Friday, March 18, 2016
Is It All Black and White?
In the Naples episode of Paisan, an intoxicated African-American soldier is nearly kidnapped by a group of street urchins who want him as "a slave." Later he is befriended by a young boy who takes him to a traditional puppet show in which the "white" hero Orlando battles the "black" villain the Moor (whom the soldier feels compelled to defend). After the soldier falls asleep the boy steals his boots. At the end the soldier attempts to retrieve his boots but upon seeing the squalor of the boy's situation, he relinquishes the boots. What is this episode saying about race and poverty in both Italy and America? What is it telling us about power? What is it saying about sympathy and solidarity?
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This is episode is showing that inequality and poverty has no bounds and is universal happening in both Italy and America. At the begging of the episode you witness a group of people attempting to sell a black soldier as “a slave”, once the police began to arrive a young Italian boy hides the soldier and befriends him. The soldier and the boy attend a puppet show where the villain is a black Moor, showing that there is a large divide in the population with little diversity and equality. Later the soldier falls asleep and the boy steals his boots, when the soldier awakens he goes and finds the boy in order to confront him and take back his boots. When he finds the boy and witnesses his situation of poverty he empathizes with the boy’s situation. The solider understands what is like to not be treated by an equal and even identifies with the boy understanding that even though they have different problems and are different races they still suffer the same struggles. The empathy and solidarity that the soldier begins to feel he returns to the boots the boy. I believe that this episode is showing that even though different people are going through different situations they are all able to connect and understand one another because they all have their fear, commitment, or hatred for the people that are in power, oppressing and dishonoring their fundamental human rights.
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ReplyDeleteFor this film and particularly this episode, I would say that race and poverty go hand to hand. This is because both sides are looked at as the lowest of the low so no one has respect or shows mercy to either which forces the two to coexist and support one another. This episode is a perfect example of the relationship between race and poverty, specifically blacks. The African american soldier could have easily turned the poor young boy to jail or even worse, but because he was able to sympathize with the boy due to his harsh conditions and treatments, he let him have them. This is because the solder being black, also experienced harsh treatment back home in America because of his race so this gives him a better chance of being able to connect with this young boy and show sympathy towards him. Along with this example, you can see who and who doesn't have power during this time period. Rich white people have the most power while essentially everyone else is powerless which creates a connection between race and poverty because no matter what color your skin is or how little money you have because you're both looked at and treated the same. This is where sympathy comes into play because now both sides have experienced pain and unfair treatment so when they see it happening to one another they sympathize for them and do their best to support each other in anyway possible. The episode Paisan did a exemplary job at showing all of these important things all into one short viewing.
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ReplyDeleteIn the Naples episode of Paisan, we see the complexity of human inclination and how one might battle to choose the right or justified path when handling a situation. Even though the soldier was mistreated and racially abused by the young boy and his friends, he still chose to let the child go at the sight of his situation. He saw the poverty that he grew up in and realized the awful behavior he presented towards him was just a release of tension and he was able to sympathize with the boy. The soldier was able to relate to the boy because both grew up in difficult situations; the soldier having to deal with racial inequality and the boy with the poverty of his neighborhood. This episode relates the poverty in Italy and the racism in America and the world at that time as if they are equal in difficulty. In either situation, both are seeking power and control over their own destiny. The boy seeks the power that he cannot obtain in his regular life because he doesn’t have the financial support by gaining power over the African American soldier. The soldier seeks power by joining the army and enforcing power over citizens, yet he can’t seem to hold power over the boy until he sees the situation he is living in- then he is able to decipher why the boy chooses to behave the way that he does. In a way, seeing the boy behave this way and seeing the hard life he must have been living causes the soldier to sympathize with the boy because he is suddenly aware that there is no escape for the boy- while the soldier is out in the war experiencing, the boy will forever be stuck in his poverty stricken state.
First of all, this episode tells us that race and poverty are exceptionally powerful forces that cannot be stopped by international borders or social differences. The same ideologies that America’s history has had regarding race were not America’s alone. These views were shared all over the world, as shown in the 1947 movie Paisan. In the Naples episode, the most obvious sign of racism is when the random group of people on the street tries to take a black man as a slave. This scene, which is set in Italy, is a classic representation of life for an average black man, even though this particular man was a soldier. It shows how race is depicted and perceived in a country different than our own. Also, poverty is also a major theme in this episode because along with race, ideologies of poverty are generally the same all over the world.
ReplyDeleteNow, although this globalization of ideas is the case for negative things, such as race and poverty, it is also the case for positive things, such as sympathy and solidarity. As shown in the end of the Naples episode of Paisan, the soldier lets the boy keep his boots because he sees that the boy is in a tough predicament. This may just be the soldier sympathizing with the boy because they seem to be having the same dilemma. But I think it is much more than that. I think that the soldier chose to help the boy because when someone is in trouble, people will step up to help someone else. Maybe not all people, but a majority of people would put differences aside and try to help someone in need because it is a fundamental part of human nature. And that is not something that can be controlled by geographical borders.
This episode focuses on the extreme poverty that was prevalent in Italy during World War 2. The first instance the viewer can see this is in the multiple scenes showing the city in ruins. As the African American soldier drives through the city and as he is resting, ruins can be seen all around him. At the end of the movie, the little boy is seen living in a house of ruins. These ruins signify how many people lost their homes and were homeless due to the Allied bombings. The second instance when the film focuses on poverty is when the amount of scams on the Italian streets. These scams show how desperate kids were to obtain money to survive in Italy. These extreme measures show how impoverished the people were as they had to resort to swindling one another. The third instance when poverty is highlighted is when the little boy tries to steal from the army truck. The boy shows that people must also resort to directly and blatantly stealing from those that have more than him. Even after he is caught, the boy continues to try to steal as shown by him stealing the soldier's boots. These scenes show how residents in Italy during World War 2 lived in extreme poverty. The extreme poverty in Italy is much harsher than that of the poverty experienced in the US. I believe the director wanted to show the extreme disparity between what the Italians and the US citizens considered poverty. He does this by making the soldier initially unaware that Italian poverty is much worse than American poverty. This is seen when the soldier reprimands the boy for stealing his boots. However, the soldier realizes the harsh life that the extreme poverty has caused the children and lets the child keep the boots. I believe that is the when the director finally concludes his message that the poverty experienced in Italy was a lot worse than the US in World War 2.
ReplyDeleteThis episode is saying that racism and poverty stretch all the way from America to places across the world, such as Italy. Even though this African-American is clearly a soldier, people immediately make the conclusion that he ought to work for them as “a slave,” and because of the African-American’s race, he has no power to do anything about this. This kind of thinking seems like it was instilled in people’s minds all over the world and the sight of African-American’s instantly made people think of negative connotations, such as slavery; villains, as is shown in this film; and general ignorance and foolishness. This foolishness is shown when the African-American is not far off from being kidnapped by a group of street urchins because of his intoxicated state. The ignorance is shown when the African-American defends a puppet in a puppet show and when he gets his shoes stolen by the young boy. When the African-American goes to get his shoes back, he sees how poverty-stricken the young boy is, which presents a viewpoint on what poverty was like in Italy. When the African-American finds out that the young boy’s parents had been killed in the war and how impoverished he is, the African-American sympathizes with him and lets the young boy keep the shoes he stole because he has experienced pain like the young boy has. The similarities and sufferings the boy and the man experience allow them to be in solidarity with each other. Along with post-war poverty in Italy, it is also known that the African-American did not want to go back to America as a result of the poverty he had suffered back home, showing how bad poverty was in America as well.
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ReplyDeleteI think that this episode is showing that judging people based on race and poverty is endemic of human nature, not just a single culture. We are all well aware of the troubles minorities and poorer groups of people face in our own country, but what Paisan does is show us that the situation outside of America is the same if not worse. People were actually trying to sell this man as a slave. The other thing it tells us about power is that is fluctuates depending on the situation. The soldier is most definitely not in a position of power when he is taken for selling, and he is still not in a position of power when he attacks the puppets in the show. He is in a position of power, however, when he goes to retrieve his boots from the boy. In this case, his race is cloaked in his wealth and standing so people do not treat him as a lesser being. This episode tells that at least in Italy, wealth dictates power more than race does, for when the soldier is in the position of an American policing the neighborhood; he has power over all of the people in the neighborhood because he is of higher standing and he is American. In America it is slightly different. The extra power factor of being American is null and void for they are no longer in a foreign country. As a result, the issue of race is taken much more seriously. Despite the rather negative implications this episode has for human nature, I also believe it shows that humans are intuitively good and not just intuitively bad. When the soldier reaches the boy and sees how disadvantaged he is he sympathizes with him and allows him to keep the boots. The soldier sees the similarity between himself and the boy in that they are both disadvantages, through race and poverty, and takes momentary pity on him.
The Naples episode of Paisan shows us that empathy has no boundaries and is important to mistreated people everywhere. When the people in the town call the African-American soldier a slave, the little boy takes him around and acts as his friend. They go to a puppet show where the villain is portrayed as black, a clear indication of racism being a prominent reality during that time period. Later, the boy steals the soldier’s shoes and leaves him asleep. When the soldier realizes this, he goes to the boy’s home to investigate. When he arrives, he is angry and expecting to confront the boy’s parents and get his shoes back; however, when the soldier sees that the little boy doesn’t have a real home or a family, he is struck by the boy’s situation and realizes that he failed to consider why the boy would need to steal shoes in the first place. Earlier in the scene, he asks the boy, “why do you steal?” and at the boy’s home, he realizes the answer. Concern replaces anger, and he lets the boy keep the shoes. The soldier clearly faced adversity himself because of his race, and he identifies with the young boy’s struggle in spite of the fact that they are dealing with entirely different problems. The soldier probably had a difficult childhood himself, and he realized that the boy was acting out of desperation and not just trying to annoy the soldier. Different kinds of people all over the world face challenges every day and rely on the help of others. Whether it’s racism or poverty, oppression is oppression.
ReplyDeleteThis episode is telling the viewer that even in harsh times like those of World War Two, people can still have empathy no matter their position and the power that they have and how important it is to have it due to the presence of poverty and racism all around the world. At first, the little boy and his friends talk about wanting to sell the black soldier as a slave, which clearly shows that there was racism in Europe and not only in America. When the soldier goes to take his boots back from the boy and sees the conditions that he is living in he decides to relinquish them even though the boy had previously mistreated the soldier. This is a clear moment of empathy and the soldier understands that there is a reason that the people act this way as they are living in miserable conditions themselves. This also tells us a lot about power and how people try to feel powerful in any way they can. The young boys have absolutely no power at all so when they see the black soldier, they decide to place themselves above him and act as the superiors. It does not only tell us about the search for power but it also tells us that a person can gain or lose power depending on the situation. When the soldier is out on the streets and the boys want to sell him, the soldier feels less powerful as he is not aware of the situation the boys live in and he is the outsider. However, when he goes to try to get his boots and sees their living conditions, he knows that, even as an outsider, he has more power as he is a soldier and does not have to live in such extreme poverty. This episode of Paisan shows us that people will always want to find ways to feel powerful, but when they find their power, they will also have empathy for those with less power.
ReplyDeleteThis particular portion of the movie Paison touches on many areas of race and poverty. An African American soldier had his boots stolen by a young boy while he was asleep. Not long after he awoke, the solider encountered the very child, and followed him back home. The child decided to return the boots to him because the soldier caused him realize the authority he had over him. However, the solider got surprised by the child’s living conditions, and caused him to reevaluate his decisions with the boy. The soldier gave the boots back to boy because the boy was living in poverty. The child hadn’t been raised correctly and hasn’t been taught proper manners. This particular situation is significant because an African American male has the authority in this situation, while the white child and his family are living in poverty; about seventy five years ago that wasn’t the case. It displays how America has changed throughout the years through industrialization, agricultural growth, and military progress. Perhaps in this situation the soldier saw a sort of solidarity, since he understands the trouble he and his family is going through. Since the solider has the power, he can choose whether or not the poor boy should be punished. His decision was directly influenced by his solidarity to the situation as well as his power to overrule. Originally, the soldier could be portrayed as a hero, and the child as the villain, however when the soldier realized who the child is and where he comes from is when his thoughts reverse.
ReplyDeleteThis episode is making a comparison between the racial inequality occurring to the African-American soldier and the difficult life filled with poverty of the young boy in Italy. The opening scene shows the soldier immediately being assumed to be a slave. This is a racial stereotype presented by the Italians since he is clearly dressed like a soldier but all they see is his race. Such a scene provides evidence that racism is spread throughout the whole world. The soldier couldn’t even attempt to stop everyone from viewing him as a slave since there was a language barrier between him and the Italians. Rather than experiencing racism, the young Italian boy was experiencing poverty. When he stole the soldiers’ boots, the soldier was extremely hurt and upset. Later on the soldier and the boy cross paths once again so the soldier wants his boots back. When the boy leads him to his disheveled neighborhood the soldier realizes that he does not need his boots back. The soldier is being sympathetic to the boys living situation because he can tell that the boots are needed more by the young boy. Even when a person is in a sticky situation themselves, they can sympathize with people who they believe have it worse than them. In this situation, the soldier has all of the power. Since he is the one who caught the boy in a suspicious act, it is up to him to decide the consequences. Although he wanted to punish the boy, his solidarity to his living situation caused him to act differently.
ReplyDeleteIn the Naples episode of Paisan I believe that the African American plays a very vital role. I believe that the African American character is used as a foundation to many portrayals made about the American society as well as the Italian society. In the beginning the drunk African American is being attempted to be sold for a profit by a group of middle age white men. I believe that this is portraying the white dominance on society and in this case particularly over the African American race. I also believes this is portraying the often spoken of racist habits of the Italian people against African Americans. Later the black male met a young poor Caucasian male who got him out of his trouble. This young white male goes on to tell the man that if he falls asleep that he will take his shoes so he can profit off of them. I believe this is portraying that in the American society that people of all races are in troublesome times, not just one race in particular. This could also be interpreted as the director attempting to show that society often robs the African American race of not only their necessities and their physical objects, but more so of their civil and human rights. In the past the African American race has not always been treated kindly, in fact there are still cases today where equality of race is still a problem. I believe this part of Paisan served as a harsh portrayal of how African Americans are treated not only in the American society, but rather how they are treated in the world as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThe film Paisan, in particular the first episode, shows that poverty is universal between race and culture and that sometimes, you are more well off that what you perceive yourself. It also shows that racism is universal and power is used to advance oneself ahead of another person. The drunken African-American soldier is taken advantage when he is roaming the city and a young boy takes him to profit. When the young boy takes the man and tries to sell him on the street as a slave, we can see that the young boy is desperate for money. His poverty is exemplified when he proceeds to steal the man’s boots right off of his feet. The soldier figured out what is happening and took his boots back. The soldier then realized that even though he had is bad off, this young boy was in even more poverty. The soldier then gave his boots to the young boy after realizing that others had it worse than himself. The film also shows that besides poverty being universal, racism is universal also. The boy tries to sell the Black soldier in the streets, showing that he was raised in a racist culture. It was somewhat unbelievable when I saw this particular scene in the film. Another portrayal of racism comes when the boy and the soldier are walking through the puppet show. The show depicted a hero who was white and a villain who was black. This example or racism wasn’t just a personal thing, these ideals were being spread publically in forms of entertainment. Finally, the film shows that power is abused and people are advantageous when an opportunity is presented. The young boy sees the drunken man stumbling through the city and immediately figures ways to exploit him for money. This abuse of power is shown through a young boy, leading me to think that anyone despite age, culture, or religion, will abuse their power.
ReplyDeleteFor this movie in particular, I believe that people during times of war suspend their views and judgement to help one another out and communicate. This scene in particular shows just that. Typically in this time period, one would see the young boy not approaching the African American because of racial indifferences as well as cultural indifferences. Not only is the soldier not from Italy, he is also African American. The boy does indeed steal the boots from the soldier. When the soldier spots the kid stealing more things the next day, I believe his curiosity is spiked. Not only does he engage on this journey that the kid leads him on, he follows him far. When the kid and the soldier arrive to where the kid lives, the soldier immediately regrets, I feel, trying to take his boots back for the simple fact: the soldier has a better life than the kid. This was one of my favorite scenes in the movie since it depicted the suspension of judgement but also the helping from one human being to another. Poverty is a very real thing in both America and Italy. It was very nice to see one person whom didn’t come from a lot helping someone else out who came from even less. Even though the soldier had the power to retrieve his boots back, he was understanding of the position and situation that the kid was living in and decided to let him have them.
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