MAR 30: Lesson Four - The Shawshank Redemption

Introduction

Lesson Four - The Shawshank Redemption
Duration - 6 blocks (6 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 and Lesson

VIEW The Shawshank Redemption

You may want to watch it more than one time.
This link works ONLY while logged into Moodle.
U: 92016
P: rockyv41

Think about how The Shawshank Redemption addresses "the nature of motivations that direct an individual's course of action?" What motivates the various characters to act? How does that affect their subsequent course of action? 

You will be addressing this question in a speech.

Assignment 2

(100 marks)

Open a new Word document. Label it E301U2L4surname
In this document, complete the assignment outlined below.
Submit this assignment using the Dropbox for U2L4 Shawshank speech

Consider how you would answer the question, "In the film, The Shawshank Redemption, what idea does director Frank Darabont develop about the nature of motivations that direct an individual's course of action?"

The course of action you are going to consider is that of Andy Dufresne, writing one letter per week to the State Senate, to advocate for funds for a proper library at Shawshank State Penitentiary.

Consider not only what motivated Andy to do this, but the nature of those motivations. You are going to present your letter as a recorded speech, imagining that Andy was invited to present his position in front of the State Senate.

In your speech, you MUST

• be persuasive! The warden has indicated that the only way the state will spend more taxpayers' money on prisons is for more walls, more bars, and more guards. What will you say to counter this argument? Why is spending taxpayers' money on a library a better investment?
• present at least three reasons, with specific examples to support your position. The senate has no desire to spend money on rehabilitation. How can you convince them otherwise?
• write between 800 and 1600 words. 

Your assignment will be marked using the "personal response to texts" rubric for content and the "speech rubric" for the oral presentation. 

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