Harrison Saito Professor Hollingsworth English 1C 13 December 2010 American Beauty Ever since civilization began‚ trends have socialized groups on how to dress‚ think‚ and act; it becomes an absolute necessity to support whatever is in vogue or risk ostracization. Modern businesses create advertising in American media by following these cultural trends. Whether it is through periodicals‚ radio‚ or the all powerful television these companies use effective methods to psychologically convince
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Sam Mendes’ American Beauty‚ sound is an crucial tool in communicating narrative and constructing characters. Although many films use both diagetic and non-diagetic sound in their productions‚ American Beauty amalgamates both forms of sound throughout the film. In the film’s cheerleading sequence‚ the protagonist Lester‚ is watching his daughter cheer whilst the synchronous sound of cheering and clapping is accompanied by a diagetic song ‘Lights on Broadway’. The sound changes when Lester notices his
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Masculinity in American Beauty For many‚ American Beauty is a sober admonishment of the modern suburban society‚ a class of “bloodless‚ money grubbing freaks‚” as Lester so eloquently describes Carolyn. Swirled amongst the various social commentaries is a particularly strong and thought provoking perspective in regards to how society constructs gender roles and expectations. This perspective takes on additional importance when viewing this notion of “what makes a man.” An analysis of the film’s
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love. A more specific example is the relationship between Lester and Carolyn Burnham in the film American Beauty. Lester and Carolyn possessed negative qualities that led to several conflicts with each other and‚ eventually‚ overshadowed the positive aspects that kept their love alive. A relationship is between two people‚ each with their own characteristics that can be either loved or loathed by the other person. In the case of Lester and Carolyn’s relationship‚ each possesses a few negative characteristics
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Anyone can succeed through hard work and persistence. That was the original American Dream‚ and that notion has somewhat been at the heart of American culture through history. However‚ composers F. Scott Fitzgerald‚ author of ’The Great Gatsby ’ (1926)‚ and Sam Mendes‚ director of the movie ’American Beauty ’ (1999)‚ explain in their texts that the pursuit of the American Dream is futile. In addition‚ Fitzgerald shows that subscribing to it leads to irresponsibility and a lack of morals‚ and doesn
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Rehan Billimoria American Beauty: Reflection A consistent metaphor throughout the film American Beauty is the feeling of imprisonment and trying to escape it. Lester Burnham is an average American male who lives in a suburban neighborhood with his wife Carolyn and their daughter Jane. Lester lives a mundane life; he goes to work everyday only to come home to his overly frustrating wife and his angry daughter. As the days begin to pass‚ Lester feels more and more trapped at work as well as at
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Defining Canada Lester Pearson Lester Pearson left a lasting legacy on Canada; it was during his tenure as Prime Minister when Canada adopted its own official flag‚ universal healthcare was applied on a national level‚ the Canada Pension Plan was negotiated and the Royal Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism were created. However‚ perhaps his greatest achievement came before he was Prime Minister‚ when he won Canada’s only Nobel Peace Prize. Through
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The Juxtaposition of Holmes and Burnham For every man who devotes his effort and intelligence into enriching the world‚ there will be an equally powerful man who intends to counterbalance the goodness with malevolence. In The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson‚ the intertwining tales of Henry H. Holmes and Daniel Burnham show that good cannot exist without evil‚ just as evil cannot exist without good. In the midst of one of Chicago’s finest architectural happenings‚ one man is working meticulously
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1999 film American Beauty is a perfect film‚ that won best picture at the Oscars that year‚ and for most critics gave it positive reviews but it did get negative reviews but why is that? By comparing three negative reviews of the movie American Beauty to see the comparisons of their disdain for the film that was otherwise loved by film critics. If you have not seen American Beauty‚ you at least need to know the outline for the film. American Beauty stars Kevin Spacey as Lester Burnham who is a
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Final Essay Diva Denissov American Beauty is a classic example of a family in deep seated conflict and conflict management. The four horsemen are employed here regularly by the main character of Kevin Spacey who plays the role of Lester Burnham‚ a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis and a badgered and repressed husband who is absolutely contemptuous of his wife Caroline Burnham who is played by Annette Benning. Caroline is likewise contemptuous of Lester and his laizze faire way of negotiating
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