The movie “Blind Side” written by John Lee Hancock is an extraordinary film based on a true story. This film is about a family “the Touhys” who take in an adolescent boy with no place to go. They embrace the young man “Michael Oher” with open arms into their home and lifes. Through the movie Hancock shows the relations growing between Oher and his new acquaintance while he also leaves a bad past behind. The film incorporates powerful emotions, awesome characters and the real life of Michael Oher to seduce its viewers.

                Powerful emotions are put into this film when a bond between the upper class Touhys and a young, homeless and gentle hearted Oher grow into one family. The relationship begins while the Touhys were on the way home from a Wingate school recital and saw a boy they recognized from school walking on a cold and rainy night. Being Christian believers they could not let Oher stay in the cold, so Leigh Ann Touhy insisted he stay at their home. The Touhys find that Oher as a bad past, although its not because of what his done but in his misfortune of a childhood. All members of the Touhy family see the potentially respectful attitude in Oher and take a-liking to him. The rest of the film goes on to show how seriously the Touhys took Oher as a member of their family. With after just three months the Touhys even go as far as adding Oher in the Christmas family photos.

          Hancock brought ideal characters like Saundra Bullock and Quinton Aaron to play the rolls of Ms. Touhy and Michael Oher. Both of these actors bring a real mother and son relationship to life in the film. The sensitivity Bullock “Leigh Ann” shows for her son “Oher” is an uncanny award winning performance. Many times in the film her eyes fill with anger when her newly adopted son is mistreated or talked badly about, which the viewer can sense as a realistic characteristic of a mother. Another oscar worthy performance given by Quinton Aaron, which portrays a boy abandon by his mother. He puts out an act which begs the viewers to feel the pain of abandonment his character goes through in Oher’s real life. Besides the two actors best played by Bullock and Aaron, all actors fit their rolls perfectly to the standards of their real life characters.

          In just a short period of time the real life of Oher goes through drastic changes at the age of seventeen. Oher in just a few months gets excepted into a Christian private school, meets a new family and also begins his first real educational experience. The touhy family provides oher with his own bed, which his replies to Leigh Ann Touhy (Mother) that he had never had a bed. They get a private tutor to assure oher get his grades up primarily to play sports at Wingate. Along with the love Oher felt from the family he also gains a sense of direction which lead him to play football, another new experience in Oher life. The size and athletic abilities Oher process naturally lead him to be successful in an on going career taking him to the NFL.

           The “Blind Side” can hit many people next to home. All it takes is a person with a heart to feel that this film is one of the best! To think of how this Touhy family went out of their way to help a complete stranger and see what he had become is nothing more then astonishing. To know that this is a true story is absolutely amazing. To realize that there are good people that could take in a complete stranger of a different race and show the love they did to this young man should be recognized. This film goes to show that good deeds are not over looked. Who knows what could become from your good deeds?

Not human

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King writes to fellow clergymen to provoke action. King’s letter states the situation of oppression his brothers before him in Birmingham had endured. The letter was an urgent distress call to his Christian brothers and sisters known as Clergymen. He uses the letter to gain sympathy, support and results from the Clergymen in order to abolish segregation.

            The Clergy at this time were under the impression police in Birmingham were “just” to the Negro people during their peaceful demonstrations. In King’s Letter he reaches out for sympathy. King’s letter points out that his people were in peaceful demonstration and approached with hostel, brutal and physical beatings by law enforcement. Dogs attacked the women, children and elderly people who supported King. He had hoped that his Christian brothers would understand what unjust treatment they are going through and why King encourages the clergy to intervene and join the movement.

            In Kings hopes of support, he suggested to the Clergymen why they should be against the violence in Birmingham. In the letter King wrote “I felt that the white ministers… would be among our strongest allies. Instead, some have been outright opponents”.(232) Being from the Christian brotherhood he felt that they would know right from wrong when it came to oppression after what the Christian religion has been through time and time again. King felt that the influence of the white clergymen involved in the black movement would help to abolish racism.

            King needed results! As a leader and a strong image of hope for the entire black community, King used his letter as an illustration to the clergymen to urge or demand immediate action. Action that would produce results in Birmingham, that would perhaps prevent cruel police tactics at its least expected result. The time to break segregation laws in Birmingham was crucially needed. Furthermore, the Clergymen’s influence could have ceased police brutality to a bare minimum.

            With nothing but a paper and a pen, King, while incarcerated, wrote a letter which effected the future of his race forever. Dr. King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” has been heard by ears around the world. King’s charismatic letter was without a doubt a “slap in the face” to the Clergymen in order to gain sympathy and support from them. Shortly after, all America heard of the unjust treatment of the Negro race in Birmingham. King wrote, “Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever”. (230) King suggests that this is a common lesson we have learned throughout history. People cannot be tied down forever. After long suffering, sublime courage and amazing discipline, King and his people one day were able to enjoy God given and constitutional human rights.

 

Media

Media targets everyone especially women . The media has a thousand tricks to get you to buy their vision.

First the media targets men and women’s home lives and finally they target women’s bodies themselves

Media targets men with these ridiculous beer ads which say…

 I can agree with the writer on many terms on how media attacks both women and men. I would have to say i expected a lil more of were or how they attack and through other forms of media besides commercials …

shaffnersroundtable:

 

Food Inc. is a documentary that is out to reveal the current state of American food industries and shows the mass production of food. Shockingly, this film is extremely one sided. Throughout the film there are certain things that are misrepresented and are only given an opinion from one…

 First of all, I think you’re right—it is easy to paint a giant corporation as the evil villian. That said, when it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck…While individuals and companies do have a right to protect their creations, I am not sure if genetically modified food could really be their “creation.” Also, most of the farmers they shut down, never intentionally stole Monsanto seed. They were simply unluckly enough to be neighboring a farm that did use the seed. Wind here is the real culprit. Saving seeds may be illegal, but it also used to be illegal to teach a slave how to read. I believe King would consider the seed law to be unjust. My point is that legality or illegality is not the same thing as right and wrong. Despite what I have said, I don’t think it does any good to paint the company as evil. Monsanto is doing what they are supposed to do—make money. That is their only consideration. Perhaps, we, as a nation, need to rethink that priority.

 To compare the reproduction of seeds to the oppression of negros education to me seems to bit harsh of a point over view! However, the issues do appear to be relevent in the ways of not giving fair oppertuinity to the person who should have civil rights. the case pointed out from the writer I do find agreeable, because if i were to create something that would be reproduceable I to would patend my product to be sold through me only, in hopes to keep my busy running…

shaffnersroundtable:

Christopher told Vikus that he would be back for him in three years. What do you think will happen when he comes back?

 I’m thinking that the aliens will come back with venagents and America will have to out our guns to help fight that war. Wheather we as Americans would of handled that situation like they did,

Media influence on fashion seems to appear every and anywhere people go today.  From the gym’s to the fast food drive thru’s media is a strong influence. Media seems to affect the way we feel about ourselves and our personality. You could almost lose confidants in one’s self by not upholding these media appearance standards. Media, through TV, magazines and movies have altered what we drive and what we eat, how we look and how we act and how we feel about ourselves placement in society.

TV commercials and magazine ads seem convinced that what they sponsor and publish is the only way to get into society. We see all the newest vehicles with high prices portrait as whats needed to fit in, when only a wast population possess the finances to purchase these cars, trucks and mini vans. Is it possible media just wants to show its audience whats available or does it give the impression that people are not as good a person because they drive a 5 year old car. I also believe people make health choices with the influence of medias help as far as enjoying a full three coarse meal or stick to a salad. The decision consists of thin and fit in or regret an enjoyable meal because the extra pound media’s fashion say is unacceptable.

People chase this ideal personality media says is sexy, hot and healthy. We try to look like the “in trend,”which in 2010 seems to be a cold vampire sense style. Does this look and attitude really attract us or do we want so badly to fit in that we alter our true and natural feelings to please other people? It is this same vampire look known as “heroin” media also jesters is healthy, when if you were to just hear the word, -heroin-,  the last thought for most would be healthy if ever at all. Along with the cold, so called sexy, vampire style come an additional which could almost be unsociable except with other vampire styled compadres.

So wear does the media market place people with or without the style that is in or out. In a collaboration of short stories called, 50 essays, Susan Bordo explains media’s strengths as she wrote “this ideal of the body beautiful has largely come from fashion designers and models” (page 86), which I strongly agree with considering one day Calvin klien (clean cut) next day Edward Collins (vampire) because magazines say so. So does this factor into the way we feel about our selves, if we do not fit in these description of media’s thin or hot look? People often agree with media and their point of views, but is media saying the rest of the world is ugly cause we all don’t look like media says we should. Some readers would argue by saying that the media is right when it suggest to aim to be fit and I could also agree with that to a curtain point, however when the implication is the fashion in magazines is the only manner of respectable living I alter my perception of what is right and what is simply not fair.

Being a younger adult in society I would most definitely disagree with what all the fashion media through TV, magazines and movies says is sexy. All to often commercials feature women so thin they look fragile and not attractive to myself. I don’t believe media should imply that you as a person is not beautiful, handsome or worthy of a high self confidence just because you don’t see your own body style on TV. I think media should open its variety  not shut down one style or another, but reach out to shapes styles and attitude to comport all people. I believe that would bring in a new barrier of civilization t where everyone is happily excepted.