Dreams and Realities

The film "The Pursuit of Happyness" directed by Gabriele Muccino and published in 2006 from Columbia Pictures which is based on true happenings and takes place in San Francisco in 1981 is about Chris Gardner and his family which struggles with their income.

Gardener buys many bone density scanner which he later realises are only a little bit better but twice as expensive and has problems to sell them. He has to sell at least two scanners a month. Due to this problem Linda, his wife, works in double shifts for four months now. Furthermore, he wants to get a Stock Broker which his wife thinks is so realistic like being an astronaut. Chris continues to believe in his dream and applies for an internship and gives his scanner a street artist to keep an eye on it. Through a window, he sees her while she is running to the underground station. After a short chase, he loses her. Later on, he sees her by accident and gets his stolen machine back. While Chris brings his five-year-old son Christopher to the kinder garden they come along a wall where “happiness” is spelt with a ‘y’ which is also misspelt in the title. Every morning Chris visits Jay Twistle. When he asks about his application Mr Twistle agrees to share a Taxi with him. Because he is able to solve a Rubik’s Cube he gets an indentation to a meeting, but due to that, he hasn’t enough money to pay the taxi driver he loses his scanner while he is fleeing. As he comes at home his wife moved out with his son because she can’t handle the poorness anymore. On the other day, he argues about the custody and furthermore picks up Christopher at the kinder garden. Then he agrees to paint the flat to keep it one more week and to pay the last three rent fees. A short while later he is sent to prison because of many unpaid false parking tickets. He has to ask his wife to take care of his son this night. At the next morning, Chris runs to his internship interview in his painting clothes and because he is very honest and has visited Mr Twistle every morning he gets a chance. The first 47 minutes and with the announcement that Linda will go to New York and wants to take her son with her but Chris says that she knows she wouldn’t take care of him.

All in all the first third of the movie shows a poor man which marriage goes into pieces, which job doesn’t earn enough money but gets the opportunity of an internship as a stockbroker and who wants to enable his son a happy fulfilling life.

Part 2

The film "The Pursuit of Happyness" directed by Gabriele Muccino and published in 2006 from Columbia Pictures which is based on true happenings and takes place in San Francisco in 1981 deals with the struggle of Chris Gardner’s and his family’s income and their consequences such as his dream to be a Stock Broker.

At first in the 47^th minute, Linder tells Chris that she will move to New York and wants to take Christopher with her. After Chris accuses her that she knows she isn’t able to take care of him she takes her luggage says in a sad way, that she knows Chris will take care of Christopher to Chris and walks away. In the following scene, they move to another apartment and because it is Saturday he plays with his son basketball. Then he gives Christopher an important lesson as he says that he should never allow someone to forbid him his dreams even not from his own father. After a short while, the main actor starts his internship and you can see him in class with round about 20 other members. During a break and chatting with a boss he sees a homeless with his lost density scanner. While he follows him he gets into an accident and loses his shoe. In the next scenes, you see him in his everyday life calling customers from a list. One Day after the off voices explains his time savings he calls the CEO Walter Ribbon and gets a meeting. Because he misses the appointment he walks to the pompous house of Walter and apologises. As a result of this, he and his son get invited to watch a football game in a luxury area but he tells him also that he wouldn’t direct his fond to Chris’ company. After four months he eventually has to pay taxes and now has only 20 dollars on his bank account. Furthermore, on a playground, Chris sees the homeless again and catches the density scanner. At the end of the 77^th minute, they are kicked out of their flat.

All things considered after a good phase like the sells he could do and the football game both of them are confronted with a down phase.

Amy Tan's short story "Two Kinds" first published in 1989 deals with some relevant, big topics like the American dream and immigration.

Jing-Mei Woo's mother loses her family and entire social environment by fleeing from China to the USA. With great hopes for a better future, she tries to make her daughter a prodigy. After some failed tests she sees a young little Chinese girl playing the piano in a variety show on tv, Jing-Mei Woo has to learn it by a deaf teacher in her neighbourhood. Rapidly she notices that she can cheat so she never really learns to play it. Then in a local talent show, the first-person-narrator embarrasses her mother, father and herself by showing her missing piano skills. Despite that, she has to continue the lessons but rebels. The big argument ends with her wish to be dead like her mother's dead children. Finally, the short story comes to an end when her mother gifts her the piano at her 30th birthday and after her mother's death, she plays again the two parted song "Pleading Child" and "Perfectly Contented". There she notices that if she tries she isn't so bad as she thought.

Harlem

America, the country with endless opportunities, "From dishwasher to millionaire". With this mindset, Jing-Mei Woo's mother comes to America and works hard to make her daughter a prodigy. But it doesn't work. Her dream gets deferred. "What happens to a dream deferred?" tries Langston Hughes to answer in his short poem from 1951. Although he doesn't come to a conclusion his last line is "Or does it explode?". An interesting question and I see a parallel to "Two Kinds" where the mother's big dream ends with a bitter dispute like an explosion.

Of Course, there is a least one big difference because to my mind Langston Hughes is not fantasizing about a rich and famous life. Something more essential like the end of segregation and the Jim Crow laws.

Pursuit of Happyness

Another material which thematises the American Dream is "The Pursuit of Happyness" from 2006 with Will Smith. Gardener, the main character pursues the dream of a better life mainly for his son by really hard-working at his internship as a stockbroker. Similar to "Two Kinds" they hope for a better life and both parents have to work hard for that.

Regardless of the difference that the daughter suffers under her mother's approach, the key difference is the end result. Gardener reaches his goal whereas Jing-Mei Woo isn't a prodigy and it comes to an unpleasant argument.

L. A. Crash

Next in L. A. Crash (2004) immigrants from different nations, all with prejudices influence their lives in 48 hours. Among many similarities with immigration and living the American Dream, the detective Graham Waters can't keep up with his mother's expectations. He refills her fridge, searches for his criminal brother and lets her blames stay uncommented although they're wrong. In contrast, Jing-Mei woo doesn't try playing the piano, she cheats.

Originally

The first-person-narrator in "Originally" (1990) by Carol Ann Duffy, a child, has to immigrate after moving to another city with a different accent. In both stories, the narrator lives through unpleasant times and we see them growing up. One difference is the missing of an American dream.

Never Let Me Go

At last, you even can find similarities in "Never Let Me Go" (2006) by Kazuro Ishiguro. The clones from Hailsham are having a happy childhood but with strict rules and lessons, they have to take. Then they realise that they are a failed experiment but after some time their story ends peacefully because Tommy and Kate accepting their faith to give donations to keep others alive. Similar to that Jing-Mei Woo puts her childhood and all troubles with her mother behind herself when she realises her skill in playing the piano, that her mother was somehow right with the fact, that if you really try and believe in yourself, you can be good at something.



Despite the last comparison may went a bit far, as you can see there are many similar aspects in our materials that are worth to be looked at.

Jing-Mei Woo's mother is one main character in Amy Tan's short story "Two Kinds" from 1989. She also gets featured in "The Joy Luch Club" where we get to know her first name, namely: Suyuan.

First of all, some general information about her: "[Suyuan came to the USA] in 1949 after losing everything in China: her mother and father, her family home, her first husband and two daughters, twin baby girls." written down inline 8-10. She lives in a flat with her daughter Jing-Mei Woo also called June and her nickname is "Ni kan". The relationship to June's father, Canning Woo, isn't mentioned directly but they sit together in the local talent show (l. 249) and we can assume they live together as a result that he has a key for the apartment (l. 272). Besides that she works as a housecleaner (l. 49-50 and l. 127). The reader gets the impression that her favourite free-time activity is watching tv like Shirley's old movies (l. 13) or "The Ed Sullivan Show" (l. 92).

As fas as her character is concerned, I would say she is a bit naive for the reason that she holds strong beliefs in the American Dream (l. 1). Not everyone can be rich and only a little percentage achieves this. Also, the probability to have a prodigy as a daughter is speaking against her.

Despite that, she is very ambitious. Suyuan is constantly looking for new possible talents and prepares tests: "Every night after dinner, my mother and I would sit at the Formica kitchen table. She would present new tests..." (line 45-46). On top of this, she organises her daughter piano lessons by Mr Chong (l. 126).

Additionally, Jing-Mei Woo's mother ist strict and ruthless. Although June is sich of these test and doesn't want to be a prodigy like she declares in line 132 by crying "Why don't you like me the way I am? I'm not a genius. I can't even play the piano. And even if I could I wouldn't go on TV if you pay me a million dollar." This also shows that she is merciless and relentless.

Furthermore, Jing-Mei Woo's mother is resolute. This character trait becomes especially apparent after the setback of the talent show disaster. Previously bragging about June's talent to Lindo inline 195, now embarrassed by the failure and already on the next day, she reminds her daughter at four o'clock to turn off the TV to start practising again (beginning inline 280). So nothing can't bring her up from her way.

To highlight at least some positive character traits, Suyuan has bling faith in her daughter, whereas the execution could be rethought as June is suffering under her.

And finally, later in the story, She apologizes to June in the form of gifting her the piano. This behaviour indicates self-reflection though it is a bit late for the reason that it's her daughter's thirtieth birthday (l. 337)

In sum, we can conclude that Jing-Mei Woo's mother shows in the story more negative than positive character traits.

The Declaration of Independence

The knowledge box "The Declaration of Independence" by Karina Bocklage, Katherina Wicher and their editorial staff was published on page five of "AbiBox Englisch Dreams and Realities" from 2018 deals with the second sentence of the declaration and derives conclusions.

The first part tells us, that some British colonist created the "Declaration of Independence" in 1776. Then the article quotes the second-most popular sentence about the pursuit of happiness. Furthermore, you can read the explanation of the American Dream. It says that everything is possible, that you affect your life, that you are nor hindered for example by government and that these things will result in the great USA.

One the one hand, the article observes the "Declaration of Independence" of historical aspects and on the other hand, it conducts the resulting of the "American Dream".

The American Dream

The knowledge box "The American Dream" by Karina Bocklage, Katherina Wicher and their editorial staff was published on page six in "AbiBox Englisch Dreams and Realities" which was released in 2018. The article is a collection of definitions of the term "American Dream".

The first section from Online Etymology Dictionary, at first, gives two definitions of the noun and is followed by an explanation The dream is, according to the author, misunderstood by the European as a dream of richness whereas correct meaning is the social order that everyone is equal.

In the last (second) section the American Dream in Culture is the theme. There, hope and happiness are symbolised by having a house. Today, it's associated with the hope, the own children will have better economical and social conditions than yourself.

To put it in a nutshell, the article defines the American Dream and the American Dream in Culture. 

The Pilgrims

The knowledge box "The Pilgrims" by Karina Bocklage, Katherina Wicher and their editorial staff was published on page four in "AbiBox Englisch Dreams and Realities" from 2018 and is about how the first "Americans" settle in North America.

At first, the Pilgrims, a group of separatist English Puritans, flees to the more tolerant Netherlands, due to the political and religious situation in England. Later, in 1620, they move to North America, the so-called "New World". Then a governing document is signed which today is considered as America's foundation of democracy. First, the Pilgrims get support from Native Americans to survive until they fight against them for more land. Furthermore, the number of Native Americans is reduced by diseases which get imported by the Europeans.

To cut a long story short, the Europeans have stolen the Native Americans their land although they helped them to survive.

The Mexica-United States border

The knowledge box "The Mexica-United States border" was published in "AbiBox Englisch Dreams and Realities" on page four in 2018 by Karina Bocklage, Katherina Wicher and their editorial staff. It is as the title described the Mexica-United States border and immigration today.

The short text begins with the fact that the 3,145-kilometre-long border is most frequently crossed border world wide. Moreover, you can read that 350 million people cross it legal and many illegally in hope of a better life in the USA. President Donald Trump wants the money-sucking border even longer.

All in all, the article sums important facts about the border to Mexico up.

The Film "L.A. Crash" by Paul Haggis directed, written and got held by Bobby Moresco and was published in 2004 takes place in Los Angeles like the title suggests and is about plots with different nationalities that influence each other and racist prejudices.

At first, a car crash and detective Graham Walter finds a body near the accident site. Then a flashback back to Yesterday visualised through a text banner.

The Persian shop owner and his daughter are buying a handgun and bullets in a red box.

Two young black men (Anthony and Peter) rob a black car from a white couple after complaining to be the victim of racism. In their apartment, the robbed woman is angry and says racial insults about Latinos to her husband while Daniel (Latino) is changing the lock.

Next, Ryan, an LAPD officer, stops a black van with his partner Tom Hansen which looks a bit like the robbed car but isn't. Ryan gets Cameron and Christine out of the car and while he is over-polite the drunk Christine taunts the police. Ryan slowly checks Christine by touching her, which makes her clearly uncomfortable. Later, an argument breaks out because Christine is angry that he didn't stand up for her but he argues that he didn't want to make the situation even worse.

Hansen wants to change his partner but the lieutenant says he could only if he will say that he has a flatulence problem and needs to ride alone.

After replacing the door lock, Daniel says to Farhad that the door needs to be replaced but due to Farhad's minimal Englisch knowledge, he thinks that Daniel is cheating on him. To stop the argument he leaves without getting paid. Later, the insurance company tells the family that the vandalism isn't covered for the reason that the door wasn't fixed.

Graham visits his mom and promises her to find his young brother who ran away. Then he and his partner Ria get informed that in the car of a black dead cop which got shot by a white undercover cop were hidden 300,000 Dollar. The campaign manager from the husband of the robbed couple wants to blame the white cop because he is known for shooting black men but Graham denies due to the mysterious 300,000 Dollar in the car. As the campaign manager hints that the criminal charges of his missing brother could be dropped, he agrees.

At a car crash, Ryan runs to the upside-down car in which someone is trapped. It is Christine who doesn't want Ryan's help as she recognises him. He makes clear not to hurt her an only to help while the car catches fire. In the last moment, before it explodes, he pulls her out and she's happy.

Cameron gets threatened by Anthony and Peter and this time he fights back. When Peter sees the police coming, he runs away and Cameron and Anthony get into his car. After a short chase, while Anthony is hidden, Cameron gets out. Hansen, one of the policemen convinces the others to let him go as he recognises Cameron from before. Later he drops Anthony out and says that he's an embarrassment.

The shop owner Farhad thinks that Daniel is responsible for the unpaid vandalism and confronts him with the earlier bought gun. Daniel's daughter runs to her father and jumps into his arms. At that moment, Farhad fires. Nobody is hurt because Farhad's daughter bought the free bullets in the red box. Farhad is shocked that he would have killed them.

At the evening, after his shift, Hansen picks Peter up. He mocks the officer and laughs at him. While he tries to take something out of his jacket the scared Hansen shoots him because he thought he would take out a gun. Then out in the fields, he pushes him out of the car.

Now we see the scene from the beginning. Graham Waters finds his dead brother offsite the road.

Anthony tries to sell a white stolen van. He finds illegal immigrants in it and instead of selling them, each for 500, he lets them free.

To cut a long story short, the film shows many interfering storylines about racism and how they changed.