Patricia Ohanian Blog- Groundhog Day and Coronavirus 4/26/2020

Groundhog Day was the first film we viewed in this class this semester.  Its about a weather reporter who is trapped in Pauxestawney, Pa to report on the Groundhog on whether or not he saw his shadow.  To his surprise he ends up repeating the day over and over, and over, again.
At the beginning of the film, hes apathetic and unhappy in his life. He doesnt treat people well, he doesnt live life to the fullest, and he doesnt think he deserves to experience the true happiness he sees all around him.
But as the day repeats and repeats, he begins to live his life in a different way.
At first, he does whatever he wants, some good and some bad.  But as it continues, he decides he really wants to be a good person, he works on what he needs to, spends time with those he cares about and finds the true meaning of his life.
Maybe there is a similar underlying meaning to the coronavirus.
Maybe, despite the horrible effects of this virus, there is a silver lining.
Maybe people will live their days in a sort of repeptitive way right now, with not a ton to do.
Wake up, get work done, work out, paint, read, write, watch, talk, text, whatever people want to do.
But perhaps, people will begin to change their ways, whether out of boredom or necessaity.
Maybe a distant father could come to terms with his mortality and cal his children.  Or an alcoholic may put it down in order to have a better chance at fighting off the virus with less symptoms.  People might come out of this virus better people.
Its horrible that a pandemic had to happen for some to realize this, but if it works, maybe in some ways, this Pandemic can have some good effects?
We'll have to see.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thin Red Line - Connor Pugh

      The Thin Red Line follows the events of the Battle for Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater of World War II. Private Witt is picked up by a patrol boat while he and another solider are AWOL, living with a group of South Pacific natives living a care free life. Witt is punished with demotion by his Sergeant. As the film progresses, officers speak on large warships of the importance of taking the island of Guadalcanal, many of the soldiers who will be raiding the island are horrified and worrisome of what will happen on the island. Captain Staros is an American Captain who is tasked with keeping all of his men in line and also making sure they are all okay and healthy. It bothers Captain Staros that his men are seen as merely pieces in a grand plan by commanding officers and not as human lives. Staros is faced with an order from Lt. Colonel Tall to charge of a hill which will lead to the loss of probably all of his men and refuses to take the order, by doing so, this de...
Read more

The Thin Red Line - Joseph Hancock

“The Thin Red Line” has many similar themes to “Apocalypse Now.” This makes sense, as both are war films focused on a squad of American soldiers with diverse backgrounds and personalities heading into enemy territory. However, although both films tackle similar ideas, they approach them from different perspectives. For example, “Apocalypse Now” views the natural world as a part of the sacred. Meanwhile, the arbitrary war between human countries is profane by going against nature and destroying it through bombs, napalm, and firefights. But while nature is sacred, that doesn’t mean it is friendly, as the jungle is hostile towards the main characters to the point that they only feel safe on their boat after an animal attack; even then, several squad members still die on the boat as a result from unseen attacks coming from the jungle.  Comparing these ideas to those found in “The Thin Red Line”, there is plenty of overlap. Many of the visual shots in the film focus on how nature...
Read more

Rob Martine Dekalogue

Episode 1: Do any of the visuals of the films work as symbols that bridge the gap of understanding? How? Be specific in noting these visuals.  The first episode is full of symbolism in order to portray the author's message to the audience. We see a man sitting by the pond in front of a fire from the very beginning of the episode. I believe this represents God because the father comes face to face with him when checking the ice for his son. It is almost as if God is waiting for the son to drown and take him to heaven because the man is gone after the ice breaks. Another symbol is the bottle of water that Pavel and his father set outside. When they check on it the following morning, the water turned to ice, and when Pavel asks what will happen if they keep it outside even longer, the father replies, "it will eventually thaw." This foreshadows the pond eventually thawing, leading to Pavel's death. Additionally, it emphasizes the father's complete faith in knowled...
Read more