从当幸福来敲门-看美国文化价值观.doc

摘要 文化价值观，就是人们关于文化的利害、善恶、美丑等问题的总看法和总观点，反应文化对人的意义。整个人类社会都有文化价值观，它是随着人类社会的发展而不断发展，完善。纵观美国社会，一个高度发达的国家，是什么样的文化价值理念指导它前进，使它从产生之日就开始慢慢强大，至今都是世界的霸主。本文将从电影当幸福来敲门分析美国的文化价值观。 当幸福来敲门影片所反映的整个社会背景是在美苏冷战后期，美国与苏联进行大规模的军备竞赛，消耗了大量的人力物力，财政紧张，失业率增加。但人们依然为自己的幸福生好好努力着。这部电影取材于真实故事，主人公就是当今美国黑人投资专家克里斯加纳。成功诠释了一位濒临破产的落魄业务员，如何成为知名的金融投资家的励志故事。本部影片很好地展现了美国当今社会的文化价值观，美国社会为什么会这么发达？因为他们所认同的文化价值观在支撑着他们的生活，在指导着他们前进。只要人们愿意奋斗，他们都会成功。美国的文化价值观已经产生了一个强大的美国，他也必定推动着美国继续向前发展。关键字: 文化价值观、 美国、 幸福、个人主义、行动、努力和乐观I Abstract The cultural values, are the total ideas of people caring about the cultural problems of the advantages and disadvantages 、kindness and badness、beauty and ugliness., reflecting the meaning of culture to people. There are cultural values at the society of human beings, developing with the developing of the society. Looking at the American society, one high developed county, what cultural values guide her go forth, making her become strong gradually, and let her become the powerful country. So this paper will analyze the American cultural values from the movie The Pursuit of Hapyness. The Pursuit of Happyness, reflected the social background at the last period of the cold war between the America and the Soviet Union which they competed with each other on arms race at large dimensions, expending much manpower and material resources, resulting the financial strain and unemployment rate increase. However, people still did everything hard for happy life. This movie based on a true story, and the actor is the black American investment expert-Chris Gardner. Successful annotating an inspirational story of how a nearing bankrupt salesman became the famous investment expert. This movie showed the American cultural values well. Why the America is so developed well? Because the cultural values of they identified support their life and lead them go forth. Only if they are willing to do their best, they are able to success finally. The American cultural values have born a strong America, and these cultural values will promote the America develop sequentially. II Introduction The American cultural values were formed and developed gradually after the European emigrants arrived in America, proposalling the freedom、equality、individualism, promoting people do their best for their happiness. The American cultural values drive the development of the USA. These values are deserved to study for us. The American cultural values have emerged the powerful aspects, and there are a lot of modes of transmission, for example: TV、movie、book, and so on. The movie The Pursuit of Happpyness told a story about how a almost bankrupting salesman became an investment expert through his own hard-work. The Pursuit of Happyness explained the American core value-individualism, and the values of orientation to action、effort and optimism, also the spirit of hard-working for ones own happiness through the struggle of the actor-Chris Gardner who were not afraid of the difficulty and held an optimistic attitude at the difficult circumstances. The American cultural values backboned the life of the actor, when the medical instruments were stole, the wife was gone, he could not afford the rent, he just thought the writings of the declaration of independence about the happiness. What we can learn is no matter how the life is hard, we should strive for our happy life by our all power and pursuit the happy life constantly. 14 Chapter 1 The Movie The Pursuit of Happyness The movie the pursuit of happyness was a true story, finished shooting at 2005 in San Francisco and Auckland. The American cultural values in this movie is deserved us to learn.1.1 The Social Background At the last period of the cold war, the America and the Soviet Union competed with each other on arms race at large dimensions, expending much manpower and material resources, and the USA had pushing Keynesianism in the economic field(the government intervenes the economics) in the last of 70s could not catch the trend in time. In addition, the west Europe and Japan had rised sharply,making the tendency strengthen gradually . So the America lost the overlord status slowly.1.2 True Story Chris Gardner known little about the knowledge, he just graduated at high school, but he was a diligent salesman, and he was hard-working. so he took care of his wife and child well. However, he could not let the family live happily, so Linda could not stand the pressure of poor and left him, leaving the 5 years old son with him live together. Fortunately, he got a internships at Dean Witter, but there were not salary and he could not be hired by other complies. Thus, he did not have the money to pay the rent, so he slept at hospice、subway station、bathhouse、park in which he could rest; and he queued up at relief center, ate the awful food, lived at an inferior persons life. But in order to give the son a beautiful future and his religion, he sent his child to school, then he went to work in industriously. For saving time, he never drank water, and he never put the telephone receiver down. After he finished his work, he needed to pick his son up, then he ran crazily to line up at the penitentiary. Day after day, where there is a will, there is a way. When then internship finished, he was hired. So he began to do his business, then he opened brokerage company and became a millionaire, finally he was an investment exert successfully.Chapter 2 The American Cultural Values in The Pursuit of Happyness The American cultural values in the pursuit of happyness lead the America go forth.2.1 the definition of the cultural valuesThe values, are the principles of the social members evaluate the behaviors、objects and from choosing ones fitful goals of all the possible. It is the core of the world outlook and the inner driving force of making people act, through the behavioral approaches of people and the evaluation or attitude of things reflect out. And the cultural values, are the total ideas of people caring about the cultural problems of the advantages and disadvantages 、kindness and badness、beauty and ugliness., reflecting the meaning of culture to people.2.2 the American cultural values and the contents American cultural values oriented from 300 years ago, when the British Puritan went across the Atlantic Ocean by mayflower to America- this “Pure Land” for escape persecution. The Puritanism thought began to root in the America, so the Puritanism thought had deep effects in American cultural values. So the mainstream cultural values are the Puritanism thought, also the traditions of white nation of Anglo-Saxon. the values of the Puritanism expressed are orientation to action、work and play、time and money、motivation and measurable achievement、effort and optimism、man and nature、individualism and equality、obligation、confrontation、informality, formality and friendship、material well-being and humanitarianism、competition and desire for success、cooperation and “fair play”. These cultural values have permeated every aspect of the American life. and the core of the American cultures is individualism, also the main part of the American spirit. According to the explanation of the American scholar-Samuwa, the individualism includes autonomous motivation、autonomous chose、self-dependence、 respect for people、freedom of personality、respect of privacy, and so on. In the culture, it emphasizes the Personal independence, creativity, and stressed the personal development of freedom not or a little influenced by the society、the force of the politics and religion. It is the philosophy of life in the center of person, the human beings are the main body of the values, believing everyone has his own values, attaching importance to personal self control and personal self development. We can see individualism is the essence and core of the American cultural values, it motivates America go fort2.3 The American Cultural Values in The Movie In the movie the pursuit of happyness, there were some American cultural values. What the audiences need to do is to learn the American cultural values.2.3.1 Individualism In the American cultural context, the notion of individualism has a powerful strength. The individualism has emphasized the American as a self-reliant, self-dependent individual, controlling his own life, and responsible for anything he dose. Also, it put stress on his insistence on his rights as an American- his right to challenge government in the courts, through organization and electoral activity, through referendum, initiative, and recall. At least, there are three essential elements in individualism: its opportunity for the individual, its grant of freedom, and its encouragement of diversity. The portrait of individual tries to convey the message that it was the collective efforts of numerous individuals like this one that America has been created as it is now. In this movie, when the Chris Gardner were at the desperate circumstance of the wife was gone，the selling was failure, the money was short for rent, and there is a child needed to be cared. But he still insisted on his beliefs and pursuit the goals and happiness of his own. When he got a dream, he tried his best for it, and he never gave up anyone chance of selling and showing himself. During the period of the internship of Dean Witter, he also worked very hard. In this movie, its showed up spirit was the perfect interpretation of the American core value.2.3.2 Orientation to action For anyone who has been to the United States, or who has worked with Americans, one thing he cannot fail to notice about Americans is their orientation to action. Orientation to action is one of the American values, also the key point of the American. Phrases such as “on the run,” “on the move,” “on the go,” and “on the rode” may well explain the fact that American have an undeniably strong inclination toward action. The orientation to action is not meant to do something just for the sake of action. It is frequently conceived of as decision making. This concept has two meanings in American culture. In everyday life, the idea of decision making is used to justify a wide range of behavior, like casual conversations about goals, summer jobs, or extended travel may all be justified as part of efforts to make a decision about ones career. In this movie, after Chris Gardner heard about the stockbroker said the job is easy, he wrote an application form. And he took the taxi with the manager. Then he got the success. This revealed the orientation to action well in America.Chapter 3The enlightenments of the American values in The Pursuit of Happyness The movie the pursuit of happiness demonstrated a true story. Through this true story, it spread the main American cultural values for the audiences, hence it gave a lot of the enlightenments to audiences,. Thus, this is what the audiences should learn. 3.1 Pursuit the happyness bravely In this movie, no matter how the life of Chris Gardner was poor, the pressure of life was so heavy and the burden of life made them not breathe, but he still insisted on his own beliefs and pursued his dream and happiness. When he faced the difficulties, he would remember the passages of the pursuing of happiness in the declaration of independence. Finally, he got his own happiness.3.2 Hold the high spirit an do the best in the difficulties In this movie, when Chris Gardner marketed his instrument unsuccessfully and he was kicked out the house for no money to pay, also he sold his blood because of no money. While he was in this bad situation, he yet did his best at work and was optimistic to the future. Finally, he defeated the difficulties and succeeded. What the audiences need to learn is we should hold the optimistic spirit to face the bad time. This is the valuable spirit.Conclusion The movie The Pursuit of Happyness told us a real story that happened at Chris Gardner. The story happened at 1981 in San Francisco, at that time, the America was at the period of economic depression. The actor was a losing salesman who open selling failure and wife abandoned him, could not afford the rent, but he was hard-working and positive. Finally, he set up his own brokerage firm. Through the actor, this movie expressed the main American cultural values, and the core value-individualism-it proposals self-hardworking and diligence to change ones life letting them become the actor of ones own life. And the orientation to action、effort and optimism. These values guide the America become strong, making she get overlord status. So our audiences should learn the American cultural values, and then get the positive energy. What we should do is do our best for ones life better! Everyone should pursuit the happiness belonging to him, everyone should live well!摘要 “美国梦”文化是被大多数美国人所敬仰的信念。励志电影当幸福来敲门取材自美国著名黑人投资专家Chris Gardner的真实故事。该部影片成功地展示了一个普通美国业务员濒临破产、妻子出走的悲惨遭遇，主人公并不气馁，凭借着过人的行业知识和天赋最终成为一名出色证券经纪人，实现了自己的“美国梦”。影片是以现代“美国梦”文化为主题展现的，其中的人物个性特性、天赋的发挥以及对机遇的敏锐发现是值得我们当代青年学习的。关键词 励志电影；当幸福来敲门；“美国梦”文化在美国，大多数入都信仰“美国梦”，尤其是奥巴马再次当选美国总统使得这个古老的“美国梦”话题又被人们重新拾起、讨论。曾经不计其数的美国青年受到了“美国梦”的激励而奋发图强，逐渐走向事业的最高峰，“美国梦”也无数次吸引全球各地人士来美国发展落户。在“美国梦”向全世界人民传播和展示过程中，也为以“美国梦”文化表现为主题的电影兴起起到了一定的催化和加速作用。被称为电影梦工厂的美国好莱坞曾无数次打造了“美国梦”的典型电影，电影中的美国人具有坚忍不拔的战斗意识、具有勤奋聪明的处世品德，他们各个走向事业的成功，他们各个实现了“美国梦”。“美国梦”文化曾经是非常真实的，随着社会的发展，现在看来“美国梦”却越来越难以实现。电影当幸福来敲门就是一部典型的展现现代“美国梦”文化的影片。一、“美国梦”文化解读“美国梦”文化是被大多数美国人所敬仰的信念。它发展于19世纪，是源于美国成为英国殖民地时期的文化。美国人相信，只有在本国通过人们自身的决心、创意、勇气以及勤奋工作才能迈向国家的繁荣昌盛，也就是说，美国人要通过不懈的奋斗和努力才能过上更加美好的生活，并非依靠他人和社会阶级的救助，以至于后来，很多抱着“美国梦”的欧洲移民陆续来到美国实现他们的理想。“美国梦”文化的灵魂是“机会均等”。只有坚忍不拔、勤奋、聪明的人才能实现“美国梦”。因此，“美国梦”表现出来的最显著特征是下层阶级至上层阶级的流动以及幅度巨大的社会纵向流动。二、电影当幸福来敲门梗概好莱坞著名演员威尔史密斯凭借当幸福来敲门中的出色表演获得了第79届奥斯卡影帝提名。该片中，威尔史密斯扮演的克里斯加特纳已近而立之年，他是一名黑人医疗器械推销员，只有高中学历。随着美国经济危机的到来，克里斯的妻子琳达终于无法忍受如此艰难的生活，毅然决然离开了克里斯和他5岁的儿子托弗，此后，主人公克里斯靠这份推销员工作和儿子相依为命。然而，妻子的离开并不是克里斯父子二人悲惨命运的终点，房东因克里斯交不起房租而将他们轰出了家。自此，克里斯父子便和大多数流浪汉一样在地铁站卫生间里过夜、在地铁上打盹、去教堂祷告。医疗器械推销失败后，克里斯费尽周折获得了一个在当地著名证券投资公司实习的机会，而正式证券经纪人的位置只有一个，再加上实习工作不发薪水，使得父子二人的生活难上加难。克里斯没有气馁，他鼓足勇气克服当前的困难决定走向幸福之路。流浪汉般的日子并没有将克里斯父子二人的信念和亲情击垮，他们抱着一个“美国梦”，坚信幸福一定会降临在他们头上。功夫不负有心入，克里斯凭勤恳的努力和过人的智慧成为所有实习生中的佼佼者，以第一名的成绩被证券公司正式录用。此刻，幸福敲开了克里斯的大门。三、透析当幸福来敲门中的现代“美国梦”文化(一)超乎寻常的个性特征与以往单调的个人成功和个人自由的美国励志电影不同，当幸福来敲门人物之间的浓烈亲情中蕴涵着主人公优秀的个性特性，也使电影更加贴近于美国大众所追求的“美国梦”。该部电影抛弃了以往美国商业电影不食人间烟火、高高在上的虚无空想，而注重于平民化的“美国梦”表达。本片仍然延续了好莱坞刻画人物的老套路，将平凡的主人公性格刻画得非常夸张，进而将个人成功完全摒弃了外部条件的制约，但是本片值得关注的是小人物克里斯对亲人和家庭所包含的责任及深切的爱。而这种表达方式下，也恰恰使主人公克里斯顽强的性格摆脱了好莱坞一贯的傲慢与自负，不但使剧情充满了令人为之动情的人文关怀，也帮助克里斯实现了个人“美国梦”。一直以来，美国人认为传统“美国梦”得以实现的必要条件是坚忍不拔、勤奋、聪明。随着美国的发展，使其从传统的英国土地殖民社会进入了美国工业社会，传统“美国梦”文化中“肯干就遍地是机会”的思想也逐渐退出现代“美国梦”舞台。影片中的流浪汉就是盲目相信只要通过努力就能实现“美国梦”的而成为泡影的人物，他相信只要努力就能实现利用骨密度扫描仪穿越时空。而主万方数据人公克里斯加特纳曾经也是这样的人，他幻想通过推销骨密度扫描仪来实现自己“美国梦想”，因此，他将全部的积蓄都投入进来。可是，在资本经济强势下个人努力显得如此渺小，克里斯错误判断了市场使其货物积压成堆，他从此失去了生活保障。儿子的学习压力、一家人生活的拮据使得妻子琳达最终离家出走，种种困境使得克里斯不得不反思自己，畅想他所有想要的“美国梦”。儿子托弗成为接连不断挫折和困难中克里斯勇敢面对挑战的精神支柱，激励着他承受生活和社会所施加的各种磨难。在这个精神寄托中，克里斯最终成为著名的证券经纪人。该片中，克里斯所表现的信念和传统的以鼓吹个人主人为核心的“美国梦”不同，主人公并非完全相信所谓的机会均等，其个性特征也并非是大众鼓吹的“美国梦”信仰。克里斯奋斗动机是源于寻常美国百姓对亲情的信仰与执著，这也是该片所展示的现代“美国梦”文化一大特点，也是和传统“美国梦”区别最大的地方。(二)对某种行业的知识天赋广大的美国土地从独立战争到19世纪末期都无人拥有和居住，任何欲望者都可以随意开垦和投资。正是如此，导致了以农业经济为主的