A Beautiful Mind

A Beautiful Mind. Dir. Ron Howard.Perf. Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, and Ed

           Harris. Universal Pictures, 2001.

A Beautiful Mind is a true story about the mathematician John Forbes Nash Jr. Russell Crowe, playing an arrogant Professor Nash, makes a remarkable advancement in the foundations of “Game Theory,” which carries him to the brink of international acclaim. Nash struggles to maintain his hold on sanity, and his wife suspects he is suffering from schizophrenia. Nash develops a sense of paranoia, while decoding encrypted non-existent Soviet spy messages from comic books and newspaper advertisements. His illness threatens to tear apart his marriage, career, and life. In the end, he is able to gain some control over his mental state, and wins a Nobel Prize.

In this movie, Nash struggles with himself given the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. It makes him unsure of whom he is and causes his life to slowly fall apart. A Beautiful Mind combines Nash’s imagination and the world of reality illustrating one man’s struggle against great odds. His schizophrenia causes him to lose sense of himself and threatens his marriage and career, but Nash eventually finds a way to grasp his illness and something good comes from it.

The Outsiders

Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. New York: Puffin, 1997.

Ponyboy Curtis, Sodapop and Darry, are members of a group of poor teenage boys called the Greasers. They are tough boys you have lived a hard life. These boys often get in fights with another group of boys called the Socs.  One night, Ponyboy and Johnny get attacked by the Socs. When one of the Socs attempts to drown Ponyboy, Johnny comes to his assistance and stabs Bob, one of the Socs, with a knife. Scared and not knowing what to do, Ponyboy and Johnny leave the town and hide in a church. Dally comes to the church to tell them that a fight is scheduled for the next day. He also informs them that Bob's girlfriend, Cherry, is going to testify that Bob, because he was drunk, murdered himself as self-defense. They return to the church, and see it's on fire. Children are trapped inside, and Pony, Johnny, and Dally save them. Dally burns his arm and a large piece of wood fell on Johnny, breaking his back, and burning him badly. Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally are declared heroes, but a juvenile trial is scheduled for Johnny and Ponyboy. Ponyboy is reunited with his brothers, Darry, and Soda. With the fight near, Ponyboy visits Dally, and dying Johnny in the hospital, and Dally declares that they will beat the Socs for Johnny. The Greasers and Socs fight each other, and the Socs lose. The Greasers go and see Johnny to tell him the news. Johnny tells Ponyboy to "stay strong," and then dies. Dally, unable to live with the fact that Johnny is dead, freaks out, and robs a store. He is chased to the vacant lot by the cops. Ponyboy and the guys arrive, only to see Dally get gunned down by the cops.

The novel suggests the struggle of finding identity given the clash of economics and socialism. The Greasers are characterized by their physical appearance where as the Socs use their wealth. The Greasers have long, greasy hair, and the Socs, have cars jewelry, and whatever else.When Johnny kills Bob, he’d rather run then turn himself in, knowing that his testimony would never stand in court because he is a Greaser. The boys in this novel form their identity given where they stand in social status. Also, the way they look, provides them with their identity.

Imagine

John Lennon. “Imagine.” Imagine. Apple Records. 1971.

“Imagine” by John Lennon was written during the Vietnam War when the first Nixon administration and Peace Movement happened. Much of the culture of the time was centered on these activities. In the song, he is asking us to think of what the world would be like with no government, religion, and possessions. He believes in a world like that, there would be no war, hate, or poverty, only peace. With that in mind, it would shift peoples mind in creating their own identity and who they want to be. It would be a world of unique individualism brought up to one on their own doing, not one that is affected by outside sources.

Today, one forms their identity given religion, culture, government, and many other things. Without all these sources, one can actually become who they want, not having anything to influence them, such as the song suggests. Every outside source influences individuals and causes some to be similar to others. However, if these didn’t go into effect, there would be a greater range of unique individualism. 

"Imagine"

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

 And the world will live as one

Struggle For Identity

Khan, Faiza. Struggle For Identity. Shimmering For Silences. Web.

Khan’s oil painting was done to show violence against women and how women have no voice. She believes that, “if a state fulfills its commitment to ensure gender equality, many things would transform at the lower levels. Women rights are all about human rights. Men and women are equally needed to understand the responsibilities and rights of an individual in a society.” This painting shows a sad-faced woman hidden by another, signifying that women are always going to be shadowed. Once, women are treated equally, will they be given a voice and have their own identity. Until then, they will continue to be overshadowed by men.

This painting depicts that women must search for their identity by trying to make a voice for themselves. Back in the day, women were to stay at home to cook, clean, and watch the kids. They were never given the opportunity to become who they wanted to be. Today, women are treated equally as men. But they did have to work their way up there. They had to fight for it, for example, fighting for women rights. They have finally come to stand where men do, and by continuing to stick up for them, it will bring great things. 

The Namesake

Lahiri, Jhumpa. The Namesake. New York: Mariner, 2004.

“The Namesake” is a story of the hardships a Bengali couple that immigrated to the United States from Calcutta, India faced. They started living a life outside what they had previously knew. Shortly after their move to Massachusetts, their first-born son is born whom they name Gogol. The name was chosen in honor of a Russian author who “saved” Ashoke from a train accident years back. Although the name was meant to be temporary, it troubles Gogol throughout his life. “The Namesake” focuses on Gogol’s struggle to understand and accept his culture despite his American upbringing. Throughout his childhood and on, Gogol tries to escape his Bengali heritage, trying to find an identity for himself. It is after his father’s death that Gogol starts to embrace his culture.  Gogol reads the “Overcoat” to find out the significance of the name he was given. In the end, he seems to come to terms with who he is.

Gogol’s search for identity comes from having been born into a bicultural world. He struggles with combining his culture with the area he lives. He feels out of place because he wants a more “normal” name. He is greatly affected by his American surroundings that it changes the way he sees himself, and causes him to not want to be part of his Bengali heritage. He searches to come to terms with himself, and ultimately does in the end.