Book vs. Movie: Battle to End All

The intriguing novel, The Hours written by Michael Cunningham was turned into a movie in 2002 and as with most novels-turned-Hollywood there is criticism from both ends that argue over which was better. In my recollection of the book and movie I will try to give my own review here. I don't quite know myself which is better; they both have very admirable qualities and suspenseful action that sincerely captures the moment. First is the novel, it really allows for details that are not quite available in the movie. Where the novel can interpret thoughts and be all knowing, the movie is not one in which the ideas that people are having are voiced over while the action is happening. This is especially important in the portrayal of the themes that it is sending out. In the movie I saw several different scenes where I would have been completely lost had I not already read the book. I don't think the movie was intended for audiences that had not read the book exactly so I can understand what my knowledge already added to it. In that respect, the book is much better than the movie because of its ability to go into details with the thoughts that most do not speak. I feel that the roles of women in the society were portrayed better in the movie than in the book. I could see the behavior of the women and men instead of reading something and thinking about it in my own way. The movie allows for those images of restrictiveness, pain, and internal conflict to show that they are really a part of what a woman had to go through in certain times. Yet, without the novel I would not have known most of those internal thoughts, like in some of the scenes with Julianne Moore as Mrs. Brown, I could see how she was emotionally distraught. The acting was done so well that I could recall certain phrases from the book that were describing what she was feeling at the time and it made sense. The next idea or theme of having a single day in a persons' life tell so much about a person was clearly evident through both the novel and movie. There were shots in the film that allowed me to see that each moment was crucial and still reflective of time. The book also had the same effect and it was what still reminded the reader of the "hours" in which everything is taking place. There was also the parts in which the novel where they all contemplated or thought about suicide in some way. The book gave so much intensity and thought into those things where as in the movie you could not really get much detail about it. In watching Clarissa throughout the movie I could see how she was concerned about Richard and his health and even how she felt after his death but not to the extent in which I understood her exact feelings; it had a largely vague feeling. The movie had a tough job in being able to portray all of these things but overall it truly was a great performance that was moving. I can say for sure which one was better because they had some amazing parts but I guess if I was forced to choose it would be the book. There is just so much more intimacy within the book itself that allows for a deeper understanding. I think most people would agree too. Comment if you disagree. :]

The Single Day Novel is a Black Hole

"The whole human story is contained in every day of every life more or less the
way the blueprint for an entire organism is present in every strand of its DNA." This quote by Michael Cunningham from the article "Homage, Sexual Identity, and the
Single-Day Novel by Cunningham, Lippincott, and Lanchester" by James Schiff speaks to me. It wasn't until the 1950's that DNA was discovered and it revolutionized the way people handled scientific advancements or criminal investigations. The idea is that DNA is present in every cell that comes from our bodies. Now the fact that one person can be represented by a single small DNA sample is relevant to the book in that it is a one day novel. Meaning that one single day of an entire person's life can represent or discover everything about them. The quote speaks to me because it is such a true statement. There will always be a day in your life where you could look back on it and tell so much about yourself, and not just one day, it can apply to any day. Like the time you sat at home all day because you had nothing to do besides eat ice cream and watch re-runs of Friends. The combination of your life and how you react to scenes or even what your thinking of in that time gives so many clues to your very soul and much more. The same is for other people, if they could examine a day in someones life, they would see so much about the person in general. Especially with this novel it gives insight into the persons thoughts and how much they think about their mistakes, life, and future. Each thought breaks down to a simpler idea of their fears, values, and hopes. It all can be traced back to how you were treated as a child, how you were raised, and how your experiences through life shaped you into who you are at the present moment. All of these are critical pieces of information to find out the true character of a person. Throughout the reading of The Hours it was easy to distinguish the important aspects that influenced the characters lives. Each one being no more influential than the next, it shows that you can include such a large amount of information about a person in a book that only covers one day of their life. Some of the information that can only otherwise be visible through a lifespan novel. It is a much more concise way of explaining their values and culture by incorporating it into the story. An author can clearly put out this type of writing style and make a novel take place in a single day and still communicate to the readers many aspects of a characters life and values. We can take everyday situations and take a look at them at every angle including the perspective of the own character. Most insight is developed through many perspectives not just any one perspective and it can surely play out well in a single day novel.

Should Dominant Culture Include Homosexuality? (Prompt 3: Week 6)

The world in which we live is increasingly growing in population and advancing in other places too. The word "advances" can be defined as aiding growth, and we see that changes are made everyday. Most of the values that held true long ago have changed or advanced to be more useful in our lives today. Everyone has been willing to go along with the changes they feel are acceptable in culture and society as a whole. One enduring idea is the acknowledgment homosexuality, and this is where the values are tough to change or advance in a society, unlike others that have grown and become a part of society.
One example of changed values is how we now are adamant in our search for child molesters, rapists, abductors etc. Years ago a society did not openly search for or even being to acknowledge that they were even there. Many women were increasingly abused and it was never to be blamed on a man; the woman was believed to have done something to induce this treatment. Another changed value that has been eagerly changed is the open communication of sex or the once private bedroom matters. It is increasingly popular to watch television, videos, movies, or even read articles that have the main topic of sex or are related to that topic. Just as with the topic above this was not something that just came out in everyday language and was presented in discussions. People believed this to be a thing that you kept between your partner and yourself. Only recently people have found that it is better for health reasons to openly discuss sex. Widespread information is given through many sources and people can learn to be safe. This is going off topic a bit but these examples illustrate the changes in society that have been happening for so long. Our values and culture have changed in ways that people would have never thought possible. I believe that with time and continued growth that we see today the topic or existence of homosexuality will be among the other topics in our everyday life. In case no one else has noticed our society is great at learning to grow and change the ways that are oppressive to others. It takes some time and there are others who are against it but usually things get straightened out it just depends on how fast a society wants to progress. I don't really believe on forcing an agenda on a society that is not ready to move forward. People must become educated about the subject and then they can move on into bringing it into their culture. And as the legislation regarding homosexuality is changing even right now, we know that this is a time when people are indeed ready for a change. All it takes is patience and understanding on both sides to really make that connection into the personal lives of others. It is to my understanding that there is even now a television channel devoted to they LGBT community, called LOGO, and this is something that shows the progression on our behalf. My point is that we should include homosexuality and other types of gender roles into the dominant culture but it has to be at at time when people are ready for it. The fear of the unknown is something that is great and once people become aware of what it means to those who are homosexual and how it affects them, the changes will soon appear.