Promises Study Questions



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• PROMISES — the Film

PROMISES follows the journey of one of the filmmakers, Israeli-American B.Z. Goldberg. B.Z. travels to a Palestinian refugee camp and to an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, and to the more familiar neighborhoods of Jerusalem where he meets seven Palestinian and Israeli children.

Though the children live only 20 minutes apart, they exist in completely separate worlds; the physical, historical and emotional obstacles between them run deep.

PROMISES explores the nature of these boundaries and tells the story of a few children who dared to cross the lines to meet their neighbors. Rather than focusing on political events, the seven children featured in PROMISES offer a refreshing, human and sometimes humorous portrait of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

PROMISES, a film by Justine Shapiro, B.Z. Goldberg and co-director and editor Carlos Bolado, was shot between 1995-2000.

Running time, 106 minutes. Arabic, Hebrew and English dialogue with English subtitles.

Master Narrative (also “Metanarrative” and “Grand recit”)

Originally coined by French philosopher Jean-François Lyotard, a master narrative is a story that a culture tells itself as a way of interpreting experience. Thus, whenever a new situation comes along, we try to comprehend it by reference to our culture’s master narrative. People can have multiple narratives, depending upon their membership in multiple communities. For instance, you can share a master narrative with other Americans; a slightly different master narrative with the other members of your church, temple, mosque, or synagogue; and a yet another master narrative that derives from your ethnic group and/or region.

Examples of master narratives

o Many Christians believe that human nature, since the Fall (Genesis 3), is characteristically sinful, but has the possibility of redemption and experiencing eternal life in heaven - thus representing a belief in a universal rule and a telos[1] for humankind.

o The Enlightenment theorists believed that rational thought, allied to scientific reasoning, would lead inevitably toward moral, social and ethical progress.

o The Marxist-Leninists believe that in order to be emancipated, society must undergo a revolution.

o Freudian theory holds that human history is a narrative of the repression of libidinal desires.

o Categorical and definitive periodizations of history, such as the Fall of the Roman Empire, the Dark Ages, and the Renaissance offer explanations for change and the nature of conditions in particular points in time.

o Many feminists hold that the patriarchy has systematically oppressed and subjugated women throughout history.



Some important events and dates for understanding Promises

70 CE: Romans conquer Jerusalem, destroy temple; Jewish Diaspora begins.

621: Mohammed ascends to heaven from the Majed Mount (of which the Al Aqsa Mosque is a part) (Temple Mount to Jews).

13th century – 1918: Ottoman Empire, founded by Osman I and dissolved after World War I.

1917: The Balfour Declaration—England officially advocates for the establishment of a Jewish homeland, “. . . it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine.”

1947: UN Partition Plan to divide Palestine into two states with Jerusalem under international control—Jews accept this plan and Palestinian Arabs reject it.

1948: Israel declares independence and the British withdraw—the next day all of the surrounding Arab nations attack Israel in the War of Independence / The Catastrophe. "When the fighting ended in 1949, Israel held territories beyond the boundaries set by the UN plan—a total of 78% of the area west of the Jordan river. The rest of the area assigned to the Arab state was occupied by Egypt and Jordan. Egypt held the Gaza Strip and Jordan held the West Bank. About 700,000 Arabs fled or were driven out of Israel and became refugees in neighboring Arab countries" ().

1967: Six Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors following a massive buildup of Arab troops on Israel's borders and Israel's surprise attack on Egypt. Israel wins and the West Bank (and other territories) becomes part of Israel. One million Palestinians are brought under Israeli control.

1977: Likud party begins establishing Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.

1987-1993: The First Intifada—Palestinians engage in civil disobedience / terrorism under the guidance of the PLO, the Islamic Resistance Organization, and Hamas.

2000-2009: The Second Intifada—A second wave of civil disobedience / terrorism is touched off by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to the site of the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa Mosque. The Gaza Truce of June, 2008 was supposed to bring an end to the Second Intifada. More recently, attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip and Israel’s military reprisals have resulted in greatly increased tensions.

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Works Cited

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Shapiro, Justine, B.Z. Goldberg and Carlos Bados. Promises Study Guide. The Promises

Film Project, 2004.

Promises Viewing Questions Name ______________________________ Period_____

Pre-Viewing Question:

A master narrative is a general story a culture tells itself and uses to judge new situations.

1. What do you think the master narrative of the USA is?

Viewing Questions: As you view the documentary Promises, which details the perspectives of children directly affected by the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict, answer the questions below.

2. What aspects of daily life did you see in both Israeli and Palestinian children’s lives that you would almost never have to think about?

3. Which child are you focusing on, and what is his or her master narrative? How does he or she fit the events of his or her life into this narrative? What else do you notice about his or her use of narrative or storytelling?

4. What do you have in common with your person?

5. What do you find hard to understand about your person? What more do you want to know about your person?

6. How, if at all, did your person change in the film? What accounts for this change or lack thereof?

7. What touched or affected you while watching the film? Tell two or three things.

Post-Viewing Questions

8. What does the rolling, burning tire symbolize? Explain.

9. Why did the filmmaker end with pictures of babies? Explain.

10. How does the child you focused on in the film fit events into his/her master narrative? Does the child fit everything into their narrative easily, or is it a stretch?

11. Master narratives may get in the way of talking to each other. Consider this quote from Dawn: “I mustn’t listen to him, I told myself. He’s my enemy, and the enemy has no story” (Wiesel 70). Do the children in the film really listen to each other’s stories? Explain.

12. Is it possible to live without a master narrative? Explain.

Mini-Essay Homework (typed, at least 1 page, Times New Roman, 12 pt, double spaced):

Note: Since this essay is a personal response, you may use personal pronouns (I, me). In all other respects, it should follow the conventions of a formal essay.

Prompt: Is Promises hopeful or not? Answer this question with the character you have focused on in mind. Begin by telling his or her story, but be sure to include analysis of his or her use of storytelling. How does he or she fit the events of his or her life into a master narrative? End with an assessment of the hope your character inspires in you. You may want to compare the outlook your character inspires with the impression the video as a whole made on you.

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[1] The end of a goal-oriented process.

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