Grave of the Fireflies - Review

Ah, The Sandlot. A movie full of fifth and sixth grade boys playing baseball in the Summer. If you think it sounds boring, you're wrong. This is an excellent movie. It starts with a boy, named Scotty (Tom Guiry) who needs friends. He needed friends so bad that his mom was even concerned about him being cooped up in the house for a quarter of the summer. One day, he wanders to a baseball field and his want to have friends and be a part of something comes true. He even got a nickname, "Smalls". The boys did everything together, even got into and out of trouble together. But the number one important thing all nine of the boys did, was meet at the baseball field every single day.

Some aspects of the film were very different between the cultures. These aspects are traditionally associated with nurture. A major difference was how often the parents were interacting with the child. The

The idea that something this catastrophic could happen to their seemingly untouchable country was simply unbelievable. This newfound rage for the japanese united America and yanked them out of neutrality. The Second World War actually provided new jobs for many people in military factories, civilians could take out their anger fueling the American war

The audience who viewed this film was primarily younger adults, having enough knowledge to understand society as well as the initiative to try to make a difference in the racial inequalities of the time period. This film definitely made the general public think about and question social norms and customs, and could have ultimately aided the civil rights

Japan defended its position effectively for a while. But soon the U.S. attacked their navy, and they had to withdraw. They suffered damages to their boats, as well as many casualties. That was the turning point in the war. The United States was fighting with the allies to weaken Japan. But they wouldn’t back down. So that’s when the atomic bomb was dropped. Japan was still holding on, but after the second one was dropped, they finally surrendered. There is still debate till this very day on whether we were justified in dropping the bombs in Japan or

     During this time of crisis in America, the Japanese people in our country were done a huge injustice. They were stripped their constitutional rights, relocated to a location with poor living conditions, and when America apologized it was just too late. The mental and physical health impacts of this event continues to affect tens of thousands of Japanese

The relevance that the event still has on today’s society can be seen when Japan’s senior vice-minister for Economy Tadahiro Matsushita stated “Japan had caused tremendous damage and suffering to people of many countries, which was a cause of deep remorse and a heartfelt apology”.

‘Black Robe' is the story of a young Jesuit Priest from France who embarks on a religious journey to convert, to Christianity, the Aboriginal tribes of New France. Set primarily in Ontario during the mid 1630's, Father Lafargue travels from Quebec via the Ottawa River to the home of the Huron people in what is now referred to as the Simcoe Region of South Central Ontario. He is aided by a band of Algonquin-speaking people, numbering roughly 20 and a young Frenchman with aspirations of Priesthood in the motherland. Blackrobe offers an intriguing insight into the relationships between the French and the Aboriginals. That being said most of the background for the movie is taken from a massive archive of

Restless Giant, a book written by James T. Patterson, provides us with a concise and historically correct assessment of the time period of the twenty-seven years between the resignation of Richard Nixon and the election of George W. Bush. Patterson makes it a point to provide for us the relational ties between the social, economical, cultural, political aspects of life in America.

The Japanese people are stoic patriotic people. They did come together as a community to assist each other but they suffered through their pain alone. They did not look for sympathy or a shoulder to cry on. Mr. Tanimoto wrote in a letter describing how some Japanese died without yelling out for help. He wrote, “They died in silence with no grudge, setting their teeth to bear it. All for the country (Hersey, p. 69)!” They were proud people for their country and didn’t want to appear weak. Mr. Tanimoto also wrote in his letter, “Look, I lost my home, my family, and at last bitterly injured. But now I have got my mind to dedicate what I have and to complete the war for our country’s sake (Hersey, p. 69).” Hersey also informs us of thirteen year old girls singing their national anthem while being crushed to death. Not concerned about their well-being but for the love of their beloved country. To know that you’re going to die yet sing something that means so much to you shows heroism. It is as if the thirteen year old girls died for

World War II was devastating to an many involved and much damage has been done on both sides, physically and mentally.To Japan WWII is known as “the fifteen- year war” as some may not have regarded, Japan’s view of the war is radically different from the U.S. and others involved. “An aptitude for being unloved: War and Memory”, Dower’s essay demonstrates that Japan viewed themselves as victims of the war rather than aggressors, and that some aspects of the war were “whitewashed”, but this isn't solely unique to Japan in this situation. As it is common in most every history, especially in America who are still reluctant in admitting responsibility to the Vietnam war or slavery. As well as setting a reminder to listeners of how Americans excussed the emperor from responsibility.

Grave of the Fireflies is arguably the darkest and saddest Studio Ghibli movie. It takes place during World War II and follows the sibling duo, Seita and Setsuko, a 14 year-old and his 3 year old sister. Throughout the film, we see the siblings struggle to survive. From watching their town burned, their mother horrifically burned and eventual death, their struggle with hunger and abuse, leading to Setsuko's and Seita's eventual heartbreaking deaths. It's overall message of anti-war is told to the audience in a quiet but effective manner.

The Japanese people, although of different classes, are united by a fierce pride for self and culture. Although many of the samurai are starving and poor, they are too proud to beg for food, or even accept it as payment for services rendered. Some of the samurai who refuse to help the village do so because they are too proud to work for such a lowly cause. The farmers’ pride in their village is seen through their efforts to defend their village and livelihood in the face of the bandits. This pride is even more evident as those farmers who live outside the protective wall built around the village for the battle attempt to mutiny against the samurai and defend only their homes.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 film directed by Robert Mulligan, and is based on the novel by Harper Lee of the same name. The film stars Gregory Peck (Atticus Finch), Mary Badham (Scout Finch), Phillip Alford (Jem), John Megna (Dill), Robert Duvall (Boo Radley), and Brock Peters (Tom Robinson). To start the film a woman is narrating her childhood in Macomb, Alabama that was "a tired old town even in 1932." She (Scout) recalls that she was six years old that summer. Scout and her brother Jem are fascinated by the neighbors a few door down, particularly Boo Radley, which they share with Dill, a boy visiting town for the summer. The primary plot line for Scout, Jem, and Dill revolves around Boo Radley.

The film Grave of The Fireflies directed by Isao Takahata is based off true events and is set in Japan during World War 2, we have seen many movies set in the time of world war two however there are few movies which are portrayed from the losing side Japan. The movie follows two kids witnessing a bombing of their home, which subsequently killed their mother due to her being burned by the fire bombs. The movie is shown through the perspective of the boy’s ghost as it follows the life of himself and his younger sister through hardship and war. We see how the boy must step up to take care of his sister due to their mother’s death and the father who is at war, we see the bond between the brother and the sister goes beyond this life as the sister’s ghost watches over him and waits for him in the afterlife. I am going to be analysing two scenes in the film which shape the film because they have the most importance or detail in them.