Beckham free essay sample

When Jess is forced to make a choice between tradition and her beloved sport, her family must decide whether to let her chase her dreamand a soccer ballor follow a more orthodox path. The concepts that I will be examining from this movie are socialization and culture, the family structure, kinship and gender roles, language and culture, and, art and culture. These five major concepts are thoroughly in shown in the movie. Socialization is seen in this movie through various scenes. For instance in one of the parts in the movie Pinky the older sister of the lead actress in this movie is learning the way of cooking and preparing stuff in the kitchen as this the norms values passed on by their older generation which is exactly being done by her mom and grandparents and her other aunts. This form of passing culture from one generation is called enculturation. We will write a custom essay sample on Beckham or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Acculturation contact between two cultures and the resulting a change is seen in the final scenes of this movie, they had bent their rules to let her go to America to play soccer and in the end a pregnant Pinky sets a Santa Clara team photograph back on the mantel in her parents house. As the movie ends, Mr. Bhamra, his new son-in-law, and Joe play cricket in the yard. In this movie this movie Jess family is portrayed as a collectivistic family, every person in her are so closely embedded with each other that when ever something is wrong with one person everyone is involved. For example when Mr. Bhamra allows Jess to go play the finals, each and every individual in the family was concerned and questioned his decision of allowing her. Where as Jules family and her way of upbringing is more of individualistic, here she makes her own decisions and most of the time she isn’t questioned about it. For instance when she was offered football scholarships to Santa Clara University in California. Jules tells her parents immediately, but Jess has trouble telling hers. This because when she has made her decision to go for it no one is going to interfere whilst for Jess she has think of her family culture and everyone in it as individuality isn’t promoted in their culture especially for girls. Family Structure. Jesss type of family is an extended family. Here three generations live under the same roof. Where as Jules family is a nuclear type of family where she and her parents only live in the same household. Marriages, in Jesss case her family is more on a conservative people who mostly prefer going through arrange marriages although they don’t mind love marriages as long as its within bounds. Basically there are endogamy and prefer their children marrying within the same the group that is in this Sikhism. Jules family take on marriage would be mostly love marriage and at times marriage by trial is also permitted. When talking about taboo, homosexuality is completely forbidden in the culture of Jess, that’s why in the movie you see her (Jess) her good friend Tony, is a closet homosexual meaning that he hasn’t unveiled this to anyone as he knows this considered as a taboo. Residence Patterns, Jesss family are basically patrilocal or even known as virilocal because the couple lives with the husbands family. Jules family are basically neolocal, the couple forms independent residence away from relatives. Gender roles, as seen in this movie the gender inequality did exist in the start as the familys perspective of seeing Jesss future was that when she grew up she will marry rich, well educated person and become a perfect housewife who can take care of the house perfectly and well equipped to handle the kitchen too. Basically her gender role was set the moment she was born. But unfortunately or in an actual fact this wasn’t meant to be where as Jesss had her own perspective of life, and her way meant breaking of gender barriers where a girl is treated equally and given equal opportunity and freedom of choice. We see later in the movie where her family changes their way of thinking just see their daughter fulfill her dream. Where as Jules case, gender equality already existed. As seen in the movie during the scene of Pinkys marriage ceremony, descent is always patrilineal, and marriages link two groups of kin rather than two individuals. The cultural norms of honor and modesty play a significant role in family relationships within the framework of patriarchal structures of Punjabi society. Language and culture, after seeing this movie, you would notice a type of change where the families within each other had a different way of interaction. In Jesss family you would notice, â€Å"Rapport talk† tends to be associated with women, seeks to establish agreement and social relationships, here the women the often conformed to decision made by the Jesss Dad. Report talk† tends to be male mode of discourse and seeks to maintain independence and establish a place in competitive hierarchy. Whenever Mr. Bhamra decided on a certain issue he used to change his tone this is an example of Report talk. In this movie you would notice a new for of a combined language which actually is very common all over the world with Asians. Hinglish was often spoken in this movie; basically it’s a combination of words of Hindi a nd English spoken together. Art and Culture, Here you would notice the type of music they played in marriages the real spirit of a folk-song rests not only in its text but also in its tune. These melodies, characteristic of their deeply-felt emotions are absolutely in tune with their mode of living. The rhythm and beat of Punjabi folk music is simple. The rhythmic patterns are determined by the day-to-day activities of the villagers, the sound of the grinding stone, the drone of the spinning wheel, the creaking of the Persian wheel, the beat of the horses hooves etc. These rhythms refined into symmetrical patterns form the basis of the entire folk music of the Punjab. In all these tunes help provide a sense of identity, it even provides a social cohesion. Body Decoration, most common adornment noticed was during Pinkys was tattooing (henna) and piercing. Mehndi is a pre-wedding ritual organized on the eve of the marriage. During the ceremony, henna (mehndi) is applied on the hands and the feet of the bride. Dress, the turban worn by Mr. Bharma. The Sikh turban, known as the Dastar or a Dumalla, is mandatory for all Khalsa Sikhs to wear. In the West, many Sikhs who wear pagri is similar olden Arab style turban. As a symbol of respect for God, Sikhs do not cut their hair. The turban protects the hair and keeps it clean hence these are function of the dress (turban) worn by the Sikhs. To conclude, Bend it Like Beckham seeks to deal with prejudice as it is found in both cultures as it focuses on racial abuse on the football pitch, the lewd sexual comments of lads watching the girls play football, opposition to mixed marriages and the idea in both cultures that sport is not really for women. The clash between the essentially Western values of freedom of choice, personal fulfillment and self-development and the Asian values of loyalty and obedience to the family and the limited domestic view of womens roles is extensively explored in Bend it like Beckham is the potential for conflict between the Western and Indian cultures. Word Count: 1354