Author: Rumana Shakur

Final Essay.

December 17, 2020 / Rumana Shakur / 0 Comments

Rumana Shakur

December 17th, 2020

Film Lit 2400 – O552

Final Essay

Changes in Empathy

As explained in the ‘Empathy’ handout, “Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another person’s position”. There are also, however, different types of empathy. These are cognitive, emotional and compassionate empathy. Cognitive empathy is being able to put yourself into someone else’s place, and see their perspective. It enables you to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, but without necessarily engaging with their emotions. It does not, however, really fit with the definition of empathy as ‘feeling with’, being a much more rational and logical process. Effectively, cognitive empathy is ‘empathy by thought’, rather than by feeling. Emotional empathy is when you quite literally feel the other person’s emotions alongside them, as if you had ‘caught’ the emotions. Emotional empathy is also known as ‘personal distress’ or ‘emotional contagion’. This is closer to the usual understanding of the word ‘empathy’, but more emotional. Finally, compassionate empathy is what we usually understand by empathy: feeling someone’s pain, and taking action to help. The name, compassionate empathy, is consistent with what we usually understand by compassion. Like sympathy, compassion is about feeling concern for someone, but with an additional move towards action to mitigate the problem. People who want or need your empathy don’t just need you to understand (cognitive empathy), and they certainly don’t need you just to feel their pain or, worse, to burst into tears alongside them (emotional empathy). Instead, they need you to understand what they are going through and, crucially, either take, or help them to take action to resolve the problem, which is compassionate empathy. Empathy is not to be confused with Sympathy, which more so means to feel bad for or pity not feel what the other person is feeling, entirely.

Book to film translations can be very tricky, some things change and some things are left out in film compared to text for the sake of a smooth flow, which also changes the emphy meter in the story or in a character. Life of Pi by Yann Martel the book and Life of Pi by Ang Lee the movie are vastly different yet somehow maintain similarities. Empathy plays a huge role in the course of Pi’s 227 days drifting in the middle of the Pacific in a lifeboat with a tiger as his only companion. In the book Pi see’s Richard Parker and is trying to save him and Pi says, “What are you doing, Richard Parker? Don’t you love life? Keep swimming then! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! TREEEEEE! Kick with your legs. Kick! Kick! Kick!”(Martel,2001,56). Pi throws a lifebuoy to Richard Parker, who is in the water, and pulls him into the boat before realizing what he has done. This could be considered all three cognitive, emotional and compassionate empathy, Pi saw Richard Parker and understood he (Richard Parker) was suffering and felt sorry he cried,””Richard Parker, is that you? It’s so hard to see. Oh, that this rain would stop! Richard Parker? Richard Parker? Yes, it is you!” I could see his head. He was struggling to stay at the surface of the water”(Martel, 2001,56). Pi understood his suffering. Afterwards he got emotional and lastly he felt compassionate empathy towards Richard Parker and without even realizing the long term impact of what he has done. He helped an ADULT BENGAL TIGER on the lifeboat with him. He did what he did because of compassionate empathy, he felt what Richard Parker was going through and took action to help. However in the movie, in the calm after the storm, Pi was trying to avenge Orange Juice and the Zebras by confronting the hyena but out of nowhere Richard Parker springs out and kills the hyena. There were no references of empathy, it was completely cut out from the script. Pi never went through saving Richard Parker.

On the contrary, in the book after Pi realized what he had done and “During those long, cold, dark hours, as the pattering of the invisible rain got to be deafening, and the sea hissed and coiled and tossed me (Pi) about, I held on to one thought: Richard Parker. I hatched several plans to get rid of him so that the lifeboat might be mine”(Martel, 2001,85), Pi thought of six ways to kill Richard Parker by poisoning him, pushing him off the boat, sedating him, attacking him, choking him and starving him to death. Which are scenarios deprived of any empathy at all, it more so seems immoral even. However in the movie this never takes place Pi seems to adjust fairly quickly to the idea of cruising with an adult Bengal tiger. Which goes to show that specifically in this scenario Lee’s Pi had more empathy compared to Martel’s Pi. Lee’s Pi never considered killing Richard Parker, he had more so decided to coexist with it since he was all alone with no other company.

To summarize it all, book to film translations can be a very prickly thing. Things get left out, some thing’s stay the same and some differ. Which changes the meaning and context to certain scenes. Yann Martel’s version of Pi and Ang Lee’s version of Pi were similar in many ways that I haven’t mentioned, yet different in many ways. Circling back to empathy, both Pi’s had empathy for Richard Parker, each version of the character in their own way.

Midterm Final Essay

October 29, 2020 / Rumana Shakur / 0 Comments

Rumana Shakur

English 2400

October 29th, 2020

Midterm Essay

Words can create a vivid picture

“Like water for chocolate” is an excellent sentimental story of an impossible passionate love during the Revolution in Mexico. The romance is trailed by the sweet smell of the kitchen secrets and cooking, with a creative mind and innovativeness. The story is that of Tita De La Garza, the most youthful of all little girls in Mother Elena’s home. As per the family tradition she is to watch after her mom till the day she dies, and subsequently can’t wed any men. Tita discovers comfort in cooking, and soon the kitchen turns into her reality, influencing each feeling she encounters to the individuals who taste her food. Almost as if she were casting spells on her food that only affects certain people.

While the plot of the film version of “Like water for chocolate”(1992) is a Traditional transition – the movie kept the overall storyline, plot and setting very similar to the text but changes some minor details that filmmakers see fit and/or necessary, to Laura Esquivel’s text version of “Like water for chocolate”(1989), there are a lot of similarities and differences. An interesting point to note is that the movie is directed by Alfonso Arau. At the time this movie was produced, Arau was married to Laura Esquivel. Esquivel probably had a lot of say to the direction of this movie, on top of the fact that she was the one who wrote the screenplay. Therefore, the perspective of which this movie acts out the story was fairly close to Esquivel’s original, intended perspective.

The minor differences and similarities give the readers and viewers different perspectives. For example, in the film it starts off with showing us Tita’s father’s death and why he had a heart attack which they showed a bit later on in the film. However in the text it starts with Tita’s very dramatic birth. In the film Tita’s birth was humorized compared to the text that states, where she came into the world in a “great tide of tears” which also symbolized Tita’s lifelong sadness that was awaiting her. The opening to the film and text were different, the tone and mood in the film and text were also very different.

Another major difference that I felt was that the characters in the movie were quite different from the way it was described in the book. One of these characters I will focus on is Mama Elena. While reading the text I visualized Mama Elena as a short, old grumpy woman who was threateningly violent at any time but she didn’t need anyone to protect her, she was strong as stated in the text of “Like water for chocolate”, “I’ve never needed a man for anything; all by myself, I’ve done all right.” (4,284). When she found Tita crying she gives Tita “a tremedous slap that that left her rolling in the dirt…” (2,83). However, in the movie she is represented as a tall, thin woman who didn’t look extremely violent. I was also surprised at the way she was able to be polite and courteous to the guests at the wedding. She came off a little too arrogant to me personaly.

Also, the scene where Mama Elena goes to her bedroom and very sadly looks inside her secret box made me realize she too had emotions and care, despite the tyrannical figure she is. Similarly, the scene in which Mama Elena sobs for Getrudis in her bedroom showed that she actually did care for Getrudis. She did not destroy the presence of Getrudis in her home because of pure hatred — she was upset about it and did care, which seemed very unlike her to me while I was reading the text.

In conclusion, people have different views and imagination. Every scene can not be imagined exactly the same by everyone. There are bound to be some differences. The mood and tone in a text or film can also drastically change the feel of a piece, which in “Like water for chocolate” did. The film had me getting mad and triggered at Pedro, Mama Elena and Rosaura. Sometimes accusing Tita of murder since her food seemed to have caused deaths (my opinion). The opening of the film gave away Mama Elena’s past too quickly whereas in the text it kept the mystery of Mama Elena’s husband’s death. Mama Elena’s characterization in the text was vastly different then what I had visualized while reading. She seemed a little more humane, she definitely wasn’t the nicest to Tita but was better than i thought compared to the text.

Midterm Essay (First Draft)

October 22, 2020 / Rumana Shakur / 1 Comment

Rumana Shakur

English 2400

October 21st, 2020

Midterm Essay (First Draft)

Warning: Do NOT EAT Tita’s cooking

While the plot of the film version of “Like water for chocolate”(1992) is a Traditional transition to Laura Esquivel’s text version of “Like water for chocolate”(1989), there are a lot of similarities and differences. These differences and similarities give the readers and viewers different perspectives. For example, in the film it starts off with showing us Tita’s father’s death and why he had a heart attack which they showed a bit later on in the film. However in the text it starts with Tita’s very dramatic birth. In the film Tita’s birth was humorized compared to the text that states, where she came into the world in a “great tide of tears” which also symbolized Tita’s lifelong sadness that was awaiting her. The opening to the film and text were different, the tone and mood in the film and text were also very different.

(There will be more detailed paragraphs with evidence)

In conclusion, people have different views and imagination. Every scene can not be imagined exactly the same by everyone. There are bound to be some differences. The mood and tone in a text or film can also drastically change the feel of a piece, which in “Like water for chocolate” did. The film had me getting mad and triggered at Pedro, Mama Elena and Rosaura. Sometimes accusing Tita of murder since her food seemed to have caused the deaths. But in the book it’s more personal, I’m more understanding of Tita and her feelings and the way she even cooks however in the movies the aspect of cooking was not even close to the sensation.

Assignment #1

September 9, 2020 / Rumana Shakur / 0 Comments

This summer was ruined for me due to Covid 19, all my travel plans had to be cancelled. My long awaited trip to Japan, RUINED. As disappointing as that was for me, I don’t really think I have done anything that might be considered impactful or anything. I mostly stayed home and binge watched shows. I did make my sister who’s afraid of driving on the highway drive on the highway. It seems she’s a little less afraid than before but still hesitant. That’s about the most thrilling things that happened this summer for me.

Between the two stories, I prefer “The Yellow Wallpaper”, both of the stories centralizes in mental health. Which even to this day is somewhat of an taboo subject. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” the narrator seems to be suspicious of the house they moved into. She seems to disagree with her husbands and brothers diagnosis. John believes there’s nothing that is making the narrator suffer anymore so she couldn’t be suffering at all. She’s been told not to write because it would exhaust her or something. Which is weird since she suffers from postpartum depression or nervous exhaustion, which is actually very common. This story is basically the narrators little diary where she talks to herself and confesses how she feels about thing and everything happening in her life. She’s been restricted to do many things just because John told her so. She doesn’t even spend time with her baby boy, Mary has to take care of him. The themes in “The Yellow Wallpaper” are the oppressive nature of gender roles, appearance versus reality, and the need for self-expression. The yellow wallpaper is very symbolic it represents her family, medine and her own state of being. The narrator seems to have totally lost it, she sees herself in the wallpaper, stuck unable to move around freely. At the end after John fainted and she crept over him it could be interpreted that the narrator was able to rise above John but at the cost of her sanity.

Author: Rumana Shakur

Final Essay.

Midterm Final Essay

Midterm Essay (First Draft)

Assignment #1

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