Tashi and the Monk PDF

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Summary

This is a film reaction paper. I chose the movie Tashi and the Monk to discuss the concept of sociology in a family using sociological imagination....

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Tashi and the Monk On the foothill of Himalayas, one of the bravest social experimentations is taking place. Taught by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Monk Lobsang quit his life of spiritual leadership to create a community for rescuing neglected and orphaned children. His newest arrival, Tashi has been abandoned by her alcoholic father. She is struggling to find her place in the community. Lobsang has seen his lonely and unhappy childhood as an opportunity for other abandoned children of the earth to evade similar destiny. The community has given the children a chance to grow in a comfortable environment and escape the escalating poverty. This inspiring documentary shows us that empathy and kindness can transform the lives of others. The documentary outlines how socialization, socioeconomic status, and role expectation have a significant influence in the environments we grow up in. These concepts have been illustrated throughout Tashi’s life before and after joining Jhamtse, and how she interacts with other kids in the community. When she first joined the community center, Tashi was full of anger and engaged in fights with other children. She was a trouble maker and very secretive as she used to wet the bed and cover it with blankets. She did this as she was struggling to fit in with other children. As time passed by, she became very interactive and social with other people in the community, including Lobsang. Through the concept of socialization, Tashi has acquired mental skills and self-identity, which has enabled her to survive in the community center. Through the teachings of Lobsang, the children at Jhamtise have acquired the necessary social skills to navigate them through life. Initially, Tashi could not play with other children, but towards the end of the film, she has engaged herself in playful activities. She appears very happy and composed as compared to her

first days in the community center. All due to the role socialization plays in her life, thus enabling her to face upcoming times in childhood. Lobsang’s vision was to help the impoverished children who did not have a contented growing environment. Their parents and guardians are living in extreme poverty, hence lacking the resources to provide these children with basic needs. For instance, Dorjee guardians are very poor and plead with Lobsang to take him. In most cases, the children’s parents have either died or abandoned them like the case of Tashi. This condition has subjected the children to poverty hence denying them a proper childhood. The socioeconomic status in the community where Tashi grew up in has made her the way she is. The living conditions are worsening, and people engage themselves in any income-generating activity that pops up. There are many sad stories in this film, most of which have been triggered by the socioeconomic concept. The idea of role expectation has been clearly illustrated in this film. The role of parents and guardians in this film is to guide their children through childhood. Their role performance says otherwise due to the wanting capacity of necessary resources to execute their role. As a result, they expect Lobsang to step in and assume responsibility. Lobsang does not have all the resources required like teachers and classrooms; he has strained the ones available to help the current group at Jhamtise. The way he has handled his role is entirely mesmerizing and has resulted in the children even seeing him as their father. He has added value to their lives by giving them the environment they probably would have missed while growing up. In the film, I noticed how most of the children guardians were old folks. They lacked the capabilities of handling a growing child, some even being too old to take care of themselves. In this regard, role expectation and performance has been neglected in this society and therefore has significantly caused the children a contented growing environment.

The film Tashi and the Monk has enabled us to appreciate the idea of humanity. It is a value-adding story about people healing others regardless of age differences. Thereby it challenges humanity to ask questions like “how far-off will compassion and sympathy take you?” The concepts of socioeconomic factors, socialization, and role expectation have influenced the growth stages of children. The environment children grow up in plays a crucial role in equipping children with vital survival skills. Tashi has been frustrated by her childhood life due to the part people like her alcoholic father and death of mother have played in her life. Eventually, she lets go of this anger due to the interactions she has with other children and the teachings she receives at the community center. Different things have changed about her with regards to character and personality traits. One man’s vision about transforming the lives of boys and girls in the community shows the importance of values of empathy and kindness in the contemporary world. Tashi and the Monk film is lovable and incredibly inspiring as it has allowed children to appreciate living in a comfortable environment while dreaming about their future....