I wouldn't categorize myself as a 'die-hard' fan of Julia Roberts, but every so often, we chance upon an actor or actress that just shine in their role. They do not try to hard to play the part, but somehow, their acting simply resonates with your inner being. You start feeling like you're in their shoes, and you start rooting for them. For me, these talented individuals include Gerard Butler in 300, Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind, Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia...and Julia Roberts. I think Julia Roberts' movies are life-transforming - Erin Brockovich was inspiring; Eat, Pray, Love was refreshing; and Mona Lisa Smile was what made me want to break the norms of conventional education and teach my students that being different is something good.
About Mona Lisa Smile
This movie depicts a story about tradition, values and one’s own principles. Set in 1953, this movie revolved around Katherine Watson, an art lecturer who was hired into Wellesley College, an all-girls college which values tradition and beliefs. Katherine was very anxious for her first day in class, and her students didn’t make it any easier when they had come to class, with full knowledge of what is taught, as they had memorized the entire textbook.
Katherine thought this very unusual, and she felt intimidated by her students – the students were as such because they were conditioned by their families and college traditions to act the way they did in the classroom. Katherine came back to class the other day, with art that students had not seen before. This act surprised the students very much, as they were not used to a new challenges, and as this was not the norm.
Katherine moved on, treating her students with respect and friendliness, trying to pull them away from the norm of the concept that women’s priorities are to be a good mother and wife. She strived to teach the students that there is more to life than meets the eye, or than what they were supposed to believe about themselves. Katherine also had to fight the college’s age old traditions with her principles and beliefs, by having to go against her colleagues, the principal and the board of directors.
Leadership and the Symbolic Frame
When this movie is looked at from the Symbolic Frame point of view, the question which can be asked, is that of whether Wellesley College was looked at as a theatre or a temple?
Katherine Watson had a very controversial student in her class named Betty Warren. Betty was also influential as her mother is in the College Board of Directors. It was obvious that Betty showed no inhibition to display her power many a times. In one instance, Katherine Watson was teaching a class, and in barges Betty Warren with all her pomp and glitz, making an impressionable entrance back to school after recently tying the knot. The conversation was as follows:
Betty Warren – “Don't disregard our traditions just because you're subversive”
College as a Temple - Here, Betty is reminding her lecturer that college traditions should be respected, and not simply gone against as pleased. Betty got married, and that is an important element in a lady’s life – becoming a good mother and wife – and she expects Katherine to respect that
Katherine Watson : “Don't disrespect this class just because you're married”College as a Theatre- To which, Katherine responded as above. Katherine sees the college as a theatre, where she is playing the role of a lecturer, and Betty and the other students, playing the role of students. And no matter who Betty was or what she did in her personal life, in Katherine’s class, she should be a student.
Katherine Watson, the Symbolic Leader
Symbolic leaders like Katherine can be identified through their leadership by example, symbols, vision and stories. Katherine always told her students to “Look beyond the paint”. She has always wished to instill in her students that the image created about them by their forefathers are not necessarily true today.
She wanted the students to look beyond the paint to value the art better, to look beyond what they feel they are worth and see what they are truly worth, she wanted them to look beyond the surface of their image, and look for more challenges in life. She did this by encouraging their thought processes and by asking for feedback.. She proved that her action was louder than her words, when she decided to leave Wellesley to seek new challenges, and not to conform to the role the college had about her.
Katherine also often communicated her vision to her students. "I thought I was headed to a place that would turn out tomorrow's leaders, not their wives" she often chided, to remind her students that not only men can be leaders; that as women, they too must understand and embrace their birth right to be leaders. In 1953, an era which saw women as doting mothers, prim wives and proper ladies, the idea of women playing the role of leaders was unorthodox, unheard of and simply wrong.
She wanted the students to look beyond the paint to value the art better, to look beyond what they feel they are worth and see what they are truly worth, she wanted them to look beyond the surface of their image, and look for more challenges in life. She did this by encouraging their thought processes and by asking for feedback.. She proved that her action was louder than her words, when she decided to leave Wellesley to seek new challenges, and not to conform to the role the college had about her.
Katherine also often communicated her vision to her students. "I thought I was headed to a place that would turn out tomorrow's leaders, not their wives" she often chided, to remind her students that not only men can be leaders; that as women, they too must understand and embrace their birth right to be leaders. In 1953, an era which saw women as doting mothers, prim wives and proper ladies, the idea of women playing the role of leaders was unorthodox, unheard of and simply wrong.
Katherine did not see anything wrong with that, except for the fact that the college, an institution of education, was more focused on ensuring this tradition is kept alive, instead of educating the students to think and decide for themselves. Katherine spreads and communicates her vision that women can be good mothers and wives, but women can also focus on career at the same time.
Katherine Watson was a symbolic leader in many aspects
No comments:
Post a Comment