Once Were Warriors Essay

“Oh, Jake, we could have had such a damned good time together.’ ‘Yes, Isn’t it pretty to think so?”. Their final discussion is right where they started in the back of a cab. Brett has just dug a hole even deeper into the abyss of disappointment that Brett has already given him. Jake has lost his masculinity in more ways than one. He has to live without Brett, and with his disability, denying him any chance at all with women. He has finally accepted the loveless relationship that has become of them, and will push forward knowing how it will never be.

In the book Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, the author describes what her reactions and feelings are to the racial hatred and discrimination she and eight other African-American teenagers received in Little Rock, Arkansas during the desegregation period in 1957. She tells the story of the nine students from the time she turned sixteen years old and began keeping a diary until her final days at Central High School in Little Rock. The story begins by Melba talking about the anger, hatred, and sadness that is brought up upon her first return to Central High for a reunion with her eight other classmates. As she walks through the halls and rooms of the old school, she recalls the

In her memoir Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Pattillo Beals describes her experiences as she became one of the first nine black students educated in an integrated white school. She and her friends, who became known as the “Little Rock Nine”, elicited both support and criticism from their family members, friends, community members, military troops, in addition to the President of the United States. Melba’s experiences, while heartbreaking and sobering, highlight the strength to overcome that individuals can have over a system intent on keeping them down.

She sees Jake as an unintelligent, brainless, violence obsessed marine who doesn’t deserve a place in her program. As time progresses, Grace grows fond of Jake, his helpful tendencies and selflessness.

In the story Warriors Don't Cry, Melba and the Little Rock 9 was the first high school students to integrate and they integrated to Little Rock Central High. Melba and the Little Rock 9 went through a lot during the school year, like bulled by white students, killing threats, being bombed/caught on fire, hurt physically/mentally, etc. What Melba had to use strength to get through integration, like the strength of being a warrior. Also, Melba had many sources of strength, like her mom, her grandma, Danny/Melba's guard, religion, keeping hope, etc. Lastly, Melba had to stay calm in the situations she was in so she used her strength to help her.

Transferring to a new school is a hard experience for a normal kid alone. Going to a new, all-white school as a black student in 1957 makes the experience even tougher. In the memoir Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, Melba and eight others, known as the Little Rock Nine, risk everything in order to attend their local high school, Central High. Living in Little Rock, Arkansas, these students take the courageous step to attend an all-white school in a society filled with segregationists. The Little Rock Nine battle the bullies of Central High, trying to avoid acid in their eyes to eggs in their hair. Through this rough experience, the Nine graciously receive important help from many allies. Throughout the memoir, Melba receives protection

Melba Pattillo Beals is a very determined young lady. She presents many strong personal characteristics in her time of integrating Central High School. However, she faces many adversities through this battle for her freedom and equality. During her rough time Beals questions her faith and family. She later learns that her strength and security is in God. In the book Warriors Don’t Cry Melba Pattillo Beals presents the idea that courage, faith, and fear are vital in her search for freedom and equality.

Jake is consciously aware that there is a problem, which is more than can be said about his friends. Perhaps the people that surround Jake are the issue, though. His close friends and the people whom he travels with include Lady Brett Ashley, Robert Cohn, Bill, and Mike. Brett, the target of Jake’s unrequited affections, is likely someone whom he should stop spending time with; however, it seems that he just can’t get away from her. She is a very strong and independent woman who isn’t known to behave in a traditionally feminine way. Jakes does remark that although she is very independent, “She can’t go anywhere alone.” Robert Cohn is a Jewish, wealthy expatriate; but unlike many of his friends, did not spend any time in the war. Cohn also falls head over heels in love with Brett, who soon rejects his affections as well. As a wealthy, Jewish, non war veteran Cohn stands out in the group and his fumbling attempts to court Brett are the source of much mockery and leads to many fights. Bill is also an American veteran who seems to be always drinking. He tends to use humor to try and deal with the emotional scars of war; however, is not immune to the immaturity and cruelty sometimes characterized by Jake and his friends. Finally, Mike is a very heavy drinking Scottish war veteran who is completely bankrupt. He is seen to have a terrible temper, which most often displays while he is drunk. Mike is also not comfortable with the

This shows he is hard working and not a lazy kid, but when you figure out that his dad beats him and takes the money Jake earns at work to buy alcohol, you understand why Jake is the way he is. His father provides him with a shack as a shelter, but on most nights Jake spends his nights sleeping in a trash can. To me, this shows Jake’s great maturity for his age accepting the conditions he is faced with. In my opinion, this also shows his toughness and brevity to endure these rough situations that he is forced to be in the middle of. A part in the book that I found very symbolic of a theme was when Jake was caught by Mr. Gerbati stealing out of his business’s money safe. Although Mr. Gerbati was very upset, from my point of view, it seemed as if he understood why Jake was doing something like that. Mr. Gerbati was very firm with his voice, but told Jake he was willing to take care of him. In my opinion, this is the beginning of a very important recurring theme in this story, transformation.

Jake’s significant relationships were reduced to two in number: his love for Sadie and his mentorship of Bill. His relationship with Sadie itself is in no way reduced on screen; if anything, it is strengthened, because she could still trust him after learning about his other life by listening to a taping of Oswald and Marina copulating. This makes the songs from the future that he sang in the book appear as comparatively mild signs of his lies. As for Jake’s relationship with Bill however, this was, perhaps, one of the largest differences between the text and the film; in the text, Jake’s interactions with Bill were restricted to his time in Derry, where as the book extended the relationship beyond Bill’s place of origin to also take place during Jake’s residence in Dallas. This contingency only occured because Jake connected with Bill; both Bill and him were truly men of no nation.

It shows how Jake is persistent and dedicated to his job, even if it always seems like he is in over his head. Jake, however, also departs from the film noir tradition when he lets his emotions get the best of him. The greatest example of this is seen during the exchange between him and Evelyn when he is trying to find out the truth about Katherine. Resorting for the first time to violence against a woman, the near desperation with which Jake pushes Evelyn to confess is an expression of his fears and anxieties about being completely lost amidst the lies that surround him. The result is the humanization of Jake Giddes’ character. He simply is not perfect, and ultimately fails to see the bigger picture of what he is involved with until .

Because of this injury, Jake cannot be with the woman he loves- and this plot line serves as a catalyst for the larger and far more important theme about the American Dream - and chasing everything desired, but never truly being able to achieve these dreams to satiation.

Heike Monogatari, with its multitude of battles and skirmishes, provides a wonderful chance to analyze the way of the warrior in ancient Japan. There aren't a great number of surviving works from this period that show in such great detail both the brute and the compassion of the Japanese warriors. They followed carefully a distinct set of principles which made up the well-rounded warrior. Loyalty to one's master, bravery and glory in any situation, strength, martial skills, compassion, and interest in the arts were all held with the highest esteem. Few warriors could become well known without possessing each of these skills. Religious beliefs shaped a warrior's behavior tremendously.

"Once Were Warriors" has been praised as an attack on domestic violence and abuse. So it is. But I am not sure anyone needs to see this film to discover that such brutality is bad. We know that. I value it for two other reasons: its perception in showing the way alcohol triggers sudden personality shifts, and its power in presenting two great performances by Morrison and Owen. You don't often see acting like this in the movies. They bring the Academy Awards into

It’s not very often that you stumble upon a gem of the past. Society has become so tech-savvy that they refuse to acknowledge any old media of the past. If it’s tape or is absent of any CGI, it’s seemingly not worth our time. This is why the film “The Warriors” came as such a surprise to me. I have never been so intrigued with something older than myself.