Best Work Reflection

I chose my essay as my best work, because I worked really hard on it to memorize quotations, and I made sure to re-watch it several times so that I could do well on it. I didn't get an extremely high mark on this assignment, but I am pleased because I didn't Google any facts, and that I wrote it off pure memory. I choose this assignment for outcome 4. We had to watch a movie and analyze/interpret everything that was going on, and watch special features about it, so I am glad that i was able to create a theme and demonstrate understanding of the film.

Best Work

The general ideas developed in the film Lord Of The Rings; Return of The King written J.R.R. Tolkien, a film adaption produced by Peter Jackson, is that individuals are able to recognize the coherent impression that there is a struggle to restore honor and certainty within oneself, or to regain this status within a group. Individuals are often faced with life-changing decisions, and the characters used in this film are significant symbol and interpretations of what struggles they are faced with and how they cope with them.  By analyzing the characters Faramir, Sam, and Pippin, we are presented with these key ideas that individuals must go to measures necessary to reinstate what noble status they once had.

            Faramir’s character is one that most people are able to relate to. Faramir’s father, Denethor treats him poorly throughout the film, because he is angered that Faramir’s kin had died, instead of him.” You wish it was me who died... and not him. You wish us to have traded places...” . “yes. I wish that.”  This quotation has significant meaning; because we are clearly shown with the idea that Faramir is desperate to prove to his father that he can be strong at war too. This also has significant meaning because it is a juxtaposition right before Faramir goes out to try to conquer Osgiliath, even though he is aware that they are vastly outnumbered. When his army is about to march out, Gandalf speaks to him, and tells him that it is a wasteful battle, and makes the point that they will not win. Faramir is ignorant to Gandalf’s suggestion, that he too does not realize the loss he is about to be faced with. This demonstrates that an individual may be faced with the desire to reestablish their self-worth, but they may become to reliant on one opinion. This can be dangerous because the one they are relying on could be corrupted by the vainness of their own self-image. When Denethor realizes that Faramir has not died, he commits suicide by jumping of the ledge at Minas Tirith. The text creator develops the thought and understanding when creating these characters, which deepens their meaning and helps us to comprehend the ideas presented, and show the audience that restoring honor can be done, but individuals should also look to themselves, and realize what they have already overcome to get to that point.

            The next character that Peter Jackson, and J.R.R Tolkien have used in their text is Samwise Gamgee. Sam is a shire hobbit, but when Gandalf gives him the job to protect Frodo, he makes it a personal goal to fufill his task. Throughout the film, Sam is presented with several cases when he is faced with the rot and corruption that Gollum is slowly poisoning Frodo’s mind with, and must make a decision to stay with his innocence and remember what he has been assigned to do. On the staircase above Minas Morgul, Gollum throws away the Elven bread, framing Sam. and making it seem like he was the one who ate it. Frodo discovers this, and because of the power of the ring, Frodo tells Sam to go home. “Go home, Sam.” Even though Frodo says it in a kind voice, it is ironic due to the fact that Sam has been supportive to him. When Frodo is caught in Shelobs lair, minutes later, He calls out to Sam in pain with the realization of what has just happened. Sam had been climbing down the stairs, but when he sees the Elven bread that had been cast away carelessly, he turns around and begins the treacherous climb back up the stairs ,in an effort to go save Frodo. He comes to Frodo’s aid, moments to late, yet sends Shelob the spider back to the darkness. The last scene that we see Sam have to maka decision that could change Frodo’s fate, and the fate of middle earth, is when the hobbits are climbing mount doom, and Frodo has become to weak to carry on. Sam, realizing that the power of the ring is too much for him to handle, and knowing that he would too easily become corrupted by it, chooses to carry Frodo instead. “ I can’t carry it for you, but I can carry you!” Sam struggles with the idea of restoring certainty is himself, because on countless occasions throughout the film, Frodo condescends him. Jackson uses this character to present the idea that even though it may seem like a hopeless thought, it is best to work to achieve what you have sought out for. If Sam had given up, middle earth would have been destroyed by the evil forces of the one Ring. The main idea presented by Sam is to not become discouraged, the journey to achieve certainty in oneself is worth the hardship and pain.

            Another character that demonstrates both the struggle to restore honor and certainty is Eowyn. When we are introduced to this character in the second film, she does not appear to have much effect on the plot development. When we see Eowyn in The Return Of The King,  However, she is presented as an individual who is fighting her own battle against the harsh opinions and stereotypical views on middle Earth. Jackson uses this character as an extreme symbol of life in society today, and that many individuals still face the same judgment that Eowyn is struggling to overcome. When Rohan is called to war, Her uncle Théoden asks of her that she stays at the main camp. Eowyn does not intend to listen to her uncle’s instructions, and prepares for war instead. When she is helping Merry prepare for battle, her brother, makes a harsh comment that Merry should not be in the war. “He deserves to fight...”Eowyn takes this comment personally because even though she is a woman, she feels she deserves to help save her Realm. At the battle of Minas Tirith, Théoden becomes injured from trying to fight the Witch King. Eowyn rushes to his aid, and is faced to fight him herself. In the end, Eowyn stabs the Witch King, crumpling him to the ground. “You fool…no man can kill me.” To which Eowyn responds, “I am no man.” This was an extremely significant part in the Film that Eowyn had succeeded, and proves to herself and to society that no matter your gender, achieving honor and certainty is within reach, it just may be a little harder. 

            The characters presented in the novel all share similar qualities while still maintaining different goals. The characters that I have chosen to analyze are just few of the many that J.R.R Tolkien uses in his novel, Lord Of The Rings, Return Of  The King,  and Peter Jacskon’s film adaption, that show the audience that the struggle to restor honour and certainty can be problematic, but in the end, it is the ultimate sacrifice that benefits the greater good, and can help an nidivual to cope with the troubles that they have inside themselves, or the ones that society has pressed upon them.

Reflection: Lord Of The Rings

outcome 3. Manage ideas

For this unit, we had to manage our own information, and take notes while watching Lord Of The Rings; Return Of The King. we were required to develop a formal report assessing the effectiveness of cinematic, dramatic, and literary elements used to develop a central theme in the film. I chose the theme perserverance and commitment because it stood out to me. I created jot notes about everything that may possibly connect to the question needed to be answered. With all the jot notes I took I came to the conclusion that the central theme that was created was duality in human nature. From that step I used the internet to find quotes that I wanted to use in my essay.

Lord Of The Rings Research Project

Table of Contents

1.     Abstract

2.     Introduction

3.     Cinematic

4.     Dramatic

5.     Literary

6.     Conclusion

7.     Works Cited

In Lord Of The Rings; Return Of the King, A film Adaptation of the book by J.R.R. Tolkien, Peter Jackson uses Literary, cinematic, and dramatic elements to create verisimilitude in a fantasy genre style movie. By using Frodo, Aragorn, and Arwen, Jackson develops the idea of realism into the viewers mind by creating important details in film. By using these elements he is able to demonstrate the struggle between perseverance and commitment.

Frodo is a prome example of cinematic elements. When we see Frodo throughout the movie, he is often dirty, sweaty and tired. Even through Frodo is thought to be the “hero” Jackson wanted to make sure that Frodo was not seen as pure and clean. If you pay close attention, it seems as though Frodo becomes dirtier as the film progresses. This is because the ring slowly takes more and more of Frodo away from Sam.  When Frodo and Sam are in Mordor, it closes in on Frodo scratching at his neck, and you are able to see burn/ irritation marks where the chain that holds the rings lays. Jackson did this because he wanted the audience to see that it was a great burden to Frodo. A camera angle that Jackson uses several times, when Frodo says something meaningful, is that he has Frodo look over his left shoulder. This is often said when Frodo is saying something to Sam, and you can see the genuine innocence in his eyes, and the lighting also portrays an angelic-like appearance.

Aragorn is used to demonstrate the struggle to commit. Aragorn does not want to become the king of Gondor, because is ashamed of what his ancestor, Isildor has done to the race of man. Aragorn would fit under dramatic elements mostly, because Viggo Mortenson, the actor that olays Aragorn, spent many hours off set with the horses, so that he could become more familiar with them; which is important because throughout the film Aragorn is seen countless times on horseback. Another important detail I have seen in Aragorn’s role is that he often speaks in Elven language. I believe Jackson did this to demonstrate that Tolkien had invented an entire language.

Jackson uses Arwen literarily to show that if you decide to persevere something you should be prepared to commit to it. When Arwen was on her journey to the undying lands, she had s vision of a life she didn’t know yet. The one that was to be her future is she stayed in middle earth. It was her, Aragorn, and their son. At that moment, Arwen decided to go back to Rivendale to be with her father until the battle of evil was over, and Aragorn could return to her. This is an important element because many people today are faced with this choice, of wanting one thing but not knowing if they can achieve it.

Another very important part in establishing the Cinematic element in Return of The King was Minas Tirith. I read the books, and I had always imagined it as a pearly white city, so I think that the way the design team had created it fit many people’s imaginations of what it would be like. Jackson and his team made sure that every detail would not go unseen, especially because a majority of the film takes place at this location (even details such as the Rat-catchers hut, which weren’t supposed to happen). Everyone marvelled at the beauty of Minas Tirith, and modeled it after the way ancient roman empire buildings were. This ties in with my thesis statement because mankind wanted to keep Minas Tirith, but weren’t sure that they would be able to save it, but with Gandalf and Aragorn’s help they were able to ensure the safety of man.

In conclusion, both Peter Jackson and J.R.R Tolkien used different effects literarily, cinematographically and dramatically to show the many struggles between perseverance and commitment.  Without the cinematic effects in the movie, it would be less interesting and not as easy to get the point across. The dramatic elements also help to keep the reader entertained. Literary elements give depth to the story line, and help the audience to understand the deeper meaning to what you are really seeing.

Cited Works

1.      Jackson, P. (2003). The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

2.      Tolkien, J. R. R. (1955). Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. England: George Allen & Unwin.

Visual

In my visual representation, I have chose to represent the theme of disappearances and mystery with my teaching statement, " teaching the mirage to appear." In my visual, I have quotations from the book on the left side, and significant pictures on the right. The quotations I've chosen are important parts in the book because they all tie into the theme of disappearing. Throughout the novel, we are given subtle hints to mysteries in the book, such as saying that the bridge looks whole and complete , but isn't. The reason that I put some pictures up is because I feel that they are more important. The church is very symbolic of how native culture has decreased, and that by painting the church, they are hiding an ugly part of the past. I added MIA because we never for sure found out who she was. She shaped who auntie Cassie became, and held alot of family secrets. I added a girl symbol because it is there to represent Rebecca, a ghost character. I think she was important as a character because she represented the Cherokee tribes that had been wiped out. I chose to do my project as a poster because I wanted to include the quotations I thought were important, as well as the pictures that I chose. I made a highway because it is mostly on highways that mirages appear, also because I wanted to include the "re" words and I thought that the would go well on the yellow dividers. I purposely made the sky blue with nice clouds because of the quote "teaching the sky about blue"

Visual Reflection

In my visual representation, I have chose to represent the theme of disappearances and mystery with my teaching statement, " teaching the mirage to appear." In my visual, I have quotations from the book on the left side, and significant pictures on the right. The quotations I've chosen are important parts in the book because they all tie into the theme of disappearing. Throughout the novel, we are given subtle hints to mysteries in the book, such as saying that the bridge looks whole and complete , but isn't. The reason that I put some pictures up is because I feel that they are more important. The church is very symbolic of how native culture has decreased, and that by painting the church, they are hiding an ugly part of the past. I added MIA because we never for sure found out who she was. She shaped who auntie Cassie became, and held alot of family secrets. I added a girl symbol because it is there to represent Rebecca, a ghost character. I think she was important as a character because she represented the Cherokee tribes that had been wiped out. I chose to do my project as a poster because I wanted to include the quotations I thought were important, as well as the pictures that I chose. I made a highway because it is mostly on highways that mirages appear, also because I wanted to include the "re" words and I thought that the would go well on the yellow dividers. I purposely made the sky blue with nice clouds because of the quote "teaching the sky about blue"

The Human Condition

In english 30-1, the works we have been instructed to analyze and interpret have taught us about life, and ultimately the human condition. Throughout the semester we were given assignments that help us to understand literature, but also to understand ourselves. I have included my Hamlet assignments, mainly because I did poorly on them, so the portfolio gave me an opportunity to redo them. I also included work from Lord Of The Rings, because it helped us analyze literary, dramatic, and cinematic elements in a film. I have included my answer as to why each outcome has been attached to each work, as well as a reflection to explain why I made the choices I did.

Hamlet Revision

In the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the author develops the idea that there is an interplay of dramatic irony, revenge, and sacrifice whe nan individual must connect between fear and foresight when individuals make life altering choices by using the character Hamlet. By looking at this character, one can analyze their reactions to fear by what the character says, and how they act towards others.

          In act 1, scene 2, Hamlet is speaking to his friend Horatio, a scholar. Hamlet is speaking of his mother and how she has been incestuous with Hamlet’s uncle, the dead king's brother. “It is not, nor it cannot come to, good; But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue!” Line 158. Hamlet is speaking of his anger towards Claudius and his mother for their adulterous acts, but he does not say anything about his plot for revenge to Horatio, because he is one of the only people who has seen his father’s ghost, and his plot for revenge is secretive. This shows the relationship between fear and foresight because Hamlet is procrastinating the murder of his uncle, furthermore showing his fear of doing the deed. It relates to foresight when Hamlet indirectly announces his plan, while visiting his mother. Also, in lines 77-89, Hamlet speaks of cowardness and revenge, when he says “Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death...Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, An thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought..” in this quotation, Hamlet explains that Fear of death makes us all cowards, and our natural boldness becomes weak with too much thinking. Actions that should be carried out at once get misdirected, and stop being actions at all. This plays into fear and foresight because Hamlet admits to mankind as being afraid of death, and foresights more towards his murder of Claudius.

          When characters are faced to make life changing choices, their true personality comes out. Some examples of the consequences of acting upon fear are Polonius’ death, Ophelia’s suicide, Rosencrantz’s and Guildenstern’s death. Polonius’ death could have been avoided, if Hamlet had been more careful. Hamlet’s madness is greatly demonstrated in this scene, due to the fact that his mockery of Polonius’s death. Hamlet tells Claudius that Polonius is “In heaven. Send hither to see. If your messenger find him not there, seek him i' th' other place yourself. But if indeed you find him not within this month, you shall nose him as you go up the stairs into the lobby” line 38. This has to do with foresight because it is showing us deeper into Hamlet’s madness, and also demonstrating that Hamlet has become cold hearted, and does not fear death or death’s consequences anymore.  Ophelia’s Suicide demonstrates that when fear takes over, our decision making can be easily persuaded by emotions. Ophelia was driven mad by her father’s death, and based upon her own life or death choice, Ophelia chose death, showing the audience that her fear of madness and power that had taken over Hamlet’s life took over hers too.  Rosencrantz’s and Guildenstern’s deaths could have been avoided, had they not chosen to take Claudius’ side. Hamlet had to make a choice to save his own life or sacrifice his friends, and on his path of revenge and rage he ultimately chose to give his former friends the death penalty. this ties between fear and foresight because the dramatic irony is that the audience knows that Rosencrantz and Guoldenstern will die, but they do not know it. It also ties to fear and foresight because they have been subjected to fear by Claudius.

          In act 3, scene 4, Hamlet explains his cruelty through the quotation “I must be cruel, only to be kind.” Line 179.  This ties into life altering choices, because when it comes down to it, one must be able to make that choice and know exactly why they made it, Hamlet chose to be cruel to his mother when speaking with her about her adulterous behaviour with Claudius because he knew that if he had spoken softly to her, and not made her admit to her wrong, he would get no point across. Hamlet understands that he must tell his mother of her wrong doing, even though it causes her much pain. Hamlet fears that his mother will not see how she has been betraying him, and hurting him by being with Claudius. Also, Hamlet already has his plan to kill Claudius in place, and does not want to kill his own mother, so by detaching her from Claudius, he hopes to have her for himself so thst their bond can be retied.

          By examining Shakespeare’s Hamlet, one can determine the relationship built by Shakespeare about the connection between fear and foreshadowing, by looking at the main character of the play. Throughout this piece of literature, we are shown many examples of how an individual may make life altering choices, and how reacting to fear, or reacting to foresight may alter those changes for good or bad.