Billy Elliot Film Summary

Billy Elliot Film Summary The background of the film Billy Elliot was set in the context of the 1984 Miners Strike in England, where both Billy s father and older brother were miners participating in the strike. In the history of England, this was an important event for the governing party of England at that time, the Conservative Party led by Margaret Thatcher. The event set a strong political and ideological standing for the United Kingdom (UK) with regards to the ideas accepted by the people today. The 1984 Miners Strike was an intense period for the miners, who made up a significant proportion of the working class in England at that time. The reason behind the strike was the intended shutting down of twenty coal mines by the government, which would in turn result in the massive loss of jobs by as many as twenty thousand people. This led to the uproar by the miners in opposition to such a decision. Billy s family was heavily involved in this strike, with his brother Tony as the union leader. Essentially, this was somewhat a symbolism of a class struggle because such a decision affected mainly the working class only in terms of employment. In the film, Mr. Wilkinson, the husband of Billy s ballet teacher, was a figure representing the upper middle class with a rather cynical attitude towards the lower middle class i.e. the miners as well as the strike. Similarly, at the end of Billy s audition and interview together with Billy s father, the panel of judges, a representation of t he upper class, offered his father a patronizing and perhaps sarcastic, good luck with the strike (Blandford, 2007). Despite all the heavy-hearted circumstances Billy and his family were going through, the beginning of the film, together with the dancing along the way, was a surprisingly light-hearted scene. With upbeat rock music playing, Billy s jumping revealed a certain uncontained and unrestrained soul that seemed free. As the story developed however, the contradiction was the fact that Billy s life, at the age of 11, was hardly so. This somewhat likened to the period after the French Revolution, stepping into the Romantic Ages, where light-hearted, happy and fun ballets, often fairytales, were seen as a form of escapism from the harsh reality of people s lives. In another segment of the film, when Billy s father finds him dancing on Christmas night at the gymnasium with his friend, instead of succumbing to his father s objections, Billy bursts into a powerful segment of dancing, which was strong, uplifted, together with jumps and turns. This was almost like an open confrontation between Billy and his father, except not verbally. That dance segment portrayed a two-sided representation of Billy s emotions, one of frustration, with the circumstances and with not being able to dance fr eely, and at the same time, one that seemed to help him express what he could not through words, his love for dance. This was shown through his movements which were heavier and more grounded than when he was dancing to I love to boogie , his inspiration for the audition piece. Though there were jumps in the sequence, they were executed with a strong intention of frustration and desired release from being bound to his father s expectations of carrying on family traditions as a boxer and objections of being a ballet dancer. The unwillingness of Billy s father also revealed something intriguing about the situation, in relation to the political climate at that time. The governing party of England at that time was the Conservative Party, led by Margaret Thatcher. The ideology that followed with such a leadership was conservatism. Conservatism is a political and social ideology that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions as well as to limit change, or at its best, allow minimal and gradual change in society. This ideology could be seen to have set its roots in the lives of the characters in the film. The strike was an obvious resistance to a significant impending change, the closing down of 20 coal mines and causing the massive loss of jobs. This philosophical idea also had its social impacts on the characters in the story. One of the core reasons for the objection of Billy s father to him dancing was the notion that male dancers were poofs , or simply put, homosexual. Billy s friend Michael w as such a representation, who began showing signs of cross-dressing and homosexuality at a young age. However, the important thing to note was that Michael was not a dancer, placing an immediate call to relook this so-called social phenomenon. This phenomenon, or rather, broad generalization of male dancers, had painted a negative image of males doing this art form and coming back to the ideology of conservatism, Billy s father was simply not ready for a change in mindset about such a phenomenon that had already been etched in his mind. The influence of Fred Astaire was another aspect that had an impact on the choreography of Billy Elliot s dance segments in the film. Rock was the main genre of music popular at that time but Billy Elliot was influenced more by Fred Astaire, who was popular among Billy s mother and grandmother s generation. Fred Astaire was a broadway dancer and choreographer. Though there were no details about how Billy Elliot knew how to tap dance, in many segments where he was dancing, whether out of frustration, happiness or the desire for freedom, his steps incorporated a certain jazzy and broadway style to it. The film, Billy Elliot, was put in the context of many issues that would have surrounded someone who lived in a middle class family, even more so if they were miners and involved the 1984 Miners Strike. The governing party of England at that time played an important role in shaping the mindset of people with the ideology of conservatism, the social and cultural influences revealed its impact on Billy Elliot s dancing as a young boy and ultimately, Billy was motivated by a desire for freedom, breaking away from social norms and standing out as an individual. All of these ideas displayed in Billy s behaviour were formed and passed on from predecessors such as Aristotle, who believed in a society open to ideas and disagreements, as well as John Locke, who was an important figure in the history of freedom. It is through the embodiment of such ideas through the characters in the film, including Billy s father, his brother and even his ballet teacher s family, that gives us a glimpse of th e life and thoughts of those living during the Miners Strike.

Enviromnetal Degradation as a Result of Overpopulation :: Environment Pollution Research Papers

Enviromnetal Degradation as a Result of Overpopulation Introduction There are simply too many people on our planet, and the population is not showing any signs of slowing down. This is having disastrous effects on our environment. There are too many implications and interrelationships to discuss in this paper, but the three substances that our earth consists of: land, water and air, are being destroyed. Our forests are being cut down at an alarming rate, bearing enormous impacts on the health of earth. Our oceans and seas are being polluted and overfished. Our atmosphere is injected with increasing amounts of carbon dioxide, which hurts the entire planet. All of these problems can be traced to our vast, rapidly expanding population, which has stressed our world far too greatly. Our Population In 1994, the world population was 5 602 800 000. This population had a doubling time of only forty-one years (De Blij and Muller, 1994, p.527). The massive amount of people has had highly destructive impacts on the earth’s environment. These impacts occur on two levels: global and local. On the global level, there is the accumulation of green house gases that deplete the ozone layer, the extinction of species, and a global food shortage. On the local level, there is erosion of soils (and the loss of vegetation), the depletion of water supply, and toxification of the air and water. The earth is dynamic though, all of these aspects are interrelated, and no one impact is completely isolated. All of these destructive elements can be traced to our enormous population. As the population increases, so do all of the economic, social, and technological impacts. The concept of momentum of population growth is one that must be considered. It states that areas with traditionally high fertility rates will have a very young structure age. Thus, a decrease in the fertility rate will still result in a greater absolute number of births, as there are more potential mothers. Populations are very slow in adjusting to decreases in fertility rates. This is especially frightening when considering that South Asia has a population of 1 204 600 000 (and a doubling time of thirty two years), Subsaharan Africa has 528 000 000 (doubling time: thirty one years), and North Africa/Southwest Asia has 448 100 000 (doubling time: twenty seven years) (De Blij and Muller, 1994, p. 529-531)and all of these areas have traditionally high fertility rates.

Action Research: Behavior Modification

ACTION RESEARCH :BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION I. Introduction For schools, creating an appropriate learning environment is critical. Oftentimes, maintaining discipline among the learners is a hard task for a teacher. In my Reading and Phonics class in Grade 5 at St. James College of Quezon City, I encountered one pupil by the name of __________ who misbehaves most of the time. I had observed him that he was not listening attentively in our lesson. When I asked him a question, he cannot answer and asked me to repeat the question. He is even playing while having our discussion in class. I asked the adviser if this kind of behavior is also evident in her class and the adviser affirmatively confirmed to what I had noticed. And so I made a plan that will gradually change his behavior. II. Problem 1. What should be the appropriate reaction I should evoke when ________________ misbehaves in my RP class? 2. Should I impose punishment or reinforcement to change his behavior? III. Hypotheses During my preliminary investigation I found out that a. _______________ was misbehaving in my class because he lacks attention in his own home, his parents were preoccupied to give him sufficient time with his home works. b. His attention is diverted on some other things like playing airplanes made of papers. He played most of the time in my class because I found out that he has a younger brother and less attention is given to him by his parents. IV. Solutions I started to make a step by step plan for me to alter the behavior of _ _______________. These are the proposed solutions: . Discuss the whole class of how they are graded. 2. Appreciate those pupils who actively participate during our lessons by giving praises and rewards. 3. Encourage the pupils to speak in English in my RP class and give credit to those who abide in this rule. 4. Ask the pupils for some clarifications. V. Actions Taken From the proposed solutions I had set, these were the actions taken: 1. Before starting my lesson, I reminded my Grade 5 pupils that their behavior in my class is a factor in their grades. And whatever performances they made is rated. I told them that they are the ones making their grades and I am the only one who computes it. 2. During our RP class, I gave praises to those who actively participate in the discussion and in group activities. 3. I encouraged them to speak in English in my RP class and gave credit to those pupils who abide in this rule. 4. I asked the pupils if there are some clarifications about our lesson. VI. Results of the Action When the plans I had set were manifested in my actions these were the results: 1. _______________ started to listen to our lesson and participated in the discussion by reciting. 2. He does his homework and enthusiastically tackled his seat work. 3. He spoke English in my RP class. 4. He clarified some things he cannot understand in our lesson by asking questions. VII. Conclusion From the result of the action research I made, I conclude that 1. Providing a set of reminders to pupils enlightens the pupils on how they should per form in the class. 2. Giving praises and rewards to learners’ performances motivate them to study more. . Encouraging them to speak in English is a good training for them to be good speakers. 4. Asking them for clarifications allows them to have a better understanding of the lesson. VIII. Recommendation To maintain discipline among pupils/ students, a teacher should 1. Determine first why a certain pupil misbehaves in class. 2. Set plans that will modify his behavior. 3. Decide whether a punishment or reinforcement should be imposed. 4. Motivate the pupil to study harder by appreciating him through praises and rewards.

The Changing Concept of Family in The Grapes of Wrath by...

The Changing Concept of Family in The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck Throughout the book, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, the physical transition of the Joad family from a small close-knit group of people living a quiet life on a farm in Oklahoma, corresponds with the internal transition of the concept of family. As the Joads leave their farm and journey westward, they no longer live just within their own isolated unit. Becoming involved with other families as they migrate, changes their focus and by the end of the book, the family members each reach out in their own way to embrace all of mankind as a family. Initially, the Joads focus is on their own immediate family and their struggle to stay together. The†¦show more content†¦The relationship was plain.(Pg.162) The changing concept of family is most evident at the camps, especially at the government camp. The entire camp was like a family because they set their own rules and ran the camp as they saw fit. Those having a hard time were helped as a matter of course not charity. W hen it appeared trouble was coming, they all worked together as a unit to defend the camp. As the book progresses, the changes within the family are characterized differently in each character. Mrs. Joads primary concern is keeping the family unit together as they begin their journey. Soon, however, members of the family begin to leave. Noah cannot handle the changes and goes off on his own while Grandpa and Grandma leave through death. Connie abandons his wife and does not return. Al becomes engaged and goes with his fiancà ©es family. Even Young Tom leaves after he has accidentally killed another man and has to go into hiding. Mrs. Joad deals with each of these losses and appears to be stronger as the story continues, even making the decision for Tom to leave as it becomes necessary. At the onset of the book, Young Tom has just been released from prison and is interested in making up for lost time and enjoying himself. He is a strong family support during the journey but is among the first to begin reaching out to a larger family. At the end he has focused on the plight and abuse of all the homeless farmers and recognizes that they mustShow MoreRelatedThe Grapes Of Wrath By John Steinbeck Essay1622 Words   |  7 Pages The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck, widely viewed as one of the most finest and powerful American writer, born to a middle-class family in 1902 in the Salinas Valley of California. Steinbeck is a writer who often spoke for the people. The Grapes of Wrath is a great movie, published in 1939, filled with many universal truths and views on human nature and society, especially where class is concerned. 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