Reactions to Mona Lisa Smile

At first, I was pretty surprised by the beginning when they held a ceremony before the school year started. Right when I saw that part, I figured that Wellesley was going to be a prestigious institution. What surprised me the most were the strict tradition and rules that surrounded the school and community. Everyone was used to the order of how things were. No one wanted to embrace modern culture. There was an expectation on everyone around. Women were expected to get married, have children and take care of their family. A women who is married and was a lawyer seemed out of the question. However, Katherine Watson did not think this to be true. She was an independent woman who believed in modern culture. She taught art history at Wellesley college and was expected to teach the basics. However instead, Katherine taught the students how to think for themselves. Art is one of those abstract subjects that require insight and perspective. One cannot think art is art based on technique or skill. Art has different meanings and takes different forms to different people. One person might find Da Vinci's Mona Lisa to be a work of art, while a mother might find her child's finger painting picture as art. Everyone has their own opinion on art, therefore, there is no right way of art. It is purely subjective. The women in Katherine's class were born and raised from respected and wealthy families. They were taught that there is a right way to everything in life. "There is a right way of thinking... a right way of living... a right way of art" (Mona Lisa Smile). Katherine represents modern culture in this plot. She shows her students that art is subjective. There is no right way of art. For this reason, the school board questions Katherine's teaching style. To me, Katherine is a good teacher because she reaches out and tries to understand her students. She teaches concepts that are important in real life and uses examples outside of textbook text. Most importantly, she shows them that there is more to life than just marriage, children and people's expectations. Every person is capable of making their own decisions. And I believe Katherine Watson is the perfect candidate to guide her students to modern culture.