Bean, Travis. “Capitalism Gone Wild: The Ending Of ‘Parasite’ Explained.” Forbes, Web.
The source contains an argument concerning the meaning behind Parasite’s finale. In particular, Bean proposes that the ending represents the cycle of capitalism and that the film shows the realities of such a system. The genre of the reference is an online magazine article, and the publication’s agenda concentrates on various topics, including business and lifestyle. The author does not have academic credentials but is experienced in writing about the cinema industry and film festivals. Accordingly, the audience encompasses people interested in movies, and the reporter’s voice is active but informal. Overall, the article can be evaluated as of moderate credibility and quality due to not being scholarly, but it is valuable compared to others because the author offers a controversial explanation of the film’s ending.
Botz-Bornstein, Thorsten, and Giannis Stamatellos, editors. Parasite: A Philosophical Explanation. Brill, 2022.
The source’s content covers diverse aspects of symbolism in Parasite through the works of multiple writers. The reference’s genre is a book collection with satisfactory timeliness due to being published in the current year and with low bias achieved through a collaboration of several authors and editors from different universities. Accordingly, each contributor addresses a distinguishable element of the movie based on using many sources of information. For instance, Chapter 6 provides a distinct perspective on Parasite’s ending, stating that the finale symbolizes that the lower class can dream of a better life but can never escape poverty (Botz-Bornstein and Stamatellos 85). Furthermore, the audience is primarily represented by individuals invested in cinematography and the philosophical context of films. Consequently, the book can be evaluated as highly credible and of good quality because the creators have academic backgrounds and cite outside sources in their arguments.
Choe, Sang-hun. “‘We Couldn’t Do Anything’: Family Drowns in Seoul Basement During Floods.” The New York Times, Web.
The source does not directly cover symbolism in Parasite but can be employed to support the topic’s arguments. For example, the reference can demonstrate that the representation of the Kims’ basement in the movie accurately reflects the socioeconomic level of many Korean families and the dangers they face (Choe). In fact, living in semi-underground homes has proven to be extremely dangerous, yet countless households cannot afford better accommodations (Choe). The source’s genre is an online newspaper article, and the author has considerable credentials as the chief of The New York Times’ Seoul bureau with substantial writing experience. Choe addresses a wide audience, but his work mainly focuses on reporting about North and south Korea. Accordingly, the article can be evaluated as of good quality and credibility because both the author and the newspaper are internationally recognized, and the information demonstrates that Parasite’s symbolism illustrates real life.
Gupta, Shashwat, et al. “Nations as Brands: Cinema’s Place in the Branding Role.” Journal of Business Research, vol. 116, 2018, pp. 1-13.
Similar to the above-discussed source, this reference does not focus on Parasite but shows that the symbols featured in the film can represent Korean realities. For instance, Gupta et al. propose that cinema has the ability to communicate the cultural, social, and infrastructural attributes of a country, suggesting that Parasite mirrors a variety of socioeconomic differences in South Korea (9). The source’s genre is a scholarly journal article with no bias and adequate timeliness due to being peer-reviewed and publicized within the last five years. The authors have substantial academic credentials and are affiliated with different universities across three countries. Consequently, the reference’s contributors address a rather scholarly and professional audience interested in business and cinematography, and their writing style is quite formal. Therefore, the article’s credibility and quality can be highly evaluated, and its knowledge can verify that Parasite’s symbolism has real-life significance.
Huh, Hyeon‐seung, and Cyn‐young Park. “A New Index of Globalisation: Measuring Impacts of Integration on Economic Growth and Income Inequality.” World Economy, vol. 44, no. 2, 2021, pp. 1-67.
The source’s content covers how globalization affects the world and can be utilized to illustrate that Parasite sufficiently portrays differences between lower and higher classes. For example, Huh and Park state that globalization is associated with broadening income inequality (39). Likewise, Parasite demonstrates a wide gap between poor and rich families. The genre of the source is a scholarly journal article that is peer-reviewed and published within the period of the last five years. The authors have valid credentials, as Huh works as a professor at a prominent university, and Park is the director of a major bank’s research department. The two writers seem to focus on an audience with some academic background, specifically in business and economics. Consequently, the article can be evaluated as highly credible and of good quality and can provide knowledge on the realism of Parasite’s symbols reflecting socioeconomic inequalities.
Lawless, Siobhan. “Common Scents: How Parasite Puts Smell at the Heart of Class War.” The Guardian, Web.
The source’s argument centers around scents in Parasite and what they symbolize throughout the movie. For instance, the Kims smelling like a fumigator diffused by street cleaners signifies a barrier to the family’s social climbing because the odor can expose their deception (Siobhan). The reference genre is an article from an online newspaper that has been chosen as the news website of the year. While the source mentions the author’s name, their credentials are not specified, which may indicate some biased in the presented information. The audience appears to encompass people from different countries who are interested in reports regarding culture and films. Overall, the article seems to have debatable credibility and can be evaluated as of moderate quality, but it can be quite useful in exploring a distinct perspective on the symbolism of scents in the movie.
Lee, Jae-seong. Awakening through Literature and Film: Into the Dancing Light. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2021.
While covering a bigger subject of cinematography, this source contains an argument about socioeconomic differences alongside their representation and meaning in Parasite. For example, Lee argues that the families’ statuses are reflected not only in the quality of their homes but also in the buildings’ locations (33). In particular, the wealthy Parks live in a high place, and the impoverished Kims are put almost underground (Lee 33). The genre of the reference is a book published last year and is oriented to an audience interested in understanding better pieces of literature and cinema. The source does not specify the author’s credentials, but the creator cites the works of other writers, and the publisher has a scholarly affiliation. Accordingly, the book’s credibility and quality can be evaluated as moderate and high, respectively, but the provided information can be employed to broaden the discussion of symbolism in Parasite.
Maric, Stefan. “Ten Impressive Class Inequality Metaphors in “Parasite“.” Taste of Cinema, Web.
The content of the source concerns inequality metaphors presented in Parasite and covers the meaning of distinct elements of the film. For instance, Maric states that differences in exposure to sunlight symbolize the socioeconomic status of each family, while the stairs demonstrate social mobility. The reference’s genre is an online webpage, and the author does not have scholarly credentials but focuses on writing movie reviews. The source’s timeliness is adequate due to being posted within the last five years, although its quality is questionable due to having a bias reflected solely in the author’s opinion. Stefan Maric writes for a wide audience of people interested in films, making his style rather informal. Therefore, the reference can be evaluated as of moderate quality but is valuable due to presenting a unique perspective as both the topic and the source concentrate on cinema.
Narayanan, Sadhana. “Food and Film: Exploring Food in Parasite.” Voice Magazine, Web.
The central argument of the source is that food in Parasite has a special symbolism. For example, socioeconomic status is associated with distinct meals, such as the Parks being able to add expensive premium beef to instant noodles shows that they are accustomed to a better diet (Sadhana). The source is an article from an online magazine, the agenda of which focuses on various topics, including art and politics. The author does not have academic credentials but writes reviews on different movies, TV shows, and plays for a wide audience. Sadhana’s voice is informal, but her report contributes to the reference’s quality by citing the film’s director. The information is valuable as it observes the role of food in Parasite, whereas other papers typically concentrate on the scholar’s rock or the title. Overall, the source’s quality can be evaluated as relatively high due to being a part of a popular magazine.
Park, Jin-hai. “Body Odor Class Gap Guided Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Parasite.’” The Korea Times, Web.
Similar to an earlier mentioned article, this source’s content covers the symbolism of odor in the film but considers a different perspective. In particular, Park argues that the two families’ distinctions in scent do not only represent a social gap, but the rich household conferring the smell also reflects hostility. Park states that talking about a person’s body aroma is prohibited, so the discussion about the impoverished Kims’ odor signifies aggression toward the lower class. The reference’s genre is an online newspaper article, which does not seem to have much bias because the creator refers to the words of the movie’s director. The author does not have scholarly credentials but is a professional reporter who writes in a relatively formal style about the cinema industry to the audience interested in Korean cinema and arts. Accordingly, the source can be evaluated as of high credibility and quality due to being published by an international newspaper and offering a unique viewpoint of smell’s meaning in Parasite.