True Grit Essay

John Ford built a standard that many future directors would follow with his classic 1939 film “Stagecoach”. Although there were a plethora of western films made before 1939, the film “Stagecoach” revolutionized the western genre by elevating the genre from a “B” film into a more serious genre. The film challenged not only western stereotypes but also class divisions in society. Utilizing specific aspects of mise-en-scène and cinematography, John Ford displays his views of society.

Grit, what is this? Is it success, is it failure, or is it talent? As Angela Duckworth said “Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day-in and day-out. Not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. And working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” Grit is a combination of strength, persistence, focus, and dedication that helps a person to maintain the optimism and discipline needed to persevere in their goals even if they are head to head with failure. Grit does not depend on talent, IQ, or success. Grit is the ability to fail and learn from your mistake, in order to come back next

The American western frontier, still arguably existent today, has presented a standard of living and characteristics which, for a time, where all its own. Several authors of various works regarding these characteristics and the obvious border set up along the western and eastern sections have discussed their opinions of the west. In addition to these literary works by renowned authors, one rather convenient cinematic reference has also been influenced by these well-known, well-discussed practices of this American frontier. “True Grit”, a film recently remade in 2010 by the Cohen Brothers, crosses the boundaries of the west allowing all movie-goers to capture one idea of the western world. The movie, along with a few scholarly sources

When it comes to bullying in schools it has plenty of negative effects on some individual students. There are some kids who don’t have a problem with bullying because they are the problem.

“True Grit” is about a fourteen year old girl trying to bring justice to the man who killed her father. She hires a sheriff named Rooster to help her. Through characterization, setting, and law enforcement, Charles Portis in “True Grit” sets an accurate portrayal of the time period know as the old west to create a more riveting story.

Ford’s Stagecoach is an epic and revolutionary approach that displays the desert terrain and western inhabitant’s struggles. Stagecoach follows the lives of seven strangers in their attempt to arrive to Lordsburg, New Mexico. Each of these characters reflects the various types of people found in the western world. The film is laced with many American ideals of the time such as xenophobia, chivalry, the conventional standards of women, and much more. Stagecoach defies the conventional western film because it is no longer just men in a desert terrain with rifles.

Grit is a predictor of academic, professional, and personal success. Grit can be defined as strength of character or the ability to overcome failure and continue to work toward success. People with grit are not always the people with the most natural ability, but their work ethic and ability to overcome obstacles allows them to achieve success. Grit is a very valuable characteristic in almost any venture, as it gives someone an advantage in overcoming the inevitable obstacles they will face. However, grit is much easier adopted when an individual has a growth mindset.

“The journey of the hero is about the courage to seek the depths; the image of creative rebirth; the eternal cycle of change within us…The hero journey is a symbol that binds …. (Phil Cousineau).” Mattie Ross learns this in True Grit, by Charles Portis, when she experiences the death of her father. She says, ”…Tom Chaney shot my father down in Fort Smith, Arkansas and robbed him of his life and his horses and $150 in cash money plus two California gold pieces that he carried in his trouser band(11)”. Frank Ross, Matties’ father, who was shot to death, by a man named, Tom Chaney. Mattie Ross is just 14 years old in the 1870’s, she states, “Nothing is free in this world except the grace of god, you must pay for everything.(pg?)” Personal

Rooster indeed has grit. The very character of, Rooster Cogburn, can be broken down as a flat out representation of the idea of True Grit. The themes of, revenge and the classic view of the wild west are present in the character. You could say he represents how America at the time went through terrible hardships. Hardships like, getting shot at, carrying a girl while running through harsh lands, and just his demeanor in general. He might get you into trouble, like the old west, but still he’s there to be a true hero like when he rescues Mattie. He is always cussing and being harsh, but he can still be a kind and heroic figure when he wants to be. Mattie views

True Grit by Charles Portis In True Grit Portis conveys to the reader how strong willed and brave young Mattie Ross is from the outset. He also uses contrasting characters to heighten other characteristics and to show the how wild the west really was back then. Finally, dialogue is a key part of the plot to emphasize the stubbornness and obstinance of the people near the Indian Territory; with long passages of description to make the reader feel as though they were there.

“You must pay for everything in this world” (Portis 40). In the screen play of True Grit based on the novel by Charles Portis, the character of Mattie Ross goes on the hero’s journey to avenge her father’s death when she hears that her father was murdered in Fort Smith. Her decision to purse the killer takes her journey into Indian Territory. Throughout her hero’s journeys she will have to go through three stages, separation, initiation, and the return. Mattie will also have to complete the steps that are within the stages.

An eerie flute sounds in the distance, smack dab in the center of, let’s call it, “A Staple Town in the Wild West™” are two cowboys; in the midst of a head to head shootout for God knows what- a spilled drink, malicious comments, a poached lover. The piercing mix of sand and wind scathing your skin, eyes blinded by the high noon sun shining from above, and of course, the token roll of tumbleweed to the corner of your eye. “One… two… three… Shoot!” The hero always prevails... quite disparate imagery compared to Mel Brooks’ 1974 classic, Blazing Saddles. The Western motif is one that has been trivialized, heckled, idealized, subverted, and replicated exponentially throughout not only American cinemas but motion pictures world-wide. Blazing Saddles serves as both a form of this subversion and a burlesque depiction of the genre itself. The film’s complex sense of humor prioritizes aspects that can only be completely relished based on the personal experiences of the viewer- a satirical comedy attempting (and succeeding) at ridiculing copious aspects of an otherwise ideal Western society, a picture-perfect Hollywood dream. Blazing Saddles serves as a mockery of the traditional white westerner archetype, the Ku Klux, and all sorts of minority groups, while simultaneously bringing awareness to the harsh treatment and racial prejudice upheld against African Americans at the time. Brooks utilizes the parodying aspects and themes evident in Blazing Saddles as a method to subvert

The southwest is a region of the United States that makes our country unique. Without the southwest, we would undoubtedly lack the spirit, hope, beauty, and truth that this vast region brings to the rest of the United States as a whole. The southwest represents many things, such as journeying, racism, violence, the clashing and cooperation of cultures, and spirituality, as well as primitivism and pastoralism. All of these elements that the Southwest is comprised of is perhaps the reason why the rest of the country feels so captivated by it; why the southwest is considered a place to “find yourself” or to “regenerate”; and why literature and film regarding the Southwest has been and continues to be of the most popular genres. The western film was one of the most popular during the first half of the twentieth century. Audiences far and wide were mesmerized by actors such as John Wayne and Roy Rogers, and their roles as heroes who fought to tame the American frontier. This very concept, ‘taming the frontier’, gives way to a larger theme that was prevalent in many western films and literature of the southwest: ubi sunt, or rather “where are those who came before us?”. Director Sam Peckinpah’s The Ballad of Cable Hogue portrays this idea better than any other western film; the concept of ubi sunt is undeniably the film’s overarching theme, clearly seen through its components.

To a certain degree, the West was a region of violence because of the frequent territorial disputes. Because of the lack of any government intervention, many of such disputes resulted in violence. However, the film is not accurate in the sense that personal grudges were solved through duels and fighting. Also, the West in Silverado is often portrayed as barren, with days of traveling in between each civilization. However, the West had been well established even before settlers began to move in.

The movie True Grit is set in a chaotic time period of the American Frontier known as the “Old West,” or the “Wild West.” The American Frontier describes the “edge of a settled area.” Throughout the 18th and 19th century, the frontier continued to expand westward. In the mid-1800s, the frontier had been pushed into Nebraska and Kansas. Gold mines were attractive sources of wealth for many to move West. Eventually, railroads were built that connected the Western states and the East.(“American”). Throughout the West, many towns began to flourish in population due to the attraction of mines. Gambling also became a prominent source of entertainment. Although the West holds many opportunities, it also holds its fair share of difficulties. The climate was dry, the land was difficult to farm. Money was often short. As people struggled for their opportunities, chaotic violence became a telling point of the Old West (“The Western”). The task of controlling the violence of the West often fell into the hands of U.S. Marshals. They became renowned in the latter half of the 19th century for their heroics acts of punishing the lawlessness of the frontier towns (“U.S.”).