Blindsight

Both Doubt and Molly Sweeney makes us wonder how we know what we see or don’t see.  How do we know what to believe?  Like Molly Sweeney if: “What I think I see may be fantasy or indeed what I take to be imagined may very well be real…external reality.  Real – imagined – fact – fiction- fantasy- reality-there it seems to be” (57).  How do Sister Aloysius and Sister James know if what they are seeing is an inappropriate relationship between Father Flynn and Donald Miller or not?  How do Frank and Mr. Rice know that Molly would be happier if she could “really see.”  What people see is often affected by what they want to see. 

In Molly Sweeney, both Frank and Mr. Rice are blind to the fact that they are more interested in their personal passions and problems than in what is best for Molly.  Blindsight may be describing Molly: “she was totally unconscious of seeing anything at all.  In other words, she had vision – but vision that was utterly useless to her” (48), but it really describes Frank and Mr. Rice.  Frank wants to jump at new projects without seeing how it will affect the other person or animals: “…for three and a half years I had a small goat farm on the island of Inis Beag off the Mayo coast- no, no not a farm for small goats- a farm for ordinary goats- well, extraordinary goats as a matter of fact because I imported two piebald Iranian goats;… eventually I had a herd of fourteen- they couldn’t endure the Mayo winters…” (14).  Frank wanted to see if Iranian goats could live in a different location, a climate they weren’t used too.  The goats struggled to prosper and so did Frank’s financials.  He never considered how this would impact the goats.  It was always all about Frank.  It was the same situation with Molly, he never considered what she wanted.  He assumed he knew best.  And he would be off to another project before he could see the damage he caused.  Similarly, Mr. Rice wanted to do this operation because it would help him get his confidence, his desire, his self-esteem and his will to live back.  Before his wife left him for another doctor, he was one of the greatest eye doctors in the world.  After that, he lost everything.  He became a drinker and a slacker.  When Molly came into his life, he thought he could redeem his self-esteem and earn respect from his peers.   Mr. Rice’s memory of Molly’s operation was: “Where the terrible darkness lifted.  Where the shaft of light glanced off me again” (40).  He got the opportunity to earn back some of his life because the operation was successful.  But in the end, Molly lost more than she gained and so did Mr. Rice.

 

In the movie Doubt, seeing Father Flynn sitting at Sister Aloysius’s desk, framed by both sisters dressed in traditional black habits, with light shining on him as well as behind him emphasizes the contrast between light and dark.  Father Flynn is in the background while both sisters are in the foreground.  Sister Aloysius opened the blinds in order to shed light on Father Flynn.  She wants the truth regarding his relationship with Donald Miller.  Father Flynn was as blinded by the light as she was by her conviction and pursuit of her personal agenda.  Sister Aloysius was blinded because whenever Father Flynn acted nice to other children at the school, she would think that it was wrong.  She wanted the children to fear her.  She didn’t like change.  When Father Flynn, Sister James, and she were in her office, Father Flynn wanted more exciting and fun things for the kids to do.  He wanted to change the songs in the Christmas pageant to songs like Frosty the Snowman, but she turned it down and thought about sticking with the hymns they always sing.  Father Flynn likes change.  He believes that it is important to respect other students in the school and show kindness and care towards them.  He never admits to anything more than caring for the boy and trying to help him when no one else will. 

In both Doubt and Molly Sweeney, sight and insight into morality and ethics are explored.  Sight and blindness, light and darkness highlight these ideas throughout the two pieces.  In the book Molly Sweeny, Molly is blind but happy. Frank and Mr. Rice can see but they are blind to the effects of what they are doing.  In the movie Doubt, Sister Aloysius is blind because she doesn’t want to see change in the church or school.  People say that their eyes play tricks on them, but I think it’s their minds.    

The truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind – Emily Dickinson (6).

How do people display their Social Class?

Did you ever notice who behaves the most appropriate in public?  It may seem hard to believe, but 9 times out of 10, the wealthy people act like fools.  The lower class people mostly act very respectful.  There are three levels, commonly known as upper, middle, and lower class.  Things like: power, authority, wealth, material possessions, prestige and much more determine the class that people are put in.  The major parts that determine class are what jobs people have, how wealthy they are and what education they have had.  There are many differences and some similarities between the upper and lower class.  There are also different ways people display their wealth.

It all begins with where people are born into.  It is natural for people to be situated into a specific social class based on wealth and ancestry.  This is really quite sad, but people can try to get better education and then they might have a chance to move up to middle or high class.  People who were born into a rich family will most likely end up having a great education.  It's interesting how each class displays their wealth.

People around the world display their social class.  The most visible way is material possessions. Children at school can just look at some girl or boy wearing a polo, fancy sweater, a gold/silver watch, khakis, have an iphone, etc.  People can own multiple cars, HD TV's, pools and many other things around their house.  People walking on the streets of Chicago see a man with a suit and tie talking on his iphone.  Almost everywhere someone goes, there is someone who is showing off their wealth.  People can also hide their social class by not revealing as much.  People are able to: "For various reasons, people of all classes have learned to disguise, hide, “code switch,” or adapt their class identity. It makes more sense to suspend tired stereotypes and get to know people’s real stories"(http://www.classism.org/about-class).  People are able to avoid stereotypes and hide their wealth.  There are two famous men, one named Warren Buffet and Sam Walton.  Currently, Buffet is the third richest man in the world and lives in a regular house in Omaha, Nebraska.  He is known as the "Oracle of Omaha."  Sam Walton started Wal-Mart and the Sam's Club.  He hid from the media as well.  He lived in Bentonville, Arkansas, not in New York or LA.  Buffet is making billions each year, just like Sam Walton did.  Sam died in 1992.  Both of them were extremely wealthy, but their behaviors were that of the lower class.  The lower class behaviour would be very good because they are more focused and want to succeed at what they do.  The upper class behaviour is most of the time wild and out of control.  They both make a lot of money, but act like fools because they think it's fun.  Even though it may seem like the upper class is perfect, there is an advantage and disadvantage for being in the upper class and lower class.

Surprisingly, there is both a positive and negative side to being in the upper class as well as the lower class.  Why is that?  The good news about being in the upper class is that people have the power to do whatever they want with their money.  They are viewed as having higher morals, integrity, and education.  However, the bad news about being in the upper class, is that people typically act like fools.  For example, Paris Hilton is a very famous person with a boat load of money.  She is known for multiple things.  She is an: American heiress, an actress on television, a fashion designer, an entrepreneur, a model and much much more.  She hasn't contributed anything good to the world.  She is just simply living in paradise.  Her actions and behaviors are in the lower class though.  Another example is that when upper class college students are at school, they are almost always the most prepared.  Yet they take their privilages for granted.  They feel like they are limited in having conversations with other students at the school.  The bad news about being in the lower class is that they are less wealthy, and they don't have as good of an education.  However, when lower class students are in college, they tend to set goals for themselves.  Most of the time, they are motivated to work hard and have a strong work-ethic.  This is important because they are willing to work harder than the upper class to succeed.

Blue Jeans, The Unofficial Uniform at New Trier

                Some people like to hide in plain site.  Even though they are different people, they wear the same clothes as everyone else so they fit in with their own crowd.  If you look around New Trier, jeans are the 'uniform' for guys and girls.  Both wear skinny jeans, baggy jeans, tight jeans, jeans with holes, low hanging jeans, colored jeans, designer jeans, western jeans, any kind of jeans.  By wearing this uniform, they are expressing who they are as well as blending in with everyone else.

                Students wear jeans to make sure they fit into a certain crowd.  They don't want to be embarrased because they are wearing something different than their friends.  Different groups tend to wear different jeans.  For example, the athletes mostly wear baggy jeans with holes.  Each individual athlete wants to feel special but they also want to identify with the other athletes.  They wear similar clothes to make sure that they don't feel embarrased.  
          

             Another type of jeans that are popular are low-riding jeans.  Students who wear low hanging jeans are representing their ‘hood’.  They wear low-riding jeans because back in the 1990’s, rap became big and popular rappers like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg wore these types of jeans.  In fact, not only has rap carried on into the 21st century, but so have the jeans.  Just like the athletes, these people want to be special in their own way, except they wear the same clothes as their friends to make sure they don't feel left out.

               Another pair of jeans that are popular in my school is casual jeans.  Casual jeans are loose, traditional blue color, no holes or frays, and U-shaped (for comfort).  I like to wear these types of jeans because it looks respectable, it doesn’t stand out, and it feels great.  Obviously other students like these jeans because they feel good, but they just want to fit in with everyone else as well. 

                When Fussell says: “everyone must wear a uniform, but everyone must deny wearing one,” he isn’t simply contradicting his own point.  What he is saying is that everyone wants to feel special, but everyone wants to make sure that they fit in with the people who are important in his/her life.  
Fussell's quote also applies to the New Trier student wearing jeans as a way to be different and the same at the same time.  
 

Together, But Not Really

Together, But Not Really

There is no time for writing letters and making phone calls when people are living in the fast lane.  So it comes as no surprise that: “31% of U.S. adults prefer to be reached by text message” (Mashable Tech.com, by Zoe Fox).  Some people even prefer to text instead of talk to the person they are sitting next to.  People want text messages so that they can avoid getting stuck in a conversation they don’t want to be in.  It could be because they don’t have the time to chat or because they have other things going on.  In the picture, all of those teens are together, but they aren’t.  Cell phones, computers, ipads, Kindles, social networking sites, Skype, etc. have made conversations easier, yet harder.  Today teenagers don’t call each other; they send texts.  Relationships have become more superficial.  Most teenagers’ just text to each other about what is happening ‘in the now.’  Since people talk this way, they not only lack depth in conversations, but they also don’t get to know the other person.  People also have facebook and twitter accounts with hundreds of friends and followers, when in reality, they only have a couple of close friends who they know well.  Technology may have helped people connect with one another but it hasn't helped them know one another better. 

Conversations are becoming more about the technology than about being interested in the other person.  Social networking is "all about me".  People want to share what they are doing at the moment and they like seeing what other people are doing, but this is a poor substitute to having a conversation.

 If we didn’t have technology like we have today, our lives would be completely different.  The technology that we have today gives us the opportunity to talk to people in multiple ways.  However, if we didn’t have technology, people would have more conversations face to face, which could help real relationships’ last longer.

http://mashable.com/2011/09/19/31-of-u-s-adults-prefer-to-be-reached-by-text-message-study/

Don't Look Behind The Door!

Don’t Look Behind The Door!

In this scene, Walter Neff is waiting to see Phyllis Dietrichson in his apartment.  However, unexpectedly, Barton Keyes knocks on the door before her.  Neff answers the door and Keyes knows more about the murder case.  When Mrs. Dietrichson walks up to the door, she hears that two men are in the room and decides to listen to their conversation through the closed door.  Neff opens the door and they both walk out of the apartment.  Mrs. Dietrichson hides behind the open door.  She lets Neff know that she is there by tugging on the handle, just enough to let Neff know she is there without tipping off Keyes. 

The setting is shadowy and suspenseful, and Mrs Dietrichson is in the shadows.  It is a very tight space.  The only protection Mrs. Dietrichson has is the door and Neff.  She can’t move or make a noise.  All of the surfaces like the door, the walls, and the floor are hard.  There is no furniture in this scene, nothing soft and or comfortable.  She is in between a door and a hard place.  She’s got nowhere to go.  All she can do is quietly stand behind the door and pray that Keyes walks away.  There is light coming out of the room.  That is the place she needs to get to in order to be safe.

http://www.kellimarshall.net/cinemahistory/discussion-questions/double-indemnity-film-noir/

Ice Cold Darkness

Hunt Tempest

09/16/12

Lit and Film 7

John Anderton in a Freezing Cold Bath Tub

Imagine, holding your breath under freezing cold water to avoid being caught for a murder you haven’t even committed yet.  In Minority Report, John Anderton, the main character, is in that situation.  In this frame, he is the subject.  Notice how he is hiding off to the right and how that heat seeking spider is off to the left.  Even though John is not in the middle of the frame, we are drawn to him because he is in a suspenseful situation.

John, in the bathtub, and the robotic spider are in the foreground because they are the subjects of the shot.  Yet the background is not blurry.  In the image, the director wants us to see both John and the spider because we want to see if John can hold his breath until the spider finds him and walks away.  The scene is dark and cold.  John is in a freezing cold ice-filled bathtub, while the robot is in a dark area.

In this frame, there is a bright blue light highlighting the tub, a strip of light on the floor, and a dark corner.  The tub is lit because it is the main focus.  The directors want us to feel what John feels.  Since the light is blue, the frame conveys that he is ice cold.  He is wearing a dark blue muscle shirt and the light makes his body pale so that he looks cold.  The spider, which is off to the side of the room, shines a small spotlight in front of it.  Both lights, in the bathtub and with the spider, grabs our attention.

The high angle shot shows us the entire bathtub and most of the floor.  With this shot, we can see John, with his eyes blindfolded, holding his breath under the ice water.  We can also see the spider scanning the room,  sensing that someone or something is there.  The lighting makes the scene scary and makes the viewer feel the tension.  When the spider is walking up to the tub, the viewers are silently yelling: “Don’t go there!”  The shot makes the viewers' hearts beat faster and they get that energy of suspense running through them. 

            The clothes, lighting, and background make us understand the situation.  The color blue throughout the shot, such as the water and his dark blue shirt, makes us feel cold.  The room is bland, cold, dark, and hard.  There are no towels, rugs, or anything soft or comfortable in the shot.  Overall the scene is meant to be dark, cold and very suspenseful.  Will John be caught or will he be safe?

 

Great views from Sunset Loop Peter Island BVI's!