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Tuesday, 18 July 2017
Reading Log #6
Text title: The Scorch Trials
Author/Director: James Dashner
Text type: Extended text
Submitted: 23/07/17
Submitted: 23/07/17
The Scorch Trials
From the New York Times best selling author, James Dashner, comes the second instalment in the dystopian sci-fi novel series 'The Maze Runner (series)'. 'The Scorch Trials' is the sequel to 'The Maze Runner'. The book follows Thomas and his friends after they've escaped a maze. They thought that solving the maze was supposed to be the end, but what greeted them outside was a burned and baked wasteland. The majority of the earth was inhabited by people that had gone mad due to an infection known as the flare; these people were called cranks. Thomas, along with his friends, had to face another trial. They had to make it across the Scorch to safety so that they could finally have freedom and peace.
Something that Thomas and his friends had to go through was the PTSD that the horrid maze caused. At the beginning of the book, Thomas and his friend Teresa were talking to each other. They expressed how they felt about everything that had happened. They couldn't forget the horrible things that they saw and witnessed. We saw this when Teresa said, "I keep seeing Grievers. Their disgusting skin and blubber bodies, all those metal arms and spikes. It was way too close for comfort, Tom. How're we gonna get something like that out of our heads?" I felt sympathetic towards Teresa and the others as they failed to recover after experiencing a terrifying event. After hearing what Teresa said, Thomas thought to himself "Those images would never leave - we would be haunted by the horrible things that had happened in the Maze for the rest of our lives." Thomas figured that most if not all of them would have major psychological problems, he even thought that they would maybe even go completely "nutso". This can relate to the world, as according to PTSD United, 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives and up to 20% of these people go on to develop PTSD.
In chapter 11, Thomas and his friends were greeted by a man that works for WICKED - a group meant to fight the new problems of the world. The man explained to the boys that they all caught a disease. The disease is known as the flare and had ravaged the earth's people. Allowing the boys to have this knowledge gave them the ultimate incentive to work with WICKED to find the cure. It didn't matter what was behind the mission of WICKED, they would do whatever it took to find the cure and save themselves. The man's words are a reminder that all human beings have to work towards something. Before the man spoke to the boys they wanted nothing to do with WICKED and would have never helped them, but due to the man's revelation they had something to work towards that had relevance to themselves. None of them wanted to die, so they willingly agreed to help WICKED in finding the cure, no matter how hard it would be. This is a reminder of how selfish human beings can be and most definitely relates to the real world. This aspect also reminded me of my 'Changes' reading log where I spoke about the lengths that people would go to just to benefit themselves.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this take on a post-apocalyptic themed book. Although I was utterly disappointed in the movie adaptation that was released in 2015, it seemed as though the director just read the synopsis on the back of the book and went from there. Besides that, I really do recommend reading The Scorch Trials. Although it is a sequel and one would usually read the first book before reading the second, you could easily get away with watching 'The Maze Runner' movie and then reading the sequel, I find it better that way anyhow.
Something that Thomas and his friends had to go through was the PTSD that the horrid maze caused. At the beginning of the book, Thomas and his friend Teresa were talking to each other. They expressed how they felt about everything that had happened. They couldn't forget the horrible things that they saw and witnessed. We saw this when Teresa said, "I keep seeing Grievers. Their disgusting skin and blubber bodies, all those metal arms and spikes. It was way too close for comfort, Tom. How're we gonna get something like that out of our heads?" I felt sympathetic towards Teresa and the others as they failed to recover after experiencing a terrifying event. After hearing what Teresa said, Thomas thought to himself "Those images would never leave - we would be haunted by the horrible things that had happened in the Maze for the rest of our lives." Thomas figured that most if not all of them would have major psychological problems, he even thought that they would maybe even go completely "nutso". This can relate to the world, as according to PTSD United, 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives and up to 20% of these people go on to develop PTSD.
In chapter 11, Thomas and his friends were greeted by a man that works for WICKED - a group meant to fight the new problems of the world. The man explained to the boys that they all caught a disease. The disease is known as the flare and had ravaged the earth's people. Allowing the boys to have this knowledge gave them the ultimate incentive to work with WICKED to find the cure. It didn't matter what was behind the mission of WICKED, they would do whatever it took to find the cure and save themselves. The man's words are a reminder that all human beings have to work towards something. Before the man spoke to the boys they wanted nothing to do with WICKED and would have never helped them, but due to the man's revelation they had something to work towards that had relevance to themselves. None of them wanted to die, so they willingly agreed to help WICKED in finding the cure, no matter how hard it would be. This is a reminder of how selfish human beings can be and most definitely relates to the real world. This aspect also reminded me of my 'Changes' reading log where I spoke about the lengths that people would go to just to benefit themselves.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this take on a post-apocalyptic themed book. Although I was utterly disappointed in the movie adaptation that was released in 2015, it seemed as though the director just read the synopsis on the back of the book and went from there. Besides that, I really do recommend reading The Scorch Trials. Although it is a sequel and one would usually read the first book before reading the second, you could easily get away with watching 'The Maze Runner' movie and then reading the sequel, I find it better that way anyhow.
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Saturday, 15 JULY 2017
Reading Log #5
Text title: Same Love
Artist: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Text type: Short text
Submitted: 17/07/17
Text title: Same Love
Artist: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Text type: Short text
Submitted: 17/07/17
Same Love
'Same Love' is a song that talks about the harsh issues of gay and lesbian rights. It was released in 2012 and was composed by the hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and features Mary Lambert. In the song, Macklemore defends homosexuality, which is rare amongst the hip hop genre. 'Same Love' reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in both Australia and New Zealand.
A topic that is talked about in the song is the stereotypes that are plastered on gays. "When I was in the third grade I thought that I was gay. ‘Cause I could draw, my uncle was and I kept my room straight" in this line Macklemore expresses that he had doubts about his heterosexuality, due to stereotypes of gays that were being fed to him. He thought he was gay because he was neat and excelled at artistic things rather than more masculine things like sports. Artistic things are considered to be feminine according to stereotypes. Stereotypes are a major occurrence in the gay community and won't be stopped for years to come. Stereotypes can make someone feel as though they have to be a certain way or that they won't be accepted if they are like a stereotype. "A pre-conceived idea of what it all meant For those that like the same sex had the characteristics" this line implies that stereotypes of how a gay person is and acts can even enter the head of the youngest members of society.
As well as the stereotypical views against homosexuals, religious views and beliefs on homosexuality are talked about rather frequently throughout the song. "And you can be cured with some treatment and religion" challenges the idea that someone's homosexuality can be "cured" and is how some people think. "Man-made, rewiring of a pre-disposition
Playing God" in this line Macklemore expresses his opinion that homosexuality is controlled by biology and trying to change this would be like trying to be God. Conversion therapy is a therapy which tries to guide homosexuals away from being exactly that, homosexuals. The unjust therapy is considered torture. To this very day, the therapy has still not been made illegal, although many are fighting for it to be illegalised. "And 'God loves all his children' is somehow forgotten" this line argues with the fact that the bible preaches "God loves all his children", yet so many people also preach against love and acceptance of all people.
In conclusion, this song is a deep and meaningful take on the issues of gay and lesbian rights. The song plays a big part in making the issue of LGBT+ equality more understandable to mainstream audiences. I recommend this song to people of the LGBT+ community that are too afraid to come out to the world and show them who they truly are and I also recommend this song for people that struggle with accepting said people of the LGBT+ community.
A topic that is talked about in the song is the stereotypes that are plastered on gays. "When I was in the third grade I thought that I was gay. ‘Cause I could draw, my uncle was and I kept my room straight" in this line Macklemore expresses that he had doubts about his heterosexuality, due to stereotypes of gays that were being fed to him. He thought he was gay because he was neat and excelled at artistic things rather than more masculine things like sports. Artistic things are considered to be feminine according to stereotypes. Stereotypes are a major occurrence in the gay community and won't be stopped for years to come. Stereotypes can make someone feel as though they have to be a certain way or that they won't be accepted if they are like a stereotype. "A pre-conceived idea of what it all meant For those that like the same sex had the characteristics" this line implies that stereotypes of how a gay person is and acts can even enter the head of the youngest members of society.
As well as the stereotypical views against homosexuals, religious views and beliefs on homosexuality are talked about rather frequently throughout the song. "And you can be cured with some treatment and religion" challenges the idea that someone's homosexuality can be "cured" and is how some people think. "Man-made, rewiring of a pre-disposition
Playing God" in this line Macklemore expresses his opinion that homosexuality is controlled by biology and trying to change this would be like trying to be God. Conversion therapy is a therapy which tries to guide homosexuals away from being exactly that, homosexuals. The unjust therapy is considered torture. To this very day, the therapy has still not been made illegal, although many are fighting for it to be illegalised. "And 'God loves all his children' is somehow forgotten" this line argues with the fact that the bible preaches "God loves all his children", yet so many people also preach against love and acceptance of all people.
In conclusion, this song is a deep and meaningful take on the issues of gay and lesbian rights. The song plays a big part in making the issue of LGBT+ equality more understandable to mainstream audiences. I recommend this song to people of the LGBT+ community that are too afraid to come out to the world and show them who they truly are and I also recommend this song for people that struggle with accepting said people of the LGBT+ community.
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Sunday, 2 July 2017
Reading Log #4
Text title: Changes
Artist: Tupac Shakur
Text type: Short text
Text type: Short text
Submitted: 7/07/17
Changes
'Changes' is an iconic hip-hop song recorded in 1992 and released in 1998. It is known as one of the greatest rap songs of all time. The song is by Tupac Shakur featuring label group mate "Talent". 'Changes' deals with a vast amount of issues circling around in America and other countries alike. Tupac thought he needed to shed some light on said issues and make the people of the world aware of them. Some of the topics that he raps about are; the war on drugs, the mistreatment of black people by the police, racism, and poverty.
A lot of things can be taken away from this song, but a major factor that stood out to me in this song is Tupac's opinions on racism in America. "Cops give a damn about a negro, pull a trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero", reading this line you may think he's being melodramatic, although police in America are infamously known for mistreating black people. To this very day, cops are still marked as being corrupt in America. In 2016 at least 258 black people were killed by the police in America, according to a project by The Guardian that tracks police killings in America. Tupac also talks about how he's tired of the harassment that himself and other black people receive from the police, which is expressed in the line "can't a brother get a little peace?" This song really made me think about how most of the things that Tupac raps about are still undoubtedly relevant even though the song was written over 20 years ago; this absolutely dismayed me.
Besides racism and poverty, drugs are intermittently rapped about throughout the song. "Take the evil out the people, they'll be actin' right" in this line Tupac refers to evil as being drugs, he explains that if you take drugs away from people they'll act right in society. Throughout the world, drugs are a major problem among adults, teens and in some cases even children. "You gotta operate the easy way 'I made a G today,' but you made it in a sleazy way Sellin' crack to the kids 'I gotta get paid!' - well hey, but that's the way it is" this line reiterates that drugs are also sold to kids. Tupac doesn't agree or like that people sell drugs to kids, but he understands why it's happening; it's happening because people need to make money and they can easily do so by selling drugs to kids that are hooked on them. The line is also an example of how a lot of people don't care about others as long as they make money.
Overall this is the most serious and deepest rap song I have ever heard. I strongly recommend that everyone listens to this song, as it is eye-opening and can easily send a strong message in under 5 minutes. It tackles issues that not only occur in America but happen internationally. Tupac Shakur was a truly inspirational man. He was a man with a dream and died in the constant hope for change.
A lot of things can be taken away from this song, but a major factor that stood out to me in this song is Tupac's opinions on racism in America. "Cops give a damn about a negro, pull a trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero", reading this line you may think he's being melodramatic, although police in America are infamously known for mistreating black people. To this very day, cops are still marked as being corrupt in America. In 2016 at least 258 black people were killed by the police in America, according to a project by The Guardian that tracks police killings in America. Tupac also talks about how he's tired of the harassment that himself and other black people receive from the police, which is expressed in the line "can't a brother get a little peace?" This song really made me think about how most of the things that Tupac raps about are still undoubtedly relevant even though the song was written over 20 years ago; this absolutely dismayed me.
Along with racism, another aspect in the song was the theme of poverty. "My stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch" in this line Tupac expresses the unjust reality that low-income communities face in America. It made me feel upset that so many people have to result to crime just to survive and get through another day. Fortunately, I can not relate to this at all, but millions of people face this sort of stuff every day and I don't think it will stop anytime soon. "And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do" this line implies that most people resort to crime because they need to, not because they want to; it's saying that people are struggling to survive and have no choice but to commit these crimes. According to the Census Bureau, more than 45 million people in America were living below the poverty line in 2016. Therefore these lyrics really speak to the world more than ever right now.
Overall this is the most serious and deepest rap song I have ever heard. I strongly recommend that everyone listens to this song, as it is eye-opening and can easily send a strong message in under 5 minutes. It tackles issues that not only occur in America but happen internationally. Tupac Shakur was a truly inspirational man. He was a man with a dream and died in the constant hope for change.
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Tuesday, 20 June 2017
Reading Log #3
Text title: Looking for Alaska
Author/Director: John Green
Text type: Extended text
Submitted: 23/06/17
Reading Log #3
Text title: Looking for Alaska
Author/Director: John Green
Text type: Extended text
Submitted: 23/06/17Looking for Alaska
'Looking for Alaska' is a young adult novel written by John Green in 2005. The story is about a teenager, Miles Halter, who is tired of his predictable and boring life at home. Miles decides to attend Culver Creek boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." As Miles arrives at Culver Creek a lot of crazy things are put into his life, including a girl named Alaska Young. Alaska takes him on a wild journey throughout his junior year and catapults him into the Great Perhaps.
This book got me thinking of the "Great Perhaps" and what that truly is. The Great Perhaps is the great truth, the great meaning of life and death. In the first chapter Miles' father asked him what made him want to go to boarding school, Miles explained, "So this guy Francois Rabelais, he was a poet and his last words were, 'I go to seek a Great Perhaps'. That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps." The way Miles thought as a teenager really amazed me. The pursuit of this Great Perhaps is what drove him to try new things and do better. Society should follow Miles' footsteps. I think that we all need to strive to have our own Great Perhaps, a sense of purpose and a connection to a greater cause. Miles' Great Perhaps was Alaska. She opened up a whole new world to him, and the tragedy that happened to her affected Miles greatly. This is why I believe someone's Great Perhaps should not be a person, as people come and go, and that's not something you can definitely stop or prevent from happening. Your Great Perhaps should be something that makes you do better, like a hobby or something that just keeps giving. So in this aspect society should not follow in Miles' footsteps, attaching yourself to someone so that they can give you meaning in your life isn't something that should be romanticised.
A major event in this text is the tragic and sudden death of Alaska. After Alaska perished in a drunken car accident a deep sadness spread amongst her friends. The fact that Miles thought it was his fault that she had died saddened me immensely. We see this when he says to himself, "I knew she was drunk. Upset. Obviously, you don't let someone drive drunk and pissed off." He was so sure that he had killed her, but that wasn't true at all, it wasn't his fault. This kind of guilt can really mess with a person's head and can even drive them into depression. Blaming yourself for the death of a loved one is a very common thing in the world. You can not and should not take responsibility for someone's death unless you literally ended their life. This book does a really good job at making the reader feel sorry for Miles. All I wanted to do while reading this part was yell at Miles that it was not his fault.
In conclusion John Green's 'Looking For Alaska' is a very funny, passionate and heart breaking novel. I'd recommend this to be read in secondary schools as it shows things that teens can go through everyday. This book outstandingly captures the impeccable painful joy of living and loving.
This book got me thinking of the "Great Perhaps" and what that truly is. The Great Perhaps is the great truth, the great meaning of life and death. In the first chapter Miles' father asked him what made him want to go to boarding school, Miles explained, "So this guy Francois Rabelais, he was a poet and his last words were, 'I go to seek a Great Perhaps'. That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps." The way Miles thought as a teenager really amazed me. The pursuit of this Great Perhaps is what drove him to try new things and do better. Society should follow Miles' footsteps. I think that we all need to strive to have our own Great Perhaps, a sense of purpose and a connection to a greater cause. Miles' Great Perhaps was Alaska. She opened up a whole new world to him, and the tragedy that happened to her affected Miles greatly. This is why I believe someone's Great Perhaps should not be a person, as people come and go, and that's not something you can definitely stop or prevent from happening. Your Great Perhaps should be something that makes you do better, like a hobby or something that just keeps giving. So in this aspect society should not follow in Miles' footsteps, attaching yourself to someone so that they can give you meaning in your life isn't something that should be romanticised.
A major event in this text is the tragic and sudden death of Alaska. After Alaska perished in a drunken car accident a deep sadness spread amongst her friends. The fact that Miles thought it was his fault that she had died saddened me immensely. We see this when he says to himself, "I knew she was drunk. Upset. Obviously, you don't let someone drive drunk and pissed off." He was so sure that he had killed her, but that wasn't true at all, it wasn't his fault. This kind of guilt can really mess with a person's head and can even drive them into depression. Blaming yourself for the death of a loved one is a very common thing in the world. You can not and should not take responsibility for someone's death unless you literally ended their life. This book does a really good job at making the reader feel sorry for Miles. All I wanted to do while reading this part was yell at Miles that it was not his fault.
In conclusion John Green's 'Looking For Alaska' is a very funny, passionate and heart breaking novel. I'd recommend this to be read in secondary schools as it shows things that teens can go through everyday. This book outstandingly captures the impeccable painful joy of living and loving.
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WEDNESDAY, 7 JUNE 2017
Reading Log #2
Text title: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Author/director: Ken Kwapis
Text type: Visual text
Submitted: 23/06/17
Reading Log #2
Text title: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Author/director: Ken Kwapis
Text type: Visual text
Submitted: 23/06/17
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants
'The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants' is a young adult film directed by Ken Kwapis, based on the novel of the same name. The film is about four best friends; Tibby, Lena, Carmen and Bridget, that come across a mysterious pair of denim jeans that strangely fits each of the girls perfectly, disregarding the fact that the girls are obviously all different in shape and size. As they spend their first summer apart they come up with a plan to share the jeans between the four of them. Along with sending the jeans to the next person, they also have to include a letter outlining the adventures they went through while it was their turn with the jeans.
A big part of the movie is the kindling romance between Lena and Kostas, a boy she met while visiting her family in Greece. After their first meeting Lena told her grandmother that the boy she had met was Kostas, her reaction was rather unpleasant. Her grandmother expressed how much she hated Kostas' family and even went as far as to say, "You must never see this boy again!". Despite her grandmother's disapproval of Kostas, he still tried to be with Lena, he tried to tell her that their families issues should not matter to them, but unfortunately, Lena still refused, because she did not want to betray her family. As I watched this happening I couldn't help but feel that it was relatable to myself. In this case, I related to Kostas, as I too have been pushed away by someone that couldn't/wouldn't be my friend, due to their family not liking me and disapproving of me. Also, something that Lena said really made me think of something I had written about in my reading log about 'Django Unchained', she said, "It makes me so sad that people like Kostas and Bridget, who have lost everything, can still be open to love." This reminded me of how Django went through so much hardship but still loved and cared deeply for his wife.
Another aspect of the film that caught my attention was the relationship between Carmen and her father. It got me thinking of how many children often feel much closer with their mothers than their fathers after their parents have split apart, due to mothers being more likely to get custody when parents divorce. We see this when Carmen's mum tells her to talk to her dad and tell him how she feels. Carmen tries to tell her mum, "I do. I do talk to him. I talk to him all the time." Her mum replies saying, "Yeah, like you talk to me? No." This conversation was used to show the viewers that Carmen and her dad were not as close as Carmen and her mum. I relate to this because I feel the same as Carmen and I experience the same thing. I never talk to my dad the same way as I can easily talk to my mum, as just like Carmen I too have always been with my mum.
Coming back to Kostas and Lena, an important point in their journey to be together, was when Lena finally stuck up for herself and Kostas. Lena had a sudden strike of confidence and went up to her grandfather and declared her strong feelings towards Kostas and how happy he made her feel. She asked her grandfather for a chance and she got one. All because she stood up for herself and actually spoke to her family about how she was feeling, she got the chance to be with the one she loved. This scene showed how much she truly cared for Kostas and how much she wanted to be with him. She had no idea what would happen after saying those things to her family, things could have ended badly, with them being angry that she would even ask to be with him, but she put all those potential consequences aside so that she could have a chance. It made me feel sad, as I wish more people would stand up to others for what they believe in, even if it is your own family that you are standing up to. I myself have been in a situation where someone could have stuck up for me, but they didn't, and it resulted in myself and that person no longer being friends. So I think that what people should take away from that scene, is to always stand up for yourself no matter what the circumstances and consequences are.
To conclude, 'The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants' is a film jam-packed with journeys and stories about the four girls as they go through a very eventful summer. I recommend this to teens and young adults, as it is a fun and heartfelt movie.
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A big part of the movie is the kindling romance between Lena and Kostas, a boy she met while visiting her family in Greece. After their first meeting Lena told her grandmother that the boy she had met was Kostas, her reaction was rather unpleasant. Her grandmother expressed how much she hated Kostas' family and even went as far as to say, "You must never see this boy again!". Despite her grandmother's disapproval of Kostas, he still tried to be with Lena, he tried to tell her that their families issues should not matter to them, but unfortunately, Lena still refused, because she did not want to betray her family. As I watched this happening I couldn't help but feel that it was relatable to myself. In this case, I related to Kostas, as I too have been pushed away by someone that couldn't/wouldn't be my friend, due to their family not liking me and disapproving of me. Also, something that Lena said really made me think of something I had written about in my reading log about 'Django Unchained', she said, "It makes me so sad that people like Kostas and Bridget, who have lost everything, can still be open to love." This reminded me of how Django went through so much hardship but still loved and cared deeply for his wife.
Another aspect of the film that caught my attention was the relationship between Carmen and her father. It got me thinking of how many children often feel much closer with their mothers than their fathers after their parents have split apart, due to mothers being more likely to get custody when parents divorce. We see this when Carmen's mum tells her to talk to her dad and tell him how she feels. Carmen tries to tell her mum, "I do. I do talk to him. I talk to him all the time." Her mum replies saying, "Yeah, like you talk to me? No." This conversation was used to show the viewers that Carmen and her dad were not as close as Carmen and her mum. I relate to this because I feel the same as Carmen and I experience the same thing. I never talk to my dad the same way as I can easily talk to my mum, as just like Carmen I too have always been with my mum.
Coming back to Kostas and Lena, an important point in their journey to be together, was when Lena finally stuck up for herself and Kostas. Lena had a sudden strike of confidence and went up to her grandfather and declared her strong feelings towards Kostas and how happy he made her feel. She asked her grandfather for a chance and she got one. All because she stood up for herself and actually spoke to her family about how she was feeling, she got the chance to be with the one she loved. This scene showed how much she truly cared for Kostas and how much she wanted to be with him. She had no idea what would happen after saying those things to her family, things could have ended badly, with them being angry that she would even ask to be with him, but she put all those potential consequences aside so that she could have a chance. It made me feel sad, as I wish more people would stand up to others for what they believe in, even if it is your own family that you are standing up to. I myself have been in a situation where someone could have stuck up for me, but they didn't, and it resulted in myself and that person no longer being friends. So I think that what people should take away from that scene, is to always stand up for yourself no matter what the circumstances and consequences are.
To conclude, 'The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants' is a film jam-packed with journeys and stories about the four girls as they go through a very eventful summer. I recommend this to teens and young adults, as it is a fun and heartfelt movie.
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SUNDAY, 16 APRIL 2017
Reading Log #1
Text Title: Django Unchained
Author/director: Quentin Tarantino
Text type: Visual text
Submitted: 25/05/17
Django Unchained
'Django Unchained' is a film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and was released in 2012. The western drama is set in the Old West and is about an African-American slave, Django (Jamie Foxx), that is freed by a German bounty hunter, Dr Schultz (Christoph Waltz). After Django is freed by Dr Schultz, they team up through the winter. Django becomes his apprentice and they complete a vast amount of bounty huntings. Dr Schultz also helps Django on his mission to find his wife, Broomhilda, who is being enslaved by a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.
Throughout Django Unchained the display of pain and torment that black slaves actually experienced was seen rather frequently. This aspect made me feel sympathetic towards African Americans that were once enslaved and were subjected to this cruel mistreatment. In the first 2 minutes of the film, a group of black slaves are seen walking through the blazing hot desert half naked, with chains around their ankles and with bare feet. They even continue walking into the cold of the night. You literally see their chilled breathes escape their mouths, and all they have to cover themselves with is a tattered old blanket. I think that these portrayals of pain give the audience an insight into what black slaves went through back in those dark times.
As well as the theme of enduring pain, oppression against black people is featured throughout the course of the film. The way that white people acted back then dumbfounded me. They acted as if black people were the scum of the earth. A little bit into the movie, Django and Dr Schultz pass through a small town. As they both ride through on their horses, a white man and woman look up at Django in awe, and the man utters, "There's a nigger on the horse" in such a shocked tone. In the same town, they enter a bar and the bartender acts hysterically, he yells, "Whoa whoa whoa! What the hell do you think ya doing boy? Get that nigger outta here!" The bartender even runs away screaming for help. The way that people used to think, and many even still do, really just disgusts me. We are all human, just because someone is a little different than yourself, does that mean they deserve to be put through this discrimination and hatred?
Even with going through all this pain and oppression, black people did not lose their sense of humanity. As seen in the film, Django still had the ability to love another, even through all the heartache. It really surprised me that he put his wife Broomhilda's well-being before his own. In the film, Django has a flashback of his wife about to be whipped. Django pleaded that they stopped and did it to himself instead of her. He said, "If anyone should be getting whooped, that should be me!" He keeps begging for her not to be whipped, even getting down on his knees and begging. This really shows what Django would do for the person that he loves. He would go as far as to risk his own life in the process of her not being hurt.
Overall Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, is an eye opening film that attacks the cruelty of slavery. As well as it being a staggering insight in to black slavery, it is also a rather comedic take to the topic. Although the film does deal with some oppressing issues, it does not shy away with sneaking in some humour. Therefore I deeply recommend this movie, as it has an interesting take on black slavery and the old western times.
Throughout Django Unchained the display of pain and torment that black slaves actually experienced was seen rather frequently. This aspect made me feel sympathetic towards African Americans that were once enslaved and were subjected to this cruel mistreatment. In the first 2 minutes of the film, a group of black slaves are seen walking through the blazing hot desert half naked, with chains around their ankles and with bare feet. They even continue walking into the cold of the night. You literally see their chilled breathes escape their mouths, and all they have to cover themselves with is a tattered old blanket. I think that these portrayals of pain give the audience an insight into what black slaves went through back in those dark times.
As well as the theme of enduring pain, oppression against black people is featured throughout the course of the film. The way that white people acted back then dumbfounded me. They acted as if black people were the scum of the earth. A little bit into the movie, Django and Dr Schultz pass through a small town. As they both ride through on their horses, a white man and woman look up at Django in awe, and the man utters, "There's a nigger on the horse" in such a shocked tone. In the same town, they enter a bar and the bartender acts hysterically, he yells, "Whoa whoa whoa! What the hell do you think ya doing boy? Get that nigger outta here!" The bartender even runs away screaming for help. The way that people used to think, and many even still do, really just disgusts me. We are all human, just because someone is a little different than yourself, does that mean they deserve to be put through this discrimination and hatred?
Even with going through all this pain and oppression, black people did not lose their sense of humanity. As seen in the film, Django still had the ability to love another, even through all the heartache. It really surprised me that he put his wife Broomhilda's well-being before his own. In the film, Django has a flashback of his wife about to be whipped. Django pleaded that they stopped and did it to himself instead of her. He said, "If anyone should be getting whooped, that should be me!" He keeps begging for her not to be whipped, even getting down on his knees and begging. This really shows what Django would do for the person that he loves. He would go as far as to risk his own life in the process of her not being hurt.
Overall Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained, is an eye opening film that attacks the cruelty of slavery. As well as it being a staggering insight in to black slavery, it is also a rather comedic take to the topic. Although the film does deal with some oppressing issues, it does not shy away with sneaking in some humour. Therefore I deeply recommend this movie, as it has an interesting take on black slavery and the old western times.
