Hugo: A Masterpiece of Metaphor How is a masterpiece inspired? In many cases, a creator will see a problem socially and offer their work as a solution. In the case of the 2012 film Hugo by Martin Scorsese, a critically acclaimed and award-winning film, was inspired by Scorsese’s wife Helen. The wife of the genius director implored her husband saying: “Why don’t you make a film our daughter can see for once!” So, in a response to this statement by his better half, Scorsese created Hugo. Hugo is a film dedicated to the life of Georges Méliès, the inventor of special effects and one of the primary pioneers of movies. It follows an orphan named Hugo in a Paris train station, as he works to maintain the clocks and works to fix an automaton to …show more content…
One such example is represented through the use of clocks in the movie. Clocks are shown repeatedly as Hugo works to maintain and reset them to tell the correct time. Time is always moving forward, which contrasts with Hugo and his inability to successfully move past his own troublesome past. This is one of the main reasons why the movie is set in a train station; people are boarding and exiting trains constantly moving forward, while Hugo is left remaining stagnant. Clocks are also used to provide a metaphor for George Méliès, showcasing that a simple thing is actually much more complicated than initially meets the eye. Foreshadowing is also used throughout the film, with the most potent use being shown during the silent movie that Hugo and Isabelle, a friend of Hugo’s, watch at the cinema, where the character in the silent movie is hanging by the hands of a clock, just as Hugo does later on during the climax of the film to avoid detection from the Inspector. Another example of this technique is Hugo’s mentioning a film to Isabelle his father used to speak of where the moon is hit in the eye, which is later shown both by the drawing by the automaton and the film George Méliès created while he was a filmmaker. All in all, when evaluating Hugo by the criteria of metaphors and foreshadowing, it succeeds with flying colors and presents an interesting tale for …show more content…
Often they point to the box office failure as evidence to this claim. In reality, Hugo is a movie that can be watched as a child, but fully understood as an adult, and the simple plot is engaging enough to keep the attention of children who watch it. Even if the movie is able to be watched by kids, it is not truly intended for them. Papa George’s story is not an uncommon one. People lose purpose every day and a movie like Hugo can be a revelation to people in that place to not give up on their dreams and to move on from troubling pasts, both areas that even critics can agree, are
"I agree to my books being read as existential or as structural works, as Marxist or neo-Kantian, Freudianly or Jungianly: but above all I am glad to see that no one key will open the lock".
Religion can be a powerful form of indoctrination. Religion in the case of Orgon and Voltaire’s situations were used to bypass all critical thought and vetting of their respective influencers. Malice and ignorance often lead to the same conclusions, but intention is key. By aligning with their subjects’ belief systems and establishing themselves, Tartuffe and Pangloss respectively, as powers of authority could sway their subordinates. Though Tartuffe and Pangloss both have authority and hidden motives; the overall means and intentions vary in their approaches.
What makes a producer’s style unique? How does a producer’s style distinguish itself from others’ styles? In Tim Burton’s imaginative productions, Alice in Wonderland, Edward Scissorhands, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, one is able to identify Burton’s distinct style when peeling back the layers of his films. Summarizing these films, in Alice in Wonderland, a young woman is transported to the mystical wonderland, where she must defeat the forces of evil along with a journey of self-discovery. Next, in Edward Scissorhands, an unfinished project is discovered and integrated into the everyday lives of people in a nearby suburban town. The film shows how Edward, an unfinished man, tries to live an ordinary life and make deal with his attraction towards Kim. Finally, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a story of a boy from an impoverished family who has come upon the chance to visit Mr. Wonka’s candy factory. In these three films, Burton’s cinematic style can be depicted through his frequent use of front and back lighting and low angles to show the opposing forces between good a...
To what lengths would you go for a loved one? Would you destroy something in hopes that it would save them? That 's what Lyman Lamartine did in hopes to fix his PTSD afflicted brother. "The Red Convertible" was written by Louise Erdrich in 1974 and published in 2009 along with several other short stories. Lyman, and Henry, are brothers. The story starts by telling us about how the two brothers acquired a red convertible. Henry ends up being drafted into the Vietnam War, and comes back home suffering from PTSD. One day the pair decided to take a drive to the Red River because Henry wanted to see the high water. Ultimately, the story ends with a cliff-hanger, and we are left wondering what happens to the boys. The symbolic nature of the red convertible will play a key role in this literary analysis, along with underling themes of PTSD and war.
As the era of literature slowly declines, the expert critiques and praise for literature are lost. Previously, novels were bursting at the seams with metaphors, symbolism, and themes. In current times, “novels” are simply short stories that have been elaborated on with basic plot elements that attempt to make the story more interesting. Instead of having expert critical analysis written about them, they will, most likely, never see that, as recent novels have nothing to analyze. Even books are beginning to collect dust, hidden away and forgotten, attributing to the rise of companies such as Spark Notes. An author deserves to have his work praised, no matter how meager and the masses should have the right to embrace it or to reject it. As much of this has already been considered, concerning Les Misérables, the purpose of this paper is to compare, contrast, and evaluate Victor Hugo’s use of themes and characterization in his novel, Les Misérables.
With his down-the-rabbit-hole approach to design and obsessive attention to detail, Wes Anderson, writer, director and auteur, is best known for his highly stylized movies. His extremely visual, nostalgic worlds give meaning to the stories in his films, contrary to popular critical beliefs that he values style over substance. Through an analysis of his work, I plan to show that design can instead, give substance to style.
Foreshadowing is an important literary device and is necessary to almost all forms of writing. It promises many actions and situations that create a more interesting story. If spectators are not prepared for unpredicted events, they will feel tricked. One type of foreshadowing adds suspense for an undeceiving future action or event. Another uses hidden hints or misleading information to set up for a plot twist.
In Herman Melville's novel Moby Dick foreshadowing is used often referring to the characters fate. The following three specific examples of foreshadowing that lead to the main theme of the story, death. The three examples are; Ishmael's realization, Elijah’s prophecy, and Fedallah’s prophecy.
Symbolism is what makes a story complete. In "The Great Gatsby" Fitzgerald cleverly uses symbolism. Virtually anything in the novel can
There are many examples of foreshadowing that helps the story have dramatic shadowing. Foreshadowing is an indication of a future event, that helps create suspense in a mystery novel. All the foreshadowing that Christie presents is giving the reader hints to predict the incoming events, and creating exciting anticipation. An example of foreshadowing that is presented is when Fred takes the visitors to the island. He says “Can’t land on Soldier Island when there is a
Symbolism is commonly used by authors that make short stories. Guin is a prime example of how much symbolism is used in short stories such as “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” and “Sur.” In both of these stories Guin uses symbolism to show hidden meanings and ideas. In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” there is a perfect Utopian city, yet in this perfect city there is a child locked in a broom closet and it is never let out. A few people leave the city when they find out about the child, but most people stay. Furthermore, in “Sur” there is a group of girls that travel to the South Pole and reach it before anyone else, yet they leave no sign or marker at the South Pole. Guin’s stories are very farfetched and use many symbols. Both “Sur” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” have many symbols such as colors, characters, objects, and weather. The four types of symbols that Guin uses help the readers understand the themes in her short stories. Although her stories are farfetched, they need symbolism in them or the reader would not understand the theme; therefore the symbols make Guin’s stories much more enjoyable.
One example of foreshadowing is: “i'm sure he would have become a famous painter if he had continued with his art into adulthood”. The line was foreshadowing K’s death early into the story, adding a bitter tone to the seemingly nostalgic flashback. Foreshadowing shows that the author still feels regret for K’s death, and that if the wave had not ended K’s life, he could have grown up to become a famous painter. “But something ominous about them-something like the touch of a reptile's skin-had sent a chill down my spine”. This statement foreshadows the tragedy to come, it has an eerie tone. Some may that foreshadowing has no effect to the text, however, without it the tone of the story would change and would be deprived of suspense and fear. The use of foreshadowing adds suspense and strikes fear into the audience as the book leads up to the tragedy of K’s
Effectively using these elements in a piece of literature enhances the reader’s curiosity. One prime example of such usage of these elements is seen in Kate Chopin's writing. Her use of foreshadowing and use of emotional conflicts put into few words in the short piece "The Storm" adds an element that is alluring, holding the reader's interest. In this short piece of literature, a father and son, Bobinot and Bibi, are forced to remain in a store where they were shopping before the storm, waiting for the storm to pass over them. In the meantime, the wife and mother, Calixta, whom is still at home, receives an unexpected visit from a former lover named Alicee. The two have an affair and the story starts to come together. The story shows us how we tend to want what we beli...
For example, Poe uses the chimes of the clock as a symbol that time is passing by, “chimes of the clock yet rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale and that the more aged and sedate passed their hands…(2).” The content that this quote holds can help the reader make a prediction that people's lives that are within the room are starting to drift away; moreover, the clock is also seen as an archetype in the story because it symbolizes the most tedious part of life; when one becomes decrepit due to the fact that one is growing old. Poe incorporates verbal irony in order to make the story more beguiling to the reader. For example when Poe states, “but the mummer had got so far as to assume the type of red death (4).” This quote gives an example on how the author uses verbal irony in order to tell the reader the literal meaning of how the people were assuming how the Red Death looked like
Mary Shelley in her book Frankenstein addresses numerous themes relevant to the current trends in society during that period. However, the novel has received criticism from numerous authors. This paper discusses Walter Scott’s critical analysis of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in his Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine Review of Frankenstein (1818).