Finn McNally
Focus Paper 5
The Counterfeiters
The Counterfeiters is the gripping story of professional counterfeiter Salomon “Sally” Sorowitsch getting arrested by the Nazis and forced to make counterfeit British and American currency in order to help the Nazi war effort. It is more so however a story of moral dilemma and personal choice. How much would you sacrifice to stay alive?
All the characters in this film do behave in believable ways. The way that Sally behaves is believable because he is doing whatever he can to stay alive and try to keep an upper hand throughout his imprisonment. He is smart and able to use his skills to gain an advantage over the other prisoners. Most of the prisoners all follow the orders of the Nazi guards and Superintendent Herzog. This is believable because the prisoners, even though they know they are doing the wrong thing for the war, just want to stay alive and not be killed by the Nazis. The only one who publicly objects and refuses to help this counterfeiting is Adolf Burger who would rather be a martyr for the right side than to help the Axis in World War Two. This is also believable because he explains that before he was arrested he was opposing the Nazis and standing up for what he believes in.
One scene at the heart of the film is when the inmate with TB is shot in the head while everyone is enjoying Carnival. This scene is when Sally sees how corrupt and untrustworthy Herzog truly is. Herzog had broken the deal with Sally and for that Sally now has more hatred towards him and now has more motivation to stall and not finish the bill for the Nazis. At the end of the film the world is definitely more orderly. The war has ended and in the final scenes you see Sally living his grandeur life that he had before the war.
The whole film is filled with hidden agendas. The whole agenda is to finish completing the counterfeit bills and stay alive. The hidden agenda for the prisoners is to stall the completion of the dollar and not help the war effort but stay alive at the same time.
The film can be associated with many films and books pertaining to World War Two and the Concentration camps. It reminds me mostly of Night by Eli Wiesel. It showed a lot of insight into the concentration camps and introduced an element that I had never known about before seeing this film. The fact that this was based on a true story was shocking to me and made the film that much more interesting. The movie was very depressing at times but overall I liked it because the actors and the story did a fantastic job of displaying the emotions and actions of the inner turmoil the counterfeiters struggled with.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
"The Fish" response paper
Finn McNally
The Fish Response Paper
In the Poem The Fish, by Elizabeth Bishop, the characters do not behave in believable ways. The Fish does not put up any fight even though it is evident that it has before and is capable of breaking lines and getting away. The fisherman also does not behave in a completely believable way because a fish like that should be kept and should be more of a trophy. It is clear that this fish has evaded many other fishermen and it would seem like a great feat to catch this fish. In analyzing this poem I think I saw how the author has a great deal of respect for the fish and the ways of nature. She uses terms that someone not familiar with fishing would probably not know. For her to know these things means that she does fish and she knows what it’s like to catch fish and maybe she has been in that situation before. For that reason I think that this poem is sincere and has real meaning to it.
The tone of this poem goes from being very proud, then sullen, then finally to humble when she lets the fish go. The single line that represents the overall spirit of the poem would have to be the final lines 74 to 76 “- until everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow! And I let the fish go.” It is these lines that you can see the respect that the author has gained for this fish be examining it throughout the poem. There is a shift in tone in line 65, “I stared and stared and victory filled up the boat.” The act of catching the fish can’t be the victory because the author already did that so it must be something else. I think the victory means something else, possibly a victory for the fish for being let go. At the end of the poem I think the world is more orderly because the fish is let go and back in the water and the author is on the boat where she started. There is no conflict with keeping and killing the fish and no problems with the author losing the fish because she threw it back on purpose.
This poem is ironic for one reason because the fish does not fight. It has given up even after fighting so many times before. Another example of irony in this poem is the fact that the author released the fish at the end and still claimed it to be victory. I think the author claimed it to be a victory because it was both a victory for the fish as well as the author because the fish got let go and the author was able to do that.
I enjoyed this poem because of the descriptiveness of it. Bishop paints a picture in my head with every line in this poem. I enjoyed the similes and the descriptive imagery. The author was able to turn a regular fish into an almost majestic creature just be describing it in detail throughout the poem without ever telling how the author actually felt. I wonder why the author decided to let the fish go. I think it was because the author learned to admire the fish and almost pity it for giving up the fight after it had so many times before.
The Fish Response Paper
In the Poem The Fish, by Elizabeth Bishop, the characters do not behave in believable ways. The Fish does not put up any fight even though it is evident that it has before and is capable of breaking lines and getting away. The fisherman also does not behave in a completely believable way because a fish like that should be kept and should be more of a trophy. It is clear that this fish has evaded many other fishermen and it would seem like a great feat to catch this fish. In analyzing this poem I think I saw how the author has a great deal of respect for the fish and the ways of nature. She uses terms that someone not familiar with fishing would probably not know. For her to know these things means that she does fish and she knows what it’s like to catch fish and maybe she has been in that situation before. For that reason I think that this poem is sincere and has real meaning to it.
The tone of this poem goes from being very proud, then sullen, then finally to humble when she lets the fish go. The single line that represents the overall spirit of the poem would have to be the final lines 74 to 76 “- until everything was rainbow, rainbow, rainbow! And I let the fish go.” It is these lines that you can see the respect that the author has gained for this fish be examining it throughout the poem. There is a shift in tone in line 65, “I stared and stared and victory filled up the boat.” The act of catching the fish can’t be the victory because the author already did that so it must be something else. I think the victory means something else, possibly a victory for the fish for being let go. At the end of the poem I think the world is more orderly because the fish is let go and back in the water and the author is on the boat where she started. There is no conflict with keeping and killing the fish and no problems with the author losing the fish because she threw it back on purpose.
This poem is ironic for one reason because the fish does not fight. It has given up even after fighting so many times before. Another example of irony in this poem is the fact that the author released the fish at the end and still claimed it to be victory. I think the author claimed it to be a victory because it was both a victory for the fish as well as the author because the fish got let go and the author was able to do that.
I enjoyed this poem because of the descriptiveness of it. Bishop paints a picture in my head with every line in this poem. I enjoyed the similes and the descriptive imagery. The author was able to turn a regular fish into an almost majestic creature just be describing it in detail throughout the poem without ever telling how the author actually felt. I wonder why the author decided to let the fish go. I think it was because the author learned to admire the fish and almost pity it for giving up the fight after it had so many times before.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Response Story of an Hour
Response Paper
Kate Chopin Story of an Hour
Kate Chopin’s Story of an Hour is a short yet powerfully descriptive story of a woman (Mrs. Mallard) who learns that her husband is killed in a train accident. At first she is sad but goes on to realize that she is now free of the oppression that her husband had over her. She is relieved but goes on to die of heart failure when she finds her husband is not dead. The characters believe in believable ways. The story was written in 1894 and in that time it was more common for the male to control their wives. This was the time when divorce was very rare and taboo. The fact that Mrs. Mallard disliked her husband and was relieved when she found out he was killed is believable especially because at first she was very sad and crying before she really thought about the situation. It is believable as well that Mrs. Mallard died when she saw her husband because it not only was it shocking and a letdown but also because she suffered from a bad heart.
One moment that really shifts the tone and energy of the story is in paragraph eleven when she whispers “Free, free, free” under her breath. This is when the story shifts from her being sad and depressed to her being uplifted and realizing that this was actually a good thing in her life. After this point in the story, Mr. Mallard’s death goes from being a bad thing to being a good thing and a new beginning for Mrs. Mallard. At the end of the story in think the world is less orderly because she at the beginning of the story everyone is alive and happy but in the end one person is dead.
An indirect political statement that this story can make is the time period and how it related to women’s rights. It is obvious that she was not happy with her husband but due to the time period and its customs did not allow woman to have rights to do what they truly want to do. Mr. Mallard’s death was the only way that she could really be liberated from him and allowed to do what she wanted. It is ironic that Mrs. Mallard died right after she was liberated from her husband. The fact that she died of “joy that kills” is ironic because in this situation you would think that she would be happy to see her husband alive and well but actually she was not and died from that.
This story reminded me of the movie “The Color Purple.” It was not as intense as in that film but in both stories the wife is unhappy with their husbands and want to leave but cannot for one reason or another. In Chopin’s story it was because that was not an acceptable practice. Overall I enjoyed this story because it was very short yet descriptive and it ended with good irony at the end.
One thing I wonder is why and how Richard got the information wrong about Mrs. Mallard being killed. I think it may have been an honest mistake because technology and records were not taken as well in 1894 or maybe it was another Brently Mallard who was killed on that train.
Kate Chopin Story of an Hour
Kate Chopin’s Story of an Hour is a short yet powerfully descriptive story of a woman (Mrs. Mallard) who learns that her husband is killed in a train accident. At first she is sad but goes on to realize that she is now free of the oppression that her husband had over her. She is relieved but goes on to die of heart failure when she finds her husband is not dead. The characters believe in believable ways. The story was written in 1894 and in that time it was more common for the male to control their wives. This was the time when divorce was very rare and taboo. The fact that Mrs. Mallard disliked her husband and was relieved when she found out he was killed is believable especially because at first she was very sad and crying before she really thought about the situation. It is believable as well that Mrs. Mallard died when she saw her husband because it not only was it shocking and a letdown but also because she suffered from a bad heart.
One moment that really shifts the tone and energy of the story is in paragraph eleven when she whispers “Free, free, free” under her breath. This is when the story shifts from her being sad and depressed to her being uplifted and realizing that this was actually a good thing in her life. After this point in the story, Mr. Mallard’s death goes from being a bad thing to being a good thing and a new beginning for Mrs. Mallard. At the end of the story in think the world is less orderly because she at the beginning of the story everyone is alive and happy but in the end one person is dead.
An indirect political statement that this story can make is the time period and how it related to women’s rights. It is obvious that she was not happy with her husband but due to the time period and its customs did not allow woman to have rights to do what they truly want to do. Mr. Mallard’s death was the only way that she could really be liberated from him and allowed to do what she wanted. It is ironic that Mrs. Mallard died right after she was liberated from her husband. The fact that she died of “joy that kills” is ironic because in this situation you would think that she would be happy to see her husband alive and well but actually she was not and died from that.
This story reminded me of the movie “The Color Purple.” It was not as intense as in that film but in both stories the wife is unhappy with their husbands and want to leave but cannot for one reason or another. In Chopin’s story it was because that was not an acceptable practice. Overall I enjoyed this story because it was very short yet descriptive and it ended with good irony at the end.
One thing I wonder is why and how Richard got the information wrong about Mrs. Mallard being killed. I think it may have been an honest mistake because technology and records were not taken as well in 1894 or maybe it was another Brently Mallard who was killed on that train.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Pan's Labyrinth
In the film Pan’s Labyrinth, the characters must deal with struggles and hardships throughout the story. It is a classic story of good versus evil. For Ofelia, she must not only deal with the tyrant of her stepfather, Captain Vidal, but also with the strange and dark fantasy world that she is experiencing. She must complete three tasks in order to become the princess of this alternate world. In this story, the characters do behave in believable ways. In one setting of the story, Captain Vidal is fighting the resistance fighters and doing whatever he can to win. This is expected from a captain of the Spanish army. Ofelia and her mother Carmen are trying to deal with everything that is going on around them in believable ways as well. Carmen marries a man she does not in order to gain support. This might not be righteous but it is a believable action. Even in the magical world Ofelia experiences, the creatures still behave in believable ways. The faun gets angry at Ofelia when she disobeys him just like a regular person would.
At the end of this text, the world is definitely more orderly than it had been. Captain Vidal is shot and killed by the rebels, ending the conflict that had occurred and stopping the fighting to make that scenario more orderly. The magical kingdom is finally in order when Ofelia sacrifices herself and returns to be the princess of her kingdom.
This film may make some political statements as far as the Spanish Civil war is concerned. This text definitely displays the nation’s army as an evil force and the rebel fighters as just and setting things right. The text clearly depicts the army as evil and the rebel fighters as good.
This text reminded me of traditional fairy tales as well as tales with other worlds. The reinforcement of the theme of three and mythical creatures reminded me of fairy tales such as the three little pigs and Cinderella how she had three mice friends and three evil people in her life. The story also reminds me of adventures in magical lands such as Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz. I enjoyed this movie because it had a familiar fairy tale theme but had a twist that made it interesting. The twist was that it was dark and chilling and the characters and setting reflected this. It reminded me a little bit of The Labyrinth with David Bowie.
One gap question that comes to mind is if the imaginary world and scenario was all in Ofelia’s imagination or if it was real. There is no other person to verify the latter claim because only Ofelia could see the magical creatures. The fact that Ofelia was reading all of those fairy tales and that she was under a lot of stress and surrounded by conflict could cause her to start to imagine things. In my opinion however, I do believe that the alternate world did exist because when Ofelia put the root under her mother’s bed, she did indeed get unexplainably better and when it was thrown in the fire, she went back to deteriorating health. I think it would be a better story anyway if it was real and not a mental delusion from Ofelia from reading all those fairy tales.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
response paper Oedipus
Finn McNally
LIT 2000 MW 3:00-4:15
Response Paper
Oedipus
The text “Oedipus” was written about 2,500 years ago. Although it is very old, the characters are still people and behave in ways that people did and still do today. The characters of this story do indeed behave in believable ways considering what happened in the story. Oedipus is a great man but still ends up blinding and exiling himself when he learns that he killed his father and married his mother. As harsh as it is, it is very believable because of the fact that Oedipus was a great man and leader and felt that he deserved this fate for what he had done. The fact that his wife and mother Jocasta killed herself is believable as well because of the extreme severity of what she learns at the end of the story. Everyone in the story behaves as normal people would, especially since the context of the story takes place so long ago when this story would be more believable.
The driving force of the dramatic energy of this text would have to be dramatic irony. The audience knows things that characters do not. There are many allusions to Oedipus being blind and the things he has done long before he actually figures these things out in the story. The greatest shift in the tone and mood of this story takes place when Oedipus questions the Shepard that found him and it is discovered that he did, in fact, kill his real father and marry his mother. When this takes place everything clicks in their heads as to what happens and that is when the plot of the story changes and everything goes downhill for Oedipus.
This story is full of Irony. It is dramatic irony because the audience knows what the characters do not learn until late in the story. It is very ironic that Oedipus can see but cannot see the truth while the prophet Tiresias is blind and is telling Oedipus the truth. The fact that in the end Oedipus pokes out his eyes enhances and adds to this theme of blind truth and irony.
Oedipus’s name translates to “Swollen Foot.” This is fitting because of the fact that Oedipus does indeed have a limp due to the fact that his ankles were bound and pierced when he was younger. This was done by his parents when they tried to kill him. For this reason Oedipus’s name helps reinforce his actions but also his revelations when it is revealed to him that his wife/mother actually did that to him, there is no doubt that his wife really is his biological mother.
This story reminded me a lot of the movie “The Matrix.” It contains oracles and prophecies. Most importantly though both texts contain one main character that must sacrifice themselves for the good of their civilization. In “Oedipus,” Oedipus must exile himself in order to rid the city of Thebes of the plague and hard times that is prevalent. In “The Matrix,” Neo must sacrifice himself and put himself in harm’s way in order to save the whole world.
LIT 2000 MW 3:00-4:15
Response Paper
Oedipus
The text “Oedipus” was written about 2,500 years ago. Although it is very old, the characters are still people and behave in ways that people did and still do today. The characters of this story do indeed behave in believable ways considering what happened in the story. Oedipus is a great man but still ends up blinding and exiling himself when he learns that he killed his father and married his mother. As harsh as it is, it is very believable because of the fact that Oedipus was a great man and leader and felt that he deserved this fate for what he had done. The fact that his wife and mother Jocasta killed herself is believable as well because of the extreme severity of what she learns at the end of the story. Everyone in the story behaves as normal people would, especially since the context of the story takes place so long ago when this story would be more believable.
The driving force of the dramatic energy of this text would have to be dramatic irony. The audience knows things that characters do not. There are many allusions to Oedipus being blind and the things he has done long before he actually figures these things out in the story. The greatest shift in the tone and mood of this story takes place when Oedipus questions the Shepard that found him and it is discovered that he did, in fact, kill his real father and marry his mother. When this takes place everything clicks in their heads as to what happens and that is when the plot of the story changes and everything goes downhill for Oedipus.
This story is full of Irony. It is dramatic irony because the audience knows what the characters do not learn until late in the story. It is very ironic that Oedipus can see but cannot see the truth while the prophet Tiresias is blind and is telling Oedipus the truth. The fact that in the end Oedipus pokes out his eyes enhances and adds to this theme of blind truth and irony.
Oedipus’s name translates to “Swollen Foot.” This is fitting because of the fact that Oedipus does indeed have a limp due to the fact that his ankles were bound and pierced when he was younger. This was done by his parents when they tried to kill him. For this reason Oedipus’s name helps reinforce his actions but also his revelations when it is revealed to him that his wife/mother actually did that to him, there is no doubt that his wife really is his biological mother.
This story reminded me a lot of the movie “The Matrix.” It contains oracles and prophecies. Most importantly though both texts contain one main character that must sacrifice themselves for the good of their civilization. In “Oedipus,” Oedipus must exile himself in order to rid the city of Thebes of the plague and hard times that is prevalent. In “The Matrix,” Neo must sacrifice himself and put himself in harm’s way in order to save the whole world.
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