Synopsis

            Two very different families converge on Martha’s Vineyard one weekend for a wedding. (IMDb)

Communication Theory

            In this movie, a communication theory that I think is evident in the movie is the standpoint theory.  Em Griffin, in his book A First Look at Communication Theory, discusses Sandra Harding and Julia T. Wood’s standpoint theory. Harding and Wood based this theory around the relationship between knowledge and power. By looking at different places on the hierarchical scale, there will be different viewpoints. They state that by starting with minorities, people who are on the fringes of society, (women, racial minorities, and the poor) an observer will see a less false view of the world. The people at the higher end of the hierarchy make the rules so that they fit them perfectly and teach others to perpetuate this mindset. To get a less biased and cookie cutter ideology you must look to the people the rules were not made by.  (Griffin 447-458)

            In this movie Sabrina Watson and Jason Taylor come from two almost opposite worlds. They love each other and are excited to get married before Sabrina moves to China for a job opportunity, but when their families come together for their wedding and meet for the first time, everything that could go wrong does. Hostility arises and secrets are revealed, making Jason and Sabrina question the marriage.

            Once the Taylors arrive at the Watson’s luxurious house they are immediately judged by their appearance and actions. Their downtown city feel is a stark contrast with that of the Watson’s uptown lifestyle. The Watson’s judge them based on the small pieces of information they know about them, which are: they have less money and they are different than the families they are associated with. This in itself automatically made me think of a what Harding and Wood stated, “The social groups within which we are located powerfully shape what we experience as well as how we understand and communicate with ourselves, other, and the world.” (447)

            Another example of social groups shaping perceptions is when Ms. Taylor expresses that she has brought the broom she and her husband jumped and her parents jumped for Jason and Sabrina to jump. Instead of Sabrina seeing this as a kind gesture offered as an olive branch of kindness she immediately refuses and states they will do no such thing. Sabrina has been so influenced by her friends and their ritzy preferences to even think about what kind of sentimental value it would have to her future mother-in-law.

            There is a part in Griffin’s book where he talks about definitions belonging to the definers and not the defined. This is perfectly demonstrated in the movie with Sabrina’s aunt, Geneva. She is made out to be the crazy one, who likes to cause trouble and does not care what anyone else thinks. Toward the end of the movie the truth comes out though. Geneva is Sabrina’s real mother. Throughout the majority of Sabrina’s adult life and at the wedding Geneva has been forced to not say a word about it because Sabrina’s parents would not allow it.

            As I watched this movie, I identified with the Watsons more at first because of their financial situation and place in life. This made it hard for me to identify with this theory and find an application until it finally hit me that I was experiencing the heart of the theory. I come from upper-middle-class white family, while I can relate to this theory by being a women, that is about it. The truth is though, that just like the Watsons I have been raised to uphold the status quo. My opinion to some extent is what it is because I know it is supposed to be that way. That’s what I ended up liking the most about this movie. Both sides were able to look outside of themselves and see the other people’s perspectives and grow from that insight.

            Jason and Sabrina jump the broom and with that they and their families overcome their stereotypes and preconceived misconceptions. They learn to look past what they are told to look at and experience the truth of the situation by seeing the other person’s perspective as well as their own.

Sources

Akil, S. (Director). (2011). Jumping the phybroom [Film]. Culver City, CA: TriStar Pictures.

Griffin, E. (2011). A first look at communication theory. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Jumping the Broom.  [date unknown].  The Internet Movie Database.  Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640484/

(via boundthespian)

Synopsis

            “Jane Eyre (Wasikowska) flees Thornfield House, where she works as a governess for wealthy Edward Rochester (Fassbender). The isolated and imposing residence-and Mr. Rochester’s coldness-have sorely tested the young woman’s resilience, forged years earlier when she was orphaned. As Jane reflects upon her past and recovers her natural curiosity, she will return to Mr. Rochester - and the terrible secret that he is hiding…” (IMDb)

Communication Theory

            In this movie, the communication theory that I think is most evident in the movie is narrative paradigm.  Em Griffin, in his book A First Look at Communication Theory, discusses Walter Fisher’s narrative paradigm theory. Fisher based his theory around a belief that narratives are the basis of all human communication. He states that individuals judge stories based on their coherence and fidelity. Narratives are judged by their internal consistency with the characters acting in a reliable manner and by the values in the stories. If the listener regards what is being said as truthful they are more likely to believe it. Individual’s logic will eventually become the stories they experience. (Griffin 308-317)

            In the movie, Jane is hated by her aunt and cousins; she is treated as an outcast and abused physically through violence and verbally. Her aunt decides to send her to a school to get rid of the devil inside her. A religious man comes to inquire after the manner of person Jane is. She is a young child at this point and stands perfectly still and quiet, not given an opportunity to speak as her aunt tells the man she is a liar, troublemaker, and an orphan. This is the paradigm that the man is given to view her in and she is not given a chance to state otherwise. When she arrives at the school, she is treated as she has been labeled.

            Another example of individual’s perceptions being shaped by the narratives they have heard is shown when Jane first meets Mr. Rochester.  He knows nothing more of her than that she is his hired governess for the child he is caring for. On this information alone, he takes what he has heard of other governesses and assumes that Jane will have experienced the same things. He asks her what her tale of woe is, assuming she has one, and she informs him that in fact, she does not have one. This is the first time that he sees that she is different than other governesses he has met.

            This movie is set in the Victorian Age, and thus women, we not of much consequence. Most women were considered important in merely household chores and as heir producers. There is a stark contrast shown in the movie between Mr. Rochester’s view of Jane and St. John Rivers, who she meets later on. Both men have lived in an era that does not embrace women’s rights or think much of their mind. St. John Rivers displays that he has bought into that narrative and it has become his way of thinking. Whereas, Mr. Rochester, is just the opposite, he sees that there is more to Jane than just someone to be his wife. He has seen before that the logic of the time does not hold up and wants nothing to do with it. He comes to love her for her mind and heart and wishes to marry her because of that.

            Jane’s life is a perfect example of the narrative paradigm. Being brought up in adversity taught her at a young age to be very careful about what narratives you do and do not believe. She witnesses firsthand how accepting the wrong stories and mindsets to be true can ruin a person from the inside out with her aunt and cousins. They are so bitter and hate Jane when she has done nothing to them, and it eventually leads to the death of her cousin and her aunt having a stroke and believing she’s cursed. 

Conversely, she meets Helen and learns that by having a positive outlook on life and trying to help others as much as possible her life will be better. That is exactly what Jane’s logic becomes. She accepts that the past happened but attempts to move on and make the most of her life. It is by accepting this paradigm and using it to frame her outlook on life that she eventually achieves happiness.

In conclusion, Fisher believed that it is through symbolic actions, words, and deeds that having meaning to individual lives that people communicate with one another. These narratives, serve as a framework for the individual’s lives and go on to shape their logic and outlook. Jane was able to reject the social norms of the time that were being force upon her and create her own paradigm. Through her strong will and determination, she found someone who shared her views and together after overcoming many trials they were able to spend their lives together. Without the narrative paradigm Jane had, she may have never been able to achieve her resulting happiness.

Sources:

Fukunaga, C.  (Director).  (2011). Jane Eyre [Film]. Universal City, CA: Focus Features.

 Griffin, E. (2011). A first look at communication theory. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

 Jane Eyre.  [date unknown].  The Internet Movie Database.  Retrieved November 10, 2011, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1229822/