The film “Meek's Cutoff” is a great movie that will not appeal to people seeking excitement and thrills, nor will it satisfy people who want everything spelled out for them or who need to have the dilemmas of the characters resolved. We watch these pioneers’ struggle against the trackless wilderness without explaining anything about them or their ultimate fate. What the movie said to me was that the pioneers are moving through life without all the information they need and with no guarantees that they will have the outcomes they want. “Meek's Cutoff” puts you into a reality that we have never experienced, but the way it’s filmed makes you like your apart of it. This reality has struggles and dilemmas. These pioneers are vulnerable during …show more content…
their travels, they are camping in unknown areas, gathering materials and read the Bible. “Meeks Cutoff” is the first western film that I've seen that shows the true reality of being or riding a wagon. The pioneers were dirty, dehydrated, getting sunburned and cold. Attacks by Indians were the least of their concerns; wagons breaking and dehydration were. The pioneer families soon realize that they are lost and that they have come too far to go back. The families do not trust their guide Stephen Meek, they think that Meek has no idea where he’s going because he is vague about how long the journey will take and where lakes and rivers are. The first time we see an Indian he is by himself with a horse. He was following them but, kept his distance while watching them. The Indian is shown in a different way, not like in any regular Western. there were not any violent closeups of the Indian that are shown in many Westerns. This Indian keeps to himself and observe’s them, We don't know what he's thinking. The pioneers are a small, helpless group, that run on their hopes and fears of finishing this journey.
Imagine what it would be like to travel in a wagon hoping you do not run into problems and hoping you find your way. The wagons do not stand a chance to the rough grounds and hills. “Meek's Cutoff” is an experience and not just a movie. the pioneers have a lack of confidence in each other, but mostly in Meek and the Indian, the people they decide to trust. In a way the pioneers were brave and very hopeful for this dangerous journey. While I agree that the film was slow and that the dialogue was difficult to hear, I watched with subtitles, there are some really cool things about this film that I really liked. This is probably one of the most realistic films I have ever seen in terms of reflecting what life was really like for settlers during the time period depicted. I loved the beauty and sparseness of the scenery and I thought that the long periods of silence actually helped allow the viewer to experience the visual aspect of the film without having to constantly listen to people talk. I liked the conversations in complete darkness, I thought they were a really neat touch that added to the realism. Without the use of electric lights, complete darkness is what the characters would have experienced in real life and I like the way that was brought to the screen. It cuts through the artificiality typically present in film by not making special allowances for the film viewers, like having lighting when it would normally be pitch
black. The culture and language clash between the white settlers and the Indian guide is also very well depicted. the Indian guide does not speak English and does not appear to make very many attempts to purposefully communicate with the settlers. He seems more interested in his own internal world than with anything the settlers are doing. Is he crazy or lost or is his unusual behavior only able to be understood in the context of his Native American culture. This film is definitely not a regular western. If you do not mind watching movies with a slow pace and embrace the realism and accuracy that the director appears to be going for, you might just enjoy this film. It starts out as a mystery, it remains a mystery. Meek’s cutoff leaves you thinking about the ending a long time afterward.
The day is unlike any other. The mail has come and lying at the bottom of the stack is the favored Outside magazine. The headline reads, “Exclusive Report: Lost in the Wild.” The cover speaks of a twenty four year old boy who “walked off into America’s Last Frontier hoping to make sense of his life.” The monotony of the ordinary day has now vanished from thought as Jon Krakauer’s captivating article runs through the mind like gasoline to an engine. The article is not soon forgotten, and the book Into the Wild is happened upon three years later. The book relates the full story of Christopher Johnson McCandless and how he left his family and friends after graduating college in order to find himself. Krakauer based the book off of his article on McCandless that was printed in January of 1993. From the time of writing the article to the printing of Into the Wild, Krakauer was obsessed with the tale of the boy who rid himself of society and later turned up dead in the Alaskan frontier. In the foreword of Into the Wild, Krakauer describes McCandless as “an extremely intense young man [who] possessed a streak of stubborn idealism that did not mesh readily with modern existence” and who was in deed searching for a “raw, transcendent experience” (i-ii). Krakauer is correct in assessing this conclusion about McCandless. This conclusion is seen throughout the book in many different assessments. Krakauer uses logical appeal, a comparison to his own life, and assumption to bring about his assessment of McCandless’ life.
“It is your evil that will be sought by us.” This is exactly what Connor and Murphy set out to do. Fueled by their religion, they set out to rid Boston of evil. The twin brothers seem to be unstoppable. One F.B.I. agent is going to make it his job to stop them. The Boondock Saints is a movie about religion, family, and vigilante justice.
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011) is a 1 hour and 40 minute documentary that observes the black power movement in American history. This film is directed by Swedish director Goran Hugo Olson and has detailed footage that was shot during the 1960s and 1970s by Swedish journalists. The footage largely focuses on the black power movements. The film allows viewers to not only grasp a better understanding of this movement but allows us to understand why this movement appealed to Swedish journalists. The Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 includes vintage interviews with Stokely Carmichael, Bobby Seale, Angela Davis, Huey P. Newton, and other prominent leaders during the Black Power Movement. The documentary also contains contemporary audio interviews and commentaries from various entertainers, artists, activists, and scholars, including but not limited to: Harry Belafonte, Talib Kweli, Melvin Van Peebles, Erykah Badu, Abiodun Oyewele, and Questlove from The Roots.
Having been educated at Harvard and University of Iowa, and having served as a lieutenant in Vietnam (Twenty12fttrees, 2010), he brings research and experience together creating a soul-searching composition in Mountains Beyond Mountains. He is well versed and extremely credible having dedicated so much time immersing himself in the midst of Farmer’s journey. Not only does he take time to review and research Farmer’s published work, he travels across time and space, embracing details that make readers feel as if they are actually there.... ... middle of paper ... ... Works Cited Kidder, T. (2004).
When McCandless wanted to go “Into the Wild” he already had experience on his own. The summer before college began, he took a journey all by himself, he proceeded to get lost and almost starve to death, but returned home safe. “This time might’ve been different”, “He knew the risks”,
Near the end of both stories, the authors show us the desperate emptiness of a life near finished without the fruit of its labor, and the aggravation of the old restless mind that cannot find peace. Throughout the stories stark images of desperation show the lives of the two main characters at a point when they have realized the futility of life.
His yearning, in sense, was too powerful to be quenched by human contact. The succor offered by women may have tempted McCandless, but it paled beside the prospect of rough congress with nature, with the cosmos itself. And thus was he drawn north, to Alaska” (66). These clear and intelligent principles of McCandless’s achievable attitude maintained his decision to endeavor into the wilderness because it displays that he was allured to it because of the gratification it would deliver him, one that could not be satisfied by a mere human. Krakauer shifts to his comparisons of other travelers before McCandless. “Reading of the monks, one is moved by their courage, their reckless innocence and their urgency of desire. And with that one can’t help but think of Everett Russ and Chris McCandless,” (Krakauer 97). The author declares this in order to exemplify a similarity of individuals who were in comparable situations like Chris and took the same
In today’s society, people are taught to conform to the masses in order to fit in; however, it is imperative that one’s individuality is maintained, as it preserves their identity and encourages uniqueness. For example, in the song, “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends”, Phil Ochs discusses the social norm where people are too afraid to stand out, often times, leading them to pay little to no attention to the wellbeing of others. Instead of adhering to their own judgment and moral values, the person in the song continues to abide by the notions of the rest of the group. In addition, in “The Dying Girl that No One Helped”, Loudon Wainright describes the brutal murder of a young 28 year old women, while over 38 of
In this movie, one may observe the different attitudes that Americans had towards Indians. The Indians were those unconquered people to the west and the almighty brave, Mountain Man went there, “forgetting all the troubles he knew,” and away from civilization. The mountain man is going in search of adventure but as this “adventure” starts he finds that his survival skills are not helping him since he cant even fish and as he is seen by an Indian, who watches him at his attempt to fish, he start respecting them. The view that civilization had given him of the west changes and so does he. Civilization soon becomes just something that exists “down there.”
By the end of the novel Steinbeck illustrates the fragility of dreams by having many of the characters' dreams shattered. Still, even if dreams are often not realized, the book shows that men's aspirations give the strong drive to change the world and our lives for the
...can be a life-changing experience. McCandless entered the wild as an overly confident hitchhiker and left as a self-accepting and humble man. He thought that human relationships were futile, he was impervious to materialism, and that he could understand nature on a scientific level. However, McCandless left the wild with a newfound appreciation for humanity, some clarity on his purpose in life, and the ability to create his own legacy. Many people finish reading Into the Wild and form negative opinions about McCandless’ reckless behavior. However, it is important to focus on how being in the wild brought McCandless closer to understanding himself. Into the Wild should motivate humans to participate in explore the wilderness to discover the true meaning of life.
In the Novel The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, survival becomes the biggest quest to life. The novel is set to be as a scene of isolation and banishment from people and places. The author uses the hidden woods as a set of isolation for the characters, in which creates the suspense of traveling to an unspecified destination near the shore. Cormac McCarthy creates a novel on the depth of an imaginative journey, which leads to a road of intensity and despair. The journey to move forward in an apocalyptic world transforms both of the main characters father and son tremendously as time progress. In particular, the boys’ isolation takes him from hope to torment, making him become fearful and imaginative. The images indicate that McCarthy’s post apocalyptic novel relies on images, particular verbal choices, and truthful evidence to how isolation affected the son emotionally and physically.
While on a recent carefree jaunt throughout Harlem, I was introduced to the lyrical genius of one “Big L.” As is common of all true artists, Mr. L passed before his time, but not without a legacy. You see, it is the will of the Almighty Himself that I elucidate the meaning of Mr. L’s first major work, “Put it On,” in order for it to be made accessible to the common man and the upper crust alike, so that this truly majestic piece may live for eternity in the bosom of humankind. To this end, I have composed a line-for-line translation of the complex, sophisticated diction, which, I expect, will henceforth serve as the standard through which all scholars will study this master of the English language.
Accommodating for lost time can be a struggle, however education is the perfect key to allow a human a better diagram for survival in this world. Mortal Man is full of the reality that is blinded to society, because they have been confused by the experience of the struggle. Comparing two poems written within the song titled Mortal Man by the rap artist/ poet, Kendrick Lamar, provides an opportunity to engage in the Burkean Parlor; discussing the experience of the struggle and the proper way to survive through it. There is credibility of the struggle without mistakes of not knowing how to deal with the initial interaction; mistakes do not always lead to success; it is just an excuse to repeat history. Kendrick Lamar’s work provides evidence
It is so hard to become a rapper. But it is harder to become a Great Rapper. I believe Tupac is a great rapper. Not only a great rapper, but the greatest rapper. Like Snoop Dogg had said, “Tupac was many different things at once. Hardheaded and intellectual, courageous and afraid, revolutionary and….oh yeah, don’t get it f***ed up, gangsta.” To be a great rapper, you must have impact, commercial success, be good at song writing, a lot of performances and live shows and lastly, hella good rapping. The first song I heard from tupac was “ambitions az a ridah and all eyes on me” and it was real original so I went and listened to ‘Brenda got a baby’ which made me think “dammmmm he good, he good as hell”