Intercultural Communication In My Big Fat Greek Wedding
“Learning about stereotypes, ethnocentrism, discrimination, and acculturation in the abstract can be flat and uninspiring. But if we experience intercultural contact with our own eyes and ears, we begin to understand it” (Summerfield, 1993). In other words, in order to expand knowledge about different cultural backgrounds, it is useful to have firsthand experiences. Films are enormous cultural treasures for us to have visual and auditory experiences and facilitate intercultural learning. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” (2002) is a ideal film to obtain knowledge of a lot in term of intercultural communication, in particularly, individualism/collectivism, communication style and power distance. Involving intercultural communication between American and Greek cultures, the films tells about Toula, who belongs to a lower middle class Greek America felt in …show more content…
They decided to marry but faced to the disapproval of Toula’s family about the cultural differences. Firstly, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” illustrates the conflict between members of two different cultural groups in terms of communication style: low context culture and high context culture. In theory, a low context culture tends to “uses language primarily to express thoughts, feelings, and ideas as clearly and logically as possible... The meaning of a statement is in the words spoken”; in contrast, a high context culture “relies heavily on subtle, often nonverbal cues to convey meaning, save face, and maintaining social harmony. Communicators… discover meaning from the context in which a message is delivered” (Adler & Elmhorst, 2008). In the movie, Ian represents to a straight-talking style reflecting
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Interracial Relationships In Our Family Wedding
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Berlo's Father In My Big Fat Greek Wedding
716 Words | 3 PagesConsidering that Toula went to an American school and then graduated an American college it can be considered that the message in this movie comes from the American education. This movie was not made to praise Greek culture, or to show how immigrants in America are able to keep their culture, without it being assimilated. From the beginning of the movie, Toula stressed that she does not want to do what her culture suggested “marry a good Greek man, have lots of Greek children and cook for the whole family.” This statement together with her feeling awkward in her Greek language classes suggest that the message which the movie and Toula sends is that of a desire of assimilation. During the scenes of her early childhood, she looks out of place among the American girls, stressing not only her cultural difference, but also her physical differences as well.
Character Analysis: Toula Portokalos
1741 Words | 7 Pages1. Toula Portokalos is a 30-year old American-Greek woman working as a waitress in her family’s restaurant. Toula is a shy wallflower who has never been in a real relationship before, also her family wishes nothing more than seeing her being married to a Greek man, has already given up hope of finding a husband for her. Toula starts taking courses at a local college to make more out of her life, she gets to know Ian and suddenly turns into an attractive independent woman.
The American Dream In My Big Fat Greek Wedding
806 Words | 4 PagesIn the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Toula pursues her belief that she can have a relationship with Ian even though he is not Greek and her father disapproves. This is a reflection of the American Dream; the dream that one can do what they want, believe in what they want, and act on those beliefs. Toula’s family is loud, large, and strict in the belief that Greeks marry Greeks. Toula and all the other women in her family are expected to marry a Greek man, produce many Greek babies, and cook Greek food. Toula wants more than what her father and the rest of her family want for her.
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My Big Fat Greek Wedding Essay
560 Words | 3 PagesProfessor Agathi Glezakos has called the movie “degrading” and accused it of treating Greeks as animals. The worst example of such treatment is the depiction of Toula’s grandmother who only communicates through body language and occasional short phrases. The movie also shows Toula’s family drinking a lot of ouzo – a traditional anise-flavored alcoholic drink. Overall, the treatment of the Greek culture in the movie is inelegant. All of the aspects and peculiarities are exaggerated and overplayed, resulting in a crude depiction of the foreign
My Big Fat Greek Wedding Analysis
799 Words | 4 PagesMy Big Fat Greek Wedding is a Hollywood-style romantic comedy, about Toula Portokalos a 30-year-old single woman in Chicago, A Greek descendant, being raised in a highly traditional family. I am going to compare the American culture to that of the Portokalos family. The movie starts at her family’s restaurant, Dancing Zorba’s, where she is incessantly reminded that her clock is ticking. In conformity with her family’s standard, women that are not married and popping out babies, work in the family restaurant, and are seen as disappointments.
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