Billy

Billy Elliot Essay Individuals venturing into new worlds may encounter obstacles, but may also gain significant rewards. Explain how your prescribed text and one other related text of your own choosing explores this concept. Growing up is a complex procedure which individuals have to face. Individuals, society and family form obstacles which must be overcome. The process of transitioning into a world is inclined by individuals and the consequences that may be walked positively or negatively. The film ‘Billy Elliot ‘by Stephany Daldry and the song “ Fast car” by Tracy Chapman establishes these obstacles. Billy’s surrounding is packed with stereotypes and expectations which makes it challenging for Billy’s to transition to his desired world of music and dance. It is a dense process which has both positive and negative concerns that he illustrates the significance of expressing yourself to all audience. Comparatively, the soundtrack ‘Fast Car’ by Tracy Chapman presents the need for the protagonist to transition from an undesired to a desired world which she hoped for. Both texts effectively exhibit the need to have support from a parent to make the movement as one is growing up into another world. The significance to overcome obstacles is put forward by individuals in order to grow up and transition into a desired world. Daldry uses diegetic sound of the piano to portray Billy’s great passion for the music industry. However, Billy’s music career is restricted as showed in the line ‘leave it’ to create a sense of fear for Billy to let go of his beliefs and traditions. Billy’s father makes it more challenging for him to transition into his desired world. Furthermore, it endorses his intolerance as he slams the piano. This scene is juxtaposed with his previous family as the camera pans to the photograph of his family then zooms into his mother face. This constitutes the loss of his mother which made the process of overcoming barriers more difficult. Billy is not yet encouraged to chase his dreams as showed in the line “mum would have let us “embodies that if his mother was still alive, things would be different in life. Audience detains that individuals have a choice to transition into society and their expectations. Billy understands the negative concerns of not transitioning into society which include stereotypes. His decision to undertake the easier step as he slowly grows up is illustrated in the conversation , ‘ I don’t know why you bother; you are hopeless at it’ along with a response ‘ No I am not ‘ and the boxing gloves prop around his neck. The use of dialogue in the line “hit him” and “you are a disgrace” portrays the result of not following to the society’s expectations and the reasons for his fear. Furthermore; Billy fears the image that the society will definitely make if he enters his dreamed desired world of dance. Stereotype ‘poofs’ and ‘no boys do ballet’ have caused the effect of failing to transition to his desired world. Family is another aspect which the Elliot generation must cope with inorder to make it easier to transition. Daldry uses dialogue as described in the line “ You are a disgrace to them gloves, your father and the traditions of this boxing hall “ demonstrates the significance of boxing and mining in his society. He must aim to break down these obstacles as a way to move out of the world he is situated in at the moment. If these obstacles are not yet breaking down, they are seen by a repeated dialogue ‘I could have been a professional dancer ‘symbolises that Billy will be trapped if he does not overcome the number of obstacles which has confronted with. His father (Jacky ) and elder brother ( Tony) must take a try to have a belief in him. Daldry uses dialogue in the line ‘Out! NOW.’ joint with Jackie’s angry expression vivid the disbelief that occurs which aims to overcome the number of obstacles that has held Billy to transition into his desired world. The lack of indulging that Jacky has made the transitioning more difficult. This further enhanced the responders followed by a dialogue “Not for lads Billy, lads do football, boxing or wrestling”. Not frigging ballet’. Tony Elliot is yet against Billy’s belief and calls him a ‘useless twat’. The process of growing up requires courage and strength. This is further presented by Billy Elliot through the soundtrack from 1975 and the gestures held from ‘Top Hat White Tie & Tails’ by Fred Astaire. It is evident that he is willing to make a change to his life and planned to ignore what others, family and society expects from him. Though, he still stereotypes his self ‘I feel like a right sissy’ shows his ability to give it a try. The montage cuts from the bathroom to the class suggests his determination to overcome the number of obstacles and express himself through dance and music which enables him to generate a sense of free and joyous. His determination is presented through the dialogue ‘Find a place on that bloody wall and focus on that spot’ advocates that he denies to the entry of his desired world. Daldry uses emotive language in the dialogue ‘I hate you’ emphasises that he will not give up and to keep trying. He is encouraged by his mother to ‘always be yourself’ as it positively connotes happiness. His happiness is showed as he moves away from the society’s expectations and dance to the music ‘I love to Boogie’. Individuals grow at a point and so does their understanding. The use of dialogue ‘Fuck off you bent bustard’ reveals the influences of society growing up as violence was common. The amount of violence in the society he was raised in affected his ability to enter to his desired world. Audience is encouraged to keep trying to move him into his desired world as presented the positive consequence in the dialogue along with a long pause ‘I sort of disappear’. I can feel a change in me whole body… like there’s a fire in my body, like a bird, like electricity. This further enhances the positive impacts of moving away from societies expectations. Dancing has enabled him to prompt himself and have energy and power. Elliot’s generation is informed on positive outcomes to overcome issues through music and close up shot of Billy’s friend and himself. He has broken down societies expectations. The positive impacts including uniting of the family is symbolic by the alterations in lightning from low key lightning to high key lightning as he is accepted into his world. The audience is able to see her efforts and journey. “Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman explores through Tracy’s experience and longs for a better life situation. Through the use of metaphor ‘Fast Car’, portrays her dull moments in life. Chapman speaks throughout the song about her escape and deadlock the new place to possibly start all over again in life. The opening of the song expresses chapman’s desire of conveyance that takes her away from her present surroundings. She longs for somebody to rescue her, a company that takes her into a better secured life, where she is capable of starting all over again. The line as demonstrated “you got a fast car” emphasises the car itself. It is evident that she is urgent to break out of her old life which seems to take away all her air for breathing and crushing her to death. Leaving almost everything, the speaker is desperate to want to “finally see what it means to be living” Chapman portrays her obstacles through the lyrics of her song. “Any place is better, starting from zero got nothing to lose” suggests that she wants a better life and shows that there is a lack of opportunities for them in the place that she is situated in. Furthermore, she is desperate to start again and that she got nothing to lose if they did. These obstacles occurred because Tracy’s decision of gutting school and taking care of her dad because her mum had left ‘ She wanted more from life than he could give’. Tracy also saved up money and having a safe secured job has enabled her to regain hope as revealed in this line ‘ You’ll find work and I’ll get prompt, we’ll move out of the shelter buy a big house and live in suburbs. In contrast to Billy Elliot, Billy could not take the opportunities that was presented to him because of his family and mainly because Jackie was strongly against him to do ballet. Chapman describes her life as a hopeless one and is not going anywhere. At the start, her situation depicts that she works at a convenience store and all she does is look after her father day to day at home. This shows that she could be faced with an obstacle which is presented in the line ‘managed to save just a little bit of money’. The number of aspects portrays a clear sense of her life which otherwise been as called dull and depressing. The dullness of her life is emphasized using techniques such as slow tempo music and soft voice. Her voice is a sign of aspiration. Similarly to Billy Elliot, Daldry portrays Billy’s world as one that is filled with desires. How hard he tries to learn ballet professionally, his family and the society restricts him from transitioning.