Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Planet of the apes film (1968)



           The humans controlled and manipulated the apes in the movie (Schaffner, 1968). The apes were imprisoned, were bound in chains, and were treated like slaves. Throughout the whole movie only one of the apes could talk. He was the only ape that had any kind of freedom. The other apes couldn’t communicate at all other then in ape talk. The ape that could talk was able to communicate to all of the other apes in the movie so they listened to him. The talking ape was like a messenger.
            The apes were whipped and beaten when they didn’t do what their masters told them to do.  The humans began killing the apes because the apes outnumber the humans in the movie. The apes began to snap and started fighting back. The apes acted out of being treated so cruelly by the humans and they began killing the humans in the movie. Finally, the human that was left standing was the ring leader of the humans. The apes had every opportunity to kill him because there were several apes that were still alive and they outnumbered the master. The talking ape told them to stop. The apes listened and spared the master and let him live because they felt like killing him would not have did any good.
            We as Christians feel that that would have been wrong. We are not like the world but in the world. “The theory that Christians are largely immune to the influence of non-Christian thought structures is often unconsciously perpetuated by worldview…” (Wilkens & Sanford, 2009, pp. 11-12) “These worldviews are, contrary to a Christian view of  the world in fundamental ways, and it is completely proper to frame an intellectual response to them.” (Wilkens & Sanford, 2009, p.12) We as Christians, feel that any treatment of injustice is immoral but we would almost feel like in the flesh that the apes were right for given the humans a dose of their own medicine. To think like that, we have to remember what the Bible says regarding mistreating people in 2 Corinthians (KJV) "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (Nelson, 2001) Also the battle between right vs. wrong in the movie happened is a reminder in Romans 12:19 (KJV) “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay saith the Lord.” (Nelson, 2001) The movie is also a reminder of how we as Christians should act toward anyone in leadership over us whether they are good or bad people in 1 Peter 2:18 (KJV) “Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.” (Nelson, 2001)
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

Nelson, T. (2001). The Holy Bible King James Version. Columbia: Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Schaffner, F. J. (Director). (1968). Planet Of The Apes [Motion Picture].
Wilkens, S., & Sanford, M. L. (2009). Hidden WorldViews Eight Cultural Stories That Shape Our Lives. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press .

Monday, July 18, 2016

A Raisin in the Sun (1961)

A Raisin in the Sun is a black and white movie, which tells the story about a poor family living in Chicago. Sidney Poitier, who plays Walter and Lorraine Hansberry, who plays Ruth in the movie have a lot of disagreements, which leads to Walter's addiction to alcohol. Walter's problem with addiction leads to money and continues as his mom played by Claudia McNeil gets a check for $10,000 in the mail. Walter's mom decides that the best way to spend the money her deceased husband has left her is to buy a house for the family.

However, the neighborhood the family would move to is a rich non-black neighborhood. Walter's mom gives him the money and he invested the money in a liquor store, instead of putting it in the bank and saving it for Medical school for Beneatha played by Ruby Dee like his mom had wanted. Walter is in ruin and almost sold the house to the home owner's association, which would have helped move all the blacks out of the neighborhood. Walter came to his senses and realized he would be making a terrible mistake. Walter would rectify what would have been a horrible situation for the family.

I personally felt for most of the movie that Walter was money hungry and a gutless punk, who would do anything to take the easy way out. The guy didn't have enough dignity to say hell no to the homeowner's association's money until the very end of the movie. His mom was a strong-willed woman who believed in God and explained the situation where the family came from to Walter, but he was too stubborn to listen to the idea. He had to get hustled out of $6,500 and still almost didn't learn from that experience.

Then, the family had a chance to be free from working for little money and Walter was going to sell out just to make the rich folks that lived in the neighborhood, happy. I didn't understand that but I'm glad his mom didn't punk out. His sister even thought he was a disgrace to the family but his mom told her off good. She made her realize that when people are at their worse then you have to really be there for them the most. His mom realized how much of a wreck Walter was, so she gave him the money to give him a chance to start over and help take care of the family.

I felt that his mom shouldn't have given him the money in the first place. I felt that she should have been tough because it was her money and Walter had no right telling her how she should spend her own money. Walter's mom could have also given him pointers on how money should be spent. Walter needed a reminder what a value of dollar is really about because when you don't have money to begin with; it's not good trying to dream about stuff you would like to see happen, especially when you are broke and can't do anything about it.

I liked how Walter finally showed he had backbone at the end of the movie; it showed once and for all that his mom didn't raise a dummy. I liked how he told the home owner's association that there was no deal and that the family was not moving out of the neighborhood. He explained how the family went through working in homes and how he was a cabdriver and how there were six generation of blacks in the family and how his son Travis was the sixth. I liked the little speech Walter gave and that triggered a jolly and happy family as they moved everything into the new house.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed the movie, A Raisin in the Sun because it showed black folks being happy in the end and in most movies with the different prejudice, race, and violence going on; you don't see many happy ending movies. The movie deserved that kind of ending with all that blacks had to endure during slavery. I was thrilled and would rent this movie out again.