Writers, screenwriters and directors are magicians; they can carry us off to the most mythical and enchanted worlds, they can make the sweetest dreams come true, and they can make us dream and hope. But sometimes they are advocates, even more than they are magicians; they make us see invisible things, while they are showing us the real world and, in some cases, the real world is far from a sweet dream and without hope.
“To reveal the invisible […] not only changes the way we see the world, it changes our responsibilities in it” (Hovet, The Invisible London). That is what they sometimes need to do, make us feel responsible. For that reason current authors and directors show us the invisible world of illegals, they give faces and stories to ghosts that often are misused from politics and media to create fear. Fear that is needed to justify the state of exception and the state of exception is needed to maintain or expand political power.
This paper is concerned with the film Dirty Pretty Things directed by Stephen Frears, and the novels Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah and A Distant Shore by Caryl Phillips. It uses them as representatives of the attempt of writers and directors to give voice to the group of illegal immigrants who do not have a political voice by themselves. As Frears phrases it, “Asylum is a huge political issue and the government doesn’t handle it very well. […] There’s no attempt made to explain the problem, to explain that these people are serious.” (Lucia, Interview 9) Thus, the authors try to explain the problem and they have obviously another point of view than their governments. To what extent the self-appointed advocates defend the interests of illegals and in how far they can change prejudices, distorted images and, at least, political decisions should be discussed in this paper.
The emphasis lies here on Great Britain as one major representative of the western countries, for the novels and the film deal with situations in the United Kingdom. Further-more, the change in immigration policy in the last decade there was and is largely and controversially discussed.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Accusation: Democracies Violate Human Rights
Advocates of Human Rights
Dirty Pretty Things, directed by Stephen Frears
Refugee Boy, written by Benjamin Zephaniah
A Distant Shore, written by Caryl Phillips
The Trial and the Jury
The Judgment
Objectives and Research Focus
This paper examines how contemporary literature and film serve as advocates for illegal immigrants, providing a voice to a group that is typically excluded from political discourse. By analyzing selected works set in Great Britain, the study explores the extent to which these media representations challenge governmental rhetoric, expose human rights violations, and attempt to dismantle prejudices against asylum seekers and illegal migrants.
- The representation of illegal immigrants in film and fiction as a means of political advocacy.
- Critique of Western democratic immigration policies and the use of the "state of exception."
- The role of narratives in humanizing marginalized groups and countering negative media stereotypes.
- The structural and thematic analysis of specific works: Dirty Pretty Things, Refugee Boy, and A Distant Shore.
- The impact of literature and film on audience perception and political consciousness.
Excerpt from the Book
Dirty Pretty Things, directed by Stephen Frears
“Because we are the people you do not see. We are the ones who drive your cabs, we clean your rooms, and suck your cocks” (Okwe, Dirty Pretty Things 1:22:28).
Dirty Pretty Things (2002, in the following DPT) is a very captivating, dramatic, and into a certain extent even humorousthriller with Audrey Tautou as main actress. The film was her first one after the raving success of “Amelie” (2001), and by this time she was possibly one of the most famous and popular actresses of the world. In short, the film had the potential to attract a huge audience. An audience that normally would for the most part not come into contact with such a serious and haunting topic as illegality. It would be appropriate to say that the movie has won over that audience; it earned many awards and positive reviews. Still, there are some questions to be discussed in the following.
Chapter Summary
Introduction: Outlines the role of writers and directors as advocates for the "invisible" illegal immigrant population in Great Britain.
Accusation: Democracies Violate Human Rights: Utilizes Giorgio Agamben’s theories to analyze how democratic states marginalize illegal immigrants, reducing them to "bare life" while misusing fear for political gain.
Advocates of Human Rights: Introduces the primary analysis of how film and literature serve as vehicles to lend a voice to those excluded from the polis.
Dirty Pretty Things, directed by Stephen Frears: Analyzes how the film uses the thriller genre to humanize illegal immigrants living and working under exploitative conditions in London.
Refugee Boy, written by Benjamin Zephaniah: Explores how the novel targets a younger audience to foster empathy and counter distorted political and media-driven images of refugees.
A Distant Shore, written by Caryl Phillips: Examines the complex, non-chronological narrative structure of the novel to depict the harsh realities of displacement and racism in contemporary England.
The Trial and the Jury: Discusses the broader political implications of immigration policies and argues that the public acts as a jury in deciding the fate of humanitarian rights.
The Judgment: Summarizes the necessity of telling inconvenient stories and challenges the reader to move from observation to responsible political action.
Keywords
Illegal Immigrants, Human Rights, Democracy, State of Exception, Dirty Pretty Things, Refugee Boy, A Distant Shore, Giorgio Agamben, Political Voice, Marginalization, Asylum Seekers, Literature, Film, Great Britain, Social Criticism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary objective of this research?
The research explores how modern film and literature act as political advocates for illegal immigrants by giving them a voice and challenging the negative stereotypes propagated by government policies and the media.
Which specific works are analyzed in this paper?
The paper focuses on the film Dirty Pretty Things (dir. Stephen Frears) and the novels Refugee Boy (Benjamin Zephaniah) and A Distant Shore (Caryl Phillips).
What theoretical framework does the author use?
The author primarily employs the theories of Giorgio Agamben regarding "homo sacer," "bare life," and the "state of exception" to explain the dehumanization of immigrants in Western democracies.
How is the term "mute" used in this work?
The term "mute" refers to illegal immigrants who lack a political voice because they are excluded from the legal society (the "polis") and therefore cannot effectively participate in democratic discourse.
What is the central argument regarding the role of the audience?
The author argues that the audience acts as a "jury." By consuming these narratives and witnessing the realities of immigrants, the audience is obligated to form informed opinions and take responsibility for political change.
Does the paper suggest that fiction is a perfect mirror of reality?
No, the author acknowledges that these works often present "euphemised" or idealized versions of immigrants to evoke empathy, but argues that these stories are nonetheless vital for challenging systemic prejudices.
How does the analysis of "Dirty Pretty Things" differ from that of "A Distant Shore"?
The analysis notes that Dirty Pretty Things uses the thriller genre to reach a mainstream audience, whereas A Distant Shore uses a more complex, non-chronological structure to depict a darker, more disillusioned reality of life in England.
What is the significance of the "happy ending" in Dirty Pretty Things?
The paper discusses whether the "Hollywood ending" of the film serves as a necessary tool to make the difficult topic accessible to a wider audience or if it paradoxically diminishes the seriousness of the social issues presented.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Raúl Gaston Krüger (Autor:in), 2009, Current Advocates of Illegals, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/175764
