What Happened to the Weather?

I found Jessie's article The Climate of Man -- I; Annals of Science really interesting. It discusses the impact that global warming is having on the world. For example, because temperatures have been increasing dramatically (especially over the summer when it reaches a hundred degrees), we can mostly blame global warming for that.
This article does a good job of providing examples of global warming really impacting the world. The author uses anecdotes to address how harmful global warming has impacted society. For instance, in Alaska, there are people who depend on the icy weather to survive. Thanks to global warming, their sources (and homes) are disappearing, forcing them to flee. Global warming is also inconsistent. One day, the weather will be freezing cold; Another day, the weather will be scorching hot. What I learned from this article is the impact it is having on other parts of the world. Here, we don't really think about global warming as a huge concern because we just assume that the weather changes is typical "Chicago weather." Also, in this area, the impact of global warming isn't very extreme. When it did go to a hundred degrees over the summer, we were actually kind of glad because it gave us an excuse to go to the beach. Anyway, the anecdote about how much their society depends so much on the icy weather because this environment has been surviving for years, and it is traditionally what their ancestors followed. It never really occured to me that these people have to change their way of life just because of global warming.
It is important for this issue to be addressed to society so the audience can understand how it is impacting us. By us, I mean our society and other people in the world. Documenting this idea is important because it spreads awareness of what is really going on in the world. Because we are causing global warming to occur, it is our job to stop what we're doing so we can provide a safer and healthier environment for everyone else.

The Typical Underdog Stories

Steve Jobs never really completed college, and despite that he still became one of the most successful people in the world thanks to Apple. Michael Oher was a student who barely graduated out of high school and became a great football player (I know this thanks to John Lee Hancock's The Blind Side). Albert Einstein had dyslexia and failed his college entrance exam. Yet, he is a physicist that the world will remember forever.

What do all of these people have in common? They all had a pretty rough past that seem to relate back to education. However, the results were great because they all became successful. These stories would be considered "real world" stories because it is something that we, the audience, can relate to. When we hear about these kind of people, we tend to think that we, too, have the potential to be as great as them because we all came from a similar background as them. For example, we have all had our ups and downs when it comes to school. I think that's why we become intrigued into these kinds of stories. We believe that we also have the potential to achieve success just as much as Steve Jobs, Michael Oher, or even Albert Einstein.

The stories that we typically don't hear about are the ones where someone became successful as a result of living in an enriched childhood. These kind of people are so common, we don't regard it as a "stand-out."

The real difference between these two stories may be the amount of work the person put in to reaching their goal. For those with a rougher past, the audience feels more sympathy towards them because they have to go the extra mile to match up to the rest of the people. Whereas the people who achieve success with a pretty stable past don't have to exert as much work because they are already a step ahead of the others.

The Right Thing To Do

These stills comes from Do the Right Thing, and  Crimes and Misdemeanors. Both of these stills are juxtaposed because they present two different ways to deal with a problem. These shots also show moral ambiguity because it doesn’t tell the audience how to approach a problem. Instead, it gives us our options for dealing with a difficult situation. That way, the audience must use their interpretation in the director's choices to understand our options.

                The first still is a medium shot of Radio Raheem. In this shot, Radio Raheem is directly talking to Mookie, but the camera shifts so that it seems like he is also directly talking to the audience. The rings love and hate are centered in the frame, which makes it the focal point. Radio Raheem explains the difference between love and hate with a story about how they are always fighting against each other. Yet, in the end, love will always conquer. I think what Radio Raheem wants to tell us is that we can learn to either love or hate something. If we love something, we are ultimately doing the right thing. However, if we hate something, then problems will start to develop.

Something else I noticed in this shot is the car on the left. Throughout the movie, we rarely see any cars that are driven by African Americans. The cars that we do see are owned by white people, which is a sign of wealth. Because the car is positioned by the side of love, this may imply that if the African Americans and whites learn to love each other, they can appreciate each other’s differences. Then, everybody can call a car of their own and there will be fewer problems.

                The second shot is a medium close up shot of Judah and Ben. Judah is alone on a stormy night, and he imagines Ben there too. At this point, Judah is contemplating what to do with his relationship with Miriam and Dolores. Ben reminds Judah that people are forgiving and that people should always do what is right. Compared to the still from Do the Right Thing, this shot is much darker in terms of lighting. This choice makes the audience wonder what Judah will decide to do, because it foreshadows the unlikeliness of Judah listening to Ben’s advice. In addition, you can see Ben looking directly at Judah, while Judah is looking out in the distance. This may imply that Ben’s view on forgiveness is clear, while Judah is still unsure about what he believes. Something else I noticed is that Ben is wearing glasses, while Judah isn’t. Again, this may imply that Ben sees the solution to this problem clearly, and Judah doesn’t know if he should listen to Ben’s advice or not.

Kids Are Growing Up Way Too Fast

As the oldest daughter of the family, I can see things that my two little sisters can't. One of my sisters is a sophomore right now, and she tells me what kind of drama her friends are having. Sometimes it's really funny, and other times it's ridiculous. For instance, she once told me about how one of her friends dated this guy, he cheated with her, and were reunited awkwardly at turnabout. Listening to this story, I was so shocked to see what her friends are going through because I have never experienced this much drama myself. So I don't know what it's like. And then I have to remember that these kids are two years younger than me.
Something else to consider is the fact that they are airing shows like Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant. It's scary to think about because the girls are practically the same age as us. So I can't imagine having to go through the same obstacles with them, considering school, colleges, and more. Since MTV started showing this, there have been much controversy about whether or not they should air it because many parents are outraged by it.
I even consider the kind of lifestyle my parents had when they were teenagers. Much has changed since the time they were in high school. I think their lifestyle is definitely much more old-fashioned. However, I also think it was much more innocent.
Obviously, these kids are not as mature as I am now. But I can't imagine how and why they would involve themselves in these kinds of situations. It's like they put themselves there to gain attention, because they care about what others think about them, or because they are just plain ignorant. Whatever it is, I just don't understand why kids think they have to do these things that they aren't ready for, and put themselves at a lot of risk for losing their innocent charm.

Shhh... Don't Say His Name...

I know, it's so cliche. From the Harry Potter series, I present He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as the best monster out there! In Hogwarts, no one even dares to call him by his real name. So I'll try not to mention his name...
Anyway, I think he is the best monster because of his evilness. First of all, who would even attempt to kill an innocent baby? It's common belief to never get close to killing a baby. It's not even something a bad person would think about doing. They always pursue to hurt the adult instead of the baby. When his attempt to kill Harry fails, he becomes even more upset about his powers. Throughout the rest of the series, his ultimate goal is to kill Harry Potter by all means necessary.
 It's also interesting how he started off as a regular student at Hogwarts: Tom Riddle. In the Harry Potter movies, there are flashbacks about Tom Riddle as a student. He seems like a regular kid who did very well in school. However, there's something fishy about how he can talk to snakes and use magic for evil things. When Dumbledore sees He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he definitely sees Tom Riddle in him too.
Things become even more complicated in the last movie of the Harry Potter series. Harry learns that if he wants to kill He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he must also kill himself. In a way, it seems like Harry and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named are the same, exact person. Yet, Harry is the guy that sheds light, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is the most evil person in this world. If you want to know what happens (which I think most of you should already know), I really recommend watching/reading the Harry Potter series.

The "Silent" Walk of Shame

From Google Images

In this shot, Neff and Mrs. Dietrichson just murdered Mr. Dietrichson. Mrs. Dietrichson feels no regrets and seems satisfied with her actions. On the other hand, Neff seems guilty and ashamed for what he did. In this scene, he specifically says, "Suddenly it came over me that everything would go wrong. It sounds crazy, Keyes, but it's true, so help me. I couldn't hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man" (IMDB). This is where he is still confessing to Keyes, and he reflects on his actions. When he says that, "everything would go wrong," it seems like he has some sense of doubt and a lack of confidence that this murder will go through. In the end, it is true that Keyes successfully figured out the case. It's also interesting how Neff says "I couldn't hear my own footsteps. It was the walk of a dead man." We know that Neff and Mrs. Dietrichson both murdered Mr. Dietrichson. Yet, Neff is the one who feels like the dead man. In a way, this seems like the walk of shame. Because his surroundings are muted, this murder is the only thing that is in his mind.
It's also essential to point out the darkness of this frame. It looks like 80% of this shot is dark, while the other 20% contains little light which is focused in the middle of the frame. It's also important to point out the emptiness of the shot. The only thing that seems to be mobile in this shot is Neff himself. The side walk is empty and there is nothing going on in the house nearby. This choice really catches the essence of loneliness and dark secrets. This is also a medium long shot, where we can see Neff from the knees up. The director might have made this choice because he wanted to catch the distance of the long, empty side walk that is ahead of Neff.

The Traditional American Sport: Football

The wording in this shot stands out because it gives the reader a sense of (young) Harvey's arrogance and cockiness. The fact that he "craved recognition as the best in one field or another" displays his egotism. If this desire of his is not reached, he quits because he simply can't handle it. When I read this part, I thought (young) Harvey was pretty pathetic; Yet, his decision was understandable. It's pathetic because he doesn't even try to improve his football skills and he doesn't persevere. However, it's also understandable because this decision may have been linked to his childhood. Since he was bullied often, he wants to be "tough" to prove how much stronger he is than he was in the past. This decision of his also seems to make him less motivated because he asks himself, "What would I have to do to keep up my morale enough to at least be able to show up in a school every day?" Because of this decision, he must find a new passion that Harvey will love and pursue.

The image also stands out in this shot. The football helmet sits at the bottom left of the shot, while Harvey is walking away from it. In between the helmet and Harvey, there's a white line that seems to separate football from Harvey because of his decision to quit.

However, after I read this scene, I wondered, why did Harvey choose to pursue football in the first place? Football is the traditional, American sport. Yet, his parents lean towards their Jewish culture. I thought that Harvey may have decided to pursue football because he wanted to step away from his Jewish background. His parent's opinion on Harvey playing football is unclear. They seem to only care about Harvey still keeping up with his school and Hebrew studies.