Originally written for the motion picture “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” this masterpiece reaches me on a variety of scales ranging from my deepest desires to simple everyday lessons to live by. The amiable tune that is heard throughout the song and the lyrics commence with provoking that the world is a deep, vast place full of disappointments. Fortunately, I perceived it to show the ugly before the good and gradually ventures into hope and optimism. There are many lessons that are interwoven in the tone and the instrumental choice of this song and give me a great sense of motivation towards future events and how I am able to handle whatever conflicts arise. A theme that I picked up on throughout the song was that every problem is followed by a solution. Many of these problems reached me on a personal level as problems that I’m currently experiencing, and also solving. An exceptional amount of important life decisions are being made presently and some may not go my way, which I have to accept. Jose Gonzalez makes it clear in this song that many …show more content…
My initial thought was that there is no escape from the life that you’ve been given. Then I considered the opposition and realized that it could mean that the life expected of you doesn’t have to start until you’re truly prepared. In other words, you’re not missing out of major life events just by taking a route that seems different or impossible. I have been seeking a real adventure in my lifetime whether it’s backpacking through the Alps, or experiencing a new culture so unlike I’ve ever experienced. This lyric reminds me that I am in power of my decisions and that there isn’t an ordained path laid out for me. What some may call a “real life” of going to college, getting a job, getting married and having kids can’t be taken away or lost. This is very inspirational for me to follow what I think is the best path for me in the present and lead to a better
O. Henry once said, “The true adventurer goes forth aimless and uncalculating to meet and greet unknown fate.” The poem goes a lot a deeper than the words on the page, the items and decisions within it really make you see things differently. Three symbols really stuck out to me; adolescence, sadness, and timelessness.
To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life”.- Walter Mitty (Movie). Life is about finding yourself, each other, and being true to one’s self. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is an extremely original and creative story written by James Thurber.
Have you ever stopped for a moment to contemplate where you are in life? If you haven’t, then take a moment right now to imagine where you are and where you would like to be. All of the actions you have taken, thoughts you have had, and the persona you convey have created the life you have lived thus far. In the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the main character Walter Mitty has a habit of daydreaming to escape his mediocre life for a more “enhanced” life where he fantasizes about a richer and more rewarding existence. Throughout the film, Walter is able to foster
In the short story, Walter Mitty paints himself as very prestigious characters such as a knowledgeable doctor, a brave man, a military captain, a millionaire, and “Walter Mitty the Undefeated” (Thurber 5). This demonstrates pathos because of the reality of his life is that he cannot even do simple tasks such as backing his car into a mechanic’s garage. Thurber expresses the sad ironic reality of his life which is that he paints himself as a hero in his daydreams but lives a boring and unsuccessful life. Thurber uses Walter’s characteristics to prove one must adventure and explore to find meaning and purpose in life. In the movie, Walter debates getting into a helicopter with a drunk pilot to find Sean’s film negative and continue his adventure or to give up and turn back to his unhappy life. When he daydreams his love interest, Cheryl Melhoff, singing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” he decides to bravely jump into the helicopter, quite literally taking a leap of faith. Although a lyric of the song reads, “Here am I floating ‘round my tin can/ Far above the Moon/ Planet Earth is blue/ And there’s nothing I can do” (Bowie). This exemplifies irony because of the story Bowie tells of the protagonist of the song Major Tom. Major Tom embarks on a journey to outer space but communication cuts off from Earth and he realizes he will never come back to his wife and to life. This
This poem describes the worry of decision-making and the rewards of forging your own path. The subject of the poem is faced with a decision of taking the "safe" route that others have taken before or breaking new ground. He finds that making original and independent choices makes life rewarding. One poetic device is imagery described in the lines, “long I stood/ And looked down one as far as I could/ To where it bent in the undergrowth;” (lines 3-5). The imagery is used to describe his sight of the not literal two paths that he could choose. One form of figurative language used is Metaphors. This poem is attractive because is its very inspirational to me at a time where I am making a lot of important
The film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, directed by Ben Stiller, thoughtfully explores the timeless theme of identity: through Walter (played by Stiller), Stiller reminds that adversity is necessary in one’s life in order to bring about growth and change. Through the detailed presentation of the minutiae of Walter Mitty’s day, the viewer understands that he is a man stuck in a rut of existing rather than living. The film opens with images of Walter’s apartment: nothing out of place, nothing with colour, even Walter, himself, is dressed in black and white. Despite this mundane opening, there are elements of humor (an error sending a wink on a dating site and dreams of super-human rescue missions), and this accurately depicts Walter’s internal
James Thurber’s short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” has been the inspiration behind several Hollywood movies and Broadway plays, dating back to the 1940s. This story has survived the test of time and continues to relate to readers today; this is in part, I believe, due to the connection between the characters and the reader. In particular, I feel a special connection to Walter Mitty. He and I both have many similar personality traits such as being forgetful, being dreamers, and we both have suffered from low self-esteem. As an illustration, Walter Mitty is running errands for his wife, who has asked him to pick up some things from around town.
In essence, this song carries various sociological concepts. It concentrates on the main idea about the social construction of reality and talking about how reality is changing. The song questions the actions and mentally of individuals violating the norms and values of society. The band takes into consideration various factors of why it is happening including the media and religion. As a result they talk about such influences taking control building and developing a sense of self. This is a great song about present day problems and how society changes with them.
For many of us, one of the most accurate and effective ways to express the feelings that really matter to us is through music. We don’t only grow to attached to songs that are catchy, but also those with lyrics that we can relate to. It is not uncommon to feel like sometimes, artists can convey the way we feel better than we could ourselves. The storybook-like lines you read at the start of this page are a collection of lyrics
This line states that I am a person who is not afraid to take risks in life. I am open to anything new and will do it with common sense of course. I will always take the longer route and do my very best to succeed in it and show everything I got. If all that happens is I fail, I will simply learn from that mistake because there is nothing wrong with making a mistake. Mistakes are what shapes us humans and after we experience something horrible, we will most of the time regret doing it as we remember what happened the last time.
In conclusion, the Mitty motifs are the themes that include: disharmony between the sexes and males escaping routine. Another theme James Thurber includes in his work is the life as a married couple. Thurber has accomplished many great short shorties in his life, but “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” his most popular work. He has learned to live his life through his short stories, expressing his feelings in his writings. Many individuals have been inspired by his writings. James Thurber has made his mark on the world and will be forever known and never forgotten.
In our modern society, the word “hectic” cannot even begin to describe the world that we exist in. With frenzied lifestyles, most people only focus on their short term goals, completely disregarding their long term ambitions and desires. The film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty illustrates a man, Walter Mitty, who is fully absorbed in the present and rarely contemplates about the future. Nevertheless, as Mitty began to reach for his dreams and truly appreciate life, he was able to discover happiness - the quintessence in life. Through this character, Ben Stiller conveyed a message that applies to the day-to-day life of a human being: the shackles of the ordinary world must be broken in order to forge a new and more enjoyable path in pursuit of one’s dreams.
Overall, the combined use of the narrative point of view, and the theme portrayed by the juxtaposition of reality versus imaginary, symbolism, allegory, and diction all display the power behind the imagination. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” shows that the imagination is so powerful that it can not only serve as a way of escaping the hardships of reality, but as a coping mechanism.
This is a wonderful poem with many different themes and ideas. One of the biggest themes is not being afraid to take a chance. Some of the other themes include, not following the crowd, trying new things, and standing for something. This poem stated that the author "took the one (road) less traveled by, and that has made all the difference" so the author is telling the reader that we too should not be afraid to take another path.
20 May 2014. Ring, Trudy. Essay on “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.” Short Stories for Students. Ed.