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Essay Plan for American Beauty

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Submitted By oninemacaj
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Sam Mendes American Beauty challenges the notion of the American dream,where having money,a home,two cars and a job supposedly constitutes for happiness. He does so via several characters which highlight the difference between appearance and reality.

Carolyn Burnham-values success and appearing successful- lives up to the American dream. however-appears successful, close up of her crying In a scene in which she cannot sell a house, she abuses herself mentally and physically: she screeches, screams, and slaps herself. All day she had cleaned the house (appearances) and repeated maniacally to herself, "I will sell this house today”-A dream= appearing successful Pool symbolically rep- A dream,meant to be “lagoon like” but in reality is a “cement hole’. Much like she has to sell a seemingly fake image of her house, she also does with her self. Repetition of “in order to be successful once must project a image of success at all times” emotive word “must” sug success is conventional for the American dream. As her ‘business is selling a image’ metaphor...’part of my job is to live that image‘ Throughout film-she keeps her roses/garden in prime perfect condition which highlights the irony as her life is anything but.
Angela Hayes-As Carolyn is successfully beautiful, but ugly in character, Angela is also. Angela Hayes appears to be the model teen which others envy, but in reality has low self-esteem.. She is thin, blonde, gorgeous, popular and confident to the seeing eye. Inside she is scared and torn. This is shown in the character of Angela. A blonde and popular teenager she fits in with society’s traditional ideas of beauty and femininity. She reflects on many people’s fears when she says: “I don’t think that there’s anything worse than being ordinary.” To see that this apparently perfect girl fears the same things we do is a shock, and installs the idea that society’s ideas on perfection and beauty are not only wrong but also impossible. No one is perfect.
This exposes to us that society’s idea of beauty is false, Society thinks that beauty brings happiness, but it is apparent that Angela is incredibly insecure and uses Jane to make her feel better about herself. Thus we realise that our idea of beauty is manufactured and is so common that is becomes ordinary and boring.-The tag-line of American Beauty is ‘look closer’, which immediately makes us think that the characters we perceive to be good, perfect or beautiful are not all they appear. she’s trapped by societies expectations as shown by the low camera angle showing her as a victim, coinciding with the staircase bars giving a prison like effect. Thus she continuously puts out a deceiving persona as being a “total prostitute” to satisfy societies expectations. Her characterization-smokes,mid shots of her cluelessly clapping merely because thats whats expected and being constantly seductive and bragging about her numerous sexual adventures with great attention to salacious details coinciding with her common place dialogue about boys that ‘jerk off’ and ‘fucking’. contrast of Lesters fantasies where a low camera angle looking up at angela on the roof empowers her in,which juxtaposes to the real life a low camera angle of her in bed naked (vulnerable) looking down on her further disempowers her. shes a virgin
This exposes to us that society’s idea of beauty is false, Society thinks that beauty brings happiness, but it is apparent that Angela is incredibly insecure and uses Jane to make her feel better about herself. Thus we realise that our idea of beauty is manufactured and is so common that is becomes ordinary and boring.-

Colonel Frank Fitz

acquainted-Fitts family,headed by Colonel Frank Fitts. Frank is a very patriotic and controlling man shown-low camerea looking up to fitz beating up ricky : haircut reminiscent of his days in the armed forces, ultra conservative dress, watches army show and is surrounding by a very tedious brown setting, gets sons urine samples.He lives by rules, parallel structure ‘you need structure, you need discipline’ rules he abides by. however‘the wrong idea’-easy as appearance is decieveing

irony as who is controlling who? Ricky has him figured out, ricky seems compliant, knows how to placate him repetition‘yes sir’and give him a feeling of supposedly complacency with comments like ‘those fags make me wanna puke my fucking guts outs’ reality he drug dealer, pot smoker

n the end, he believes that Lester and his son are having a sexual affair. The distraught Colonel goes to see Lester, and kisses him, revealing to us that he is latently homosexual himself . hold in emotions, close up hugs lester- literally clenching onto lester, figuratively clenching into his emotions and sexuality. a homosexual suffering from internalized homophobia-
In Western culture – particularly of the generation in which Frank was raised – men are supposed to deny and conceal their emotions.Ricky’s video of Lester and later on kiss Lester, they are moments he is frantic to erase with violent consequences as they challenge is partiotic values. Colonel Franks Fitts’ hostility towards homosexuals originated from the dread of his own sexuality. As he watches the video of Lester working out and misinterprets Lester and Ricky together, he is facing his worst fears: confronting his sexuality and believing Ricky to be gay. When he screams at his son, fists in from of him,
“I’d rather you be dead than be a fucking faggot” he is telling it to Ricky, but also to himself-alliteration What constitutes Beauty

Angela-reinforces how social construct of beauty, perfect American girl-a blonde, young, cute, thin, cheerleader] she fits in with society’s traditional ideas of beauty and femininityThe tag-line of American Beauty is ‘look closer’, which immediately makes us think that the characters we perceive to be good, perfect or beautiful aren’t always.
Lester sexual drive for Angela represents how mainstream society ‘drools’ over these conventially beautiful girls.
To see that this apparently perfect girl fears the same things we do is a shock, and installs the idea that society’s ideas on perfection and beauty are not only wrong but also impossible. No one is perfect.
This exposes to us that society’s idea of beauty is false, Society thinks that beauty brings happiness, but it is apparent that Angela is incredibly insecure and uses Jane to make her feel better about herself. Thus we realise that our idea of beauty is manufactured and is so common that is becomes ordinary and boring.- jane while Jane, the not so thin, not so (conventionally) gorgeous and lively girl is truly caring and beautiful as noticed by ricky start- ‘dont like the way i look’ mirrors prominent teenage perspective due to societies expectations.
By the end, however Angela has more make up on while jane has less which wasn’t originally the case.- sug beauty isn't natural, its a social construct.

Ricky
Challenges our notion of Beauty
Plastic bag dead dove...‘its beautiful’ silences Angela (girl which mainstream society-Lester- would find Beautiful) strip dancing and zooms into Jane...
‘hi jane’-silences Angela she cant ‘believe it’ that he didn’t look at Angela ‘once’

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