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1. Who was your favorite character (s) from the film? Why? My favorite character is Dawn Thompson, Derrick's mother, because she was always really supportive of her son and all of his career endeavors. Dawn was a very present figure for her son and wasn't afraid of standing up against her husband. She was the most compelling character to watch, not only as mother, but as a woman in an oppressive culture. 2. How do we see the political conflict portrayed in the film? The conflict between two political parties was heavily portrayed in the film. Derrick's family was a member of the People's National Party and the gym where he worked out and trained to be a boxer was owned by people who was a member of the Jamaicain Labour Party, the opposite party. That's the reason why his life as a boxer was always in conflict with his family life, the beliefs were just so different, polar opposites. Besides, the movie is set in a year that was going to hold an election, ...

The Harder They Come (1972) 1. In general, what did you like and dislike about the film? What I liked the most about the film is the portrayal of the music business. This movie is universally recognized for introducing reggae music to a broader audience, so I appreciate that aspect of the film because of my love for music, even if I don't necessarily like that genre, I'm glad this movie had credit for the expansion of it. The soundtrack of this movie is considered as one of the most important OST in history. However, I don't like the amount of violence the film showed. I couldn't watch a lot of the scenes due to its graphic nature and it made me not really appreciate the movie. I don't think really highly of this film. Also, I didn't think it was really entertaining, I can't really pinpoint why I'm not really thrilled about this movie, but that's how I feel.  2. Who is your favorite character from the film? If I have to choose a favori...

1. What was the role that the People's National Party (PNP) played in the anti-colonial struggle? The People's National Party was instrumental in the path of liberation from Great Britain. It was the first, and the most important, political movements whose main goal was freeing of the colonialist claws. It was fundamental for Jamaican to be released of UK's grip so the oppression would end. Following the example of Marcus Garvey, the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, the PNP was able to ensure voting rights for every adult, whether they were a man or a woman. 2. What was/is the role of women throughout the 75 years of the PNP? (Give at least 3 examples) There were a considerable amount of women part of this political party whose work and influence was helpful in the improvement of Jamaica. One of the changes that make women's life in Jamaica better can be traced back to the passing of important bills like the Mat...

1. My favorite character from the film is Dawn Thompson, the mother of the main character. I'm always more drawn to female characters in anything I watch, so I tend to be more inclined to like and support them. I think she's a really good mom who has always been there for her son and defended him when it was necessary. 2. The previous films we have watched for this course (The Harder They Come and Rockers) both solely focused on a male character that somehow was involved with the music business and also had to navigate through the hardships that  meant being part of the working jamaican class in the 70s. "Ghett'a Life" occuppies a different stage, the boxing world, but the rivalry between different forces, in this case two parties that fight over a street territory, it's still very present. The conflict inside the social classes in Jamaica is very noticeable in all of these films.  3. The female characters were far better developed than in the previou...

1. My favorite character from "The Pain Tree" is Larissa because she embodies a raw and difficult reality of so many women who had suffered due to the oppressive regimes that oblige them to take a job raising someone else's kid and leave their own children. She definitely is a tragic figure that I can't help but to be moved by her hardships. Larissa is a black woman from a working class background that lived in the house of her bosses. A parallel that can be made with Michelle Cliff's essay is that both narrate the difficulties of being a black woman in an oppressive white dominated country. 2. It could be because there's some fear lying within Lorraine's mother that her hegemony can end. If the oppression of the black population ends, she and her class will loose their privilege. That would be a considerable change of the class establishment of Jamaica. 3. "The Pain Tree" is a tree that's filled with nails that represents the sorrow of ...

1. Well, I think Leroy is a way better person than Ivan is, but the bar is not exactly really high considering the actions of the latter. Horsemouth has a more developed sense of justice than Ivan, although he still committed a robbery, he wasn't shooting people nor did the amount of harm Ivan did. In spite of being guilty of a crime, all the things he stole, Leroy gave them away to the poor community. 2. The scene I enjoyed the most was the robbery sequence because of how cinematic it was. Later you can see that he gave all of the objects he stole to people in need. There's some beauty in his actions. I also enjoyed the lack of dialogue in the scene because I had a hard time understanding most of it during the film. 3. I didn't like that much this film, but I didn't dislike it either, I'm kind of indifferent actually. The viewing experience was a little hard because the subtitles weren't on screen all of the time, so I have a lot of plot holes in ...