Avalon
Avalon is a 1990 film that was released. It has been released in the United States of America as a drama film. Mark Johnson and Barry Levinson, who also directed the film, produced Avalon. Aidan Quinn, Joan Plowright, Elizabeth Perkins, and Armin Muller- Stahl starred in the film. This drama film describes how it was possible to assimilate a Jewish family into American life. The key explanation that this unique family started to transition to the everyday life of the Americans was various circumstances. It was hard for them to assimilate at first, but over time, they moved to a different way of life.
Assimilation of Structures
Structural assimilation refers to the process where someone or a group of people can integrate into another society's customs and institutions. The respective group can adapt to the host society's culture, language, the way of doing things, and traditions. It takes some years for one to be absorbed into the system because it is not easy to adapt quickly. This changes might lead to someone changing their way of living, dressing code, the food the person consumes and where they stay. A good example of structural assimilation is depicted during the 1960s to the 1990s where women were incorporated into the career and political world. The women were able to be employers and made critical decisions in the society.
Factors that measure an individual's level of structural assimilation
There are different factors that can be used to measure an individual's level of structural assimilation. One of the main factors is language. Language can be defined as a system of communication which consists of written symbols and sounds which can be used by a particular group of people in a country or region as a means of communication. Language affects the level of understanding of one person to the other. If people speak different and distinct languages to one another, the chances are that they may not understand each other.
Language is a common reason why people can grasp concepts because they can relate to ideas. In Avalon film, language played a significant role in the sense that when Krichinsky's family moved to America, they discovered a new American culture. A culture where some words that the Americans used were not the same as the ones they used in their Jewish community. This family took some time to be able to understand how the Americans do their things and how they carry themselves. This action made a great impact to the children based on how the television influenced their life.
Cultural values is another factor that affects an individual's level of structural assimilation. Culture can be defined as the way of living of people in a particular society. It involves their practices, customs, and beliefs in their day to day life. Values can be defined as the moral principles and beliefs that people think are important to them. A certain community may hold some practices that will affect the foreign person who might not have an idea of it. Culture affects what we do and what we value to be right or wrong.
According to the film, Krichinsky's family is introduced to new celebrations in the United States of America. The family is introduced to Independence and Thanksgiving days. On these days, they were able to join the other Americans in their celebrations by eating a turkey. In their celebrations, they choose to make it romantic and exuberant with fireworks. This act created a sense of happiness and belonging in the family members. The level of happiness changed as time passed by because the families were drifted apart by situations. Sam and Jules reflect this aspect in the way they were influenced by television and how their lifestyle changed rapidly after they moved to the suburbs.
The third factor is the civic assimilation. It refers to the relationship between groups of people within different social groups that share distinct civic policies. This type of assimilation focuses on the rights and duties of citizens in that particular society. It becomes a bit hard adjusting to this assimilation because one must first understand the policies that govern a particular country, then be able to practice them. A good example can be one joining a certain political party and voting.
Lastly, marital assimilation is one of the factors that measure structural assimilation. This refers to one community or a group of people who belong to different ethnic groups intermarrying. The resulting factor leads to the exchange of cultures in the process. This act means that people can be able to exchange ideas and moral values that can enable either party to adapt to new forms of behavior. Through marriage, a couple and give birth to children who will be able to assimilate naturally without having to through the complicated process of isolation.
Levels of structural assimilation of Sam, Jules, and Michael
One of the levels of structural assimilation in the film Avalon is isolation. Isolation refers to the state of feeling alone and without a friend. This is a common feeling that people have especially when they move to a different geographical area. One of the top front reasons is because one is not in contact with his or her friends; therefore, the loneliness aspect creeps in. Sam, Jules, and Michael assimilated in the same way in the sense that both changed how they celebrated parties.
One of the ways they invented to pass the time was by watching the television. The television stole the closeness that they shared with one another especially during meal times. With the change in trends, they depended more on television as compared to spending time with the whole family and chatting together. They experienced isolation from their extended families because they lived in the suburbs. This idea deprived them of closeness and happiness. Isolation state causes the mind to come up with ways and means of ending boredom, and this explains why they turned to television for answers.
It is through the watching of the television that they were able to see an advertisement that changed their lives completely. They were able to learn some few concepts of doing business and that gave them the reason to open a business that boomed in a foreign country. Isolation breaks friendship ties because people tend to care more about themselves than others, bringing the aspect of selfishness.
The other level of structural assimilation is adaptation. Adaptation refers to the state of changing one's behavior to make it suitable for a new condition or situation. This is another level that was demonstrated among the three. One of the distinct change observed in the three is the way they quickly adapted to the American way of life. The changes comprised smaller family units meeting and celebrating events as compared to the extended family that they were used. With the smaller family groups, they were able to focus on themselves better as compared to an emphasis on the entire extended family's needs.
How Sam, Jules, and Michael identify themselves in cultural assimilation
It is amazing to see how the three were able to transit from one state of culture to the other. The best way to describe this aspect is when they decided not to follow their father's way of living and ended up doing business in a foreign country. They decided to change their names from their Jewish known names to American names. Jules decides to call himself Jules Kaye. This transition was a way of adapting to the new system of the American people. Sam is depicted differently at the beginning of the film in the sense that it begins with color. As the movie proceeds, most of his scenes fade in color. This shows the difference regarding the period and technology that was used in the world war era. His arrival in the United States of America was spectacular, and his adaptation to their culture was a bit slow but progressive.
With the difference in their business angle from their father, they decided to venture in the selling of television sets to new clients. The main reason why they ventured into this business is that of the cultural influence they got from watching television and the surrounding neighbors. This aspect was different from the previous Jewish way of working that did not involve computers. One of the effects of cultural assimilation is the loss of morality and beliefs of one's culture. This is indicated by the way their behaviors changed rapidly and they ended up being rude. This was a rapid change because the Jewish culture did not involve rudeness in their way of communication.
Conclusion
Avalon is a great film in the 1990s that was able to bring out the effects of culture assimilation to people. It shows the journey of what happens when one relocates to a different place where they have to start from scratch. With the different levels that the director chose to expose in the film, one is able to relate to the challenges and adaptations of the characters in reality. The film also reflects how the younger generation can easily forget the good morals of the society like taking care of the old in our society. The film also shows the effects of separation and alienation in our society.
Reference
Avalon. Dir. Barry Levinson. Tri star pictures.1990.
