The 60's: Part 1

First of all I must say I've enjoyed the movie so far. It kept me very interested, especially with all the themes regarding social issues during the portrayed time. The movie really reflects most if not all of the social situations and dilemmas of the 60's. Right from the beginning, the theme of racial segregation and racism is noted as the school prom is instantly shut down after Katie (a white girl) starts dancing with an African-American student. Notably this was a social issue at the time and it continued to show further in the movie as there was a scene in which 3 black men get kicked out of a diner just because of their skin color. The social battles and tensions displayed between activists that favored African-American movements and white conservatives, is seen in how there were scenes of a marches for the voting rights of black citizens.

The activist sense that was surging during the 60s really was really portrayed, not only in the fight for black rights but also in manifestations against the government and it's demand for troops to fight in the Vietnam war. Social awareness and rebellion was very evidently displayed through the activism interests displayed by Michael and Sarah. Also, among this social rebellion boiling, the movie showed the hippie subculture that developed as groups of young revolutionaries that stood up in their own ideals against the government while living in a declared peaceful state of mind that consisted in selfless living and unity.

Another detail that stood out was the gender roles present through the movie. In the movie, the social situation regarding gender roles reflects a time in which women were sort of acquiring more of a voice in society and also starting to establish a feminist vibe. However, women were still subject to male domination and lived in a secondary role. For example, during the young revolutionaries’ meeting, Sarah attempted to give her opinion, yet the leader rudely interrupted her and proceeded to speak in a sort of taunt toward her words, totally diminishing the importance of what she had to say. This shows the mindset at the time that rejected or gave little importance to women involved in any matters that were not their common duties at home. This was also another factor in the gender roles.

We could notice how mostly every woman in the movie was either a housewife or a victim of some sort. For example, Michael’s mother as a housewife, and Katie displayed as girl victim of her sexual actions, pregnant and left alone. This particular aspect shows how women in the 60’s in the sexual area were basically victims because protection wasn’t as commonly propagated as it is today, leaving woman exposed to pregnancy almost one-hundred percent of the times they chose to have sex, while men still roamed free and unaffected by their sexual actions. Women were not only left with the trouble of having a child but also the pregnancy for young women implied a shameful thing for the girl’s family. The best example is Katie as we see how her father becomes enraged with his daughter’s pregnancy because of the social shame that would fall upon his family with the news of her pregnancy.

Some thoughts on “The 60s”, second part

On this latter half of the movie, the situations presented at the start were continued. Things like the anti-war protest, of which Michael was part of, were getting more active and more intense. He, as well as a huge group of protesters, were at Washington, D. C. The tension grew, up to the point that a military police force were pushing against the crowd, but had to stop upon the intensified pacific resistance. “We are not against the soldiers, we are against the war!” was their protest slogan. In accordance with hippie tradition, Michael made a gesture of peace: he placed a flower on the barrel of the rifle of one of the military police officers. Despite this, it is still clear that the protests are far from over. This did have other meanings as well, as Michael was trying to get the attention of Samantha, a radical protest activist, as she has cheated on him in favor of Kenny, a protest leader who was daring (he almost got killed by getting on a railroad track to stop a train with soldiers for the Vietnam War). At the end, it didn’t work. Later on, Michael and the other activists were endorsing an anti-war presidential candidate, and he did convince his mother of supporting the cause. A moment later, Michael’s father came, and brought news about Bryan, the older son, apparently being OK at the war front; he also ranted and mocked about his ideas. This also has to do with the feminine empowerment of the time, as his mother did stand up for her ideals and freedom when her husband heard and acted with resentment to her initial decision.

Continuing with the gender roles, Katie did get into the hippie movement to a significant extent, and ended up marrying a hippie singer. This didn’t turn out well, as he didn’t care for her nor her newborn son. Due to this, she had to resort to desperate measures: she became a stripper in order to earn money to feed her baby. At the end of the movie, we see her at a maternity room of a hospital, being a sign that she got pregnant again. This still means that the social ideas were still hostile to aiding the needy, which is worsened by being from a vulnerable group (women and racial minorities getting less aid when they need it the most).

In the case of the racial equality movement, the campaigns were becoming more intense as well, with figures such as Martin Luther King intensifying their speeches, and thus stirring up the crowds. Emmet also joins the heated situation, up to the point he steals a gun to use in the riots that were forming. Despite this, his father gets him to go back home, which later cost him (the father) his life, as he was shot dead, apparently by a police officer. These are signs of extremization of the movement, as the violent actions from both sides have accumulated to a saturation point for both frustration and resentment.

All of these situations represent the main social changes of the 1960s on the United States, but the story doesn’t end here. The revolutionary situation did not end with the 1960s, as it continued intensified during the 1970s. For instance, the Vietnam War did not end until the mid 1970s, there were many further racial conflict riots, even as late as the 1990s. In the case of the gender roles liberalization, it was also a slow process, and is still is yet to reach completion. There has also been some progress with the social aid, although it hasn’t been used properly by many.

Some Thoughts About "The 60s"

This movie overall is about the social revolution the Western World, especially in the United States of America. Through the three white family brothers Katie, Bryan and Michael, we explore several important issues of the time: the active manifestation of feminism, the civil rights movement for racial equality and the controversy around the Vietnam War. Each character, even if representing mainly one of these issues, has some involvement with the others.
First of all, we have the Vietnam War controversy. Bryan decided to join the Marine Corps, which at that time meant enlistment for the Vietnam War. Like it is to be expected, the relatives experience a mixture of preoccupation and pride, to varying extents. Pride because of the military tradition, and fear due to the risks involved. Then there’s the anti-war opinion of others, starting with Michael. Michael is a college student that then gets enrolled in the University of Notre Dame, and throughout the story he participates in various protest events, including the racial equality and the protests against the Vietnam War.
Then there’s the situation with racism. The story starts with a party, in which Katie dances with some African American boys. To non-racist and non-classist people, this would not be a problem; but it was indeed for those who are racist and classist. This is first embodied by Sister Elizabeth, a nun of their community. This caused trouble to her, as her parents were leaning towards the social conservativeness of the time. Later on, this social situation is lived by Michael, as he joins protests of the racial equality movement. One of these protests had them in a town, in which they confronted a police officer. Michael did not get hit by the officer, but one of the leading African American protesters of that sit-in protest, Willie, did get hit. This protest was partly motivated by the event of the first party, as Willie’s son was kicked out of the place and beaten to the ground by that same officer.
Finally, there’s the sexual liberation and the feminist movement on its peak moment. Katie was raised in a relatively conservative family of the time, but she got involved with activities deemed ‘socially rebellious’. Things like the participation in the first party, especially when dancing with the black boys; and later on the college party in California (their previous home was in Chicago) she had sexual intercourse with the lead singer of a band that was playing that night. At this time, contraceptive drugs were becoming available, but she did not have access to them on time. As a result, she did get pregnant.

"The 60's"

“The 60’s” is a recompilation of the political and social issues present during that time. Meanwhile, there were segregation laws and the division between races was very present. The mere interaction between both white and colored people was seen as degrading and preposterous. An example during the film was the dance scene in which this “color difference” is noted and the fact that Katie danced with a crowd of colored students was the source of her punishment. Not only was she in a compromising position with her parents but she was also facing the chauvinistic manner of the era. The gender roles during that particular time were established as two: the working husband and the housewife. When feminism became popular both genders clashed and women were not taken seriously. Women did not have a voice and were pushed aside when discussions were held because they were not seen as intellectual beings with valid propositions. Another theme presented throughout the movie was the hippie movement which was embraced and people utilized drugs as a form of expression and as a way to expand their mind.

"Two Can Play"

         Jim is a very chauvinistic man who takes pride in his way of being. He orders his wife as if he controls her and exhibits no consideration for Gloria nor her needs. He does not care that she is a woman who has aspirations and dreams of bettering her life. Jim believes his character is an example to his children when Gloria is the one who cares for the house, cooks food, and does all the chores which include caring for Pops, finding an extra income, and sacrifices herself by marrying a stranger. As the story progresses, she actually stands up for herself and demands better treatment, help around the house, and sexual pleasure. Bombarded by all these demands, Jim is taken aback and responds in a manipulative way that does not result for his benefit. We the readers, then experience the development and intellectual growth of Jim. He is willing to change and better himself in order to fix his already broken marriage. At the end, Jim is presented as a round character that is complex. He demonstrates deep emotions and has a moment of realization. This realization includes the appreciation for Gloria, the advice to his son and the demonstration of his "improvement".

Some Thoughts on Trevor Rhone's "Two Can Play"

In the play "Two Can Play", a Jamaican couple, comprised by Gloria and Jim, is facing several challenges during the course of a time of political warfare in their home in Jamaica. These thoughts are not about the setting, but rather focus on the gender roles these characters partake as they go about their daily lives amid this setting. By getting a general overview of their gender roles, Jim would be a chauvinistic man with a rather low self-esteem, whereas Gloria would be a woman who knows her worth, but that didn’t demonstrate so until she started partaking in the various conflicts of the play. Jim makes claims such as being ‘general of the household’, brave, sacrificed for the family’s wellbeing, as well as being a good and attractive husband for Gloria. These here are claims about himself that would make him fit the traditional and chauvinistic male figure concept. But, as the action progresses, these claims are already crumbling, revealing his actual blunt and true chauvinistic attitude.

Starting with the ‘bravery’ part, at the start of the play, the couple is trying to sleep during a night of political violence. Jim is really afraid of their home being attacked, and in order to sleep he has resorted repeatedly that night to sleeping pills. Later that night, the interior of the house gets unbearably hot, and he’d rather turn on a fan and increase their already delayed electricity bill rather than open a window. Gloria then questions him why didn’t he agree on moving away much earlier in the crisis, and he then claims he’s not afraid and that they don’t have the resources to move away anyways. He claims to be ‘the general of the house’ and yet he’s ‘quick to panic’ when facing tense situations; as evidenced by how he was almost experiencing a nervous collapse upon them having to handle a wrong visit of some police officers who were looking for other persons. They (the couple) counterfeited some money to pay for their expenses for the emigration and hid the money preventively in order to avoid being captured, even if casually. Gloria had actually hidden the money in the toilet, but kept it safe by not flushing and having the bank notes on a plastic bag. Jim collapsed crying, believing the money they had counterfeited was lost to the pipes of the sewers, since he requested Gloria to flush it away in order to avoid capture.

Regarding what he has done for the family, this comes up when they talk about their children, whom they smuggled into the USA since the start of the political upheaval in order to ensure their safety and economic opportunities. In the past, he did provide money for them to get an education back in Jamaica, but providing money (and not exclusively, as Gloria also has worked earning income for the household) does not make for a genuine dose of sacrifice for the family’s wellbeing. To contradict this claim, there’s his ineffectiveness to run household chores as well as his relative unresponsiveness when it came to health emergencies, such as the one preceding his father’s death. Later on, after Gloria returns upon achieving a marriage to gain U. S. citizenship, they get entangled in additional discussions and realizations. In this interaction, Jim tells Gloria he did have some cooking experience; and yet he doesn’t cook at the house. Nor he cleans the mess caused by the water bottle he dropped the night his father died. He also doesn’t know how to wash the dishes, and even isn’t being the one to provide care for his father, and it’s Gloria who has actually done so.

Then there’s his claim to be a good and attractive husband to Gloria is countered by his possessive attitudes towards her, his blunt jealousy when they’re working with the marriages for U. S. citizenship, his lack of attention to details and even his infidelity to Gloria. First, we get to know his infidelity, as it can be inferred by some phone calls he has with a person, most likely a woman, with whom he spends Tuesday nights with, dining the best ‘pea stews he has ever eaten in his life’. Parallel to this pleasant extramarital experience, he loathes Gloria for not ‘feeding him’. During the various years of their marriage, much of their marriage has been him demanding Gloria to feed him; and in the times he gets food from her, especially during the times of scarcity brought by the political warfare, he gobbles up the leftovers Gloria had spared to share with him for dinner, and then asks for more food while she hasn’t dined. He also loathes her for she having painted her nails, to which she replied ‘I haven’t done anything for myself for twenty years!’ as a testament of his inattentiveness to her. Jim also fails to pay attention to his wife, as he often shuts her up by saying “you’re just chatting nonsense”—indeed a lack of attention to details. Last, there’s the way he tries to ‘claim her back’ with sexual intercourse. His bluntness and possessiveness achieved to turn her off enough so that he stopped altogether his approach.

Despite all of these events, as well as some other ones, the experiences and realizations these conflicts brought had made them realize, especially in Jim’s case, how they haven’t stood up to their marital life expectations. They then agreed to start anew their relationship, and Jim promises to himself to meet up to these expectations. That day, their oldest son, Paul, calls them by phone. Jim used this moment of family rejoice to request his son to not commit the errors he has when it’s his (Paul’s) time to start his marital life. Getting back to Jim, this promise also reveals he had to admit he fell low enough to fit practically all of the classical chauvinistic behavioral profile: blunt, selfish, lazy, inattentive, lustful and too much looks and too little essence.

Writing Down the Bones: A List of Topics for Writing Practice

1) Stress vs. Relaxation

2) Marriage

3) Death

4) Characteristics of the humanly right

5) Memories

6) The mistery of dreams

7) Omens and fate

8) Lack of interest in life and it's causes

9)What it takes to miss someone

10) Loneliness

11) Bottling emotions

12) What I love about women

13) The turning points of existence

14) The search for life meaning

15) More questions than answers

16) Happiness

17) Value of money

18) Stability in life

19) Uncertain future and goals

20) Love

21) Character and will