Gandhi-The Movie: While-watching-assignment

Part one

4. What is Gandhi´s first public meeting about? he outlines his method of fighting an unjust law. What is it? What is the outcome of the meeting?

Gandhi´s first public meeting is in South Africa. Gandhi campaigns for the rights of the Indian minority there. There exists an law, which is unjust. The Indians have to have passes and wear them with them all the time. Gandhi doesn´t want this passes to exist and thus he appeals for burning all the passes. He start doing that and some officer starts baring Gandhi from doing that. He doesn´t stop and he gets more and more hits.

9. At the end of this meeting, the audience stands. What is the meaning of this? What is the irony of the Englishmen standing.

At the end of the meeting the audience is standing, because they want to show, that they agree with Gandhi and that they are all set to do this kind of fighting, the passive resistance. Everyone standing up, shows that they have a big will in supporting Gandhi. At the end all together sing, I think, a kind of national anthem. When national anthems are sung, everyone rises for showing respect (also  before football games). It behoves everyone to stand up at national anthems and thus also the Englishmen arise, although they don´t agree with Gandhi and his just now taken speech.

14. Costuming is an important element of cinematography. Compare the dress of Gandhi to the other Indian officials. What conclusion can you draw?

Gandhi is wearing clothes he has made by his own. It´s a traditional Indian dhoti and shawl. On the other hand there are the Indian officials, who are wearing clothes, which are more looking like British ones. This behaviour in clothing shows, that Gandhi is more among to India and thus also to the Indian population and the Indians living all over the world. The Indian officials rather belong to the English, ruling the country. Gandhi advocates the Indians and by contrast the Indians officials attend the British.

19. What are Gandhi´s keys to a successful and independent India.

Firstly the fight for an successful and independent India has to be without violence. The resistance has to be passive. The fight with violence has not the effect, Gandhi wants to have, because “An eye for an eye makes the whole world bind”. Thus violence has to be avoided. As a second key the Hindu- Muslim conflict has to be settled. Without that, there will no successful and independent India be ever. As a third key there has to be an abolition of the of the fact that people can be considered as untouchables. This abolition has to be made, because there can´t be an successful and independent India with such an great difference/ disparity within the population.

Part two

4. As a result of the salt march and the salt works demonstrations as well as the news coverage of both , Gandhi is requested to travel to England for hearing about an independent India. What is the result of the trip?

Gandhi travels to England, where he was invited to listen the “round table” talking about independence of India. But at the moment I can´t remember any result.