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Roosevelt's Connections In The Film Mona Lisa Smile

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Roosevelt's Connections In The Film Mona Lisa Smile
Twelve years after President Roosevelt’s proposal for entry into war, the United States resembled a new nation. Having emerged victorious from World War II, the United States faced new obstacles to safeguard the nation from communist threats. New polices, ideals, and regressions of progress defined the years after the war, as observed in the film Mona Lisa Smile. The film, taking place in a women’s college during 1953, adequately portrays the issues stemming from World War II (Mona Lisa). Connections can be inferred between the film and the speeches read on the issues of birth control, potential life opportunities, and gender normalizations.
The first connection between the film and the speeches is the controversial issue of birth control. …show more content…
The end of World War II led to the reemergence of the ideal that the women’s place was in the household to care for the family. This ideal was partially amplified due to the increase of men in higher education, who utilized the newly enacted G.I. Bill. Increased global tensions also led to new families to the stable nuclear home, which reinforced notions pertaining to women’s roles. The film emphasizes this with most of the students seeking to start a family after college, instead of pursuing a higher education and occupation (Mona Lisa). This sentiment can be tied to Emma Watson’s 2014 speech on gender inequality, which revealed preconceived ideals on each gender (Watson). Watson’s advocating for women’s freedom to seek out what is personally best for them resonates with the film’s message of breaking specified gender roles. The final connection between the film and the speeches can be once again tied to Watson’s speech and the perceived role of men. The Italian professor’s lies on the terms of his deployment can be linked to the determined role of men during times of war, which was based upon strength and holding a position of authority. The professor’s gratefulness for the college’s assumptions on his heroic and honorable actions whilst serving increases the link between Watson’s speech and men’s desire to maintain the existing conditions to prevent emotional
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