The Lorax

 

 

 The movie The Lorax  contains many sociolocial behaviors or functions. For example, the real tree(s) symbolize(s) the relationship between Audrey and Ted as well as who the people in the town are. To Ted it shows that if he is able to get a real tree for Audrey then he will have her love forever, therefore, symbolizing the love between them; to Audrey it demonstrates an unforgettable history that she wants to unravel and know about. I think that the passion that Audrey has for a real tree and the desire to want one represents that she's a "real" person who isn't "fake" while on the other hand, the other people of the town who prefer the fake trees that become better as technology grows, represent who they are and that they will do whatever it takes to be better. They don't think about the consequences of having fake trees, but instead they focus more on the competition and how the fake trees would make them look better. Therefore, they are being "fake" because they are not who they really are, they are trying to be like every one else. Also, the real trees symbolize grandma's past, reminding her of what it used to be like in the past and how life was different. I would associate this with an old typewriter. Typewriters don't exist anymore or in other words are not used anymore. When people from the 1960s or so see a typewriter or have a special typewriter of their own, that typewriter symbolizes their life in the past and how society used to be. The conflict theory is also well shown in this movie, for instance, the people of the town work very well together, however, Mr. O'hare is the only one in power because he is the ony one who owns a business that provides air. Today, this would be called a monopoly, there is no other business that sells air so people have no other choice than to obtain air from Mr. O'hare, therefore, putting themselves under his power and rules. The fake trees are also a conflict because they don't produce oxygen since they are fake and so the people of the town have to rely on Mr. O'hare for air because they have no other choice. An example of functionalism in the movie, a manifest function would be when the Once-ler arrived at Truffula tree forest, he was teaching new things to the animals living there and showing them tools that they never knew about, however, the latent function or also the conflict would be that although these new things that the Once-ler was showing them were useful in some ways, they were hurtful to their evironment and habitat such as the tree chopping. All in all,these are only some of the many sociological behaviors/functions in this movie. Not only does this movie show how a society functions, but also sends out a message to the viewers to preserve the things that are necessary to survive and move forward.

 

The term beginner's mind means walking into a place with a blank mind with no jugdement, trying to see something in your perspective instead of others. An example of this from The Lorax is when the Once-ler arrives st the Truffula trees forest and finds the perfect material to use for his million dollar invention. He chops down a tree without realizing the harm that he has caused. He walks into this place with a blank mind, only looking for what he wants and what is best for him. Another term realated to this act is sociological mindfulness which means realizing your misperceptions, stereotypes, judgements and assumptions, not understanding society and only revolving things around oneself. This concept is well shown as well when the Once-ler starts to chop down every tree in the forest, not realizing the harm he is doing because he is only centering things around himself and not realizing that what he is doing is affecting the animals around him. All he notices is that this is bringing him happiness and joy to his family and making him rich.

 

Another term that is well shown in the movie is social construction of reality which means that reality is only what we percieve it to be, there is no absolute truth or "normal." Much of how or what we experience is structured by society and how we have been taught to experience the world and engage with it daily. This is demonstrated by the people in thneedville, they are so consumed of how they live with plastic trees and plastic everything, making everything artificial and nothing is natural because that's the only things they see, therefore, making them think that that's "normal" because they are enclosed in a world that they only see and live in. When Ted knocks the town's wall down, everyone is surprised of what they see because they have been living in a world that they thought was the only one and the most perfect.

 



This week functionalism was the main topic. Manifest functions which are intended and recognized results from society and latent functions are unintended and not recognized consequences from society. I find latent functions to be intersting because when things are done to do good in the society, they have other results and effects towards society unintentionally. For example, school is an envirnoment that was created to learn, however, most people view school as a place to meet new friends and creat close bonds with. I relate this to be like idividual effects when you are talking or saying a comment to a friend or person. Your intention when expalining something or saying a comment to someone may be good but it possibly be interpretted as something different, therefore, creating other intended results. Something else that i found to be really inspiring is the Daffodil Principle Story, the mother was so surpised and amzed at the beautiful garden of daffodil's  and asked who had created such a wonderful materpiece. She finds out that one woman planted five acres of flowers with her own two hands, alone thrity five years ago. The mother was so astonished at the fact that the woman had planted every bulb one day at a time with no shortcuts, simply by loving the process of planting and loving the work as it was unfolding creating something beautiful. The principle that he daffodil garden taught the mother and myself as well is to learn to move toward my goals and desires one step at a time, learning to love what i am doing and learning to use my time wisely. By working towards our goals and desires one step at a time, it is an opporunity to creat wonderful things such as the daffodil garden and change the world; this is called the Daffodil Principle. It's never to late to start a new goal or a new desire. "The way to make learning a celebration instead of a cause for regret is to only ask, "How can i put this to use tomorrow?" Always strive to do more, never do less, and always do my best. 

Sociological Mindfulness

Sociological Mindfulness is realizing misperceptions, stereotypes, judgements, and assumptions. I find this concept to be very interesting because it allows me to realize how much I completely don't understand society and how most of the time I only revolve things around myself and what would be best for me. Sociological mindfulness will allow me to avoid actions that can leave a negative imprint in society even though it possibly may be beneficial for me.  If people understand their society and the struggles of others and paid attention to their actions, then perhaps people would be more careful on who they choose their role model to be or who they associate themselves with. I also find it very interesting how nonverbal communication, just indirects in jokes or how you talk can have a great impact on the person you are talking to. For example, I am a peer helper so when I'm with people i have just met, i have to be careful of how i word things when i say them because i never know if what i say can be misinterpreted. Such as if i were to ask someone "Where did you travel to during summer vacation?" it would possibly affect their answer since i am generalizing that they went somewhere over vacation when maybe they didn't go any where. They feel that they won't be "normal" if they say that they didn't go anywhere so instead they would make up a story or would not talk to you if you keep making assumptions and generalizations. Other examples may be if you ask someone "how are your parents?" when in reality the person only has one parent, "how big is your house?" when in reality they don't live in a house, they might live in an apartment or a shelter or somewhere else, or "What did you get for Christmas?" when in reality they are Jewish and don't celebrate Christmas or they don't have enough money to afford presents. These are only some of the many examples that i think affect the reactions of the people who you talk to and changes you can make in how you ask questions to make them feel more comfortable with you. People should always realize that not everyone has everything they have, some people have more or less; The important thing is to remember that no one is "normal" , therefore, you must become aware of your surroundings.