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Paper Moon (1973)
Assignment: Write one-page on Paper Moon.
It's only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Yes, it's only a canvas sky
Hanging over a muslin tree
But it wouldn't be make-believe
If you believed in me
Radio Shows
Fibber McGee and Molly
http://www.fibbermcgeeandmolly.com/
Jack Benny
https://www.otrcat.com/p/jack-benny
Nehi soda
Cremo
Keep Your Sunny Side Up
FDR: Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Fireside Chat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iipnhLTdh-0
Paper Moon
1936
Model A
Con man
Confidence trick
Bootlegger
Prohibition
The increase of the illegal production and sale of liquor (known as “bootlegging”), the proliferation of speakeasies (illegal drinking spots) and the accompanying rise in gang violence and other crimes led to waning support for Prohibition by the end of the 1920s. In early 1933, Congress adopted a resolution proposing a 21st Amendment to the Constitution that would repeal the 18th. It was ratified by the end of that year, bringing the Prohibition era to a close.
Radio shows and songs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQpmVVK6ce8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bw5h-WPYBQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeisCvjwBMo
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Slumdog Millionaire
1. How does Jamal get the autograph of Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan?
He jumps down a latrine
He steals it from Salim
He stows away on his helicopter
He becomes a contestant on the real-life Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire—Bachchan is the host
2. How does Jamal and Salim's mother die?
Malaria
Car crash
The Hindu/Muslim Riots
A freak accident
3. When asked which statesman appears on the American $100 bill, Jamal is able to provide the correct answer: "Benjamin Franklin." Where does Jamal get his own $100 bill, which allows him to answer the question?
Begging in the slums
Tourists at the Taj Mahal
Salim stole the money
The ATM
4. Prem unwittingly feeds Jamal the answer to the second-to-last question about which sport?
Rugby
Soccer
Cricket
WWE
5. Who says, "If it wasn't for Rama and Allah, I'd still have a mother"?
Jamal
Salim
Latika
Maman
6. Who says, "Money and women – the reasons to make the most mistakes in life. It looks like you are mixed up in both."
Prem
Police Inspector
Maman
Jay-Z
7. Who says, "I thought we'd be together only in death"?
Jamal
Latika
Jamal's mother
Prem
8. Who says, "Do the right thing in approximately three minutes, and you will be as famous as me. And as rich as me. Almost."
Javed Khan
Salim
Prem
Spike Lee
9. Who, in the climactic moment of the film, says, "God is great"?
Jamal
Salim
Javed
Constable Srinivas
10. At the time Jamal appears on the game show, what is his profession?
Assistant in a telemarketing office
Beggar
Accountant
Mime
11. What color do we come to associate with Latika throughout the film?
Yellow
Blue
Red
Periwinkle
12. Where does Salim make his last stand against Javed and his goons?
A courtyard
A bathtub
A mosque
A small town in Bolivia
13. Who is the most significant Juhu slumlord?
Javed Khan
Maman
Salim
Don Corleone
14. At the end of the story, what does Jamal have in common with Who Wants to be a Millionaire host Prem Kumar?
They are both guys from the slums who became millionaires overnight
They both have brothers who are gangsters
They both used to be chai wallahs
They are both Geminis
15. And the final question for 20 million rupees… in Alexandre Dumas' book, The Three Musketeers, two of the musketeers are called Athos and Porthos. What was the name of the third Musketeer?
Aramis
Cardinal Richelieu
D'Artagnan
"It is written"
16. Who answers the phone when Jamal uses his phone-a-friend lifeline?
Salim
Latika
Javed Khan
Ghostbusters
17. Where does Jamal tell Latika he will be waiting for her every day?
The train station
The airport
The Gateway of India
Outside her house, holding a boombox playing Peter Gabriel songs.
18. Where are Jamal, Salim, and Latika living when Maman first finds them?
In an empty boxcar
On an airport tarmac
A garbage dump
A high-rise penthouse
19. At which famous Indian landmark do Jamal and Salim pose as tour guides to hustle foreigners?
The Red Fort
The Golden Temple
The Taj Mahal
The Statue of Liberty
20. Where is Jamal from?
Mumbai
Calcutta
Delhi
Lucknow
Questions
- Does Slumdog Millionaire make you think about poverty in a different way? What are you grateful for after watching the movie? Is Jamal a compelling hero? Is he easy to root for? Why or why not?
- Is Salim a sympathetic character? Why or why not?
- Is Latika a strong and empowered character? Why or why not?
- How might Slumdog Millionaire be considered a "fairy tale" of sorts?
- What sparks Salim's decision at the end of the movie to sacrifice himself?
- What do you think of the ending, and the "Jai Ho" credits sequence? Was it a fitting finale? Or did it leave something to be desired?
- Jamal emphasizes and re-emphasizes that it is his destiny to reunite with Latika, but is his success in this pursuit really an act of fate? Or are there other factors in play?
- If Slumdog Millionaire had a sequel, what story might it tell?
- Is it at all problematic that this movie about India was written, directed, and produced by Westerners from Great Britain? Why or why not?
- Does the story give us faith in humanity? Why or why not?
Rama: Hindu deity
Diwali: Hindu festival of lights
Amitabh Bachan: Indian actor and celebrity
Cricket: ball game
Amnesty International: strives to protect unfairly jailed people
Taj Mahal - Agra, India
Crore: A crore is a unit in the South Asian numbering system equal to ten million
What is the Meaning of the Indian Head Shake?
In essence, the head wobble is the non-verbal equivalent of that multipurpose and omnipresent Hindi word achha. It can mean anything from "good" to "I understand".
The most common use of the head wobble is to respond in the affirmative. For example, if you ask someone if the train is going to your destination and they wobble their head in reply, it means "yes".
The head wobble is also often used as a sign that what's being said is understood.
For example, if you tell someone you'll meet them at a certain place at 5 o'clock and they wobble their head at you, it means that it's fine and they'll be there.
Other situations where you're likely to encounter a head wobble include:
- As an alternative to "thank you", which is not commonly said in India.
- To acknowledge someone's presence. This can be particularly useful if you see someone you know across the street but can't shout out to them.
- As a gesture of kindness or benevolence, for example, if someone sits down next to you on the train.
Write one lesson you took from each film.
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Where to Invade Next (2016) Michael Moore
1. Discuss the connection between human dignity and the death penalty and/or lifelong sentences. Do you believe the two can coexist? If someone is a convicted murderer, are they worthy of the same rights as other members of society?
2. What do you classify as “basic human rights,” those things that should be granted to all members of a society? Why are healthcare and education not considered basic human rights in the U.S.?
3. How many vacation days are you paid for in a single year? Is this the average in your country? Do you feel this is enough for you to live a happy, healthy life?
4. Why do you think the issue of sexuality is such a taboo subject in the U.S., where in France, for example, people openly discuss it as a natural part of the human existence? Do you think you have a healthy attitude towards your own individual sexuality? How did your education affect your outlook?
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In the Time of the Butterflies - Final Questions
- Minerva compares the entire nation to a cage; what does she mean by this?
- What are some of the ways that Trujillo consolidates his power? How does he manage to control everyone so completely?
- “Long live the butterflies.” Explain.
- Describe the role of the Catholic Church in supporting and opposing Trujillo’s dictatorship.
- Describe the roll of violence in the dictatorship.
- How is the repression of women depicted in the film?
- Name three countries ruled by dictators today and name the dictators.
Day 2:
1. Police take Enrique (the girls' father) to prison and torture him.
2. Minerva wins a bet with Trujillo that allows her to attend law school.
3. Enrique is released from prison and dies a few days later.
4. Minerva attends law school and meets Leo whom she marries shortly thereafter.
5. Minerva and Leo join an opposition group fighting for freedom from Trujillo. Minerva is given the code name "Butterfly."
6. Minerva finishes law school but is denied a diploma, which would allow her to practice law.
7. Trujillo's soldiers invade a church during mass (services) and violently attack some congregants.
8. Minerva recruits a priest to help her and the opposition members. The opposition begins to secretly collect guns to plan an attack against Truillo, but his soldiers find out and launch a raid. All opposition members are sent to prison, including Minerva and Mate.
9. Minerva sees Leo, her husband, in prison. He is tortured.
10. Mate is interviewed in prison by human rights lawyers.
11. Minerva and Mate are released from prison.
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1. Where is the Dominican Republic?
2. What county borders it?
3. Who was Rafael Trujillo?
4. What was the relationship between the Dominican Republic and the United States during the time of Trujillo's dictaorship?
5. How does the movie, In The Time of the Butterfiles, show the relationship between the Catholic Church and Trujillo? Give one example.
6. Who is Sinta?
7. Who is Lina?
8. Who was in chains in the rail car?
https://www.coursehero.com/lit/In-the-Time-of-the-Butterflies/part-1-chapter-1-summary/
- Minerva compares the entire nation to a cage; what does she mean by this?
- What are some of the ways that Trujillo consolidates his power? How does he manage to control everyone so completely?
- “Long live the butterflies.” Explain.
- Describe the role of the Catholic Church in supporting and opposing Trujillo’s dictatorship.
- Describe the roll of violence in the dictatorship.
- How is the repression of women depicted in the film?
- Name three countries ruled by dictators today and name the dictators.
In the Time of the Butterflies – assignment #1
- In which country does our film take place?
- In which decade?
- What is the profession of Minerva’s father?
- What type work does Minerva want to do?
- Who was the dictator of the Dominican Republic?
In one paragraph, describe similarities between In the Time of the Butterflies and Cautiva.
You may want to consider: opposition, dictatorship, fear, prison, execution, Catholic Church, absence of human rights . . .
The Organizaton of American States
Mirabal sisters assassination (en espanol)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ-wfWsBJis
Dictators and the cult of personality
Putin:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/world/europe/russia-putin-criticism-law.html
Swearing in Russian Prisions
https://llbahtyrantsdictatorspsychopaths.wordpress.com/dictator/modern-era/cult-of-personality/
List of Dictators
https://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-famous-dictators/reference
"Bread and Fear"
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Michaela DePrince (from war orphan to star ballerina)
A. Watch the 12-minute video on the amazing story of Michaela DePrince and respond to the following questions.
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs-pty-pty_email&hsimp=yhs-
pty_email&hspart=pty&p=nbc+michaela+deprince#id=1&vid=808abb1c3e3af00eec2b43e48f675ebe&action=click
1. What country does Michaela come from?
2. What skin condition does she suffer from?
3. What explanation did the adults at her original home offer for her skin condition?
4. Describe her relationship with her sister.
5. Describe her living situation when the film begins.
6. What number ranking did Michaela have at the orphanage.
7. What is the name of the European city where Michaela is based.
8. What was Michaela's lowest point?
9. Name two character traits that helped Michaela succeed.
10. Describe two character traits of Michaela's mother (Elaine).
11. Mia did not study dance. What did she study?
12. What event helped Michaela overcome her skin condition?
13. Describe what Michaela faced as a ballerina of color.
14. Name two characteristics that make Michaela a successful dancer, according to her instructor.
15. Write one or two paragraphs of your impressions of this amazing story.
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Classmate
https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2020/03/26/classmate/
Write at least two paragraphs describing the inner thoughts of each character during their encounter.
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Uno by Javier Marco
https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2020/01/15/uno/
1. What is going on in this film?
2. Who does the phone belong to?
3. How did the phone end up in the ocean?
4. Why does the lady on the phone (Mourad's wife) ask the fisherman to tell her that Mourad is fine?
5. Who is with the lady on the phone?
6. What do you think happened to Mourad and the other 32 people on the boat?
7. From where did that boat depart, and where was its destination?
8. Watch this short report. Describe the realationship between it and our movie, Uno.
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/boat-carrying-600-migrants-from-north-africa-set-to-arrive-in-spain/
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Real Women Have Curves (2002)
1. Give a one-word description of Ana's relationship with each of these characters:
a. Her mother
b. Her father
c. Her grandfather
d. Her teacher
e. Her romantic interest
2. Give a one-word description of the following:
a. Ana's house
b. Ana's neighborhood
c. Ana's school
d. Ana's new workplace
- Themes to consider: tradition vs. modernity.
- Education vs. absense of education.
- Differences in how women see themselves (virgin vs. a woman with "thoughts of her own.")
- Class and economic exploitation (paid $18 for dresses that sell for $600). Jimmy says "life is too easy" - car, education, etc.). Is life easy for Ana and her family? - Explore class differences in quality of life.