession. Anyone
who has seen the movie American Beauty can not miss Lester's obsession with Angela, his
daughter's classmate and friend. He first sees her when he and Carolyn go to see their daughter
perform at the school basketball game. Instantly he became mesmerized by her beauty and couldn't
stop the feelings he had for her. Obviously they were strictly sexual feelings. Is this normal? Is it
normal for a father to have any kind of feelings for their daughter's friend? It may be normal but it is
not what is correct. And so in order to portray the perfect family Lester tried for a while to suppress
the feelings he was having for Angela.
Carolyn is also a victim of obsession. She is overly obsessed with appearances. She often makes
comments to Jane about the way she looks. She feels that she cannot be happy unless she is
presented in an ideal way. "Because of the necessity to keep up appearances, a serene facade often
conceals a breeding ground for dysfunction, anxiety, and hypocrisy" (Berardinelli). An example of
this is when she is trying to sell a

Stereotypes In American Beauty
The film I will be analyzing is American Beauty written by Alan Ball. I will be discussing the
representation of men and the male body. This late 90's narrative structure film "American Beauty"
narrates the changes in gender roles and how they have impacted society in contrast to the
traditional male bread winners and female homemakers of past times. The characters in this film are
defined through their sexuality in the roles they play. This film also relates to the theme of identity
and explores the expectations society has placed on stereotypes in how we function and how we
identify ourselves.
From the beginning of this film one can immediately see who wears the pants in the family. Lester
Burnham, a magazine writer who despises his job is frustrated with his marriage and has little sexual
contact with his wife Carolyn. Although, Lester is a male he portrays a traditional submissive female
role in this film. Carolyn, an ambitious real estate broker, who is also discontented with her their
marriage is having an affair with another realtor. She takes on a more male dominating role in the
family. In this active role, Carolyn becomes the strong central female character, assuming
untraditional masculine roles where men have been considered more active in earlier decades.
They both live with their teenage daughter Jane, who spends most of ... Show more content on
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He pictures himself constantly spending time with Angela's nude body covered in red roses. The
continual use of the color red throughout his fantasies projects Lester's desire and lust for Angela.
This film uses lighting, color and close–ups to erotically emphasis the concept of beauty and the
fragmentation of Angela's body. Lester's lust for Angela causes him to become obsessed with
working out to attract her attention, but Jane is actually interested in Ricky, the Burnham's new
neighbor who lives with his strict retired military father, Colonel

How Is Perseverance Shown In The Sapphires
Good morning Selection Panel of the Australian Film Board. Today I am going to convince you that
The Sapphires, directed by Wayne Blair is the perfect movie to enter the competition to represent
Australia. The movie was released in 2012 and is based on a true story of four Aboriginal girls that
tour around Vietnam in 1968 singing for the soldiers. The main parts of the movie that stood out
were; how it demonstrated the Australian value of perseverance, the difference between each
individual character and the representation of the Aboriginal culture.
Perseverance is shown throughout the film. All of the girls demonstrated it in separate times and
different ways but Julie, the main character, and lead singer specifically exhibited perseverance. ...
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Gail is very protective over her sisters and acts more like a mother than a sister. She is very
responsible and very different to the stereotypical Aboriginal. She makes it her personal goal to
protect and look after each of her sisters and her cousin. Cynthia, on the other hand, is the exact
opposite. She parties, drinks, is always with guys and has a huge ego. She is confident that she is the
most amazing and beautiful person in the world and will do whatever it takes to make a name for
herself. Cynthia is a larrikin, always laughing, drinking and never caring for anyone except for
herself. Julie is the lead singer and character. She constantly shows perseverance and doesn't listen
to authority when it doesn't suit her. Early in the film, she was told that she was too young to sing
with Gail and Cynthia but she still went. Later she was told that she wasn't allowed to go with them
to Vietnam but she found a way ignoring her mother. Kay was taken by white people when she was
younger because of her fair skin. She was then brought up in white culture and was taught white
ways. This is evident in the way she dresses, she wears more sophisticated, better clothing than the
rest of them. Dave was working at a bar when he met the girls. Even though they lost the
competition because they were black he insisted they were the best singers by

American Beauty : An American Film Directed By Sam Mendes
What does one think when the word beauty is heard? Some may think about physical attraction,
while others may have their own perception of what defines beauty. American Beauty (1999) is an
American film directed by Sam Mendes. The characters throughout the film experience their own
idea of happiness, or the beauty in America, in different ways. For Lester, it is an uncontrollable
desire to have sex with a young girl named Angela that is friends with his daughter, Jane. Carolyn,
Lester 's wife, has nothing but success in the real estate business on her mind. Her dream is to be the
most successful real estate agent in her city, and she will not let anything or anyone get in her way.
For Jane, the idea of happiness comes with being physically attractive to the opposite sex. And
finally for the war torn neighbor, Colonel Frank Fitts, beauty is defined by having a normal,
structured, happy American family. The overall objective of this paper is to take a closer look at
what it means to live an American life, and focus on how these characters portray their idea of
American beauty. Lester Burnham is believed to be an ordinary American father and husband. He
has a stable job, he lives in the suburbs, and he eats dinner with his family every night. His family is
viewed as the perfect All–American family, but it does not take long to realize that this is not the
case. Lester is frustrated with his job and his distant relationship with his wife, not to mention his
daughter

Analysis Of Beyonce's Song 'Pretty Hurts'
Life, True Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness:
Beyonce's Portrayal of the American Beauty Standard
America is supposed to be the land of the free and the home of the brave. Instead, it is oppressed
with a disease that attacks the self–esteem of its entire people. Women, in particular, are affected.
Because society sets ridiculous expectations for beauty, women strive to achieve them but, never
will. Beyonce's song "Pretty Hurts" was co–written by Joshua Coleman, Sia Fuller and Beyonce
Knowles. As the music video begins, the spotlight turns onto Miss Third Ward, Beyonce's character,
and she smiles. Throughout the video, the spotlight is always the cue for Miss Third Ward to put on
a happy face. She only smiles in the spotlight. As Miss Third ... Show more content on
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The video clearly suggests that it is the white population, or the majority, that sets the standard of
beauty. Although some of the contestants are white, all of the spectators in the video are also white
by race. The judges in the pageant are white men, the lady who spray tans Miss Third Ward is also
white. Because all the judges are white men, the video speaks that white men are the ones who
formed the mold for American women to fit. Women of every race are subject to the white man's
view of beauty. It is ironic that while Miss Third Ward naturally has tanned skin, a the white woman
is spray tanning her, suggesting that Miss Third Ward is only allowed to be an artificial copy of the
real her. People with pale skin lay in tanning beds or spray tan to get a certain look during the
summer months but reject the quality during the cooler season. Tanned skin has become a trend. The
artist goes even further to make the pageant coach a tall, lanky albino black man. The winner of the
pageant, Miss Shaolin, is also an albino black woman. The two albino blacks are the counterpart to
spray tanning the natually tanned. The video insists that white is beautiful. Miss Shaolin wears a ton
of makeup and seems to look over worked with plastic surgery and botox. She has bleached blonde
hair and looks malnourished. Throughout the video, there are scenes where Miss Third Ward is
sitting at her vanity in the dressing room,

Nostalgia And Loss In American Beauty
When watching movies, various life lessons or themes can be picked up on that are scattered
throughout the films in subtle ways. Some messages can be picked up instantly while other
messages will make you sit back and think just a bit harder. American Beauty was a film released in
1999 that was filled with numerous interpretations of which themes can be accounted for. Nostalgia
and loss, and issues with obsession are two themes or issues that stood out when watching the film
for the first time. American Beauty is a drama film directed by Sam Mendes. The film follows
sympathetic lead character, Lester as he lives his boring, mundane life. Lester seems to have the
picture–perfect life on the surface of things but that isn't always the case. Lester is an advertising
executive and magazine writer who eventually ends up despising his job. His wife, Carolyn, is a
career–driven real estate broker who becomes more obsessed with ... Show more content on
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During the film, there is times when Lester wishes things can go back to the way they were. One
scene during the film Carolyn returns home to find Lester goofing off with a remote–control car.
Lester precedes to complement Carolyn and seduce her and talk about fond memories that they have
together. He questions what happened to the girl that would run out on the roof and flash traffic
helicopters and fake seizures. This is just once example of Lester being nostalgic and remembering
how life use to be. Another example of nostalgia within American Beauty in the ending scene of the
movie. Right before Lester died, he took a picture of the family that was sitting in the kitchen and
stared. He was reminiscing about how happy he was with Carolyn and Jane and starting to feel at
ease. Nostalgia makes people forget all their problems and issues for a second and makes them
happy once again just like Lester in the

Role Of Motivation In American Beauty
The film "American Beauty" is a motivational and inspirational movie based around the modern
day–to–day lives of two families in a middle class suburban life. This movie shines by showing
viewers an introspective on the emotional and mental challenges that the average person goes
through internally that challenge them and who they are. While all of the characters have their own
background and context behind their motivations in life the main character's is by far the most
interesting. Lester Burnham is a middle aged man who is living an unfulfilled life. He has family
problems, work problems, no friends and no aspiration. During the movie he is depicted as being a
very timid, lonely, and unmotivated man. Although going through these emotionally draining
experiences of a dead end job and loneliness he manages to find a catalyst that helps him escape his
depression and find who he truly can become. This catalyst is his daughters close friend Angela of
whom he creates an infatuation for that gives him the motivation to make changes to himself that he
needs in order to express himself and escape the situation. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
He is not motivated in life, has no pride in his work, and is extremely repressed as a man due to his
wives domineering and controlling personality. In addition, much of the film he still struggles to
find the confidence to deal with his daughter's distance. While Lester does not directly express it he
feels responsible for not being the person he could have been to help his daughter find happiness in
her life. Eventually, all of these events add up to a break in his depression that cause him to change
everything about his life and help him rediscover who he is as well as those around

Museum Fine Art Houston Exhibition Analysis
Contingent Beauty at the Museum Fine Art Houston was an exhibition that brought together a
selection of major works on view from the Latin American Collection. Featuring 21 artists who have
made significant contributions to the global art scene within the past 30 years over the topic what is
beauty. The exhibition was large scale survey of work from artists with heritage from Argentina,
Colombia, México, Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil among many other places and intertwined aesthetic
refinement and brutality of political and social realities of Latin America. Curated by Mari Carmen
Ramirez one of the top Latin American Curators the exhibition features both curatorial and
theoretical strategies to construct an argument that ask the audience to think about the idea of what
beauty is or isn't using a Latin American perspective.
Throught the exhibition viewers are presented with works that are pleasurable to the senses,
informative of political and social situations, seductive and raw. The end result is an exhibition that
takes the everyday and uses that perspective to examine material, subject matter, space in the form
of social change. One thing I liked about the project was the use of visual art and diverse artistic
processes as a way of offering different definitions and functions of beauty and aesthetics. This
exhibition is an important survey of Latin American voices representing different topics and stories.
The context for the show attempts to broaden the approaches ... Show more content on
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Just as current events influence popular culture and the trends in contemporary art, so is the role as
the curator. With each new shift in the political and social realm will challenge the way we see,
collect or present art. These exhibitions while they took each a different approach provided a small
window in different ways of curating Latin American

American Beauty Research Paper
American Beauty Research Paper The film "American Beauty" was filmed by Sam Mendes in 1999
and received some awards. The movie's subject is a ordinary family in the United States, and it
shows the process how to conducts the road to destruction with American Dream. Most of the film,
the director tends to the main character who name is Lester Burnham and his family. American
Beauty is the simple film, and it interpret darkness faced by the current American society. It shows
middle class of ordinary American family, and they look perfectly normal for society and
neighborhood. This film's main theme is complicated family relationship and how to change the
protagonist, his family, and concerned people. American beauty uses Audience will be learned how
to make better family relationship and fit in the American society. Lester Burnham is this film's
main character who is sick and tired of the same old days over and over again and fell out of place
anywhere. He has a wife whose name is Carolyn. She always looks down on her husband and gives
him a shafting; however, she is weak though behaving courageously in reality. ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
When he is almost dead, the main character remembers his family's good memories and that "life is
beautiful," He didn't get mad or upset the moment. Most of the time, this film tells the main
character's life and surrounding environment (Garry 819). Lester has completely changed his actions
and behaviors between the beginning and end. Before he passed way, he thought about his wife and
daughter. Carolyn and Jane was smiling in Lester's mind, and finally he noticed those memories are
the most important stuffs for his life. He tried to satisfy his desire and didn't care about his family in
the middle of the film. Most precious things are always nearby a person, but when he or she is crazy
about something concupiscence, they will be hard to identify really important things in their

Examples Of Existentialism In American Beauty
Emily Minnotte
Mr. Nath
English Literature
16 March 2015
Existentialism in American Beauty The 1999 film, American Beauty starring Kevin Spacey and
Annette Bening, follows the existential crisis of a middle–aged suburban father and husband as he
becomes attracted to one of his daughter's best friends. After developing said attraction, Spacey's
character, Lester Burnham, becomes conscientious of his life and begins making a series of
decisions and taking actions that ultimately result in his death. The angst ridden film explores not
only the alienation of its protagonist from his society, but also showcases each member of the
Burnham family as agents of materialism and loneliness in their quest to achieve real happiness. The
Burnham family ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The bleakness of Sisyphus' punishment is due to its inherent meaninglessness, for despite his efforts,
the task has no purpose. This parallels to Lester's life prior to his acquisition of responsibility. Prior
to attempting to enact change in his life, the protagonist continues his monotonous daily routine at
his boring desk job, listening to the same soundtrack nightly at dinner, and overall subservience to
those around him: "Both my wife and daughter think I'm this gigantic loser and they're right, I have
lost something. I'm not exactly sure what it is but I know I didn't always feel this...sedated." His
rebirth to life only begins upon meeting Angela Hayes, his daughter's seductive best friend, to which
he develops a sexual attraction. After meeting Angela, he begins to alter his life dramatically
through quitting his job, buying a car he always dreamed of having and exercising in order to
perpetuate a level of success and masculinity to the teenager. In the final scenes of the film, when
Angela finally bares her innocence and insecurity to Lester, he finally sees true reality for the first
time in the form of real emotion. In the last seconds of his life he is able to appreciate life and feel
more alive than he has throughout the entirety of the film. He is no longer lonely and is cognizant of
his purpose in life: being a father, husband, and making the choices he deems fit for his existence in
order to perpetuate his view of happiness, and not that of

Satire In American Beauty
American Beauty is an American satirical drama directed by Sam Mendes. It was first released in
late 1999 and won many awards, among them five Academy Awards in 2000. The movie depicts the
life of Lester and Carolyn Burnham played by Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening. Lester, a 42–
year–old magazine writer and advertising executive, and Carolyn, an ambitious real estate agent,
reside in an unidentified, well–to–do American suburb together with their teenage daughter Jane.
This essay seeks to examine how suburbia affects these two main characters. Viewed from the
outside, Lester and Carolyn seem to have it all: A child, a spacious home with a well–kept front yard
located in a nice suburban neighborhood, and two well–paid jobs to provide for their ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
Lester's voice–over accompanying the scene states: "Look at me, jerking off in the shower. This will
be the high point of my day. It's all downhill from here" (American Beauty). A bit later one can see
Lester wearing a gray suit and sleeping in the back of his wife's car while she is driving him to
work, and his voice–over states: "Both my wife and daughter think I'm this gigantic loser, and...
they're right. I have lost something. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I know I didn't always feel
this... sedated" (American Beauty). The gray suit he is wearing can be seen to exemplify the gray
monotony of his every day life, and his sleeping on his way to work as evidence that his work is not
exciting or fulfilling either. The next scene, which actually shows Lester at his workstation,
demonstrates that his job is, in fact, boring and monotonous: Lester is depicted sitting in a neutral
gray–beige cubicle that is surrounded by various other gray–beige cubicles and people indistinctly
looking at their computers or speaking into headset phones. Moreover, the white artificial light on
the ceiling makes the entire office appear cool and

Jane Martin Beauty
"For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice" (New
International Version, James 3:16). The author of Beauty is Jane Martin, a prize–winning
playwright, and is "Americas best known, unknown playwright" (Mandell, 749). This play is about
two jealous friends named Carla and Bethany, who are the opposite of one another. Carla is beautiful
model who has personality but lacks intelligence. Whereas Bethany is studious and a successful
accountant/writer but isn't happy with her appearance. Both women don't appreciate what they have
and both want what the other has. In addition, Carla wishes she was smart and Bethany wishes she
was beautiful. The play Beauty discusses the benefits and disadvantages of ... Show more content on
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One benefit of being intelligent is becoming successful. Bethany is a very intelligent woman and her
intelligence has enabled her to be successful in her studies, in publishing and to be successful in her
accountant career. Carla tells Bethany, "You're the one with the $40,000 job straight out of school.
You're the one who has published short stories" (Martin1.59). Bethany believes beauty is external
and only sees outer beauty not inner. For example, Carla tells Bethany is, "You have
personality...Smart guys like you" (Martin1.63–67). Bethany's job isn't based on beauty, but it
instead requires a strong mind. Being a public accountant minimize her physical beauty while
highlighting her mental or internal beauty. Bethany is characterized as the internal beauty, the beauty
of mind. However, one disadvantage for Bethany being intelligent is that men have to know her.
Jane Martin uses this to show that, while Carla's relationships are mainly based on physical
appearance, Bethany's relationships with men are based on time and personality. In the play Beauty,
jealousy overcomes both women and as Bethany makes her final wish. Each of the characters
realizes that whatever they have lost was more valuable than what they wished for:
CARLA/BETHANY: "We both have the one thing, the one and only thing everybody wants.
BETHANY/CARLA: What is

Examples Of Superego In American Beauty
The movie American Beauty tells a story of families and neighbors on the outside, they are perfect
husbands and wives living the American dream in homes in a nice neighborhood. However, the
families are living in emotional turmoil. The movie husband who is in fear of growing old, losing
the hope of true love and not being respected by those who he thinks should know him best. The
main character family is falling apart the husband is slipping deeper and deeper into a hopeless
depression. He finally snaps and becomes infatuated with his daughter's friend. His daughter's
having a friendship with the next door neighbor who is also a drug dealer, who lives with an abusive
father.
Lester Burnham is the protagonist of American Beauty: He is married to Carolyn, with whom he has
one daughter, Jane. He works for an advertising agency, lives in the suburbs, middle–class
neighborhood, but he is unsatisfied with ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The superego acts to perfect and civilize our behavior. It works to suppress all unacceptable urges of
the id and struggles to make the ego act upon idealistic standards rather that upon realistic
principles. The superego is present in the conscious, preconscious and unconscious. The ego is the
component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality which was lacking in Lester,
Lester Burnham Id personality laid dormant for 17 years with the new stressor in his life he
regresses back into a teenager begins to act very impulsively, ignoring all social conventions and
norms. He quits his job and blackmails his boss, starts smoking weed, and indulges in sexual
fantasies of underage Angela. Lester begins to live by his Id, rediscovering himself by letting
himself be ruled by his impulses and desires. Lester became happier with is new found

Jane Martin Beauty Essay
I wanted to be Beautiful but I Didn't Want to be you
In Jane Martin's play, "Beauty", Martin uses characterization and dissimilarities to reveal real life
challenges. The common idea that people only see the bad side of their lives and the good side of
others is demonstrated throughout Martin's play. "Beauty" is a play centered on two friends; Carla,
who Bethany views as being the epitome of beautiful, and Bethany who Carla sees as the epitome of
intelligent. Both Carla and Bethany do not accept their status in life and therefore bring forth strong
emotions of jealousy and discontentment.
The theme of discontent is shown most efficiently throughout the character of Bethany. Bethany is
willing to do whatever it takes to obtain the results that ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Because of this, she begs Bethany not to wish for beauty, because it comes with way more problems
than Bethany can handle. Being a beautiful aspiring model, Carla receives a lot of attention from
men. Bethany sees this attention as a good thing since Carla has so many dates that she has trouble
keeping up with the men that she's been with. This is seen at the very beginning of the play when
Martin opens up with Carla uttering the line "In love with me? You're in love with me? Could you
describe yourself again? Uh–huh. Uh–huh. And you spoke to me?" Carla interacts with so many
men that she can't keep up and although she has guys interested in her and has sex often, she is still
discontent. She often complains to Bethany of not being able to hold a conversation with a man,
because her beauty causes them to only want sexual relations with her. Carla confesses her
discontentment by saying that beauty "is not what I want". She feels as if her beauty means nothing
if she cannot be brilliant. Men will want nothing more than sex, if she does not have intelligence.
Although Carla desires to have both beauty and brains, she refuses to take exaggerating measures as
a means to attain it. Ultimately, Carla voices discontentment due to the problems that beauty bring in
her life, she isn't willing to trade her reality for someone

Lady Macbeth Feminism Essay
Feminist issues have always been controversial throughout history and gender topics remain
debatable matters in the context of the democratic society of the 21st Century. Over and over again
these representations are revisited, seeing just how many degrading representations the modern–day
woman can overcome before finally adopting these stereotypes as the norm in her everyday life. It is
almost like a game to see how many obstacles women can overcome; each obstacle yet another
generalised representation of women in literature and film. Shakespeare exampled this through the
classic, 1606 play, Macbeth, as did director Sam Mendes in one of the iconic James Bond films,
2012, Skyfall. Through classic pieces of literature and modern day film, ... Show more content on
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Ironically, this is perceived through the exaggerated emotive language of having them replaced by a
"direst cruelty". Lady Macbeth pleads, "make thick my blood, stop up the passage to remorse",
conveying that if her blood was made thicker the blood flow throughout her body would slow down
and 'natural ' human functions would shut down. Metaphorically she wants the flow of remorse and
pity to be cut off, and to be unhuman. Furthermore, she pleads that her breast milk is turned to bile.
A woman 's breasts have the natural function to feed, and is a source of life for a growing baby,
while bile is a bitter, foul green coloured substance made in the liver which provides no
nourishment. Allegorically, this links back to Lady Macbeth's reversal of nature and challenge of
gender expectations. Shakespeare cleverly weaves this allegory through the play to symbolise a
warning to Lady Macbeth and or women of the 17th century, for what will happen if they rebel and
challenge societal expectations. Consequently, Macbeth gains in murderous masculinity, ordering
killing after killing, while Lady Macbeth lapses back into the feminine helplessness she had earlier
rejected. Madness, curiously, forces her back into the stereotypical femininity that

The Techniques Used in American Beauty Essay
The film American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes is a film about imprisonment and escape from
imprisonment (Mendes, 1999). American Beauty explores the breakdown of a suburban family man
whose life journeys from self loathing and emptiness to freedom and liberation but at the ultimate
cost of his life. Mendes effectively employs a range of techniques to help convey the meaning of
this film such as set design, camera angles, colour and soundtrack.
Cinema often uses structured set design and camera angles to convey meaning to an audience.
Throughout American Beauty, Mendesʼ use of set design and camera angles have been carefully
structured to emphathise the filmʼs theme of imprisonment. In the opening scene the audienceʼs
introduction to the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Interestingly, as the film progresses and Lesterʼs relationships evolve, the camera angles also evolve
in reverse and the audience begins to see Lester shot in a low angle and characters like Carolyn are
shot in a high angle, indicating that Carolyn is now vulnerable. These altered camera angles give
Lester a triumphant image.
Another technique Mendes uses is colour. The use of colour is often an important technique utilised
by film directors to communicate themes and ideas to an audience. In American Beauty, Mendes
powerfully uses colour to communicate that the characters are attempting to escape from their
imprisonment. Initially the characters are seen in environments that are very dull and nondescript, as
Mendes (1999) states when referring to Lesterʼs work setting. As Lesterʼs quest for escapement
gains momentum, the vivid colour of red is gradually introduced more into this film through subtle
furnishings in the Burnham house and particularly integrated with Lesterʼs sexual fantasies. The use
of the vibrant, red rose petal is first introduced when Lester and Carolyn attend Janeʼs cheer
performance, where Lester loses himself as he enters his first "tunnel of fantasy" (Mendes, 1999).
Deschler (1999) states the rose is symbolic of American beauty, and the colour red symbolises
passion and love. The significance of the rose petal and the colour red is repeatedly seen throughout
the film in house furnishings such as a bouquet of

Essay On American Beauty
American Beauty is an iconic, memorable and enduring watch, directed flawlessly by Sam Mendes.
The film explores and somewhat criticizes and attacks the cherished societal beliefs and institutions
of the 'American Dream', depicting the obsessive nature of materialism and illustrating the distortion
of appearance versus reality. Many critics have scrutinized and developed further these ideas, of
which I have analysed two critical reviews from Brittany Deschler (1999) and David Heuser. The
critical analysis of American Beauty from Brittany Deschler explores the empty promises of
materialism and Carolyn's obsession with her image and possessions as well as probing the theme of
appearance versus reality and how each character confronts this at ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Carolyn has closed herself away from her family and fails to see any true beauty in life through her
materialistic values and appearance of success that is anything but, in stark contrast to Lester who
longs for a true connection with his family and discovers genuine beauty towards the end of the
film. The two reviews have shaped this understanding for me and particularly Heuser's interpretation
of the main characters have demonstrated the importance of 'looking closer', past the false facades of
others as nothing appears as it is first seen as first impressions often prove to be false.This ideal of
the 'American Dream' status is mainly broken down by Lester as he truly reveals himself because an
individual's facade can be deceiving to who they really are. The 'American Dream' stereotype is
centered around the importance of showing off success through accumulation of material items as
the primary

Sam Mendes Use Of Satire In American Beauty
Sam Mendes, the author of the critically acclaimed film American Beauty mocks the suburban
lifestyle through the medium of satire. His work won over the vast audiences' hearts, time and well
earned cash as his film grossed 356 million U.S dollars at the box office. American Beauty exposes
the artificial identities that are subject to every aspect of suburban life and the diminishing artificial
happiness that is created by the pursuit of the American lifestyle. Bluntly Lester defies all the
suburban lifestyle guide and ultimately reaches true happiness which is presented as the moral
alternative. Although critics and other analyzers of Sam Mendes' piece over stride attempting to find
a deeper meaning regarding sexuality which truly is a part ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Sam Mendes began his early career at Chichester Festival Theatre after graduating from Cambridge
(Craine). His involvement in the theater scene is definitely displayed through his very particular and
almost genius placement of details throughout American Beauty. Theater sets require and contain
detailed and intended placements characters, props and visuals all to amplify the meaning and
experience for the live audience and evidently Mendes did carry this aspect to his directing of the
movie. Sam moved onto to directing other pieces and making a name for himself doing so; one
piece he gained acclaim from the critics was Anton Chekhov's "Cherry Orchard" a comedy or often
perceived farce (Britannica). Exposure to comedy/farce type piece undoubtably influenced his
satirical film since satire does very much contain components of farce and comedy. American
Beauty itself is often perceived as a comedy as it does mock the suburban life, even Lester's actions
are often perceived as farce as they are often received as teenage buffoonery. Mendes additional
dealt with Shakespeare plays which are famously known for their irony filled drama content.
Garnered fame from many successfully directed pieces by Mendes earned him the attention and the
script of American Beauty from American director Steven Spielberg. Mendes using his acquired
skills from his past experiences

Lester Burnham: In The Midst Of A Mid-Life Crisis
Lester Burnham: In the midst of a mid–life crisis
Winning a Golden Globe and Oscar in 2000 for Best Motion Picture – to name a few – American
Beauty is an American drama starring Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham. Lester Burnham, a middle–
aged depressed suburban father in a mid–life crisis, decides to make some major changes in his life
after becoming infatuated with his daughter's attractive friend, Angela. When he drastically changes
his life while in the midst of his mid–life crisis not only his wife, Carolyn, and daughter, Jane,
affected but everyone around him as he goes through the stages of his mid–life crisis: Depression,
Nostalgia, and Freedom. American Beauty introduces Lester as he is going through his everyday
routine; A grown man who masturbates in the shower, drops all of the contents of his briefcase as he
is walking out of the door, and crouches in the backseat while his wife chauffers him to a long day
of work, only to come home to a hostile dinner with his family. Knowing he will repeat the same
routine all over the next morning. All of this stacks up and stacks up inside of him until he reaches a
state of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He was as free as a bird. He demonstrated how much freedom he had when he quit his job to flip
burgers, messed around with a teenage girl, and blared the music of his favorite band from his
youngers years – Pink Floyd – while working out in his garage and smoking pot. Lester's new found
freedom has made him think in order to be truly free one must give into every desire. He eventually
realizes true freedom is found in balancing a persons love for themselves along with their love for
others. Lester is finally able to voluntarily resume his responsibilities that he originally took on
because he was required to do so. He never has the chance to fulfill those responsibilities though
because of his untimely

Questioning the "Normal" American Family in American Beauty
American Beauty, released in 1999, was a tragic comedy, created by Sam Mendes. The movie had
audiences questioning the ideal American family. You see the usual midlife crisis that most people
go through but watching further uncovers a deeper conflict of feeling oppressed with what society
considers a "normal" life. The movie has many connecting themes through plot, characterization,
and cinematography and these themes carry well throughout the movie. The main themes are listed
accordingly, appearance versus reality, loneliness versus feeling connected, denial and repression,
and beauty.
A theme that is consistent throughout the movie is of empty promises of materialism. From afar the
Burnhams seem to have the American Dream: a nice house in the suburbs, children, cars and good
jobs. The Art Culture Film website describes them as "trapped by the ideology of the American
Dream" (Structural 1). Carolyn Burnham unnaturally obsessed with materialism and other's opinions
of them (Newman 8). She has an obsession with her material items that she owns and to her they
equal success. Mendes shows us a scene where Lester is trying to show passion by kissing Carolyn
on the couch but all Carolyn could worry about was the beer almost spilling on the couch. Lester,
frustrated, yells, "It's just a couch!" to which she replies that it is not just a couch, but one that cost
$4,000 and is upholstered in Italian silk. In another scene where Carolyn fights with her daughter,
she yells at Jane

Motifs In American Beauty
American beauty is a drama–comedy type film directed by Sam Mendes in 1999.The film won 5
academy awards in 1999 including that of best actor and best director. It follows the story of the
Burnham family and specifically Lester Burnham, a middle aged American man who is facing a
midlife crisis and is falling deeper and deeper into a pit of endless depression. Because of this he has
become imprisoned by all aspects of his life. Mendes deliberately uses motifs and camera work to
illustrate this theme of imprisonment to the viewer. As Lester makes changes in his life the theme
changes from imprisonment to freedom which is shown by Mendes' deliberate use of symbolism as
well as Lester's new confidence displayed by his dialogue and posture. We also ... Show more
These techniques all show how Lester has broken free and is now enjoying life. Lester's confidence
is best shown in the second office scene where he uses blackmail to get his boss Brad to give him
money. This dialogue shows how Lester has changed from being shy and timid to being a strong–
willed individual who is not willing to back down. Lester's confidence in this scene is also portrayed
by his posture. He shows no sign of weakness and is totally relaxed compared to brad who is
infuriated and speechless. Both these examples of confidence show how he is no longer controlled
by his boss and therefore imprisoned. Also showing the theme of freedom is the disappearance of
the prison cell and window motif. Mendes even starts to use them on people Lester interacts with to
show how Lester's freedom impacts others. In the last scene I talked about, during Lester and Brads
conversation Brad is shown to have what looks like jail cell bars in the form of a shadow behind
him. This shows how it is now him who is powerless and imprisoned and Lester who is free. Finally
showing the theme of freedom is the marijuana symbol. It was first introduced to Lester at his wife's
work convention by Ricky and from then on is used to illustrate how Lester starts to rebel and
breaks free. An example of this is when Lester is driving to Mr Smilies to ask for a

Summary Of The Film She ` S Beautiful When She's Angry
She's Beautiful When She's Angry, directed and produced by Mary Dore, is a film that documents
the struggles that women within the United States endure concerning the historical lack of women's
rights. Prior to the Women's Rights Movement in the 1960's and 1970's, a number of stereotypes
about women existed within society that limited both their personal and professional progression.
She's Beautiful When She's Angry – a modern adaptation and documentary of this period of
emotional strife – pays tribute to the women who courageously fought in order to ensure that gender
discrimination became an issue of America's past. As a documentary film that succeeds in taking its
audience down memory lane and establishing an activist approach to cinematically ... Show more
For example, at the height of the Women's Rights Movement, women were very rarely seen within
the sector of higher education; but today, however, women are more prevalent in higher education
than at any other point in recent memory. Not only has higher education become more of an integral
norm for women, but the increasing prominence of women within higher education is reflective of a
fundamental societal shift – women are no longer being forced to stay within the confines of their
home, but are now able to focus on their education as well as their increasing job opportunities.
Additionally, women have also become more prominent within the political realm – both in terms of
running for office and having the right to vote – as well as the higher tiers of corporate America;
which illustrates that, as time goes on, they are becoming increasingly more powerful and are being
afforded a myriad of desirable positions and benefits that used to only be available for men. With the
indisputable progression of women in mind, it becomes challenging to comprehend how a film like
She's Beautiful When She's Angry can capitalize on its foundation of activism within the current
societal climate. Although there are still – and may always be – various opinions regarding women's
rights, it is clear that, since the Women's Rights Movement, women have been presented with
countless opportunities that they would not have been able to take advantage of approximately 50
years ago. As a result, a film like She's Beautiful When She's Angry almost seems redundant, if not
somewhat

Cultural Differences In American Beauty
In 1999, Sam Mendes released his comedic drama film that was nominated for 8 Oscars and won 5,
including Best Picture. The movie, American Beauty, is about two families whose members are all
trying to achieve happiness in different ways. This takes place throughout the entire movie and
explores the different ways people search for happiness, along with the positive and negative results
of their actions. The theme of American Beauty is that the pursuit of happiness is the driving force in
everyone's life, but is overall an impossible task to complete unless it is through death. The film
explores how each character is set on achieving happiness and how it is always the most important
thing to them, no matter how it affects other people around ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
One of the best examples of this in American Beauty is Colonel Frank's view on homosexuality.
Throughout the film Frank says some nasty things about the homosexual couple on the street. This
is relevant to our culture because there are a lot of people who hate homosexuals just because they
are different. Colonel Frank's homophobia not only affected him, but his son as well. When Frank's
son, Ricky, tries to tell his dad that homosexuality isn't bad, he is immediately met with harsh words
and disapproval from his father. As a result, Ricky says that he hates homosexuality as well. Later in
the film, when Frank tries to kiss Lester, it is discovered that Frank is actually gay and has been
hiding his feeling because of fear. This shows how in our culture today, many people are afraid to
come out due to fear of rejection. It also shows that our culture so often is so against differences that
people feel the need to hide who they truly are, so that they aren't seen as outcasts. Not only do
people in our society try to hide who they really are, people also pretend to be someone completely
different. For example, Angela is a character in the film that lies about sexual experience because
that is her way of fitting in. Our culture is obsessed with fitting in and being "normal" and as a result
there are so many people who are putting on an act just so they don't feel like an

Comparing the Quest in M. Butterfly and American Beauty
The Quest in M. Butterfly and American Beauty
Happiness is defined as enjoying, showing, or characterized by pleasure; joyous; contented. Based
on this definition we all search for happiness our entire lives. Two very different stories address this
idea of the quest for happiness. M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang is the story of a man named
Gallimard who is longing for his love "Butterfly" to return to him. John Deeney describes it as him,
clinging to his idea of a "Perfect Woman" to the end by costuming himself into the victimized
Butterfly though his final suicide. Although Gallimard's infatuation with Song sometimes makes
him cut a rather ridiculous figure, his dead seriousness at the end evokes a certain amount of pathos
and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Not only is he using Gallimard for the government, but also for the control he has over him. Song
knows that Gallimard thinks he is the perfect woman. He allows him to believe this for more than
twenty years during their affair. It was not until the end that Song told Gallimard the truth. Song
lived most of her life as a lie, only because she thought it was making her happy.
On the other side of Song's insecure image was his lover Gallimard. Gallimard first lived a happy
life with his lover Song. He changed his whole life and even got a promotion because of his new
attitude. Not praising himself he said, "It is because of you that I was promoted tonight. You have
changed my life forever. My little Butterfly, there should be no more secrets: I love you" (Meyer
1233). Gallimard truly loved Song and after finding out that Song was really a man, he was crushed.
He was ridiculed everywhere because people could not understand how he did not know he was
dating another man. He replied, "This is the ultimate cruelty, isn't it? That I can talk and talk and to
anyone listening, it only air– too rich a diet to be swallowed by a mundane world. Why can't anyone
understand? That in China, I once loved, and was loved by, very simply, the Perfect Woman" (Meyer
1250). After all of his searching for his Butterfly and to find out that she was really a man crushed
any happiness in his life. In the end, he said:
"Death with honor is better than

Between Horatio Alger Myth In It's A Wonderful Life And...
The two movies of the week, It's a Wonderful Life by Frank Capra and American Beauty by Sam
Mendes are a perfect portrayal of the American values in a positive and a negative way as I will
explain in my discussion. Both movies got the idea of the Horatio alger myth, which is the American
dream that everybody by hard work and determination can be successful and make it to the top to
money and fame. Success in both movies is portrayed differently for example in It's a Wonderful
Life success was not the money and fame and the typical hollywood portrayal of success, but family
and homeland, which are related to the german idea of heimat, which is the value of home. However
in American beauty the typical American success was portrayed, which ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
However following the basic american dream idea in the film American beauty and chasing money
lead to a dystopian end and family destruction, which is a cautionary tale that money is not the most
important thing in life, but family ties and connections. All the families in American beauty were
psychotic, unstable and terrifying, which shows the effect of the American myth on people that it
destroys relationships as I mentioned by the family being torn apart and just faking that it's a happy
family, everything went downhill. To explain the idea that the american dream is just a false myth,
In American dream at the end of the movie nothing came back to equilibrium after the chaos so the
end was dystopian, this is because the family ties were not strong and money and fortune were the
main goals. In contrast in It's a wonderful life, the equilibrium of the narrative was resorted and the
end was utopian by the happy family gathering. The idea of the male gaze was presented in both
movies to show male sexuality and urge and portray women as a subject of joy. Few examples were
Riky looking at Jane from the window, Lester looking at Angela and fantasizing about

False Dreams In The Film American Beauty
More than just a parodic take on suburban life, the film American Beauty speaks about looking
closer at what we desire and believe will bring fulfillment. It depicts the perspective of very
different characters, in which many share the similarity of chasing these beautiful dreams in an
attempt to replace their weaknesses. As these characters get a glimpse of their dreams, they begin to
discover how deceptive their idea of beauty is. For the audience, these dreams demonstrate how they
are nothing but skewed fantasies that end up replacing true beauty. It is one character, Ricky Fitts,
who further demonstrates how unaware these characters are of their false dreams. He is able to show
this odd yet genuine concept of beauty through his vision that

Eye Of The Beer Holder: Advertisement Analysis
Critique of Beauty is in the eye of the Beer Holder Kellie Sue Perkins Florida International
University Critique of Beauty is in the eye of the Beer Holder Summary: Bègue1, Bushman,
Zerhouni, Subra and Ourabah (2013) designed two studies to test their theory that people view
themselves as more attractive and funny when they are drunk. The first study was riddled with
issues and biases, so I will be focusing on the second, more through and less issue riddled study.
This is an experimental study (as stated in the article). The participants in this study were 94 French
men. Eight of these participants were excluded from the study for various reasons so the final
sample consisted only of 86 French men. The men had a mean age ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
I do have a concern, however, about the ethics of having a group of people that are being told that
their drink is non–alcoholic when, in fact, it does contain alcohol. The article does not address that
issue, so I am not sure if they did a screening to ensure they were not giving alcohol to someone on
certain medications (such as pain medications, seizure medications, etc.) or with a health condition
(such as diabetes, liver disease, etc.) that prohibits them from consuming alcoholic beverages. In
addition, I am curious how ethical it is to mislead the participants about the purpose and meaning of
the study (they were told they were joining a taste test and helping to advertise new drinks).
Ethically though, other than those 2 points, Bègue1 et al. did employ safeguards such as screening
out those who may have a drinking problem and removing them from the study (Bègue1 et al.,
2013). A study is considered valid when it is believable and able to be applied to people or subjects
who are not in the sample. I am not sure that I would consider Bègue1 et al's study to be valid. The
reason for this is that the only people in the sample were middle aged French males. It excludes
women and all other races other than the French. Research is considered reliable when it can be
replicated. I do find this study to be very reliable as there is enough detail in the article

Beauty Jane Martin Character Analysis
The play beauty by Jane Martin displays the jealousy that two friends have for each other. Carla and
Bethany both share a jealousy. Carla is jealous of Bethany and in return Bethany is jealous of Carla.
This play uses realism or realistic drama in the sense that the two girls are jealous of one another,
however the ladies switch bodies which is completely unrealistic that will be discussed later.
Bethany found a lamp on the beach and when she rubbed it a genie came out and informed Bethany
she had three wishes. She wished for money with her first wish, and her uncle to be healed with her
second, and then saved her last wish so she could tell her best friend, Carla, about the wishes. Carla
was on the phone getting a marriage proposal when Bethany walked in "this was ... Show more
Carla also informs Bethany that she has three modeling calls and a meeting with Ralph Lauren, and
she is going to be late so she does not have time for Carla's games. Carla is jealous of Bethany and
she still has one last intact wish, "I want to be like you" (964) she says to Carla. Bethany wants to
look like Carla because she thinks she is beautiful. Carla finds this hard to believe since she believes
Bethany does not usually like her. Bethany is envious of Carla because she is the center of attention,
she gets discounts on merchandise, and sex. She gets unsolicited marriage proposals and she is a
model. Bethany does not realize all the things that Carla has to deal with, and that the grass is not
always greener on the other side. She fails to see the downsides to being beautiful, and only
concentrates on the positives. She does not realize that if and when she gets Carla's life she will have
to deal with things like being called by creeps and she would not have a steady job. Carla tries to
convince Bethany that she does not want her life, she will not be acknowledged for her intelligence,
but Bethany does not listen. Carla told Bethany she was also

The Cost Of Beauty: Song Analysis
For my pet peeve essay, "The Cost of Beauty," I chose the song "Pretty Hurts" by Beyoncé because I
believe that the meaning behind this song fits perfectly with my essay. In this song, Beyoncé sings
about the pressures women feel to have outer beauty. Throughout the entire music video, Beyoncé is
competing in a beauty pageant, showing the viewers the extent she goes through to achieve outer
beauty. At the beginning of the writing process, I was juggling between a few different ideas.
Ultimately, I knew I wanted to write about beauty. At first, I was not sure which angle to take, but
ended up writing about the outrageous costs and the unrealistic beauty standards. I liked this angle
because I see not only myself, but those around me as well

Similarities Between American Beauty And The American Dream
Leading up to the great 2016 American election Bernie Sanders stated that "for many the American
Dream has become a nightmare". The relevance of this quote is strongly represented in the film
American Beauty directed by Sam Mendes and the play The Glass Menagerie written by Tennessee
Williams. With The Glass Menagerie being set in the early 30's, American Beauty just before the
turn of the Millennium in 1999 and Bernie quoting the American Dream in recent years, it is
obvious that throughout the decades society continues to trap victims into the dangerous illusion that
is the American Dream. The two texts explore this idea of the American Dream being unattainable
and contrasts reality with dream resulting in self suffocation, disturbance of relationships and the
ultimate desperate action, The authors question the American Dream and invite the audience to
uncover the reality of the characters voicing the American Dream and their suffocated by their false
ideas of happiness. In American Beauty, Lester's wife Carolyn believes strongly in the philosophy
that hard work and opportunity is rewarded by status, power and wealth – the American Dream. Her
belief that wealth equals success consumes her and is expressed in the form of material possessions
which she thinks defines her self–worth. Her image of success is projected though her clothing and
body language. Carolyn is introduced in a scene where she is clipping the roses outside so they look
perfect, integrating her fascination

Dysfunction In American Beauty
American Beauty– What is it saying about the pursuit of the American Dream?
The portrayal of an American family as shown in the movie, American Beauty, is one of
dysfunction. In fact, the homosexual couple is the only family that seem to display somewhat
"normal" behavior. As a non–traditional family, the homosexual couple appear connected, loving,
and very happy. Most importantly, they demonstrate great respect for each other, something the
heterosexual families do not. This non–traditional family is seen in small doses throughout the
movie. However, the families that are prominently displayed for the majority of the movie are The
Burnhams and The Fitts; the so–called "normal" family unit. What is striking about this display of
"normalcy" ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The Burnhams strive to follow a modern version of the "American Dream". The father, Lester, has
taken a passive role in the family and is viewed as feeble by both his daughter and wife. His wife,
Carolyn, sees herself as a strong and independent working woman. Her own insecurities become
more obvious throughout the film. She must have a beautiful single family home in a suburban
neighborhood, a successful career, and a display of perfectly groomed roses that line her fence.
Carolyn has insecurities that run deep. She often catches herself in a weak, emotional moment
where she feels inferior. A quote from Carolyn, "My company sells an image. It's part of my job to
live that image." I interpreted this quote as how she views life on a global scale. This is her
"American Dream" and her own happiness. Janey Burnham, Lester and Carolyn's daughter, is
shown at the beginning of the film viewing articles online for breast augmentation. This reveals her
low self–esteem and desire towards a "perfect image." Janey feels as though she doesn't live up to
the standards of what a young teenager should look like. Throughout the film, the viewer sees Janey
redefine her idea of perfection and her growing sense of

American Beauty: Appearance Versus Reality
American Beauty Things Aren't Always, As They Seem American beauty (1999, Sam Mendes) is a
very unique film with many different themes. The main characters in the film, Lester (Kevin
Spacey) and Carolyn Burnham (Annette Bening) prove that there is a big difference in appearance
versus reality. With the help of Colonel Frank Fitts, (Wes Bentley) we learn that people cannot just
be judged by their outer appearance, but rather by what's inside, because people are not always what
they seem. Lester Burnham serves as the films narrator. He is an almost middle–aged father,
husband and advertising executive. Obviously, his marriage with his uptight wife Carolyn is barely
hanging on. Their sixteen–year–old daughter Jane (Thora Bucch) is a ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
His actions are so unexpected from what we as an audience would have thought. In one scene Lester
pulls up to a drive through line at Mr. Smileys and orders the big barn burger, smiley fries and an
orange soda. Besides orderly a rather childish meal, the odd thing was that when he pulled up to the
window he asked for a job application. The woman at the window responds with, "there's no job for
manager, it's just for counter," because based on Lester's appearance he doesn't seem like the type to
work at a fast food restaurant. While Lester is happily flipping burgers as an employee at Mr.
Smileys, he hears a voice of a couple customers over the intercom and realizes that one of the voices
is his wife Carolyn's, but he doesn't know who the mans is yet. In the car, Carolyn says to Buddy,
another real estate agent that she is clearly having an affair with, "I think we deserve a little junk
food after the workout we had this morning." Buddy leans over and kisses Carolyn's neck just as
they are pulling up to get their food. Lester says cheerfully, "Smile, you're at Mr. Smiley's!" Carolyn
is stunned and replies, "uh, buddy, this is my..." Lester interrupts with "Her husband, we've met
before, but something tells me you're going to remember me this time." This is my favorite scene
because Lester's reaction is so out of the ordinary. A person in his same situation would have reacted
by yelling, screaming or hitting, but Lester appears

How Does Sam Mendes Use Camera Angles In American Beauty
American Beauty
Respond critically to significant aspects of visual and/or text(s) through close reading, supported by
evidence.
Sam Mendes is an intelligent and sophisticated director who has created many award–winning films
during his career. Some characteristics of his directorial style are; camera work with the specific use
of close–up's and the zooming effect, lighting/colour to symbolise characters/items and use sound to
create tension and anticipation in the audience. I have chosen Mendes's 1999 masterpiece American
Beauty to study and analyse. This film has scenes that incorporate all of Mendes's described
characteristics and that help to give me a clear understanding of Mendes's directional style.
Mendes uses the same camera work in both of the dining room scenes in American Beauty to create
tension with the audience and to emphasise characters' expressions and emotions to the viewers,
leaving us in no doubt what each character is feeling. This allows the audience to understand each
character more effectively and as a result, it challenges us to think about how we might feel in the
same situation. A scene, in American Beauty, that Mendes uses effective camera work to enhance
the audiences' view of the characters is the 'dining room' scene that features Lester, his wife Caroline
and his daughter Jane. When the scene starts, Mendes uses a background music that sounds just like
elevator music; Beli high: musical Pacific, with close–up shots of pictures when Jane was younger
and a vase full of red roses. However, as the scene continues Mendes uses a wide shot to show the
entire dining room, this frame was then gradual zooming in up until the frame stopped in a position
where you could see a mid–shot of each character sitting at the table. When the conversation had
started from Lester the audience could see how disengaged his wife and daughter were. They
weren't interested in how his day went, they only cared about themselves. When the close–ups are
on Lester, the audience gets a vivid picture of a man who has lost his true self and who is 'already
dead inside'. Whereas when the close–ups are on Jane or Caroline, you see someone who is pained
from the discomfort of certain people around them –Jane– or

The Road By Sam Mendes
Revolutionary Road
A directed by Sam Mendes about a couple that faced common issues in marriage in the 1950 's. In
the 1950 's many lived in suburban areas in the hopes of a simple, normal life with goal of safety
and security. It was a means to surviving and having a peaceful life. However, April and Frank
Wheeler wanted a different life. April Wheeler found that the idea of living a simple life was too
dull and wanted more out of life and marriage. April Wheeler constantly romanticized the idea of
being a famous actor and breaking typical family norms rules of being a mother and wife. Frank
Wheeler had a job that he hated and commute daily from Connecticut to New York in the means of
financially supporting his wife and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Some of the main issues of their marriage comes from ineffective communication, problem of
juggling work and family, and even not coming together to identify clear goals and expectations to
agree on prior to marriage.
There are a number of things to consider when trying to choose the right partner in order to
minimize the risk of entering an unhealthy relationship. For example, some things to consider is
forming a homogamies relationship, complementary needs, responsible, committed, respectful, and
emotionally supportive. April and Frank never came together with shared values, attitudes, and
expectations they have out of marriage. They married young and didn 't take time to get to know
what another. The process of their entire marriage and even discussing certain issues was always a
rush based on only emotional frustration rather without use of much logic, time, and patience for
one another. In addition, April has a disillusioned expectation of marriage and her husband. There is
no compromise, with the notion that Frank meets her needs only. April also had children without
wanting the responsibilities of being a mother.
In Sternberg 's Triangular theory of love, there are three different times of love. The three types of
love are passion, intimacy, and commitment. Passion is the sexual connection, intimacy is the
connection that involves in having bonded feelings for one another, and

American Beauty By Sam Mendes
American Beauty (1999) is directed by Sam Mendes (also the director of Skyfall and Spectre) and
stars Kevin Spacey which examines the "ordinary" occurances of a family who live a desirable life
but are unhappy and stagnant. Kevin Spacey plays the role of Lester Burnham, a suburban father
and who is tired of his boring job and family. Within the film are many themes, the most important
of these being lust and beauty. The film applies many visual effects to demonstrate the overall
desired tone, and helps to implicitly present a false sense of the "american dream". American Beauty
demonstrates a clear presentation of longing within relationships or lifestyles, and uses filming
techniques to imply these hidden themes.
The main theme demonstrated throughout the film is seeming, and how it relates to true nature. Each
character within the film shows an awareness of the struggles seeming brings, and eventually
confronts it. Carolyn is the prime example, as constantly within the film she struggles to progress
within her career and attempts to be happy in doing so. This is shown in the scene where she
attempts to sell a house, fails to do so, and physically abuses herself as punishment. Colonel Fitts
(Ricky's father) also struggles with appearance, as he constantly tells Ricky homosexuality is
disgusting, and nearing the end of the film we find Fitts is homosexual himself. This challenges his
interpretation of masculinity and what he has believed his entire life. A huge element

American Beauty by Sam Mendes Essay
American Beauty by Sam Mendes
This essay has problems with formating
 In American Beauty, 1999, directed by Sam Mendes, we are confronted with the
permeating images that have consumed mainstream American life. Mendes exploits these images as
constructions that we created around ourselves as a means of hiding our true selves. Mendes is able
to implicate us in the construction and make us active viewers by exploiting our voyeuristic nature.
In American Beauty Mendes uses the voyeuristic tendencies of the spectator to acknowledge the
permeating constructed images. Mendes, through the use of narration, the mise en scene and
cinematic techniques implicates the spectator in to using their voyeuristic tendencies to deconstruct
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The construction of images within the narrative is important to how Mendes constructs them
through cinematic techniques.
Carolyn Burnham, real estate agent, mother and wife have been, from the very beginning is
constructed through the narrative in such a way that the spectator defines her as someone who is
consumed by the importance of projecting and maintaining the perfect image.
She is often caught, consciously making references concerning images. Referring to Jane
Burnham, "are you trying to look unattractive" or to her husband at a real estate gala "there's a
certain image . . . " and to herself, " to be successful one must always put forward an image of
success." These comments are additions to what the spectator has already been subjected to when
Lester points out "that it is not an accident the handles on her pruning sheer's match her gardening
clogs." Mendes through his depiction of Carolyn in earlier scenes is directing the spectator to be
appalled by Carolyn's obvious shallow and selfish ("could you make me any later?") personality. Yet
at the same time Mendes gives the spectator reasons to appreciate
Carolyn's obsessive qualities about the projected images. Carolyn respects the dominant ideologies
about images, and is consciously aware that she is an object of the gaze. As women
are

Commercial Analysis: America The Beautiful
America the Beautiful Most people watch the super bowl for the game the commercials are more
interesting. Coca cola premiered a commercial featuring the song America the beautiful. It aired
during the 2014 super bowl and world cup game. The point of this ad was to appeal to a persons'
pathos. Pathos are defined as a quality that evokes pity or sadness. The commercial is beautiful for
many reasons, but the main reasons are the scenery, the song, and the message behind this
commercial. As one can tell this video takes place in many unique places all over the world. There
are many different locations, from the pacific shores to southwest deserts. The commercial opens up
to a frontier movie–style background. It depicts a cowboy on his horse ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
America the beautiful is one of the most patriotic songs ever written. According to The Gilder
Lehrman Institute of American History: "In a brief essay that appeared CA. 1925, poet Katharine
Lee Bates described her inspiration for writing 'America the Beautiful' the poem that would evolve
into one of the nation's best–loved patriotic songs, during a trip to Pike's Peak in 1893. Bates
finished writing 'America the Beautiful' before leaving Colorado Springs but didn't think of
publishing it until two years later. The poem was first printed in a weekly newspaper, The
Congregationalist, on July 4, 1895."(Unknown). Since then there have been many versions of this
song, but the most controversial version was made by Coca–cola because it was sung by seven
females in different languages beautifully blended. The song tugs at the heart strings with the
scenery that goes along with parts of the song. The opening scene and beginning of the song starts
with a beautiful spacious landscape that depicts a lonely cowboy and his horse. The song goes on to
the America part and depicts typical American things, A family going on vacation, camping and
having a family dinner. In the last part of the song and video it goes from sea to shining sea in the
scenes. The song was sung by seven young ladies of different races who are American citizens. The
song itself was sung in seven different languages: English, Spanish, Keres, Tagalog, Hindu,
Senegalese, French, and Hebrew. Many people were offended that this song was sung in different
languages, but that is because they are racist. America is a melting pot of different races united as
one. America stands for

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