Today, as we threw ourselves into deeper waters of discussion and watched more of The Godfather, we raised several difficult questions together that underscore what's at stake in our work. In our opening discussion, we hit on
one, in particular, that left us conflicted. We each seemed to have very
different ideas of what we thought most individuals viewed as the default social
norm for “American.” Some said Kay, a blond White Anglo-Saxon woman from New
England was what others considered the default social norm for “American.” Some said the
image of the immigrant pursuing his dreams was what many considered the default social
norm for “American.” And some had other ideas.
So what do you contend is the default norm in our society for
“American”? Describe it and explain why.
Similarly, the film itself looks at the issue of identity in
another light. Michael grows up in the United States as the son of Italian
immigrants. Michael lives in Italy for safety as an American broad. The film almost
certainly posits a contrast between the world of America and the world of
Sicily. What do you believe that
difference is, especially when one considers a) Michael’s identity in each
place, b) the social structure of each place, and c) the contrast between Kay
and Apollonia?
Finally, one
could argue that Michael has actually become more American after he returns
from Sicily. Defend or contest this statement.
Note: there's certainly a good deal to think about and write about here, but a phenomenal movie and a strong class deserve it here. Please make sure your response is thoughtful and thorough. We're excited for some tough conversations tomorrow after we've viewed the whole film.
I believe that stereotypical American is a white person very much similar to Kay. The “American Race,” is a bunch of wide ranging Caucasian people. We consider rednecks as well as people from Maine to be American. In addition to looking like an American, you must speak and act like an American. You should be able to understand slang and not talk with foreign accents. Also you must know and act accordingly to cultural norms. We get our view of the stereotypical American from the media. Most actors are white people that are very involved and understand American culture. Michael obviously is not a stereotypical American. When getting closer to the character however, Michael is just as much American as every other person including stereotypical Americans. In Sicily I believe he still remained American. Other than the language change, he kept the same values and actions. He even said himself, “I am American and a stranger to this land.” So I believe he contrasted little from both areas. The Social Structures of Sicily and America are quite different. In America, especially in the large cities the mafia dwells in, cities are large and everyone is hurrying and rushing somewhere. It is a very crowded area with lots of people everywhere. In Sicily, there was lots of leisure time. You could always see someone sitting down and drinking wine. The difference between Kay and Apolliana is large. Kay fits right into the center of a stereotypical American. She is beautiful but also very needy and clingy to Michael. Apolliana, on the other hand, is a traditional girl that lives in a very simplistic environment. Kay is out experiencing American culture every day, while Apolliana was a traditional girl whow took care of children and washed clothes. Michael became more American after coming back to America because he experienced but didn’t necessarily like Sicilian Culture. After coming back to America, he grew up more and took responsibility over the family business. That combined with contrasting the two different cultures produced a more American Michael.
ReplyDelete“American” is very hard to define. Everyone has a different idea of what makes something “American” making things very difficult to determine if something it truly “American,” or simply just an overgeneralized stereotype. As I’ve grown up, I’ve to easily distinguish what is assumed and that which is more, or less fact. Americans are usually proud of their country and are very grateful to live where they do. Many outside countries associate America with violence, obesity, and stupidity. These are overgeneralizations. While America does have a history of violence, a plethora of overweight individuals, and our SAT scores are less than ideal, but that does not does not describe every American thus making it unfair and more, or less impossible to define “American” because America is constantly changing.
ReplyDeleteThe film shows great contrast during Michael stay in Italy and the life he has become accustom to in New York. Even though differences are apparent, there are similarities as well. Michael’s ethnicity and background make it possible for him to exist in both areas without much question (he’s basically Italian). Both New York and Sicily accent the theme of family and how important it is to the social structure. When asking to meet Apollonia, Michael is not only forceful and direct, but he makes it a goal of his to first meet her family and impress them. This theme of family appears heavily back in New York, appearing both on the business side of the family, as well as what we would associate family “activities.” Finally, there is a stark contrast between the personalities of Kay and Apollonia. Both women want to please Michael and believe that he could be the one for the. However, Kay and Apollonia come from different backgrounds. Kay constantly questions Michael and wonders about his family, life, and the activities he engages in. Apollonia is apprehensive of Michael at first, but does not question him and chooses to be the best wife she can. Even though Michael eventually returns to Kay (R.I.P. Apollonia), the movie captures the differences between both cultures and societies in great detail, sparking discussion on how much “home,” or “culture” can be replicated somewhere else.
Asking for the default norm of a country of 300 million is no small task, but I think that what defines America is its lack of a norm. America is considered a melting pot, a place where many different groups and ethnicities can mix and be prosperous. While I’m sure there are people who would point to a certain group and call them “Americans”, the truth is that American culture is a mixture of other cultures. In society, there is an expectation and a normal, such as having a family and a house, but there’s no one group that’s American. Native Americans are of course the only people indigenous to America, and besides them every group presiding in the US is an immigrant group, making defining the American norm extremely difficult. In the end, I think its the American Dream that defines the US; the idea that any person no matter where they’re from can have a life in the US and be successful. The result of that dream, however, is that anybody can be American.
ReplyDeleteWhen Michael goes to Sicily from New York, everything changes. New York is the most crowded city in the US, and Sicily creates an isolated atmosphere. Due to the lower population and the fact that Michael is trying to hide, Sicily seems very empty and desolate and Michael’s only contact comes through a few people. In America, Michael does not seem as Italian as he does in Italy. In America his girlfriend, Kay, isn’t Italian and Michael refuses to partake in his father’s business until his father’s life is threatened. However, in Italy Michael falls in love with Apollonia, and Italian who can’t even speak English. Michael finds himself embracing his Italian heritage, so much so that he even returns to the old town of Corleone.
Michael returns to America, but is not more American than when he left. After time in Italy, Michael returns with a better sense of his Italian heritage and Italian culture, which becomes apparent when he takes over as head of the family. In Michael’s love life, Kay is very American while Apollonia is very Italian. The fact that Michael forgets about Kay and marries Apollonia shows his return to Italian culture, further supported by the fact that he does not approach Kay until a year after returning from Italy. Michael seems happy to stay in Italy, until his American life returns to haunt him, as he discovers the death of his brother just before his wife is killed. If it weren’t for his commitment to his family, I’m not sure Michael would have come back to America at all.
I think the 'typical American', or rather, the stereotype, is almost certainly a white person. I'm not sure Kay represents this person, although she definitely did during the time period the film is set in. The modern American stereotype is definitely a lot more outspoken, and possibly a lot more overweight. Lots of people in America tend to think of people with different accents or other 'foreign' traits as somehow less American than people with southern and average American accents. This helps to shape the image of a typical white American, and the fact is that these white Americans had a big part in shaping this stereotype. There's another American stereotype as well, but this one mostly centers on the south. It depicts a white male, obese, extremely patriotic (and a little racist) who loves guns and beer. These two stereotypes are very different, but they both exclude people of other races and immigrants from the typical view of America as a whole. Immigrants, however, play a major role in this country, and also make up a big part of it. America is famous for immigration, but oddly, immigrants aren't treated very well here. In the era that "The Godfather" takes place in, Italian immigrants have it pretty hard. The characters in the film are anything but the American stereotype. They're primarily Italian immigrants or descendants of Italian immigrants, but even if they're not the typical image, they're as American as they come. We see this in Michael when he goes to Italy to hide. Even if, while in America, he wasn't seen as an ordinary American, once in Sicily he is the face of America. He may be of Italian descent, but Michael is an American and he retains that identity in a new country.
ReplyDeleteItaly itself is clearly portrayed as very different from America, but the view we get is very biased. The segments that take place in the USA during the film focus almost completely around organized crime and mafia business. There are shootings, violence and hatred taking place all over. Later, when Michael is hiding out in Italy, we see a much more peaceful place. It's beautiful, green and hilly, which is a major contrast to the dark, urban environment that we see in New York. The mafia is in the back of our minds during Michael's scenes, as it mostly focuses on him getting married and settling down. The happiness and apparent serenity of this new country is jarred, however, when we realize that people are still trying to kill him after his wife is killed by the car bomb. This brings us back to the darker side of Michael, the more mafia and crime oriented version. His two wives also pose a contrast between the two countries. Kay represents the typical American person, a white, blonde girl who is fairly upper class. Apollonia, meanwhile, represents the happiness and serenity that Michael experiences while in Italy. When she is killed, Michael is forced out of his happiness, and has to return home to his American life. The harsh reality of his wife's death makes him more intertwined with the culture and crime of the United States, and he becomes more American as a result.
If I had to place a title on the default norm for an American, it’d probably be a WASP. But Americans are so much more than that. Every country in the world has immigrants from different cultures, but the nature of America’s immigrant-rich beginning, expansive and diverse geography, and large population size means that there is no one “true American.” This sounds clichéd, but its true. Take a sample of 100 random people living in Austin, Texas. Then take 100 people in Boston, Connecticut. Or Detroit. Or San Francisco. Or Atlanta. Extrapolations from one city’s study group can’t be applied to another’s. America is too diverse to apply one norm to all 300+ million residents.
ReplyDeleteMichael is definitely a different person in Sicily. Just by the way he dresses, you can see that he is attempting to blend in with the natives. This is obviously because he does not want the fact that he is in Sicily to be advertised: he is in hiding. The social structure in America gives Michael a high ranking as an important member of a large, powerful family. Michael is respected wherever he goes. In Sicily, Michael commands some power, but not nearly as much as he does in America. Kay is what many would view as a typical American woman. She voices her views against the Corleone family business multiple times. Appolina is quiet for much of time on stage, which reveals a deeper contrast between society in Sicily and society in America: Americans typically are much quicker to talk about sensitive topics than people from around the world; Kay might be considered rude in Sicily. I believe that Michael does become more American over the course of the film. Michael was already warming up to the idea of taking a more active role in the family business before his travel to Sicily. On his return, he is clearly a changed man: he is very confident in his business deals, and the scenes juxtaposed with the baptism show Michael is not afraid do take action to protect the family’s interests.
Americans are traditionally discerned as white, resourceful, articulate, stout and really occupied. I believe this to be so because many old produced movies and TV shows only seem to present white people, and when doing so, the white people do represent these descriptions. However, though Michael defines himself as American, yet coming from an Italian background, he goes to Sicily and we get to see a few major differences between America and Italy. In Sicily, the area seems to be serene without all the stereotypical busyness that happens in America. Everyone seems to be big on celebrating there and people seem stress free. However, in America, nothing is serene, but instead blurry and very equipped for stress. The two main women Kay and Apollonia definitely differ by image. Kay is fair and blonde, where as Apollonia is brown haired and has a tan colored skin tone. However, these are not just the top or the most obvious differences. Kay is busy, and Apollonia seems like she has all the time in the world. She goes on dates with Michael and drives his car. Through this journey, Michael eventually comes back to America. Many “Americans” always come back to America, which could signify that it’s better or in this case, Michael comes back just like “traditional” Americans would. He also goes back for business and wants to become more involved with his family business. Many “Americans” seem to do the same as well. Lastly, Michael returns to Kay and wants to start a family with her and be with her. It seems to me that many of these decisions and actions replicate “American” actions and choices.
ReplyDeleteThe "American" stereotype seems to have two very different sides to it. One is an immigrant who, through hard work, is able to make it. He lives the glorified American Dream. This stereotype can be found in the undertaker at the beginning, who opens the film with the lines "I believe in America. America has made my fortune." However, the other American stereotype is the family that has already made it. The privileged, WASP, nuclear family. We see Kay embody this blonde haired, clean cut stereotype. Interestingly, the Godfather does not pit the two stereotypical "Americans" against each other, but rather presents many contrasts and subtle tensions (the racial slurs of both the director of Woltz and Connie's husband.) Micheal, on the other hand embodies yet another stereotype of America, the war hero, willing to die for his country. In America, he is honored-even the street police know his identity. However, we see him leave and go to Sicily, where he is never shown as being shunned as an outsider. The only time the distinction is made is when Micheal himself identifies as an American and a stranger to the country. He respects the law and does not want to get caught up in his family's dirty business. However, in Scily he is forced to cope with not only the news of his older brother but also having to witness the murder of his wife, Apollonia. This forces Micheal to mature and perhaps even numb emotionally. We see Micheal go from the golden boy to the head of the family, with a surprise change of morals and values centered around the pride and protection of his family. In order to gauge whether or not Micheal returns from Scily as "more American" or not we have to define what " being American" is. If being American is being a patriotic, law abiding citizen, then Micheal has returned as more of a foreigner. However, if being American means working through hard times and staying loyal to your family, then Micheal arguably embodies it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThe differences between Kay and Apollonia are very reflective of their backgrounds. In Micheal and Kay's relationship, we never see her parents or any sign of family. And while Kay buys presents and comes to the house and wedding, we generally do not see much interaction between her and the Corleone's family. Meanwhile, Micheal essentially courts and marries Apollonia's whole family, and negotiates the "terms" of their relationship through her father. She does not have much say, and fulfills the stereotypical "woman's role"- she even serves her guests food at her wedding.On the other hand, Kay is always questioning, always believing in some higher moral code than that of the Mafia, as she is encouraged to do in America. Apollonia seems to never express an opinion, but is eager to please Micheal with her driving skills. While Apollonia can represent a strong family bond and tradition, Kay is independent and curious, not satisfied with half-answers.
I would argue that what makes America so unique is that there is no norm. While the stereotypical American family is a working man who wears a suit, a wife who cleans and cooks, two kids, and a house with a white picket fence, I don’t think there is much truth to that. In today’s world, men and women both work, there is a melting pot of cultures, and families are often ruined by poverty and divorce. While the majority of people in America are white, that number is decreasing every day and I believe the norm in America isn’t a white person anymore.
ReplyDeleteIn the context of the movie, New York City and Sicily are polar opposites–New York is crowded while Sicily is wide open. Michael is just another guy in New York, but in Sicily he is a very important figure. The social structure we see in New York concerning the families is that they all have their own business ventures but sooner or later run in to conflicts with each other. In Sicily, we really only see the social structure of Michael’s life, which consists of him, his two body guards, and the girl her marries. Kay and Apollonia represent the difference in women in Sicily and New York. Kay seems to feel more important than Apollonia does, and that is because Kay has more freedom and doesn’t have her father marry her off.
I think Michael becomes more Italian when he comes back to America. America is the land of freedom, and Michael prior to the attempted assassination of Vito, was happy with his life outside of the family business. That is American–choosing what you want to do in life. After Sicily, he becomes more Italian and puts his family before himself.
I feel that in almost every case, the default norm for the ideal "American" is a Caucasian of any kind. By that I mean that a Caucasian from Mississippi would be just as much an American as a man from New Hampshire (though NH is practically Canada, so I don't know). In addition, I think the ideal American in society is one who upholds the belief of freedom, which is something that really does characterize your average American. Not only that, I believe that society's perception of an American is your generic middle class family living in white suburbia. We have been led to that perception because of the media, in the forms of movies, books, etc.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to Sicily and America:
a). In my opinion, Michael seamlessly is able to switch between the different cultures due to an obvious reason: he's basically Italian. However,Michael himself feels like an outsider, a person who does not have a legitimate connection to this place, other than his inherent Italian background.He himself says that he is an outsider in this land. I cannot really speak for his identity with being American, because I did not see any instances of this. This is probably because I have not seen the first part of the movie that the class saw yesterday.
b) There is definitely a stark contract between Sicily and America. Like many other foreign lands other than the US, there is a great sense of respect for family members, as well as the decreased influence of women. This is a common reality in almost every country today (in the rural parts, at least.). The social structure in America is one where everybody is free, has their own speech, and can basically do anything they want. In Sicily, however, there are fine cultural boundaries that exist, like many foreign nations today.
c) The difference between Kay and Apollonia (R.I.P) is linked to their respective cultures, which tie in to the cultural and social structures of their respective lands. As far as I have heard from everybody, Kay seems to be very freely spoken, and is very questioning, which is not unusual of your average American. Apollonia, on the other hand, is very submissive and very obedient to her family and eventual husband, which is not at all unusual of cultures based outside of America.
I actually don't see any increase nor decrease of "Americanism" in Michael after he returns from Sicily. If anything, I see him as a person who has a perfect balance of each culture.
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There are many different arguments for what the norm of the American identity is. There is the classic nuclear white family where the husband works and the wife stays home with the kids. Or some argue that it is an immigrant family who come here to live their dream, the American dream. I argue that there is no longer a norm for the American identity; the country is becoming more and more diverse everyday and everyone here has a different story. Nobody is the same anymore in America which is what makes it unique and one of the best countries in the world.
ReplyDeleteIn regard to the movie, New York and Sicily are very different. For Michael, in New York he is just an average guy whereas in Sicily he is one of the most important people and everyone pays attention to what he does. The social structure in each place is remarkably different as well. In New York, at least for the Corleone's, everything is based around the family business and there is a fear amongst the people of the mafia families. In Sicily, the social structure that is portrayed to the viewer seems to be more relaxed than New York. There is Michael and his two bodygaurds and there are no huge issues between families; it is almost like Atlanta is today. Finally, Kay and Apollonia are almost polar opposites. Kay represents the American woman and Apollonia represents women in other countries. Kay seems to have more freedom and Apollonia is very restricted by her family.
When Michael returns home from Sicily it is hard to tell if he is more or less American but he does become more interested in the Family business which makes him more American in the sense that he wants to do business and make money. After all, success in our country is based off having money.
The United States prides itself on its tradition of the American Dream, yet the immigrants who embodied that dream often faced rejection from mainstream American culture. The stereotypical face of America still seems pretty WASP-y. Look at our presidents — they’ve all been WASPs except JFK and Obama. African-Americans, Italian-Americans, Chinese-Americans — you name it — haven’t lost that hyphen. Somehow they’re not just “American.” The film purposefully presents Kay as traditionally American in contrast to the cannoli-loving, wine-drinking, Italian-American Corleone family.
ReplyDeleteOf course, there is more to the American identity than skin color and religious affiliation. What connects all Americans, whether they came off the Mayflower or came to this country today, is a certain determination to succeed. A few traits associated with Americans are self-reliance, pragmatism, loyalty, fairness, and family values. Americans work hard to better themselves and their family. We see this in Vito Corleone’s commitment to protecting his family and ‘godchildren.’ Vito is fiercely loyal and even fair — in the peace meeting with the heads of the five families, he proposes a sensible solution and promises to keep his word.
Michael’s transformation begins when he volunteers to kill McCluskey. By the time he flees to Sicily, he has already drank the mafia Kool Aid, so to speak. In America, Michael appears to have very little influence, certainly within the family business. When he is in Sicily, however, Michael has two body guards at his command and seems much more in control. In Sicily, the Corleones do not live in a world separated from some other mainstream culture like they do in America. Michael courts Apollonia in a way entirely foreign to American society. Furthermore, Kay expects more mutual respect in a relationship than Apollonia does. Kay condemns Michael’s family business whereas Apollonia accepts him and his business without question.
I would agree that Michael becomes more American when he returns from Sicily. He becomes more American in the sense that he further embodies certain ‘American’ characteristics. He is more determined than ever to not only defend the Corleone name, but also to make a name for himself. He returns to American full of ambition, a trait central to the American Dream.
I strongly believe that there is no default “American” in our society because each person has a unique idea of the American stereotype, depending on his or her location, ethnicity, upbringing, etc. For example, the majority of the people in the north are white, so maybe they see a default American every day they walk around their neighborhood. In contrast, living in Atlanta, as well as many other cities of mixed race, this default can’t be defined by race because of the diversity of these places. The “American” can be characterized by one who seeks to make the best of the country’s opportunity, which can apply to situations as different as college students to immigrants to aspiring CEO’s. This stereotype is impossible to define in a country built by so many backgrounds.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the large contrast between New York City, USA and Corleone, Italy was because of the size difference. NYC is busy and active while Corleone (and Sicily) is defined by tradition and simplicity. This size determines the activity carried out in the respective places. Not many people live in Corleone, leading to lack of forwardness (seen in a modernizing NYC) and still existing social constructs. For example, gender is strictly defined: the men fight in mobs, serve as the head of the family, make decisions, and are strong (and are all killed off as we learn) while the women are more reserved (Apollonia never spoke her mind like Kay frequently did), seem subservient to the men, and all seem to be good little wives. Men and women don’t seem to interact as equals in a place like this. We see interactions opposite of this in NYC between Michael and Kay, highlighting the fact that NYC is more progressive. Michael adapts to this role of even more natural social dominance that he’s used to very well by marrying Apollonia, a deal settled between he and her father, between two men.
Michael became more American upon his return in the sense that he wanted to build the American Dream for himself: wife, kids, job, house, etc. He married Kay, had a child, took over the family business, and most definitely lives somewhere fancy. He’s adopting this stereotypical life for himself in America after his failed attempt of an Italian marriage.
What is a typical or normal American? Do you have to have blonde hair, blue eyes, and plenty of money? Maybe in order to be a typical American you have to be middle class with a close family? There are others who believe that being an American means being an immigrant making a life for themselves? I believe that at one point every single one these options was the norm, but currently being a typical American means either being an immigrant or coming from an immigrant and creating a better life. In my opinion, the description of the typical American changes because the American dream changes, and right now, the typical American is an immigrant working hard.
ReplyDeleteBefore Italy, Michael Corleone tried to be different from his family. Michael was unintentionally an outsider to his own family, and in the process, was an outsider to the mob. After Vito was shot, Michael discovered that he wanted to be a part of the family "business", so does the job that the family needs done. After doing this, he is sent to italy to escape any harm, but he also ends up finding out who he wanted to be. He gets in touch with his inner italian and marries a classic italian girl. Kay and Apollonia are not too different. The only difference is that Apollonia has lived around the mafia her entire life and doesn't need to question Michael. Both accept that Michael is a part of the Mafia, and they both are relatively independent women. Apollonia learns to life and Kay is a teacher. Both actions show how independent the women are. Michael comes back from Itallian the way an immigrant would come to the US. He creates a new life for himself in the Mafia the way an immigrant would as well. By the time he comes back, Michael is a typical American.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the default norm in our society is people like Kay: generally well-off, Anglo-Saxon, blonde-hair, sheltered from the hardships of the world, and so on. This default norm doesn't make much sense, however, if you actually look at the U.S. This country is a giant melting pot of different cultures and people, and for some reason, one of the many races in the country appears to be the default. Maybe the reason for this default is because of the many years that the media portrayed only one family, a family that looked a lot like what we presume Kay's to be.
ReplyDeleteMichael seems to have more confidence during his time in Sicily than he did when we saw him at home before. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he just got away with committing two murders, but Michael in Sicily was much more smooth and confident. He displays this newfound confidence when he meets Apollonia's father and tells this man that he just met that he wants to be his daughter's husband (even though they've never formally met). This was a very different Michael than who we saw before Sicily. During the scene when Michael rushes to the hospital to check on his father and sees no guards there to protect Vito, he does the right thing and gets the other men to leave but you can tell that he isn't exactly sure of what he's doing.
The social structure of each place is also different. Somehow, family in Sicily is stressed even more than it is back in New York. The importance of family at home seemed to be at the highest level possible. Vito stressed family over all, and made a point to talk to every grandchild after returning from the hospital. In Sicily, however, family is stressed even more - almost to a point so ridiculous that it becomes comedic. There is one scene in Sicily filmed from behind where first you see Michael walking with Apollonia, and you think that they are finally having a romantic time alone until a group of ten or fifteen old women emerge and appear to be following a few paces behind. To get Apollonia's approval, Michael had to get her entire family to like him.
While Kay and Apollonia may seem different and logically should reflect the change in Michael in the two different places, the two girls are very alike. Kay was with Michael at the beginning of The Godfather when he wasn't at all involved in the family business. She was the most normal girlfriend that a normal (non-mafia affiliated) guy could've had. Michael was with Apollonia after he was fully affiliated with the mafia and had murdered two men, and he still married a girl similar to Kay. Even though Apollonia seems different than Kay, she really is almost like an Italian version of her. While Kay was the default America norm, Apollonia seems to be the default Italian norm. Apollonia's father owns a restaurant (in a culture where good food is important), her family seems very standard of the other families in Corleone, and nothing about her makes her very different.
I think that it's hard to say whether Michael becomes more or less American. He definitely has more confidence and gets more power after being put in charge by Vito, but it's difficult to say what makes him more American. If we use our definition of normal American from class, using Kay as the example, than Michael isn't ever and can't ever really be "American." Even if we were to use the alternate definition that talked about someone from a different country making it big, Michael wouldn't fit that definition either. His father's power is passed down to him, almost like the power in a monarchy - which is definitely not very "American".
Generalizing the vast and diverse population of the United States to define what it means to be "American" is not an easy task. Our country boasts a broad range of people from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. This is why some argue that our country is a melting pot (or salad bowl, depending on perspective). However, as diverse as the population is, the idea of the typical American person usually comes back to race. People of other ethnicity and cultures are a great part of America, but white people appear to be the default American person. The typical American family is usually described as being white and middle class. Still, that idea is too broad to only cover the United States. "White and middle class" would encompass numerous nations in Europe as well. Perhaps the idea isn't enough to thoroughly define the American people. Is it possible, in that sense, to describe the American person in more detail? If the typical American is described as being white and middle class, that still covers a broad range of people in the United States. "Americans" living in New England differ greatly from those living in the deep south or west coast. Their cultures, beliefs, and even accents are not the same. While the default American person can be described as white and middle class, the description is far too vague to accurately describe the population as a whole. However, the diversity of our population, even under this description, makes it impossible to provide further details.
ReplyDeleteSicily and New York don't share too many characteristics based on the images of each nation in "The Godfather." New York is a gleaming, crowded metropolis filled with millions of people, towering skyscrapers, and blinding lights. Sicily, on the other hand, had a more natural and uncivilized feeling. When Michael was in New York, he was just another face in the crowd. There were thousands of people just like him. However, when he moved to Sicily, he became the sexy, mysterious man from America. His prominence in Sicily is displayed by his relationship with Apollonia. When he first arrives in Sicily, he's struck by a beautiful young woman. He mistakenly finds her father. When his father finds out that Michael was staring at his daughter, he is enraged. Instead of leaving, Michael stays and asks to have dinner with Apollonia and her family. This would be a bold request in New York, but because Michael appears to be a powerful and wealthy American man, he holds more power while in Sicily. Michael truly experienced his Italian culture while in Sicily. When he returned to the United States, he was arguably less American than before. While in Sicily, he embraced the unique culture. He fell for Apollonia, a woman who could barely speak English. When he returned to America, nothing suggested he was more or less American than he was before. However, his experiences in Sicily brought him closer to his Italian side, thus distancing him from his American side. This suggests that, while not proven in the film, Michael was more American before he left for Sicily.