Change: an Analysis of the Silence of the Lambs

The Eye of the Sheep, written by Sophie Laguna is a strong example of how memorable texts can both disturb the reader as well as instil hope. The novel follows the story of the narrator Jimmy Flick, a young, unusual boy and his family. Laguna’s writing style and use of language throughout the text enables the reader to feel the pain and distress in Jimmy’s family without ever losing hope that things will work out. One of the ways in which she does this is through the use of Jimmy’s voice, as it allows the reader to feel the positive energy bubbling inside of Jimmy, while still witnessing the problems that Jimmy’s family have to deal with, such as his father’s drinking habits. Another way is the manner in which the characters are constructed. All the members of Jimmy’s family have multiple facets to them. They are all complex characters that have both light and darkness within them. Through these cleverly constructed characters, Laguna how even good people can do disturbing things. While reading the Eye of the Sheep, there have been multiple different perspectives that have enriched my own interpretation of this text, that again show different facets to the story.

Murder, one of the worst crimes a human could commit, is not taken lightly and most times the primary suspect is a male. In the 2 stories, “Lamb of the Slaughter”, and “The Landlady”, the reader learns just how murderous man’s counterpart can be. Roald Dahl, the author of these 2 stories, wrote “Lamb of the Slaughter” from the perspective of Mary Malony a loving housewife who gets terrible news, and wrote“The Landlady” from the perspective of Billy Weaver, a 17 year old businessman who stumbles across a Bed and Breakfast run by our next “Mistress of Death”. The reader will learn that even though these 2 stories are different in many ways, they still have plenty of similarities.

The American public's fascination with serial murders has not only continuously kept these violent men and women in the public eye, but has also inspired the creation of films that demonstrate and dramatize the heinous crimes committed by these people. One such film program that adapts crimes committed by serial murderers, and the murderers themselves, is The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Through a combination of criminology, psychology, and sociology, The Silence of the Lambs is able to not only inform audiences of the dangerous types of people that currently inhabit society, but also of the individuals who study serial murderers with the intent of apprehending them before they commit any more crimes and to help identify these murderers victims.

Silence of the Lambs focuses on two main characters with problematic mental disorders: Hannibal Lector and “Buffalo Bill.” Both of these characters appear to have anti-social personality disorder (ASPD). Based on diagnostic criteria from the DSM 5, significant impairments must be present in personality functioning as well as interpersonal functioning. This can be present in either identity or self-direction. These ideas of self-functioning are focused on personal gratification from goals and self-esteem, and result from personal gain, power, or pleasure. This characteristic is present in both characters, as they feel a sense of pleasure and gain from killing their victims. Hannibal Lector would eat body parts of his victims, and Buffalo Bill would collect the skin of his victims. This also demonstrates the characters failing to conform to lawful, ethical behavior. Next, interpersonal functioning impairments are present in empathy or intimacy. Empathy is the lack of feelings or remorse for others, which is vividly seen in Hannibal Lector’s scenes throughout the movie. For example, after Lector has killed the police officers in his cell, he stands around, swaying as music plays, content with what he has just done, instead of feeling bad or guilty about the murders. In Buffalo Bill’s home, the senator’s daughter is seen trapped a well-like structure, screaming for help. Meanwhile, Buffalo Bill acts oblivious to her suffering and is not affected or remorseful about it. The DSM 5 also describes those affected by antisocial personality disorder as having pathological personality traits in antagonism and disinhibition. While antagonism has several defining characteristics, callousness and hostility are present throughout the movie, as well as disinhibition characterized by risk-taking behaviors. The other evident qualifications include these expressions not understood as being normative, not due to the effects of substance or medications, and the characters being over eighteen years old.

The Silence of the lambs (1991) is in doubt a film which demonstrates a well-constructed horror film. The film, ranging with scenes, shots, and frames that were well constructed to be identified as horrific. The films cinematography shifts the films narrative and impacts the film, especially the film’s frames. It seems reasonable to suppose that from the film’s frames and of those of the characters expressions, they shape the film’s genre to be horrifying, psychological, and thrilling and they guide viewers towards where the film’s narrative will lead to. Therefore, even a single or series of frames in the film such as Hannibal Lecter’s evil smile, Buffalo Bill opening the door, Hannibal Lecter standing in his cell, and the dialogue between Agent Starling and Hannibal Lecter, act collectively to represent and symbolize claims about the film.

Andre Dubus’s “Killings” is a very interesting look into the psychology that goes on after a person has been killed. The story discusses the ramifications of the original murder, the subsequent actions of “justice,” and finally what is left when it is all said and done.

From bullying to crime to terrorism and more, evil takes on many forms in today’s society. Such evil has many adverse effects, sometimes including the deaths of innocent people. As only harm can come from malevolence, one begins to wonder whether or not such acts are simply a part of human nature. After all, it does not make much moral sense for someone to intentionally stir chaos. However, when exploring where evil truly stems from, one finds that it may be deeply rooted in the environment Truman Capote investigates the true meaning of evil in his account of the murders of the Clutters, a wealthy, innocent family living in desolate Holcomb, Kansas. In his work, In Cold Blood, Capote uses syntax, diction, and selection of details to show

Throughout the film, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", many changes differentiate the movie from the book. Not only can these differences be seen in the characters of the novel, but also in the series of events that make this story so interesting. In this essay, the significance of these differences will be revealed as well as the reasons for the changes.

Each creative, Demme and Harris, utilize the conventions of their respective platform not for the creation of an identical character, but an identical feeling. In both texts, Lecter executes his visions of control, and both artists prove themselves capable of demonstrating these ideas to an audience. Roger Ebert describes the character of Lecter as having a “speaking voice with the precision of a man so arrogant he can barely be bothered to address the sloppy intelligence of the ordinary person.” He is intelligent and knows it, craving control for apparently no other reason than because it is there. There are, however, major discrepancies between Harris’s one-eyed, eleven-fingered Dr. Lecter Demme’s subdued criminal mastermind. The intimately paternal relationship between Lecter and Starling that guides the narrative remains constant between iterations even as Lecter changes. Between literature and film, he acts different, looks different, but is essential same character, evoking the same response from the audience of both book and

that it is not normal for her to look this way and there is a false

In “Natural Born Celebrities: Serial Killers in American Culture,” serial killers are defined as clean cut, normal, All-American people. Some interviewees shared in chapter five state that the reason why it takes so long for the culprits to be apprehended is attributed to the ability to carry on with a normal life. One even offered that in one instance, his victim actually thought he was joking when he kidnapped her to eventually murder her. In “Mr. Brooks,” Earl again is a very successful person. He is an ordinary, suit wearing, clean shaven, clean cut, successful Portland, Oregon businessman. I imagine that his killing addiction would shock even his closest, everyday coworkers. Hannibal Lecter is a former psychiatrist. I can’t even begin to imagine the amount of schooling that he endured and numerous certifications, both federal and state, that he must have attained. Yet, he did not like arrogant and obnoxious people, therefore, he murdered them.

The following essay examines the characteristics of the aestheticisation of abjection by analysing Jonathan Demme’s, The Silence of The Lambs (1991) to better understand what pleasure we, as a culture, find in consuming horror films. The Silence of the Lambs shows women being tortured, sexually assaulted and murdered yet is still a widely popular film that serves to entertain a seemingly sane society.

You think if Catherine lives, you won't wake up in the dark ever again to that awful screaming of the lambs”(Demme, 1991). Clarice claims she doesn’t know and it is possible she truly doesn’t, but we can see in her face that wants it to be true. We see the pain in her face and her desire to be released from the screaming and find peace. Director Jonathan Demme lets us connect with the characters by shattering the fourth wall. He positions the camera so Clarice is essentially talking to the audience in extreme close up shots. This technique instills her anguish into the audience. Clarice then becomes more demanding, asking for the killer’s name but before Hannibal can answer Dr. Frederick Chilton informs her it’s time to go. She is nearly dragged out of the room, but breaks free to run back to Hannibal’s cage and retrieve her case files. The visual style up to this point in the scene has been dark, but when Clarice rushes to the cage, there is light illuminating Hannibal. Clarice running towards this light represents her search for peace. She is hoping the clues left by Dr. Lecter in the case files will enable her to catch the killer, save the kidnapped girl, and stop the lambs from screaming.

Jesus of Nazareth was a beautiful movie recapping the life of Jesus Christ. This film had no bareness, no vulgarity, and no sex scenes. It was ideal for both the young and the older audiences. I do not recall anything that may have gone against the word of God. Jesus of Nazareth embellished the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It remained true to the four New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

It seems that in recent years movie villains have been reduced to bland, superficial scare-machines. The golden age of dynamic villains has come and gone, and action movies everywhere are all hype and no substance. In contrast to modern horror films, the 1990s brought us some of the greatest movie villains of all time. Villains who were uncomfortably relatable, undeniably cunning, and extremely frightening all at the same time dominated the box office. Dr. Hannibal Lecter (played by Anthony Hopkins) in the 1991 film directed by Jonathan Demme and adopted from a novel by Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs, is a perfect example of a sinister villain who is both compelling and complex, and his performance set the standard for villains to