Erin Brokovich
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In the film Erin Brockovich, the title heroine is a mother-against-the-world character who works her way into a law firm. Once there, through largely her own efforts and sheer determination, she wins for 600 plaintiffs from Hinkley, California, the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in U.S. history - $333 million. One of the most successful aspects of the film is the in-depth characterization of Erin and her lawyer-boss, Ed Masry. Their relationship with each other, their relationship with their co-workers, and their relationship with the plaintiffs and defendants (Pacific Gas & Electric – PG&E), demonstrate many of the concepts of small group communication explored by Deborah Tannen in Talking From 9 To 5, as well as some of the important concepts from Roger Shuy’s Bureaucratic Language. From gender differences to power relations, many of Tannen’s examples significantly apply to the situations illustrated through the character of Erin Brockovich, but many of them the former beauty queen, who knows how to use sex to influence those around her turns, against her adversaries. This analysis will compare concepts from each text with different scenes and dialogue from Erin Brockovich. Tannen discusses many concepts and theories responsible for impeding or enhancing the effectiveness of small group communication. One of these concepts is that of the “apology”. The author reveals that
. . .
k you can just walk in there and take whatever you want?
Erin Brockovich: They’re called boobs, Ed.
In another instance, after she is successful in furthering the case for the people of Hinkley, her boyfriend is a little astounding that she could pull off something of such significance so well. By this time, Ed is beginning to understand his unique female coworker and he helps her make her point to Kurt:
Kurt Potter: Wha…how did you do this?
Erin Brockovich: Well, um, seeing as how I have no brains or legal expertise, and Ed here was losing all faith in the system, am I right?
Ed Masry” Oh, yeah, completely. No faith, no faith…
Erin Brockovich: I just went out there and performed sexual favors. Six hundred and thirty-four blow jobs in five days…I’m really quite tired.
The work of Roger Shuy in Bureaucratic Language also demonstrates some of the concepts for successful communication among individuals of different socio-economic and educational backgrounds. One of Shuy’s main arguments is that clarity in written and oral communication is a cost-effective strategy as well as a people strategy. In terms of litigation, clear and sensitive communications can go a long way in helping reduce tensions, conflicts, and
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Erin Brockovich, Ed Masry, PG&E Erin, Bureaucratic Language, BODY Tannen, Kreme Erin, Ms Sanchez, Tannen Shuy, erin brockovich, Stan Blume, Hinkley California, ed masry, people hinkley, client ours, character erin, ms sanchez, legal representatives pg&e, bureaucratic language, pg&e erin, giving criticism, representatives pg&e, potter wha…how erin, wha…how erin brockovich, kurt potter wha…how, called boobs ed,
Approximate Word count = 2771
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
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