film reflection 2

Friendly Water Front:
On the Water Front was very effective when used in correlation with All My Sons, because they both had many overlapping themes even though the situations were quite different. For example, Joe Keller’s decision in All My Sons to send broken airplane parts to the air force, jeopardizing the lives of those pilots. He did this because he was under immense pressure, and was afraid if he didn’t ship the plane parts out, his business would be shut down. In On the Water Front, Terry faces a similar situation because he can help shut down the mob that is taking control of the dock workers, forcing them to work for little pay. However, since Terry helped bring down the mob, Terry was nearly killed. The theme of when is it ok to break the rules of society is very integrated in both of these story’s plots, which is amplified by the literary and dramatic aspects of each story.
For example, when the priest is giving his speech to the workers after the mob killed Kao, he brings up the main theme of when it is ok to be a whistleblower. He points out that the mob had manipulated society so that it is now breaking the rules to give the authority tips on what is going on, but if they continued allowing this rule to be enforced, then their situation would only become worse and worse. Had not Karl Malden acted the way he did, with his voice loud and strong, the theme would have seemed weaker than it did after his speech. The setting of that scene added a subtle benefit to the speech as well, because the priest is standing over Kao’s dead body, with wine caskets scattered about. This careful layout of the scene made you think more deeply about the horrors that the workers were letting the mob get away with. The setting of the docks itself is powerful because it shows what a powerful working class we had during the late 1940’s to early 1950’s. It shows that as our economy grew, so did the greed of the people in power. The mob completely taking over the union in order to rob the workers of their hard earned money.
Marlon Barndo (who played Terry Malloy), was an excellent choice because of how he presented his character as a slower person, but was having trouble being a “patsy”. He made it obvious that his character didn’t always think too deeply about his actions, but Marlon did very well in the sense that he made it apparent that Terry was smart enough to regret what he had done. For example, when Terry witnesses Joey pushed off the building, he realizes that he just helped kill Joey, and regrets it immensely. Had he made Terry seem too slow, then the independence Terry had to show would have seemed unrealistic which would have reduced the efficiency of the theme. An example of Terry’s independence was when Terry starts to question his brother’s actions in the car, when the two of them had brought up Terry’s past life. He didn’t say his questions using the most sophisticated words, but he certainly had thought deeply about what had happened to him. Karl Malden did an excellent job playing Father Barry because he had firm voice when his character was trying to convince the workers to defeat the mob, but when he was confused, his voice wasn’t quite as strong, so it made Barry seem naive when his character was. For example, his voice seemed less firm when he was first questioning the workers about why they let the mob control them. Had he used that same tone of voice when he was trying to convince the workers to take a stand, his speech would have seemed flimsy and that part of the movie wouldn’t have been as thought provoking.
Lee J. Cobb (Johnny Friendly) was excellent at being someone who appeared friendly and someone you wanted to know, to a person willing to kill in order to make money. This trait was crucial to the characterization of Johnny because it added depth to the play because if Cobb’s character had immediately acted selfishly it wouldn’t have generated so much anger at him. When Johnny is first introduced, awareness is created that he breaks the rules, but it doesn’t seem so awful. But as Johnny is revealed as a cruel, horrible person, angry is generated because it’s obvious that he manipulates other people with his outgoing personality, which only allows him to get away with stealing the workers money. The make-up on Johnny’s face after he got attacked by Terry, adds dimension to the movie, because not only does it give satisfaction that Johnny’s in tough shape, but it also is symbolic that Terry alone made Johnny bleed.
The cinematic aspects of the film were important to getting themes and other key messages across to the audience. Photography was crucial in doing this because of all the close-ups that were used to emphasize points, like when Terry is explaining to Edie that he really didn’t expect her brother to be murdered, and the steam engine horn starts to blow droning him out. The camera zoomed in on the horn, which enlightened the audience that it was a deliberate act of the director to have this horn being blown as loudly as it was. The horn itself was important because it symbolized the whistle blowing by Terry, and it foreshadows a little as well because when it was blown, it hurt Terry. So when Terry tips off the authorities, the audience already knows that he is going to be hurt in some way. Again cinematic aspects of the film prove useful in making the movie more enjoyable because the music playing throughout the movie set the atmosphere. When there was little or no music, like when Joey was pushed off the roof, the atmosphere was dreary. When Edie and Terry were dancing, it was apparent that the movie was much lighter because of how light the movie was. The duration of the shots proved significant in providing the audience with important scenes and continuing the plot line of the movie. For example, the scene in the car when Terry is talking to his brother, the duration of the shot on his speech outlined its importance. When Terry said “I could have been a contender, I could have been somebody.” The camera focused on him throughout that whole line.
On the Water Front and All My Sons had multiple similarities, but some critical differences. Consider Edie and Chris. Edie always saw things in an optimistic light, and because of this was somewhat arrogant to the fact that the waterfront is a very corrupt place. This is why she was like Chris from All My Sons because he too is arrogant to the corrupt society around him. Until his father tells him near the end of the book, Chris had refused to believe that his father had framed his friend and neighbor, even though all the evidence pointed towards his father. Another similarity between them is how Chris always talked to people about chasing their dreams, even though if they did, it would hurt their families because of how little income they would be getting. The major difference between these two characters was that Chris got extremely upset and basically killed his father, where as Edie got angry at Terry and her family, but she never actually did anything other than yell at them. So Chris gets much more extreme emotionally, where as Edie was less vocal.
The biggest theme in both stories was when it was ok to be a whistle blower against their society, but the outcomes and the fates of the characters were decided because of whether or not community members took a stand. No one stood up for Joe’s employee when he was placed in jail unfairly, even though it was the right thing to do. However Terry in On the Water Front finally stands up to the mob and shuts it down.
I highly recommend this move because of the one aspect to it that elevates above most other movies, and that is the theme of the when it is ok to break the rules of society. The movie shows perfectly how hard it is to stand up to an oppressive group of people, especially when they control the society. Which makes the movie all the better because of the conflict created by doing the right thing. The movie also does a good job in incorporating action and suspense with lots of dialogue to enhance the plot of the movie, but at the same time keep the audience interested. This movie appeals to all audiences, but to enjoy it to its full extent, I would suggest you be old enough to appreciate the themes in the movie, rather than just the action given.

unit 2 week 3 post b

This week I would like to compare this book to another book by the same author (Roland Smith), which is titled Thunder Cave. These two books are similar concerning how the main character is American citizen, but they wind up stranded in another country they somehow have connections too. For example, Nick's father in Elephant Run is a British inheriter to a British mansion built in Burma (for a while, Burma was a British colony). Nick goes there during world war II only to find himself captured and held hostage by the Japanese. In Thunder Cave, the main character, Jacob, finds himself captured by poachers when he is trying to find his father in Africa. In both stories, the main charater needs to rely on the natives of the area in order to survive. The difference between Elephant Run and Thunder Cave is that Elephant Run is a little more realistic because it is based off a major event in history. Thunder Cave might have had some realism to it, but it wasn't nearly as important in history as world war II is. Also he incorperates elephants a major part of these books, I'm not sure why elephants, but he must think them amazing creatures.

unit 2 week 3 theme

The theme I picked up on this section of the book is that you can't let you curiosity get the better of you when your life is on the line.

unit 2 week 3 quote

"I've managed to get transferred to the American embassy in Calcutta" (203). I believe this to be a very significant quote because you don't know anything more about the mother so far, that fact that she is getting closer and closer to Nick shows that she is going to be a crucial factor of Nick's survival of the Japanese control. This isn't implied, but I believe this because like with Bernard (Nick's step-father) she was metioned five times on two pages.

unit 2 week 3 figurative language

1. "Nick pulled the heavy door open and took a surprised step backward. His father was staring at him" (200). This excerpt shows personification of a picture because even though his father's face was on a painting, it can't acutally stare.

2. "If something is out of place, the Colonel will know. Nick remember Hilltop's warning, but he couldn't help himself" (201). This shows foreshadowing because this is the second time that quote has been metioned, so I believe it is reasonal to consider that Nick is going to leave something out of place, and he is going to be found out.

3. "Bernard is with me. He is working hard to get you out too..." (203). This quote shows foreshadowing as well because Bernard has been metioned five times in two pages, so I think that he will appear to save the day.

unit 2 week 3 vocab

Calcutta (203): A formal capital of British India.

prodigal (198): Wastefully or Recklessly extravagant.

unit 2 week 2 post b

This week I want to talk about how realistic this book is. If you want the sum of this post in two words here it is: its not. I'm afraid as the more and more I read this book, the more and more I'm having trouble believing it would happen this way. I mean its not far fetched or anything on that extreme, but I would guess that harsher things would occur. Take Nick's dad for example. His military commander got executed, but he got sent to a concentration camp instead. I find this odd because he was basically incharge of the military commander. I think the only reason why the author kept him alive is because he is Nick's dad and it would make the book much more dark if he died. Which leads me to believe that this book is targetting a younger audience then a teenager my age. Now don't take me as a guy who wants blood and guts to be spilled in every chapter, I don't want that at all. I think that its possible to make a good book on the occurings of tribal city in Burma light but still mostly accurate because little fighting goes on in that section of Burma, which is the darkest part of war. However, putting a person in a situation were they would be normally be killed, and then not killing them makes me think this author is sensoring the book more and taking away the truth. Which I think deters the point of the book, which is too give prospective on what happened to Burma.

unit 2 week 2 theme

The theme that I found in this section of reading was that if are cruel to someone, then it will come back to hurt you.

unit 2 week 2 quote

"If something is out of place, the Colonel will know"(201). I believe this quote is important because it shows that if Nick takes anything, the Japanese Colonel will know that he is still around. This leads me to believe that Nick is going to take something, and the Colonel will find out, which could be crucial in how the book ends.

Unit 2 week 2 figurative language

1. "Shocked by the hit-and in pain from the fall-Nick lay still for a moment"(125). This is an example of figurative language because it shows how Nick reacts to pain, which is imagery.

2."He slipped the note into the waistband of his longyi and went back to work, racking wave patterns into the white sand surrounding the central pond, called the ginshanada, or open sandss, open seas"(135). This is an example of imagery because it shows how the garden looks, and how it must stand out because gardens in Burma don't contain sand.

3."Nick thought he was going to hit him again, but instead he snapped the can in two over his knee and dropped it on the floor" (186). This excerpt of the book is symbolic because that cane symbolized how Nick is trapped and oppressed by the Japanese, but since he is free the cane can no longer rule over him.

Post A unit 2 week 2 Vocab

Mahout (192): An elphant driver or keeper.

Longyi (148): A cloth used as a turban or a loincloth worn by men in India.

Quarter 2 post 1 B

Upon request I'll add the title of my book: Elephant Run by Roland Smith.

"Cricket
beneath dew-covered leaf
one final chirp"(107). I know I used this quote in the figurative language section this week, but I just think it says so much about the author's attitude towards many different things. The author uses this quote to show that Nick's captor, Sergeant Sanji, is human. Although the sergeant is Japanese, and is invading Burma during world war two, the author shows that he has human characteristics about him. This is unusual in the sense that most authors when they write a book that a war is the central conflict, make the invading soldiers inhuman. However, because he related Sanji to us, you gain the understanding that Sanji isn't in much of a better situation then Nick is. It isn't specifically stated, but I think Sanji didn't have much choice in enlisting for the military. For with this quote, the author explains that Sanji is a master at haikus, which seems to me a talent that a killing machine soldier doesn't exactly have. To make matters worse for Sanji, he has to watch his leader murder opposing military figures by decapitation. This characterization of Sanji makes me more empathetic towards soldiers who are forced to fight and are trying to kill us because their country has messed up leadership. This also reminds me of the book "All Quiet on the Western Front" because the main character in that book attacks an enemy soldier and find that he is just like the soldier, only from another country.

Quarter 2 post 1 theme

The emerging theme in the book is: don't judge someone by what other people say, wait until you get to know the person before you make any judgements.

Quarter 2 Post 1 Quote

"Hannibal wasn't there"(41). This is a very important quote because it shows that Hannibal, a mad elephant, didn't kill Nick. That is very unusual because Nick had just been attacked by him, so the fact the the elephant didn't kill him could possibly come into play later in the story.

Figurative language week 1

"cricket
beneath dew-covered leaf
one final chirp"(107). This poem was placed in the story because it shows foreshadowing in the book, the death of one of the British soldiers.

"As they kneeled, Nick noticed the terrible stench in the air. It was the same smell that had come from the monkey on the snag. Nang and Captain Josephs had been dead for some time"(111). This excerpt shows imagery because you can picture the smell of the dead humans.

"Metal on Metal. The iron bell. Hannibal"(39). This excerpt shows imagery because you can picture Nick hearing the monsterous elephant coming up behind him.

Quarter 2 Post 1 A Vocab

Singoung(11): Foreman

macaque (10): A species of monkey with short tails