Not Without My Daughter Comparative Essay
How do the authors of the two texts Not Without My Daughter and The Pianist use their protagonists to explore a response to violent social change?
A response to violent social change is explored within the two texts, Not Without My Daughter written by Betty Mahmoody, with William Hoffer and the film The Pianist directed by Roman Polanski. In these texts the authors use their protagonist to explore the idea and impact of the violent social change that these characters must survive. Protagonists, Betty in Not Without My Daughter and Wladyslaw in The Pianist respond to the violent social change presented to them in different ways. The authors of both texts used different literary and film techniques to convey these themes to the reader and …show more content…
This is done through costume, both in the film and the novel, as well as the gender and race of the two characters. This facilitates the reader in developing a particular perspective of the characters’ response to violent social change. In the film The Pianist, Polanski utilizes Wladerk’s costume to distinguish him from other non-Jewish characters. Wladerk receives some help from a friend who informs him ‘The Germans hunt down indiscriminately. Jews, non Jews, everybody!’ For this reason, Wladerk must change his costume into slacks and a smart business-like suit and shirt in order to blend in with the non-Jewish population. He is also made to shave and neaten up his hair. Here Polanski is exploring the necessity of disguise and denial of his true self in order to survive the change that confronts Wladerk. Along with the change of costume, Polanski exploits the use of lighting to manipulate the audiences perspective of the ‘new look’ Wladerk. In this scene the lighting also becomes less dull, once he has changed his costume. This technique of changing the mise-en-scene, appeals to the audience by breaking the tension in Wladerk’s sorrow. Polanski is manipulating the audience by giving them a false impression that in future things may improve for Wladerk, this in turn does not
A response to violent social change is explored within the two texts, Not Without My Daughter written by Betty Mahmoody, with William Hoffer and the film The Pianist directed by Roman Polanski. In these texts the authors use their protagonist to explore the idea and impact of the violent social change that these characters must survive. Protagonists, Betty in Not Without My Daughter and Wladyslaw in The Pianist respond to the violent social change presented to them in different ways. The authors of both texts used different literary and film techniques to convey these themes to the reader and …show more content…
This is done through costume, both in the film and the novel, as well as the gender and race of the two characters. This facilitates the reader in developing a particular perspective of the characters’ response to violent social change. In the film The Pianist, Polanski utilizes Wladerk’s costume to distinguish him from other non-Jewish characters. Wladerk receives some help from a friend who informs him ‘The Germans hunt down indiscriminately. Jews, non Jews, everybody!’ For this reason, Wladerk must change his costume into slacks and a smart business-like suit and shirt in order to blend in with the non-Jewish population. He is also made to shave and neaten up his hair. Here Polanski is exploring the necessity of disguise and denial of his true self in order to survive the change that confronts Wladerk. Along with the change of costume, Polanski exploits the use of lighting to manipulate the audiences perspective of the ‘new look’ Wladerk. In this scene the lighting also becomes less dull, once he has changed his costume. This technique of changing the mise-en-scene, appeals to the audience by breaking the tension in Wladerk’s sorrow. Polanski is manipulating the audience by giving them a false impression that in future things may improve for Wladerk, this in turn does not