Part 1: Accurate and Realistic Portrayal I believe that “What’s eating Gilbert Grape” gives a good portrayal of how someone with autism may act. In the movie “What’s eating Gilbert Grape”, Arnie is a 17 year old boy with some degree of autism. Since autism has such a broad spectrum, this movie does a good job showing how one specific person with autism may act. Throughout the entire movie the viewers can see that Arnie is different and doesn’t behave like a typical 17 year old. One big clue that Arnie has a developmental delay is in his speech. He has an underdeveloped vocabulary and very minimal grammar skills. According to the National Institutes of Health, “Some children with ASD may have delayed speech and language skills, may repeat phrases, and give unrelated answers to questions.” We can see these …show more content…
People that are diagnosed with an Autism disorder may find it difficult to understand and interpret emotions – they might lack, or seem to lack empathy with others (Richdale). For example, when Arnie is informed that his father has committed suicide, he does not cry like his other siblings. While everyone is devastated by the death of their father, Arnie continuously repeats “dad’s dead, dad’s dead, dad’s dead,” while laughing hysterically. The lack of understanding emotions can also be seen when Arnie laughs hysterically when his house and deceased mother and being burned to the ground. Arnie stands with his weeping family, while he laughs. Although I have only given a few examples, “What’s eating Gilbert Grape” does an excellent job portraying what autism may look like for one individual.
Part 2: Psychosocial Analysis In the town of Endora, the Grape family is treated like outcasts simply because of Arnie Grape. The people of Endora only see the disability when they look at Arnie, instead of seeing a person with a disability. For example, the police
While the novel Of mice and men and the film What’s eating Gilbert Grape have different plots and settings, the themes of the two stories are very comparable. The stories depict how taking care of people with disabilities is very challenging and the problems they encounter in their day to day activities. Gilbert (What’s eating Gilbert Grape) has the task of taking care of Arnie his brother and George (Of mice and men) takes care of his childhood friend Lennie. Both of this characters Arnie and Lennie have mental disabilities and rely on their caregivers in life. The responsibility of taking care of Arnie and Lennie is frustrating but George and Gilbert still love them. This paper aims to compare and contrast the novel Of Mice
What's Eating Gilbert Grape portrays a family dealing with the trials, misfortunes, and also great times of having a member with a disability. The Grape family consists of Gilbert, Ellen, Amy, Mama (Mrs.Grape), and of course, Arnie. They live in an isolated town of Endora in a house that seems to be in shambles since their father died, causing their mother’s depression and becoming morbidly obese. Considering that there is only one parent left, their family structure single parenting and trends in a laissez-faire family pattern.
After experiencing a traumatic car crash, Michelle, the protagonist of director Dan Trachtenberg’s film 10 Cloverfield Lane, wakes up in an underground bunker owned by a man named Howard. Howard claims to have saved her from a widespread chemical attack that has contaminated the air, with his bunker being the only place to take refuge for the next couple of years. Yet as the film progresses, Howard’s controlling and threatening demeanor eventually brings Michelle to escape, allowing her to come across the actuality of the situation outside the isolated bunker. Throughout the production, Trachtenberg arranges close frames, manipulates the camera’s focus, and chooses specific lighting to create an ominous tone that mystifies and disturbs viewers.
Those with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) see the world in a diverse way; teachers and adults need to recognize this. Robison gives examples of his childhood where he misinterpreted information from others including social cues, as well as instructions. He was in these situations punished either socially or academically.
This scene may sound weird to neurologically-typical (NT), or “normal”, people, but it does demonstrate the coping strategies of people with autism, as exhibited through this scene from Rain Man. Charlie Babbitt, a neurologically typical adult, does not understand how his brother, Raymond Babbitt, who is a high-functioning autistic, functions in his little world that he has created. Manifestations of autism such as this indicate to people how an autistic was seen as “like a wolf” (Pollak 258) in older definitions. Recently, though, people are beginning to understand that the problem is organic, or biologically based, as opposed to the psychogenic, or psychologically based, hypothesis of the past. With the release of Rain Man came the increased understanding of autistics and a willingness to find out what autistics are thinking, thus i...
How would you feel if you couldn’t convey your emotion? People with Asperger’s Syndrome the answer. The Curious Incident in the Night-Time (The Curious Incident) is a novel that was authored by Mark Haddon. In this novel, the narrator is a teenage boy, Christopher John Francis Boone, who is exactly 15 years and 3 months old, and he has Asperger’s. He struggles with his social ability and has an odd hatred for the color yellow. Alix Generous is a co-founder of the company AutismSees and grew up battling Asperger’s as well. This conflicts his social skills and renders him emotionless at times. The effects of being emotionally detached as a result of Asperger’s can be devastating, and also uncomfortable. But, some may be envious.
Giving others who do not suffer from autism or caregivers an insight on how the individual may be feeling and what they are going through. This book can also help numerous medical professionals such as speech-language pathologists and pediatric doctors. As Grandin stated in the book that not all sufferers act, think, and feel the same so this novel may not be beneficial to readers who are looking for information on a wide scale of individuals who suffer from the illness. She also stated that there is no cure for autism, however some medications can help with some symptoms such as depression or anxiety. What intrigued me the most about Grandin was that she never gave up and worked on her social skills. Not only did she became a spokesperson for autism, but also became a professor at Colorado State University in which both require public speaking and being comfortable in front of people.
The film “What’s Eating Gilbert Grapes” illustrates the story of a young man named Gilbert Grapes residing in a small town of Endora, Iowa, with his family. Gilbert narrates his and his family’s life while depicting his true feelings despite the actual outcomes. The family resides in the home their father built, in an area detached from the community. As the film starts, viewers learn that Gilberts younger brother Arnie appears to be illustrating behaviors that suggest mental retardation and according to their local doctor, Arnie 's life expectancy was at the age of ten. Despite the odds, Arnie had made it to seventeen and in the process of celebrating his eighteenth birthday party.
For example, our text describes two symptoms of ASD; 1. social communications and interactions 2. and limited patterns of repetitive behavior, interests, and or activities. This was all evident in the “Neurotypical” documentary. For example, Nicholas was unable to interact with girls or form relationships he believes he has nothing in common with them. Wolf suggested that autistic children are good at mimicking others and that nonverbal cues are important to watch out for. Violet, on the other hand, has a habit of repeating behaviors; she will repeat anything her parents say. In the text it also says severity of language problems vary child to child. In Violets case she does not fall under the mute category but instead she is able to speak in a few words, cry, and even laugh. Our text introduces the term for repetitive speech, echolalia. Violet tends to repeat a word or words her parents say either right away when she hears it or later
What is Autism? It’s a developmental disorder that impairs one’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Christopher Boone from the novel A Curious Incident in the Nighttime and Temple Grandin, who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry both fall on the high-functioning spectrum of autism. Even so, they do not display the exact same traits and behaviors. Whereas Grandin thinks in pictures and employs this unique gift for practical use, Christopher thinks in patterns and fails communicate his talents with others. However, they both speak their mind and have trouble understanding facial expressions and emotions.
The Grapes is a dysfunctional family who is living in the underprivileged rural area. The household consists of mother, Bonnie Grapes, who is a 54 year old jobless widow; Amy Grapes, the 34 year old eldest daughter among children, who is also still unemployed; Gilbert Grapes, the 24 year old eldest son who works at a nearby grocery shop; Arnie Grape, the younger brother of Gilbert Grapes who is autistic; and Ellen Grape, the youngest child, who is 16 years old and works at an ice-cream parlor. The two members of the family are no longer living with it including Larry Grapes who has left the family and is doing the job of a flight attendant, and Albert Grapes, who is the deceased father of the children; he committed suicide 14 years earlier.
The Grapes are a family living in a rural and economically depressed community. The members of the Grape family presently residing in the familial home consists of biological birth mother Bonnie Grape, who is unemployed and 54 years of age. Amy Grape, the eldest child, Unemployed and currently 34 years of age. Gilbert Grape, the eldest male sibling who is employed at a local grocery store and is currently 24, years of age. Arnie Grape is Gilbert’s younger brother and is presently turning 18 years of age. Arnie reaching his 18th birthday is considered to be somewhat of a triumph by the Grape family, as Arnie suffers from a debilitating medical condition that has not only kept him from achieving age appropriate developmental milestones but also threatens to shorten his life expectancy considerably. The youngest sibling Ellen Grape is currently employed at a local ice cream parlor and is 16 years of age.
Part of the disruption in communication and social interaction that occurs with many individuals who have autism can be better explained by the Theory of Mind and Executive Function Theory. These two theories are very similar in nature in that they both place great emphasis on the executive function of the mind. Executive functions are “cognitive abilities that appear to depend on the prefrontal cortex” of the brain (Pinel, 2014, p. 349). Executive function also encompasses “innovative thinking, lateral thinking, insightful thinking, and assimilating new information to update plans and strategies” (Pinel, 2014, p. 349). This is significant because the executive function of the brain can impact one’s ability to empathize and relate to others, interpret and sustain social interactions, and process new information (Williams et al, 2014). Many times individuals with autism are unable to understand and process what others are feeling. For example, they can recognize sadness or when somebody is crying, but they do not associate with it. It’s not that they don’t feel these emotions themselves, they absolutely do. However, they may have trouble connecting and relating to those feelings when they see somebody else experiencing them. This can result in difficulty in making and sustaining relationships with
...ntally disabled people prevented Lennie from being trusted and be respected as a human being. In this novel, discrimination that Lennie had to face prevented him from showing his abilities.
Autism is a form of neurodevelopment disorder in the autism spectrum disorders. It is characterized by impaired development in social interactions and communication, both verbal and non-verbal. There is an observed lack of spontaneous acts of communication; both receptive and expressed, as well as speech impairments. A person diagnosed with Autism will also show a limited range of activities and interests, as well as forming and maintain peer relationships. The individuals will display limited interests, which are often very focused and repetitive. He or she is likely to be very routine oriented and may show behavioral symptoms such as hyperactivity, impulsivity, aggressiveness, and self-injurious behaviors.