Identify at least one type of behavior considered to be unacceptable within the world of the text on your comparative course. Explain why such behavior is unacceptable in this cultural context and discuss the responses of society to such behavior. Support your answer with references to the text.

The film I studied during my comparative course was ‘Pride’ directed by Matthew Warchus. This film is a prime example of certain behaviors being seen as unacceptable in society. This film portrays the story of a group of Gays and Lesbians, forming a group called the LGSM. This group was formed in order to support Welsh miners who were struggling while on strike. The film shows the group's journey, their highs, and their lows. During the film, there are a number of scenes that portray the nonacceptance of Lesbians and Gays.

This film is set in the 1980s in London, England, a period under Margaret Thatcher’s harsh rule. This was a period when being Gay or Lesbian was seen as a sin. It was considered a terrible thing to be. The majority of society considered being Lesbian or Gay as a choice which is simply not true. In fact, being Lesbian or Gay shouldn't be considered 'behavior'. It's not behavior. It's just simply who you are. Societies back in the 80's didn't understand this due to the culture they were born into. They were lead to believe this belief was correct.

In my opinion, being Lesbian or Gay was seen as unacceptable behavior purely due to the period of time. Although the film was set just roughly 29 years ago, the culture of many European societies have undergone massive changes. The difference between acceptance of Lesbians and Gays has changed massively. In the the 1980's, the mindset of people from England was if you're not straight, you're not right. In order to be right, you must like the opposite sex. Therefore, the LGSM group were purely not accepted by their society. In general, people in societies in the past didn't like change. Societies were supposed to consist of 'normal' people. These people's ideas of 'normal' was being straight. People didn't like outliers. This isn't their fault though. It's the society they've grown up in. It's the culture they've been taught by their parents and their society. It's all they know. Being Gay or lesbian is different, something no one ever wanted to be. The rigidity of what was allowed under Thatcher's rule was a massive contributor to the nonacceptance of Lesbian's and Gays, without a doubt. There was a very clear right and a very clear wrong under Thatcher's rule. She was brutal. The responses of society to the LGSM group were truly horrific. Endless looks of disgust and horror were made by various members of society towards the members of LGSM whilst they were fundraising for the Welsh Miners or simply just minding their own business. Whilst this is horrible and very wrong, I don't blame the people. I blame the culture of the society they were brought up in. 

There are a number of scenes throughout the course of this movie which display the sheer disgust and nonacceptance of society towards Gays and Lesbians.

The first scene which displays the lack of acceptance of society towards Lesbians and Gays happens very early on in the movie. Joe, a closeted 19 year old gay man is at his first gay march on his birthday. He hadn't yet joined the march. He was just standing on a pathway beside the march, watching as the massive group of Lesbians and Gays marched by him with pride. He is hesitant to join. He is worried about how his society will see him if they find out his secret. They won't see him as 'normal' anymore. As Joe is watching, a woman and her daughter walk by him. The lady mutters "disgusting" at him as she walks by. Joe nods and responds with "yes, yes". While this might seem like a quite small and insignificant scene, it is one that has really stuck in my memory. It displays perfectly how scared and nervous Joe is about vocalizing and displaying his sexuality. He is truly terrified. I can only imagine how he feels, growing up in a society with a culture of nonacceptance of Lesbians and Gays only to discover he is a gay man himself. He agrees with this lady immediately. He still hasn't fully accepted who he is. If he grew up in our society today, there would be no question of acceptance or nonacceptance. The culture which I've grown up in is you are who you are and who is anyone else to judge that? 

The second scene which displays the disgust and nonacceptance of people in society towards Gays and Lesbians occurs as the LGSM group are fundraising to support the Welsh miners who were struggling massively while on strike. While the group were fundraising, a middle-aged man walks by and spits at them. He doesn't say a word. It's as if Lesbians and Gays aren't even worth his breath nor his effort. All they're worth is his spit. 

These two scenes display the nonacceptance of Lesbians and Gays in society perfectly. There is evident differences in the class' of people. There's 'normal' people and then far below them, there's Lesbians and Gays. This different class of people began years and years ago from people in society being taught the culture of nonacceptance of Lesbians and Gays.

Secrets in 'Pride'

The text I have studied is the film 'Pride' by Matthew Warchus. The theme of secrets is littered throughout 'Pride'. It is shown within this film that gay people are constantly forced to keep secrets. They keep these secrets from their families, friends and the public in general. This is primarily seen in the character of Joe, who leads two lives. One is a secret life as a gay man, working with the volunteer group: 'LGSM', and another is his public life with his family, where he must keep his homosexuality a secret from them. Another example where we see secrecy is in the character of Cliff, who kept his homosexuality a secret for his entire life. He finally feels comfortable to 'come out' as gay to Hefina, who surprises him by saying that she has known for decades. Cliff keeping this a secret highlights the theme of secrecy and due to Cliff's comfort in telling someone this secret shows how secrecy is becoming less necessary and how this theme is becoming less relevant.

 This secrecy is still prevalent in the gay community due to the stigma which many older generations still hold today, but younger generations have a more liberal view on homosexuality and many agree we have, as a society, become more accepting of homosexuality. Many gay people still feel they must keep their homosexuality a secret, just like in this film, but many also feel the secrecy has become less necessary. Making this theme of secrecy less relevant today, though still relevant.

Various social groups, both large and small, (such as family, friends, organisation or community) reflect the cultural context in texts.

Various social groups, both large and small, (such as family, friends, organisation or community) reflect the cultural context in texts.

   In Matthew Warchus’s Pride, various social groups help to reflect the cultural context of the text. Pride is set in 1980’s Britain, alternating setting between the impoverished town of Onllwyn, Wales and the vibrant streets of London.

 The film introduces us to LGSM, a group of LGBT activists and friends. After hearing about the plight of the Welsh miners, they decide to take action and raise money for them.  This organisation helps showcase the cultural context and national feeling on the LGBT community. LGSM face constant setbacks as they search for a mining community to support.Several unions and communities hang up onthem straight away. This reflects the 'shame' associated with the gay community. No one wanted toassociate with them, due to the embarrassment it would bring. This social group allows us to witness the constant harassment and prejudice faced by this community. A brick is thrown through their shop window, and they are publicly shamed in their attempt to raise money. 'Perverts support the Pits' Later, when Gethin goes out to fundraise on his own, he is beaten up. This reflects the culture of the time, where being a gay man is dangerous. This was a reality faced by many gay people in the 1980's. Homosexuality was not just frowned upon, it was actively protested. The police force did not intervene, in fact the police seen escorting the Pride March jeer at the marchers. 

    As well as seeing LGSM as a whole, we are also given a deeper insight into the family dynamics of members in the group. When we first meet Joe, he sneaks out to go to the Gay Pride Parade in London. He is hiding a massive secret from his family.  He continues to keep this secret for the majority of the film, spinning elaborate lies to explain where he goes. This was common for many young LGBT members, who were terrified of coming out. Casual homophobia seemed to punctuate every home, Joe's sister's husband jokes about Aids, "Anally injected death syndrome" However Joe is unable to keep this secret forever. Upon returning home from the charity ball, he is confronted by his parents, who after rifling through his personal belongings have found out his deepest secret. They are unable to accept him, his Dad shouts at him, while his mother emotionally manipulates him. She says "It's such a terrible life Joe.. No family, hiding from everyone, keeping secrets?"Although this seems harsh and manipulative it is also true in a time where people were not accepted and had to hide. The family dynamics here reflect the cultural context in the text.
    Acceptance is a key theme in the text, and in LGSM most members have been isolated by families due to their sexuality. Steph will not call her mother as she will only receive a "queerbashing". Gethin has not spoken to his mother in over 16 years as she could not accept him. This helps to show the political and social context of the time. However there is hope, Gethin reunites with his mother, and she is able to accept him finally. This shows that the culture in the film is changing, slowly becoming more accepting and inclusive. However this shift took a lot of time, as is evident by the fact that Joe's family are unable to accept him.
     At the end of the film we learn that the Labour Party voted to enshrine the rights of the LGBT community in their manifesto, however before 1985 this was not a political priority. The LGBT community were not politcially represented and this translates into their treatment in everyday life. The legal age of consent was 21, as compared to the age of 16 for heterosexuals. As Joe's mother tells him, this is to "protect him" as if homosexuality is something negative and dangerous. This is just one of the many ways the LGBT community were discriminated against. Upon Joe's 21st birthday at the conclusion of the text, he is given a badge by Mark proudly proclaiming that he is legal.

   The theme of dysfunctional family is wonderfully evident throughout the film 'Pride' by Matthew Warchus. In one of the first scenes we are confronted by the theme of Dysfunctional family in the life of one of the central characters, Joe. Straightaway, in the light filled suburban kitchen we can sense the awkward lack of communication between Joe and his parents. Joe's mother is sickeningly saccharin in her celebration of Joe's 20th birthday. She still treats him as if he is a little boy, her intentions are good but she does not understand him. Joe's father is a stern, uncommunicative man who rarely talks and does not value his son. Joe hides his secret gay identity from his family for the majority of the film. As he learns more about himself and becomes more involved in the gay community there grows a sense of leading a double life. When he is with his friends working in the group, down in Wales or in Gethin's bookshop he is alive but when he comes home he shrinks back into a scared little boy hiding everything from the intolerant environment around him. The dysfunctionality of Joe's family is created by the complete lack of empathy, understanding and communication on the part of his parents and Joe's secretive manner around them.
The theme of dysfunctional family is clearly seen in Joe's life.

The theme of dysfunctional family is seen once again within the family of Lesbians and Gays support the miners group.  There are many personality clashes within the group, the flamboyant gays like Jonathan don't see eye to eye with the more conservative gays like Reggie on how they should behave in the Welsh village. There are rifts between the strident Lesbians in the group and Mark, the leader. The Dysfunctionality caused by their insistence on having a women's group results in them leaving the group and setting up their own group. The most striking evidence of this theme is seen at the low point of the film when Mark and Mike the symbolic Father and Mother of the Group have a falling out resulting in Mark leaving the group.

Cultural Context dictating a difficulty in 'Pride'

"The cultural context within a text often dictates the crises or difficulties faced by the characters and their responses to these difficulties."

It is evident that in the film 'Pride', characters are constantly being faced with difficulties and struggles as a result of the world they live in, or the cultural context. The film 'Pride' is set in 1980's England, when homophobia, Margaret Thatcher, and the mystery of AIDS defined the nation. The characters who we are introduced to in this text are in a constant battle with these things. Take Joe or Gethin, for example, two characters who are forced to leave their homes as a result of homophobia. Then there are the Welsh miners; a group of people battling the wrath of Margaret Thatcher. And finally, let us consider Jonathan, the second man to be diagnosed as HIV positive in England.  All are fine examples of how cultural context within a text often dictates the crises or difficulties faced by its characters. 

Joe and Gethin are two central characters in the film 'Pride'. The story line follows Joe through a huge year in his life; the year of his 20th birthday, the year in which it becomes legal to be a sexually- active homosexual man, and the year in which he comes out as openly, and proudly, gay.

The text starts on the day of Joe's 20th birthday, as he sits with his mother at his dining room table and receives a camera for his birthday. From this opening scene, we are aware of how sad, and slightly dysfunctional, Joe's family appears to be. His dad, sits on the couch, and his mother at the dining room table with a fake smile on her face. The scene seems to be the worst possible way to spend a 20th birthday; no friends and a sad, lonely family.  Joe then leaves the table, and sneaks off to the London Pride March, not telling his family as he knows that they won't accept the fact that he's a gay man. Joe makes friends at the march, and winds up joining Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) and going to his first gay party; a momentous, and unforgettable, day in his life. We then follow the group Joe joins, LGSM, over the next year, as they defy odds, form friendships, and help give Joe an identity.

However, Joe isn't only effected by the world he lives in at home, but in Wales too. When LGSM travel to Wales to hand over a large amount of money that they have collected for the miners at Dulais valley, they aren't exactly welcomed with open arms. Joe experiences what it was like to be openly gay in a not-so-openly accepting society. This is the second time that finding himself in a homophobic society results in Joe facing a crisis. From not feeling comfortable being gay in his own home in Bromley, to not feeling comfortable about being identified as gay in Wales, it seemed as if the world is against Joe.

Joe, however, is inspired by the people in Wales, as they learn to love and accept him for who he is, and he believes that maybe, one day, his family can do the same. Yet, he decides against telling them his best hidden, most powerful, secret. Unfortunately, Joe's family unveil his mystery for him, and he is put under house arrest. His mother tells him that he will live a lonely life as a gay man. However, by putting him under house arrest and not letting him see his friends, sheis in fact restricting him and forcing him into a lonely life; all because society won't accept Joe. Eventually, Joe stands up to his family and leaves them, announcing that he wishes some day they can be friends again, but for now, he knows that his family, and society don't want him, so he goes to find the people who do accept him, and who encourage him to be himself: the LGSM.

Joe was not the only character we see who is faced with a struggle as a result of society at the time, and likewise, he was not the only member of the LGSM who isn't in contact with their parents because of their sexuality. In fact, Gethin, Mark, Steph have all been exiled by their families. We see a story, almost opposite to Joe's, when Gethin contacts his mum, after sixteen years of separtion.

Gethin, a gay man living in London, and a member of LGSM, was from Wales, and hadn't seen his mother in 16 years as a result of his sexuality and his decision to live openly as a gay man. Gethin was inspired by the people in Wales, who all encouraged him to contact his mum. So one day, when they were staying in Dulais Valley, Gethin decided to set off and to reach his mother again. When he arrived at her door, she was thrilled to see him, and it turns out that she had become more accepting of gay people since he had last seen her. Gethin's reunion with his mother was inspiring, especially for Joe, and it is what encouraged Joe to firstly leave his home, and secondly, to hope that one day he could return.

As I have shown in this blog post, many of the characters in 'Pride' had challenges to face as a result of the homophobic world they lived in. However, I have only told you of the stories of two characters, and if you read my next blog post, you'll be able to find out about the miners' struggles and the Jonathan's battle with being HIV positive. 

In relation to one text on your comparative course, discuss the aspects of the text that ,in your opinion make your chosen theme or issue appear more or less relevant to life today. support your answer with reference to the text

Conflict is an eternally relevant theme in all texts. The text I am dealing with in this essay is 'Pride' by Matthew Warchus. It is a broad term that straddles many kinds of relationships. In this text there is conflict between Joes newly developed world view and his parent's traditional world view. There is conflict on a national scale between Thatcher and the miners over the pit closures and there is conflict between longstanding friends such as Cliff and Maureen over sexual identity. 

  

It is no secret that life today is insurmountably different from life a few generations ago. In today's life society's world view is much more tolerant and progressive whereas in the 1980s growing gays rights movement was regarded with contempt and disdain. One of the main characters, Joe, comes from a working middle class family who shared these affections for the LGBTQ+ community. His family shunned things that would make them seem less respectable by society and their neighbours. Joe being a young man raised without much freedom of expression, naturally felt inclined to rebel against his parents the first chance he got. His chosen method was to attend a gay pride march which was taking place in London. After his first encounter with actual gay people Joe stands on the sidewalk and we see conflicted emotions cross his face he is clearly weighing up his budding comradeship with some gay people and the traditional opinion his parents had indoctrinated him with from childhood. In the end he decides to join "the gays", as Hefina calls them, at a club.  As the text continues, that decision went on to shape the course of Joe's life and worldview. 

Joe goes on to share key experiences with the rest of LGSM and by the end of the year admits to himself that he is a gay man. When Joe's parents found out Joe's usually distant father unleashes his anger on Joe, the reader cannot discern the words being said as the only part of that key scene shown on camera is an out of focus panning shot of Joe slumped at the kitchen table and his father at the head of the table shouting and gesturing furiously in Joe's direction. This is a major rift in the family and the peak of conflict the text regarding Joe and his family as the conflicting worldviews that have been building between Joe and his family are converted into a material conflict. This resulted in Joe having to leave his home because his views and his parents views were no longer reconcilable. 

Unfortunately, Joe's experience is mirrored in gay people's lives today. Only in today's life homophobia is less visible than it was in the 1980's. if anything the text highlights the importance of showing acceptance to gay people because they may be dealing with the same conflicts Joe did in their own family life. The good news is that society has progressed somewhat. There are bigger and bigger turnouts to gay pride parades every year proving there was fruit to all the previous parades, all the past demonstrations were relevant to the current mindset.  The recent Irish referendum to make gay marriage legal was a big step forward for the Irish gay community and a positive reflection on how the Irish opinions on gay marriage are relevant because it makes a real difference to people that weren't allowed marry 30 years ago and now are allowed to marry whoever they wish regardless of gender. 

  

From looking at cultural context of the text we see a much larger conflict in progress between Margret Thatcher the prime minister of England in 1979/90 and the miners who were defending their livelihoods. Part of Margret thatcher’s plan as prime minister was to shut down the Mines. The large problem with Thatchers plan was that there were entire towns of people in England for whom, for generations their only source of income was mining. To shut down the mines was to shut down their only source of income and way of life. One of the characters, Cliff says that ' The pit and the people are one and the same.'  In the text there was a very strong sense that the people were fighting against a cutthroat government. The same conflict is happening all over the world today, it seems as if in today's life the governments of the world are only interested in profit. They would sacrifice people's welfare, animal welfare and the environment all for a bit more profit. A big debate recently was regarding the second amendment and gun laws in America. The American people have been lobbying for the repeal of the second amendments as it is a dreadful risk to life. There is a direct correlation between the miners of the text and the gun struggle in America today, in both cases the people are fighting the government for their lives to be preserved. There will always be conflict between authoritarian figures and the public and therefore the theme of this text will always be relevant to the present day.  

The relationship between two longstanding friends or acquaintances is always fraught with conflict, occasionally there is a positive resolution but in many cases that is simply not possible. One such case is the relationship between Cliff and Maureen in the text. Maureen stands against the gay peoples efforts in Wales the entire way through the text. Her bias is a deep held belief that no one seems to be able to dislodge. The only person who ever got close was Maureens longtime friend, Cliff, when he invited her to join in the celebrations with the gay people at Hefina's house. The two friends are on different sides of the gay rights movement. Cliff is a gay man who hasn't come out yet and Maureen is a homophobic woman this clearly causes conflict in their relationship. This conflict is clearly visible in the text when Cliff quietly rages at her after the vote to stop accepting funds from LGSM. Although the text never completely resolves the case if their friendship it is safe to assume that the two could never be good friends ever again as their beliefs were no longer reconcilable. This situation must occur more and more in the present day

The author of 'Pride' uses literary techniques such as symbolism, imagery and foreshadowing to contribute to compelling story telling in the text.

Throughout the film we are bombarded with subtle imagery of bridges that make their way into our subconscious mind. the author uses bridges to symbolise a middle ground between two worlds or a step forward. the first instance of a bridge comes at the very start of the film. mark has just been inspired by his tv to help the miners, though he doesn't know it he is about to start a journey that will occupy him for the rest of his life. He comes out of his flat and crosses a bridge on his way the to pride march, where he tells mike of his plans to help the miners, giving the story a clear direction.

LGSM decide to head to wales to show their support of the miners, the director zooms out on a wide drone shot to show their van crossing the Severn bridge on their way to Dulais. This bridge symbolises the massive change in culture, LGSM are about to experience. 

Upon arrival in Dulais we see a bleak, grey and depressed welsh town the antithesis to the bright London night life. The director uses such imagery to highlight the difference between the two settings and the two groups, LGSM and the miners, yet they are fighting the same war. Despite these differences, both group definitely share some similarities, Gays the word and the welsh community centre are both social hubs for each community and where the majority of scenes were shot. The red brick of the bookshop contrasts with the bleak imagery from the community centre.

 iIsee you are listing all of the examples of bridges here which is good  - remember that you should try to suggest why the bridges are being used in every instance and what the symbolisms means ... and that way your piecewill sound less ike a list. Also have not used capital letters etc...  you need to go back and fix that and overall the essay will need a bit of work because I am expecting about 100 words for this answer