Experience

Experience 

The film Doubt, directed by John Patrick Shanley, and the play Molly Sweeney, written by Brian Friel, are both stories that explore how our prior experiences shape our biases, perceptions, and views on life. In both works knowledge and experience influence the main character’s judgments, behaviors, and feelings, which ultimately determines how they respond to the challenges put before them.

The following quote from Molly Sweeney speaks to this idea. This is spoken during Frank’s monologue where he explains philosopher Bishop George Berkeley’s views on sight. "That most of us are born with all five senses; and with all the information they give us, we build up a sight world from the day we are born -- a world of objects and ideas and meanings. We are not given that world, he said. We make it ourselves -- through our experience, by our memory, by making categories, by interconnections"(17). Berkeley believes only through experience and “living” can one create their own world.

Molly, in Molly Sweeney, has been blind since she was 10 months old and can’t remember ever being able to see. At the beginning of the play she is somebody who is totally happy with her universe, she is confident, self-assured and a vibrant part of her local community. She has no sense of being deprived by her blindness and often thinks that what she experiences through her heightened sense of touch and smell is far greater than what sight could ever bring her. However after the operation a once confident Molly seems to start to crumble. She struggles with learning how to act in the world of sight. Her experience without sight and her naivety to the sighted world is something that worked in her favor. She made her “world” without sight, which ultimately defined who she was as a person. Being able to “see” at the end of the play causes her to be caught in the middle and forces her to create a new world for herself. With her experience as a blind person this is made all the more difficult. Dr. Rice sums up her tragic end in his final comments towards her “In those last few months it was hard to recognize the woman who had first come to my house...how self-sufficient she had been.”

This shot from Doubt is of Sister Aloysius in her office when she is explaining her suspicions of Father Flynn and that she believes he is conducting an inappropriate relationship with Donald Miller. She believes her suspicions to be true because of prior experience with these situations. Aloysius confidently stands with her hand on her chest (possibly touching a cross) blanketed in the light from the window expressing her certainty. Her demeanor clearly expresses her intent to convict Father Flynn of wrongdoing.

Sister Aloysius’s experience has completely shaped what she perceives to have happened between Donald Miller and Father Flynn despite not having any concrete evidence. She is prejudiced and biased to believe that he is guilty. However, her experience in dealing with a matter like this helps her to find out the truth. Manufacturing a lie to prompt a guilty reaction out of Father Flynn is clearly a tactic that comes from experience and knowledge about this kind of situation. This is in sharp contrast to Sister James who has no prior experience with these situations and perceptions of the matter are unclouded. She is naïve and wants to believe the best in people this is demonstrated in her ability to be swayed by Father Flynn’s pleadings.

In Molly Sweeney the experience of being blind affects her negatively when she is thrust into the world of sight. However Sister Aloysius’s intuitions and prior knowledge of men like Father Flynn help her solve the crime. In both cases experience affects the characters’ approach and feelings toward a situation. Both works suggest that it is almost impossible enter a situation without prejudices and judgments based on prior experience. 

Opportunity

Today, social class is generally thought of as being synonymous with socio-economic class and is usually divided into three hierarchical categories, upper, middle, and lower. As other barriers to social advancement such as race, ethnicity, gender, and religion have fallen by the wayside in our country, wealth has become the major determinant of social class. Wealth creates a certain lifestyle and provides opportunities that stratify us into different categories. Homes, cars, and clothing are society’s most visible way of demonstrating one’s social class. Less visible, but no less important class divisions are manifested in a person’s political views, prejudices, and interpersonal relationships with members of other social classes. In today’s society we are all guilty of making assumptions about people. When I stop at a stoplight and pull up next to a Ferrari or a Honda Accord, I make an assumption about the driver’s social class and often speculate about the driver’s lifestyle and values based on what they’re driving. I believe most people can identify where they stand on the spectrum of social class. At New Trier High School, most people would describe themselves as upper middle class. However, class is all relative. Our community's poorest are much wealthier than those of the South Side of Chicago who in turn may be far better off than those living in third world countries. People may feel they are middle class in one neighborhood but upper middle class in another. One's standing in society can change dramatically based on the surrounding socio-economic environment. While there are advantages and disadvantages to our current class system, here in America opportunities still exist to break through the barriers of class and succeed.

All Hands On Deck!

           The boating shoe, designed by Paul Sperry in 1935, was originally marketed exclusively to boaters and sailors. Its signature siping pattern, which is cut into the soles, prevents them from slipping, and the treated canvas or leather repels water. This makes them ideal for boating. However since the 1980's, boating shoes have become widespread and fashionable among sailors and non sailors alike. Brands like the Sperry Top-Siders and Sebago have become extremely popular. The shoes have become synonymous with preppy east coast style. Walking through the halls of New Trier I have noticed the immense popularity of these shoes. It seems they have become an integral part of the uniform of the North shore. Their popularity is a direct reflection of our community’s culture. We live in an affluent community on a lake where many might have boats or lake houses. Nautical and preppy style is very much the "norm." Brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Nautica, and J. Crew are all very popular. What all these brands have in common is that they create clothes that are classically styled and reflect a refined and traditional lifestyle that permeates the Northshore. These shoes, although they are mainstream here, might seem unusual in many other communities in the United States. The sheer number of people wearing them here makes them conformist, but what preserves the wearers individuality are the colors and materials. From the classic brown leather to the more flamboyant reds, blues, greens, and patterns they are all different variations of the same type of shoe. They express the wearer's unique sense of style and personality. The more conservative among us might choose the traditional brown leather, while the more adventurous and style savvy might choose a more vibrant color. The Sperry Top-Sider shoes are a perfect example of what Paul Fussel is talking about. They are universally excepted in our community suggesting a certain degree of conformity, but style and color choice can be used to make a personal statement. 

To What Extent does the World Shape Us?


We as people are so heavily influenced by the world around us. Where one lives, goes to school, who their parents are, and economic status all shape what values are instilled in a person. A person is molded by his or her surroundings from the time that they are born. In this way, much of the time a person is fated to become what their society or immediate surroundings dictate. For example, I have been growing up in an affluent community where education is extremely important and it is expected that I receive good grades and attend college. In other places around the world this is not the case. It really depends on what the community a person lives in. Values, customs, traditions, and expectations vary tremendously throughout the world. Living in such a homogenous community I tend to forgot that many people around the world do not have the same aspirations that we do on the Northshore. The overwhelming sense of materialism and consumerism that permeates where we live dictates our perceptions of other people, what we aspire to, and who we feel is beneath us. However, as much as our community shapes us its also just our innate personality that shapes the way we live. I believe that it is a combination of both nature and nurture that define us as people.

The Seductress

This still shot comes at the beginning of the film when Mrs. Dietrichson and Walter Neff meet for the very first time. It is a high angle shot looking up at Phyllis from the foyer. The Dietrichson's home appears lavishly decorated with an intricate wrought iron banister in the center and a classical painting in the background. Under the painting lies a wooden commode where a beautiful porcelain figurine stands. Ornate sconces adorn the walls. Phyllis, however, appears only in a skimpy beach towel with sunglasses in her hands suggesting a life of leisure and foreshadowing her role as a seductress. Bathed in sunlight, the director has given her an almost angelic appearance, which is in sharp contrast to her deceptive nature. The decorations and furnishings in the house reflect the Dietrichson's wealth and extravagant tastes. Phyllis' materialism and superficiality are on display here. We later learn, that despite all this apparent wealth, her greed knows no bounds and she is willing to go so far as to kill her husband for more.

The Man's Expression

                                                             

                                                                The Man’s Expression

            This still shot comes at the end of Minority Report. We see Lamar and the torso and hands of Anderton’s ex-wife Lara. Her face is purposefully left out of the scene. It is a medium shot with Lamar’s face and Lara’s hands as the main subjects. The light is coming in from the right highlighting parts of his face and her hands there by emphasizing them in the shot. Lamar is looking down at her hands, which seem to be hanging on his shoulders. The room is lit in such a way that there is a lack of warmth, which gives the shot tension. The lighting also allows the viewer to see the lines and creases in Lamar’s face that reveal his worried expression. Color is virtually absent from the shot heightening the seriousness of the moment. To the right of Lamar’s face in the background we see a beautifully decorated room with wingback chairs, a side table, and an ornate oriental rug. The fact that the director chose to have Lamar off center allows the viewer to see more of the room. The viewer gets the feeling that this is an important room and thus this man must be important also. The close up of Lamar exaggerates the depth of the room, which heightens Lamar’s isolation. We are also left to ponder why Lara has stopped tying Lamar’s bowtie. We know that this is a crucial moment for both characters. Lamar has revealed his knowledge of Anne Lively’s death and Lara has clearly understood the impact of this revelation. This is made clear not through words or facial expressions but rather through the abrupt freezing of her hands.