Explain how Billy Elliot portrays the consequences of moving into the world.

Individuals may experience consequences as they transition into the world due to society’s perception of
normal. However, with the determination to succeed, they will overcome these obstacles. Stephen Daldry’s
film, ‘Billy Elliot’ and Paulo Cohelo’s novella, ‘The Alchemist’, portrays the consequences of moving into
the world and how with a determination to pursue one’s dream allows them to successfully move into the
world.

An individual’s determination to pursue a dream can inspire them to challenge society’s expectations as
they transition into a new world. Daldry portray how barriers can prevent individuals to achieving their
dream. In the opening scene, the slow motion shot of Billy jumping up and down on the bed with a close
up shot of his ebullient face reveals his natural talent for dancing. This is accompanied by the lyrics ‘I
danced myself out of the womb’. However, his lower-class status is revealed through high-angle shot in
the strike scene the miners, which included his father and brother. Daldry suggests that Billy’s poverty acts
as a barrier for his desire to dance. This is reinforced in the scene of his father giving him 50 pence despite
having no income. This tension between the classes is conveyed in Tony’s anger towards Mrs Wilkinson
‘you come ‘ere again, I’ll smack you one you middle class cow’ which reinforces the vicious cycle of
poverty and violence. This is contrasted to Billy’s tarantella-like outburst as he sits on the toilet where the
close-up of his feet tapping as he vents his frustration through dancing and not violence. This is continued
by him knocking down the door to symbolize him overcoming his barriers. This is accompanied with a
fast-paced uplifting instruments soundtrack. His confidence extends as Billy dances defiantly in front of his
father to showcase his talent. In the final scene, final freeze shot of his leap into the air as Billy performs as
a Swan Lake Player indicates his triumph as he has successfully moved into the world of dance.

Similarly, the novella ‘The Alchemist’ explores how obstacles initially prohibit an individual from entering a
new world of exploration and can provide a change in perspective. Through function of narrative, Paulo
Cohelo presents the protagonist, an Audalusian Shepherd who embarks on a quest to seek his Personal
Legend, one’s destiny in life. His desire to move into a new world is portrayed in the truncated sentences,
‘he didn’t want to become a priest. He wanted to travel’ to show that his decision is simple and clear. This
is reinforced through high modality, ‘then I’ll be a shepherd!’ to indicate his decision which will enable him
to travel. While attempting to transition into a new world, he adopts an initial cynical attitude in “I’m
going to be bitter and distrustful because one person betrayed me”. Yet through a melodramatic
emphatic triplet “mightly deadly lethal” cobra, Cohelo reinforces how dire external setbacks can facilitate
an inner transformation. Subsequently, the protagonist learns to “listen avidly to his heart” with endearing
diction to demonstrate a renewed outlook. This hopeful sentiment portrays that moving into the world
involves having a wide range of experience.

Conversely, the film portrays how social conventions in a community can restrict individuals from
transitioning into the world. The prejudice in the dialogue, ‘you are a disgrace to those boxing glove… and
the tradition of this boxing gym’ emphasises the strict gender expectations in the small mining
community. The mis-en-scene of the balance beam when Billy looks inquisitively at the girls are dancing
symbolises the intangible division between him and his aspirations due to the norms attached to notions
of masculinity. Daldry argues that to enter a new world, Billy must take risks, shown as he decides to learn
ballet under Mrs Wilkinson despite awareness of the social implications. The social conventions of his
community are also affected Billy’s perception of the norm which is portrayed through his remark, ‘I feel
like a wuss!’ Despite this, his determination is shown by the close-up panning shot from ballet shoes to his
boxing shoes and portrays the transitioning between worlds. The piano player, Mr Braithwaite’s comment,
‘you look like a right wanker to me, son’ conveys the caustic perspectives towards Billy’s deviation. Mr
Braithwaite is a representation of the myopic perception of the small mining community. However Billy’s
decision to continue dancing despite the consequences is shown in the long shot of Billy shoving the
ballet slippers into his bag. Billy’s friend Michael is a representation of defying social norms and assists
Billy in entering a new world. This is portrayed in the medium shot of Michael cross-dressing and close up
shot of him applying lipstick on Billy, which helps to create a blur between male and female roles in their
community. This symbolises Billy’s barriers dissolving and portrays him defying social norms and moving
into the world of dance.

Cohelo extends the concept presented by other composers that transitioning into a world of nature
embodies ambivalent encounters. Prior to moving into a new world, the protagonist is “jealous of the
freedom of the wind” depicting his insensitivity of nature. However these experiences are the means by
which Santiago learns the importance of loyalty and endurance in the face of adversity. It is this
transitioning process which motivates him to realise his Personal Legend and “to learn all he needed to
know and experience everything he dreamed of”. The omnipresent adjective of “all” and “everything”
demonstrates the extent to which the outcomes of the expedition can impose on the individual. Upon
returning, an affiliation and appreciation of nature is inherent through a collage of visual imagery in
‘purple heath-flowers’ and ‘smooth clear blue skies”. Cohelo concludes the novel with the recurring motif
of the wind which now “drifts the scent of a perfume”, presenting a juxtaposition to the beginning. This
allows Cohelo to depict Santiago’s successful transitioning into the world of nature.

Individuals may face prejudice when transitioning into the world if they defy social norms. However, with
the determination to succeed, they will overcome these obstacles. Both texts successfully portray the
consequences of moving into the world and how passion can allow individuals to overcome obstacles.