With Thanks

Thanks to the following site for providing information:

“Big Think” 2010 (Online)http://bigthink.com/ideas/20224

“Chasing the Frog” 2010 (Online)http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/blindside.php

“Get Religion” 2010 (Online) http://www.getreligion.org/?p=27275

“Google Images” 2010 (Online) http://www.google.com.au/imghp?hl=en&tab=wi

“IMDB” 2010 (Online) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0878804/synopsis

“Think Christian” 2010 (Online)  http://www.thinkchristian.net/index.php/2010/02/18/the-easy-christianity-of-%E2%80%98the-blind-side%E2%80%99/

“Wikipedia” 2010 (Online) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achievement_gap_in_the_United_States

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How individuals respond to evil

Each character in the film, The Blind Side, responds to evil differently. Michael Oher responds to evil by blocking it out completely until it eventually hits him in the face. In the film flashes of the past are shown in Michael’s memory but only small ones throughout the film until one day when dining out. The Tuohys are dining out for the night but Michael has other plans, after seeing someone he recognises he walks in the wrong direction until he completely sees the person. When realising it is his brother, who he has not seen in years, he walks straight into the restaurant where his brother is serving customers. Here the two brothers have a moment of reconnecting, where they look at each other for a moment and then breaking down hugging and crying over the fact that they were separated when the social workers took them away when they were only little children. Whereas Leigh Anne responds to evil by looking it in the eye and telling it to go away and find something else to torture. This is shown when Leigh Anne takes Michael in because she sees that evil has taken over his life and he is in need of somewhere that is good. When Michael goes back to Hurt Village with Leigh Anne to go see his mother, he is verbally abused by his old gang. He ignores them. Later in the movie, after Leigh Anne legally adopts Michael and he becomes the football superstar, after he talked by an investigator he leaves and Leigh Anne tries to find him. She travels down to Hurt Village where the gang once again insults Michael, but this time, to Leigh Anne’s face. Something in her just explodes and she backfires, protecting Michael.

“You insult my son, you insult me.” – Leigh Anne Tuohy

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Religion and God: How they fit in the struggle between good and evil

In the film: The Blind Side, Religion and God plays a big part of the struggles Michael goes through and how the Tuohy family overcomes difficult times through religion, faith and God. This is first shown when the teachers of Wingate Christain School struggle to find a reason why they should let someone like Michael Oher into their ‘precious’ school. The coach agreed to take Michael in, but none of the other teachers including the principal agreed with him. The coach tells Michael’s story of being without and family and tells the principal to let him in because they are Christian not because of what Michael looks like and where he comes from. This is then continued. It’s Thanksgiving; Michael has been taken under the wings of the Tuohy family. The rest of the family is in front of the television, watching a football match and eating. Michael looks at them strangely and then goes to sit on the large dining table by himself. Leigh Anne realises that Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to the Lord and it should be celebrated properly, so she turns off the T.V. and tells her family that they are going to eat in the dining room, like a family. They give thanks traditionally by holding hands and saying grace.

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Historical Background

Michael spent his whole life in The Hurt Village, which was also known as the Uptown part of Memphis of Tennessee. Both whites and blacks lived in the Hurt Village until the assassination of Martin Luther King, it caused tension between the village and as a result nearly all white people left Uptown. In 2000 a grant was given to knock down Uptown and build a completely new one.

In America there is a large gap between African-Americans and white people with IQ scores. For White Americans the average IQ score is 100 while the average IQ score for African-Americans is 85. In Memphis, Tennessee, the poverty rate is 18.8% but it continues to rise. The following graphs show the difference between white and black seventeen year olds in two studies, maths and reading. (Click to enlarge)

There is also a big wealth gap between white and black American families and it still grows to this very day. Twenty five percent of African-American families living in America are either in debt or have no assets what so ever. Where as most white Americans have jobs and have assets that add up to around $100,000. There was survey done at Brandeis University proving that for every dollar that white Americans own, black Americans only own sixteen cents. That’s 100:16.

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Images of good and evil

This film explores the themes of good and evil in many ways, but the two main points are [evil] when Michael is taken away from his family by the social worker and [good] when Leigh Anne Tuohy and her family take Michael in and give him a real home. SJ was the one who first stepped in; he became friends with Michael and introduced him as his big brother because he was so connected with Michael. When the film first starts we are introduced to ‘Big Tony’ a foster father of his own son and Michael Oher. He tries to get both his children into a school. When given Michael’s profile, the teachers judge Michael based on his appearance, but one teacher gives a particular speech expressing why the teachers of Wingate Christian School should let Michael in. Here they agree to let Michael become a student. When Michael first enters class he given a test and expected to know all the answers, but this isn’t the case. Once again, the teachers insult Michael saying he knows absolutely nothing and shouldn’t have been allowed into the school in the first place. Another teacher shrugs off this thought and goes to Michael personally to give him a verbal test.  She soon realises Michael actually understands and has potential to get his grades up. Leigh Anne and Sean show their support and love towards Michael when they allowed him to go into the Christmas family photo and actually send that photo out. After this, Michael becomes part of the family and is given a bed for the first time in his life, as he had never personally had one himself. When Leigh Anne’s friends hear about Michael they tell jokes that insult Michael and jokingly say that Leigh Anne should adopt him. At this time, Leigh Anne stands up for Michael and eventually adopts Michael. Near the end of the movie, the dream of being a football player is halted when Michael’s grades are not high enough, but he earns those grades and is then let into the team.

    

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A Description of the film’s plot and characterisation

The Blind side is based on a true story about a troubled African American boy, Michael Oher. The movie starts with Michael living with a foster family, compiled of a father and young son. It soon gets to the stage where the father decides it is time he gets Michael into a Christian school. He is then accepted due to his athletic ability. Michael soon realises that he is not learning material; the teachers don’t want to help him. After, being disowned by his foster family he turns out being homeless. Throughout the film flashes of the past become part of Michael’s story. It turns out Michael came from The Hurt Village which was also known as Uptown, Memphis. He was one of thirteen children with a mother stuck on crack and a father who never showed. After Collins (the daughter of Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy), finishes playing a competitive volleyball match, the Tuohys come across Michael Oher. The first sighting of him is when he is looking through boxes of popcorn, for leftovers. Leigh Anne leaves without saying anything to him. Later on they come across him again, on the side of the road. He is freezing because the only clothing he has is a short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts. Here the Tuohys offer to take him in for the night but that change soon becomes permanent. Throughout the film we start to see more of Michael’s past, and the struggles that he went through.  Sooner the Tuohy’s, ask Michael if he would like to play football. Michael develops some amazing skills and soon becomes very good at the game. He then plays for the school team, they win the championship. Michael receives numerous amounts of offers to play for college football teams. But due to his low grades this becomes a wish for the future.  The Tuohy’s become determined to get Michael’s grades up and in order to do this, get him a Tudor, Miss Sue. She really helped Michael, his grades dramatically increased. He later accepted a scholarship to Ole Miss, because his family went there.  Later on he gets a call and is asked to visit an investigator and is asked if he really wanted to play football and wether he was forced into it or not. After this, Michael thinks that the Tuohy’s only wanted to take him in to mould him into a sporting champion.

Michael Oher is a black teenager who grew up surrounded by drugs and danger. After being taken into the Tuohy household he is pushed into a white community where he feels as if he doesn’t belong as presented in his writing ‘White Walls’. He soon becomes the high school sporting star.

I look and I see white everywhere. White walls, white floors and a lot of white people. The teachers do not know, I have no idea of anything they are talking about. I do not want to listen to anyone especially the teachers. They are giving homework and expecting me to do the problems on my own. I have never done homework in my life. I go to the bathroom and look in the mirror and say ” this is not Michael Oher.” 

Leigh Anne Tuohy was originally a cheerleader at Ole Miss. She is a very religious woman who believes in God and life, strongly. She and her husband have two children together and adopted another child, Michael Oher.

Sean Tuohy is an all American blooded man, who owns over eighty fast food restaurants all around Tennessee.

Collins Tuohy is a champion volleyballer for Wingate Christian School. She is known to be generous and kind through her actions.

S.J. Tuohy is the adoptive brother of Michael Oher and was the first person to befriend Michael. In the film S.J. introduces Michael as his older brother.

 

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