Compare And Contrast The Friendly Persuasion

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She had always fussed at her son for never being able to draw a straight line. After all, he was an artist’s son. But now as she sat watching the EKG, she prayed for him to make one more bump in that straight line. While this story is short, it carries with it a strong message like most books and movies. The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West conveys the same theme, life is short; enjoy the little things. The Friendly Persuasion was written by Jessamyn West while she was recovering from Tuberculosis. The book follows Jess and Eliza Birdwell as they face life’s everyday challenges and grow old together. The Friendly Persuasion movie was filmed in 1956 and directed by William Wyler. It documents how the Birdwell family stayed true to their convictions during the American Civil War. The book brings out its theme, life is short; enjoy the little things, through Jess Birdwell admiring the little things, Eliza finding hope through death, and Jess realizing money and flowers are not as important as the joy the can bring to the people you love while the movie reveals its theme, stay true to your convictions, through Josh’s physical and internal struggle and Jess’s moral struggle. Although the movie and the book share the same title and inspiration, these are two completely different works of art that convey their themes in differing but effective ways. …show more content…

Caleb was participating in a “friendly wrestling” match but tapped out when he thought he hurt someone. Caleb and Josh are then confronted by gamblers who bet on Caleb to win the match. The gamblers then start to heckle them. Wyler uses this physical struggle at the fair to symbolize the internal struggle of knowing when violence is justified. Caleb and Josh chose to not fight back and stayed true to their convictions. Wyler uses big picture scenes to portray its theme

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