The film by the name ‘Groundhog Day’ got into the market in the year 1993 with its main character being as Phil Connors (Bill Murray). From the first scenes of the play, we Cleary identify that Phil is an arrogant and a self-centered man. Phil is featured in this play as a television weatherman who attends an annual event called ‘Groundhog Day’. A groundhog is a rat used to predict the weather in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Phil suffers from depression after realizing that he can’t escape covering Groundhog Day which she terms as a waste of his talent, depression pushes Phil to the extent of even trying to commit suicide to end the disturbing memory in his mind, unfortunately, and the plan does not work out. Later he starts helping those people …show more content…
who are around him and to his surprise, the bad memory disappears from him. Other major characters to be discussed are the town and a lady by the name Rita who is Phil Connors Producer. Rita is all over about the ‘Groundhog Day’, and she feels that the event would be marvelous and very enlightening. Rita waits for the event eagerly, and she greatly hopes that the interaction between him and the people of Punxsutawney city would be a lot of fun. On the other hand, our main character Phil Connors see the event as just a waste of time, and he feels that he is too talented to host such an event. He greatly undermines the event claiming that it would affect his future career, he is worried about how people would take him if they saw him in future interviewing a Groundhog. Phil cannot comprehend how a rat can predict the weather. In one of his conversations and I quote,” someone will see me interrogating a groundhog and directly judge me that I don’t have a future”. All these scenarios describe how Phil is self-centered and he feels that he is special than even his workmates. One should learn to place the needs of others just like they were his (Cranny, Eugene F, 1992). The film is about compassion, change, giving, identity, and how we live with other people. In a nutshell, the film is just a comedy of a jerk learning how to become a good person. This essay will identify and analyze how Christianity beliefs are feature in the Groundhog Day play. With the above conditions at work, Phil Connors shifts his soul from cynic to compassion.
In the play, we see him waking up and realizing that he has to embrace true spirituality. Some critics argue that the process of transformation of the weatherman follows the route followed by Lawrence Kohlberg stages of moral growth. At one scenario, we are left wondering whether Rita is right when she describes Phil as an egocentric man with other attitudes that make him a disagreeable person in Christianity. Being egocentric is a character that should be significantly shunned in Christianity. When a person realizes that he or she is egocentric, he should work day and night to drop the virtue as Christians are always there for one another. The aspect of putting yourself in the shoes of other people is highly embraced in Christianity, but you find egocentric people such as Phil just valuing themselves more than anyone in the film. He goes to the extent of even demanding a better motel to put up his night as he feels that he ought to be treated better than his counterparts. We should always appreciate the presence of other people in our lives and love them just as much as we love ourselves. In the film, it is crystal clear that Phil is tired of his current life because at one time he asks two drinking companions what they would if they were trapped in days that looked the same and nothing made sense in your life. This in itself is an indicator of a person who wants to change and move …show more content…
from his secular life to Christianity where he believes that there are brighter and different days. In Christianity, we are always encouraged that when things do not work our way, we should pray and engage in constructive activities, drinking or commuting suicide is not the solution to our problems and our life challenges. Challenges do not mean that that is the end of life. Instead, we should pray and work hard. In the film, there are Christianity aspects that we learn about, Phil tries to spark a relationship between him and Rita, in real life relationships act as a mirror of the inner parts of ourselves that we have always not revealed to the world. It is in relationships that some people reveal what they have always denied about their personality, some accept their negative feelings and learn how to suppress them so that they can maintain their peaceful coexistence. In the play, Phil has to change to win Rita’s heart, this act in itself shows that Phil undergoes a transformation of from what he thought was right to what is generally accepted (Ramis, Harold, et al., 1993). In Christianity, people are taught values that make a person admirable in the society and a person who everyone would like to have a life together. Religion is there to shape people and show them the right way of life. Another Christianity aspect revealed in the play is that, if you want to change the world, change it yourself. In the film, Rita regrets that if she had a thousand lifetimes, this shows that Rita is appreciating the fact that she has managed to pull Phil from being a cynic to being a compassionate man. Christians are always advised not to look down after other people, in this film, we find Phil referring people of Punxsutawney city as Morons, this in itself is the use of an abusive language which Christians should not do. As a Christian, one should not look down at others; it is a trait that should not be found in any Christian, therefore, in this situation, Phil act like an example to what Christians should not do. We learn that we should not use abusive language because it hurts and shows that you are a person who does not appreciate other peoples’ presence in the world. Little acts of kindness are always crucial in the life of a Christian; we should not forget the advice of Teilhard de Chardin that the source of value and interest in life is not based on doing remarkable things to others, but the simple things that we do others are what matters.
As a Christian, we should always extend a hand for kindness. In this film, the concept of compassion is exposed when he decides to purchase an insurance policy even if he still finds the guy annoying. We see a situation where Ned narrates to Rita how Phil came and bought him an insurance policy against; fire, theft, and auto, and dental, health and water damage. Ned does this as a way of revealing how he is happy with the kindness. Though Phil does not understand Ned’s life, we know that being kind can make other people feel great and appreciate living on the planet. The other lesson that Christians learn from that incidence of Phil extending his hand for kindness is that we should learn to accept others the way they are and learn to live them in the best way possible. The film also shows Christians that they should always be nice because it is not in many cases where good people are treated oppositely. On the same line, we learn that being selfish all the time becomes boring and it’s not the best way to live. The act of giving away shows that we should reciprocate our feelings to other people, we all know that we feel good when we are looked upon by others, it shows that our presence on earth is
appreciated. Phil tries to act in a sarcastic way towards Mrs. Lancaster but because the lady has always been friendly, she doesn’t understand the sarcasm of Phil and as soon as Phil realizes that, he quickly switches and treats her the way she deserves regardless of her education level. In this scenario, Christians learn that by just being nice, there is always a reward no matter the situation (Ramis, Harold, et al., 1993). The other spiritual lesson that people can learn is that it is not possible to change every situation that we come across in life, we see Phil trying to save an old man from a burning house but it all turns fruitless, and Phil learns that the man was destined to die there. In real life, there things that we cannot control or manage and they should not become a block in our lives. We should accept and move on as usual. In conclusion, sometimes our perception towards things may not be the best. Life gives us chances that teach us lessons that what we know is not what the world needs, exposure to this life situations make us change from who we were to completely new individuals. At the start of the film, we started with Phil as a very arrogant character, but at the end of the play, he is a different person. With the right company at your disposal, one can shift from worse to being a good person, the main goal of Christianity is to transform people by making them drop some undesirable values such as selfishness, undermining others, arrogance and other practices that do not make a person morally upright. Christians are different from other people because they practice some values such as kindness, caring and having a belief that there will be a better tomorrow. The film is about compassion, change, giving, identity, and how we live with other people. In a nutshell, the film is just a comedy of a jerk learning how to become a good person.
The first trait Phillip displays in the book is his naiveness. I believe so because in the first chapter on page ten, Phillip says he is “... terribly excited.” and that “War was something
Kindness can really make a difference in a person's attitude. In “A Christmas Carol”, the Cratchits and Scrooge's nephew Fred show kindness to Scrooge, even though Scrooge showed quite the opposite to them. Or in “Thank you M’am”, when Ms. Jones makes Roger food and gives him money to buy his shoes, instead of reporting him to the police. Even in “Little Things Are Big”, when Jesus decides to help people even if he has to face prejudism. These stories all show turning points, and these examples show
Groundhog Day is a film starring Bill Murray who plays Phil Connor’s, a news anchorman, who gets stuck on the repeating Groundhog Day every day. He is a man who does not appreciate things around him but he expects others to look up to him. He lives the same day while time goes on; he does not make an effort to reach out to others. Phil follows the same daily routines and does not attempt to change anything and accepts his life as it is, even though he doesn’t like it. Phil doesn’t understand the idea of the man creating his own being by experiencing life.
One example would be something as simple as watch t.v and eating dinner, this is a habit we have all done before. In this situation the t.v turns on and you see a video of starving children on your t.v screen, you take a moment of silent. After you pity the children then comes the prayer to God, thanking God that you aren’t in that situation. This is the part when your self-gratitude comes out, instead of trying to go out and help the child or even pray for the child’s well-being, where stuck praying for ourselves. We try to express gratitude by thanking God for the roof over our heads and the foods he’s provided for us today, after all that’s done we get a good feeling in our hearts, and go back to eating dinner and talking about our day while the child is still starving. This is what Barbara was trying to talk about in her article, about how everything’s becoming a “you and you” relationship We as a social aren’t really trying that hard to help other because when we see a bad situation instead of going after it and trying to make it better we tend to focus on the our lives and selfishly bring it back to us and how grateful we are that it wasn’t us, and that isn’t helping anyone get
What does it mean to have free will when one cannot choose the environment in which they live in? Because the environment in which one lives in shapes their beliefs and practices, how is it they are morally responsible for their actions and decisions when they are not in control of the environment they live in? Causal determinism is a belief that everything that happens is completely caused by whatever happened before it. Furthermore determinism implies if the conditions under which one made a choice were precisely the same, one could not have done otherwise (Kamber). While it is difficult to argue against causal determinism there is still freedom to reflect on possible alternatives before acting. Though, the question is not whether one can choose to do what they want (to follow their desire) but whether one is free enough to be held accountable for their decisions even though one can judge the importance of these desires and their place among other reasons for action (Horton www.oocities.org/emilische/free-will.doc). In the movie Groundhog Day, Phil Connors experiences the same day (Groundhog Day) over and over again. At first Phil uses this to his advantage until he discovers he is forced to stay in the same place with the same people who do the same thing every day. While Phil Connors lives in an identical situation every day and therefore a deterministic setting, does Phil have free will and is he morally responsible for his actions? According to compatibilists Harry Frankfurt, Susan Wolf, and John Martin Fischer in certain events where one “could not do otherwise” one could still have free will and moral responsibility over their actions. With the example of Phil Connors and the ideas of compatibilists Harry Frankfurt, Susan ...
Phil!,Phil!,Phil!,Phil! Dang hearing my name gives me the rush, as you all know i'm Punxsutawney Phil the cutest, fluffiest,and awesomest groundhog you have ever seen i'm for sure you already know who I am. What!? You haven't well pull up a chair and listen to my story on how I became the fabulous Punxsutawney Phil.It was a quiet day, I was getting a nice healthy snack which involved clovers, and bark. All of a sudden a very large dark figure picked me up and loaded me into some big cage. I was then in a new home it was strange were I was at I was really hot, but here the temperature has been just fine, not too hot to cold, I was inkling to see where I was still a little figure came up to see me through some weird shield I was startled due
The Dramatic Devices in Our Day Out by Willy Russell Willy Russell, the author of ‘Our Day Out’ was a playwright in Liverpool writing at a time when there was a high level of unemployment and a feeling that even with an education there was little work available. In the inner city areas there were low levels of literacy, schools attempted to deal with the disaffected students in special classes. Willy Russell grew up in Liverpool and worked in various jobs there in his adult life, so he knew what it was like. He expressed this culture of negativity in his writing, giving a ‘voice’ to these people, who he had an affection and understanding for.
In the story On Compassion, the author, Ascher, explains how no one is born with compassion and must be taught it. A homeless, black man was staring at a women’s baby in the stroller and she offered him a dollar. At first he was hesitant to take it, but eventually did. Later another man walks into an overpriced coffee shop in which the store owner handed him a bag with food. Ascher makes the readers question whether these were acts of fear, pity, or just simply out of the good of heart.
Most people feel that they should help the needy in some way or another. The problem is how to help them. This problem generally arises when there is a person sitting on the side of the road in battered clothes with a cardboard sign asking for some form of help, almost always in the form of money. Yet something makes the giver uneasy. What will they do with this money? Do they need this money? Will it really help them? The truth of the matter is, it won't. However, there are things that can be done to help the needy. Giving money to a reliable foundation will help the helpless, something that transferring money from a pocket to a man's tin can will never do.
Perhaps the most famous passages on caring for those in need is in Jesus' parable in the sheep and the goats. He says, “Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me ...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”[6] .Clearly, when we care for someone in need, we do the will of Christ.
“Those who care for others. live a life, in a divine way, above others” -Anonymous. Even as small children, we are taught to treat others as we would like to be treated, but as we grow older, the world becomes more complex, and the length to which we should stretch ourselves for others becomes unclear. Some people may believe that one must always put others first, while others put other people’s worries and safety far behind their own. Throughout this year I have gathered artifacts, some support these theories, while others do not, and a few support my own theory.
After what seems like decades, Phil finally wakes up on February 3rd, the day after Groundhog’s Day, to find that he no longer must repeat the same day and escaped from the Eternal Return. He exclaims that “Today is tomorrow!” In my opinion, Phil’s final night of experiencing Groundhog Day, proved he has fully accepted amore fatti. That night he was with Rita and told her that he no longer cares about today, tomorrow, or any day after, because he is happy and in love with her. It seems as though Phil did not seem unhappy about the possibility of repeating the day and, in fact, seemed excited to spend the following day with Rita. Nietzsche states
I am support and encouragement. Kindness is unconditional just like true agape love. True Agape Love encompasses complete love for others, even enemies, God, and yourself. When a believer illustrates this type of love to everyone, in all situations, people will take notice and see that something is different about them. When Christian's show this kind of love it sets them apart from this circumstantial and conditional world. Agape love is what sets Christians apart and shows the love of God in people daily lives. Kindness is the expression of Christ’s love and when we are kind we radiate
For instance, it was an extremely sunny day in Ghana, West Africa, and I had gone out to the well to fetch water. It was while carrying the bucket of water on my way back that I noticed my neighbor’s children fighting over the insufficient amount of food that they had to share. My family and I were not rich but from what I saw, I knew that we were better off than other people I knew. I carried the bucket of water inside the house and came back outside to call the two youngest children that were fighting over the last grain of food. I shared my food my food with them and though it was not sufficient for all, feeding the younger ones alone was better than not helping any one of them at all. There was only little that I could possibly do but by sharing, I had helped them in a great way, even if it was just for the time being.
...esult, the more directly one sees their personal efforts impact someone else, the more happiness one can gain from the experience of giving. Sometimes generosity requires pushing past a feeling of reluctance because people all instinctively want to keep good things for themselves, but once one is over this feeling, they will feel satisfaction in knowing that they have made a difference in someone else’s life. However, if one lives without generosity but is not selfish, they can still have pleasure from other virtues.