The Cultural Aspects Comparison of the Ice Princess and 5cm Film

1.    The Analysis of Cultural Aspects of The Ice Princess Film

1a. Artefacts (concreate)

This film shows the strong artifacts which have become the icon or symbol of the characters. Those are skating shoes, clothes, places, and competition. I think that all of them only stay in Western countries or some countries which have winter season naturally, not in Eastern. Although in eastern there are also many of skating places and facilities, but those are made by human and only in certain places. In that movie we know that ”Casey realized that her childhood favorite pastime was ice skating at the pond outside her home”.

In contrast, Indonesia doesn’t have winter so children cannot play ice skating outside their home naturally. Children can play that if their parents have much money to bring them to some malls or other places which have ice skating facilities. Simply, most of Eastern children never do ice skating like in Western, not only because they don’t have the stool but also there aren’t ice places naturally.

In addition, in Eastern there aren’t completely skating courses. Indonesian people think that ice skating is not important and it’s qiute difficult to get the facilities, also this is very expensive. This is very different in Western, especially in that film there are many of skating courses because they become a need for Western people, for instance children and teenagers.

1b. Pattern of Behaviour

Behaviour is acting that produce after getting stimulus outside from the body. In fact, many of people behaviour between Western and Eastern people are completely different because each place has its own culture and become its characteristic that may differ with others. After watching the Ice Princess film I can conclude that Western have many of behaviour which are different with Indonesia. First, Casey on that film showed that to get something she must do by herself and she didn’t depend on her parents. She worked in a food places to pay her skating course because her mother didn’t agree with skating game. It’s crystal clearly that Western conclude as self improvement while Eastern as group improvement lika in 5cm that the characters do something together in group. Second, Casey did what she likes, not her parents like. She decided her future by herself and the agreement from her parents or family are not important. Third, at the end of this film, a man named Teddy gave her flowers as a congratulation and they had kissed in the skating places in front of all of audience and her mother.

Those moments from the film are very contrast with Eastern culture, especially in Indonesia. In Indonesia most of people respect their parents so much and do what the parents say to them. Also they may don’t work to pay all of budgets their course and still depend on their parents although they can work by theirselves, and getting agreement from their parents or family are very important to get success.

Beyond that, give flowers for congratulation is common in Indonesia, but having kiss in front of people or public places, whereas those people don’t marry yet, it is strongly uncommon. People will think that you are impolite even excessive person because it includes as dishonourable behaviour in Indonesia. Although people have married, they don’t allow for having kiss in public places.

1c. Abstract (Values or Norms)

That goes without saying that from the film we can understand Western people perceive that ice skating is very prestisius game and competition, but in Eastern not. Ice skating is a need and a common skill which everyone must have in Western. It is the most popular game in winter.

“By the time the race Sectionals, Casey did well. In Salchow three, she slipped and fell, but then she saw Joan in the audience who stood thus increasing her confidence, made her did her best, beautiful and artistic abilities. At the end of the race Sectionals, Casey finished as the second, while the first was Nikki”. From that story of the film, I can conclude that people who we love can give us support to de our best although we almost give up.

2.        The Analysis of Cultural Aspects of 5cm Film

2a. Artefacts (concreate)

5cm film has concreate cultural aspect that I have found. That is about clothes. This characters used polite clothes that represent our culture as Eastern country. It’s very contrast with the Ice Princess film that some way the characters use polite clothes in winter since they may feel cold, but some way they use so mini-dress although in winter. The mini-dress may polite in Western because it represent their culture, but it’s completely impolite in our culture.

2b. Pattern of Behaviour

From both the film we can see many of different behaviours between teenagers in Western and Eastern.  From 5cm film, teenagers respect their parents so much, even they are very afraid with them. But in Western, people decide their future by theirselves and they aren’t afraid if their parents get angry with them. It’s doesn’t matter for them because they can work by theirselves to pay what they need, they can do everything with their ability, and don’t depend on their parents. So, we can conclude that Eastern are dependence, while Western are freedom.

Men and women in 5cm film also don’t have kiss before married though they love anyone so much. They usually only shake their hands, neck, pinch friend’s nose, or just touch between cheeks to express their feelings in friendship or love.

2c. Abstract (Values or Norms)

            5cm film showed that Indonesian as eastern culture perceive that family and friends are important for their life. They have much relatives and care with each other while in Western they perceive that all about their life is a private matter that someone mustn’t know about that. Asking about life is very impolite in Western, but in Eastern it will be a symbol that someone respect and care with us. Simply, we can say that Eastern are collective while Western are individual.

JJJJJ

Wife Expectation in 'Cat in the Rain' Short Story

Wife Expectation in 'Cat in the Rain' Short Story

The theme that reveal the topic of this story is Desolate Woman Endears herself to her Husband. It can be seen  or represented from the intrinsik elements of this short story especially character, plot (conflict), setting, and symbol.

The characters in this short story are described indirectly, thereby it can be called as indirect or implicit characterization. The redaer should think and conclude what the character of the person is from the statement in the story, or the movement or action of the actor. The indirects in this story can be characterized by some ways; firstly, dialogues, such as the character of the woman is sensitive and merciful can be seen from the first dialogue when she wanted to go down and got the poor kitty which was taking shelter although her husband prohibited her. Secondly, actions. Taking for example, the sentence ‘The wife went downstairs and the hotel owner stood up and bowed to her as she passed the office’ in the story represents that the woman finally go down to get the kitty. Thirdly, thoughts and feelings. We can see the husband, George’s character that is irresponsive and didn’t care with others, not only with his own wife but also with the poor kitty. When his wife wanted a kitty he didn’t do nothing, also when his wife tried to do something with her hair pretentiously, he prefered to continue his reading and didn’t care with those. Fourthly, relationships. One example, the hotel owner was very care with Signora and he didn’t want she got wet when trying to get the kitty. He ordered a hotel-keeper to bring her an umbrella. Lastly he also sent her a big tortoiseshell cat to make up the poor kitty that went away. In this case, the man as the hotel owner wanted to serve well and give the best for his customers. For this relationship between a hotel owner and the customers made him tried to do everything to make them feel comfortable in the hotel. The next is appearances; for instance, the sentence that the woman said ‘I want to pull my hair back tight and smooth and make a big knot at the back that I can feel’, represents that the woman character that is very coquettish because she wanted to endears herself to her husband. We can know from the sentence that her hair appearance can represent his coquettish character. The last is motivation. To illustrate, we can see that the condition for being desolate or loneliness could motivate Signora to get a kitty which would sit on her lap and purr when she stroke her and also some new clothes. In this case, motivation for getting kitty and some new clothes could represents her character as a spoiled woman.

Plot has two important elements, they are conflict and climax. In this story there some conflicts (minor conflicts)  and one climax (major conflict). The conflicts are about the wife expectation to get the poor kitty when her husband prohibit her, a cat which sit on her lap and purr when she stroke her, eat at a table with her own silver and candles. She also wanted it to be spring and brush her hair out in front of a mirror and she once again wanted a kitty and some new clothes, instead of her husband didn’t care with her. Implicitely she wanted her husband took care with her in her loneliness but her husband still read and read busily. Her husband said that she should shut up and he got something to read. Then, he read again and again. The climax is when she was looking out of the window. It was quite dark now and still raining in the palm trees. ‘Anyway, I want a cat,’ she said, ‘I want a cat. I want a cat now. If I can’t have long hair or any fun, I can have a cat.’ Nonetheless, George was not listening. He was reading his book. His wife only looked out of the window where the light had come on in the square. The woman was truly desolate and lonely, she also may feel dejected to her husband’s attitude. Finally, the resolution is when a maid knocked at the door and held a big tortoiseshell cat pressed tight against her and swung down against her body. The padrone asked her to bring that for Signora. The big tortoiseshell cat can make up the kitty which Signora wanted so much. I perceive undoubtedly that it can reduce the Signora’s desolate condition.

The elements of which setting is composed are place, social condition, time, and atmosphere. The actual location of this story is in detail of a room’s interior of Italian hotel. It can be seen in the first pharagraph ‘There were only two Americans stopping at the hotel’... Their room was on the second floor facing the sea...,  and third pharagraph ‘Italians came from a long way off to look up at the war monument’. Also we can see that the hotel owner spoke in Italian ; ‘Si, Si, Signora, brutto tempo... ‘Ha perduto qualque cosa, Signora?’... ‘Si, il gatto.’  Furthermore, the occupations and modes of day-to-day existence of the characters are caring about something. For example, character’s job on the hotel owner who serve the customer well. Besides, the time in which the action takes place is at night when there was raining. Just as the sentence in 3^th pharagraph ‘It was raining. The rain dripped from the palm trees...’, and 13^th pharagraph ‘His wife was looking out of the window. It was quite dark now and still raining in the palm trees’. Last, the emotional environment of the characters is desolate and loneliness because her husband didn’t care and listening her. We can see in the 13-14^th pharagraph ‘Anyway, I want a cat,’ she said, ‘I want a cat. I want a cat now. If I can’t have long hair or any fun, I can have a cat.’ George was not listening. He was reading his book’.

Symbol can be defined as words which represent unreal meaning. The symbol that appears in this short story is cat or poor kitty. As we know that cat is the most spoiled animal who always want to be cared by its owner. Likewise, we can see from the wife’s sentence that she wanted a cat which sit on her lap and purr when she stroke her. Thus, in this short story, cat symbolize spoils of the wife who wanted her husband will attend to her. The wife felt so desolate because her husband do his own activity that was focus on his reading busily again and again, he didn’t care and listening whatever what she wanted. Whereas they were wife and husband in a hotel, generally the husband should make harmonic relationship with his wife; on the contrary, he didn’t. She continuesly wish that her husband would do that after she tried to stunning him, but he still didn’t care with her.