Analysis A

TASK III 1. A

The author of the article mentions "the belief that owning a home in America today means that you effectively own a neighborhood, too." (ll. 25-27)

Briefly explain the quote in the context of the article and examine to what extent Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino can be said to embody this idea.

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Note:
Our solutions are listed in bullet points. In the examination, full marks can only be achieved by writing a continuous text.

"the belief that owning a home in America today means that you effectively own a neighborhood, too." (ll. 25-27)

the quote from the article “How ‘Not in My Backyard’ Became ‘Not in My Neighborhood’” by Emily Badger published in the New York Times on January 3, 2018, is about the belief of America's society that being a homeowner equally authorizes them to have a say in changes in their residents
neighborhoods are understood as a homogeneous community in which diversity is unwanted and rejected
the desire for homogeneity leads to the effect of, for instance, similar house architecture and style, maintenance of the neighborhood, and the kind of fellow residences

Introduction
Explanation of the quote and reference to the article

Walt Kowalski comes close to embodying the idea of Emily Badger's quotation because:
he has a very clear ideal of how a neighborhood should be like
$\rightarrow$ white Americans only
$\rightarrow$ neat and clean
$\rightarrow$ safe
in his clear vision of a perfect neighborhood, he does not take it too kindly when a Hmong Family moves next door and disrupts the homogeneity of "his" neighborhood
he is opposed to changes in the neighborhood and does not have any incentives to adjusting his way of thinking
furthermore, can Walt be described as being highly racist and insulting to every race, that is „disrupting“ his community (Hmong neighbors; Gangs)
but he actually feels threatened and expects them to behave like he does

Main Body
Walt Kowalski embodying the idea?
$\rightarrow$ at the beginning

Walt’s idea of a good neighborhood shifts in the course of the movie
he still fights for his image of a safe neighborhood, he risks his own safety to drive the gang away; this shows that he feels like he owns the neighborhood
however, has his way of thinking about his Hmong neighbors started to change
$\rightarrow$ he does not chase away the gang for his own sake
$\rightarrow$ he chases away the gang to protect his Hmong neighbor Sue, despite his own safety being at risk
$\rightarrow$ this shows that he accepts the presence of the diverse community

him bringing Thao closer to his values and idea of a neat, clean, and safe neighborhood and his American ideal of hard work underlines his accepting his Hmong neighbors
shows his desire to transform his neighbors into compatible residents

$\rightarrow$ in the course of the movie

Walt ultimately embodies the positive belief that being a good neighbor does not mean having the same background
but taking responsibility for each other and being more tolerant and open-minded
his idea of a perfect neighborhood has therefore changed in the course of the movie

Conclusion

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