Despite gaining independence from England in 1962, Jamaica is in debt and unable to support its own economy and people. Jamaica has little to no freedom. Jamaica’s survival depends on policies the Jamaican government and people have no control over. Stephanie Black’s Life and Debt (2001) illustrates this idea. The people of Jamaica are discouraged by their inability to make a difference. The reggae song in the movie states “we live with life and debt, freedom not yet.” Jamaica’s economy relies on foreign trade and tourism.

William Wordsworth’s poem “Lucy Gray, or, Solitude” greatly differs from all of the other Lucy poems read in class. This poem fails to follow Wordsworth’s typical lyrical format and instead takes the position of being a narrative poem, in ballad form, telling the tale of young Lucy Gray’s disappearance. Wordsworth gives this Lucy poem a title unlike the other Lucy poems that are differentiated only by their first lines.

It is thought that the relationships women have with men are largely influenced by the relationship women have with their fathers. This theory can be supported by Lucy’s behavior with men in the novel. Lucy rarely mentions her father throughout the novel. This results from him either being absent in her upbringing or him having negative impacts on her life that she attempts to muffle. The men in Jamaica Kincaid’s Lucy are all weak, and Lucy either thinks little of their personalities or uses them simply for physical pleasure.

Patrick Creadon’s Wordplay (2006) not only interviews contestants of the annual crossword puzzle tournament, but the film also interviews celebrity puzzlers. The various celebrities presented in the film relate crosswords to bigger puzzles in life that parallel with their careers. The celebrities are also present to add big names to the film’s movie posters and make the film more popular.

It is nothing special to live a life filled with puzzles and problems waiting to be solved, but when one’s hobby and passion also contain puzzles one finds characters like those presented in Patrick Creadon’s Wordplay (2006). Creadon interviews crossword tournament contestants in the months before the 2005 tournament. While at the tournament, he captures these contestants submerged in the element they thrive in, surrounded by crossword enthusiasts just like them. The puzzlers are truly unique. Their passion for crosswords is obvious to any viewer of the film.

March of the Penguins (2005) is a story of love. The emperor penguins have a romantic relationship with another penguin. Their annual mating ritual is presented like an ancient love story, one that has survived the ages and still relates to people today. The penguins survive all odds and risk their lives to mate. This is the true romance behind the movie, their faith that their march has a reason.

March of the Penguins (2005) is introduced as a love story. The emperor penguins are monogamous for one season, but the next year they mate with a different penguin. True there is a love story between two penguins for one year to give birth to a chick, but the love story that remains year after year is the one shared by the entire community of penguins. They hope to survive the winter and give life to another generation of penguins.

As one of the most famous propaganda films, Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will (1935) succeeds in illustrating both Hitler’s ability to manipulate German minds and the eagerness the Germans had in hoping that Hitler was sent to save them. The film is eerily able to capture these images and make them intimidating even for audiences today. Riefenstahl’s use of camera angles, lenses, and music enhance the emotions felt during the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg. She designed this film with intent of influencing German minds.

Ross McElwee’s Sherman’s March (1986) blurs the line between a film tracing General William Tecumseh Sherman’s march through the South and film about McElwee’s attempted relationships. While originally intending to make a documentary of Sherman’s infamous march to the sea, McElwee strays from this topic and instead records his encounters with various Southern women. McElwee’s struggle to find love compares to Sherman’s desire for military and personal success.

I believe Timothy to be a truly tragic character. Despite the fact that some of the scenes in Grizzly Man were comic, Timothy was a troubled man with a skewed vision of the world.