BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS
Publié le 18/04/2012
Extrait du document
Nature and origin of the text:
This document is a newspaper article,written by Joe ESZTERHAS in a Canadian newspaper, the largest daily Canadiannewspaper: the Toronto Star in august 2002.
Summary:
A Hollywood scriptwriter has had a changeof heart from militant smoker to anti-smoking campaigner.
Structure:
Part 1: A militant smoker (l.1-22)
Part 2: an epiphany (l.23-32)
Part 3: Hollywood's smoking gun (l.33 tothe end)
PART I: The writer JE is a scriptwriter and afamous one. He tells us that in his films, his characters smoke and smoking isa part of himself (as a writer). His film characters are the envy of filmviewers, he says so himself, they are cool, beautiful, glamorous, rich,intelligent and most of all chain-smoking and hard-drinking. JE qualifieshimself as a militant smoker. First of all, he cultivates the bad boy image,the bad boy attitude of the 70's "sex, drugs and rock n' roll". He says,"Smoking is everyone's right".
«
do.
PART II: JE explains why he decided to write thisantismoking article to launch his antismoking campaign/crusade.
The answerisquite clear, 18 month before he was diagnosed with throat cancer (l.27)although he is still alive, he's had an operation,which has deprived him ofmore of his larynx.
He calls himself "maimed".
All of a sudden he has decidedto become a goodboy.
God gone was the bad boy image.
He goes to church, he hasbecome a family man and wants to see his 4 boys grow up, hehas made a deal withGod, meaning he is desperate and as any new convert he is quite a fanatic (l.29"smoking should be asillegal as heroin") he went from "smoking is myinalienable/constitutional right to smoking is a crime.
He feels responsiblefordamaging people's health, he says l.24, "he has been an accomplice to themurders of untold numbers of human beings" l.26"committing the same crimes Idid" l.31 "to undo the damage".
He wants atonement/forgiveness.
PART III: Not only has he given up smoking/ andwriting smoking as a subtext in his scripts but he wants Hollywood(allHollywood; actors, directors, screenwriters) to adopt the same policy and tostop glamorizing smoking.
He is beggingHollywood to rethink the way it ispresenting; he thinks that they have blood on their hands, that they aremurders.
He wantsto cleanse his hands: this is a strong image and a clearreference to Lady Macbeth (Shakespeare).To make his point stronger, he tells usthat a famous actor smoking on screen is a role model to pre-teen and a gunpointed athis head.
Once again it's a very strong image.
Who wants to beresponsible for shooting a kid in the head? Another point as aninsult,screenwriters and directors who show smoking scenes are just lazy, they likecreative inspiration, and he is daring themto do better.
It's also a plot forcovering tobacco-addicted actors.
Here we are presented with the image, not ofheroes andsuperman but of a weak addict.
We can understand JE's desire to stayalive, his desperation.
We emphasizes with his sorrow/with his feeling ofresponsibility.
We applaud at what could be, Hollywood's new crusade, line35-36 Hollywood has fought forcivil rights, gay rights and women's right.
Forexample, if a film shows a certain image over and over again we will acceptit,Hollywood has gone on a lot of crusades, to help people become more tolerant.But it is paradoxical when his films arepaced with violence both physical andpsychological gory scenes.
He glamorizes sex and violence.
Yet the only scenesheregrets are the smoking ones.
If he were really committed to doing the rightthing, he should make a list of everything thatHollywood glosses over :murder, unnecessary violence/children and women, sadism, indecency, unsafedriving,lying/cheating.
In conclusion we can raise a few points:-> Millions of people go to the cinema and walk out without becomingserial killers, prostitutes or drug dealers … whyshould they be influencedinto smoking.-> It is true that around the world, tobacco use is on the riseespecially among young people, why is that? Because in manycountries it isnormal social behavior.
Tobacco is inexpensive, easily accessible.
Tobaccoadvertising is everywhere, thesponsoring of majors events by tobacco companieshas unlabeled them to like tobacco with excitement, athleticachievement,health, speed, triumph, sophistication, the importance of role models such asparents, siblings, older children atschool, in advertizing smokers or tobaccousers are deliberately portrait as self-confident, independent, adventurous.Smokingis popular; it's fun, sophisticated, modern.
In most cases the offer ofthe first cigarette comes from a friend and is helped bylow self-esteem, thewish to fit in.
It's the badge of independence and maturity.
It's thetransgression of a rule.-> The addictiveness and the dangerous of tobacco, they think they canstop easily, they also think they don't risk anything ifthey stop before theage of 30 and 35.
It seems that JE's word has been heard.
Document demandé:
http://www.devoir-de-philosophie.com/dissertation-religion-peut-vouloir-tolerance-20061.html.
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