...First published in 1968, True Grit, authored by Charles Portis, soon became a classic novel for many generations to appreciate. Set during the Wild West, readers can experience the journey of main protagonist Mattie Ross, a teenage girl who is seeking to avenge her father’s death. Mattie is independent, courageous, and has lots of determination. She is willing to sacrifice anything, even one of her limbs, in order to achieve her goal of revenge on Tom Chaney, the murderer of her father. Although True Grit does not give input on Mattie’s musical tastes, based on her personality and experiences in life, one could conclude that a hypothetical present-day Mattie, who would still be teenager, might have enjoyed songs such as “Fight Song,” “Move...
Words: 1403 - Pages: 6
...True Grit In the novel True Grit by Charles Portis many characters earn redemption from previously regrettable actions or character flaws. This is a recurring motif within the story, and it shows a sense of realism amongst the characters. Portis uses characters such as Rooster Cogburn, LaBoeuf, and Mattie Ross’s horse Little Blackie to show that people aren't always who they appear to be and are susceptible to change. We first hear of Rooster Cogburn from the sheriff when Mattie asks about the U.S. marshals. The sheriff says “The meanest one is Rooster Cogburn. He is a pitiless man, double-tough, and fear don't enter into his thinking. He loves to pull a cork.” (Portis 25). Maddie sets high expectations for Rooster after hearing this; however, he lets her down constantly after she discovers he is a dumb, fat, one-eyed drunk, and a bad shot. Rooster later tries to desert Mattie twice and he also leads them right into the smugglers den with Tom Chaney and Lucky Ned Pepper. However, Rooster makes up for his shortcomings when he saves Mattie’s life at the end of the book. She is stuck in a pit with poisonous snakes and bats while an undead Tom Chaney leans in to taunt her. Rooster comes from behind and knocks him hard into the pit with his rifle. Rooster then escorts Mattie to the nearest doctor, getting her there as quickly as possible. Without Rooster, she would’ve been killed and his heroic actions, which go against everything we knew about him, earn his redemption in...
Words: 792 - Pages: 4
...MOVIE REVIEW: TRUE GRIT 1 Movie Review: True Grit The movie I chose to review is the 2010 remake of “True Grit.” This movie stars Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Hailee Steinfeld as the main characters. Jeff Bridges plays Rooster Cogburn, Matt Damon plays LaBoeuf and Hailee Steinfeld plays Mattie Ross, Josh Brolin portrays Tom Chaney, the man who murdered Mattie’s father. In the following paragraphs of this paper the following will be discussed: when it was produced, the basic plot line, the themes address regarding the West, the accuracy and portrayal of the characters in relation to the West, the time period and historical setting, and lastly the usefulness of this movie for someone who is interested in the history of the American West. When Produced Ethan and Joel Coen (also known as ‘The Coen Brothers’) directed as well as produced the 2010 adaptation. Steven Spielberg was one of the executive producers. Since this version of “True Grit” was produced in 2010 it is written from a twenty-first century perspective. Although produced so recently, the film was based in 1880 which gives it a one hundred and thirty year gap in time. This tells one that the film had many modern influences. Basic Plot The movie opens with Proverbs 28:1a displayed on the screen, it reads, “The wicked flee when none pursueth.” A song that sounds like the hymn “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms” is gently being played on the piano. It is called “The Wicked Flee” and is...
Words: 802 - Pages: 4
...In the book True Grit Mattie Ross takes revenge on her father’s killer. Frank Ross was shot by Tom Chaney, and Mattie is angry and is willing to do everything in her power to see to it he pays. The U.S. Marshal named Rooster Cogburn helps Mattie to find him. According to a sheriff, Rooster “is a pitiless man, double-tough, and fear doesn’t enter into his thinking.” (Portis 25). Mattie is on a mission and she won’t stop until Chaney is dead. Mattie character seems to have a strong mindset. She is very head strong, and independent because she negotiated prices with the man to go with her, she pointed the gun at Chaney and forced him to come with her although he refused and she ended up shooting him. Anyone wouldn’t figure that a 14 year old girl would go look for her dad, and she wouldn’t go with two grown men. Mattie got older and she didn’t have kids or have time for marriage. She didn’t hear anything from Cogburn since the journey of killing Chaney. She remains a head strong woman and continues to look up to her dad even though he has deceased. Mattie takes responsibility from her dad’s death, she shot Chaney, and she...
Words: 1503 - Pages: 7
...“What I tell you three times is true.” (Lewis Carroll) Might this formula – or a more sophisticated version of it – actually determine what we believe to be true? Repetition is our way of learning knowledge. Repetition is drilling something to memory, reinforcing the idea in our heads. It is the key to reflexive use (use without conscious thought). Your mind “learns” by repetition and reinforcement. Repetition and its effects on what we believe to be true, play a major role in the way that we accumulate general knowledge. The formula implies that repetition is equal to truth, when really repetition is just repetition. Repetition does not make a statement the truth. But a statement, if repeated often enough, can come to be accepted as truth. This leads us to the question whether a lie can be accepted as truth. From the standpoint of logic, the number of times an incorrect fact is repeated is irrelevant. It is still false. But research has shown that a statement, even an incorrect fact, if repeated often enough, can be accepted as truth. This paper will examine several research studies, influencing variables, and examples from everyday life to identify this occurrence. In addition to this, the possible effects of repetition will be discussed as well. One of the simplest ways to show how repetition causes a statement to be accepted as truth is gossip. First, someone tells a friend a statement, which can be true or false. This friend tells another friend, who tells another...
Words: 1530 - Pages: 7
...Tim O'Brien does a fantastic job of blurring the lines of what is true and what is fiction in The Things They Carried. In fact, he often points out that he has made entire stories up, after the fact. He defends his decisions by proposing that what he has done is, in fact, not lie, but rather tell a story-truth. He argues that his reason for doing this is to bring the story to life more than it could live through the happening-truth. 'I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth' (O'Brien, 183). O'Brien believes that, when accompanied by vivid details which essentially make the reader view the scene as a dream, story-truths can carry greater emotional truths than ever possible to be achieved through actual, happening-truths. With this, he shows, contrary to belief, how story-truths are often truer than happening-truths, and demonstrates this through the addition of often graphic details. Happening-truth encompasses actual events that take place. However true these stories may be, they are often times viewed as unreal simply because they have no details to back them up. The entire shit field scene that was put into this book, for example, was turned from a happening-truth into a story-truth because the original version was not believable. The reader can see this through O'Brien describing the letters that he received from Norman Bowker. Norman writes to Tim, telling him that he should write about the event. 'What...
Words: 2289 - Pages: 10
...Dodge Ball: A True Underdog Story The movie is on the rivalry between the owners of Average Joe’s gym and Globo- Gym. Average Joe’s Gym is a small and financially unsuccessful gym with a handful of loyal members run by Peter. White the owner of Globo Gym a fitness guru he purchases the default mortgage of Average Joe’s Gym to build a parking lot. Peter has to raise $50,000 in thirty days to cover his mortgage. White’s attorney Kate he tries to charm her but instead she becomes friends with Peter while they try to go over his records. Peter goes to her house and sees she has weird obsession with unicorns all over her house. Average Joe’s employees Dwight and Owen and members Steve “The Pirate”, Justin, and Gorden try to raise money. Gorden tells them that they should enter a dogeball tournament in Las Vegas with a $50,000 prize. They form a team with Peter and watch a 1950 training video narrated by dodgeball legend “Patches” O’ Houlihan. Of course White has a hidden camera and forms his own team to go against them. His team is full of big athletic team where Peter’s is like a bunch of misfits and average guys. Of course Globo- Gym tries to scare Average Joe’s by his big players and lady with the big eyebrows. She knocks a guy out at the bar standing by the juke box drinking his drink. Peter’s team have to compete against a Girl Scout team to qualify, they lose but win by default because the girls came up positive for steroids. The legend “Patches” is now in...
Words: 926 - Pages: 4
...Anyone and everyone can make friends. Some you may not of even thought of happening. In the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, there are many friendships. Some you know already know of but some come out of the strangest circumstances. There are many themes present in the book, one particular theme that is present throughout the story is friendships can come out of the strangest circumstances. In the story Junior makes multiple friends in the strangest circumstances.These quotes are part of the most compelling evidence that can be found in the book. The first one is when Junior and Roger start to respect each other and grow closer together. “ Wow, he didn’t kick my ass. He was actually nice. He paid me some respect...
Words: 343 - Pages: 2
...In the book The Absolutley True Diary of a Part-Time Indian it’s very common on Junior’s reservation for people to give up on their dreams. But it seems like Junior is a exception to that trend. It seems like he will succeed and in the book you can see examples of qualities that Junior has that will correlate into success in his life. Some of the internal qualities Junior has that will help him in his road to success are he is true to himself, he is truthful, and he lives his dreams. Junior is a authentic kid he always is himself and he doesn’t lie to Rowdy when he makes the decison to leave the reservation to go to Reardan he tells him he is going when he easily could have avoided Rowdy from that point on but he is a truthful person so...
Words: 410 - Pages: 2
...In Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, the protagonist in the story is a 14-year old boy named Arnold Spirit Jr., a.k.a Junior, which they call him throughout the story most of the time. The novel begins with Junior explaining how he is Native American and lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation with his mom, dad, sister, and grandmother (Alexie 1-6). He clarifies how he was born with water on his brain, and because of this, he gets treated poorly at school. Kids call him a retard, they pants him, and they shove his head into the toilet (3-4). On the reservation, Rowdy is Junior’s best friend and pretty much his only friend. Rowdy protects and stands up for Junior when he needs help (15-18). The main conflict in the novel is Junior struggling at Wellpinit, which is his school on the reservation and how he transfers to his new school, Reardan. When he transfers to Reardan, he meets Penelope who he has a big crush on and Roger who is the most popular guy in the school. At first, he does not really get along with them, but in the end, they become the best of friends. Junior discovers that no matter where he goes he gets bullied....
Words: 633 - Pages: 3
...In the Book "The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-time Indian" By Sherman Alexie Arnold Transferred schools from and rundown school that he was pushed around at then at his new school he that everyone was all white he didn't get pushed around and it seemed that he had more control/power. There were actually two Different setting at different time periods. The first setting was when he was at an old rundown school and the second setting was when he was at the new all white school that he has power and control at. The story's first book is Wellpinit, the home of the Spokane Indian Reservation where Arnold lives with his mother, father, sister, and grandmother. "I am really just a poor-ass reservation kid living with his poor-ass family on the...
Words: 372 - Pages: 2
...parents even go as far as to banning books for their controversial content. Books such as The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie has been banned from many high schools. The story is about Arnold Spirit Jr. who lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation and endures many challenges while searching for hope. Although The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian remains banned from some high school for its “unsuitable content,” it should actually be added to the curriculum instead. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian should not be banned for it’s positive messages. In the chapter “How To Fight Monsters,” Junior stands up to Roger who had been bullying him: “Did you know that Indians are living proof that n****** f*** buffalo?...that was the most racist thing I’d ever heard in my life...So I punched Roger in the face...I felt brave all of a sudden...I was telling the world I was no longer a human target.” (Alexie64-65). Teens should be able to read this book in school because it reveals an inspiring story of how a weak boy with health deficiencies overcomes a larger worldwide problem: Bullying. Maybe violence isn’t always the answer but what is there to make of the situation when another option of salvation isn’t given. Banning this book would deprive young readers from an encouraging and uprising novel. Many people argue that The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian should indeed be banned in high schools for its violent content. For example...
Words: 687 - Pages: 3
...Imagine having to make the biggest choice of your life, at the age of 14. Sherman Alexie’s book, The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian, tells the story of a boy who betrays other Indians and chooses to go to an all white school, called Reardan, not knowing if his decision will kill him or make him stronger as a human being. In writing The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian, Alexie wants to teach the readers that if you do not attempt, you will not attain. Junior deciding to fight the stereotypes and making a commitment to going to Reardan, show he is willing to succeed no matter what the consequences may be. Additionally, Junior took every small moment of his life seriously, he knew that something as small as making the school basketball team or climbing a frightening pine tree will make a huge impact on his future. Junior knew that if he stayed a coward and didn’t try to change anything for the rest of his life, the misconceptions about Native Americans would be true....
Words: 900 - Pages: 4
...their beliefs. From the articles we read about conspiracy theories, we have found that their is a lot of evidence that has shown that conspiracies could be true. In most occasions these conspiracies end up not being true, or the conspiracists do not bring up enough eligible evidence to prove their point. Most conspiracists are people who cannot accept the truth about something they are interested in or passionate about.The evidence for that is simple, most conspiracies are not true! They are simply a product of one's imagination! People come up with conspiracies all the time,...
Words: 1824 - Pages: 8
...You can overcome anything with the support from those around you. “If you let people into your life they can be pretty...amazing”-Sherman Alexie. In the Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, Junior faces many obstacles. Many things help him overcome his challenges, including his love for drawing, his family, and friends. Undoubtedly, Junior’s love for drawing cartoons helps him overcome many of the challenges he must face. For example, after his grandmother dies one of the ways he greves is through drawing cartoons. Through what he calls his “ceremony of grieving” he drew cartoons and made lists of what he liked. He slowly overcame his grandmother's death through this process, which drawing was a main part of. Furthermore, his family...
Words: 389 - Pages: 2
