Ghett'a Life Review

1. Who was your favorite character(s) from the film? Why?

My favorite character was Dawn (Derrick's mom), because she really loved her son, she cared for him more than anything else. She even make him a boxing suit (that was one of my favorite parts). She helped Derrick to achieve his dream, even if that implied her betraying her party.

2. How does the film compare to the other Jamaican films from the 70s? (Besides visual effects, think about the plot and character development).

I think it has a better character development than the other films we have seen in class. I could sympathize more with the characters and the story was more clear.  I think the fact that taking something like boxing that has nothing to do with the party division and making it end the conflict it feels like something new, more than just focusing in the conflict itself and just the fights between parties. 

3. How are woman portrayed in this film? Is it a little or big advancement compared to the films from the 1970's?

First of all we have Dawn, she is the first important female character to be shown in the film. We also have Camella, but her character gets stuck at the middle of the film and doesn't evolve that much. However, I think Dawn represents a really big advancement when it comes to female characters in Jamaican movies. We all know how sexist Jamaica is, so the fact that a woman can be this strong in a film is great!

"The Pain Tree" Review

1. Who is your favorite character from the story and what kind of background do they come from? (use examples from Michelle Cliff's essay, If I could write this in fire, I would write this in fire)

My favorite character is Larissa, she remind me to the ladies of the movie "The Help". This women took care of the children of the white women of the house, sometimes they were almost like their mothers, and often they labor wasn't recognized. Her personality is the thing I like the most, but it also make feel sad, because she pretends to be strong even if she is in deep pain. 

From Michelle Cliff's essay, I can tell that she is like the black women who was oppressed by lighter skin women. 

2. Why do you think Lorraine's mother mocks the workers that independence from England?

Because she is the oppressor's side, the dependence on England benefits her. The independence would probably take away her privileges, so she find "stupid" the purpose of the workers. She just see them as slaves, her bigger concern is who is gonna work for her if the independence occurs. She probably thinks the European culture is better than the Jamaican culture.

3. What is a "pain tree" and how does it play a role in the story?

Is a way to handle pain without crying, the servants of the big houses probably weren't allowed to show their emotions like anger and pain, so they had to find another way to do it. In this story the tree show us another side of the life of the oppressed women, the feeling of loss that they had to hide. From the story I could tell that they live in a totally different world, with their own rules.

4. What is the meaning of the line "people like me would always inherit the land, but they were the ones who already possessed the Earth"?

The line says that the Earth it truly belongs to the oppressed women, that the oppressors are just people that arrived after. The land refers to the physical, they had the houses, the material stuff, but all the culture, the spiritual side of the territory it belongs to the Jamaican women. It also separate Lorraine from Larissa, she recognizes that she belongs to the oppressors, even if she was really close to Larissa.