lets try this again...... FIELD OF DREAMS

PLOT


The plot of the story is comparable to the short story but holds some differences.  However, the emphasis of the movie is not the excitement of meeting Shoeless Joe, but rather everyone else who comes to play.  The narrator is given a name as well, Ray Kinsella.  Ray still works to build a field, but does not focus as heavily on the left field as he did in the short story.  He puts his attention towards finding people to play on his field.  This is almost opposite of the short story.  There, the players showed up on their own.



P.O.V.


The movie is set in a first person narrative just as the short story is.  Ray Kinsella is telling his story in a present time.  He explains his feelings and what he hears to his wife.  Ray is the narrator and throughout the movie, gives monologues explaining the situations he has been put in.  He constantly gives the audience an update as to what he is going through as well as what Annie is encountering at home.  The movie is primarily dialogue between the characters.  Therefore, there is no situational irony.


CHARACTERIZATION


Ray is a determined man.  He is beginning a farm.  He is not experienced in this type of work but is willing to try it out.  When the voices start talking to him about building "it" he listens and starts researching and brainstorming as to what the voice is talking about.  He starts work on the field with support from his wife.


Annie, Ray's wife, is a supporting and loving woman.  She backs Ray up in his decision to take out a portion of their farm land in order to build a baseball field.  When presented with a decision to sell the farm, she refuses because she is so supportive of her husband.  The main difference in the story and movie, is that in the story, Annie has no hesitation in telling her husband to go for what he wants.  In the movie, Annie is somewhat reprehensive as to what her husband wants to do.  All in all, she is an extremely supportive wife.


SETTING


Field Of Dreams is set in Iowa.  Ray and Annie Kinsella start work on their very own, and first farm.  The newbie farmers are not sure of what the farming industry entails.  After the field takes out a large portion of their crop land, they are presented with financial difficulty.  Throughout the movie, Ray is en-route to finding men to play on his field, mainly in search of retired major leaguers.  As he is on the road, Annie stays put on the farm in Iowa with their daughter, Karin.  The ghostly baseball players play games on the field the Kinsella's built into their farmland.  The story takes place almost entirely on the farm.  The movie however shifts the scenes and locations around.


THEME


The theme of the story is dedication.  Ray is in search of players for his baseball field.  Even when he is denied, and cannot find the players, he does not give up.  He keeps a lookout for potential players.  When his crop cannot support the family anymore, he keeps on with the field and refuses to sell the farm.  Ray's determination pays off in the end when he is able to play catch with his father, whom he stopped communication with at 17.  The refusal to give up, ended happily for Ray Kinsella.

FIELD OF DREAMS

PLOT


Ray Kinsella is walking through his field when he hears a voice saying "if you build it, he will come."  Ray tells his wife Annie of the occurrence.  Together they decide that the field should be built.  Ray goes on a mission to find the "he" the voice is referring to. Annie is left at home to take care of the farm as her husband goes in search of whatever the voice tells him.  She is forced with a decision to sell the farm due to financial difficulty. Upon his return, they decide to keep the farm.  All along, the "he" are the baseball players, specifically, Ray's dad.  


P.O.V.


The movie is set in a first person narrative.  Ray Kinsella is telling his story in a present time.  He explains his feelings and what he hears to his wife.  Ray is the narrator and throughout the movie, gives monologues explaining the situations he has been put in.  He constantly gives the audience an update as to what he is going through as well as what Annie is encountering at home.  The movie is primarily dialogue between the characters.  Therefore, there is no situational irony.


CHARACTERIZATION


Ray is a determined man.  He is beginning a farm.  He is not experienced in this type of work but is willing to try it out.  When the voices start talking to him about building "it" he listens and starts researching and brainstorming as to what the voice is talking about.  He starts work on the field with support from his wife.


Annie, Ray's wife, is a supporting and loving woman.  She backs Ray up in his decision to take out a portion of their farm land in order to build a baseball field.  When presented with a decision to sell the farm, she refuses because she is so supportive of her husband.


SETTING


Field Of Dreams is set in Iowa.  Ray and Annie Kinsella start work on their very own, and first farm.  The newbie farmers are not sure of what the farming industry entails.  After the field takes out a large portion of their crop land, they are presented with financial difficulty.  Throughout the movie, Ray is en-route to finding men to play on his field, mainly in search of retired major leaguers.  As he is on the road, Annie stays put on the farm in Iowa with their daughter, Karin.  The ghostly baseball players play games on the field the Kinsella's built into their farmland.


THEME


The theme of the story is dedication.  Ray is in search of players for his baseball field.  Even when he is denied, and cannot find the players, he does not give up.  He keeps a lookout for potential players.  When his crop cannot support the family anymore, he keeps on with the field and refuses to sell the farm.  Ray's determination pays off in the end when he is able to play catch with his father, whom he stopped communication with at 17.  The refusal to give up, ended happily for Ray Kinsella.

Shoeless Joe Jackson come to Iowa

PLOT


The significance of the plot in Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa is the narrator telling of his past.  His childhood consisted of his fathers love for the White Socks.  Within the plot of the story, the reader hears of both his love for the game of baseball, as well as his fathers.  The narrator hears a voice saying "If you build it, he will come."(511)  Therefore, he starts work on a remarkable left field, just for Shoeless Joe.  He later is asked to finish the field for the rest of the players to come.  The history of the narrators fathers love for the game is apparent with his eagerness to finish the field.  The love of baseball was passed down to his son.  "That was all the instruction I ever received: two announcements and a vision of a baseball field." (512) 


P.O.V.


This story is told in first person.  With a first hand account of the story, the reader feels engaged in the plot.  With this kind of point of view, the reader is able to tell how the narrator is feeling through his actions and word choice.  Because this story is written in first person, we as readers get a first hand account on how the narrator feels about  the White Socks, and baseball in general.  The first person narrative of the story allows the reader to know exactly how the character is feeling and acting.  There is no irony in the sense where the reader knows something the characters in the story do not.


CHARACTERIZATION


Shoeless Joe Jackson seems to be the focal point of this story, for, it is all about him.  Joe seems to be the epitome of a great baseball player according to the narrators father, Glen.   Even after he allegedly threw the World Series game, Glen remained an extremely loyal fan to the White Socks.  The narrator is just as big of a fan of the White Socks as his father was.  Because of his dedication, he builds a left field, and eventually, an entire field in honor of the great White Socks team of 1919. He is hardworking and never gave up.  The building of the field was no easy task.  He remained patient in making sure the grass was perfect.  Annie, the narrators wife, is extremely supportive in her husbands decision to build the field.  "Do it, love" (512) was her advice to him.  Thus showing her loving support. 


SETTING


The setting of the story is important to show how dedicated the narrator is to the 1919 White Socks.  He builds a field for the team.  He sees Shoeless Joe in the field.  Joe asks the narrator to build more than just the left field he has completed.  The narrator agrees.  This shows his heart and love and joy in the sport of baseball.  His wife is nothing but supportive and encourages him to build the field if that is what makes him happy. "Oh love, if it makes you happy you should do it"(512).


THEME


The theme is related to dedication.  "Consider it done" (521) is the narrators response when asked if he will finish the infield.  At the time of the request for the completion of the field, only the left field was built. "Three seasons I've spent seeding, watering, fussing, praying, coddling that field like a sick child until it flows parrot-green, cool as mint, soft as moss, lying there like a cashmere blanket" (514).  His love of baseball and determination to make the left field absolutely perfect took time, talent, and treasure.  In the end, all of his hard work paid off when Shoeless Joe came to play on his field.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OUSLyc2GWk

Sonnet 130

Shakespeare knows what he wants to say in sonnet 130.  He is honest and true in what he says to the women he loves.  "My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun/ coral is far more red than her lips' red" (lines 1,2).  Shakespeare does not exaggerate his lovers looks.  He knows that the compliments other men give to their women are unrealistic and fake.  Nobody has eyes as bright as the sun, or lips as red as the color of coral.  Those are impossible characteristics for somebody to have.  He knows he does not have to lie to her about her looks because love is more important. 


Bruno Mars' song, "Just the Way You Are" is a modern example of what Shakespeare is saying in sonnet 130.  In the lyrics, Bruno says
"When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are"

He and Shakespeare love their women for how they are, imperfections and all.  Love does not need to be exaggerated. 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjhCEhWiKXk

ballad lyrics

"Before He Cheats"

Right now he's probably slow dancing with a bleach blond tramp,
and she's probably getting frisky...
right now, he's probably buying her some fruity little drink cause she can't shoot whiskey...

Right now, he's probably up behind her with a pool-stick, showing her how to shoot a combo...

And he don't know...

That I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up 4 wheel drive,
carved my name into his leather seats...
I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights,
slashed a hole in all 4 tires...

Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats.

Right now, she's probably up singing some
white-trash version of Shania karaoke..
Right now, she's probably saying "I'm drunk"
and he's a thinking that he's gonna get lucky,
Right now, he's probably dabbing on 3 dollars worth of that bathroom polo...
And he don't know...

That I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up 4 wheel drive,
carved my name into his leather seats,
I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights,
slashed a hole in all 4 tires...

Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats.

I might've saved a little trouble for the next girl,
Cause the next time that he cheats...

Oh, you know it won't be on me!

No...not on me
'Cause I dug my key into the side of his pretty little souped up 4 wheel drive,
carved my name into his leather seats...
I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights,
slashed a hole in all 4 tires...

Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats.

Oh.. Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats...

Ohh... before he cheats... 

BALLAD

Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats can be classified as a ballad for several reasons. Carrie is seeking revenge on her boyfriend for cheating on her. She destroys his car by breaking the windshield, slashing tires and knocking out the headlights. She is dramatically pursuing revenge for his betrayal and dishonesty to her. Carrie is an independent woman who does not put up with such behavior. She is smart in the fact that she will not continue dating someone who is unfaithful to her. Carrie expresses her feelings through realistic yet dramatic actions. She sticks up for herself and how she should be treated. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaSy8yy-mr8

Zero to HERO

The first person I think of when I hear the word HERO is Disney's Hercules.  To become a true hero, Hercules has to complete tasks and travel a distance.  He has a personal trainer to help in get big and strong.  The typical hero is built and muscular to woo the ladies and perform difficult tasks that the common person can not.  Herc is strong, daring, and brave, thus making him a true hero.  Now there is also the hero that may not be physically strong but rather emotionally strong, my aunt Amy is an excellent example of just that.  She is my personal hero because of all she had gone through in her life. She battled stage 4 non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma for several years before losing the struggle.  She dealt with so much.  She was the strongest person I had ever met.  She was strong willed and never gave up, to me that is the definition of a true HERO.  Of course there are also the popular heroes as well.  I think the Marines are some of the most heroic people in all of the world.  Going into battle to protect our country is not something just anyone can do.  The Marines suffer physical and emotional strains while in training. They are smart leaders who are extremely loyal and well driven.  Giving up is not an option for the Marines, they work until their job is complete.  All hero's give up something in return for something greater.  They all have different characteristics, but there is one thing that remains constant between them all, and this is dedication.