Matthew Arnold (Culture and Anarchy) claims that culture, ‘has one great passion, the passion for sweetness and light’ and ‘the passion for making them prevail’. Culture is ‘the best that is though or said’. When this is achieved the whole of society is in the fullest measure of real thought, real beauty, real sweetness and real light. Speaking of classes Arnold says culture:

‘seeks to do away with classes; to make the best that has been thought
and known in the world current everywhere; to make all men live in an atmosphere of sweetness and light, where they may use ideas, as it uses them itself, freely – nourished and not bound by them’.

Based on Arnold’s distinctions; I’ve found it really hard to try and find a media text I thought epitomised ‘sweetness and light’ as everyone’s idea of what contains ‘sweetness and light’ differs not only based on their culture but based on personal opinion.

After much deliberation; I believe that Slumdog Millionaire is a media text that contains, ‘sweetness and light’. My reasons for this: the film shows that anything is possible if you put your mind to it; it doesn’t focus upon class – it may focus upon a young boy’s struggle, but the ending is a traditional happy ending. Another way in which the film contains ‘sweetness and light’ is because it allows for insight (for me) into another’s culture and it made me appreciate the things I have in my life more.

The film shows real thought in it’s scripting and the way every answer to the ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ leads to a story. Real beauty is seen through the backdrop of the film, but mainly through the love story and how Jamel will do anything to find Latika. Finally real sweetness and light are seen in the feel-good feeling or atmosphere the film ends with, making it the best that is thought or said.