Emotion is something that we experience, whether through what we see or hear. In, Up the Yangtze, film by Yung Chang, we experience something called emotion come over us. When? Why? How? These are questions that we may ask ourselves. Chang does a great job by controlling or “constructing” his audience. I felt at times that I was just a viewer of the film, not intrigued or anything, but at other times, I felt very connected or felt the emotions the characters were portraying. How does Chang do this? Go from being detached but then the next minute, feeling like I am their relative or close friend enduring the same emotions with them. I find this thought interesting because I think that this director filmed and directed the film well. In films, like Up the Yangtze, it helps us understand this real life situation. By the director connecting us with the characters, helps us understand what China and its citizens were going through. It connects us emotionally with them, which I think is important when explaining or showing us their lives. If the audience does not connect with the film and its characters, then what is the point of the film? So, how does the director do this? Well, I believe that music and the emotion of the characters are portraying, have a huge impact on the audience. The times that I felt most connected to the characters are when they were going through a hard time and really showed their inner feelings. With that, the background music put us into a mindset that tells us how to feel, whether is it happy or sad.
Having the audience connect with the characters is key for a director. Emotion allows us to feel and experience what the characters are going through without actually being there. With that, if we understand, or feel like we understand, we are able to have a positive or negative reaction to what the director wants us to feel. All in all, Up the Yangtze is a great depiction of how a director/ author/ narrator constructs its audience to making them feel how they want. They do this through emotion with the characters and having dramatic music in the background. Emotion, I think, is important for a successful reaction to a medium of literature.
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As Lindsey says, emotion is important for a successful reaction to literature. As important emotion is, there is no sure way of drawing it out, or even including it in something. In "Up the Yangtze", Yung Chang helps the audience to gain an understanding of the emotions of the characters he follows. To do this, he gives the audience core issues that apply to everyone, not just the Chinese, the city folk, or the poverty stricken.
ReplyDeleteGenerally members of a family worry for one another. This is almost central to being a family. An audience may become acutely aware of this upon seeing the struggles of Cindy and her family. It seems that especially Cindy and her parents sacrifice for one another and the younger children, through hard work or delay in schooling. Even the younger son supports the family by acknowledging how well he eats, better, probably than many that he knows. Chang appeals to this devotion to elicit a strong sympathy for the Yus.
In a similar way, Chang appeals to the audience's sense of fairness. He carefully explores the wasteful ways of Jerry and his friends, who party and drink at whim. Jerry is the opposite of Cindy. He is an only son, well-off, knowing full well that if things do not work out on the tour boat, his family will be able to take care of him. Seeing the contrast between the two teens draws outrage from an audience, important to understanding the Chang's message.
Chang features shots of tourists, although, perhaps not intentionally these tourists come off as self-involved and unaware. Perhaps Chang wants to bring his audience to a level of self-awareness. He shows the ease by which the tourists can be found ridiculous. His shows the audience the tourists, letting them see that these people have the power to help, but he must also show the audience that so little of these people do.
Perhaps Chang plays up a slightly skewed viewpoint of the Three Gorges Dam and China, in general. Since we only have one viewpoint of the issue, however, it is important to realize what is at Chang's disposal to use to spur us into motion.