American films have shown the black community in a stereotypical way. In every movie featuring African American women, they are shown as loud, brash, and angry. The men are shown as someone who is on the streets selling drugs, abusing their women and committing a crime. Madea's Family Reunion, a film made in 2006 produced by Tyler Perry, focuses on bringing an African-American family together in a reunion and a well-known mother figure, Madea Simmons, who helps her family and a troubled adopted son improve their daily struggles. . The film Madea's Family Reunion reflects stereotypes about African Americans and women, showing how they depend on men to take care of them and giving negative advice about why women should be with a man who doesn't treat her well. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Although this article will explain the use of stereotypes in Madea's Family Reunion, others say that the main message of the film surrounds family values and is the importance of religious belief. As discussed in Denis Maye-Davis and Tonya E. Perry's article, "Momma's Girl," it was determined that a majority of all age groups identified their mothers as someone who was most like a mother to them and some identified their grandmother as being their mother. In the film, Madea Simmons is someone who every member of the family looks up to and makes her home available to anyone who needs it. He takes in a troubled foster daughter named Niki to avoid going to prison. As she takes in her troubled adopted daughter, she discovers that all the little girl needed was someone to discipline her and encourage her to do better in life, and someone to teach her not to worry about what others think of her. Madea also has two grandchildren who she allows to come and stay with her. One of her nieces, Vanessa, lives with her and has two children from two different men. None of her children's fathers are present in their children's lives. Vanessa on the other hand has difficulty loving a man named Frankie due to her past experiences. Madea explains to her that she needs to let Frankie love her and stop giving him a hard time. The other niece Lisa is engaged to a violent and controlling banker named Carlos. Even though she wants to leave the engagement, her mother Victoria encourages her to stay. After a few days, Lisa goes to talk to her sister Vanessa, while Vanessa asks Madea for advice. When Madea reaches them, she tells Lisa to stand up to Carlos and fight back. During these difficult times, for Vanessa, Lisa and their troubled adopted daughter Nikki, Madea helps them overcome everything they are struggling to accomplish. Madea also wants them to understand their personal values in life and to accept who they are. The opposing side makes some strong points about the importance of family values in this film; but the presence of stereotypes against women and African Americans obscures Perry's message of remaining faithful to one's family. In the article "Cinematic Incarnation" by Cherise Harris and Keisha Tassie it is argued that "messages about gender are particularly problematic if accepted as accurate representations of black men and women and that in every Perry film, the women's primary concern is obtaining and keep a man." People who see Perry's films can agree that Perry always shows his women this way. As shown in Madea's Family Reunion, a stereotype presented in the film is that women believe they need to find and keep a man because he is financially stable and can take care of her.It also features women who have a hard time trusting men due to their past. After watching the movie Madea's Family Reunion, one of the thematic stereotypes was that women let men treat them in any way because the man is financially stable. In the film, TylerPerry shows the use of a relationship between two sisters, Vanessa and Lisa, and their mother, Victoria. Vanessa is a single mother who was sexually abused by her stepfather and has developed a relationship with a local bus driver, while her sister Lisa is engaged to Carlos, an abusive banker. Their mother, Victoria, is forcing Lisa to go through with the engagement and avoid doing things that might make Carlos angry or upset so that he and Lisa can take care of Victoria (Madea). In everyday life, some women rely on men and their children to take care of them. Courtney Young argues that the film contains consistent messages to “be strong, but not too strong” to allow a man to be a man” and that “true fulfillment is found in the role of wife and/or mother” (Carey 999). This shows that Tyler Perry is trying to get his audience to recognize that women should not be too strong, so the man feels like he is in control. Shown in the film, after Lisa confesses that Carlos beat her, she has a conversation with Madea and her mother and comes to the conclusion that she will follow her mother's advice to listen and stay with Carlos for a stable income or take the advice Madea's plan is to get rid of Carlos by cooking a big pot of grits and throwing it at him by beating him with a frying pan. On the other hand Vanessa was a child that her mother used as a trade to support a man, which caused Vanessa to have a hard time trusting any man who came into her life. As discussed in the article “Take Your Place” by Cherise Harris and Keisha Tassie, they claim that “when Vanessa was a young girl, her mother Victoria allowed her wealthy stepfather (and Lisa's biological father) to rape her in exchange for continuing their marriage and life. from his wealth. Victoria says "if we wanted to feel comfortable, I had to make some very difficult decisions." Because of the way Victoria was raised, she grew up without love and hope. The audience of this film is informed that Victoria allowed her husband to rape her eldest daughter Vanessa so that he could still take care of her and her children (Madea). How Victoria allowed her spouse to do this to her daughter forced her daughter to have a hard time trusting a man who comes into her life shown in the movie. The audience of this movie also learned that women will have difficulties but you don't have to let a man treat you in any way, just to be financially stable and maintain a healthy life. The importance of males achieving their dominance is becoming uncomfortable for African American female viewers who depend on a man because they now have to go against the stereotypes of depending on a man for everything. Compared to family values, stereotypes of the black community have focused more on Tyler Perry's films than any other film made in America. In the Data and Methods section in Harris, Cherise and Keisha Tassie's article, "The Cinematic Incarnation," decided to focus on three themes shown in the films: "middle-class blacks as materialistic (and/or status-obsessed) , middle-class blacks as dysfunctional, and middle-class blacks as dismissive of working-class or lower-class blacks.” The use of these stereotypical views of the black community will remain imprinted in the minds of younger generations, making them think that it is Right.
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