The Cultural Dynamics of “Truth” in The Farewell
For this paper, I would like you to examine the different elements of intercultural communication conceptualized in the Lulu Wang film, The Farewell. The movie is pretty straightforward as far as vividly illustrating the intercultural differences in handling “truth,” but in case you find yourself looking for particular elements to cover, consider the following questions:
•Is there such a thing as a good lie? While the grandmother was in the hospital, the doctor did not consider her being unaware of her condition as a bad thing. He said it was traditional and that it "was a good lie." Do you agree or disagree? How might different cultures look at lying differently? Be sure to give examples in your response.•How do the different characters approach “the truth”? Why might this approach be different between family members who moved in America vs those who remained in China?•Why is the dinner table such a great place for families to bond? How do the aspects of Hight/Low Context and Individualism/Collectivism affect this?•During the movie the family had a tradition saying: “when people get cancer they die, it’s not the cancer that kills them it’s the fear.” From an intercultural perspective, how do you interpret that quote?•One of the characters mentions that doing this to a loved one would be illegal in America. Do you believe that this should be a legal matter? How do the ethical concepts of Relativism and Universalism apply here?•Towards the end of the movie, the granddaughter came around to her family's ways of not telling her grandmother about her condition. If this were you, would you want to know or would you want for your family to carry the emotional burden for you?
Your paper should use specific examples from the movie to illustrate the concepts from the text you are discussing in the paper. Do not feel obligated to cover all of the areas mentioned above. Feel free to concentrate on one or two aspects if you can fully develop your paper around them. That said, it is not enough to just give me a plot summary (I know they are available online) and expect that it in any way meets the requirements of this assignment. Instead, it is up to you to show how the characters’ actions (verbal and nonverbal) exemplify the text’s material.
This paper should be about 3 pages long (no cover sheet necessary), double-spaced.