Monthly Archives: February 2012

Just as adolescents embark on an intellectual journey to discover their true identity, so do the characters portrayed in the films The Jazz Singer and Hester Street. For instance, in Hester Street Yekl undergoes a dramatic change in both his … Continue reading →

Happy February Everybody! First and foremost I would like to get some initial reactions off my chest (figuratively speaking of course) “You can’t pee up on my back and make me think it’s rain” was by far the best line … Continue reading →

I think it’s pretty obvious that both The Jazz Singer and Hester Street revolve around crises of identity.  However, these two crises are seemingly superficially opposite as one deals with a protagonist wanting to leave behind tradition to pursue the … Continue reading →

There was a pretty typical conflict of identity in The Jazz Singer.  Little Jakie has to make a huge lifestyle decision, based on the pressure that his parents place on him. According to them, he must choose to take on … Continue reading →

To me, the comparisons between The Jazz Singer and Hester Street were apparent almost immediately.  Most obviously, both films are about the conflicts that some Jewish-Americans faced between their heritage and their desire to assimilate into American society.  In The … Continue reading →