TASK 3

Historical Text

This Boy's Life 1993

I chose this scene from the drama film ‘This Boy’s Life’ which is set in the 1950 because it depicts the representation of a young homosexual character which can also be apparent in American teen dramas and presents an interesting representation due to its ‘spirit of the age’.

This scene shows three heterosexual young boys who come across another young effeminate boy who they assume is a ‘homo’. However the effeminate boy, Arthur Gayle seems to be very offended when one of the boys calls him a ‘homo’, yet later throughout the film he is shown to be in fact a homosexual. Arthur Gayle begins a fight with Jack, which depicts the homosexual character as somewhat violent which seems to be a opposing the stereotypes within that zeitgeist that homosexual are weak and not violent. This can be suggested due to the fact that homosexuality was not accepted and therefore he was not self accepting himself, which is very different from today’s contemporary representation of homosexual characters in media text who seems to be more self acceptant of themselves and proud, such as the character of Kurt in glee and Justin in Ugly Betty.