Forrest Gump Disability

Forrest Gump is an All American, fan favorite, award-winning film directed by Robert Zemeckis that was released on July 6, 1994. Tom Hanks stars as the main character, Forrest Gump. The award-winning movie’s genre is best described as an epic romantic comedy drama. Many rhetorical appeals such as ethos, pathos, and logos are made throughout the entire movie. Pathos is used the most effecting the audiences’ emotions from beginning to end. The film is based on Forrest Gump’s life, in which he narrated as a historical story throughout the movie. Forrest Gump was born and raised in Greenbow, Alabama by his single mother. Forrest was mentally and physically handicapped. He had to wear medal braces on both of his legs. He also faced many

In the movie Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks portrays a character that was diagnosed with a low IQ score of 75 as a young child. Throughout the movie the character Forrest Gump is sought of as having a disadvantaged life because of his low IQ and his mild intellectual behavior disorder however, his actions proved that he is far from disadvantaged and was able to live not only a normal life but an adventurous one. Despite suffering from his mild form of intellectual behavior disorder Forrest Gump did not have many friends growing up however, he was able to have a few lifelong friends and was able to have an impact on not only his country but the community in which he grew up in. The disability was only addressed at the beginning of

At the beginning of the movie, young Forrest had to wear braces on his legs because his doctor discovered he was physically handicapped. His mother discovered he had an intellectual disability. Intellectual disability is defined as a significantly below-average intellectual function with limitations in areas of adaptive behavior such as self-care and social skills, originally before age 18(Sigelman &Rider). Forest had an IQ of 75 which made his

Forrest had to deal with problems in his relationship with Jenny on a regular basis. Every time a problem would arise within the relationship he would try his best to work it out. He adjusted well when relationship problems arose.

In the movie Forrest Gump, Jenny is such a misunderstood person and in no way the evil woman many make her out to be. She is just a lost soul trying to find a place in this world where she belongs and can be happy. She has a hard time thinking she deserves to be happy and loved. Although she mistreats Forrest time and time again, it is not her intention to hurt him the way she does. The way she acts and the decisions she makes all stem from the abuse she went through as a child, then just continues to snowball from there.

The relationship between Jenny and Forrest is initially looked at as Forrest’s savior, but Jenny also saw it as a way to escape her father when they were children, then later giving Forrest the role of safety net. He was always there when Jenny needed someone to lean on. She cares for Forrest very much and while she is kindhearted, she has also shown how selfish and self-destructing she is. By the end of her life she redeems herself by fulfilling Forrest’s dream to marry her while simultaneously leaving her son with his father to be taken care of.

Forrest Gump is a character who is intellectually disabled or as said in the movie “Retarded.” One of the first signs of his disability was in the scene when Forrest’s mother and he were in the principal’s office talking about Forrest IQ test scores (Zemeckis and Roth, 1994). He was below the average range and was suggested to go into special classes or into a special school itself. Forrest’s mother refused to let forest get the easy way out. He was unable to reach the expected goals at school just as one of the symptoms was recognized. Another example of his disability was his unstable legs. Forrest was put into leg supports to help him walk because of his condition he had trouble with some motor abilities. As well as being below the IQ range, Forrest lacked in language development and speech. He also lacked in social skills. Throughout the movie, Forrest didn’t have many friends. The girl he loved believed he/7 was unable to understand the feeling of love because of his disability. In another scene, Forrest was sent to Vietnam to serve his country in the war. While there, a bombing attack occurred. Forrest ran straight into a bombed forest to rescue other soldier’s (Zemeckis and Roth, 1994). His disability made him impulsive solider and lacked the acknowledgement of danger. Forrest was shot in the butt while doing so and thought it was a bug that bit him. Also in the movie, Forrest was recognized for his duty in the war he met the president and pulled down his pants on television, in the white house (Zemeckis and Roth, 1994). Because his Intellectual disability made it difficult for him to understand social roles and norms in

Once Forrest reaches Jenny’s house, he is confused that there is a child there, and does not believe Jenny when she first tells him to child is his. Gump instantly falls in love with his son, and is delighted to learn that he does not suffer from the same mental illness as his father. Forrest soon learns that Jenny called him to her home for more than simply introducing him to his son; Jenny was dying, and she called him there to say their final goodbyes. Less than a week later, Jenny had passed, and their lifelong romance came to a peaceful end.

The film I selected to observe that displays a disability in the media is Pumpkin. The film Pumpkin is based on a young college girl name Carolyn that volunteers in yearly Challenged Games. In the Challenged Games Carolyn is partner up with a boy name Jesse that goes by the nickname Pumpkin, which has an intellectual disability and is handicapped. Despites everyone disapproval and differences in the film both Carolyn and Pumpkin end up falling in love in the film. The character in the film is portrayed as a young boy that is not “normal” enough to be around all the other students or even to have friends or a girlfriend. He is rather seen as an individual that has a disability that makes him different from everyone else and because of that disability

Forrest Gump is one of the greatest movies of all time. It brings together many of the most relevant themes and controversial subjects in modern society. Including some of the most difficult subjects such as; discrimination, racism, war, hardcore drug use, mental trauma, as well as a disease epidemic.

My first subject is Forrest Gump, in analyzing Forrest we understand how he correlates toward the psychoanalytic theory (p. 35-38). Since Forrest has an IQ of 75, which is reflected as intellectually disabled or formerly called mental retarded. Forrest is incapable of preserving the necessary abilities that require language, comprehension, mathematics, and social communication. Forrest has overcome the actuality that he’s distinguished and classified as intellectually disabled, with the encouragement of his mother, Forrest has developed a sense of self (p. 335-336 & 339-340).

Despite his low IQ, Forrest Gump leads a truly charmed life, taking part in many of the most memorable events in his lifetime. Without trying, Forrest teaches Elvis Presley to dance, becomes a football star, meets John F. Kennedy, serves with honor in Vietnam, meets Lyndon Johnson, speaks at an anti-war rally at the Washington Monument, hangs out with the Yippies, defeats the Chinese national team in table tennis, meets Richard Nixon, discovers the break-in at the Watergate, opens a profitable shrimping business, becomes an original investor in Apple Computers, and decides to run back and forth across the country for several years. Meanwhile, as his life goes by, Forrest never forgets about Jenny, the girl he loved since a

He becomes an All-American, is present during the integration of his college, and is sent to Vietnam after being drafted into the army. Later, Forrest receives the Medal of Honor, is present during the anti-war movement, plays a crucial role in Watergate, and finally becomes a multi-million dollar business tycoon. Through all of this, Forrest holds one thing true in his mind: Jenny. Jenny is his first and only love. Next to his mother, she's the most important thing in his life, and the only thing he really wants. Yet, despite constant disappointments concerning Jenny, Forrest maintains his sweet-tempered, innocently naïve philosophy of life.

And yet this is not a heartwarming story about a mentally retarded man. That cubbyhole is much too small and limiting for Forrest Gump. The movie is more of a meditation on our times, as seen through the eyes of a man who lacks

True love was the driving force behind Forrest's success; in all of his accomplishments, he wanted to make his mother proud but most of all, he struggle to prove to Jenny that he wasn't stupid. He wants her to be with him so he can protect her from the world. He realizes that he goes through life