Brown & Levinson's Politeness Theory
In "Alfalfa and Darla date" scene, Alfalfa takes Darla to the "he man woman haters club" clubhouse for a dinner date. Clearly, Darla was not welcome in the clubhouse since she is a girl. He sneaks her in and his friends catch him in the act and to ruin the date. Alfalfa rushed Darla and the meal without telling her she was not allowed to be there. He made a solid attempt to put on his Saving Face. His Positive Face game was not at his best.
According to Guerrero in the text, “Positive face is the favorable image that people portray to others and hope to have validated by others.” [1] Alfalfa dug himself in a hole by telling Darla lies about why they had to end the date so soon. He wanted to get her out of there quickly so he would not get in trouble with his friends, but also wanted her to still like him. At one point, he pretended to give Darla a tour and told her to get in the closet. She was not falling for his Face Threatening Act, she knew something was up.
Hecht's 4 Frames of Identity
Alfalfa knew better to bring a girl to the clubhouse because of the “he man woman haters club” strict rules. The entire basis of the club was built off not liking girls. He was conflicted with his personal interests and the Communal Group’s rules. According to Hect’s 4 Frames of Identity, “These rules become so ingrained that they necessarily affect our identities.”[2] He did not follow the rules, which jeopardized his relationship with Darla and his friends. He wanted his cake and to eat it too. Alfalfa had a clear identity crisis between being a woman hater and a woman lover which continued to get him in trouble throughout the movie.
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In "Alfalfa and Darla date" scene, Alfalfa takes Darla to the "he man woman haters club" clubhouse for a dinner date. Clearly, Darla was not welcome in the clubhouse since she is a girl. He sneaks her in and his friends catch him in the act and to ruin the date. Alfalfa rushed Darla and the meal without telling her she was not allowed to be there. He made a solid attempt to put on his Saving Face. His Positive Face game was not at his best.
According to Guerrero in the text, “Positive face is the favorable image that people portray to others and hope to have validated by others.” [1] Alfalfa dug himself in a hole by telling Darla lies about why they had to end the date so soon. He wanted to get her out of there quickly so he would not get in trouble with his friends, but also wanted her to still like him. At one point, he pretended to give Darla a tour and told her to get in the closet. She was not falling for his Face Threatening Act, she knew something was up.
Hecht's 4 Frames of Identity
Alfalfa knew better to bring a girl to the clubhouse because of the “he man woman haters club” strict rules. The entire basis of the club was built off not liking girls. He was conflicted with his personal interests and the Communal Group’s rules. According to Hect’s 4 Frames of Identity, “These rules become so ingrained that they necessarily affect our identities.”[2] He did not follow the rules, which jeopardized his relationship with Darla and his friends. He wanted his cake and to eat it too. Alfalfa had a clear identity crisis between being a woman hater and a woman lover which continued to get him in trouble throughout the movie.
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