Identity: Wild Cat Falling by Colin Johnson, Pleasantville (1998)

Who am I? The question sounds cliche, but lets be serious. Dont you believe there is something deep d witness you that you cant describe, but seems to say, This isnt who I am, or who I planned to be. The texts I have read emphasise the whim that acculturation creates a mask, a false paradigml identity concealing the egotism and who we are to be. However, it is widely believed that identity is a product of socialization- that the self changes by dint of our individual experiences. The persona of WCF is a victim of these processes.CJs use of slip temporal frames entirelyows us to review the personas past whilst retaining the present, demonstrating the continue of his childhood experiences on his identity. Jesse Duggan was an influential figure in protagonists formative years her fear of the western culture lead her to civilise her son into white society they be recollective to the white side of the fence. Youve got to try you do and dont you forget it. She isolates him fro m his traditional culture and instils in him the stigmas of the lesser breed.The personas frequent self derogatory remarks roughly being a mongrel and born under the curse of play indicate how societys treatment of Noongars has affected him. Socialization has degage the protagonist, denying him his cultural identity and stifling his hopes. Throughout, the persona excessively remains anonymous, insinuating that his identity is amorphous. Yet we clearly see his mask I took a long look at him and sneered back in my best Hollywood crim express. His tone is satirical, as if he knows, his crim act is not a unfeigned reflection of his identity.And in spite of this mask, his core identity can also be seen I stood on the bed, face pressed to the bars, gulping the salt-sea gusto until I became part of its crashing surf and soundless depths. His mask hides his true nature, as yet it is revealed through his poetic sensibility. Eliots 1911 poem Prufrock is a dramatic monologue of a mid dle-class English-man. For him, socialization demands his conformity to social norms, making him witness imprisoned by its mediocrity for I have known them all already, known them all have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons.The repetition of known them all portrays life as routine without purpose. my morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin my necktie rich and modest the detail of his dress in an elaborate way conceals his identity and his true feelings about society. Ironically, the repetition of my implies an illumination of identity, rather than its suppression. It seems the Prufrock is horror-struck reveal his identity may disturb the universe do I dare, and, do I dare? Avoiding this ultimate question, he seeks peace in oblivion I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across the floors of silent seas. We are gregarious creatures, and Prufrocks desire for isolation is un beneficialifiable to us. Socialization has trapped him in a rock and a unv erbalized place he may choose the peaceful oblivion of a void anyday, but he is too scared to reject a mask that he despises in case it may change his macrocosm oh the irony The 1998 film Pleasantville explores the effects of stepping out of a uniform society. they just happen to see something inside themselves thats different. This shot is interpreted from below, establishing this as a powerful argument and putting David in a position of power over the crowd. He is persuading Pleasantville that embracing your core value defines you as unique special. He also colours George Parker, by telling to him his intrinsic values dont you think she looks just as beautiful as the first day you met her? Now dont you wish you could tell her that? The proxemics in this shot exaggerates Davids emotions and influences his fathers reaction. A shot of David is taken from the courts POV, which allows for tension to opening before he moves to the side to reveal his coloured father. The diagetic tone of ball over voices, coupled with the non-diagetic, soft music that swells at this new revelation, is used to highlight the importance of this scene as unearthing your inner self. It seems to say this is the bit of epiphany, the moment when you discover this universe holds something wonderful and rare, just for you.In Davids own words if you just have the guts to look inside yourself, youll husking all that who am I to be crap alot easier to handle. WCFs persona began to confront that song or dream that had always been with him. Prufrock decided hed rather drown than face the vast emptiness of his identity. only if by giving Pleasantville the choice of change, it instituted profound normative values in people love, passion, knowledge, peace, expression. All the colours of the rainbow.Though the belief that socialization morphs a person into who they are is predominant in society, it is hard to say that this is truly the case. These texts seem to emphasise the belief that socia lization creates masks to conceal our core identities. Of course, socialization can shape us. Would a beggar have the same choices as a rich man? From my perspective, socialization may have us prepare that face to meet the faces that you meet but it may never alter our core identity, which is inevitably revealed when we confront our true emotions.