Film Blog

Plot

The film "Shawshank Redemption" has a deep and compelling plot that is filled with twists. It has different people and situations that are great to watch. It is very similar to the short story but since it is a film it is easier to understand. The film stresses the special ability Andy has to get what wouldn't normally be possible in a prison. In the film he gets the guards to give him and his friends beers in exchange for financial help. Also the movie works to flesh out the feeling of hopelessness and despair in the prison because Andy is innocent but cannot prove it. He is wrongfully convicted and has to deal with a life sentence. The films plot is centered around Andy being exploited, raped, and used as a financial wizard for the corrupt officials at the prison. He wants to get the justice he feels he deserves but it is almost impossible until he finds a way to escape. This escape process takes years and the audience doesn't even know how long he has been working on it until the end. This finale reveal is a great way to complete the plot because it symbolizes Andy finally receiving the justice he has deserved.

Point of View

The movie is also told by a third person limited bases and uses a narrator. The narrator is Red, the same narrator from the short story. His point of view makes the movie seem as more of a first hand experience because Red doesn't know all of what is happening with Andy. Despite the third person point of view, it still shows several scenes that are told in words by Red but are shown with action of what happened to Andy. The movie does a great job of portraying how many years the film spans. It does this by by showing the prison getting different things and the characters also gradually look and act older. Red is shown going through several parole board meetings which only happen every ten years. Also the film does an amazing job of making Red's narrating feel real instead of a fictional character talking about a fictional situation. This use of a good and knowledgeable narrator makes the film so much better and it truly allows the story to become immersing to the audience.

Characterization

The films most important piece is the characters and how they appear to the audience. Andy and Red are the two main characters and they are very deep and satisfying to the audience. They provide a balance of pride, friendship, and desire to leave the prison. Also Red is extremely important because he is Andy's foil in the part that he doesn't really want to get out of Shawshank while Andy wants to leave so badly. Andy in the film is shown as a quiet yet feisty man who will do whatever it takes to get something in the prison. Also he displays his superior patience and guile in his genius escape plan. Even with these two main and incredible characters, the supporting characters also offer a great experience in the prison environment. They display the strong brotherhood between friends in prison and how since they have all the time in the world they work hard to enjoy each others company. Also the characters offer incite into the theme of becoming institutionalized which displays the culture shock of going from prison life to free life. One of the inmates and Andy's friend had been there for fifty years before being released, and when he got out he didn't know what to do. He was so scared and alarmed that he killed himself because he missed the strict and secure feeling of prison. This effect of prison inmates is clearly apparent and allows the audience to have an amount of pity towards the inmates.

Setting

The film is set in the past at Shawkshank Prison in Maine. It is a prison filled with rapists, murderers and the rare innocent person. The inmates there provide a image of the rough yet structured life of the people there. Also the prison provides a sense of isolation since they are not really effected by what is happening on the outside of the walls. This isolation leads to a sense of the characters being totally alone in the prison and this leads to a desperate sense. The prison is filled with corrupt and brutal guards, men who have gone homosexual and take pleasure in raping other inmates, and a corrupt Warden who is willing to kill his charges to keep Andy Dufresne behind bars. This setting of corruption and injustice makes the desire for justice increase exponentially throughout the movie while witnessing the atrocities take place. Andy is taken advantage of so much through out the movie that you feel so bad for him that you can't help but pity his situation. Another part of the setting is the date which is in the past. It is after World War Two but not in the present day. This time setting allows the movie to feel rustic and slightly antiquated when looking at the prison and its security. The date also assists in helping the audience realize how many years the movie spans.

Theme

The theme of the movie is very apparent after watching just the first twenty minutes. The theme is about people working to get justice that they deserve in unjust conditions. Andy Dufresne is a man who was wrongfully convicted for murder and sentenced to life in prison. Despite repeatedly exclaiming that he didn't kill those people he was still thrown in prison. While in prison he was continuously taken advantage of in many ways. This visual evidence of the injustice shows how Andy doesn't belong in Shawshank. Also it shows how corrupt and power hungry people can be and this causes a sense of desperation. When Andy finds out that the Warden knows that he is innocent yet won't allow him to leave, Andy is pushed to the breaking point and goes through with his escape plan. This act was the ultimate act of redemption and allowed the movie to complete its circle of injustice with a final act of redemption.

Short Story Blog

Plot

Rita Hayworth and Shawkshank Redemption is about Andy Dufresne, a man who was wrongfully accused for murdering his wife and is imprisoned in Shawshank Prison for life. The story explains the hardships and struggles Andy goes through while in prison. Andy is clearly a man who is innocent but cannot get out of prison. He is stuck in a place with people he doesn't fit in with and this makes him an easy target. Despite this fact, he also brings with him a sense of self worth and a certain skill set that allows him to be protected by the guards while he helps them with their money. This part of the story allows the reader to see that Andy is a good man in a place filled with a majority of bad people. Also it shows the reader that some of the people hired to watch over the convicts are more evil and wretched than the people they lock in the prison. Andy's feelings are confused during this phase and it makes it seem as if he doesn't know what he wants. This feeling keeps the readers attention and when the Stephen King reveals that the Warden knows Andy is innocent, that feeling is instantly replaced with a hope that Andy can get out. When Andy's escape tunnel is finally revealed it shows how dedicated and calculating he was. It gives the reader a good feeling since he got the last laugh against the Warden.

Point of View

The story is told by Red who is also an inmate at Shawshank Prison. He is the person who can get you anything in prison so it makes the reader assume he knows a lot of what goes on in the prison. The story is told as if it is a first hand experience by a first person point of view. This makes the story feel as if it is a true and gritty event that occurred. Using Red as a narrator allows the reader to feel as if they know the majority of the story but they also have to imagine what else happened when Red doesn't know what happens. This technique is overall very effective and makes the plot appear real and less like fiction. If the author had used a third person omnipotent point of view

Characterization

The characters in the story are the most important part or the whole story. The narrator is a convict who killed his wife and a child but he doesn't feel like a bad person. Instead he feels as if he is just a normal person who is a key part of prison life. He feels like a more adult and experienced figure to the audience as he describes prison life. Another key and by far the most important character is Andy Dufresne. He is a man who is wrongfully convicted and knows it so he carries himself in a dignified way. He is an innocent man surrounded by convicts which sets him apart from the normal setting. He is a person who is dead set on his innocence and he will do anything to prove this to the people who can get him out. When they make it known that he wont be allowed to leave he returns to his plans and escapes using his extreme patience and his genius to escape.

Setting

Shawshank Prison is a great setting for this story because it gives the story a more realistic and historical setting. It is set back in 1947 and it spans around 27 years so it allows the audience to feel as if time is passing by referencing historical events. This use of historical references allow the reader to feel as if the world outside Shawshank is changing drastically but the people inside have not changed nearly as much. The prison isolates the inmates and makes them seem more timeless and also makes them still feel as if they are forced to be there and are exploited by the guards. They are forced to do hard labor in the prison and it is also a sign of their extremely tough situation in which they are in. It is a constant reminder to those who committed crimes that they are there for a reason. To Andy however, it is a sign of the injustice in which he is being forced into living with. The use of this setting has the full effect of a symbol and a way to convey time passing in the world.

Theme

The theme of this story is the injustice of the world and how people live with it. The story is filled with crooked officials, rapists, and convicts who try to get what they want with less than legal formats. Also it includes a man who is wrongfully accused with murder and is still forced to spend the rest of his life the prison he is sent to. He even proves his innocence to the Warden and he admits it, but still resolves to never let him go free. Instead he wanted to keep him as his financial wizard who helped him finance his money making schemes that were not legal. This recurring theme of injustice pushes the reader to the desire for even the smallest amount of justice. When Andy escapes and the Warden retires a broken man, the reader can feel a considerable amount of justice in which they feel at peace from the horrible situation Andy faced before. Overall the theme of injustice and earning justice through any means is extremely effective. It keeps the readers interested and gives them a good feeling when Andy finally receives the justice he so desperately deserves.

Shakespearean Sonnet Blog

Sonnet 130 is about a man describing his mistress in ways that are compared to a supposed perfect woman. He is describing her characteristics compared to what a perfect woman might have. The way he describes her makes it seem very negative because she has none of the traits that he is stating. He says "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;Coral is far more red than her lips' red;...." He is saying that she doesn't have extremely bright eyes or perfect red lips. Instead she is a more down to earth woman that is anything but perfect. This is the problem of the sonnet, that his mistress isn't the ideal and perfect woman. The resolution is that he doesn't think that any woman would live up to these ridiculous standards. He is saying that she is beautiful in her own way as a woman with normal traits and not god like and unlikely looks.
I feel that this resolution is a true theme in this modern day and age. People have these images in our heads of what a perfect girl or boy looks life and we expect them to look this way. This is almost impossible to achieve because everyone is unique in their looks and not everyone even tries to look this way. Some people don't care what others look like because they aren't as shallow as others. It is so incredibly unlikely that someone will look PERFECT, it just doesn't happen and people need to learn to be happy with a more normal look than the extravagant one desired. This modern day has made style escalate at an unbelievable rate since we get bored with our looks in months and then we want to change them. All of us need to learn that no one will look perfect and we need to be content with this.

Ballad Blog

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/3doorsdown/citizensoldier.html This is the link for the lyrics of Citizen Soldier by 3 Doors Down. This song qualifies as a ballad for several reasons, such as it includes a quest of honor to protect our nation. It calls the citizens of America to join the National Guard and to fight for our nations safety. This is one of the key topics that is used in ballads all the time. Also another reason this song is a ballad is because it uses a burden repeatedly. The burden is like a common chorus but it allows the listeners to listen to the musical quality of the song. Also Citizen Soldier does not just blatantly ask you to join the Guard, instead it paints a patriotic picture which beckons to the patriotic citizen. This is key because it creates a strong desire to do something without openly asking for it. These instances in the song Citizen Soldier make this song a ballad. It employs many common ballad topics and formats and it paints an image of a certain senario.

Hero Blog

I think that a great example of a literary hero is Die Hard protagonist John Mcclane for several reasons. For one he is just a total beast but that doesn't exactly make him a hero. The characteristics that make him a hero are his unwavering determination to win the battle against the bad guys no matter what they throw at him. Another aspect of him is his selfless care for his family and anyone in danger. On several occasions he risks himself for people in and out of his family even though he doesn't necessarily have to. Overall he is a tough, brave and selfless person who deserves the title of hero.
A personal hero of mine is my Mom. She is the strongest, bravest, and most selfless person I have ever met. She has had several challenges in life such as her husband leaving her in the early years of my life. After that she contracted cancer and fought for her life over the course of a year. Never once did her positive outlook waver and she never EVER backed down from a challenging situation. She sacrifices so much just to send me to Roncalli so I can get a good education. Out of all of the heroes in the world I feel that she is the most deserving of such a title.
Martin Luther King Junior is a hero that I never met but everyone has heard his name. He was the herald of the Civil Rights movement that brought in new rights for the African Americans who had been oppressed for years. He went against all of America who still vehemently believed that black people weren't as good as whites. He withstood all of their hate, rage, racist sayings, and ways of vengeance. He was so dedicated to his cause that it cost him his life. A person who didn't support his ideals killed him because of what he said and believed. To say that he was a hero is an understatement. He was one of those iconic people who bring along change in the most radical ways and is deserving of remembrance from everyone forever.

Oil Spill

This week scientists tried to block the hole in the ocean floor but failed. Apparenly it was too cold at the depth the hole is at so the block froze and it didnt let the oil flow up and out of the block. This is a very bad thing because the hole is releasing 5,000 of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico. It has already been a week since the accident and it has released a ridiculous amount of oil. Now scientists are trying a new block to see if it works and if it doesnt they are going to try and block the hole with tons of debris.
I think that they shouldn't try the smaller block contraption because from what they have stated it follows the same technique and build of the last block. That one didnt work and I dont believe that this one will work either. Scientists need to be working on projects that will work better than the block because of many reasons. One is that all that oil is going to waste and in this day and age people need gas but wont buy it if its too expensive. Another reason is because all the enviornment around and in the Gulf are being poluted and its killing all of the wildlife there.

Gas Prices

Just this week gas prices jacked up about 2o cents. To people who don't pay for their gas this may not be a big deal but to most it is horrible. It makes lots of people have to worry about getting gas at any lower price. Some say that this gas price rise is due to the oil spill in the Gulf. Experts say that this isnt the fact. They say that it is due to the switching to summer gas and it is a normal price jump for the beginning of summer.
The fact that gas companies raise their prices for any reason is stupid to me. If they would simply have a much lower price they would get a huge turnout of people to buy gas, especially when all other gas is $2.95. I cant act as if im an economist but to me it seems like those huge corporations are just out to make money off of people. They will stop at nothing to gain money for their use. It bothers me that gas can jump 20 cents in one day. This is a ridiculous thing that should be one thing to reform in our country