Essay about Religion & Purification in Taxi Driver

In the book, Travis

Popular culture is culture found in a large, heterogeneous society, that shares certain habits despite differences in other personal characteristic. Popular culture can consist of: a popular song, performer,movie or tv show, comic trip, “super hero”, etc.

Is it possible to be a Muslim without believing the validity of the prophecies of Mohammed? Is it possible to be a Christian without believing in the resurrection of Jesus? My definition of religion transformed greatly during my studies the past few months. Even as a religion major at St. Olaf College I thought of religion very narrowly, as a construct of metaphysical beliefs. But I've come to realize that religion runs far deeper than my Lutheran mind previously conceived.

Travis, his Safari guide. He shows disrespect when he responds to him on the way to the shooting site, ““So they’re dead,” Said Eckels. “So what?”...”Never step off!” “I see,” said Eckels. “Then it wouldn 't pay for us even to touch the grass?””(Bradbury 226). This clearly demonstrates that Mr. Eckels has no respect for Mr. Travis or the rules and that he isn’t taking this Safari very seriously. Eckels also shows no interest in the rules or regulations when he doesn’t listen to Travis as they watch the T-Rex come into sight when he marvells, “”It can’t be killed.” Eckels pronounced this verdict quietly, as if there would be no argument. He had weighed the evidence and this was his considered opinion. The rifle in his hands seemed a cap gun. “We were fools to come. This is impossible.” “Shut up!” Hissed travis. “Nightmare.” ...”Don’t run...Turn around. Hide in the Machine”...”Yes.” Eckels seemed to be numb. He looked at his feet as if trying to make them move. He gave a grunt of helplessness. “Eckels!” He took a few steps, blinking, shuffling. “Not that way!””(Bradbury 231). This clearly demonstrates how much Mr. Eckels cares about the authority of Mr. Travis; he doesn’t.

In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses themes to display thoughts throughout the book. The theme that seems to be the center point of the story is religion. Religion is on the character’s minds with every action they do. When something goes wrong in the town, religion is sought out as a cause. When the witch trials begin, the devil is supposed to be the source of the troubles. Arthur Miller vividly uses religion to show the readers how important religion is to the people of Salem.

Unfortunately for Bickle, he is never able to get close enough to get to the candidate. After his plan completely fails, Bickle then begins to form an interest in saving a young 12-year-old prostitute by the name of Iris, played by Jodie Foster. In order to save her, Travis goes to the hotel that Iris works at and shoots her ‘pimp’ and murders him along with the hotel manager and the client of Iris. After seeing this film, Hinckley Jr. starts to form an obsession for Jodie Foster. He also began to believe that he saw himself in Travis Bickle. Hinckley Jr. was so infatuated with Taxi Driver that he saw the movie a total of fifteen times. He felt that in order to win Jodie Foster over, and to get her to even know he existed, was to assassinate the president of the United States. This would be the start of something that would lead to the attempted assassination of former President Ronald Reagan.

In the early 1500s, religious tension grew under the reign of King Henry VIII. England, Scotland, and Ireland intensified in their differences. Scotland was staunchly Calvinist, while Ireland was radically Catholic. England was strongly Catholic, however, it contained a large protestant minority. Henry VIII invoked political, religious, and economic strife when he separated from the Roman Catholic Church, commenced the dissolution of the monasteries, and appointed Thomas Cromwell to maintain order. Although the administrative and oppressive ruler, Henry VIII, and his aristocratic supporters may deny the harmful and corrupt impacts of these aforementioned decisions, the government was clearly guilty of being inept at providing security, abandoning

“They were both in white and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blow back in after a short flight around the house (p12). Daisy is often surrounded by white or is wearing white, which would indicate that she pure, but in fact, she is not innocent at all. Jordan Baker who is also characterized with the color white is portrayed as being angelic childlike, when she really was very dishonest.

He knew he had to take the responsibility of his family so that he forced himself to do things like a man. Actually, he still feels uncomfortable of his behaviors, which presented his innocence. In chapter 1, Travis’s father left home and joined the army. He talked with Travis and asked him to take responsibility for the whole family.

In everyday society, we are faced with diverse issues that force us to make a decision. Whether or not our decisions are right or wrong. In the movie “Dead Man Walking”, directed by Tim Robbins, he exemplifies the following actions throughout the film. Faith and doubt is a recurring theme in the course of the film. Where we see Christians, in essence, questioning their faith. We also notice a contradiction between the Christian bible and the Hebrew bible or as most people have come to know it as the Old and the New Testament. Conflicting themes have been argued about the Old and New Testament throughout the centuries. Also, humility is a key aspect to the film. The director discreetly implies it at the end of the film so we can make a

     The City of God is based on actual events that occurred in Rio de Janeiro during the 1960’s and 1970’s. The movie is about the rise and fall of a fearsome sociopath gang leader Li’l Ze, who reigned as king of the drug lords during the 70’s. The first part of the movie illustrates some of the forces that mold Li’l Ze into the man he becomes, while the second half shows his ruthless leap to power, followed by the war he wages against opposing gang leaders Carrot and Knockout Ned. The film is narrated by Rocket, a photographer who exists on the outskirts of Li’l Ze’s circle of dominance and control. In the film the city is filled with ruthless acts of delinquency and is basically in

Travis in the movie is the protagonist, and lives by the lower class ruling. Travis is more intelligent than the typical lower class (proletariat). One can tell because of the thoughts he writes down in his diary. Travis falls under the category of a stereotypical low class laborer. He works long hours; normally from 6 in the evening until 6 in the morning, and works 6, sometimes even 7 days a week. He writes a lot about his trips that he makes while driving the taxi. The writing in his diary show he is against the low life people who he sees, and who live on the streets. He says, “All the animals come out at night. Whores, scum, beggars, junkies, fairies. Someday a real rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets.” (Approximately 7 minutes into the film.). This is also a possible foreshadowing event on what he plans to do later in the

In Taxi Driver, Scorsese manages his camera angles and editing to emphasize Travis seeing the world through glass or mirrors, especially the windshield and rear-view mirror of the taxi, through which all major characters enter Taxi Driver: Betsy through the panes of an all-- glass office; Palantine through his rear-view mirror; and Iris and Sport in a fleeting glance in his mirror. As Travis meets with a black-market gun dealer, and in this scene the weapon literally becomes the organ of perception. Scorsese situates his camera on Travis' arm as that arm takes the weapon and slowly pans it across the window looking down on the street below. Finally, in the scene which has made Travis Bickle a cinematic icon ("Are you talking to me?"), Travis looks into his mirror, challenges imaginary adversaries, and draws his various weapons in assault. The ambiguity of the image is poignant: Travis looks into a mirror and makes a self-destructive gesture foreshadowing his attempted suicide at the climax of the film, and Travis peers through the looking glass and

"The Highwayman" is a narrative poem written by Alfred Noyes that portrays ill-starred romance between the highwayman, a thief and Bess, the landlord's daughter. Everything is going well until Tim calls the authorities and sets a trap to catch the highwayman, because he's a thief. Tim, Bess’s father's ostler is in love with Bess and goes out of his way to ensure that Bess’s relationship won't last. After Tim tips off the authorities Bess warns the highwayman and in the process she perishes.

I do not know how many times I have been driving down the road when someone does something stupid, ranging from pulling out in front of me or tailgating. More and more drivers enter the road every year and it seems as if less and less of them know how to drive.