Patrick Baker - All Blogs Compiled
Class Film #1
Decalogue is an excellent collection of
short films because it forces you to ask questions. Many films provide the opportunity but do not
present the issue in such an upfront fashion.
Decalogue is a collection of
short films based off of the Ten Commandments, but rather than simply
reiterating those religious teachings, it presents moral dilemmas related to
each. I found the first installment,
titled Thou Shalt Not Kill, to be the most interesting.
In it, a boy is devastated after his sister accidentally
dies, partially because of his actions.
Later on, this boy kills a cab driver, but the driver was actually a
fairly notorious criminal in his own right.
The question posed by this particular Decalogue is whether or not it is
more justifiable to kill an evildoer than a wholly innocent person. Decalogue
uses the Jewish technique of midrashim
to make these stories more relatable. Midrashim is a method by which a rabbi
tells stories related to scripture, but rather than simply relating the facts
through narrative, he conveys additional insights and details that might not
immediately be evident from an initial reading.
Decalogue’s usage of this
technique enables the viewer to debate its moral dilemmas on a deeper level.
Class Film #2
Oz:
The Great and Powerful is a prequel to the famous film The Wizard of Oz. Set in the
same world of Oz that L. Frank Baum created many decades ago, it follows the
Wizard’s journey from our world to Oz, his confrontation with the Wicked
Witches and his subsequent acceptance of a position of power and prestige
within the Emerald City. I found the
film’s acting to be fairly good, and I am a fan of James Franco in general, but
other aspects of the film left me disappointed.
For example, its reliance upon CGI made me feel too removed from the
environment for comfort. In addition, it
wasn’t generally well-written. Overall,
it was an entertaining film, but I wouldn’t label it a particularly great one.
Class Film #3
The Jacket tells the story of Jack, a veteran of the Gulf War
who is killed in action but returns to life afterward. This sets up Jack as a sort of Christ figure
from early on in the film. Upon
returning home, Jack helps out two people, a woman and her child, with their
car. He later helps them again, but not
until after he is set up for killing a police officer and locked away in a
mental hospital. Jack is forced to
undergo an experimental treatment in which he is locked in a morgue
drawer while immobilized in a straightjacket. He eventually begins having visions of the
future. This is a clear parallel to
shamanism, a tradition which uses ascetic practices and hallucinogenic drugs to
produce powerful visions.
It soon becomes apparent that the doctor conducting these
experiments has already accidentally killed quite a few patients. Jack sees a vision of his own death, but he
also realizes that through his future sight, he is able to help others. From this point on, he is trying to make the
most of his march toward the grave by assisting as many other people as
possible. Two such people are the woman
and daughter who he helped on the road.
He is able to stop the mother from living such a destructive life, and
in doing so he ensures a better future for both people. Self-sacrifice is the film’s core theme.
Class Film #4
Northfork was a very interesting movie. I
was rather confused until our discussion at the film’s end. I think this is honestly because I was
looking for symbolism on a deeper level than the one on which the film
operated. The film is set in the town of
Northfork, which is due to be flooded in just a few days to make room for a
hydroelectric dam. Several residents of
Northfork have been hired to convince their fellow townspeople to
evacuate. They have been offered
lakefront property upon the reservoir as an incentive. These men refer to
themselves as “Angels,” an ironic reference for an obvious reason.
Another reason for the irony is the
plotline of the child Irwin. He is
terminally ill, and his adoptive parents return him to the church-run orphanage
from whence he came because they do not wish to evacuate with him. The Reverend who cares for him in his final
days places several objects by his bedside.
As Irwin sleeps and drifts closer to death, he encounters several
strange characters with names like “Flower Hercules.” These are in fact real
angels presenting themselves in the form and under the name of the objects in
his surroundings. Eventually, Irwin dies
and moves on with them, around the same time that the town floods. As I watched, I tried to interpret these
characters on a deeper level, but the symbolism was in fact rather
obvious. Perhaps it was my attempt to
discern a deeper meaning or purpose within Northfork,
as I have yet to fully grasp the point of the film. Maybe its only aim is simply to present a
scene.
Class Film #5
Donnie Darko stars a severely depressed teenage boy of the same name. Donnie is visited by a figure in a very dark,
macabre bunny costume who identifies himself simply as Frank. Frank tells Donnie that the world is going to
end, and Donnie makes it his mission to prevent that from happening. As the movie progresses, many people’s lives
fall apart and many others die. At the
film’s end, it rewinds to the beginning, when Donnie narrowly dodged a jet
engine as it fell into his bedroom. At
the end of the film, Donnie instead does not dodge the engine and dies,
supposedly saving the world in the process.
There are many analyses of this
film, but one that I find most interesting is that it illustrates chaos
theory. Chaos theory is the idea that
any action can have consequences that appear to be completely unrelated. For example, a bird flapping its wings in
Germany could cause an earthquake in California. Donnie needed to die to prevent the world
from ending, and while this might seem like a completely random connection to
draw, such are the principles behind chaos theory.
Outside Reading #1
The Zhuangzi has become probably my
favorite work of philosophy during my time at CNU. While I adore many eastern texts, from the
Upanisads to the Bhagavad Gita to the Shobogenzo and beyond, the Zhuangzi
strikes a very personal chord with me. I
don’t self-identify as a Daoist for numerous reasons, but I think many people
would classify me as one. Ultimately
though, I try to recognize the Zhuangzi’s teaching that words and labels are
inadequate, and that it doesn’t matter what I call myself so long as I find my
personal Dao, or “Way.”
Outside Reading #2
After reading quite a few fitness
articles online, I’ve recently started working very hard to get back in
shape. I’ve played sports for my entire
life, including in high school and in college, but I’ve fallen out of my
fitness routine over the past couple of years.
I’ve made a commitment to myself to start up my old workout routine
again, meaning I’ll hit the gym four times a week followed by intense cardio on
two of those four days, rest twice a week and do yoga or some form of
plyometrics once a week on a sort of active rest day. I’ve realized that it’s essential for me to
do so while I’m still young in order to build a foundation of fitness for the rest
of my life.
Outside Reading #3
Going along with the above, I’ve
also started refining my diet to be healthier and more balanced in light of
several articles on nutrition. Growing
up, my mother always served healthy meals, but in the past couple of years I’ve
let my diet slip. The general consensus
is that nutrition is at least 80% of fitness, and I have basically no excuse
for eating poorly since I know good nutrition from bad. To that end, I’ve calculated my caloric and
macronutrient requirements and started cooking 100% of my meals at home. I’ve also decided to cut out alcohol
entirely, at least until I get back in shape.
It’s full of empty calories and is generally very unhealthy. Hopefully with these adjustments I’ll see
progress soon.
Outside Reading #4
For an upper-level night class with
Dr. Rose this semester, we read several texts on the wisdom traditions of
India. One of those to which I had no
previous exposure was The Forest of Thieves and the Magic Garden, a classic
text of Jainism. I was surprised at how
easy to read and approachable it was for an ancient work. It is clearly very well-written. In addition, it taught me that Jainism is
essentially a different response to and revision of Hinduism. There are many similarities between Buddhism
and Jainism, probably because they reacted to the same qualities within
Hinduism.
Outside Reading #5
I recently reread Rhinegold by Stephen Grundy. Grundy is an author who retells classic myths
in more of a novel structure. His works
pay careful attention to the character of the original myths, and sometimes
they espouse the lessons more effectively than the source material because his
books have been written for a modern audience.
Rhinegold is his retelling of most of the Norse Volsunga saga, and it is both well-written and
fascinating. He treats the tales with a
great deal of respect. I also own his
books Gilgamesh and Attila, both worthy additions to his
initial effort.
Personal Choice #1
Several of my friends have been trying
to convince me to go to music festivals with them this summer. While I probably seem to most like the type
to enjoy festivals (and I love going to shows), they’re really not my scene. I think it’s probably because I’m such an
introvert. There’s a general
misconception about introverts that we’re antisocial or dislike people, which
isn’t true. In simple language, the term
refers to how we get our energy.
Extroverts draw energy from being around others, and introverts draw
energy from being alone. At a music
festival, surrounded by thousands of people, I would probably experience
feelings opposite from those of my friends.
Personal Choice #2
I can’t wait for summer weather to
arrive. Unlike most people, I love
working, and every year during the summer I work a 40-hour week. The beautiful weather combined with the
mental benefits I get of being productive and working hard always puts me in a
great place mentally. In addition, I’m
working very hard to get back in shape.
To add to all the above, I have friends who are working alongside me to
all the same ends, be it finding a job or hitting the gym. In school, our lives have little constant
routine because our class schedules change every semester. While I am by no means a fan of a boring
routine, there is much to be said for consistency and establishing a stable
pattern to one’s life. That’s exactly
what I do every summer.
Personal Choice #3
I’m currently in the process of
revising my senior seminar thesis for publication. I’m thrilled that all three of the professors
on my advising committee voted to pass me with distinction, but there is more I
must do to refine my work before submitting it to a conference or journal. I’m just thrilled at the prospect of being
published as an undergraduate. My area
of interest (Daoism and Chinese philosophy) is certainly a small niche, but
that means that there is still a great deal of interesting research to be done. Hopefully my thesis can help the discipline
progress.
Personal Choice #4
The Noland Trail is always a great
place for me to go when I need to de-stress and introspect. For one thing, I love being in nature, and
for another, the peace and quiet of the trail makes it easier for me to think. Much like Thoreau on Walden Pond, I sit on
the edge of Lake Maury and reflect upon whatever happens to cross my mind at
the time. As an introvert, spending time
alone is essential for me, and the Noland provides the perfect setting for me
to do that.
Personal Choice #5
I’ve recently been trying to upgrade
my wardrobe with more professional attire.
People who know me well might find this surprising, as I probably don’t
come off as the type of person to enjoy suiting up. I really like it, however. Even more importantly, though, as a senior
getting ready to graduate, it’s important for me to have the proper clothes for
work. I can’t afford to buy suits at
this time, but I’m trying to buy everything else, from dress shoes to dress
watches. I’m doing this slowly but
surely. I just feel that while a person
shouldn’t live for their image, they should respect it. It’s all about balance.
No comments:
Post a Comment