Miscommunication In Castaway

Seth McGlothlin

English Language Arts II

Mr. Johnson

5/6/2015

Castaway Essay: Rough Draft

Intro:

Castaway is a movie about a Fedex worker who boards a plane that ends up crashing in the Pacific Ocean. The protagonist, Chuck Noland faces many struggles and has to survive under the extreme conditions of being stranded. The movie showcases many topics but one main topic showcased in Castaway is communication and different variations of communication. Communication is using words, sounds, or other behaviors to express information, ideas and thoughts to someone else. Another type of communication is non-verbal communication; it is the act of communicating without speaking. Miscommunication is a variation of communication; Actually miscommunication is more like an antonym. Miscommunication is the failure to communicate clearly.

Topic 1: How

Chuck’s job focuses on communication
Loading Packing Vans- In the beginning of the movie, right after the kid delivers his first Fedex package, the whole team begins to load the van’s up with packages. Chuck clearly communicates what the team has to do.
Clocks- Chuck pays close attention to time, clocks are his thing
Package Delivery at the End- At the end of the movie, the protagonist goes down the same gravel road that was shown at the beginning to deliver a package.

Meeting the Wife Again-

Topic 2: non-verbal communication

Whistle- in the beginning of the movie, there is a young boy who is running a Fedex package to the protagonist. As the kid runs through a bordered area, an officer blows a whistle at the boy. Whistling is non-verbal communication but it shows that the officer wants the boy to slow down.

Honking- People are honking because they want him to move. This is not verbal but the driver is communicating that he wants the protagonist to get out of the way.

Body Language and Facial Expressions- At christmas diner, the protagonist is worried about time and time management. He does not literally say that he is worried about the time but the worried look on his face throughout the diner scene shows that he is.

Other Species- the whale doin its whale thing man, not verbal, mammal

Actions- By making a noose and tying the noose around a log it shows that he wants to

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Topic 3: Miscommunications
Honking- At the beginning, a man/ woman honked at the protagonist to get across a busy New York city street. The protagonist heard the man/ woman honking, but chose to ignore it.
Christmas Decorations- Before the protagonist leaves for the plane ride, we see christmas decorations telling us that its around christmas time. In the movie the time of year is not blatantly stated but you can infer that it is although there was no direct communication that it was christmas time.
“I’ll be right back.”- Right before the protagonist gets on the plane, he kisses his fiancee and says, “I’ll be right back.” He is actually not right back and does not return home for four years.
Conclusion: Communication is a huge part of this movie. As seen above, Castaway is a great movie to showcase all types of communication including: miscommunication, non- verbal communication, and just communication.