Persuasion in Films

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Persuasion in Films

One of the most critical aspects of human communication is persuasion. Persuasion forms an essential element of communication, which helps people to convince, provide guidance, and also express themselves. In modern-day society, persuasion is disseminated through diverse channels, which include social media platforms, news publication platforms, or traditional mass media platforms such as television and radio. Persuasion is vastly used in the film The Pursuit of Happyness by the main character Christ Gardner.

Chris Gardner: Character Goals and Means of Persuasion

The film, The Pursuit of Happyness, was produced in 2006. The film talks about an African Family comprised of three family members living in San Francisco. The family members comprised Chris Gardner, his wife Linda, and his son Christopher (Muccino, 2006). The finally undergoes through a financial turmoil that threatens to split it. The financial turmoil in the family started when Chris Gardner invested his money to purchase bone density scanners. However, the idea did not fully materialize as the equipment which Chris Gardner acquired was deemed unsellable. They were too expensive for doctors who often regarded them as luxury equipment. Chris Gardner’s wife decided to move to New York City in search of a better job and leaves Chris and Christopher behind. Chris Gardner and his son are evicted from their house due to unpaid rent and are forced to live in train stations and charity homes. Eventually, Chris Garner decides to take an internship as a stockbroker for six months, thus competing with 19 others for one position in the firm. Chris Gardner diligently takes up the unpaid internship as he also struggles to make ends meet while selling the bone density scanners.

Renowned actor Will Smith plays the role of Chris Gardner. The film provides an essential lesson about success. The fil teaches about the importance of persistence and hard work. Chris Gardner defies all odds to elevate himself from a regular salesman whose business was doing badly to a stockbroker working in a top company. Also, the film teaches about the importance of upholding one’s responsibilities. In the film, Chris Gardner upholds his responsibility as a father to Christopher Gardner. Therefore, two main character goals are associated with the main character, Chris Gardner. The first goal associated is his responsibility to care and raise his young son. Chris aspires to raise a hardworking and intelligent son who can pursue his goals in life. He faces numerous challenges, which include financial difficulties, eviction from their place of residence, and his wife Linda, leaving them due to the problems that the family was facing. The second goal which Chris Gardner is tasked within the film is to live a stable life where he has a steady job, a stable source of income, and he can afford housing and meals for himself and his son. At the end of the movie, Chris Gardner attains the two goals. He earns himself a job as a stockbroker with a stable income and also manages to raise his son well as he had a steady income and job.

One of the reasons why Chris Gardner succeeds in attaining his goals is the use of persuasion. He convincingly uses the art of persuasion to help him deliver his message and also convince others to provide him with the right opportunities. In the first goal, Chris Gardner uses persuasion to raise his son. In the process of raising his son, Chris Gardner faces several hurdles, which include lack of shelter, money, and his wife abandoning his family. The difficulty in raising his son stems from the fact that he had to work two jobs, which were either not paying or was unpredictable. However, he stands firm to raise his son in the best way possible by advising him and encouraging him to pursue his goals. One of the incidences that demonstrate the use of persuasion in raising a son is during an interaction between Chris Gardner and his son at a basketball court. At the opening scenes of the movie, the audience learns that Christopher’s favorite sport of hobby was basketball. Christopher’s interest in the sport is apparent throughout the film and is even made open when his father bought him a basketball ball. In the scene at the basketball court, Chris and his son go through a basketball practice session where the father attempts to play with his son. However, things take a sudden turn when Chris Gardner cautions his son against having high expectations as a future basketball player. He informs his son that he should not harbor any high expectations of becoming a good player because his father did not become any good player. Christopher, visibly angry by the statement, cuts short the session, and stops playing. Chris Gardner notices the change in attitude toward his son. He later tells him that he should never let other people define his future because of their opinions. He does that so well that the son regains his enthusiasm. Chris Gardner had teased his son to teach him a lesson about growth. Chris Gardner’s use of persuasion in the scene was admirable. He provided crucial life lessons to his son, which will make a difference in his future.

Chris Gardner also uses persuasion to attain his second goal, which is to make a stable life by gaining a stable job. Chris Gardner does so by earning himself an internship at a stockbroker company. One of the most interesting things about Garner’s entry into the internship job is the fact that he lacked the basic qualifications and certificates that interviewees needed for the job required. His persuasion skills manifest themselves during an interview session with the panel of interviewers Chris Gardner walks into the interview from police custody where he spent the previous night. He was not dressed for the meeting and had paint on his clothes and body, which he was using before his arrest. However, he uses persuasion skills to convince the interviews to hire him. Chris Gardner knew that he needed the job to create a stable life for his son and himself. He, therefore, managed to persuade and talk the panel into accepting his application as an intern at the firm. In the end, they not only hire him as an intern but also assign him the slot of a permanent employee at the company.

Evaluating Ethics

In both instances involving the pursuant of character goals, Chris Gardner passes the ethical test. The use of persuasion by Garner follows the acceptable ethics that underline communication. One of the main concepts that are outlined by Larson (2012 is responsible for persuasion. In his work, Larson articulates the importance of persuaders revealing their agenda to other people during communication. Revealing one’s agenda is an ethical thing to do as it prevents the possibility of defrauding of lying to them. Chris Gardner reveals his agenda to the interviews when he attempts to attain his goal of acquiring a steady job. He was honest about his whereabouts and also his intentions if the panel decided to assign him a position as an intern at the company. The use of persuasion by Chris Gardner, moreover fulfills the concepts of ethical perspectives, as outlined by Larson. In his assessment, Larson asserts that human nature perspectives help persuades to adhere to ethical values by protecting and nurturing human characteristics, which help other people realize their goals, dreams, and potential. Chris Gardner helps his son realize to develop his unique human characteristics by motivating him to pursue his dream of playing basketball. He provides him with the necessary advice that a father can give his son. His advice was both motivating, honest, and sufficient to provide his son with the necessary impetus to pursue a career in basketball.

Conclusion

The Pursuit of Happyness provides one of the most valuable lessons about life. The movie highlights the importance of communication and the use of communication. Chris Gardner extensively uses his persuasion skills to help him attain his two goals, which included raising his son and acquiring a steady job and income. Throughout the process of using persuasion, Chris Gardner followed the ethical values and concepts which are required in the use of proper persuasion approaches. At the end of the film, he acquires a permanent job and, in the process, secures a better life for his son and himself.

References

Larson, C. (2012). Persuasion: Reception and responsibility. Nelson Education.

Muccino, G. (Director). (2006). The Pursuit of Happyness [Film]. Columbia Pictures