Names : Louisa Malepotane
Surnames : Diale
Student Number s : D9PGN5JL8
Module : SSEN102
Assessment : One
Assignment Tittle : Ten things I hate about you
Submission Date : 27 March 2019
CONTENTS
Page
Essay writing………………………………………………………………………....…… 3
· Poem as starting point…………………………..………………………………….3
· Kat’s character development……………………………………………………….4
· Kat and patrick’s relationship……………………….……………………………....6
Reference list……………………………………………………………….......................7
10 things I hate about you is a classical teenage romance film by Gil Junger. It is about a protagonist young lady Katherine Stradford who is an independent, confident and intelligent girl who stands for her words and actions, released in 1999. This essay will discuss Kat’s development as a character throughout the film, specific reference will be made to how Kat’s relationship with Patrick, emphasizing both aggressive and vulnerable sides of her character and referring to specific scenes in the film to substantiate the points made.
Katherine Stadford who is called Kat in the film is first introduced to us as a shrew, much more of a character that is unique as well. Although in the play, we discover that Kat really hates joey because he toyed with her emotions; maybe this adds more to her character as bitter and unapproachable girl. This is shown where she tells Bianca how she had sex with joey at the freshmen due to peer pressure and she got dumped afterwards and since then promised to never do something just because others do so “just once! Right after mom left. Everyone was doing it so I did it, afterwards I told him I didn’t want to do it again because I wasn’t ready and he got pissed and he dumped me. After I swearer I’ll never do anything just because everyone is doing it and I didn’t ever since” said Kat.
Her character is also shifted to being rude and antisocial because according to Bianca as she talks to Cameron, she explain how Kat used to be popular and outgoing “she used to be popular and social but somehow she got tired of it” said Bianca, the music at the beginning of the film as it shows Kat also explain how she does not care about what people think of her as it is an angry and loud type of music.
We meet Kat as indifference from the play at the begging which shows that her past life with joey at to her character being developed into her being a stubborn and a proud self-guarded, mean character. This did not only change her perception about boys or men generally but it also affected both her character outlook and judgment of life as a whole. This shows more when she has no interest in any men thereafter nor being social in any kind yet she is so proud of who she is as it makes her feel good when people are afraid of her, for example she has only one friend ( Mandela), even at the beginning of the play she is shown as an outspoken person who fears not about expressing her feelings and opinions when in English class she talks to her teacher and said ‘’ Hemingway?, he was an abusive alcoholic misogynist who squandered half of his life hanging around Picasso trying to nail his leftovers” this landed her into trouble but she less boarded about the problem as well.
However her character take a second turn to being annoyance when her little sister Bianca who was desperate to date and due to their father’s new rule ‘’ from now on Bianca can date, if she does”, which eventually forced Bianca to hook her sister up with Patrick by asking Cameron to find her a date so that they could go out as well.
Through Kat and Patrick’s relationship we see how eventually change her mind about dating as Patrick attempts to woo her like showing up at her favorite indie rock played club, singing performance with the band group personally and trying to impress her by looking for a feminist prose book that she usually reads and like, this eventually caused her to give the relationship a chance and worthwhile risk. Through this Kat start to develop social interactions as she agree to go to the prom although she is full of curiosity and still the same ambitious and rude to the rest of the people but soft side appears as well.
It is evident that Kat did not really change her true nature but she started to develop into a loving person to those she cares about yet still protective of her younger sister. She developed more of a soft spot for her little sister and Patrick mostly as she was refusing to go to prom but as Bianca asked her to accept for her sake and not refuse just because she doesn’t feel like it, and their father won’t accept her to go if she doesn’t, she ended up accepting even though she had doubts about Patrick’s motives as she questioned his motives behind this.
Besides all this she is still full of fun and yet remained a shrew, outspoken and always incredibly smart because her fun time includes mostly reading books like Feminine mystique and The Bell jar that she was holding at the earliest scene of the film. Her room also exposes how mysterious she is more like an adventures natured person as well as her skill for drawing passion. Her knowledge is abroad as she asked her English teacher why they not reading charlotte Bronte, Simon de Beauvoir and Sylvia Plath instead, yet she is still fearless and taught as she is not the one to suffer fools and she is always truthful and practice what she says like when she managed to help Patrick from running away in the detention room by showing her breasts to the teacher to destruct him. She also told Bianca that she does not care about what people think of her “you forget I don’t care what people think” she also added that “you don’t always have to be who they want you to be”.
Through this we see how she does not really mind embarrassing herself by dancing on the table drunk at party and funny how Patrick had to be the one to take care of her all night and brought her home and as usual she does the unpredictable as she tried to kiss Pat but he refused and said “maybe next time leaving Kat angry as she goes out of the car.
Her change is much more proven by the smart poem she wrote ‘’ten things I hate about you’’ that expresses her love for Patrick and her emotional sight as well. she is also shown drawing some sort of eye in the last scene of the film as it shows how creative she is and her adventures nature as her father also accept her to go to ‘Sarah Lawrence’ her biggest dream to attend there.
Her character however develop as she is hurt and being emotional as she learn that Patrick has been played all this time to take her out and she fell for him at the prom as Joey comes to Patrick and shout at him for paying to be with Kat so he could be with Bianca but instead Bianca is running around with someone else, making Kat to write how she how although she hates him so much it makes her sick, she still love him anyway.
The results of Kat being hurt made her sensible and also how sweet she actually is in her words written in the poem, that defines how Patrick is the love of her life and she does not know whether to walk away or stay. The sweet Kat is also found in her romance life with Patrick and also understanding that love is not just about talking to each other all day long or day and night but emotions and time spend together does the trick to hold on to the partner. This is also shown where after Patrick ran away from detention, they went for paintball Arena and that’s when Kat realized companionship is way better.
It is evident that although we see how Kat has changed she is only more considerable of her loved once more as she is asked for forgiveness by Patrick as he buys her a guitar. The end of the film also show how they eventually kiss and make up and although we not told it is happy ending, we still believe it is the happy ending as she is no longer much more of an overprotective but she is rather seen more kind and vulnerable which people do not see much.
The look from which she was “self-righteous wretch who’s outlook on any social gathering described as a way to distract themselves from their pathetic consumer driven lives” is now sensible enough to know sometimes it is fine to be with group to belong in even though she still stand by her words that she does not have to be who they want you to be. This is shown where she has fun at the Bogie party. Funny how when we first see her, the kind of lyrics to music she listen to give us an aide of how she may be as it used the words like ‘’I don’t give a damn about my bad reputation” to being a positive character who her written poem “ten things I hate about you” that when she read it she was even crying and left the class in tears, it shows how her hostility is now slowed down
Although she was against dating, the same thing that made her cold also managed to make her melt and keeping her to a happily open and healthy relationship. This proved to us that Kat developed from worst to best character found in the film. She is still wise, independent and is tempestuous as well as carrying.
This essay has analyzed and discussed how Kat’s character has been developed throughout the film with specific references to what the scenes, poem and the relationship of Kat and Patrick’s relationship shaped Kat’s character. As her character develops, it has taught us that it is always good to stay different but it is also best to change for the better and treat people with respect so you could be respected too. Her character bring out the reality of the world that at some point we adapt some things not necessary to but due to challenges we end in them. This is however shown it is not impossible to change back to the real us and be loved for whom we are, and without any pressure, would we rather stay true to ourselves or would we prefer to follow what people say.
Reference
Junger, G. (Director). (1999). 10 Things i hate about you .Touchstone pictures.
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