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SNOWPIERCER

FOA #3 Part 1: Language in cultural context (Language and social groups)

ABOUT THE FILM

ABOUT

Original Release Date: July 11, 2014

Genre: dystopian, thriller, action, dark comedy

Directed by: Bong Joon Ho

  • Bong Joon Ho is a Korean film director and screenwriter born in 1969
  • shed light on important social issues such as socioeconomic disparities in a very thrilling yet humorous way
  • Memories Of Murder (2003), The Host (2006), Okja (2017) and Parasite (2019).

(Daily Dead, 2016)

Bong Joon Ho

Director

Giannakouris, P. (2019).

  • Born into a middle class family
  • Grew up influenced by the Western media
  • Studied sociology
  • Bong seamlessly blends Korean culture and politics into his films
  • “Bong does not simply mimic Hollywood. Rather, he appropriates and reworks genre conventions, using them as a framework for exploring and critiquing South Korean social and political issues. Bong reconfigures Hollywood's conventions so that they become tools for grappling with Korean questions.” (Klein, 2008).

SUMMARY

(The Essential, n.d.)

THE FILM

  • 2031
  • Ice aged caused by failed climate change experiment
  • All life wiped out, remaining survivors > aboard the Snowpiercer
  • A train circling the globe all year round, created by Wilford
  • 17 years

  • Social class system created
  • Passengers separated based on socio-economic class, determined by the tickets they have
  • Higher class > front cars, luxury
  • Lower class > tail of train, crammed

(Mysanantonio, 2014)

(Independent Ethos, 2014)

CHARACTERS

(Heroes Wiki, n.d.)

(Villains Wiki, n.d.)

(Meredith Corporation, 2015)

Characters

Wilford

Creator of the train

Mason

Minister

Curtis

Leader of the revolt (lower class)

Wilford

Creator of the train

- passengers are told that he is "sacred" and "eternal"

- Prototypical image of a fascist dictator, a powerful figure who is free of the damage he causes

Wilford

Curtis

Leader of the revolt (lower class)

- protagonist of Snowpiercer

- A tail passenger who resents Wilford's rule

- Determined to lead a violent revolt to get passengers from the tail to the head and overthrow Wilford

Curtis

Mason

Minister

- second in command to Wilford in the Snowpiercer

- ensures the lower class passengers are kept in their "place" by abusing them.

- Bong stated that Mason is “kind of a fake person, a snob” and that she can be seen as the “worst kind of politician” (Bong 2014).

Mason

Mason's Speech

MASON'S SPEECH

Allegory and Symbol

Allegory

surface > survivors stuck in train, lower class wants to improve living standards

deeper > represents our real world and illustrates the very wide inequality between the socio-economic classes

Allegory and

Symbol

The shoe is used to symbolize the lower class and shows their preordained position,

on the ground

The hat is used as a symbol for the

higher class and shows their

preordained position, on top

A

B

C

LANGUAGE ELEMENTS

LANGUAGE ELEMENTS

D

Analyze how audience and purpose affect the structure and content of texts

E

F

G

"This is so disappointing.

Cut that out - I only have seven minutes.

(He lifts the shoe)

Passengers, this is not a shoe. This is disorder. This is size ten chaos. This - see this - this is death."

"this is not a shoe.

This is disorder.

This is size ten chaos.

This - see this -

this is death."

Parallelism

Parallelism

  • catches attention, compelling > good for speech starter
  • pattern makes it easier for audience to understand ideas
  • illustrate what is being said > more memorable for audience > establish control within the lower class

  • Mason emphasized that disobedience is intolerable and will lead to destruction > lower class should stay low

"In this locomotive we call home, we have but one barrier between our warm hearts and the bitter cold."

(waves the shoe)

"Clothing? Shields? No! Order! Order is the barrier that holds back the frozen death. Order. We - all of us Passengers on the Train of Life - must remain in our allotted stations. "

"Clothing? Shields? No! Order!"

Syntax

  • Short sentences lessens flow in the reading of the speech which creates brief moments of silence, resulting in a tense atmosphere
  • The tense atmosphere conveys to the lower class passengers that Mason, the deputy minister is above them as it makes the lower class passengers uncomfortable, yet the passengers cannot leave because she is in a position of authority

"Clothing? Shields? No! Order!"

Rhetorical Question

Rhetorical Question

  • Captures attention; engages listeners by making them think and creates intonation
  • Mason answers her own question in an absolute manner which carves the train's ideology into the minds of the lower class passengers.
  • Effectively manipulates the lower class passengers into adhering to their allotted social class, which includes the inhumane treatment they receive, therefore maintaining "order" in the Snowpiercer

"We must each of us occupy...

(waves his hand in a peculiar motion)

...our par-tic-u-lar, pre-ordained position!

(Mason places Andrew’s shoe on his head) Would you wear a shoe on your head?

Of course you would not wear a shoe on your head.

A shoe does not belong on your head. A shoe belongs on your foot.

A hat belongs on a head.

I am a hat and you are a shoe.

I belong on the head - you belong on the foot.

Yes? So it is."

A shoe does not belong on your head.

A shoe belongs on your foot.

A hat belongs on a head.

I am a hat and you are a shoe.

I belong on the head - you belong on the foot.

Parallelism

Parallelism

  • creates rhythm, smoother flow of idea
  • contributes to towards coherence > persuasive tool
  • Mason's purpose is met > restore order by reinforcing preordained position

"Yes? So it is."

Repetition

Repetition

  • repeated throughout speech (+throughout movie)
  • Mason's iconic line
  • to make sure audience (lower class) understands
  • affirms her words > no reaction from audience

  • proclaim that her words are facts and the truth
  • forces listeners to accept all that she says, although they might not agree at first

  • high position of power > bold enough to assume that lower class will listen to her
  • would be very different to how she would talk to the upper class > not as bold, more respectful

"Why am I a hat, you ask?

What prescribes order, you ask?

In the beginning, order was prescribed by your ticket. First class, economy, you get my drift. Eternal order is prescribed by the Sacred Engine."

"Why am I a hat, you ask? What prescribes order, you ask?"

Parallelism

Parallelism

- the phrase "you ask?" in the end of Mason's sentences show that she acknowledges the lower class passenger's supposed confusion and disagreement regarding her speech

- Conveys that she is the person in authority, as she is the one with the information to answer the lower class passenger's questions

- creates rhythm so the speech is compelling to listen to

"Why am I a hat, you ask? What prescribes order, you ask?"

Rhetorical Question

Rhetorical Question

- Creates a patronizing tone

- Emphasizes the points of the speech

- Captures attention

- Mason answers it the question: "In the beginning, order was prescribed by your ticket. First class, economy, you get my drift. Eternal order is prescribed by the Sacred Engine," thus conveying that she is the person in authority since she has the answers

“eternal order”

- register: formal, direct

- Minister Mason reminds the passengers that the class system must be maintained to keep the system of government working,

- often used by important figures to exert their power that may even enslave the public’s mind

- "eternal order" : proclaims that what she's saying are facts and the absolute truth, making her points hard to argue

Diction

"All life flows from the Sacred Engine and

all things in their place,

all Passengers in their Section,

all water flowing,

all heat rising pays homage to the

Sacred Engine......in its own par-ti-cu-lar pre-ordained position.

Yes? So it is."

"All life flows from the Sacred Engine and

all things in their place,

all Passengers in their Section,

all water flowing,

all heat rising pays homage to the

Sacred Engine......in its own par-ti-cu-lar pre-ordained position.

Yes? So it is."

Repetition

- shows that the Snowpiercer's ideology is absolute and nothing is to be exempted from adhering to it

- shows how rebellion is unacceptable because the lower class passengers "belong" in the tail

- Mason degrades the value of the lower class passengers by stating that they deserve to be treated badly

- Emphasizes the points which makes the speech easy to absorb by the lower class passengers

"Now, as in the beginning,

I belong to the front, you belong to the tail.

When the FOOT seeks the place of the HEAD, a sacred line is crossed.

Know your place! Keep your place!

Be a shoe!"

"I belong to the front, you belong to the tail."

- imagery, Mason highlights that they are different and is implying that they are of less importance

- distance herself from the lower-class people and thinks she is above them, expresses her negative opinions of them very boldly

- how she rationalizes all the injustices that occur in the train

Imagery

"When the FOOT seeks the place of the HEAD.."

- metaphor, personification

- "foot", "head" > Mason continuously degrades the value of the lower class passengers

- allows audience to empathize with the people at the "tail"

"Know your place! Keep your place! Be a shoe!"

Imperative Sentence, Metaphor, Personification

- implies that it is totally normal to be oppressed and to live in poverty since it is their “preordained position”.

- imperative sentence intensifies the atmosphere of the scene, making it more interesting and fascinating to watch

- A command: Mason is in full control and make decisions for the lower class

- Not something she would say to the people in the upper class > change of attitude when talking to certain social groups

“When the FOOT seeks the place of the HEAD, a sacred line is crossed.”

- identify the divine boundary that separates the "front" and "tail" passengers

- viewers get the idea that crossing this line would be a sin > uses language to manipulate the lower class into staying low and obeying the orders

- "sacred" used repetitively > more tragic and dramatic

Diction

"(Mason dramatically finishes - he expects applause but does not get it. He checks the clock) - oops...Mmmm... We have some time left. Let us go to a special comment from Mr. Wilford, the Divine Keeper of the Sacred Engine...Sir? Mr. Wilford? (SPEAKER BZZZZZZZ....CRACKLE...BZZZ) He’s busy. So it is!"

VISUAL ELEMENTS

VISUAL ELEMENTS

Character Blocking

  • Particular hand motion whenever Mason says the line “par-tic-u-lar, pre-ordained position”
  • Bong clarified in an interview that this small gesture implies that she worked her way into her current position and may have been a cleaning lady when she first got on the train (Bong, 2014)
  • contradictory to what Mason tells the lower class passengers: everyone is given their allotted social class which they cannot escape and must adhere to
  • Rules are only changeable by those in power or considered high class

Character Blocking

Art Direction

  • Uses space, train cargos, to establish the different social hierarchies present in our society
  • Bong and Ondrej Nkvasil purposely designed each cargo differently to emphasize the social and economic status of their inhabitants
  • lower class’ cargo> dark, overcrowded, unpleasant
  • upper class' cargo> grand, ritzy, luxurious (+tunnel aquarium, swimming pool, and a garden)
  • Creates a dramatic effect to the viewers and further shows the disparity between the two social groups.

Art Direction

Pictures:

"Tail" V.S. "Front"

(Halperin, 2014)

Colors

CLOTHING

  • High class > bright, colorful (yellow, purple)
  • Low class > dull, covered with dirt

Stark contrast of saturation shows the difference in the lifestyle of the 2 social groups, symbolizing the division inside the train.

Colors

(The Playlist, 2014)

Snowpiercer. (2014). [film] Directed by J. Bong.

Close-up Shot

Types of Shots

Close-Up > grabs attention, reveal facial expression (changing perspectives) and emphasizes their emotional state

Snowpiercer. (2014). [film] Directed by J. Bong.

Medium Shot

Medium Shot > conveys more information about the setting and atmosphere (the "sacred line"), make viewers think about what lies behind the door, making the story more unpredictable

Close-up and Medium shots are used following the establishing shots

Snowpiercer. (2014). [film] Directed by J. Bong.

CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

Bibliography

Bibliography

Bong,H. (2014). Quint gets on a train with director Bong Joon-ho and talks all things Snowpiercer!. [online] Aint It Cool News. Available at: http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/67810 [Accessed 30 Aug. 2019].

gradesaver.com, (n.d), Snowpiercer Character List, [online], https://www.gradesaver.com/snowpiercer/study-guide/character-list, [Accessed 3 Sep 2019]

Klein, Christina. "Why American Studies Needs to Think about Korean Cinema, Or, Transnational Genres in the Films of Bong Joon-ho." American Quarterly 60.4 (2008): 871-98.Project MUSE. Web.

Sharf, Z. (2019). Cannes Jury Says Awarding Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite’ the Palme d’Or Was Unanimous Decision. [online] IndieWire. Available at: https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/cannes-jury-parasite-palme-dor-unanimous-decision-1202144858/ [Accessed 30 Aug. 2019].

Snowpiercer. (2014). [film] Directed by J. Bong.

Pictures

Daily Dead (2016). [image] Available at: https://dailydead.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Snowpiercer-620.jpg [Accessed 1 Sep. 2019].

Halperin, M. (2014). We Talked To Snowpiercer's Production Designer About Building A World Inside A Train. [online] Vice. Available at: https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/xy4wek/we-spoke-to-game-of-thrones-vfx-supervisor-about-his-new-movie-alien-outpost [Accessed 1 Sep. 2019].

Heroes Wiki (n.d.). [image] Available at: https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Curtis_Everett [Accessed 3 Sep. 2019].

Independent Ethos (2014). [image] Available at: https://indieethos.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/tumblr_n7bzxq7pmc1tbeyfeo2_500.jpg [Accessed 1 Sep. 2019].

Meredith Corporation (2015). [image] Available at: https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/snowpiercer_612x380_1.jpg [Accessed 3 Sep. 2019].

Mysanantonio (2014). [image] Available at: https://s.hdnux.com/photos/30/77/37/6551530/8/1024x1024.jpg [Accessed 1 Sep. 2019].

The Essential (n.d.). [image] Available at: http://theessential.com.au/media/articles/219/snowpiercer-1.jpg [Accessed 1 Sep. 2019].

The Playlist (2014). [image] Available at: https://theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/snowpiercer-70267.jpg [Accessed 3 Sep. 2019].

Villains Wiki (n.d.). [image] Available at: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/villains/images/5/5f/Jul01harris01_hitn.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170918192138 [Accessed 3 Sep. 2019].

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