The Way Way Back Critical Essay
The comprehension of the influences of context, allows us to take the lessons and mistakes of our past, and shape it into a better future. This analysis gives us the opportunity to use past experiences, and learn from them. Know of the mistakes and lessons of the past gives us the opportunity to better oneself, and shows us that living in the past will do us no good. Moving forward in life and understanding the mistakes of the past will only help your future, but if you refuse to move forward, and to be isolated in the past; it will only isolate and push you further from society more.
The title of “The Way Way Back” gives some insight into what will happen in the future of the movie. This title gives the idea that the protagonist is stuck in the past, and can’t move forward. Throughout the start of the movie you are introduced to 2 main characters, the protagonist Duncan, and this antagonist Trent his mother’s
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In the movie “The Way Way Back”, we learn about a young boy by the name of Duncan that seems to be trying to relive his past instead of moving forward. We learn about Duncan’s aggressive mother’s boyfriend Trent; Trent seems to be forcing Duncan into more of an isolated space then he already is. Throughout the movie though we watch and learn more about the development of Duncan, and him starting to move forward instead of being stuck in the past. At the end we learn that Duncan has turned into this bright, outgoing, young man and is starting to stand up for himself a little more. This development of this character gives us some insight on how we should learn from the mistakes of our past and always be trying to move towards the future. Being as isolated as Duncan was depicts that, moving forward is essential in life and that being stuck and trying to get back to the past will only isolate you
Peter N. Stearns quotes, “History provides a terrain for moral contemplation” (Why Study History?). In other words, learning history gives individuals a chance to test her or his moral sense. Stearns also quotes, “A study of history is essential for good citizenship” (Why Study History?). This implies that it stimulates a young persona’s interest for national identity and patriotism. Furthermore, Marcus Geduld states, “learning from the past can sometimes help us improve our chances of survival and happiness in the present and future” (Why Should We Learn History?). To clarify, Geduld is indicating that persons can learn from the mistakes of individuals, when they learn about history. Last but not least, as citizens in the United States, we have the obligation to learn about history for the persistence of
Watching a film, one can easily recognize plot, theme, characterization, etc., but not many realize what basic principle lies behind nearly every story conceived: the hero’s journey. This concept allows for a comprehensive, logical flow throughout a movie. Once the hero’s journey is thoroughly understood, anyone can pick out the elements in nearly every piece. The hero’s journey follows a simple outline. First the hero in question must have a disadvantaged childhood. Next the hero will find a mentor who wisely lays out his/her prophecy. Third the hero will go on a journey, either literal or figurative, to find him/herself. On this journey the hero will be discouraged and nearly quit his/her quest. Finally, the hero will fulfill the prophecy and find his/herself, realizing his/her full potential. This rubric may be easy to spot in epic action films, but if upon close inspection is found in a wide array of genres, some of which are fully surprising.
To fully appreciate the significance of the plot one must fully understand the heroic journey. Joseph Campbell identified the stages of the heroic journey and explains how the movie adheres meticulously to these steps. For example, the first stage of the hero’s journey is the ordinary world (Campbell). At the beginning, the structure dictates that the author should portray the protagonist in their ordinary world, surrounded by ordinary things and doing ordinary tasks so that the author might introduce the reasons that the hero needs the journey in order to develop his or her character or improve his or her life (Vogler 35). The point of this portrayal is to show the audience what the protagonist’s life is currently like and to show what areas of his or her life are conflicted or incomplete. When the call to adventure occurs, the protagonist is swept away into another world, one that is full of adventure, danger, and opportunities to learn what needs to be learned. T...
The Hero’s Journey is an ancient archetype that we find throughout our modern life and also, in the world of literature.Whether metaphorical or real, the journey that a character goes on shows not only the incredible transformation of the hero but it also gives them their life meaning. It is the ultimate human experience and it reflects on every aspect of life. Take Logan, also known as Wolverine, from the X-Men movie as an example. His adventure starts with “The Call,” which is the first step of the Hero’s Journey. This step happens due to the realization of imbalance and injustice that the character has in their life. Logan steps into the first stage of the pattern but is hesitant to start his adventure because he does not know what and
Exploring the duality of memory; how we perceive the past, learning about the duality of the present; how we are constantly between the expectation of the future and past experience, as well as coming to the realization of the duality of life and death; how we are always living and dying at the same time. We are constantly in a state of suspension between dual experiences, whether they be life and death, love and loss, hot and cold, fast and slow, close and far, or past and future. There is no differentiating between them as they are all interconnected and depend on each other for their own existence. There would not be one without the other and we cannot appreciate the good without the bad. Life comes with infinite possibilities and even more ways to experience them, so we must take it all in with acceptance and appreciate the suspension act of life while we
Carol S. Dweck, a social psychologist and a writer, explores that people who gain benefits from learning from their mistakes are more likely to develop to maturity. A mistake is a step toward success and if one makes changes and prevents his errors from happening he is a step closer to his success and able to grow up to his mature self. Agreeing with Dweck, by learning from mistakes people are taught through experiences and it helps to deeply imbed the knowledge into them. Therefore, People begin to aware their faults and start off to change themselves into mature person to be able to fit in the adult society. Adulthood is the experience every living person has to encounter. Growing up to maturity means having
The past is there for us to learn from and rethink how we're going to take our wide steps into the future. Ambition and determination are key elements needed in achieving your goals. Nathan McCall goes to hell and back, just to go to hell and back again in every stage of his life. But, without a doubt, he always regains strength and bounces back.
Taking a global perspective will lead me to see that different places have different cultures. A culture can be defined as the ways of thinking and acting, along with the material objects that make up a people’s way of life (Macionis, page 54). I need to understand that people I meet may have grown up in different cultures and have different beliefs or values. If I take a global perspective, I will be able to better respect and value the cultures of the people I come into contact with. Learning about different cultures is one way to learn about people’s history. Everyone’s pasts and futures are linked by their culture (Macionis, page 54). As I prepare to go to college in the fall, I think about all the new people I will have the opportunity to meet. I will have the chance to interact with people from other countries. I will have the chance to not just learn more about them as...
...ry graphic insight, but it helps us to see our past mistakes, to make for a better future.
The ability to reflect critically on one’s experience, integrate knowledge gained from experience with knowledge possessed, and take action on insights is considered by some adult educators to be a distinguishing feature of the adult learner (Brookfield 1998; Ecclestone 1996; Mezirow 1991). Critical reflection is the process by which adults identify the assumptions governing their actions, locate the historical and cultural origins of the assumptions, question the meaning of the assumptions, and develop alternative ways of acting (Cranton 1996). Brookfield (1995) adds that part of the critical reflective process is to challenge the prevailing social, political, cultural, or professional ways of acting. Through the process of critical reflection, adults come to interpret and create new knowledge and actions from their ordinary and sometimes extraordinary experiences. Critical reflection blends learning through experience with theoretical and technical learning to form new knowledge constructions and new behaviors or insights.
...formation true, how will it affect you in the future, and will acting on this information harm or propel your success in the future. Every person has success and failures in life, the question becomes to what extent you will allow each of these to influence your future.
Studying this theme affected my life, my relationships, my feelings, my actions and my values. This theme affected my life through the changing of my understanding of human life. This change in my understanding affected my relationships in a positive way because it helped me to
Many of our present day attitudes are formed by earlier decisions, because every decision someone makes reflects on their lives and attitudes. Most people think hard about big decisions but many forget about the small day to day decisions. People do not realize that small decisions are
transition here to conclusion→ Experiences shape our lives; the good and bad, have altered our outlook on life and our future. Experiences that we encounter influence our thinking, perceptions, ideas, and beliefs and how we react to our experiences shape our lives. Problems are inevitable and hard to avoid, but it is our ability to turn bad situation into something inspirational and good in our lives that says a lot about our character. Instead of focusing on the problems in our lives, we should focus on the opportunities given to us to learn from the experiences. Change will only happen in our lives when we have a change of attitude towards the negative situations in our life. The ability to turn a bad influence or situation into something positive opens up new behaviors and the chance for happiness.
One simple consideration that can change the course of how people think about their approach to life is, the examination of the influences that they have on other people’s lives. An individual could also look outwards and analyze the impact that other people have on that individual’s life. One should also self-reflect and search for how their thoughts and actions craft a pathway towards their own destiny. The statement by Socrates, “the unexamined life is not worth living,” is an interesting statement that requires a considerable amount of analysis.