"it Is Circumstance That Enables Us to Reinvent Ourselves and the World around Us."
Summary:
There are two main ways in which people reinvent themselves. In the case of Boaz Yakin's `Remember the Titans' released in 2000, it explores reinvention through the community responding to certain circumstances. Many people reinvent themselves by responding to circumstances that occur beyond their control.
There are two main ways in which people reinvent themselves. In the case of Boaz Yakin's 'Remember the Titans' released in 2000, it explores reinvention through the community responding to certain circumstances. Many people reinvent themselves by responding to circumstances that occur beyond their control. However, in the case of the short story 'The Gossiper', the protagonist acted spontaneously because she regretted her actions. This text demonstrates a second way in which people reinvent themselves through their own decisions and their own will to improve themselves. The collection of pictures of Madonna in the third text from the stimulus booklet also exemplifies Madonna's reinventions through personal will to be accepted by the public as a celebrity. The set text 'Life of Pi' explores vast varieties of concepts concerning reinvention both a response to circumstances and development through a person's own will. Both of these types of reinvention contribute to the gradual changes that Pi makes, and in the end, he reinvents himself to become a different person in the end.
Reinventions can be of completely absurd and unexpected things, which are only adopted and understood after a long time. An example of this seem in Life of Pi is when Pi discovers an unexpected relationship with the tiger, Richard Parker, after spending some time in the lifeboat with him. What he thought as a threat at first he later realised to be a calm and supportive force that he needed in order to survive, which is seen as he states 'it was Richard Parker who calmed me down'. Through his circumstance of having to be in a lifeboat with a tiger, he was able to reinvent this unique perception of Richard Parker as an effective, calming company, which nobody could have achieved through their own decision or willpower.
Like 'Life of Pi', the protagonist in Boaz Yakin's 'Remember the Titans' reinvents a new perspective through circumstances. The community was able to realise the true identities that lay beneath the strong, long-existing stereotyping of the opposing races. It was only after a new football coach came to town, that the people were gradually able to change their way of thinking. This also was a much unexpected perception that was reinvented only through a gradual process that took a long time. The focus on the significance of the change is emphasised by the juxtaposition of the two shots, at the end of the movie. The shot begins with a long shot that led the viewers through the town, focusing on the separation between the black and white people by some close up shots on the way. During the single movement, the shot then fades to the present where the two races are together. This symbolises the change, giving the contrast in the community before and after the change. The significant change is clearly revealed when, at the end of the movie, the football coach tells his team "You've taught this city how to trust the soul of a man rather than the look of him."
Unlike the examples given above, the short story "The Gossiper" explores reinvention using a different approach. The protagonist spread a gossip around the whole town about a neighbour, who was deeply hurt by this. The protagonist later learned the rumour to not be true, and full of regret, she seeks a sage for assistance of what she could do to erase her mistake. This shows how the protagonist realises the error of her ways, and through her own will, she attempts to change what she had done. However, from the sage, she learns that some things cannot be changed after they have been done, and through the process of her own decision to improve herself, she creates a new outlook in an effort to become a better person, and thereby reinvents a completely new persona for herself.
As we saw in "The Gossiper", Pi reinvents his views on religion through personal development. He begins with being a Hindu and nothing else, then he adds Christianity and finally the Muslim faith, and from this reinvention, he finds happiness in life. None of his parents or relatives are Christians or Muslim. However, despite this he asks his parents for permission to be baptised and to buy a praying rug, even knowing that his parents would disapprove. In this way, we see his strong desire to become a Christian and Muslim through reinvention. In this case, however, it occurs naturally, and is not a response from the people around him.
The photos of Madonna in the third text from the stimulus booklet show the many reinventions Madonna had made of herself. Madonna has always tried to be a sex symbol. She started off as a nude model, and the text shows her face on the cover of a German porn magazine. She then reinvented herself by finding a career as a successful recording artist. However, she did some serious singing and acting in the musical 'Evita', and also made some movies with her husband. She is well-known for being a pop singer, however she also has a country and western persona. Finally she appears on the cover of the magazine 'Good Housekeeping'. As a young pop-princess, she would have been horrified to know that one day she would adorn the cover of such a domestic house-proud magazine. For an aging celebrity, it is very hard to become an anonymous person, and so she has changed her persona many times to be in the public eye. Although the manner in which Madonna reinvents herself may appear to be a case of spontaneous reinvention, I believe she is responding to external events and circumstances. In this case, she is responding to her circumstances as an aging pop idol, and reinvents herself to maintain her public profile.
In conclusion, reinvention is caused by circumstances. It is circumstances that give people new ideas and realisations which trigger people into making the changes that modify people's perceptions resulting in them reinventing themselves. Without these situations, people cannot change, for without any discoveries or new ideas, there is nothing to cause change. The protagonists in the texts 'The Gossiper', 'Life of Pi', the pictures of Madonna, and the movie 'Remember the Titans' have all reinvented themselves through circumstances or the natural desire that is influenced by circumstances. It is the result of the number of changes that are made, which leads to the reinvention of ourselves and the world around us. And because reinvention comes from the many circumstances that continue to influence us without our awareness, it is something that occurs to everybody through their normal everyday lives.
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