The Shawshank Redemption

The Shawshank Redemption is the quintessential prison film because it goes beyond just a tale of detainment and escape; it deals with beauty, finding the joy in hopeless situations, finding one's life, what it means to truly live, and redemption.  What does it mean to be redeemed?  Often, you might thing of the theological understanding of redemption: that of absolving one's sins (often through sacrifice).  Or maybe you think more simply of redemption being the atonement for a mistake.

"Does this happen in stories and films?"  Absolutely it does - and not just in Shawshank.  Wisegeek's article (I suggest that you read it) does a nice job discussing how redemption shows up in some popular films (one of which we viewed in class).

"Why should I care about redemption?  We watched this movie because it is based on Stephen King's novella 'Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.'" That is true, but we are also going to be examining the redemption that occurs in the film.  Your task is to discuss The Shawshank Redemption as a redemption tale.  Does it live up to it's name?  In doing this it will be important to determine which man is redeemed and his flaw.  It will also be important to determine the times that he has the chance for redemption and then discuss the time that he is finally redeemed.

Since this is the final blog of the class (and will be treated as such) you need to write at least five hundred words.  Do not forget to use good writing conventions and to proofread.  I suggest that you keep notes during the film and organize them to help you with prewriting prior to beginning the blog. 

Music Sets Moods and Tone

Often when when people think of film scores and soundtracks, they think of the work of John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and Danny Elfman.  However, popular music can also drive the tone of a film.  In both Empire Records and 10 Things I Hate About You music plays an integral part in setting both the tone and mood of the film.  This phenomenon is not limited to these films, however.  Your task is to use these two films - as well as any other that we have viewed - and discuss how popular music and the score used throughout the films helped to set the mood and tone of the pieces.  

Remember that you need to use at least three hundred words and good writing conventions to support your thoughts.  Again, while the focus is on the popular music in these films, feel free to utilize other films too.

The Arts in Schools (as shown through film)

As school budgets shrink and levies fail, schools must make decisions about how to spend their money (I've told you all time and again that economics is the most important class you'll take), and often, the decision is made to cut the fine arts budget.  VH1, educators, film-makers, musicians, and the like disagree with this decision making.  There are many studies detailing the importance of music and the arts in schools: VH1 Save the Music details the importance of music, Grace Hwang Lynch discusses the importance of the arts in child development, and Education Week cites multiple studies showing the effects of the arts on students.


Without the arts, the films that we have watched would not be possible; there would be no actors, directors, cinematographers, composers.  Some of these films focus directly on disappearing arts education - it is clearly evident at the beginning of School of Rock with the VH1 Save the Music advertisement.  Think back to Here Comes the Boom; what drove Scott Voss to become an MMA fighter?  Why is Mr. Holland's Opus interesting?  Could Fame happen somewhere besides a school for the performing arts?

You need to use at least three hundred words and good writing conventions to discuss the importance of the arts in schools and how these films illustrate this.

Jonathan Larson's Rent

For Rent, Jonathon Larson was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three Tony awards posthumously; he died the day it premiered off Broadway.  After viewing the film adaptation, it is easy to see why.  In the show Larson tackles many issues: multiculturalism, homophobia, and addiction.  It is also a show, while not necessarily well known by high school students, there are songs that students are familiar with - most specifically "Seasons of Love" which asks "How do you measure a year in the life?"

For this blog, you need to discuss how Larson addressed cultural issues with Rent and also the significance of the title.  Because remember, 'rent' is more than what you pay a landlord.  Make sure that you use specific examples to support yourself.  You also need to use good writing conventions and at least three hundred words. It may be helpful to think about how the show made you feel at different points.