(Person) Percentage - Sabanci University Research Database

The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
5.Findings and Comments
i- How are the characters being represented?
ii- How is the we-they contrast given?
iii- How are the attackers depicted?
iv- What are the outstanding talks and implications?
5.1.The Way Characters are Presented in Films
The way characters presented in films can be assessed in actor identification-one of
the parameters Van Dijk determined for ideological discourse analysis. By making definitions
about actors in the analyses, discourse meanings are revealed. In the film Rhapsody in August
the outstanding characters are grandmother Kane and Japanese American Clark. Kane who
lost her husband and sisters and brothers as a result of American bombardment strikes a
negative attitude against America. She is having psychological problems because of the
sorrow of the event she experienced. Clark shares the sorrow of his relatives who died in the
bombardment and appreciates his aunt who wants to visit his father and comes to Nagasaki to
see his aunt. The first place he wants to go is his uncle’s grave. Clark do not attempt to
defense what happened in any way and tries to understand his aunt. The children of
grandmother are all admirer of America. They forget about all that happened in a dazzle upon
seeing the wealth of American relative and meets the offer with rhapsody. They refrain from
talking about American bombardment. Although they say that they avoid talking about
bombardment as Americans are offended, they are actually afraid of losing the job
opportunity in America. The grandchildren who were born after Japan economic miracle do
not have much information about war are fan of American. One day when shopping they
discover the point were their grandfather was killed in 1945. Thus they began to respect
grandmother and hatred to America. In Rhapsody in August, Japanese characters are depicted
with their own inner conflicts and weaknesses. Clark compared to other characters are more
confident in his steps and the sentences he says and portrays an American who is strong in all
senses and who is tolerant. In the film, the strongest character against Clark is Kane. Kane
who is observes her tradition strictly does not forget the sorrow of the past. However, she also
suffers from psychological problems. In Pearl Harbor all the characters are strong, selfconfident
soldiers and nurses who successfully fulfill their duties. The main character in the
film Rafe accepts the offer to fight for the British and is very successful. As for David and
Evelyn, they are at least as patriotic as Rafe and successful soldiers. Even Evelyn’s affair with
David after she learns that Rafe has died David is an indication of continuation and standing
strong in spite of all sorrows she had. Black American who joined the army to know the world
and fight against enemy is very sad and complains about not being able to realize his dreams.
However, he heroically fights against Japan bombardment and awarded with a medal. Thus he
is respected by people and realizes his dreams. In the film, it is emphasized that America
gives chance to everyone. Rafe and David realizes their childhood dreams and become pilots.
Evelyn achieves to have a happy life tough she cheats Rafe. Thus, the viewers meets
American myth everywhere in the film.
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