How Boys Become Men

I totally agree with this idea of the story. When you are little there is kind of a code you believe in and live by, well at least in my life. Don't be a goody-goody is a huge issue for some reason i never understand it was never cool to be a good kid. Never rat was probably the hugest thing no one wants to be friends with a narc when your younger you do a lot of things your not suppose to. Never admit fear well in the eyes of young boys, if you admit your fear that's weakness no one wants to be associated with. Never discuss anything of substance with anybody. You always do what all the other boys are doing or your not cool enough to hang. Like you tease the other little boys and give your teachers a hard time.

Gender in Classrooms

Well as i was reading this short story It mostly was talking about what different genders do. Such as men bond by exchanging playful insults and put downs which is true in my experiences. For women he says they talk about troubles I mean so far my knowledge of women they are always talking about how the boyfriend did this to them or how they got in trouble for doing something or other. In the reading when the boy does a presentation in front of his class and no one contradicts him he gets upset. I think he got upset because he wanted someone to realize him. When no one said anything about his presentation he thought it was not good enough for them, but which in all reality it probably was perfect so no one had anything to say.

How Boys Become Men

In my aspect I think the way we raise are sons have been passed down from generation, to generation. Think about it years ago men had to be tough to survive. You could not be sissy at all you were the worker, the protector, and the provider of everything for his family. And how do you make a man a man back in those days you raise them that way and they start at an earlly age. They started at very young ages working in the feilds standing up for what they thought was right learning to fight and provide. But atleast they were taught this from a young age. How times have changed is now parents raise their sons be proud be strong and dont ever let anyone see you cry or being a sissy. And then they let them out into the world knowing only this. Times have changed and parents dont teach kids like kids used to be taught. And the reason I think our culture is still this way is because it has always been passed down like this but now its in a different way. Boys used to have to be raised tough becuase of the way they lived back then. But today we have modernized we dont have to be so tough, we just havent found the time to take that out of our existence, and to tell you the truth I dont think it ever will. But dont get me wrong sometimes parents get the right idea and let kids be kids and be who ever they are going to be. Thats how my parents raised me and thats how i raise my son. When he falls I let him cry and comfort him, hell he likes dolls better than my daughter but he is still a boy at a babys mindset, its just fun to them. Ive never heard a case study that showed that little boys who play with dolls and cry grow up to be gay or sissy's, Have you? Most of the emotional, caring, sissy type of guys are the ones to grow up and be very successful at least from what ive seen but who am I to say!

Gender in the classroom

As a women I think gender issues in the classroom are an issue. Men are generally louder and more vocal, and women tend to stay quiet and to themselves. I do not think that is because they are being oppressed by their male counterparts in the classroom. I think for the most part women generally think more before they speak. This maybe as Tannen says because we are more afraid of being challenged, and essentially proven wrong. I think that women in general will not say what is on their mind unless they are sure they are right and it won't be argued out throughout the classroom. For the most part I find this is because they see an arguement as themselves being wrong, instead of just a difference in opinion. I think it is developed early for women to sit back listen and take it all in and then draw your own conclusions. It may stem from being unknown, or not knowing the people you are having a "discussion" with. I know that I myself have no problem debating and arguing topics with smaller groups as opposed to large classrooms. I think that with me it is because you have a better chance of being heard and not interrupted. Maybe thats why women tend to be less likely to speak up, because in my experience when you express a thought a someone is always thinking of what they are goin to respond to you before you have even finished your idea or thought. Maybe people just need to learn to listen. =)

"How Boys Become Men"

I think that a lot of what is said in this essay is unfourtunately true. Boys are expected to act differently than girls suppress emotions and overall not look like "sissys." I would like to think that times are changing slighty and that boys aren't really considered weird for befriending girls or taking interest in things that are "girly," However I'm probably wrong. Even though I agree that these things are happening I don't think that its right. I think that young boys learn very early in life, what is expected of them and how not to be a wuss. Those things aren't going to change. I do think that it is almost an important part of growing up for them though, almost like a coming of age to a certain extent. I think that young boys need to have a certain amount of being "tough" in there life, because as a man they are going to have to learn to adjust that. But also I think that young boys need to have a softer more emotional side, without being considered a wussy. I do think that most of the time things are taken to exterme and young boys should not have to be so concerned with all of this stuff, but more concerned about being young, having fun and enjoying friends. However it will probably never change.

I feel that it is true that people guys are meant to act one way or another, or they would get picked on. I dont think it makes them less emotional. I feel it makes alot of people ball things up inside which is not good thats how you get all the different crazy people in the world. I feel that im emotional at the right times. There is no reason for me to cry through a movie. A lot of females are over emotional. Im not saying that all females are but, females are brought up to be emotional it helps them get there way. Males are brought up to stand there ground. So males and females together are messed up in the way they act.

The Crying of lot 49

There were lots of references of how technology advanced today. For example, the T.V. It started out as a small way to relax, then it became a way of life. Being able to get news, sports staticsts and other forms of information from a device to me, is very nice. But it is a prime example of how techology is starting to take control of us. In my eyes, newspaper companies are loosing money because today you can find the same information on a news station that you would find by reading the paper. Watching a news station is easier for me.
Joshua Savianeso AKA Dr.Stewart

Men Verses Women

After reading the two essays, " How Boys Become Men" and "Gender in the classroom," I can say that from my opinion, I think that alot is true. I think men do learn at a young age to not have any sort of emotional side to themselves or they are considered "whimps". Men are not allowed to have any sort of "feminine" qwualities. I strongly disagree with this. As a women, and having realtionships with men, I personally feel that society totally is at fault for these stereotypes. Men are just as emotional as women and can't show this side of themselves. Men have to constantly boost their own and other's "machoism" to gain self assurance. But, to tell the truth, I feel that this world would be a better place if more men would get in touch with a more emtional side of their personalities. Crimes, outside of drugs, are commited most oftenly by men, how seem to be trying to show how powerful, strong, and "manly" they really are. Men wouldn't have as many problems if their mothers at home wouldn't have such a stereotypical aspect on raising them. As for me, with my son, I allow him to be himself. If he falls down, I don't say "Get up. Don't cry. Don't be a whimp." I allow him to cry and I will love on him as much as I can until he feels comfortable. I don't want him to grow up and not understand women and understand how to be undisprutive, boost his personal accomplishments, and not feel like he can't be himself and show his emotional size.

Damn Dirty Apes

I felt the first essay, How Boys Become Men by Jon Katz made alot of generalizations about "Men." How you were considered "weird" if you had a female friend. How your not a "man" unless you beat the crap out of someone to show your dominance. What are we Apes? If this type of broad generalization is true, it's just a matter of time until we're chased down in a field by our ape overlords.

Lot 49

They say "communication is key," well maybe if anyone in this book had ever heard of this we, the readers, might have figured something out by the end of the story. It seemed like once Oedipa found what she was looking for, she would get some bonus info that would contradict what she already knew and confuse all of us in the process. To me, as Oedipa went about solving this mystery, it seemed as if she was walking around foggy football field trying to gather info from people that could be standing anywhere not making a sound, and that she never met the same person twice or that anyone's story was more convincing than another. Not only was it a little hard to follow along, I felt like I was also lost in this fog.

If the characters had simply spoke directly about what they knew and worked together to figure out the mystery, then we would know what went on. But, I suppose, the reason they didn't is because of the drugs they were on and the secrets certain characters were trying to keep.

The book was confusing in the first chapter, but I enjoyed the rest of it except the end. Books that do not have endings are not clever or make you think, its just annoying! I don't care why the author did it, but it seems to me that when an author can't complete his story, he clearly hasn't put in enough thought into the plot or how to wrap things up. I understand that the ending of this book leaves us just as clueless and confused as when we opened it and that is how the author probalby wants us to feel, just like Oedipa has felt throughout the whole story. I still would have liked to learn something by the end of the book.

"Code of Conduct" story

I strongly agree with John Katz’s essay “How Boys Become Men.” An example from my childhood of the “Code of Conduct” that Katz writes about, happened during the summer when I was nine years old. A group of guys and myself were all fooling around in the creek at the end of my street. We were doing normal boy stuff; smoking rolled up notebook paper, starting little fires, and looking at nudie magazines borrowed from my buddy’s Dad’s collection. After getting tired of all these activities, we decided to wrestle with each other. During one of these matches a competitor of mine bit me in the back, causing me to yell out in pain. Getting all of the other guy’s attention, they started laughing at and picking on my desperate opponent, who then ran away in embarrassment. Later that night my mom inquired of the circle on my back. Since I had to follow the “Code of Conduct,” I denied any knowledge of it. She concluded that it was a bad case of ring worm from playing in the creek and I forced to apply ointment to my bite for a couple weeks.

Drugs as a Theme

All throughout the book, there was a big theme of drugs. Although the book takes place in the 1960's, drugs majorily contributed to every characters actions. Almost everyone around Oedipa seems to be on drugs, further contrubuting to the main "conspiracy" of the novel. The Drugs seem to be the main cause for Oedipa's downward struggle to keep her sanity. The drugs are the number one reason for the breaking down of Oedipa's marriage. First of all, all of the alcohol led to Oedipa's affair with the lawer. Mucho Maas was taking LSD to help fill the gap that the loss of his car lot left in his heart. This LSD usage led to Mucho not noticing his faining marriage. Oedipa's desire to fix herself and see a shrink put herself in an odd situation. The Shrink was also "tripping" on LSD and this ultimatly led to Oedipa not recieveing help for her internal struggle. I believe that drugs caused all of this chaos to begin. I believe that when Oedipa and Pierce broke up, Pierce began using drugs to cope with the break up. This could of led to him "tripping" severly and making this plan of tricking Oedipa into this whole "fake society." Drugs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_lot49.html

the crying of lot 49 was a pretty interesting but kinda of confusing at the same time. especially the whole drug and alcohol thing in the book. it just seems like everyone in this story was either drinking or on LSD the whole time. was it legal at that time for a Dr. to experiment LSD on people in his class. wouldnt you think the government would be doing all the drug testing at that time. also all the drinking going on at that time. once again it seemed everyone was drunk in the story. i dont know thats how i viewed this story

drinking

"I wish drinking wasnt such a big deal now like it was back then. And i think its different how the talk of LSD wasnt a big deal. If life was relaxed now like it was back then things would be alot better"

The Crying of Lot 49

The drug and alcohal usage in this book seems to be a very natural thing. Everyone seems to be okay with the idea of just drinking and being drunk a lot of the time. It should be that way today but no. We drink and get drunk more than once a week and we are considered alcohalics. Even if we are only looking for a good time. It really gives a new perspective to the whole idea of drug usage as well. They are using the LSD for medicinal purposes. It seems to actually wack out Oedipa's husband though. But the idea of using the drug for a sleeping aid and nightmare remedy I guess is not really a bad thing.

The Crying of Lot 49

For 102!

Write about one of the following themes:

Technology (do we control it, or does it control us?)

Communication (miscommunication)--person to person, telephone, telepathy (empath, sensitive), post office

Entropy

Drugs/Alcohol (remember, this is 1965)

Popular Culture (tv, cartoons, music, etc.)

What is Glenn up to?

While reading the essay "Gender in the Classroom" by Deborah Tannen, I noticed our English class perfectly displays all the different gender behaviors discussed in the essay. The males being more disruptive and willing to argue their opinions, while the females resist class discussion, talk amongst themselves, and stay together in groups. After seeing all these similarities it made me wonder, what is Glenn up to? Is he trying to explain our classes problem with disruptions or is this a mere coincidence and a normal assignment he gives. Whatever the case maybe, if this is his way of explaining our class's disruptions, sorry Glenn, it is not going to fly. Most of our class's disruptions are caused by attention seeking students and not by students trying to argue their opinions or are from students that are confused and are trying to figure out what they are supposed to be doing. But in all fairness, if this is a mere coincidence, what are the chances of this happening?

Gender & Education:

Jon Katz, "How Boys become Men," p. 174.
Deborah Tannen, "Gender in the Classroom," p. 224.

Do you have a story about the "Code of Conduct, a set of ruthless, unspoken, and unyielding rules" (175)?

Do you strongly agree or disagree with anything these authors write about?

Music & Culture:

Nat Hentoff, "Jazz: Music Beyond Time and Nations," p. 116.
Langston Hughes, "Bop," p. 265.

Can you relate to this:
"I was eleven when I first heard jazz.... I was so exhilarated that I yelled in delight" (117)?

Have you ever had an experience with music, or art, or film, where you felt like this?

What about Hentoff's quote from John Coltrane (which you all should give a listen to):
"'The music is the whole question of life itself'" (120).

101 Essays for Spring Break

Assignment: Read the essays in ONE of the following groups:

Music & Culture:

Nat Hentoff, "Jazz: Music Beyond Time and Nations," p. 116.
Langston Hughes, "Bop," p. 265.

Gender & Education:

Jon Katz, "How Boys become Men," p. 174.
Deborah Tannen, "Gender in the Classroom," p. 224.

Then, write at least two comments (at different times, not one right after another). I will write one post for each topic, and then I will also add comments as we proceed through the assignment.

Note: If you took your spring break early, and didn't come to class on Thursday, you still need to complete this assignment!

Chocolate

I thought the movie was pretty good personally. One thing i deffenatly didint like was how the voices were way of from the lip movements, and the girls sounded like guys. Other than that it was a pretty interesting movie. I say this because i have met three peole who are autistic, and each one is very different. This elderly lady i met about six years ago who is autisic can remember your name and you eaxact birthday if you tell her it just once. You can see her six years later and she will still know who you are and your birthday. She can also tell you what day your birthday will fall on weather its next years or twenty years. From what i understand she is very good with numbers and studys the calendar. Which is what the autistic girl from the movie does, except in her case she studys martial arts moves. All in all i think autistic people are very good at remembering things visually. I belive they have a a photographic memory and once they see something they remember it forever.

Chocolate - stunts

I quite admired that the actors of the movie were willing to take the risk of getting badly hurt to do their own stunts. It must have taken the actors a lot of practice in order to get prepared for the damage their body would inevitably receive.

chocolate

yeah i thought the movie was very stupid. I did not like the inconsitancies, she kicks the bad guys in the face and theyre done while her family is getting shot, stabbed and beaten to a pulp but yet they still manage to keep fighting. Personally i feel that there is no point to this movie. I think that in trying to find a meaning you may be looking to far into it. cant the purpose just be entertainment? Not everything has some huge symbolic meaning to it. Bad acting, bad script, bad movie. She must have a new form of autism like selective autism she seems to be able to use her autism whenever she wants which makes the movie even more stupid.

Movie review

I thought that the movie was pretty good. The action was intense and the drama came from the little girl being autistic. The girl was amazing. She was autistic but she was able to really kick ass. I mean it was so much of an accomplishment for her to be able to fight as well as she did and have that disability. Life is a struggle for the girl but she is able to practice the arts of the ninja. Ninja fighting is hard enough without having a disability. Fighting as it turns out was the best of her abilities. She is an amazing main character and she has to deal with a lot of challenges from day to day. Being autistic and being able to fight as well as she did made for an awesome action packed film.

Chocolate

Overall I think that the movie was alright. It was not my favorite movie, but it wasn't the worst movie. This movie shows how people with disabilities can overcome the disability and be great at something else. It is said that if your blind, your other senses are stronger. This is kind of what is showed in the movie. The flies are a big obstacle for Zen, but she overcomes them in order to get money to save her mom. Anyone who watches the movie can see that Zen is close to her mom and that she is devastated when her mom looses her hair. This causes Zen to cut her own hair. Hair in the movie is a symbol of the strong relationship between the mother and daugther. Also by Zen not wanting to accept her mom with her shows how people's looks do matter to some people for one reason or another. I think that overall the movie could have cut out over half of the fighting and it woudl have made for a better movie. How many times can this girl kick all these guys butt's before we get the point? I also do not believe that it is relastic that she kicks all these guys butts because she is so small and she would be come exhausted, even though she had been practicing her whole life. Zen overcame her fear of the flies and just becasue she had a disability she did not let that stop her.

Basketball and autisim

I enjoyed this movie and the heart felt story that is portrays. it reminds me of a basketball team in rochester ny where a kid who was a team manager was also autstic and was allowed to play in a game during his senior year. he came into the game and was told to shoot shoot shoot. he went into the game ans scored 15 points i believe hitting 4 or 5 three point shots. i think that the sports stories actualy affect me more than anything else but i still enjoyed Chocolate.

I felt this movie was pretty cool. This movie would have been about 10 times better if people didnt keep saying shit. Everytime i got into the movie the kid would keep talking. The story line itself was very good the poor autistic girl had to fend for her mother. The matial arts was very well, especially without stunt doubles.

Chocolate

Well, overall, the movie was good, but I think it was a very low budget. With more money and making it in the US I think that it would be a huge hit. The story was very good and I apreciated the martial arts scenes. If not in class, I probably would have cryed over the dramtics of the overall story because it was very emotional and had such a good story behind it.
I was upset with the atmosphere of the class because of certain individuals that thought they needed to talk and make sound effects and ruin the experience of the movie for everyone.

Zen vs Flies

I see the flies in this movie as how things we don't even think about (like the flies) can be a huge challenge for someone with a disability to overcome. The things that we don't even think about during a normal day could be the same things that might stop a disabled person in their tracks. It all has to do with how ours brains are different and how they work. Zen was good at fighting but could not do some of the things that we see as being easy to do. Even though we can all tie our shoes, we propably would not last 30 seconds fighting anyone who knows kung fu. So, the count here is: Flies-no problem for us-big problem for Zen, Kung Fu: no problem for Zen- big problem for us. Think about it.

I thought that the movie Chocolate was pretty good and had a good message. My favorite part about the movie was that there were no stunt doubles so the action seemed very real. The thought of an autistic girl who can kick the shit out of everybody is pretty badass. I didnt like the english dub over though, i would have rather watched the movie in the same language with subtitles because some of the voices dubbed over are just so bad that it makes the movie seem kind of silly.

Chocolate

I didnt particularly like the movie Chocolate. I thought it was pretty dumb, a young autistic girl kicking everyones butt was not very realistic. I feel that there wasnt much point to this movie. Some movies dont have much meaning or any plot what so ever. The voice over (where they talk Japenese, filling with english) was pretty bad too. A lot of movies do that, but this was bad. I just didnt really understand the point of watching this film. I do enjoy watching movies in class, but I wish there was just more substance to the next one.

chocolate hmmm

I'm not really sure about this movie. A movie about an autistic girl using old movies to learn kungfu, and then essentially to get money for her mother. I really don't think that they focused a lot on her disability. I only saw half the movie so maybe they focused on her in the other half more but it didn't seem it. I'm not really sure that I understood what was going on with the crystals that she was collecting. But I did get that the title "chocolate" was used because she basically used the chocolate as a calming agent. Anyway from what I saw of the movie, for me it was hard to follow.

Chocolate

The movie was pretty cool, I liked the mix of living with a handicap and the amazing talent that Zen possessed for being able to learn things just by watching them in a slowed down sense. I'd say the plot about the movie is that even people who have a disadvantage in life such as handicaps can pull off amazing feets like everyone else.

Autastic! *Thumbs up*

I enjoyed this movie thoroughly. I've always enjoyed movies with an odd plot. I don't think you could get much more odder than an autistic girl using martial arts she learned from old action movies to collect money for her mothers chemotherapy. I do feel though that the movie replaced plot for action. I'm not complaining though, the action sequences were incredible. Someone in class complained that they should have put more money into the movie. The way I see it, all those moves were choreographed, practiced over and over. This all takes time and money. Even when practiced dozens of times someone will inevitably get hurt. Most of the time the person who got hurt was the woman who played Yen, as seen in the bloopers at the end of the film.

Chocolate

I never thought i would like a kung-fu kind of movie, but I really did like this one. At the end, where you got to see the crew in the process of making the movie, I was very impressed by how they did the stunts themselves. It looked very painful. Zen was so awesome in the movie, I wish I could fight like that lol. I thought the fight between Zen and the guy that twitches was pretty cool. I also think this movie was great because even if you have a disability, you can still overcome it. I would definitely recommend this movie to my friends.

Chocolate: in the movie

All through out the movie, there was a reoccurring symbol of chocolate. The chocolate started out as just food for the body and mind. The autistic girl would play with the chocolate as if there was no consequences. She would bounce them off objects, and later eat them. Little did she know, but she was similar to the chocolate. The outside of the chocolate is hard, tough, and can take a beating just like the autistic girl. Her outside is probably one of the toughest in her society, as autistic people do not have a correct sence of pain, so the girl could push her limits to the max. Her insides, just like the chocolate, is warm and tender, as demonstrated by her mothers hair falling out. After she started to collect for her mother, the chocolate disappeared and it was as if she became the chocolate. When the people she collected from saw her exterior, they started to play with her. They soon realized that when they broke the outside, they saw the dark inside of the autistic child, and failed as if they were allergic to the dark chocolate. The final appearance of chocolate in the movie was when a human toe was found in the chocolate. The death, dead toe, mixed with the chocolate, the autistic child, was a huge foreshadowing that the current lifestyle would soon come to an end.

Chocolate

Everyone loves a kung-fu fight. Zen, the mentally challenged girl showed that even her limitations had advantages. When she found a situation that truly held a genuine amount of fear and insecurities, instead of shrinking back, she exploded into a kung-fu nastiness rampage that i ansolutely loved. The relation to the movie Ong-Bak is uncanny. Zen even uses the protagonist in that movie as a role model and kind of "mimics" his moves. After seeing what gifts came with her limitations, it kind of makes you wonder whos really disabled, Zen or us......

Chocolate

This movie was about a mentally ill ass kicking girl. I liked it a lot. The movie proved to me that you can do anything you set your mind on regardless if you are ill or not. The girl's determination to get the money that her mother needs for medical treatment was always on cue. she never once strayed from her mission of getting the money.

Chocolate : p

First of all, I am not sure why it was named chocolate, maybe because i missed the first half of the movie. Second of all the movie was OK i guess, but its hard to pay attention when you have grown adults in class acting like their five years old. Anyway i liked how at the end they said the little girl realized that love was the most important thing in the world, i thought that was very sweet and touching. Honestly, i liked the end the most where they showed all the stunt bloopers and what not, and that's about all i have to say.

Chocolate Movie

I thought the movie was alright. I did not particularly like how sometimes there were subtitles and then there weren't. Also I did not like how the words being spoken did not match the words that were actually said. I already know a lot about people with disabilities but it was interesting to see how others think that people with disabilities can be portrayed. In everyday life, anybody can do what they set their minds too, even if they have a disability. People do not realize that anyone with a disability can do the same things as a someone without a disability. In this instance, the girl with autism was definitely kicking some ass.

The movie Chocolate

I really enjoyed the movie. I did not like the fact that the words did not go with their mouths but what can you expect. So I really learned alot about people with disabilities. It really helped me understand the residents that I work with. I think that sometimes people take advantaged of the mentally disabled. I also think that some people do not realize a mentally disabled persons strength. I understand that the movie was a little dramatic on this part but once you work with them you tend to see their abilities and its unbelievable. People take for granted their abilities that they have while others with disabilities have to work for many years to overcome or even be able to attempt some of the daily things that people do. In the movie it really demonstrated this. They showed how she would watch and learn that way but she didnt only watch once she had to watch the same thing many of times to understand what was really going on. She may not have even understood what was going on but she was able to repeat their actions and this is a big achievement to some with a disability.

Chocolate

I thoguht Chocolate was a good movie. I'm a big fan of kung-fu movies, and this was the first one ive seen that the person kicking ass was a girl with a disability. you dont see a lot of movies where a girl/boy with a disability is kicking someone in the face. It seemed that the girl had more than a disability though. it seemed she had some kind of powers or something. no offense but most people with a disability cant even get kick that high, and if anyone noticed the way she looked through her eyes, it seemed has if she could she everything in like slow motion, so it was easy to read what moves she was seeing. also during combat she saw things like that, so she could block things easier. like the part with the boy with the disability, he was rocking her world, until she just stared at him for like 10 secs and BAM, she knows how to block his moves, and she ends up beating him. its seems to me that she has an advantaged over the people she's fighting.

Overcoming Disabilites

I am at a disadvantage to blog about the movie "Chocolate" because I missed the first half of the movie. I really did not understand the movie nor do I care for martial art films. The only thing I got out of the movie was that a person can over come any disability. In fact I have a friend who's daughter was diagnosed with Autism when she was little. She is now 16 yrs old and you would never know she was Autistic unless you were told.

"Chocolate"

"Chocolate" was certainly an interesting movie. I really didn't care for it. It was poorly put together and I'm not one for action and what not. "Hair" seemed to be a common theme throughout the movie. When the mother lost her hair, her daughter became frightened and cut her hair. I think that both her hair and her mothers hair symbolized a security blanket. Like I said before I didn't really like the movie and it didn't make much sense to me.

The movie Chocolate was a very enlightening movie. It taught the audience about autism to a point, which is unfortunetly on an epidemic rise. The film proved to it's viewers that even a person with disabilities can conquer whatever they put their mind to. Some parts of the movie were a little weird, but I think the director made it that way in order to get the audiences attention and to keep them focused on the movie. Chocolate is a different type of twist on autism and it is also a great movie that depicts the character's lives and how they live day to day.

The leaders heart and his big toe

The movie Chocolate was pretty good, I know it would have been better to read subtitle and listen in Thai, but thats me. About the mob leader shooting off his toe. I think he did it not because he felt like it, but because when he saw Zin which might be his wife or partner, he loved her in some way. and when she stopped him from shooting the leader of Japan because he found out about her being with him. He was in pain and the truce that they had made at the begining of the movie between the Japanese was already broken from him shooting the other men. So he shot himself in the foot probably to take away the pain, or make it like the guy from Japan shot him, something. So Zen's father would have to leave by order of his elders(or leaders). He did not want to go but to keep him safe Zin asked him to leave. Now later on Zin has Zen and when the leaders new partner, wife, or girlfreind, found out about Zen and told the leader(I forget his name) he pays Zin a visit. Zin is pinned down and the leader talks about his missing toe, how it always reminds him that its gone when he walk, runs, or anything of the sort, and that pain from that missing toe most likely reminds him of Zin which kept him balanced, happy and pain free. and without her its like hes missing his big toe to balance and keep going. So to show her what he feels he cuts her toe off. Now Zin also is reminded of it being gone whenever she walks, stands or anything. Instead of an eye for and eye, or hand for a hand, in this case it would be heart for a heart, but its a toe for a toe. This is what I think the toe sybolized and I hope its understandable. This was a good movie and I love how the dissability that Zen had in others eyes, she turned it into a strength over time.

Chocolate movie

Hey writing about chocolate the movie anyway. The movie to me was ok, but im not the type to get into kung fu stuff. I like action but definetely not ones put together the way this movie was. the dubbed in voices didnt match at all some of the guys sounded like chicks and most of the " bad girls" sounded and some even looked like men. I dont understand what the deal was with hair in the movie because ive never seen a japanese or chinese based on hair very much in there culture so dont understand the meaning. I thought it was crazy that it was kind of poorly put together i understood the basis about it but it was sort of confusing to me anyway. I would not recomend watching this movie unless you were really bored.

i think we have to blog about the movie chocolate? so i guess im going to do that... but anyway it was a pretty good movie all and all.. it reminded me of the movie rain man or something.. it had a kid that was mentally challenged that could do math puzzles really good.. maybe this is like an asian rip off of it.. the best part of the movie by far to me was when that girl had a mans voice.. idk if it was supposed to be a transexual or a manly girl or a girly man but it made me laugh every time i herd her speak..

movie

that movie was not bad it had a lot of ACTION but the words where a littal funny most kids that have that disability are not that good with ther moter skills. the movie did not realy have much of a plot but it was still a good movie

Well what i got from the movie there was a lot of symbolize with her mothers hair. When her mothers wig fell off she totally lost it. All the memories of her playing with her mother hairs as she was growing up. Also the flies she was so scared of them when she got older, but when she was like in her training mode for kickboxing she ate a fly. Also the movie jumped out to me like a life of a gangster, and when she was going around collecting the money that people owed her mother. It's like those people were paying for protection or something like that from her mother and her husband.

Like mom

I did not totally get the movie. I did see the symbolism but only after the teacher pointed it out to me. I felt the hair was a big symbol. This was something that comforted the little girl as a child. When her moms hair fell out she did not understand and freaked out. The other symbol I saw was when she cut all her hair off, it was as if she wanted to be like her mom.

Zen's diagnosis

The Autism Society of America states, "Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviors and is a ""spectrum disorder"" that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. There is no known single cause for autism." this definition fits Zen almost perfectly. her ability to communicate with others was extremely limited through out the movie. Usually using only single words like mommy and money, when she spoke. on the other hand, the part of the diagnosis that does not fit is her ability to interact with others. I think she interacted very nicely with others. In the movie she interacted by beating the shit out of anyone who stood in her way of helping her mother. I believe her amazing fighting ability makes her some sort of savant. Knowing whatever Zen has or is, is unimportant. What is important is that she is special, not because of her disability, but because of her ability.

Money

A symbol in the movie was money. Money symbolized her mothers survival and well being. It was important for the young girl to fight for what she thought was her mothers. The young girls fight became stronger when she realized how sick her mother really was becoming and how desperate her mothers situation was becoming.

Hair.

In the movie the mothers hair seemed to be a big role in the young girls life. She would play with it when she was younger and when the mother was sick and her wig was knocked off the young girl freaked out because of what she seen. She has flash backs of when she would play with her hair. I think because of her being autistic most childeren like that have something that is a safty zone. i think her mothers hair was that for her.

Whats with the fly's?

I dont understand. In the beginning she sucked up the fly like a lizard, but later she gets all bugged out at the meat market scene. Did i miss something in the movie? Did she have some sort a traumatic incident with flies? I think maybe her autism only allows her to focus on one thing at a time and when there is more than one, she freezes up and panics. I'm just wondering what everyone elses opinion about this is?

The other WHITE Chocolate

This kickboxing hero from Thailand has a disability. A Japanese mobster and his Thai partner and girlfriend, Zin , narrowly escape death at the hands of underworld boss Number 8 and his bodyguard Priscilla, but the scuffle has unexpected consequences -- Masashi's superiors order him to return to Japan, and Zin finds she's pregnant with his child. Zin raises their daughter, Zen on her own and discovers she's autistic; one of the few things that helps bring Zen out of her inner world is chocolate (could be her type of comfort zone), and in time the girl develops a remarkable skill in the martial arts just by watching the movies on the television. When Zin is diagnosed with cancer, the family cannot afford the the treatment that could save her life until her friend Moom comes up with a plan -- plenty of people still owe Zin money from her days as an outlaw, and with Zen as a candy-fueled enforcer, he might be able to get them to pay up and raise the funds for Zin's medical bills. Maybe the shows she watched on tv along with eating the chocolate she ate mentally made her think that kicking the hell out of people was her way of being respected or accepted?

Notes on Chocolate: Containing Many Topics

Here are some of my notes and ideas about the film Chocolate. Everyone should write their own new post about the film. You may take one or some of these ideas and elaborate on some aspect of it. Main topics include:
--various disabilities, overcoming challenges, additional hardships for people with illnesses or disabilities.
--symbolism in the film.
Of course, there may be others!
In addition to the new post, please comment on at least two posts by other students. If you write more posts or comments, you will be eligible to receive extra credit. Make sure your posts are also paragraph-length! Have fun!

"Misachi loves things containing imperfections."

Zen focuses on small things.
What are the crystals she keeps finding?
They are like tears.

She doesn't understand what's happening but she may be able to do something about it.

How is hair symbolic in the movie?
--the idea of "lots" or of money at all.

"Hey fatty!" Is Mike's weight condition a handicap? He gets picked on, & this seems to play a role in his getting adopted by Zin & Zen. Could a handicap be a benefit?

the idea of "normal"--what about the concept of various social conventions?
--illness, disability, and prejudice

symbolism.
toes.
knives.
"Losing your big toe can change your whole life forever."

What about the little crystals?
They are clear, round, light.
These turn out to be the beads from a bag of that silica gel stuff put inside packaging to remove moisture. This is a discarded piece of nothing, a non-product included in products to preserve them.

Money owed for what?
--This money is part of the protection racket the mean gangster runs.

Ice
Wooden pallets in the warehouse.
Meat
Flies.
--Flies are basically harmless, but stand as an obstacle she cannot overcome without Mike's help. Despite her great abilities, she is rendered helpless by something most of us would perceive as harmless.

This basic system of reality--the needs for this or that, which seems to apply to this film, may symbolize other elemental aspects, as well. Do the most basic things in life present immensely strong obstacles to people with disabilities?

"One is dying & the other's mentally challenged."
"The people, those in the book." MIke goes to collect the money from.
Mike asks Zin if she's in trouble.

Molly Wan shoots Mike.
Misachi is her husband? I thought they had a fling. I didn't realize they had gotten married.

The toe as a symbol? What is the meaning of the losses? Disability?
What are these women? Some people asked about them being cross-dressers.

Is there something about a clash of cultures?
Misachi is Japanese, while Zin & the gang are Thai.

Is this whole film a symbolic representation of the challenges faced by autistic children as they must accomplish everyday, "normal" activities? Is the challenge of destroying her parents' tormenters symbolic of the obstacles thrown in the way of parents with special needs children? Relatives, friends, places of employment, insurance. The reality that "medicine is expensive" recurs often in the film. The great deal of medical care required by children with disabilities adds another obstacle to the lives of parents and children.

Zin's cancer could be symbolized by the evil gangster. He cuts Zen's hair, just as cancer makes Zin lose her hair. Cancer hurts her, weakens her, and eventually kills her, just as the evil gangster drives away her husband, cuts off her toe, and kills her. Zen's battle with all these forces: medical bills, finding a place in society, earning money, protecting herself, helping her family, and surviving is a continuous struggle against all odds.

She faces the same challenges everyone else does, but she's born with a handicap, so her heroics, in this case portrayed as superhuman, are indicative of the effort needed for her to succeed simply in living.