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Essay / Cultural diffusion in the movie Slumdog Millionaire
Cultural diffusion is important in the modern world, people in foreign countries have similar experiences to Americans, despite being thousands of miles apart. Television and social media unite people in many ways, enabling cultural diffusion, but in many cases cultural diffusion is initiated by nations dominating others. “Slumdog Millionaire” is based in India, a country formerly controlled and ruled by the British Empire. Despite the end of British colonialism in India in 1947, many aspects of British culture remained, including language, pop culture and television. In 'Slumdog Millionaire', Jamal explains his life story and how he managed to win 20 million rupees on the TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The series itself illustrates the effect of the British on Indian culture as well as the questions posed to Jamal throughout the film. Therefore, “Slumdog Millionaire” is essential in exposing the vast cultural diffusion found in the modern world. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original Essay Jamal was a poor peasant who faced many struggles throughout his life. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” was a once-in-a-lifetime film. The questions asked of Jamal were extremely random and strange, and yet a peasant like him knew, many concerned foreign ideas. For example, Jamal was asked about the name of the third musketeer in Alexandre Dumas' “Three Musketeers.” Dumas was a French writer and not an Indian one. Jamal knew the answer to this question because, as a child, he was forced to learn about the characters in the book by his teacher. This shows how European literature had found a way to retain its importance and infiltrate Indian society. Additionally, in the film, Jamal and Salim are offered two bottles of Coca-Cola by Mom in an attempt to gain the trust of the two boys. Although it looks like a simple Coca-Cola bottle, it shows how common American products are in other countries. It's a common drink there that people like as much as it does in the United States. Therefore, it can be seen that cultural diffusion is present in this film, but many other examples can be found. A glaring example of globalization is the simple fact that English is spoken in India. There are many cultural groups in India who speak various languages and yet English is a language that many know and want to learn. Additionally, Jamal works as an assistant in a call center talking to people in the UK. The entire workspace is dedicated to British culture and workers speak to Scottish, English, Irish and even Welsh people. This is a massive example of cultural diffusion, it shows that India wants to have a similar mindset and culture as Western countries. Finally, the film illustrates how India was increasingly becoming a tourist destination. As India attracts more tourists to places such as the Taj Mahal, cultures will intersect and ideas and concepts will combine and blend. Jamal and Salim begin to create their own business at the Taj Mahal, allowing them to rub shoulders with Americans, English and other great Westerners. Jamal received a 100 US dollar bill, something he had never felt and yet he knew the importance of different currencies. Jamal knew that American money was worth much more, illustrating how Western culture was praised and.