The Spellbound film which was produced in 2002 uses eight characters to depict the sociological theme of culture. The plot of the film follows the beginning of a speculated spelling competition in the country, popularly known as scripts Howard (Blitz, 2004). Indeed, participants refer to the competition as the “spelling bee competition”. The eight participants engage in spelling practice, to show their proficiency in the English language. Holistically, the director utilizes various cultural backgrounds for each participant, to depict the influence of culture in the spelling competition. The characters of the film actively compete to gain the $10,000 award that the organizers of the event provided (Blitz, 2004). The strategy makes the sociological element noticeable in the eight participants. In this regard, this paper elucidates how culture has been depicted in the spellbound movie.
The first character one can encounter in the film is Neil Kadakia, who has amicable support from parents and professionals alike. The ability of the character to spell is impeccable. Secondly, Angela Arenivar is of Mexican origin but resides in Texas. Therefore, the influence of the two cultures has a toll on the spelling capabilities of the character (Blitz, 2004). The third character is Harry Altman, who resides in New Jersey. Similar to other characters, the culture of New Jersey influences the spelling proficiency of Harry Altman (Blitz, 2004). Another culturally diverse character is Nupur Lala.
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Additionally, Ted Brigham is a proficient and gifted character from Missouri, who embraces English as the first language (Blitz, 2004). Ashley white comes from Washington but lives in a neighbourhood where all people live in a housing project. The neighborhood has inflicted unique spelling capabilities for Ashley (Blitz, 2004). Another phenomenal character that the director uses to show cultural diversity is April diGideo, who comes from a low-income society in Pennsylvania. Lastly, Emily Stagg is proficient in spelling and comes from a wealthy background which allows her to pursue various hobbies in life (Blitz, 2004). Each participant portrays the intrinsic influence of culture on their spelling. Culture is emphasized through different racial backgrounds and socioeconomic status.
Markedly, the director used the characters mentioned above to illustrate various aspects of culture and society. Some individuals are incapable of settling for the correct spellings due to the cultural backgrounds that define them. For example, Angela from Texas frequently misspells words that seem right in the South American or Mexican accent (Blitz, 2004). The diversities presented are used to show the effect of different sociological backgrounds on language. For example, Emily Stagg receives exceptional coaching and treatment due to her affluent sociological background (Blitz, 2004). Unlike other individuals that have to engage in spelling actively, Emily finds additional time to concentrate on the development of other proficiencies.
Similarly, racial backgrounds are also imminent in the spelling context that the eight teenagers participate in during the spelling bee context. Nevertheless, the director also manages to show a significant trend that exists among the diverse cultural backgrounds presented in spellbound. For instance, the attitudes of the teenager’s families towards the context are positive, with each family exemplifying undying support for the teenage participants (Blitz, 2004). Each family unit adequately provides support for teenagers, but the pressure impaled is intense. The kind of pressure each teenager gets is a justification of the innate influence of culture on their spelling capabilities.
Nevertheless, the aspects of culture have not been adequately presented in the film. For example, the director does not elucidate the background implications of culture on the socialization or interaction of the teenagers. The interactivity is overshadowed by the impending competition that the teenagers are deemed to participate. Furthermore, the director does not create a plausible point of harmony or conflict for the diversities that the teenagers present. Markedly, the main attribute of culture that has been well presented is the effect of the sociological aspect on the linguistic capabilities of the teenagers. Nevertheless, I would recommend the movie to an individual seeking to learn about cultural diversity.
References
Blitz, J., Welch, S., Arenivar, A., Lala, N., Brigham, T., Stagg, E., White, A., ... Hulsizer, D.
(2004). Spellbound. Culver City, Calif: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment.
