Courage In The Film, The Blind Side

The world is far from a uniform system. Each and every individual is placed in a different situation depending on everything from location, race, beliefs, and economic status. Psychology looks at how individuals come out of these specific environments and how they transform into an adult through the trials and tribulations of their growth. In The Blind Side, director John Lee Hancock focuses on an athletically skilled African-American teen, Michael Oher, who is transformed from a homeless orphan from the projects into a highly sought after college football prospect through a positive change in family, school, and supportive surroundings.

As infants grow up to be adults, they succeed and surpass phases in their development that prove mental growth has occurred. These phases, such as learning to be independent and being able to make decisions on their own or being persuaded by others, are well explained within theories created by theorists and psychologists such as Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson. These theories were created to show a unique psychological outlook on ones’ personal developmental growth. One of the most crucial phases is the adolescent stage; this stage sees a growth and development in the biosocial, cognitive, psychosocial and moral aspects of an adolescent’s life. The Blind Side’s Michael Oher is a great example of someone who is experiencing the adolescent stage. Michael Oher is a seventeen-year-old African American who grew up in the housing projects in Memphis, Tennessee and was separated from his drug-addicted mother. As a result, Michael went from foster home to foster home until he was adopted by the Touhy’s. Throughout the movie, Michael demonstrated various cognitive and psychosocial developments. Even through his struggles and experiences, he was able to overcome the obstacles and become successful as a student and as an athlete.

“Based on a book by journalist Michael Lewis chronicling the real life Oher’s experiences, “The Blind Side” manages to inspire despite its broad-strokes approach to characterization.”(VLM, 2010) The Blind Side is based on a true story, the story of Michael Oher, a homeless boy with a traumatic past until one women, Leigh Ann, took him in as her own son and changed his life for the better. Michael is now known as an American football player, that was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens. The film, “The Blind side”, produced by John Lee Hancock, demonstrates that a tragic childhood does not necessarily mean one is destined for defeat, as long as there are those who care enough about you. “The Blind Side” uses rhetorical appeals by illustrating ethos, logos, and pathos to teach the audience moral lessons on learning and coping with traumatic life experiences and defining oneself socially through personal actions.

The Blind Side depicts the story of Michael Oher, a seventeen year old African American homeless boy from a broken home, taken in by Leigh Anne Tuohy, a wife and mom of two living in a well to-do neighborhood. Repeatedly running away from the group home after group home, he was placed in after he was taken from him drug addicted mother, he happens to run into the exceedingly accepting family. Only after the catholic high school football coach sees his size and agility he is accepted to the privet school, despite a 0.7 GPA and lack of a place to sleep Leigh Anne Touhy, along with only one of his teachers, take a special interest in him. The families give him

In the movie, The Blind Side, Michael Oher’s character experiences many changes. Throughout the film, he grows from a shy, uneducated boy into a young man who belongs to a family. The film begins with Oher as a homeless youth struggling to find a place to sleep. It progresses with Oher’s fortunate meeting of the Tuohy family and concludes with Oher’s ultimate transformation from a homeless boy into a successful man.

Everyone was created for a reason. "Don't ever allow yourself to feel trapped by your choices. Take a look at yourself. You are a unique person created for a specific purpose. Your gifts matter. Your story matters. Your dreams matter. You matter." - Real Michael Oher. In the visual text 'The Blind Side' the director John Lee Hancock presented to us, how Michael Oher was a positive influence on Sean Tuohy, the football team/coach and Leigh Anne. To display this to the viewers, Hancock used the film technique of low-key lighting in the scene where Michael was sauntering solo in the crisp, drenched night, long-shot in the scene where Michael was on the field with his football team/coach and dialogue in the scene where Michael graduates to Ole Miss University. Do you believe a young teenage boy can transform someone to become a better person? Well, start believing! Hancock used these film techniques to reinforce the way Michael was a positive influence on Sean Tuohy, the football team/coach and Leigh Anne and made them exceptional people.

“Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.” Atticus Finch. This quote is proved to be true in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee as it demonstrates the true definition of courage. The book takes you along the journey of young girl, Scout Finch, during a time where colored people are thought less of. She experiences this first hand as her father, Atticus Finch, has been assigned to defend a colored man who has been accused of raping a white female. Scout along with her elder brother Jem, learn the definition of courage through some of the characters and how they act to the events that occur before and after the trial. In Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, many characters are great examples of trusting yourself when all odds are stacked against you. Throughout the novel the characters that display courage are Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.

The movie “The Blind Side” originally written by: Michael Lewis is about a highschool boy named Michael Oher who gets adopted by the Tuohy family. The family financially help Michael with his school grades in order to play football, after his grades went up Michael got the proper training to play in his school team. Eventually, he struggles but Sean motivates Michael training him using Football strategies. Sean recorded a video of his sports performance Therefore it made him famous and received a scholarship.

If your favorite ball goes over a fence, would you try to get it back from a fearsome beast? The movie “The Sandlot” displays courage in many different ways. The Sandlot is about a gang of kids who love to play baseball. These kids are afraid of the “Beast”, which is behind the fence of the sandlot. The Babe Ruth baseball Scotty’s dad has is a valuable baseball, and it has Babe Ruth’s official signature.

The movie The Blind Side is based on a true story about Michael Oher, first round draft pick for the Baltimore Ravens in 2009. Oher grew up in the projects in Memphis to a drug-addicted mother and an absent father. Michael was eventually taken by family services and was placed in a number of different foster homes. He ran away from each home placement and eventually became homeless. Michael is taken in by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy who helped him to attend a private Catholic school, which is where their children as well received their education. Prior to school here Michael had little education or skills to be successful in life. While attending Wingate Christian School, Michael began to play football. The Tuohy family provide the nurturing environment that Michael needed to show his true potential. Leigh Anne and Sean eventually become Oher’s legal guardians and help him become successful in school as well as excel with his interest in football. This movie story into Oher’s life display social issues, obstacles, and triumph was overcome by Oher in order for him to achieve his dream with the guidance and stability provided from the Tuohy family.

The Blind side is considered one of the best sports biographies and one of the best sports related inspirational stories. The blind side was published in 2006 and was written by Michael Lewis. This book is based on a Memphis native, Micahel Oher’s. The Blind Side contains two stories within its plot. One story begins with Michael Oher. The book explains the trials and tribulations of the young African American teenager. Micheal was from one of the worst neighborhoods in Memphis. He lived with anyone would would give him a place to stay for them night, The story follow his journey from being poor and then meeting the Tuohy family, who is a wealthy Memphis family who took him in and helped make his dream come true of playing the the National Football League. The book then goes into detail about the evolution of Micheal trying to play in the game of football. Lewis describes in the book how the left tackle position is one of the best positions on a football team, because the person maintain gin this role is responsible for protecting the quarterback 's “blind side” (“Blind”).

In “To Kill A Mockingbird’’ a novel by Harper Lee, the character I believe has the most courage and the best example of courageous is the man Atticus Finch. He goes into court knowing that the chances of him losing are high, yet he does it anyway. This court case causes a lot of tension racially and personally for atticus. It changes the views of everyone in the town since they realize that Atticus is trying his hardest to get this man Tom Robinson charged as not guilty with the rape of Mayella Ewell.

“Yesterday is a history, tomorrow is a mystery” ― Bill Keane; American cartoonist .As individuals that live their lives, everyone has or is going to encounter significant experiences that will change their identity forever. In the 2009, American biographical sports drama film The Blind Side directed by John Lee Hancock, the main character Michael Oher, a black teenage boy goes through many ups and downs through his life to finally become a successful NFL football left tackle player. The director of this film chose this story because it exhibits the importance of the experiences we encounter in our lives and how they can be life changing. Momentous experiences and exposure to various situations in life impact an individual to transform because

“The Blind Side” is a movie based on a true-life story of how Michael Oher goes through the difficulties in his life before he becomes one of the best defensive players of the NFL football team. Growing up in a broken family; where he had a drug-addicted mother, the father being in the prison and he, himself was always going in and out of the foster homes, as the audience, we all probably have already expected what will happen to this young man.

The first part is trying to define the term Family System itself. It gives a very brief overview on the characeristics of a family system and how such a system relates and co-relates to the enviorment. It also gives a short description of the dynamics and dimensions of family systems - cohesion and hierarchy.