Poverty and Sociological Imagination - Movie Review Example

Poverty a) Definitions Sociology Sociology is the logical study of community. Sociology is a social science which utilizes varied techniques of experimental investigation and vital analysis to create a body of information with regard to human activity. It is a field of research that involves undertaking research, which might be utilized directly to societal policy and welfare. It might also involve refining the abstract comprehension of social procedures. Sociology also describes the assessment of human, social demeanour particularly the research of the origins, structure, organizations, and creation of human community. It is also the evaluation of a social organization or social subdivision as a self-contained body or in connection to community as a whole (Ray and Marilyn, 2002). Sociological Imagination Sociological imagination refers to the lucid comprehension of the correlation between experience and the entire community. It also describes the utilization of ingenious thought to the inquiring and answering of sociological queries. An individual utilizing the sociological thoughts thinks away from common routines of daily existence. Sociological imagination is the comprehension that social upshots are described by social perspective, performers, and societal deeds. This implies that sociological imagination requires comprehension of the fact that certain things in the community might result to a certain upshot. The performers cited in the description are things such as standards and motives. The societal situation refers to things such as the nation. The social undertaking describes the things individuals do that influences other individuals. This hypothesis of the sociological imagination implies that the things that people do are determined by the situation they are in, the principles they hold and the manner in which individuals around them react. Additionally, sociological imagination describes the capability to visualize things socially, how they relate and impact each other (Ray and Marilyn, 2002). Importance of Sociological Imagination in Understanding Social Life Sociological imagination is crucial in an individual’s life. An individual needs to comprehend the account of their community, as well as comprehend themselves inside the community. Through this procedure, an individual establishes his or her ethical principles. This comprehension is extremely crucial since the individual can participate in the civic matters of the community instead of living a secluded life. This ultimately enables the individual to tackle the quandaries of his or her existence which are sourced from the community. Sociological imagination is also extremely vital in comprehending the community in a personal life as well as the chronological forces which developed the issue. Devoid of this comprehension, the person cannot comprehend either himself or herself nor their duty and position within the community. The sociological imagination offers this insight, permitting the individual to identify and comprehend the massive forces at work within the community. This also enables one to comprehend how these massive forces connect with each other and ultimately affect the life of the person. b) Differences between Social Issues and Personal Problems Social matters are contentious subjects, which connect to people’s individual lives and interrelationships. Social issues are typically pertaining to a certain community. The effects of social issues are usually on the individuals residing in a certain locale within the community. A social quandary is also a condition that varied individuals in a society consider being detrimental. Everybody would concur about certain social quandaries, for instance, murders and rape. However, other social quandaries might be seen as such by some individuals. For instance, these social quandaries include teenagers playing deafening music in a park. Conversely, an individual quandary is one that influences a singular person. This might involve issues with one’s relatives, children among others. It might also involve the problems one might experience at work which impacts on his or her personal life. Locus of control describes a person’s widespread expectancies with regard to the forces that establish rewards and reprimands. Persons with an interior locus of power see occurrences as culminating from their personal actions and vice Versa. For instance, an individual with an interior locus of power will attribute the letdown to accomplish a certain objective to poor individual preparation while this is not the case for an individual with an exterior locus of power. Individual efficacy is a psychological hypothesis developed from social, cognitive hypothesis. One of the significant standards with regard to the personal efficacy is the supposition that one’s sense of self as well as the social conditions in which one lives, and toils have reciprocal impacts. These conditions influence individual identity as well as one’s self efficacy convictions. Individual efficacy also describes one’s convictions about their capacity to realize challenging goals. c) Film Information (Angela’s Ashes) The content of the film Angela’s Ashes emanates from a journal bearing an analogous identity. The chronicle is by Frank McCourt. The director of this film is Alan Parker. In addition, the starring personality is Emily Watson alongside other characters such as Robert Carlyle. Moreover, there is a character bearing the identity of Joe Breen. Another person appearing in the film is Ciaran Owens. Furthermore, there is a starring personality by the identity of Michael Legge. The final three persons represent the infant, middle and older Frank in the movie respectively. The explication of choosing this movie is because it depicts poverty in an extremely vivid demeanour. The film achieves this depiction of poverty by narrating the tale of Frank and his infancy. This narration occurs after the compulsion of his relatives to move from the U.S to Ireland. This poverty is due to economic and relatives’ quandaries emanating from his dad’s alcoholism. The film narrates Frank’s existence during his infancy in the 1930s, the quandaries that were prevalent as well as his demeanour of earning cash to return to his dream home of the U.S (McCourt, 1999). d) Social Issue in the Film-Poverty In the film, the topic of poverty is convincing. In the region of Limerick, the populace has admitted that poverty is a reality of existence. For Frank, the dole cash is insufficient. When they initially inhabit Limerick, Malachy gets just 19 shillings weekly, for six relatives; and thus, they frequently starve. The only quandary is not food, but there are also the outrageous living circumstances. There is only a single toilet for the entire community of eleven households. Undernourishment and dismayed living circumstances cause the death of twin boys. The kids in the community dress in an extremely horrifying demeanour while lacking the basics such as shoes. e) Reality Poverty is a reality, even nowadays. UNICEF reports depict that 22,000 kids perish daily as an upshot of poverty. These children perish in the most impoverished localities of the globe. Amongst these regions are DRC due to war, as well as Zimbabwe as an upshot of hyperinflation which is approximately 87.9 sextillion percent. Additionally, approximately 27percent of all kids in developing nations are malnourished and underdeveloped (Shah, 2010). f) Biographical Information The Biography of Alan Parker Alan Parker is a prominent personality in the advertising industry. Alan has won all the significant rewards in this business prior to collaborating with David Puttnam. This collaboration led to making Bugsy Malone. This film won the BAFTA reward for the most outstanding Screenplay. In addition, Alan involved himself in making Midnight Express in which resulted in earning six Oscar recommendations incorporating Alan’s two and it also received BAFTA reward for the most outstanding direction. The subsequent work involved the film Fame his foremost American production. Moreover, the film Shoot the Moon followed; it was a comprehensive evaluation of the degeneration of a marriage. The strange, emotive Birdy, as well as the contentious Angel Heart, congeal his status as an extremely visual narrator, who utilized soundtracks and robust metaphors. Furthermore, there is the movie Mississippi Burning, which is, a slick reconstruction of a popular social rights homicide case. The subsequent production was that of The Road to Welville which depicts parody of American healthiness enthusiast, John Kellog. Additional works of Alan comprise of Pink Floyd as well as The Commitments and also Evita. Furthermore, Angela’s Ashes is a version of Frank’s chronicles. There is also The Life of David Gale which is amongst Alan’s achievements. In 2002, Alan was crowned in the New York’s tribute listing. He obtained a Doctorate in the scope of Arts from Sunderland institution of higher education. g) Theory The above film appears fosters the functionalist hypothesis. This hypothesis presents that society is a structured system and individuals hold similar fundamental principles which are all significant parts of the community. These principles foster the entire system. This supposition also supports that every facet of society is mutually dependent and contributes to the whole society’s functioning. The film depicts how the Great Depression brought about acute poverty in Ireland. This portrays the interrelationships between the varied facets of society and how one influences the other. The functionalist hypothesis utilizes tactile elements, which are significant impetus of social alteration. Every facet is a significant factor in the community (McMorrow-Hernandez, 2007). h) Lessons Learned Social matters are many and varied. Sociological imagination is crucial in enabling individuals to comprehend their principles, their responsibilities and positions in the community. Utilization of films to augment a student’s understanding of sociological subjects is extremely vital. This assists students to understand topics of poverty, war among others. The scholars also gain a global standpoint in handling crucial subjects in society. References McCourt, F. (1999). Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir. Scribner. McMorrow-Hernandez, J. (2007). Functionalist and Conflict Theorist Views of Social Change: Two Prominent Perspectives on the Issue of Social Change. Lifestyle Network Ray J. and Marilyn, P. (2002). Sociology (3rd ed), Allen & Unwin. Shah, A. “Poverty Facts and Stats.” Global Issues. 20 Sep. 2010. Retrieved on 03 May 2012. . Read More