Doubt and Molly Sweeny

                 At first, one wouldn’t guess that the film Doubt and the novel Molly Sweeny would connect on any other level besides the fact that they are both pieces of text. However, after closely looking and evaluating each text, we are able to see that there are many parallels, as well as contrasts, between the two. One parallel that is prevalent towards the end of the each text is the complete loss of hope within Father Flynn and Molly after they had both had undergone traumatic experiences. Both characters struggle to cope and fix their situations and as a result, they are forced to accept their reality and move on with their lives.

                The still image above shows Father Flynn standing alone in Sister Aloysius’ office. He stands there still as a rock after Sister Aloysius had just belittled and demanded him to take an immediate leave of absence and resign from his place in the church, even though she is not one hundred percent sure he actually did what she is accusing him of doing. What stands out most significantly in this shot is the statue-like figure of the Virgin Mary in the background. Even though Father Flynn may not have been intentionally positioning himself this way, the shot portrays him facing towards the Virgin Mary and staring right at it. The expression on his face reveals that he is completely distraught and hopeless of what is to become of him. The director may have placed Father Flynn and the Virgin Mary in this way to signify that Father Flynn is searching for a higher power (the Virgin Mary) to help guide him through his current troubles since he himself seems to be hopeless and unsure of how to make his situation better. Father Flynn knows there is no way he will be able to convince Sister Aloysius that he is a good man and still deserves his position within the church, and we can distinguish this by examining his body language and expression. What’s interesting about the specific elements of the shot is that the Virgin Mary is a symbol of innocence and peace, and Father Flynn is clearly being associated with this figure in the shot. The director may have been trying to symbolize that Father Flynn is in fact innocent, and Sister Aloysius simply would not believe him. This whole situation builds upon the meaning of “sight” because it proves that each individual is going to believe what they want, even when there is obvious doubt. Sister Aloysius never let anyone’s opinion get in the way of hers, and as a result, she is overcome with doubt at the end of the movie when her plan to get Father Flynn out of there had finally come through.

Towards the end of the novel, we see Molly reflecting upon her mostly unsuccessful procedure and how her outlook on her situation has changed. She states, "But as time went on that anxiety receded; seemed to be a silly anxiety. Not that I began trusting my eyes again. Just that trying to discriminate, to distinguish between what might be real and what might be imagined, being guided by what father used to call 'excellent testimony' - that didn't seem to matter all that much, seemed to matter less and less. And for some reason the less it mattered, the more I thought I could see" (50). Instead of dwelling on the failure of her procedure, Molly chooses to completely disregard her inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy, and stick with what she know best; not seeing at all. At the end of the passage when she says, "and for some reason the less it mattered, the more I thought I could see", she may be meaning that by going back to her old ways of being completely blind and relying on her sense of touch to satisfy all her other senses, she is able to "see" more than having actual vision. After all, Molly says she "thought" she could see more. Although it's clear that Molly had given up in her fight to make sense of vision, unlike Father Flynn’s situation, this may be a good thing. It was Frank who pushed this procedure more than anyone; Molly seemed perfectly content with her previous life and it's obvious she enjoyed her life more before this unexpected mess. It's interesting that she decided to let go of "what father used to call 'excellent testimony'", because her father had been a significant part of her life. Even though this may have been hard for Molly to forget about, she knew she needed to do what was best for her in the long run. This passage builds upon "sight" in the sense that Molly shows us that you don't necessarily need to have actual sight to be able to see. We're able to realize that the act of "seeing" can be accomplished in any way that suits you as an individual.

                 Although there are differences between the two texts, Father Flynn and Molly Sweeny both dealt with unfortunate experiences where they lacked control of their future and gave up hope of trying to fix it. Molly was basically forced into her procedure, and consequently, she lost the ability to trust (sight and her peers), and after a period of misery, resorted back to her old ways. And after Father Flynn seemed unable to change the accusations of his wrong doings, he was left with nothing and was forced to move on with his ill-fated reality.

Social Class

              There are numerous types of social class that need to be considered when we think about different aspects within this term. Different levels of social class exist within wealth, education, age, and many more. Although most people don't realize it, there is no doubt that we all actively think of ourselves and each other as being part of a class.
              Regarding wealth, it's obvious that there is a wide range of incomes between individuals. And this range is what determines the distinct lines between classes (upper, middle, and lower). Therefore, even without thinking about it, you are automatically part of a class when you are making your own money. The distinction between upper, middle and lower class often determines how individuals are treated. Throughout history we see that upper class thinks much less of individuals within the lower class, mainly because the upper class thinks they are more civilized.
             Social classes that exist within education are based upon the type of education that an individual receives. For example, in the movie "Rushmore". Since Max had attended a school of such high status and sophistication like Rushmore, when he got kicked out and was forced to go to public school, we see a huge difference in his attitude. He thought of himself much more superior than the kids that attended public school and bossed them around. He also refused to give the nice asian girl that was interested in him the time of day.
              Distinct social classes associated with age exist because of different levels of maturity. It's obvious that the older you are, the more mature you are. However, in some instances, people take this mind set to extremes. For example, high school. Throughout my high school experience so far, it's safe to say that I see the segregation between grades every single day. For some reason, older grades think it's okay to treat the younger grades like garbage. This is most likely because the older individuals feel as though they are more "experienced" than the younger individuals. I think this example is an instance where people actually desire to actively think of ourselves as being part of a class. Individuals will want to think of themselves as the older kids because it's natural to want to have authority over certain groups or people.

Uniforms

               We all know little Miley Cyrus as the cute teen pop star, "Hannah Montana". Her TV show on Disney channel captured the love and tremendous attention from millions of little girls all around the world. Her songs, bubbly personality, and trendy style inspired her fans and ultimately molded her reputation as the warm hearted, goodie two shoe pop star. However, as Miley started to mature, we saw that she outgrew her beloved innocence and wanted to break free from her reputation, and create a whole new image of herself. The images above show the drastic difference from young and sweet Miley, to grown up and unique Miley. This shocked the public and caused many complications with her vast fan base. Now, we see that Miley's hair cut is a type of "uniform", or cover for her, even when she may not even realize it.
                As Miley got older and grew out of her Hannah Montana stage, she deeply desired to make a new name for herself that reflected who she is now, instead of keeping the reputation she had as an early teen. One of the most significant examples of this is her new hair. At first, one may think that getting a totally new hair cut isn't a big deal since it's just hair. However, as we see above, Miley's new hair cut had created a whole new image for her. It's not something you typically see everyday, and I definitely think that is what Miley was going for. The phrase, "everyone must wear a uniform, but everyone must deny wearing one", from Paul Fussell's book, Uniforms: Why We Are What We Wear is a good interpretation of how Mileys new hair cut acts as a "uniform". Even though she may not realize it, her hair cut is a symbol of the way she wants people to view her and her personality. Miley may have decided to style her hair this way just because she wanted something new and was being spontaneous. However, to the public, we can infer that she chose to get her hair done this way because she wanted to show the world that she is her own unique person, and doesn't care to be what everyone else wants her to be. She's not a little girl anymore, and she wants everyone to realize that.
                  In the book, Uniforms: Why We Are What We Wear, Paul Fussel states, "it is equally unlikely that people in general will abandon their secret pride in being identifiably themselves and imagining themselves honored for their originality in appearance". Mileys hair acts a symbol of her new originality and spunky personality. The quote above makes it clear that people will change their appearance in the hopes off obtaining a certain image of themselves, and we saw Miley try to do so with her hair cut.
             

How The World Shapes Us

           There are endless ways that the influences in our lives shape who we are and how we behave. These aspects range from the small influences like school or our community, to huge influences like our state or country. And of these influences, I feel that family is a huge one that a lot of us don't usually regonize or acknowledge. As we grow up, we become so used to the things that each family member shares, that we don't realize that it is those things that shape who we are. For example, rules. Every family has their own set of rules that the parents set up (usually at an early age) to maintain stability within the household. And since you grow up following these, they ultimately shape who you are and how you act when you are not around your family. That is why when you go to a friends house, you are very likely to act in the same way to do at your own house because that is what you're used to. And since each family differs with their rules, individuals from different familes will find themselves reacting differently to a situation than the other person. This is because something that seems compeltely normal to one individual, might seem insane to another individual due to how they were raised. Also, the things that your parents make sure are important aspects of your life, like religion or getting good grades, also shape you as a person. If religion is a big part of your life, that is going to influence the way you behave for the rest of your life. Even when you go to college, religion is still going to be apart of you. Overall, I feel that our world completely shapes us as individuals, and creates the world that we inhabit.

Double Indemnity: still shot

              Although you may not be focussing on it while viewing this particular scene, there is a large amount of information being portrayed to the viewer in this shot. This was taken towards the end of the movie, when Phyllis and Neff are meeting at Phyllis' house, and they are unaware that they both have a plan to murder each other. There is a lot going on in the shot, such as the body language of the human figures, the lighting/shadows, the furniture placement, and more. The director took this shot in a way that it shows the vast amount of space between Phyllis and Neff. So right off the bat, we get a sense that this scene is going to be a lot different than the others because the two are usually very close in all the other scenes. We see that Phyllis is lying down looking relaxed, while Neff is standing and looking cautious of what is to come out of this visit. The shadow of Neff at the door creates a mysterious mood because that is basically the only light we see in the image since the whole shot is mostly in the dark. In all, the shadows of Neff and the windows makes the viewer feel uncertain but also very compelled for what is to come next. The shot is also taken so we see that the furniture makes a clear path from Neff to Phyllis, connecting the two from the start, even though they aren't even near each other yet. I like how we are able to see the front of Neff, but only a portion of Phyllis since the chair is blocking the majority of her. The fact that Neff keeps the door open and stands there for a second before closing it instead of just walking in and shutting it right away adds to the uncertain feeling the viewer is feeling throughout this scene. The smoke from Phyllis' cigarette creates a barrier in between the two, which tells the reader there is something foggy and off between them.

Minority Report Still Image Blog

              In this particular image, the characters, Agatha and John Anderton, are being focused on and centered. The image is capturing the closeness between the two and the intensity within each of them intertwined. The crossing of the heads is what draws the viewers attention because this is a shot that is not very commonly captured. Also, the fierceness in both of their eyes is eye catching as well because it lets the viewer know that whatever is happening right now is very significant to the films plot. 

             According to the grid, we see that their faces and the light is what is being backgrounded, while the contact between the two heads is what is being foregrounded. Since Agatha and John's faces are at the end on either side, and they are both looking directly at open space, the viewer can infer that they are both thinking deeply about the future and what is to come in the next moments. I feel as though the eyes are one of the more important elements of the image since both sets of eyes are in the light. They seem to catch my attention more than anything else. After all, the element of eyes has been a key motif throughout this film, so combining the intense energy and the light framing their eyes shows the viewer that this image is important in understanding what's to come next. 

             The lighting in the scene is extremely prevalent in this image. Overall, the image is mostly dark which creates a mysterious and suspenseful feeling within the viewer. However, on either side of the image there is a light shining on both of the characters faces. Since their faces are the only aspects of the picture that are lit up, we can infer that at this point in the movie, they are the two people that are doing good while everything else that is happening is questionable and uncertain, thus why everything else in the image are in shadows. The different expressions of each of their faces are very distinct and go along perfectly with the overall scene in which this image is from. We see Agatha here with a wide eyed, somewhat worried look on her face since she is the one that keeps repeating "you have a choice" to John. And we see John with a very serious and determined expression because it's clear he knows what he wants to do and won't let anyone stop him from finding out the truth he has been seeking for so long. However, even without knowing the background information about the film, the two sides to this image are so distinct that a viewer could easily tell that there is a conflict between the characters thinking due to their expressions and the way the light hits each of their faces. 

             This image is a full close-up shot. This type of shot is perfect for what the director was trying to capture in the scene. Having the shot be so close-up of their faces gave us a chance to depict their expressions and also see the close contact between the two characters, and how they are basically represented as one individual with opposing thoughts. If the director took the shot in a full shot or a medium full shot, the image would be much less significant. The excess background in those shots would of easily taken away from what the director meant for us to pay attention to. This type of shot contributes to how we understand these characters because the close-up image allows us to get more personal with the characters thinking, which increases the amount of impact the film has on us. 

             I feel that the way the two characters are positioned is very significant in the image. Like I mentioned earlier, the extreme closeness of the two makes us feel like they are intertwined into one. And since we can't see their bodies, the viewer only sees a neck with two faces. Since Agatha is focusing her attention up and the light is hitting her face from that angle as well, she can be portrayed as John's conscious and logical side, because she is the one telling his that what he is doing isn't worth it and he has a choice. And since John's vision is looking straight forward and determined, he can be portrayed as his regular self. This contrast that Agatha and John create of what's right and what's wrong is prevalent throughout the whole movie. Overall, there is a lot of bad and a lot of good in the movie and the question of what is considered right and wrong or what is considered good and bad is always present throughout the film.