Framing Studies.

A frame in sociology is essentially a group of tales and stereotypes that individuals use to interpret diverse situations. The term "media framing" describes how the media might employ these elements to influence the public's perception of and comprehension of a news item (Cissel'). The media greatly influences how the public perceives events occurring throughout the world, yet frequently, this perception is not as true as the public believes.

Thus, framing studies is a field of study that examines how people interpret and comprehend circumstances (Goffman). Framing studies is vital for many reasons. In the case of the study of missing and murdered women, framing analysis was important because:

Framing Studies Gave the Plight of the Aboriginal Women the Attention It Deserved.

Kristen Gilchrist studies a case of six women, three of these women are white and the other three are aboriginal women. She uses qualitative and quantitative methods to carry out her study, that is, she counts and compares the number of times the victims are mentioned and also looks into the placement of each victim’s article in the newspapers. It is discovered that the representation of aboriginal women oscillates between invisibility and hypervisibility, unlike the young, attractive white women from good families who are generally considered to be ‘newsworthy’.

Yasmin Jiwani and Mary Lynn Young believe that the murder and disappearance of women did not get the attention it deserved. In their opinion, had a similar number of soldiers died at war, the media and generally the country would have given the situation more attention.

Question 2:

In the first statement, James Anaya simply points out the unfulfilling lives without opportunities the indigenous people in Canada lead on their traditional lands yet they are endowed with natural resources. Victoria Lean bravely travels to Attawapiskat, Ontario to look into the challenges these people face. From the interviews she conducts, it is clear that the indigenous people have dirty schools which are not up to standards as they lack facilities including teachers. Their houses are extremely small, and are at many times home to more than one family (Mac).

In his next statement, Anaya says that these natural resources are in most cases extracted and targeted for development by people who do not have the indigenous people’s interests in mind. The aboriginal community signed an IBA with the mining company in order to minimize the extent of environmental degradation and other negative effects of mining (Fraser Institute). However, in the film it is clear that the mining company is constantly undermining the living conditions of the indigenous community. The community has small houses full of mould as a result of mining which translates to poor health and thus higher mortality rate.

Anaya goes ahead and says that although the indigenous community can gain from mining, they are faced with greater risks such as health risks. The likes of chief Theresa Spence anticipated better living and even better opportunities when they heard of De Beers. However, contrary to her expectations, the mining company led to poor health and not much economic change was witnessed.

Lastly, Anaya says that maybe the indigenous nations’ efforts are often futile due to the non-indigenous companies’ and provincial governments’ need to take a step forward in the exploitation of natural resources. These nations are faced with various challenges that ought not to be ignored.

Question 3:

The cycle of oppression is made up of interrelated components which include: fear of difference, stereotype, prejudice, discrimination, institutionalized oppression, and internalized oppression.

In Marie Cléments’ The Road Forward, she points out all these components of the cycle of oppression through music. In the scene where Cheri Maracle goes to look for a job, she experiences racism and is unable to find a job due to the colour of her skin. In another scene, she is denied the right to check into a hotel until she gets help (Guns). Through the film, the audience gets a chance to see how hard it was for the aboriginals after they were denied the right to hunt which led to their living conditions which were and still are generally worse than that of others.

The viewer also gets the chance to witness the importance of resistance movements. Not only did they fight for the rights of the aboriginal people but also made sure their voices were heard. A good example of such an instance is when Maisie Hurley found The Native, a newspaper for the indigenous tribes. Throughout Marie Clements’ documentary, we see the characters grow to be able to have their own voices and proudly fight for their fellow aboriginals.

Question 4:

Julia Ivanova’s film, Limit Is the Sky focuses on six millennials from all over the world, including Africa who come to Fort McMurray in search of better lives. However, these millennials are faced with road blocks that make their dreams seem impossible to achieve. In the case of Max, a Lebanese refugee, he is unable to get a good paying job and thus, disillusioned, opts to be a barber instead. Another case is the case of Mucharata, a woman from Philippines who came to Fort McMurray to work as a nanny but ends up being a heavy machinery operator (YourMcMurray Team).

Throughout the film, the viewer is able to connect with these millennials in their quest for better lives. They lack people they can identify with and this makes it harder for them. Although efforts were being made to give them a community to make their lives easier, the transient workers rejected this suggestion.

Throughout the film, we see the various characters grow and at some point their dreams are no longer the same. After the plummeting oil prices and threats of wild fires, the characters find themselves in a rather tight spot. At the end of the documentary, Julia says that she hopes that they realize that their destiny is not to stay in McMurray

References

Cissel', Margaret. "Media Framing: A comparative Content Analysis." The Elo Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications. (2012): 1-2. Print.

Fraser Institute. What-are-the-Impact-and-Benefit-Agreements-(IBAs)/. 2012. Web. 14 December 2017.

Goffman, Erving. Frame Analysis. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1986. print.

Guns, Kelly Many. the-road-forward-a-film-receiving-rave-reviews-for-its-honesty-and-compelling-history/. 22 September 2017. web. 14 December 2017.

Mac, Adrian. doxa-2015-review-afte-the-last-river. 4 May 2015. Web. 14 December 2017.

YourMcMurray Team. web-exclusive/1989/limit-is-the-sky. 19 April 2017. Web. 14 December 2017.