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Who Is David Brooks Life In Prison

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Many of the prisoners in the film are perfect examples of how the American penal system has failed to rehabilitate the prisoners. The system has instead forced institutionalisation upon the prisoners through physical abuse, fear, direct orders or instruction and the abuse of authority that the prison guards possess. Along with these factors that aid the enforcement of institutionalisation, is the factor of time; it forms the means for the reason why the other factors are so successful.
Throughout the time that Brooks has spent in prison he comes to depend on everything that the penal system has provided for him. This in turn has allowed Brooks to build a life, name and responsibility in prison. Therefore, when his parole is accepted he fears the “outside” world because things have changed so much. Brooks knows that “In here he’s somebody” but has realised when his parole is accepted that “out there he’s nobody”. Brooks decides to attack an inmate in hopes of getting his parole revoked, with his reason being “It’s the only way they’ll let me stay”. …show more content…

The medium shot of him attempting to cross the road into traffic, makes it clear that Brooks is unable to keep up with how fast the world moves after fifty years of imprisonment. Brooks loses hope at the park and sits alone on the bench while feeding the birds with the dying hope of Jake (a bird he raised in prison) ever returning. The viewer sees that when he has trouble sleeping he has come close to reaching his breaking point. This breaking point is when he commits suicide. During his preparation we see him smiling through the ceiling pillars which signify the happy man he was in prison, therefore signifying the fact that his suicide is an escape of

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