English Essays

Changing Perspectives Essay

"An individual's interactions with others can lead to a change in perspective."

Changing perspectives explores how an individual's perspectives on people, events and ideas can transform. Changes in outlook often result in a paradigm shift where the individual gains an acceptance of themselves or others. In his television miniseries Lost In Austen, Dan Zeff effectively conveys that others influence an individual's change in perceptions, similar to Tim Burton's film Alice In Wonderland.

Dan Zeff's miniseries Lost In Austen successfully conveys that changing perpectives frequently occur as a result of interactions with others. In the series, Zeff has his protagonist, Amanda Price, experience a shift in paradigms on the world of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice and her own position in the world. Initially, Zeff portrays Amanda as viewing the modern world she lives in negatively, while idolising the world of Austen as depicted in the novel Pride and Prejudice, adeptly contrasting her dark apartment with bright dream sequences of Austen's characters. The dream being superimposed with words from the novel skilfully emphasises her love for the novel and the escape it provides. Zeff then has Amanda trapped in the world of Pride and Prejudice via a portal in her bathroom, providing new opportunities. However, she soon finds herself struggling to keep her favourite story the same and begins to feel a loss of purpose and self. Through her scripted interactions with Darcy, Zeff has Amanda alter her perspectives towards the importance of keeping Austen's world true to the novel. When Zeff has Darcy almost kiss Amanda in an emotionally charged encounter, her views are challenged, and she tries to reinforce her original beliefs of unworthiness by exclaiming to Jane "it's Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn, not Darcy and Amanda Price of W6". The final scene in the series effectively conveys the postive consequences of Amanda's scripted shift in paradigms. With realisations of truth regarding her feelings for Darcy, Amanda's view on the world is changed and her development of confidence in herself allows her to feel as if she belongs, which is clearly conveyed through her scripted decision to stay in Austen's world and a close up on her kissing Darcy. In his series, Zeff effectively demonstrates that a change in perspectives is influenced by others and result in a greater understanding of self and the world.

Likewise to Dan Zeff's miniseries Lost In Austen, Tim Burton's film Alice In Wonderland successfully conveys that interactions with others can lead to changes in outlook on one's position in the world. Primarily, Burton portrays his protagonist, Alice Kingsleigh, as being different from society, scripting her lack of propriety when she is caught not wearing stockings and a corset, and defiantly replies "what if it were agreed that proper meant wearing a codfish on your head?". Similar to Zeff, Burton also has his protagonist transported into a new and strange world where her interactions with others challenge her preconceptions. Burton has the inhabitants tell her who she is and what her obligations are in Underland, repetitively being called the "wrong Alice". These scripted interactions cause her to lose her self confidence, effectively conveying that interactions with others alter perspectives. Burton has Alice regain her self confidence when she develops a relationship with the Mad Hatter who Burton has alter her view by convincing her that "you're absolutely Alice, I'd know you anywhere" and by aiding her to find a purpose for her life so that she exclaims with high modality "my name is Alice. I live in London. My father was Charles Kingsleigh, he had a vision that stretched halfway around the world and nothing ever stopped him. I'm his daughter, I'm Alice Kingsleigh". Contrasting with Zeff, Burton has Alice decide to return home with a stronger understanding of herself. Similarly to Zeff's miniseries, Burton's Alice In Wonderland successfully demonstrates that a change in perspectives is influenced by others and result in a greater understanding of self and the world.

Zeff's miniseries Lost In Austen and Burton's film Alice In Wonderland both adeptly convey that others influence an individual's change in perceptions an can result in a paradigm shift where the individual gains an acceptance of themselves or others.