Lesson Four - The Shawshank Redemption

Introduction

Lesson Four - The Shawshank Redemption
Duration - 8 blocks (8 x 80 min + homework)

"Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free." - The Shawshank Redemption tagline

"The Shawshank Redemption is a 1994 American drama film written and directed by Frank Darabont, loosely based on the Stephen King Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. The film stars Tim Robbins as Andrew 'Andy' Dufresne and Morgan Freeman as Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding.

"The film portrays Andy spending nearly two decades in Shawshank State Prison, a fictional penitentiary in Maine and his friendship with Red, a fellow inmate. Despite a lukewarm box office reception that was barely enough to cover its budget, The Shawshank Redemption received favorable reviews from critics and has since enjoyed a remarkable life on cable television, VHS, DVD and Blu-ray.

"In the the movie was nominated for seven awards - Best Picture, Actor (Morgan Freeman), Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Cinematography, Original Score, and Sound Mixing, but, in the shadow of 1994's big winner, Forrest Gump, did not win a single one.

"In 1998 Shawshank was not listed in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies, but nine years later (2007), it placed at the 72nd position on the revised list, outranking both Forrest Gump (76th) and Pulp Fiction (94th), the two most critically acclaimed movies from the year of Shawshank's release.

"In 1999, film critic Roger Ebert listed Shawshank on his 'Great Movies' list, and in reader polls by the film magazine Empire, the film ranked fifth in 2004, first in 2006, and fourth in 2008 on the lists for greatest movie of all time." - Wikipedia

"Roger Ebert suggests that the integrity of Andy Dufresne is an important theme in the story line, especially in prison, where integrity is lacking. Andy is an individual of integrity (here referring to adherence to a code of morality) among a host of criminals, and guards, with little integrity. Additionally, the film's dominant themes of hope, original sin, redemption, salvation, and faith in the afterlife have led some critics to interpret the film as a Christian parable. Some Christian reviewers have referred to it as a film "true to Christian principles." In the director's commentary track on the tenth anniversary DVD, Darabont denies any intent to create such a parable, and calls such interpretations of the film 'fantastic'. Others have also pointed out that the film's tidy dispatching of its principal antagonists would seem to have more to do with Old Testament retribution than New Testament redemption. In addition, Andy's destruction of a Bible to enable his escape hints at a more pragmatic outlook.

"Angus C. Larcombe suggests that the film provides a great illustration of how characters can be free, even in prison, or unfree, even in freedom, based on one's outlook in life." - Wikipedia

Resources

NOTES

five paragraph essay
Literary Exploration Outline
literary exploration RUBRIC
essay skeleton - use to plan your essay

Websites
Spark Notes on The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption - DVD Review

READINGS

excerpt from ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE

Lesson

Watch the entire film, The Shawshank Redemption 

Don't forget to explore the websites offering analysis and review.

Assignment

(100 marks)
Open a new Word document. Label it E302U3L42surname 
In this document, complete the assignment as outlined below.
Submit this assignment using the Dropbox for U3L4 Shawshank essay

Much literature suggests that what we want to accomplish is not difficult if we have the right attitudes, but that having the right attitudes is hard.  Consider Andy Dufresne, and others that his life intersects with, and how they struggle to have have the right attitudes. 

Write an essay (600-900 words) on The Shawshank Redemption that addresses the question, "What is your opinion of the idea that having the right attitude is difficult?"

Write an essay, of five paragraphs, which answers this question. You must

• Download and read the exceprt from ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE; write ONE body paragraph on an individual from the excerpt
• discuss one character from Shawshank Redemption in ONE body paragraph
• discuss your own life experiences in ONE body paragraph

You should:

• reflect upon your own knowledge and/or experience and/or the book
• ensure the details you select support your opinion of the idea that we must be prepared to respond to changing circumstances
• organize your essay so that your ideas are clearly and effectively presented

Conclusion

"Justice in the film does not come from the law, the courts or the prison system; it comes from life and Andy’s actions. Shawshank Prison promotes criminality in inmates and administrators. Justice is explored between the warden, who represents the law, and Andy, who represents morality and true justice. The irony is set in the fact that in a place where the law should be enforced and abided by, it is in fact the most corrupt environment of all:

"'Outside I was an honest man . . . I had to come to prison to be a crook.'

"It is, perhaps, an intention of Darabont's to make the audience think about Justice and Injustice being relative to the environment. It also leaves us in shock at the absolute nature of these two things in the prison." - The Shawshank Redemption wiki