When the main character of the feature film “The Visitor” (2007, Groundswell) Walter Vale, unlocks his apartment in New York City, visiting from Connecticut to present an academic paper, he is surprised by two “visitors.” Tarek and Zainab, young undocumented immigrants from Syria and Senegal, respectively, are living in his house. They are the visitors to Walter’s otherwise humdrum life. They are also “visitors” to the United States, and as far as the government is concerned, unwelcome visitors.
When their lives intersect, we see several clashes between different systems. On the micro level, we see a clash of class. Walter is a professor with multiple homes. He likes a nice glass of wine, and listens to classical music. His peer group …show more content…
Moana, when first seeing Zainab from a distance, says to no one in particular, “she’s very black.” Moana asks about them living together, and Zainab, bashful, lies, and says that it is only for a short while. As the film continues, prejudice disappears quickly, and a bond forms between the women, as they get to know each other better.
Walter is the possessor of great privilege. His privilege, as I see it, is that Walter gets to shape the destiny of both his own growth and experience with the visitors. His choices to join the two in the various parts of their lives allows him to experience their culture, which leads to a large increase in his happiness. In essence, he sits at the heart of the debate over cultural capital between Bordieu and Yosso. Bordieu, (1977) “asserts that cultural capital (i.e., education, language), social capital (i.e., social networks, connections) and economic capital (i.e., money and other material possessions) can be acquired two ways, from one’s family and/or through formal schooling.” Walter has these, yet he is unhappy. Yosso, on the other hand, lists 6 forms of Cultural Capital, which include: Aspirational, Linguistic, Familial, Social, Navigational, and Resistant. (Yosso, 2005, 80) Tarek may not have the financial and educational means in the Bordieu model, but his goal to play his music for others, his knowledge of Arabic, his family connections including his mother, his …show more content…
I live in a multicultural society in Israel where we have many mediums for cultural exchange, and these mediums are promoted on a national level. Food and music are easiest and therefore common mediums. I have been invited to homes of many varying cultures. Being able to speak Hebrew helps much in being present in the cultural exchange. Ulpan, where new immigrants learn Hebrew, and mandatory military service serve as cultural melting pots. A Kodak moment for me took place on Christmas, a year after moving to Israel, while serving in the army. During basic training, while sitting on my bunk bed, reading a Jewish text written in Hebrew but published in Lithuania in the nineteenth century, the Russian soldiers and the soldiers from Spanish-speaking countries put on “Last Christmas,” by Wham, a British band, and salsa danced with each other. A snapshot of a truly multicultural
When their lives intersect, we see several clashes between different systems. On the micro level, we see a clash of class. Walter is a professor with multiple homes. He likes a nice glass of wine, and listens to classical music. His peer group …show more content…
Moana, when first seeing Zainab from a distance, says to no one in particular, “she’s very black.” Moana asks about them living together, and Zainab, bashful, lies, and says that it is only for a short while. As the film continues, prejudice disappears quickly, and a bond forms between the women, as they get to know each other better.
Walter is the possessor of great privilege. His privilege, as I see it, is that Walter gets to shape the destiny of both his own growth and experience with the visitors. His choices to join the two in the various parts of their lives allows him to experience their culture, which leads to a large increase in his happiness. In essence, he sits at the heart of the debate over cultural capital between Bordieu and Yosso. Bordieu, (1977) “asserts that cultural capital (i.e., education, language), social capital (i.e., social networks, connections) and economic capital (i.e., money and other material possessions) can be acquired two ways, from one’s family and/or through formal schooling.” Walter has these, yet he is unhappy. Yosso, on the other hand, lists 6 forms of Cultural Capital, which include: Aspirational, Linguistic, Familial, Social, Navigational, and Resistant. (Yosso, 2005, 80) Tarek may not have the financial and educational means in the Bordieu model, but his goal to play his music for others, his knowledge of Arabic, his family connections including his mother, his …show more content…
I live in a multicultural society in Israel where we have many mediums for cultural exchange, and these mediums are promoted on a national level. Food and music are easiest and therefore common mediums. I have been invited to homes of many varying cultures. Being able to speak Hebrew helps much in being present in the cultural exchange. Ulpan, where new immigrants learn Hebrew, and mandatory military service serve as cultural melting pots. A Kodak moment for me took place on Christmas, a year after moving to Israel, while serving in the army. During basic training, while sitting on my bunk bed, reading a Jewish text written in Hebrew but published in Lithuania in the nineteenth century, the Russian soldiers and the soldiers from Spanish-speaking countries put on “Last Christmas,” by Wham, a British band, and salsa danced with each other. A snapshot of a truly multicultural