Isolation of One's Self

Essay by rebelgirl0839College, UndergraduateA, July 2004

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As the philosopher Thomas Hobbes once said "a man without the understanding of culture is a man with ignorance." In today's society culture is found more frequently throughout the world than individuality. For example the U.S. is often referred to as a melting pot rather than a salad bowl. This is because all cultures melt together for a common purpose of learning whereas a salad bowl is a group of individuals all fighting for a different cause. In the film Lost in Translation several characters learned the importance of cultural isolation and the lack there of. This film conveys a message using characters Bob and Charlotte to suggest that the ignorance of a different culture can cause one to feel the purist of all isolation. Lost in Translation depicts a sense that isolation in this world is linked to culture and one's self identity.

Sometimes in life we are isolated not by choice but by our ignorance of other cultures.

For example, there's a scene in the movie where Bob, an actor, is filming a commercial for whisky in Tokyo, Japan. The director begins delivering orders to Bob in Japanese. This is definitely a cultural experience not yet encountered by this average American. While orders are being shouted at Bob in Japanese this character gives the director looks not only of frustration but covered with confusion. The disgruntled look coming from the eyes of an uncultured man explains the need of greater diversity within his life. Isolation of oneself often comes from the ignorance of other cultures. We see this through the confused eyes of an uncultured American. Throughout the plot of the movie this main character comes in contact with many different people; however he chooses to befriend the one single American he runs in to. This exemplifies...