Analysis of Interpersonal Communication in Green Book

Analysis of Interpersonal Communication in Green Book

Interpersonal communication is the process of sharing information, thoughts, and emotion, and this can be through verbal articulation or non-verbal communication techniques such as body language or gestures. In other words, the social world can be creative and alive as a result of interpersonal communication. People can function in groups and teams as they work on different projects due to their ability to communicate and understand one another regardless of the means that the person uses to pass the message across. The effectiveness of interpersonal communication can be seen through the relationships that are shared between closed ones such as family members and those of people in romantic relationships. These relationships are also known as personal, and its mainly because they impact a person directly. Wood (2015) defines that “a relationship defined by uniqueness, rules, relationship dialects, commitment, and embeddedness in contexts. Personal relationships, unlike common ones, are irreplaceable” (194). These types of communication impact on the choices that people make, including the process of making decisions, especially in contemporary times. Communication is key to facilitate daily activities in a social world. As such, it is essential that every individual work on the process of improving their interpersonal communicative skills. The most common types of interpersonal communication include verbal, non-verbal, written, and visual. With a deep focus on the main characters, the film Green Book tells a story of Don a musician and tony his driver who explore the Midwest and the deep south, intending to share music with the people in these areas. Don is a talented pianist and uses his music to communicate with people. As his driver, Tony becomes a friend, and this relationship extends to loyalty after the two learn to be accommodative to one another. This paper will analyze the impacts that interpersonal communication skills have on the success of the relationship between Tony and Don as well as that which Don shares with his audience.

The film Green Book is 2018, American movie, directed by Peter Farrelly, based on a true story. Green book opens with the scene in which Tony loses his employment at the night club, Copacabana, after it is being closed and he is bothered by the close of the club for renovations.in his desperate search for a job, he is called to an interview with an African American pianist, who wants to go for a tour but does not have a driver to work with him for eight nights. In attempts to reinforce the desperate state that Don is in, the directors of the film show that Don employs Tony only based on the references that he has received from other people. The agreement between the employer and the employee is to go out for eight and come back to New York City on the eve of Christmas. Most parts of the film takes places within the eight trip journey for the musical tour and the return on Christmas eve.  Through these scenes, the director works towards showing different instances of interpersonal communication skills that aid the formation and sealing of the relationship that is shared between Tony and Don, as well as that of Don and his audience.

Films are always about communication in nature. Movies are always communicating, and whether the message is evident through the characters or hidden in their facial expressions and gestures, interpersonal communication takes place either way. From the depictions that are evident in the film Green Book, it is evident that the director understands the need for effective communication, especially in film. Communication is the key to any work of art since it is the basis of all the beauty that can be supplied by that source of entertainment. In this effect, Wood (2015) supports that “Good managers know how to listen, express ideas, build consensus, create supportive climates, and balance tasks and interpersonal concerns in dealing with others” (p. 19). Beginning with the introduction of the characters Tony and Don, the director of the film has created a need in each case, through which solutions must be found. By doing this, the director is telling the audience that Tony and Don need each other at this point due to what each of them can offer to complement the other. To be precise, Tony needs employment, and Don needs a driver. As much as this need is not communicated loudly through the use of vocals, it is created out of necessity, and the audience of this film understood.

The director of the film Green Book exposes the viewers to an aspect of the strained relationship between Tony and Don when they begin the tour. The interaction between different people pushes a person towards self-development. This is because these people are different and probably raised in different environment, and this makes it impossible for them to share a common interest. For instance, the film Green Book presents an aspect of dislike between Don and Tony. The two clashes as they begin the tour, and it’s like the presence of one of them is disturbing to the other. Tony does not like Don asking him to act in refinement, and Don, on the other hand, dislikes Tony’s habits. Conflict among the people that share everyday things is not a new thing. Christie, N. (2012) argues that “Conflict, both major and minor are facts of work-life, with the inclusion of stakeholders in an evaluation, one of the goals is to represent the needs of those who have a stake in the program” (p. 742).  Tony not only smokes in the vehicle but also makes occasional stops in the name of going for a short call. Through these actions, Don grows excessively as opposed to everything that Tony does. This process contributes to the development of self in both cases as Tony become and the unfocused talkative individual who is so annoying, while Don becomes an arrogant, self-centered person.

The relationship that is shared between Tony and Don grows stronger in the film, and Tony feel obliged to protect Don. At some point, Don is caught in a gay encounter, and considering the nature of the society and Don’s profession that depends on the public perception, Tony steps in and pays off the police officer. Through his actions, Tony displays an act of commitment to his employer and his work. Wood (2015) supports that “commitment to understanding what communication means from the perspective of those involved rather than from that of an outside, the uninvolved observer” (p. 29). In this context, for instance, Tony is aware that if Don the musician gets arrested, then this would mean that his fans might lose faith in him, and it will be a proof of the common stereotypes that already exist in the society about the black community. As such, he thinks fast and takes an action that is beneficial to himself in terms of protecting his job and the employer as well. After Tony watching Don perform, he becomes more intrigued and works towards creating a smooth relationship between the two of them. The performance that is e enhanced by passion and love for music changes the mind of Tony about Don.  Don is not only a talented pianist but also a singer. His love when he plays the music has a great way of communicating to the audience who not only love the musicality but also enjoy the energy that his music comes with. Wood (2015) explains that passion is “an intense feeling based on the rewards of involvement with another person” (p. 199). True to the descriptions that wood gives about passion, Don had taken off on a journey to share his music with the south, even though it was the festive season. This shows that to Don, music is an essential element.

Furthermore, the complex of Cognitive complexity manifests in the film Green Book through the characters Tony and Don. According to the explanations given by Wood about cognitive complications, refers to the concepts, rather tools that a person employs to form a perception about another. In this case, for instance, when Don and Tony are traveling for the tour, Don forms an understanding about Tony using the actions that Tony does. First of all, Tony is too talkative to the point that he can barely concentrate on the road. Secondly, he is depicted as self-centered as he does not care to ask Don if he can smoke or of it can affect him. Don even asks Tony to give him some moments of quiet so that he can have peace. Through these scenes, it is evident that Tony and Don have both created some perceptions about each of them in their minds. From the scenes, however, one can quickly tell that Don is self-focused as he knows everything about what he is going to do and how he is going to sing and meet the needs of the audiences.  Goukens, Dewitte, and Warlop (2009) supports that “A self-focused person is more concerned with which type of action is most appropriate” (p. 683). True to this argument, Don believes that the most important thing at the moment is to focus on the tour, the performance and as he explains to Tony, perform the concert according to the directives listed in the green book. His focus leads to successful performances, and most of his audience enjoy his performance.

The relationship between the two, Tony and Don, grows more influential in the other scenes when they rich the west. Tony sits and watches Don perfmon, and he loves the performance and is surprised by the level of talent that the man displays. He is, however, disgusted by the level of discrimination that Don is subjected to by his host, and this aids in creating a connection between their relationship. When one white man threatens to harm Don, Tony steps in and protects him. This act alone shows Don that Tony is reliable, and as such, they become friends. Through this scene, the readers get to learn about the concept of openness/closedness. According to wood, a person can be assumed to bare the quality of openness if the person is affected by the outside factors, in this case, is racism. Other than sharing music and giving these people entertainment, Don is subjected to racial discrimination. The society that is presented in this scene is enormously influenced by the aspect of openness, in which they cannot think outside the box. Ideally, other than thinking and seeing the music that Don brings on the table, they are busy looking at his skin color and discriminate against him. The remaining part of the day, Tony takes it upon himself to protect Don. The two individuals develop a connection, as a result of the situations that they found themselves in. They learn to be accommodative and appreciative of one another’s effort to make their relationship work. Discrimination, however, is a massive part of the nation’s connection since it can be seen through every attempt of Don to entertain his audience. For example, on the night of the final performance, Don is denied the chance to perform in an all-white party, even though he had been booked to perform in the country club. When he is finally called in to perform, he refuses because, in the first instance, he was judged based on his skin color.

Following the closeness that Tony and Don had established, they could talk to each other about the personal staff. Following this, the Tony explains that his wife loves letters and had asked him to write her when he is on employment for eight days. Here, Don helps Tony in establishing a turning point in his relationship with his wife. Unlike before, when Tony did not believe in writing letters, by the help of Don, he writes his wife, and the wife finds this romantic. Wood (2015) explains that “In romantic relationships, turning points that propel a relationship toward intimacy might include the first kiss, first “I love you,” and meeting parents” (p. 204). In the case of Tony and his wife, the Turning point was created in the aspect of writing letters to one another. Through this effort of communicating, the two were spicing up their marriage, and this made it better. The expression of affection that is written on these letters, it is not only a show of love but also an expression of commitment. Wood (2015) defines commitment as an investment, and he writes that “what we put into a relationship that we could not retrieve if the relationship were to end” (p. 199). When Don helped Tony to write the wife letters, it was a way through which both relationships became better and, at the same time, the relationship between Tony and his wife. Through the artistic expressions, the wife loved tony even more, and this made their relationship stronger.

Loyalty response is when a person decides to stay in the relationship regardless of the differences and the challenges that come with that relationship. Loyalty response is seen when Tony and Don have been caught by the police when they are driving at night, and they are put in their cells all night. The crime that these people are put behind bars for is punching the police officer. Don calls the attorney general Robert F. Kennedy, who authorizes the release of both Tony and Don. Even though Don does not hit the policeman and that it is all Tony’s fault, Don ensures that the two of them are released. In sharing the meaning of Loyalty response, Wood (2015) writes that “staying committed to a relationship despite differences. Loyalty involves hoping that things will get better on their own” (p. 144). The relationship that is shared between these two individuals has grown to be trustworthy, and they are at a point where they value the welfare of one another. The establishment of relationships is enhanced mostly by effective communication, through which people get to no one another better and realize if they can rely on them or not. Through the plot of the film, the director of Green Book enlightens the readers of the process of the development of the strong bond of brotherhood that is seen between Tony and Don. At first, they clash over some of their personalities and their inability to work effectively. These people later learn how to accommodate one another, and through this, they find common ground through which they can coexist.

Mindfulness is the aspect of focusing on what is happening in the moment and not being distracted by the events that took place the previous day. Being mindful is a process of enhancing communication is a step that people take towards encouraging relationships. At the point where Tony and Don are making dinner at the black blues club and when they are there, Don takes advantage of the opportunity to perform. From the nature of the performance, it is evident that he loves singing, and the crowd is also enjoying the performance. From the stage, it was clear that Don was in a mindfulness mood as he was completely lost into the singing and playing guitar. Regardless of having being denied the chance to perform in another club since he was a black man, Don put all his focus and energy on the music, and by doing so, he was able to sing his heart out and share his emotions with the audience. Miescke (2019) explains that “Within the realm of mindfulness, the focus is a conscious choice of what to hold at the center of our awareness” (p. 43). Don’s performance on the stage gives him the chance to express himself and do what he loves most. The time when he was performing, Don can catch the attention of his audience through the musicality of his voice and his facial expression.

Racial discrimination is yet another hindrance to communication that is evident in the film. For the scenes of Don’s performances, the audience tends to note the specific negative energy that the host is offering. In this instance, the director expresses the monopolizing tactic, which is seen when the white hosts try to intimidate Don by mistreating him so that he may not perform due to racial due to racial differences. Wood 2015 explains that “Monopolizers may fire questions that express doubt about what a speaker says” (p. 122). When Don fails to curve when the hosts are poorly treating him, he is exposed to a different level of racial discrimination where he is denied the chance to perform in the club even though he been booked to perform in. These are several setbacks that impact on the ability of the artist to perform well. Considering that singing and playing music are all linked to the emotions that a person displays, it was the angle through which the monopolizes took in response to paralyzing his talent and performance.

Peter Farrelly creates an open platform through which students can learn interpersonal communication skills. The construction of the characters is designed through an intertwining of their social lives to bring them closer through incorporating interpersonal communication skills. Self-development, for instance, is seen when the two individuals, Tony and Don, grow through their interaction with one another. Coming across the difficulty that these characters find when they cannot accommodate one another due to the differences in their characteristics and personalities. However, they come to reach an understanding, and through that, find a way of coexisting. Additionally, the director creates a platform through which communication can be seen as the basis of any relationship. These people get to learn of the importance of showing commitment in relationships as well as to learn cognitive complexities. People such as Don learn to be passionate about what they do, and this includes the music. The film contains several scenes through which a person can learn effective communication, and this aids in appealing to the audience of the film.

I believe that communication is an essential sector of the social world, and this can be seen through the construction of different characters in the play. The nature of communication between people and the ability of these individuals to effectively execute the knowledge they have contributes to the construction of the society. Connection not only allows people to gain an understanding of what they are yet to learn about one another but also complements the social nature of human beings. Accurate, practical interpersonal communication skills, the director of the film constructs his characters to meet the communicational requirements. The communication journey between Don and Tony continues to grow from being distant to being close as a result of their ability to communicate. At the end of it all, we see Don celebrating Christmass with Tony and his family.

References

Christie, N. (2012). An Interpersonal Skills Learning Taxonomy for Program Evaluation Instructors. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 18(4), 739-756. Retrieved March 24, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/23272641

Gouken’s, C., Dewitte, S., & Warlop, L. (2009). Me, Myself, and My Choices: The Influence of Private Self-Awareness on Choice. Journal Of Marketing Research, 46(5), 682-692. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.46.5.682

Miescke, K. (2019). Mindfulness for Horn Players. Horn Call: Journal of the International Horn Society, 50(1), 43–45.

Wood, J.T. (2015). Communication mosaics: an introduction to the field of communication.

Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.