Heather's viewing log

Characters in the novel

2007-09-03T19:46:00.000+12:00

Describe the main character of the text you have studied and analyse his relationship with at least two other characters.

In the novel, "The five people you meet in heaven," by Mitch Albom, the main character is a selfless 83 year old man named Eddie. Eddie works as a maintenance man at the Ruby Pier amusement park, fixing all the rides and looking after the young children. Eddie's wife Marguerite died at a young age of cancer, and the couple had no children. They were hoping to adopt a child, but this dream was shattered after Marguerite was involved in a car accident. Eddie went to war at a young age out of a sense of duty, and this affected him for the rest of his life as he was shot in the leg to save him from death. Before going to war, Eddie always aspired to become an engineer, which never happened.

Eddie was always disappointed with his life, and felt that it was worthless and that he had achieved nothing worthwhile - "For all that time, Eddie had imagined a certain life - a 'could have been' life - that would have been his if not for his father's death and his mother's subsequent collapse. Over the years, he glorified that imaginary life and held his father accountable for all of its losses: the loss of freedom, the loss of career, the loss of hope. He never rose above the dirty, tiresome work his father had left behind". Eddie's father was a gambler who liked to drink and play cards. He was also violent and abusive towards his wife and children. Eddie never had a close relationship with his father, even as a young child, and it was his worst fear in life that he would end up just like his father. Eddie's father also worked as a maintenance man at Ruby Pier, and Eddie took over the job after his father passed away. However, through all of the struggles Eddie faces with his father, he finally learns in heaven that "holding anger is a poison", and that he needs to understand why he felt anger towards his father and forgive him, so that he can continue on in his journey in the 'afterlife'.

Another person who plays an important part in Eddie's life is the young Asian girl Tala, who dies during the war in which Eddie is serving. While fighting in the Phillipines, Eddie had seen what he thought was a person inside a hut. He was going to go and get them out, but he was stopped by the Captain shooting him in the leg. Just moments later, there is an explosion in the hut. When he meets Tala in heaven, Eddie says to her, "I was sad because I didn't do anything with my life. I ws nothing. I accomplished nothing. I was lost. I felt like I wasn't supposed to be there". Tala replies by telling him that he was meant to spend his life at Ruby Pier fixing the rides, because he kept the children safe, which made good for what happened to her during the war.

Eddie's wife Marguerite also teaches him and important lesson when he meets her again in heaven. After her death, Eddie felt there was no longer any reason for living, because he no longer had the only person he loved with him. He felt angry because she had been taken from him too soon. Marguerite tells him, "Lost love is still love, Eddie. It takes a different form, that's all....Life has to end...Love doesn't". This is probably my favourite lesson that Eddie learns in the novel, because I think that it is important and relevant to us all. It teaches us that just because someone is no longer with us, we don't have to stop loving them or caring for them. Every one loves someone in their life, even just a family member, and without love, the world would be a horrible place to live.

In conclusion, I feel that Eddie may not have been the most social character ever, but the few people who he was 'friendly' with all held a very special significance in hi life in some way or another. I feel that he was a strong character because of the obstacles he overcame in his lifetime, and these people all helped him to do this.

The Lessons Eddie learns

2007-08-28T15:23:00.000+12:00

Choose one of the five lessons Eddie learns. What does he learn? What do you think of this lesson?

The lesson Eddie learns from his wife Marguerite is that love doesn't have to die just because the person dies. She teaches him that memories will always live on in a persons heart, and just because she wasn't around, it didn't mean that he couldn't still love her. I think this is true and is a good lesson to learn because people that we care about will die one day, no matter how much we wish they didn't, but we will always have our own memories of them and we don't have to stop loving them just because they aren't around.

Run Lola Run essay

2007-08-27T20:17:00.000+12:00

Analyse how one or more of the following helped you understand a main character or individual in the movie: Costume...Make-up...Soundtrack...Cinematography...Voice

Lola is the main character in the movie Run Lola Run, directed by Tom Tykwer, and is the character who drives all the action. She is a contrast to many of the other characters in the film, and is definitely far from perfect. In a role-reversal within the film, Lola is the hero who saves the day, getting the 100,000 marks her boyfriend Manni needs in order to basically avoid being killed by gang leader Ronnie. Lola is an intelligent, strong-willed character, determined to get what she wants no matter what obstacles she may face.

In the film, Lola's costume is made up of a cut-off type singlet, and jean-type pants. She has a tattoo surrounding her belly-button, and she had a trademark short haircut of fire-engine red hair. She also wears little/no make-up. This helps us to understand her character as it illustrates her fiery temper, and rebellious, non-conforming nature. It also shows how she doesn't fit the usual stereotypical images of females in similar characters in other pieces of literature. Her red hair especially symbolises her temper, and love and passion felt for her boyfriend Manni.

The soundtrack in the film is essentially all fast-tempo techno music. A large portion of the music used in the film was also composed and performed by the director himself. The music used in the film is unusual by most modern film standards, and this links in with Lola's non-comformity. The fast tempo of the music also symbolises her race against time to get the money for Manni.

The cinematography of the film is also significant in helping us to understand Lola's character. The red-filter dream sequences especially are symbolic in the film, illustrating Lola and Manni's love and passion towards each other, and their philosophical natures. These sequences appear twice in the film, each one following the deaths of Lola and Manni. They show Lola and Manni lying together in bed, talking about the future, and what each of them would do if the other one was to die.

In conclusion, I think the film elements that helped me to understand Lola's character the most were her costume and the soundtrack. Even though im not the kind of person to judge someone based on their looks, I feel that Lola's costume is very symbolic of her personality and character. The soundtrack also stood out to me and helped me understand Lola's character better as it was very different from the soundtracks I am used to hearing in other movies I have watched.

Thoughts on the novel

2007-08-27T20:12:00.000+12:00

It took me awhile to get into reading the novel at first, but once i got through the first couple of chapters, i started getting to used to it, so i began to enjoy it alot more. If i had seen the book myself, i probably wouldnt have picked it up and read it, but now after reading it, i did enjoy and think that it was a pretty good book, with interesting ideas and messages in it. I also liked how i got to experience other peoples veiwpoints of 'heaven' and other things to do with what happens after death.

My essay writing skills

2007-08-27T20:08:00.000+12:00

I think my essay writing skills are okay, last year in the externals i got achieved in everything, so i would like to think i could do the same again this year, although i would like to improve this and get at least some at merit level. So far i seem to be better in english than i was last yer, so hopefully i can manage to do this. Im not too worried about having to write in an exam setting, because we have an hour 2 write each essay, so as long as i can remember the main ideas im likely to have to write about, and come up with a good way of putting them together, i think i will be okay.

Albom's Website

2007-08-23T10:06:00.000+12:00

What is the main thing that stands out for you in his comments about the real Eddie? The thing that stands out most for me is how he is so passionate about what he says and really cares about his family, so he has more of a personal link with the story which gives it a more realistic feeling as you know that it is based on true events and real feelings of real people.

Did you realise Eddie was a real person? Yes because I read the forward!

Symbols and Motifs

2007-08-16T10:03:00.000+12:00

Choose one of the symbols. Explain why you think it was used, what it relates to, and your thoughts.

I think the clocks were used as a symbol because they strongly relate to the key idea of controlling/manipulating time, and the race against time where Lola and Manni have only 20 minutes to get the money they need and give it to Ronnie. The image of the clock at the beginning of the movie draws us into the film, and immediately attracts our attention. Throughout the rest of the movie, the images of clocks are used to show the race against time for Lola and Manni, and creates tension and suspense as it shows how much time they have left, and we start to wonder if they will get the money to Ronnie in time, and what will happen to them if they don't, or if they get there late etc. I think the clock at the start of the movie where we are drawn into it is a wierd clock, and I think a more traditional grandfather clock would have been better, although it does relate to Lola being an eccentric person who doesn't like to follow the crowd and always wants to be different.

Close Viewing of Sequences

2007-08-14T15:26:00.000+12:00

How and what does the way the sequence is filmed tell us about one of the main ideas in the film?
The sequence where Lola is thinking about who can help her to get the 100,000marks that she needs shows the idea of how the choices in life determine/affect our fate. If Lola had chosen someone else to go to for help, the whole sequence of events that followed could have been completely different to what happened when she chose to go to her father for the money. Maybe she could have gone to her friends instead and got the money straight away,

Introducing the Novel - The Five People You Meet in Heaven

2007-08-13T13:27:00.000+12:00

What are your thoughts on these phrases?:
"All endings are also beginnings" (page 1)
I think this phrase means that even if one thing ends, another thing will begin. It has the same kind of meaning as the quote 'when one door closes, another door opens'. For example, in this story, the end is Eddie's death, but this is also the beginning of the rest of his life, his eternity spent in heaven. This relates to the idea that all things in life are interconnected, and one thing will always lead to another.
"No story sits by itself" (page 11)
This phrase also relates to the idea of all things in life being connnected to each other, and one event always leading to another. It shows that all things that happen in life have consequences, whether positive or negative, and this causes other things to happen. Each person has a story to tell about their life, and each and every story is linked together in one way or another. This sort of idea is shown in the theory that every single person in the world can be connected to every other person in the world through just seven relationships(don't know the origins of this theory, but saw an example of it in a magazine).

Controlling and Manipulating Time

2007-08-13T13:25:00.001+12:00

What do you think about the idea of controlling or manipulating time? If you could, what(if anything), would you change?
I don't believe that any of us have the power to control time, however I guess each one of us can 'manipulate' time in our own ways to benefit from it, for example, the ways in which we manage our time every day. I don't really think we can manipulate time to any further extent, as time is never-ending, and will stop for no man.
I think there would be quite a few things I might like to change if I did have the power to control or manipulate time, as there are many mistakes I have made and unfavourable experiences I have been through in life, which I would have rather not experienced, but when I think about these things, they are the things I have learnt the most from and grown to be a stronger person from, so ultimately I don't think I would change them, but maybe change the way in which I handled or dealt with them.

Characters - Lola

2007-08-07T15:24:00.000+12:00

I think the most important characteristics of Lola are her determination and strong-will to do things, her non-conformist rebellious nature and appearance, and her wild temper. Lola's determination and strongwill are what make her such a strong character, and why Manni relies on her to help him out a lot. Lola is a non-conformist both in the way she acts and in her appearance, with plain, rough clothes and bright red hair. Her red hair also symbolises her firey, wild temper. She id determined to get what she wants, and if things don't go her way, she gets fired up really easily and lashes out by screaming to release her anger, and also to gain attention and get what she wants.

Key ideas

2007-08-06T13:34:00.000+12:00

What do you think the key ideas in the film are and why?

I think the key ideas in the film are about fate, changing realities and relationships. I think the theme/idea that 'love conquers all' is also a main idea in the film as it shows the struggles Manni and Lola go through together, and support each other throughout. Another thing the idea of relationships looks at is infidelity, where Lola's parents are both seeing other people behind each others backs. Lola's father especially and his cheating nature are shown a lot in the film, as the conversations he has with his mistress are shown each time Lola arrives at the bank to ask him for the money. The idea of fate and our ability or non-ability to change reality is shown with the use of the triple narrative structure, where the film is split into three twenty minute real-time sequences to show three different possible versions of reality.

Manni and Lola - First Impressions

2007-08-03T11:07:00.000+12:00

My first impression of Manni was that he was heavily reliant on his girlfriend Lola, because when he rings her, he is basically in tears because she didnt turn up to meet him, and she is ALWAYS there to help him. I thought he wasn't a very strong character, and he didnt really seem to be the sharpest tool in the shed, because he never really thought things through properly before he did them.
Lola seemed to be a much stronger character, who was Manni's one-woman support system. She has a feisty sort of nature, and isn't afraid to stand up to people when she needs to. Her odd ability to shatter glass with her high-pitched screaming is a memorable trait because like a lot of the other things the director has done in the movie, it isn't something you commonly see in film/TV

Alternative Realities - Do our choices really have that much impact?

2007-08-03T11:00:00.000+12:00

I think our choices do have a huge impact on our lives. The choices you make determine the path your life will take, no-one can make these choices for you. The choices that we make every day will affect the rest of our lives, as the consequences of our choices are something we have to live with forever. It is impossible to go back in time and change what you do, and no-one can control your life apart from you. We may make lots of mistakes in the choices that we make, we cannot change these mistakes, only learn from them.

2007-08-02T10:09:00.000+12:00

Why do you think the director used the varied narrative techniques?

I think the director used the techniques he did because they are not techniques you commonly see in film/tv, so they attract more attention. The techniques used also helped to illustrate some of the key ideas in the film, eg the triple narrative structure illustrates the idea of fate and changing realities.

What do you think of the style he created?

I think the style the director created was unusual but effective, because it was something new to viewers.

Choose one narrative technique used to comment on in detail.
Triple narrative structure: This is where the film is split into three twenty-minute real-time sequences, each showing a different possible version of reality. This was a technique I had never really seen much of before, so it was interesting to see a new technique used in a film. I think it was an effective technique to use, because it showed the key idea of fate and changing realities. Each of the first two sequences ended with either Lola or Manni dying, and the third with them both walking away happy. All of the sequences started off zooming into the TV screen in Lola's mothers room, showing a cartoon depiction of Lola running down the stairs and out of her apartment as she heads off to fnd the money and seve Manni. This showed that each of the sequences wasn't actually real, but simply one sequence of events which could possible happen.

Run Lola Run

2007-07-31T15:10:00.001+12:00

What happens?: At the beginning of the movie, Lola gets a phone call from her boyfriend Manni, who lost $100,000 after leaving his bag on a train while running away from the police. He needs the money back within the next 20 minutes, or he will be shot, as the money belongs to the leader of some sort of gang. Lola promises she will get the money somehow and get it to him in the 20 minutes. The movie then shows three 20-minute sequences shot in real-time (the time in which Manni needs the money), each giving different versions of reality. In the first, Lola is shot by a police officer after being caught with Manni for robbing a local shop. In the second, Manni is killed just as he is running towards Lola and the money when he is run over by an ambulance. In the third, Lola turns up at the place she was meant to meet Manni, but he isnt there, having gone running after the guy who stole his bag from the train, and giving the money to the gang leader. When he arrives, he asks a shocked-looking Lola why she looks so bad, and what she has in the bag (the money)
What images stand out to you?: Symbolism of the colour red, montages of photos showing what happens to various people after Lola's encounters with them
Your thoughts: I dont like the ending because it just stops in the middle of nowhere with no real conclusion, which I don't really like in a movie. The rest of the movie was okay, even though its not the kind of movie I would choose to watch myself.
Why do you think I chose this film?: Because of the way it is shot in three 20-minute real-time sequences, showing different versions of reality

Run Lola Run - First Thoughts

2007-07-30T13:35:00.000+12:00

This movie is different to the kinds of movies I would normally choose to watch so it seems kinda weird to me. I think the symbolism of the colour red is good(telephone, Lola's hair, the bag of stolen money), and I also like how when she runs into people on her way to get the money, it shows the quick montages of photos of what happens to them afterwards.

What makes a good film?

2007-07-27T10:58:00.000+12:00

I think a good film should have an interesting storyline, with a good sense of humour. I don't like films that have no point to them, move really slowly, or just suddenly stop with no real ending. The film should have good acting, and if the characters or actors are recognisable this makes the film better because it feels like you can relate to it more. I think if the storyline has something to do with anything you have experienced yourself, you can understand it better and sympathise with the characters. It also means you can see others in the same situation as you, and see how they react under the same cirumstances