'A Beautiful Mind' response

A Beautiful Mind is one of the best movies I have ever watched! At first, I thought it wouldn’t be interesting because it was about a mathematician, but I guess I can’t judge a book by its cover. A Beautiful Mind is about a mathematician named John Nash. He wasn’t exactly a student at Princeton University because he only dormed there, he never went to class; “Classes will dull your mind…it will destroy the potential for authentic creativity.” Nash’s roommate, Charles soon became his best friend. He made me laugh by his way of speaking to the woman at the bar, telling her that he wants to have sex with her as soon as possible. But along the way, he married one of his students, Alicia, who he eventually had a child with. One of Nash’s teachers said that he missed too many classes and for him to begin his work as a mathematician, he must write a thesis paper. Nash began work right away and got the inspiration from a woman who was trying to talk to him at a hang-out spot. His thesis paper was going to be about strategies on how to get laid (GENIUS). In his dorm, Nash would lose concentration and become easily distracted. This caused him to become irate and he began to bang his forehead against the window and he began to bleed (INSANITY). Nash was on the lawn of Princeton and he was taking notes on the Algorithm of the pigeon movements. He also drew play diagrams for a football game, pigeons fighting over bread crumbs and a mugging (GENIUS). When Nash lost to a game of Hex with his competition, he became furious and stormed off (MADNESS).

Five years later, Nash somehow works at the Pentagon and then gets a side job as a spy for detective, Parcher, who wants him to crack a code for Russian telecommunication. This is when we find out that Nash has schizophrenia and imagined Parcher and the job as a spy. Nash also imagined his roommate, Charles and his little niece (INSANITY). His paranoia becomes too much to bear for Alicia. She started to feel as if he didn’t love her anymore because he isolated himself. The drugs he had to take caused him to lose his sex drive. Alicia became so infuriated, she threw a glass of water against the mirror in the bathroom and broke it; her screams and tears of frustration joined in unison (INSANITY) and (MADNESS). Nash stopped taking the medication because the side effects would get in the way of satisfying his wife and his work. At the end of the movie, John Nash won a Nobel Prize for his work in a game theory. And he learned to cope with the delusions of seeing Charles, his niece and Detective Parcher, who do not exist.

ARTICLE B Summary

ALICE, HUCK, PINOCCHIO, AND THE BLUE FAIRY:

BODIES REAL AND IMAGINED

Article B, “Alice, Huck, Pinocchio, and The Blue Fairy: Bodies Real and Imagined” is an article comparing, contrasting and summarizing the three famous children’s stories, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” “The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin” and “The Adventures of Pinocchio: Tales of a Puppet.”

“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” was written by Lewis Carroll: who was formally known as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. The article talks about the characters in the story are rude, ugly and have down-putting attitudes. Wonderland is a fantasy world of grown-up authority and power. Rosenthal (the author), insists that Carroll writes about these series of details because he’s relating it to his sexual failure, rather than Alice’s effort to learn about life. Rosenthal said that the long passageway, the locked doors, the key to a little door that opens onto an entrance small to pass through, the changes in size and the Dantean Pool of Tears; are subliminal messages of how Carroll’s sex life didn’t exist. In the books,“Through the Looking Glass” and “What Alice Found There” are basically the same thing as “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” but more intensified.

“The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin” was written by Mark Twain: formally known as Samuel Langhorne Clemens. The article summarizes some of what happened in the story and gives some background information about Huckleberry. He was the son of a drunk, who he hated. Huckleberry worshiped woman and girls and started dressing like one. He soon saw Tom Sawyer as his leader. Rosenthal explained how Huckleberry is the conveyer of Twain’s memories and observations. Rosenthal also said that Huckleberry’s psychological maturing beliefs blend in with Twain’s feelings.

“The Adventures of Pinocchio: Tales of a Puppet” written by Carlo Collodi: formally known as Carlo Lorenzini. The article gives a little summary about what Pinocchio is about and a background of him. His creator is Geppetto and obviously he’s a wooden puppet. Rosenthal compares Huckleberry Fin and Pinocchio, by saying that they are both awakened to compassion. In this story, adult consciousness repressed form is found in children’s literature. Pinocchio’s nose grows for the first time, when Geppetto carves it into existence; Pinocchio didn’t lie. The second time it grows, because Pinocchio is hungry. The third and fourth time, Pinocchio lies to the Blue Fairy then an old man. The ending of the book

The contrast between Pinocchio and Huckleberry Fin is the pressure of death and suffering. Pinocchio handles death only temporarily, after the Blue Fairy’s “supposed” illness and death. Pinocchio’s alter ego, Candleflame also dies and the little donkey who tries to warn Pinocchio. In Huckleberry Fin, his friends, Buck Grangerford and Boggs are shot and Pap Finn died.

Pinocchio’s body has been co-opted, Alice is happy to return back home and Huckleberry Fin is going to be adopted by his Aunt Sally.