Writing a Report — 1

Subject: Changing Compliments Patterns in Disney Movies

Purpose

The linguistic analysis of the dialogues from 12 Disney movies appearing over the period 1937–2013 has revealed certain alterations in the nature of the compliments paid to female characters. This report aims at outlining the discovered changes and explaining the reasons behind them.

Changes

In classic Disney animated films female characters receive several times the amount of praise for their appearance as for their skills and abilities. For instance, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty have respectively 83% and 58% compliments related to the way they look. The same trend generally remains during the renaissance Disney period, although it must be noted that it is then that a character appears (namely Pocahontas, 1995), who is given credit for her skills rather than attractiveness. In most recent films the role of beauty-related compliments is noticeably lower — 20% on average, while showing respect for competence has risen in frequency, making up almost half of the total compliments in every film since 2009.

Reasons

Differing compliment patterns might have been caused by the changing perception of women's role in society. When a woman was primarily regarded as wife and mother, her value was mostly based on appearance. A shift towards engagement in activities other than household and motherhood was, in its turn, naturally followed by the increase in ability-related compliments.

Conclusion

To conclude, the quality of the compliments given to female characters in Disney movies has significantly altered, reflecting the ways societal values have transformed over the past 76 years.