Journal Article Analysis

Assignment 1-3-2., Journal Article Analysis

Dawa Galzen Sherpa

HUMN240-E4WW (SU12)

Omar Alomari

14^th June, 2012 

For assignment 1-3-2 I have chosen the journal, "Cinematic Carcerality: Prison Metaphors in Film" from The Journal of Popular Culture, Vol. 44, No. 2, 2011. To talk about the writer Jan Alber, he is a writer and a professor. The journal article reviews about prison metaphors, metaphors in Film and the use of metaphors in the film.

 Jan here describes about a couple of metaphors that sustain in prison, first one is that who welcomes individual to view prison as different thing while the other is that explains a domain of the outer life in sense of prison. To illustrate of the first metaphors one that who welcomes individual to view prison. This particular part metaphors use is the parts that physically take place in jail. One of the major illustrations Alber here describes is jails are regarded womb as well as a tomb. It’s how you take, to view through womb part one can describe how life is in prison by being there itself and from tomb side it describes being in prison is more like being in hell.  Now the one which explains domain of the outer world as a prison, Jan describes how these metaphors are attained in other types of plots as well as it tend to look more on the restraint by human action. To explain this further it’s like when one’s presence is not physically in jail but the feeling being stacked likewise, Employment and marriage can be related to this.

Further to go through film metaphor, the journal article describes that past critics did not believe about film metaphors to be possible though they are possible. The article more describes about seven various ways of extracting metaphors in film, here I have described two ways which are the most interesting. Firstly the idea of matching shots. This means presenting two various things as being alike in any way like the use of camera from the same angle as well as movements or context also, the next fine illustration can be the Nazis and the offensive posts being the same as they are both precisely in order with both lacking emotions, Second instance would be people taking place with high wire fencing walls, as well as bars that makes a place look like one.

 Likewise the journal article describes illustration of how these prison metaphors are utilized.  The movie named, “The Shawshank Redemption” can be taken as an illustration of the term womb vs. Tomb idea. Here the movie describes new life when they enter into the prison for the first time while the movie describes prisons as the most difficult place like hell as prisoners are tortured physically as well as mentally.

In the film, “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner” Colin who’s the main character here is treated as a prisoner by his own mother. Here the movie portrays Collin’s house like prison because the house is bounded by big walls. Also the movie depicts how one considers their working class to be a prison.

Finally Jan concludes saying films consists of metaphors both positive as well as negative, While recognition of the message from the film is the most important thing. I believe in movies that uses these sorts of metaphors as the movies with metaphors are interesting and it leads to be a good movie. Prison metaphors are used in many movies and it leads to make a successful movie.

References:

Alber, J. Cinematic Carcerality: Prison metaphors in film. The Journal of Popular Culture. April, 2010 issue.