Walt Kowalski’s and Thao Lor‘s environment PDF

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Summary

Gran Torino Walt and Thao's environment in Stichpunkten.
Film: Gran Torino
Abiturjahr 2021/22
Englischkurs auf grundlegendem Anforderungsniveau
In Tabellenform angefertigt und als pdf-Datei verfügbar...

Description

Lennart Lemke

Frau van Heek

Walt Kowalski’s and Thao Lor‘s environment ------------------------------------

Walt Kowalski’s environment

Thao Lor’s environment

reason for (the family) get together

death of Walt’s wife

newborn child ritual

location(s)

funeral service; post-service reception at Walt’s home

inside the living room celebrating a ritual; outside on the porch

family ties/ family bonds

complicated; Walt is distancing himself from his family members during the opening sequence; they do not enjoy their mutual time

family seems to be closely interlinked, enjoying their time together (apart from Thao who is excluding himself after having done the dishes)

religion - what is being said and done

seems not very religious due to seem to be pretty religious due the fact that Walt himself said to their rituals and the special that he never really cared about food they bring for that church so much and just went to the church because of his wife; Walt’s sons do not seem to be religious either which may be concluded because they are not punishing their children for the inappropriate behaviour in church; they also let most of the children wear improper clothes

food

ham

poultry

people’s general interactions

Walt’s environment is pretty cautious when interacting with him; they talk behind Walt’s back about him

treating each other very kindly

atmosphere

discomforting due to Walt’s cold acting

when being in the living room the atmosphere seems to be pretty harmonic and welcoming

language(s)

grown-ups around Walt predominantly make usage of a proper language; language: English

language: Hmong

house

grown-ups seem to be more interested in the food than in

Thao’s environment does not observe him as a real man of

Lennart Lemke

Frau van Heek

talking to Walt; the three young the house because he is doing boys are sniffing around in the chores basement and studying old War memories from their grandfather without asking -> scared of Walt some general information on and first impressions of the main characters Walt and Thao

Walt seems to be a cold old man, not being with his life and family situation, seems to be a racist due to the racial slur he uses and the fact he slams the door in Thao’s face

Thao is presented as an innocent young guy who is trying to help where he can;

Walt and Thao’s first encounter

is being disrespectful towards Thao; slams the door in his face; Walt is raising his voice and is using inappropriate language

is asking politely for jumping cables; shy appearance

masculinity

(not sure about this one, none valuable information came to my mind)

he does not fulfill the traditional requirements of a man in a Hmong family; instead he is doing the chores (should actually be done by his sister) like washing dishes

Walt observes his family members as effeminate and feminin? perception of the other

has prejudices towards his neighbours

He also is being gentle and does not seem to have any prejudices towards his neighbour Walt.

are not amused by their neighbour; older lady sitting on the porch is insulting him

(calls them swamp rats) (they do not understand why Walt as the only American in their neighbourhood stays; calling him a dumb rooster) values

Walt’s and his family’s values differ a lot; for instance: Walt does not understand why his son drives a japanese car; (background information: Walt worked for Ford for several years)

have specific rituals for the new born baby; he is not involved in this tradition, instead he walks outside

Lennart Lemke

Frau van Heek

First of all, it needs to be clarified that the movie presents two completely different ethnic groups that meet each other for the first time. On the one hand there is Walt Kowalski and his environment and the other hand there is the Hmong family including the main character Thao Lor. As it can be seen in the filled out table, the environments of Walt and Thao diverge in the opening sequence of the movie. They cherish different values, have different histories and interact in other ways and languages.

There are just a few things that both groups have in common. One of these are the held prejudices and the derogatory remarks towards each other. Also both environments are disappointed by their main character in certain aspects. While the Kowalski’s are not sharing any values preached by Walt such as his prejudices towards Asian people, the Hmong family is worrying about their Thao’s future and are not considering him as a real man due to fact that he is executing the ordered calls by his sister like washing the dishes. He also is not participating in his family’s newborn child ritual. A similar behaviour may be observed for Walt who is not interacting with his family and friends during the post-service reception at his home.

Apart from these few similarities, the opening sequence displays two different worlds that inevitably collide with one another. This contrast shall present the obstacles that need to be challenged and overcome throughout the movie to realize a harmonious coexistence between Walt and Thao’s world in the end....