The Hurricane: Film Analysis

1) In the movie The Hurricane, the most common theme that reoccurs is the theme of the struggle for justice.  We see the character Rubin Carter being falsely accused of a crime he did not commit because of the racial prejudice in the society.  Later, we are introduced to a small group of people who want to help Rubin prove his innocence and exploit the truth.  Many times while trying to find the truth, they often found dead ends, which adds to the common motif of the struggle for justice.  This motif is not only applicable for Rubin, but also for those harmed int he accident Rubin was accused of, because in the end, justice was never served for those that really committed the crime.

2) Although many symbols appear in the movie, I found the most significant ones to be the mail from Lesera and jail uniform.  I saw the mail as a symbol because it represents the separation Rubin has from the outside world while in prison.  The letters also represent friends and support from Lesera.  The other significant symbol seen in the movie is the jail uniform.  The suit represents guilt, and when Rubin refuses to wear it, it symbolizes his innocence in the involvement in the crime.  The uniform could also show that Rubin refuses to give up on himself and give up hope that true justice will be served.

3) Many similarities can be identified between the novel To Kill a Mockingbird and the movie The Hurricane.  To start, in both stories, an African male was being prosecuted against for a crime falsely accused upon them.  In court, we see both being defended by "white" people that feel the need to have true justice uncovered as well as having a a jury of their peers (ironically all white) judge them on a crime.  In both situations, we also see the accused have a very calm demeanour while in courtroom.  Also, in the end both the novel and the movie, justice is never really served by those actually committing the crime.

4) I think the most identifiable relationship between To Kill a Mockingbird and The Hurricane is the idea of racism.  In both the novel and the movie, a character is falsely accused of a crime not committed by them.  We the readers are also introduced to a society where the Black race is not as respected and is seen as a lower class when compared to the "Whites" in the community, but even though these communities are filled with prejudiced citizens, there are those who wish to stand up to the racism and fight back with the truth (The Finchs and the Canadians).

Globalization and Obasan Post

62) Why can't Reiko play with Naomi anymore?
In Obasan, there are various encounters between Reiko and Naomi.  While in the bathing room, Reiko and Naomi make contact, but Reiko says she is no longer allowed to talk or play with Naomi because of what here mom has told her about Naomi and her family.  She says that Naomi's family is sick and has TB (tuberculosis) because her father is in the hospital and her brother is limping.  Once Naomi goes home, and questions her brother multiple times on this "sickness" ordeal, her uncle says, "For some people it is a shameful matter to be ill.  But it is a matter of misfortune, not shame."

65) Who has returned home?  What is significant about her simile, "I am leaf in the wind restored to its branch?"
The character that has returned home is Naomi's father.  The simile "I am leaf in the wind restored to its branch" is important to the relationship between Naomi and her father because it shows that Naomi trusts her father to be her support just like the branch is the support for the leaf.  The simile also shows her trust in her father and how she feels as if she is with him, she is home.

Obasan Character Sketch

Aunt Emily

Opinions:

• Strong-willed
• Outspoken
• Motivated
• "Wherever the words "Japanese race" appeared, Aunt Emily had crossed them out and written "Canadian citizen"." (page 34)
• "What this country did to us, it did to itself." (page 35)
• "A lot of academic talk just immobilizes the oppressed and maintains oppressors in their positions of power." (page 37)
• "Like that there can be no marriage." (page 37) -Uncle says to Naomi while referring to Aunt Emily.

Actions:

• Attends many conferences and voices her opinions.
• "Even before the supper dishes were cleared away, Aunt Emily was shuffling and sorting documents and conference papers on the kitchen table." (page 37) 
• "I could see that we were in for an evening of marathon talking, whether anyone else felt up to it or not."  (page 37)

Motives:

• "Injustice enrages Aunt Emily." (page 35)
• "The past is the future." (page 45)

          Aunt Emily is quite the bold character in the novel Obasan.  She portrays a woman with very strong opinions and is never afraid to speak her mind.  Although she is loved by her family, they often find her to be very overwhelming.  An example of this is when Naomi says, "I could see that we were in for an evening of marathon talking, whether anyone else felt up to it or not."  In this quote, Naomi expresses how all of Aunt Emily's energy can be very tiring and annoying at times.  Uncle also says, "like that there can be no marriage" when referring to Emily.   He means that she is not the usual woman that would likely get married because of her large mouth.  Aunt Emily is a very distinct character  with very distinct opinions and views.  She will likely continue to be an engaging and compelling character.
        
          Part of what makes Aunt Emily unique, is her perspective on various issues.  She views the world as a very different place in comparison to other characters such as Naomi and Obasan.  For example, while Naomi believes everyone should move on from the past to build a better future, Aunt Emily believes that, "the past is the future", which goes hand in hand with her view that "what this country [Canada] did to us, it did to itself."  With that being said, it is likely that that is the reason why Aunt Emily feels she must educate Naomi on issues that have involved the injustice towards the Japanese.  Aunt Emily is also a character who in enraged with injustice.  She believes that what the government did to the Japanese in the past was awful.  Even so, she sees herself as a "Canadian citizen".  This idea is supported through quotes such as, "wherever the words "Japanese race" appeared, Aunt Emily had crossed them out and written "Canadian citizen"," and "what this country did to us, it did to itself."

Taming of the Shrew Paragraphs

          Shakespeare chooses to use the idea of a play within a play in his play Taming of the Shrew.  In the induction of this comedy, a drunken man, Christopher Sly, is tricked into thinking he is a lord, and later begins to watch a play set up by the real lord (hence the play within a play).  The purpose of this "play within a play" is likely to create depth between the real audience and the comedy.  This depth is very important because in the play, there are many comedic ideas which are mean't to be funny, but can be taken offensively.  The idea of a play within a play lightens the mood and sets an unlikely setting where the comedy in the play is quite realistic unlike the real world.

          In Act II, Scene 1 of Taming of the Shrew, you get a strong feel for the relationship between sisters Kate and Bianca.  From brief appearances from the 2 sisters previously, you can understand who they are as individuals.  Kate for example is seen as the bitter sister as seen in her diction, and how she is described as by others in Act I when she says to Baptista, "[...] sir, is it your will to make a stale of me amongst these mates?" (57-58), and when Hortensio says to her, "No mates for you, unless you were of gentler, milder mould." (59-60).  Bianca on the other hand is seen as the more likeable sister of the two when compared to Kate.  When these 2 sisters are put together like in Act II, Scene 1, their personalities definitely clash with each others.  There is obviously jealously towards Bianca from Kate likely from the attraction of men to Bianca, and the little attraction to men towards herself.  Kate and Bianca's characters conflict very often and therefore enlarge the differences between their personalities.

          The use of disguises and deception throughout the play reoccurs many times.  Starting from the induction, Christopher Sly believes he is a lord when really he is being deceived by the real lord as a joke.  Following the deception of Christopher Sly, we see various characters in the play use disguises to further themselves in some way.  For example, in order to impress Bianca and be known to her, Hortensio devises a plan to disguise himself as a music instructor, as seen in Act I when he says to Petruchio,
"And offer me disguis'd in sober robes
To old Baptista as a schoolmaster
Well seen in music, to instruct Bianca,
That so I may, by this device at least,
Have leave and leisure to make love to her
And unsuspected court her by herself."
Along with Hortensio, other characters also disguise themselves as others as well to advance themselves.  The use of deception and disguises is a very useful tool in enhancing the humour in this comedy.

Taming of the Shrew Literature Web

Peer Assessment Blog Chapter 15-20

Visual Representation: The idea that the bluejay represents Mr. Ewell was interesting, but the explanation that went with it didn't quite make sense to me at times.  The blogger says, "I thought that a bluejay would be a good metaphor for Mr. Ewell because of the following; when Scout and Jem get their guns, they are told to never shoot a mockingbird, but they can shoot all of the bluejays they like.  How this relates to Mr. Ewell is that when you hear his speech in court, he doesn't sound very sincere and gets quite annoying very quickly."  I found these phrases quite confusing because I didn't understand the connection between shooting bluejays rather than mockingbirds, and Mr. Ewell being annoying and not sincere in his court testimony.

Vocabulary Webs: The word webs were filled out appropriately.

Literature Web: The literature webs was filled out appropriately and showed that thought was put in with creating it.  It was very good of the blogger to talk about Jem and Scout sitting in the "black" balcony in the courtroom in the ideas as well as in the imagery.

Paragraph 1: In this paragraph, there is lots of detail and support to show how Mayella tries to sway the opinions of the jury.  In explaining these ideas, parts in the novel are referred to, but it may have been a good idea to actually quote some of the points you made directly from the novel.  The only part that confused me, was when the blogger says, "Although these chapters don't tell you who wins the trial, it gives you a good idea as to how bias the town really is."  I didn't understand this phrase because the as stated by the blogger, you don't know who wins the trial, so it didn't make sense to me to say that the town is bias without them sharing their verdict on the case.

Paragraph 2: I really enjoyed this paragraph - especially that last few sentences.  This paragraph discusses an important scene in the novel and was explained wall.  It might have been a good idea to quote a part of the conversation Scout had with Mr. Cunningham.

General Comments: There were some grammatical errors in the writing, but mostly, it was written well. There were many good ideas and opinions shared through the writing as well.  I would suggest adding some quotes in the paragraphs to enhance the writing though.