Sunday, December 12, 2010
Portuguese and Arabic classes at BCC - page 6
My last article- Portuguese and Arabic classes at BCC - The Laney Tower newspaper page 6
Friday, December 3, 2010
Estilo Bay - Brazilian Bilingual Magazine - issue 3 is out!
Estilo Bay - Brazilian Bilingual Magazine Issue 3 is out!:)) Check out the link!
http://www.estilobay.com/
Film - Machuca
A Film Critique of “Machuca”
The movie “Machuca” (2004), from Chile, directed by Andrés Wood is the most beautiful movie I have even seen. The movie is about friendship between Gonzalo Infante (Matías Quer), a student from the elite school, who lives in Santiago’s wealthy suburbs, and Pedro Machuca (Ariel Mateluna), a very poor boy. The story happened during Salvador Allende’s socialist government before General Augusto Pinochet’s military coup in 1973. We can see through the movie the social, political, and economic differences through the boy’s characters (Gonzalo and Machuca). Also, the story makes both characters change a lot and both grew up and lost their innocence. The movie contrasted the life style between Gonzalo’s family and Machuca’s family. The book gave us historical information to understand the situation at that time in Chile.
The movie “Machuca” gave us a very good idea about the social (clear difference between poor/ working class, middle class and rich people), political (socialist government versus capitalist system but also dictatorship) and economic differences (when the working class couldn’t have good clothes, food, education, place to live and high quality of life versus high quality of life from rich society). We can see the social, political and economic issues through Gonzalo and Machuca’s friendship.
The book Modern Latin America gave us also a lot of information about social aspect of Chile (with indigenous population, Pedro Machuca has an indigenous face; working class, they were native born; urban working class and elite). Also it showed us good information about political aspect of Chile (liberal versus conservative and socialism versus capitalism systems) and economic scenario of Chile (with intervals of stability and instability of the economy) in the history aspect.
By mid-1972 the political climate had become superheated. Massive street mobilization by both pro- and anti- Allende forces became routine. In August shopkeepers stage a one-day boycott to protest government economic policies. In October a series of protests began to sweep the country. (130)
This quotation represents the political instability while Salvador Allende was in power. At the movie we can see people protesting on street. Machuca’s uncle was making money during these protests because he was selling flags for both sides of the movement, pro and anti Allende. Also, that quotation represents the transition of power to General August Pinochet military coup.
Works Cited
Skidmore, Thomas and Smith, Peter Modern Latin America (6th Edition). New York – Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
The movie “Machuca” (2004), from Chile, directed by Andrés Wood is the most beautiful movie I have even seen. The movie is about friendship between Gonzalo Infante (Matías Quer), a student from the elite school, who lives in Santiago’s wealthy suburbs, and Pedro Machuca (Ariel Mateluna), a very poor boy. The story happened during Salvador Allende’s socialist government before General Augusto Pinochet’s military coup in 1973. We can see through the movie the social, political, and economic differences through the boy’s characters (Gonzalo and Machuca). Also, the story makes both characters change a lot and both grew up and lost their innocence. The movie contrasted the life style between Gonzalo’s family and Machuca’s family. The book gave us historical information to understand the situation at that time in Chile.
The movie “Machuca” gave us a very good idea about the social (clear difference between poor/ working class, middle class and rich people), political (socialist government versus capitalist system but also dictatorship) and economic differences (when the working class couldn’t have good clothes, food, education, place to live and high quality of life versus high quality of life from rich society). We can see the social, political and economic issues through Gonzalo and Machuca’s friendship.
The book Modern Latin America gave us also a lot of information about social aspect of Chile (with indigenous population, Pedro Machuca has an indigenous face; working class, they were native born; urban working class and elite). Also it showed us good information about political aspect of Chile (liberal versus conservative and socialism versus capitalism systems) and economic scenario of Chile (with intervals of stability and instability of the economy) in the history aspect.
By mid-1972 the political climate had become superheated. Massive street mobilization by both pro- and anti- Allende forces became routine. In August shopkeepers stage a one-day boycott to protest government economic policies. In October a series of protests began to sweep the country. (130)
This quotation represents the political instability while Salvador Allende was in power. At the movie we can see people protesting on street. Machuca’s uncle was making money during these protests because he was selling flags for both sides of the movement, pro and anti Allende. Also, that quotation represents the transition of power to General August Pinochet military coup.
Works Cited
Skidmore, Thomas and Smith, Peter Modern Latin America (6th Edition). New York – Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Film - The Man Who Copied
A film Critique of “The man who copied”
The movie “The Man Who Copied” (2005), directed by Jorge Furtado is about a high school dropout, André, who works as a photocopier operator in a bookstore in the town of Porto Alegre, Brazil. He lives with his mother and likes drawing. André felt in love with Silvia, his neighbor. He started to follow and spy on her to get closer. He needs $38 to buy a chenille dressing at Silvia’s job, and he uses that as an excuse to get closer to her. “The man who copied” has important actors from the Brazilian industry like André (Lázaro Ramos), Sílvia (Leandra Leal), Marinez (Luana Piovani) and Cardoso (Pedro Cardoso). The movie shows us the capitalism system and the consumer society, where André needs money for his living and to be part of the society. The problem was André didn’t have a good job and couldn’t afford everything he wanted. The book gave us historical information about Brazilian politics, but it doesn’t talk specifically about the consumer society.
The movie “The man who copied”, shows us through André how people need money to be part of society. He needs money for his rent, food, transportation, clothes, shoes, knowledge and entertainment but he doesn’t have a good job to afford all of this. He was feeling outside of the system, and he started to copy money to have all he wants.
The book Modern Latin America gave us information about the history of Brazil from the nineteenth-century until now, but it doesn’t talk about the consumer society shown in the movie. Through the book we can understand the history of Brazil in a social aspect (with a mix of black, Indian and white people), economic aspect (intervals of growth and stagnation) and political aspect (the period of monarchy, dictatorship and democracy systems).
With the specter of hyper-inflation gone, many poorer Brazilian could, for a year or two, now buy the consumer durables previously available only to the wealthy and the middle class. For much of the country, however, the familiar social problems remained: hunger, illiteracy, and ill health. (177).
This quotation represents the difficulty of the working class to have things in the consumers and have high quality of life because of economic instability in the Country.
Works cited
Skidmore, Thomas and Smith, Peter Modern Latin America (6th Edition), New York - Oxford University Press, 1997.
The movie “The Man Who Copied” (2005), directed by Jorge Furtado is about a high school dropout, André, who works as a photocopier operator in a bookstore in the town of Porto Alegre, Brazil. He lives with his mother and likes drawing. André felt in love with Silvia, his neighbor. He started to follow and spy on her to get closer. He needs $38 to buy a chenille dressing at Silvia’s job, and he uses that as an excuse to get closer to her. “The man who copied” has important actors from the Brazilian industry like André (Lázaro Ramos), Sílvia (Leandra Leal), Marinez (Luana Piovani) and Cardoso (Pedro Cardoso). The movie shows us the capitalism system and the consumer society, where André needs money for his living and to be part of the society. The problem was André didn’t have a good job and couldn’t afford everything he wanted. The book gave us historical information about Brazilian politics, but it doesn’t talk specifically about the consumer society.
The movie “The man who copied”, shows us through André how people need money to be part of society. He needs money for his rent, food, transportation, clothes, shoes, knowledge and entertainment but he doesn’t have a good job to afford all of this. He was feeling outside of the system, and he started to copy money to have all he wants.
The book Modern Latin America gave us information about the history of Brazil from the nineteenth-century until now, but it doesn’t talk about the consumer society shown in the movie. Through the book we can understand the history of Brazil in a social aspect (with a mix of black, Indian and white people), economic aspect (intervals of growth and stagnation) and political aspect (the period of monarchy, dictatorship and democracy systems).
With the specter of hyper-inflation gone, many poorer Brazilian could, for a year or two, now buy the consumer durables previously available only to the wealthy and the middle class. For much of the country, however, the familiar social problems remained: hunger, illiteracy, and ill health. (177).
This quotation represents the difficulty of the working class to have things in the consumers and have high quality of life because of economic instability in the Country.
Works cited
Skidmore, Thomas and Smith, Peter Modern Latin America (6th Edition), New York - Oxford University Press, 1997.
Film - The Motorctcle Diaries
A film Critique of “The Motorcycle Diaries”
The movie “The Motorcycle Diaries” (2004), directed by Walter Salles with a beautiful cinematography (by Eric Gautier) and soundtrack (by Gustavo Santaolalla) is about the 1952 journey and written memoir of the 23-year-old Ernesto Guevara with his friend Alberto Granado. Ernesto Guevara later became internationally known as the revolutionary icon of the Marxist revolution, Che Guevara. The movie “The Motorcycle Diaries”, the movie “Che” and books “Open Veins of Latin America” and “Modern Latin America” gave us complementary information about the topic.
The movie “The Motorcycle Diaries”, in my opinion is a transition for the movie “Che” and how Ernesto Guevara changes after he is exposed to a real life and social problems. He was inspired by his 4 month journey because on that trip he had contact with poverty, labor problems, and peasant’s real life. In my opinion, his view about the world started to change when he was at Atacama Desert, and talked with peasants who were looking for any kind of job. That moment for me is a crucial moment in the movie, and after that we can see his transformation as a person and how he became Che Guevara. To complete that reality, the movie “Che” brings us much more about what he became and his involvement with the revolution and socialism.
Also, the book “Open veins of Latin America” and “Modern Latin America” gave us more information about the Cuba Revolution, Argentina political system, agrarian movement, socialism, imperialism and dictatorships.
The Revolution meant freedom to choose other less grueling work and for their children the chance of scholarships to study in the cities. (…) Here one must bear in mind that in a society, unlike in a capitalist one, workers are not motivated by fear of unemployment or by avarice. Other drives – solidarity, collective responsibility, awareness of the duties and rights that move a man beyond selfishness. (…) When the Revolution came to power most Cubans, according to Fidel Castro, were not even anti-imperialists. (…) It built 170 new hospitals and as many polyclinics, and made medical care free. It multiplied by three the number of students enrolled at all levels and also made education free. (76/77)
This quotation represents the Cuban Revolution and the results of that revolution which was free medical care and education, and both issues were important to Che Guevara as we can see in the movie “Che.” Also, that quotation represents the political position chosen by Cuba in relation to the world, which was a socialist system instead of capitalism system.
Works cited: Galeano, Eduardo, Open veins of Latin America: five centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. (Paperback). Monthly Review press; 25 Anv. Editon (January 1, 1997).
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