The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

For this essay, I am going to be discussing the short story “Swimming” found on the New Yorker, and written by T. Cooper. I have chosen this story for many reasons, and among those reasons is the personal sadness I felt when I first read the story, almost as if the universe was placing a certain theme in my life, that only the main character could possibly understand. I am talking about running, the god given instinct felt by all men, inherent in the nature of fear, and brought out in all who feel sadness in its full intensity. Though in my short life I can not compare the sadness I have felt with that of losing a child at my own hand, but if I had been placed in that situation, if fate had tempted my soul with such a sequence of events, I would like to think I could find the strength to endure and the courage to not abandon all I had previously known. Yet I am able to reconcile the themes of grief, the mode of recovery, and the longing to escape such a terrible tale. I think in this piece, as I will discuss in later parts, the author was able to put into words a transformation we rarely get to observe in closeness, the kind of transformation that turns a kind man into a “just man” the kind of death that turns this world from a beautiful and happy place into a world that is closing in on our main character, that is forcing him to surface temporarily and gasp for air, much like he does when he finds peace in the water, wading breath after air, after sea. I firmly believe that

The animated film, Ratatouille, may seem like just another Disney/Pixar collaboration to some, and while that partnership seems to always produce innovative and interesting films, this film about a rat who realizes his dream to become a chef is something beyond even, what these two giants in the film industry usually do together. It is more than just a sweet story about Remy, an anthropomorphized rat—but not too anthropomorphized—realizing his dream along with the garbage boy, Linguini, who teams up with Remy. Both of them discover who they really are and overcome insecurities that previously prevented them from realizing their full potential, but the movie is a recipe for success in many ways. The loving care and talent that is combined in the making of this film is the same kind of care and talent that Remy—or any real chef—puts into his food. Still, it seems impossible that a rat making food in a Parisian restaurant could possibly have the right ingredients to produce a successful result—however, Ratatouille proves that it does. Just like the painstaking attention that goes into a chef’s creation of a meal, the care and skill that resulted in the film sets Ratatouille above the typical animated movie and makes it a classic in not just unusual story-lines, creative computer graphics, and groundbreaking film-making, but also as a study of human behavior. There is truly something for everyone in this feast of a film.

The butterfly is often used as a symbol of rebirth, which connects with the title of “Change”. The raised skull of the first butterfly evokes death, but its bright, cheerful colors and central position seem to suggest that ‘death’ in this work is not to be feared, and is even necessary. The second butterfly, hanging freely from the ceiling, is noticeably different from the first, again invoking the idea of change. Change here is then often painful, but it is needed and can even be

Butterflies are also mentioned in the short story “Night Women”. The woman describes her son as a butterfly because of her inability

The theme of the story "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is that no matter how hard life is, or what your struggles are, look for the positive in all situations. I think that is the theme because even though he couldn't talk or do many things besides blink and swivel his head. Bauby images that he could be a formula one driver and you would see him burning up the track or him being a solider in a TV series on history's great battles. Even though he has locked in syndrome he still imagines that he is not laying in the hospital doing nothing but lying there because that is the only thing he can mostly do. He communicates through blinking his left eye respectively to make words and sentences, he soon wrote a book only through blinking and a

I chose to watch the movie La Lengua de las Mariposas; which translates to ‘The Tongue of the Butterflies’. I did not know what movie to watch originally but I remembered learning the word ‘mariposas’ from my high school Spanish teacher. Also, this movie came up on two separate lists when I searched for a movie to watch for this assignment.

In their respective texts, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and The Cry of the Gull, Jean-Dominique Bauby and Emmanuelle Laborit tackle the daunting task of radically shaping their non-disabled audience’s opinions. Though they certainly contain therapeutic elements, they are highly persuasive in their content. Laborit follows the traditional route of the polemic in her autobiography, using The Cry of the Gull as a foundation for critiques on various controversies in the D/deaf community. Bauby, on the other hand, takes a narrower approach as he essentially argues for his consciousness. The scope of both Laborit and Bauby’s audiences also reflect their arguments at hand. Despite their differences, both of these texts become polemic pieces in

Challenges and Obstacles of Frank McCourt and Jean-Dominique Bauby “Stock your mind, stock your mind. It is your house of treasure and no one in the world can interfere with it.” This quote from Frank McCourt, who wrote the autobiography, Angela’s Ashes, describes the truth about how a great mind can withstand any physical obstacles. It tells us that as long as we keep our mind growing and optimistic, we will always be able to be successful. Two great minds are Frank McCourt and Jean-Dominique Bauby, the writer of his own memoir, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

It all began at East Ridge high, I was a junior at the time just trying to get by and ready for school to end long before it even started. The strange things began happening randomly, the first occurrence was in my swim class, I had always preferred swimming, the feeling of the water running across my skin and the waves created a rythmic motion that was very calming; I was super pysched they offered it as an alternative to gym class. One day during swim class I was practicing a technique called the butterfly stroke. I started slow and as I got the hang of it my speed built thats when it started to happen, with every stroke of my arms the water came to life and started creating waves that grew larger I hadn't notice until I had reached the wall

Nonetheless, they push past their discomfort and as Helen pushes the brooch back into Myra`s hand, the author describes the contact their fingers made- bolstering the evidence that these girls are forming a bond. It is during this part of the narrative that the title, “Day of the Butterfly”, is made significant. This scene is a turning point for both girls, for a friendship that holds beauty and potential has been

Movies have been produced and shown to awaiting audiences for several decades. Throughout these several decades, the ways that movies are produced. The movies that were produced in the early 60’s and 70’s definitely show that we have advanced in the filming industry in terms of cameras and special effects. One thing that has not changed, however, is the way that producers draw in the attention of the audience. Ever since even the earliest movies, such as the movie Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock, producers have used ideas including suspense to keep the attention of the audience on the movie. The shower scene in the movie Psycho is an example of how the movie is suspenseful because of how the scene draws the attention of the audience into the movie and makes the audience feel connected to it.

When a man is locked in a chamber, tied down, and forced to witness the descent of a swinging blade above his body, death is an inevitability. In the case of Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum” and Alfred Hitchcock’s film adaptation, however, the hostage manages to break free from the binds and cheat death, surviving what could have been a slow and painful decease. Through their differences in setting and effective characterization, it’s evident that the survival from torture was more predictable in the film.

Without even knowing it, moviegoers of this generation have become accustomed to an eye-catching title sequence in the beginning of most films, full of symbolism and thematic elements, as if the cinema always was blessed with such opening credits.

clips and sharp one-liners to help draw the characters” (Schimkowitz). Although this was the template used in the 1900s, it is still used in many successful movie trailers today. The essence of the trailer should resemble the “typography and text” by revealing what kind of feelings the audience should have while watching the movie. Narration has been used a lot in modern movie trailers because it leaves a mystery to get the audience to guess the next action and, as it said previously, it cleans up some of the confusing bits of the trailer. Music, overall, ties a film together. It sets the mood and tone for the film and it fills the environment of the movie so that you are truly immersed in a new world. Danger does not always relate to a life or death situation, but it could be the stakes that the characters are risking and what choices must be made. Romance does not need to be about two people in love, but it could be the imagination of an ideal world to a certain character. The good feelings may not be the most enticing thing in a trailer but it does give a sense of hope or a longing for a better life. Or the good feelings could be the nostalgia, the “bittersweet longing for former times and spaces,” of the film (Niemeyer). These are tactics used in trailers to intrigue people to watch the film or show. Not every rule is used for different reasons, perhaps because of the content and nature of the film, but, if done correctly, the targeted audience will make the effort to

Awkward first dates are the worst. Sometimes though, the outcome can bloom into something more beautiful. The movie theater, Carmike Cinemas, in their Coke Commercial, “Here’s To The Movies, and True Love,” represents that true love can transpire in the most awkward of ways. Carmike Cinemas’ purpose is to convey the idea that true love can happen anywhere, but also portrays a sense of persuasion to encourage these first dates to take place at the movie theater with the purchase of a Coca-Cola. They adopt a romantic tone in order to connect with young lovers or single men and women to encourage their first dates to be at the movie theater. This will lead to true love by night’s end. Carmike Cinemas’ Coke Commercial: “Here’s To The Movies, and True Love” illustrates symbolism, anecdote, and nostalgic flashback to show a view of true love and how it can be a simply blissful first date thanks to Coca-Cola and the movie theater.