Merissa Berman March, 14,2016
Life is not always what you hope it to be, and love hope and faith is needed to experience a fulfilling life. The main character Martin in the memoir “Ghost Boy”, written by Martin Pistorius, was living a normal life, and then one day his life changed drastically. Martin was diagnosed with an illness that was unknown. He gradually began to lose control of his body, and became a mute paraplegic. In the film, The Theory of Everything, directed by James Marsh, the main character Stephen Hawking lived the extraordinary, when Stephen got mycotrophic lateral sclerosis he gradually started to lose his balance until he couldn’t walk at all. Stephen was told that he would only live two years, but he lived a long
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extraordinary life. In the memoir, and the film the protagonists persevere through difficult times by having love, hope, and faith. The memoir, “Ghost Boy”, and the film, The Theory of Everything, the main characters Martin and Stephen regain confidence to guide them to health through their journey to the power of love. For instance, Martins mother has guilt that she wasn’t able to save Martin from his illness. Martin’s mother was heartbroken, and wanted him to die because she couldn’t live seeing him being in pain. Martin’s mom would do anything for him and make sure that he getting the best care, and guidance he needs to eventually get better. When Martin shows progression his mother starts to believe in love and fate, and believes that martin will soon not feel trapped in his own body. Martin gets a communication device to give a voice to the disabled, his mother helps Martin learn new vocabulary. Martin’s father gave up everything for Martin. Martin writes, “sadness fills me too when I think of my father, who buried his ambitions, lost out on promotions and took demotions to care for me”. This quote shows that to take care of Martin he would give up his hopes and dreams, because of how much he loved him. Martin’s dad spent every day with Martin, and washed him, fed him, dressed him, lifted him, and got him up every two hours to turn his still body. Martins father at this point was the only one who truly showed how much he cared about Martin through showing the reading that he would do anything for his son whether he is disabled or not. Martin states,” I think there is always hope, no matter how small. And also to treat everyone with kindness, dignity, compassion, and respect whether you think they understand you or not.
To never underestimate the power of the mind the importance of love and faith and to never stop dreaming.” This quote demonstrates how much Martin truly appreciates all the support, and love his family is giving him in order for him to be guided to the journey of good health. Additionally, Martin’s caregiver Virna, was the first person to truly notice that there is more to Martin, then being a ghost boy. Martin exclaims, “she saw that my eyes really were the windows to my soul, and became more and more convinced that I understood what she said” This quote proves that Virna believes that Martin has so much potential to accomplish his goals in life. Shes also convinced that there is more to Martin, than being a ghost boy, and that he is capable of so much more.Unlike others Virna takes the time to get to know Martin, and make him feel like he is loved. Virna tells Martin that there are communication devices for the mute, so he could have a voice one day, and feel like he is not trapped in his own body anymore. Lastly, Martins wife, Joanna brings light to his life. Joanna doesn’t care that Martin is disabled, and loves him for his personality and honesty. Joanna makes Martins heart sore, and she would do anything for him. Joanna says “and …show more content…
because, although ive only known you for a few weeks, you’ve made me so happy. You make me laugh, youre interesting, and you understand what I say in a way no one else ever has before”(Pistorious p 196). This illustrations that Joanna is not afraid to hide his feelings towards Martin and wants to be with him for as long as they both live. Joanna is willing to help take care of Martin, and overlooks his disability. Joanna helps martin feel like there is hope for his future with a woman. Additionally, Martin dedicates half of the book to Joanna to show the reader how important love is to him. Joanna is the love of Martins life. In the film The Therory Of Everything, Stephen meets Jane before he gets ill, and Jane still wants to be with him when he gets sick. Jane states,” I want us to be together for as long as we have got, if that is not very long, well then that is just how it is”. This quote demonstrates the compassion they share, Jane is inevident and wants to be with him no matter what. Jane did everything for Stephen, she took care of him in any need that he needed, and she never gave up on him. Jane loved Stephen unconditionally for as long as she could. For instance, when Stephen first got ALS, Jane said to Stephens’s dad,” I know what you think, that I don’t look like a strong person, but I love him, and he loves me. If that is not very long, well then that is just how it is”. Jane, and Joanna are similar because they both have confidence through the power of love that their loved ones will improve each day. Stephen utters “if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is rare, and don’t through it away”. Stephen understands the importance of love, and is guided through the power of love to live a long life. Likewise, Jane has to give up her hopes and dreams, like Martins father, Jane has to rely her whole life around how Stephen is suffering and help him each day. Stephen knew that Jane loved him, but knows that she is overwhelmed and can’t take care of him anymore. The act of hope is a major role in the story. Martin needed hope in order to survive his long journey to being less of a ghost boy, and having a voice. For instance, Martin uses the metaphor,” a fork in the road”, to show his past at his care facility, and him moving towards his future to a successful life. Martin learns to enjoy life, and live each day to the fullest, by improving each day. Martin’s parents get Martin a communication device, he feels less like a ghost boy, and gains hope that he will be able to communicate, and have a voice one day. When Martin was starting to improve, his mother told him, “You’ve come so far Martin”. This quote conveys that after denying his illness, she then starts to regain hope through his successes that he could be normal again one day as he continues to progress. Martin has hopes and dreams for the future he “dares to dream”, about being a writer, and having his dreams come true. Martin learns. In the movie, when Stephen got ALS, he was told he was only supposed to live for two years, from the beginning Stephen had hope that he will overcome his illness, and be very successful in the field of science. Stephen exclaims, “There would be no boundaries to human endeavor we are all different however bad life may seem there is always something you can do, and succeed at where there’s life there is hope”. This quote conveys that you should never give up in what you think you can accomplish. When Stephen got pneumonia. Doctors said the only way he could survive was if the doctors gave him a tracheotomy, but he would never be able to speak again. Jana has hope no matter what that Stephen can outlook anything and says “Yes, he will!” this shows that no matter what Jane is determined to do the best for Stephen and doesn’t care if he wont be able to talk she just wants to be with him. Stephen tells his wife, Jane,” look what we made”, this quote show proof of hope through his children’s eyes, and a miraculous miracle, that Stephen lived for more than two years. In addition, Stephens’s caretaker Elaine could see that Stephen is a very smart boy, with potential for the future. She believes that with his communication device, Stephen will be more content, and be more outgoing. Hope is a major factor that is needed to guide a human spirit into good health. Faith, as in believing in god is a major role to both Martin, and Stephen they both believe in god, because of the miracle that they survived after all the hardships they had to face.
In the memoir, Martin believes in god as a spiritual person guiding him to improve each day. Martin feels that he is “protected and in harmony, when he talks to god.” This exclaims that Martin believes that god is always there for him to protect him, and act as his guru. Martin doesn’t care if god wasn’t real to other people, but to him although he didn’t have proof he felt deep down inside that he existed. Furthermore, Martin compares his belief in god to Indians, and their spirits related to god. In addition, Martin has faith that he will eventually be less of a ghost boy and have a voice, and to leave a message for others before he dies. In the film, The theory of everything, Stephen didn’t believe in god in the beginning, as time passed and Stephen miraculously lived more than his life expectancy he began to think that god made this miracle happen and he started to believe in god and the extraordinary. Before Stephen believed in god, he thought, “the universe had no boundaries and no god”. He thought that god was the one that made him get sick. Stephen says, “we are all different, but we share the same human spirit. Perhaps its human nature that we adapt and survive”. This quote proves that we all have different paths in life, but one has to have faith in order to live a fulfilling life.
The act of faith is needed for both Martin and Stephen to show that through the path of faith one can believe that anything is possible when god is always there for them In summary, the protagonists, Martin and Stephen experienced many hardships along the way to showing improvement, both martin and Stephen may not have such perseverance if it wasn’t for love, hope and faith. Love from family, hope that they will have a voice one day, and leave a realizable life, and faith that god is there to support them and guide them to a meaningful life. Learning about people who are less fortunate than others may be, allows the reader to feel the emotions the characters are feeling knowing that they could die if they did not improve in health. Martin and Stephens journey proves that there is more to a person and people should not judge others, even if their minds do not function in the same way as the typical human mind will function. Both characters had to experience life in a different way when they got ill, they had to learn to find other ways to communicate, and live their lives. Reading about Martins Life, and Watching what happened to Stephens life when he got ill demonstrates the message of living your life no matter what happens whether its good or bad, love hope and faith can guide a person to this goal, and help many believe that they can do anything if they set there mind to it.
He stems from a relatively stable family but unfortunately struggles with many external factors that could explain his deviant behaviour. He is a reasonably good child with no past criminal history or contact with the police before this incident. However, He does have his moments of rebellious behaviour towards his father and his family. His father described him as being a rebellious youth at home when compared to his brother and sister, he often failed to obeyed house rules and acted in a manner which was both unacceptable and disrespectful. To further add to his bad behaviour he was heavily influenced by his peers. His father also stated that he was far more focused on his friends around his neighbourhood as opposed to his studies. In summary, Martin was severely affected by his external factors such as his family disagreement, peers, and community influence had a considerable impact in shaping his current attitude towards law an
The book ghosts from the nursery: tracing the roots of violence which had been written by Robin Kar-Morse and Meredith S Wiley. Meredith S Wiley provides the person who reads an in detail look at child abuse and neglect. Morse and Wiley both discuss in detail the effects of neglect and abuse, looking at specifically at violence in children. The detail of the book is it follows a young male who is of the age of 19 years old named Jeffery, who is given the sentence of death row due to committing a murder when he was of the age of 16 years old. Jeffery’s case was a beautiful case study for the authors and audience to analyse and relate theories to. By looking at cases such as Jeffery and looking at other children who are in similar situation, both authors start to look at the honesty about the subtle and crucial years of infancy and early childhood.
Ghost Boy is the journey of Martin Pistorius through his struggles and battles of being a misdiagnosed quadriplegic. At the age of 12 he was a normal boy until he fell ill, became paralyzed, and was fully dependant on his parents and caretakers. Little did they know, Martin was fully aware of life around him. His mother and other family members faced troubles dealing with the thought that Martin would never be the same. Although he couldn’t move or communicate, small gestures led one of his care takers to believing he was still mentally “alive” even though he was diagnosed of not being able to return to his normal self when he first became sick. His parents, his brother David, and his sister Kim took him to be assessed and immediately started to help and encourage his
On 10 June 1990, a mechanic of British Airway Flight 5390 installed retention bolts that were 0.1 inches smaller than the required bolt size. He installed smaller bolts based on his experience because he was lazy to look at the service manual. As a result, the left windscreen on captain’s side blew, while dragging the captain halfway out of the plane. The captain was left hanging in the window for 20 minutes and he suffered multiple injuries. Laziness is one of the greatest enemies of humans. Many people have attempted to show the impact of laziness in various forms of entertainment likes movies, television, sports etc. One such movie was Shaun of the Dead, which shows a story of survival in a zombie apocalypse. People have contradictory views
The Exorcist is a wonderfully crafted horror film that has withstood the test of time, as some even now cannot listen to "Tubular Bells" (my fiancé's father) without having flashbacks. Even though it was made almost half a century ago, people will still cower and groan with the movie; this is how it is still a household name to this day. I enjoy this movie tremendously and believe it to be a monumental achievement of the horror genre. My opinions of this movie are vast as this is another one of my favorite movies.
He would sometimes fall while just walking, but not trip over anything. He would also catch himself slurring words when trying to have a conversation, but he kept quiet and revealed his secret to no one. Although attempting to hide his physical imperfections, his father ended up taking notice to this one day and took him to see a doctor. Stephen then spent about two weeks in a clinic undergoing numerous tests. Shortly after the age of twenty one Stephen William Hawking was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. This diagnosis meant that the nerves controlling his muscles were starting to shut down. The doctor gave Stephen another two years to live. Hawking once stated that before his diagnosis, he was becoming bored with life, but after being diagnosed, he feels like now he has things he wants to do and he really started to bury his head in his work and research. Hawking would soon realize that living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis would drastically change his
The short story, “The Dead Boy At Your Window,” is about a mother holding her stillborn baby she just delivered. The mother refuses to believe her child is dead. The boy begins to kick his legs (even though he is actually dead) and his parents take him home and raise him as a living boy. Since the boy is dead, he does not eat, grow or have hair. He also has leathery skin, a raspy voice and his parents “stretch him” to make him to make him tall, like the other children his age. The dead boy starts school when he is six years old; he looks different from his classmates and gets bullied. One day, the bullies turn the dead boy into a kite and fly him. The bullies are become bored and let go of the string, then the dead boy flies away. He flies for a long time and eventually lands in a
I enjoyed Michael’s stories and wisdom that he shared with the readers. His advice of following your dreams and happiness, accepting your fate, and the importance of learning and being curious is described in the book. His stories are entertaining and keep the reader’s attention. I think his advice can be beneficial for anyone and especially for someone starting a new journey in life. Michael is inspiring in both in how he deals with his disease and his optimism about life. I like that Michael also encourages his readers to face their fears and to follow their dreams and passions. Michael shares this valuable message throughout the book, we all face difficulties that come up in life that are not always expected, but we can play an important role in how we react to
Martin becomes frustrated knowing that he is not able to trust his own wife with any responsibilities around the house because of her intoxication, "If you could only realize how sick I am - how bad it is for all of us." He pleads with Emily and tries to calm her often, but underneath his calm and passive mask Martin’s fear and worry for his children causes him to despise Emily’s behavior. "His youth was being frittered away by a drunkard’s waste, his very manhood subtly undermined." Two events that worried Martin the most were when Emily was making cinnamon toast for the children, she accidentally used cayenne instead of cinnamon. Their son, Andy, took a bite of the toast and cried because it burned his mouth. The other mistake that Emily made was while bathing her baby, she dropped Marianne and cut the child’s fragile head on a table.
Little Shop Of Horrors Don’t panic, there’s no need to be alarmed. There’s just a bloody hungry, man-eating plant in the building. Got your attention? Great. The song we will be singing, Little Shop of Horrors, was arranged by Jay Althouse with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Howard Ashman.
Stephen Hawking is arguably the most brilliant and cunning mind living among us. His research in mathematics, philosophy, physics, and cosmology has revolutionized the way we look at our world. In addition, he writes down all of his ideas in several books making his discoveries accessible for generations to come. Born in Oxford England, Hawking attended Oxford University, The California Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, and Gonville & Caius College. During his lectures, Hawking is seen in a complex wheelchair and talking through a computer. This is due to the unfortunate fact that he suffers from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It is a terrible crippling disease that shuts down the nerves controlling the sufferer’s muscles. One’s lifespan after being diagnosed with this diseased tends to be cut quite short. Hawking was diagnosed with this disease when he was in his early twenties and was given about two years to live. He is now seventy two years old and doing fantastic. “Although I cannot move, and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind, I am free.” –Hawking. Hawking’s research and theories about the universe have been met with widespread appreciation as well as disagreement and anger. This is often due to Hawking’s dismissal of god and philosophy when it comes to the creation of the universe.
Martin had just one thing on his mind this morning, and it wasn't the Channel Five News. His special toy wasn't working, so he prepared for a day or boring tedium without release. If only something (or someone) could help him.
A determination is a driving force that helps people through rough times in their lives. Without determination, people would no longer strive for their goals. Throughout the short story, ‘Then Later, His Ghost,’ Sarah Hall shows how strength and determination can get you through these tough times. This theme is made clear through the severe setting the characters are faced with and her use of symbolism.
“Where do we come from? How did the universe begin? Why is the universe the way it is? How will it end?” This quote by Stephen Hawking, a physicist famous for his work in theoretical physics, illustrates his fascination with the universe. Hawking has been known for the development of theories about the universe, including his work on black holes and theories on the origins of the cosmos. Aside from his amazing discoveries, Hawking has a unique personal story. (Stephen Hawking's Universe) He was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a debilitating neurological disease that affects muscle control, must use a wheelchair and has to speak through a computer and voice synthesizer. Despite his physical limitations and difficulties communicating, Hawking’s research and discoveries in the field of physics have been compared to those of Albert Einstein. His ultimate goal - the understanding of the universe in its entirety – has led to many major ideas. Two of his very fascinating discoveries were the Hawking radiation and the Unified Field Theory.
Over years Hawking is developing a bad disease which made him unable to walk, he can walk but he has to use crutches and didn’t attend much lectures for his condition is taking over, he also lost his ability to write. Knowing his condition is getting worse day by day, he refused to give up and continue on with his studies and eventually was given a wheelchair to transport himself because of his ability to walk. Hawking’s discoveries and ...