Slumdog+Millionaire+-+Vanessa+Sookdeo

Slumdog Millionaire - Vanessa Sookdeo

**__Slumdog Millionaire__** ** Novel Study Assignment: Part B ** ** About the Movie ** Winning the award for best picture and known for the several popular songs associated with it, //Slumdog Millionaire// is a film about the importance of life experiences when dealing with the various social dynamics within the public sphere. Directed by Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan, //Slumdog Millionaire// is a movie that was created as an adaptation to the novel //Q&A// by the Indian author Vikas Swarup. Taking place in India, the movie is about a teenage boy growing up in the slums of Mumbai. As an eighteen year old boy, Jamal Malik appears on the Indian version of //Who Wants to be a Millionaire?// where he shocks the audience with his exceptional intelligence and knowledge. One question away from the grand prize, Jamal was taken away by law enforcement officials on the suspicion that he was cheating through the game. Although individuals growing up in the slums are preconceived to have less education, Jamal used his own life experiences to answer the questions on the show. This movie allows the viewer to experience Jamal’s life through the analysis of each question and Jamal pleading his case to the law enforcement officials. Jamal’s experiences act as a narration to his own story however they also allow the stories of his bother Salim and best friend Latika to be told. In the end, Jamal proves his intelligence by making the officials understand his intelligence is based on life experiences. The question remains, does he end up winning the money? This movie depicts the societal differences that can occur within a single country and how those differences can affect an individual’s life. This movie brings to life the various obstacles an individual has to face within a society that is focused on hierarchy and social status. ** Grade Level/Course: ** When teaching the grade 9 academic English course, I would use this text as an introduction to the various social status positions that exist within society. This movie examines the notions of social class, hierarchy, stereotypes, and social positions which are concepts reflected in the Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet. Using this film as an introduction to Romeo and Juliet will allow students to relieve the nervousness often associated with reading Shakespeare. Students will be encouraged, through engaging activities, to notice the connections between the movie and the play which will allow the teacher to create various reflection assignments to engage students in Shakespeare and allow them to think critically about the relativity of Shakespeare to current societies. At times, it can be difficult for students to observe the relevance of reading Shakespeare however this film will prepare them for the type of social dynamics and obstacles that appear in Romeo and Juliet. Overall this film will allow students to believe reading Shakespeare can be enjoyable and relevant to their own lives. Observing the relativity of Shakespeare will assist in preparing students for future English courses. This film can also be used within the grade 11 open Media Studies class in relation to how various media forms influence the perceptions that individuals form. It can be analyzed through the aspect of setting and what perceptions that creates for the viewer. Considering this movie is about an eighteen year old boy living in the slums, this movie can also be about the variety of ways individuals can critically think about and discuss a topic. Jamal was able to answer questions based on his own life experiences which a students can discuss in relation to how individuals form their ideas about other groups. Overall, this movie can be used in several English courses based on the variety of concepts that it can connect to. This movie would be useful in any academic class where students are asked to be creative about comparing a novel within the curriculum to something they have seen or read in the past. ** Other Relevant Courses: ** I would also consider using this movie within the Social Science department. There are several notions within this movie that can be used in Family Studies classes or even in a Geography classroom. Students can analyze this movie in relation to the images they are presented with as well as the various social positions the characters portray. The movie examines the various dynamics and inequalities that exist within a society. Although this movie should engage students in critically thinking about society, teachers can create several different assignments about the real life experiences that Jamal discusses within the movie. Assignments can also be created about culture and the various situations individuals can encounter throughout their lifespan. Students would be able to relate to several of the notions discussed in the movie which will create an individual connection to curriculum and possibly to the course it is being used in. Within a Geography classroom, this movie can be used to discuss the differences between slums and urban areas within India. The movie does not need to be watched in its entirety however clips of the movie can be used to show the immediate differences to students. ** Main Teaching Points to Emphasize: ** Using this novel as an introduction to Romeo and Juliet, it would be important to emphasize the varying positions and social statuses that the characters possess. Living in a slum, Jamal has a very different social status than the game show host or even of the officials. The difference between Jamal and some of the other characters in the movie is similar to the differences between the two families in Romeo and Juliet. Students may not immediately observe this connection however it would be important to emphasize when beginning to read the play. In relation to society, I would teach students about culture and how varying cultures may have different social norms. Connected to the notion of social norms is the concept of power and the way power is exercised. When reading Romeo and Juliet, the degrees of power between the characters in the movies can be emphasized to assist students in understanding the differences between the families in the play. Students will be encouraged to think about discrimination and identity as well in relation to both the movie and the play. Both discrimination and identity can be taught in connection to how various factors shape our understanding of ‘others.’ Considering this novel is going to be used at the grade 9 level, the assignments created from this movie will comprise of compare and contrast, reflect on an experience of your own and creative essay writing using both texts. By encouraging critical thoughts about culture, identity, discrimination, and social hierarchies students may understand the Shakespearean text on a deeper level. Many novels in the English curriculum encompass the aspect of social hierarchy which will allow students to engage with this movie more than once throughout the course. Students will be encouraged to use this movie when reading other course texts as it can relate to various concepts and texts covered in the English curriculum. Students will be responsible for analyzing the concepts in the movie and the social issues that occurred throughout the movie in relation to the text they are studying. ** Issues and Challenges to Teaching this Movie: ** Depending on the demographic of the school, this movie may not be relevant to every student in the class. It is important that course material is relevant to the majority of the student population which can create some difficulties when showing this movie. The movie would be introduced as a connection to Romeo and Juliet however some students may not relate to connection which can cause them to disengage themselves in class. Some students may not be able to relate to this movie and may further be driven away from engaging with Shakespearean plays. In opposition, this movie may create several sensitive feelings to various students who have immigrated to Canada from a country like India where they could have been in this situation, or even have family in this situation. Discussions around culture, immigration, and society can be sensitive to some students which may also result in rebellion to engage with Shakespeare. Even though background information would be given to students before the movie is seen in class, some students may require further assistance to understand the situation depicted in this movie. A lesson on law enforcement policies within other countries may interest some students to think critically about the movie. Based on the several relevant courses this movie encompasses, another challenge that may arise when using this movie is repetition from other courses. Students may have already seen the movie in other classes or will be seeing it in other classes which can create a rebellious student. Knowing the movie was very popular upon its release; many students may have already seen the movie and created an opinion about it in other classes or in their own discussions among peers. ** Possible Assignments Related to Movie: ** Several possible assignments have been discussed in the previous sections however when using this movie in my lesson plans, I would consider several reflective assignments. Knowing this movie is an introduction to Romeo and Juliet, the first assignment would be to consider the relation of the movie to their own knowledge about Romeo and Juliet. This assignment would be a diagnostic writing assignment before beginning Romeo and Juliet in order to gauge how much detail needs to be discussed throughout the play. When reading Romeo and Juliet students would be asked to write a compare and contrast essay to characters from both the movie and the play. Students would be encouraged to write notes about each character in the movie and after reading the first act a compare and contrast can be established about characters from the movie to characters from the play. This assignment will allow students to think critically about the movie while relating their essay to course content and curriculum expectations. They would be learning about a type of essay in relation to a movie, which typically appeals to more students than a play or novel would. I would also considering having students create a movie project of their own based on their understanding of the play. This assignment could take the form of a story board where they are required to draw out scenes or a group assignment where they have to creatively present their understanding of the play. This project would incorporate a research aspect in order to allow students to think about other movies like //Slumdog Millionaire//. Each activity completed in connection to this movie would incorporate aspects of writing, reading and media studies. Students would be encouraged to think critically about the various connections that Shakespearean plays can have to today’s individuals living in any society. Created by: Vanessa Sookdeo Student Number: 207987654 Slumdog Millionaire - Vanessa Sookdeo