War Horse

Part One:

• I liked the emotional side of the story. As i've mentioned previously, animals are my life. I love them. So, any animal story, good or bad, is going to grab my attention. The bond between the horse and his owner was both heartwarming and entertaining for me. Obviously, though, I did not like the killings of the horses. I know that in order for this movie to even happen, horses needed to "die," but I still hated to watch them struggle and get killed
• During the movie, I felt horrible. I HATE watching any type of animals die (and people, too). I also felt pretty upset that joey and his horse were not together, but still remained hopeful, I think that because this movie had an overall story of a boy and his horse, it made me feel good at the end of the movie when they were finally reunited.
• Some lasting impressions that it had on me was definitely more of an awareness/concern for animals in war. Yes, people got hurt in war. And that is incredible tragic. But, animals were hurt too. This kind of makes me wonder what kind of medical treatment we had for animals during this time. Actually, it makes me wonder if we even had ANY medical treatment for horses during this time, or did we just let them die?
• Does a horse count as an interesting character? This might be my 6th time mentioning this but i love horses and I think that the story of this horse making it all the way through this war was very interesting, yet pretty unrealistic. Nevertheless, the horses strength and bravery was awesome.
• Some content applications to today really is how a special bond between a person and an animal really can be. I love my dogs and consider them a major part of my family. This also makes me really grateful that my mother treats our animals with extra special care, because I know they deserve it. 

Glory

Part One:

• There were many things things that I liked about the film. For starters, I liked how realistic the film was. I liked how I was able to put all the things that I've learned about with the authorization made my Lincoln into real life. I liked how you got to see what the soldiers went through before and during the war. The way that they showed how hard it was for them and how horrible they felt at the beginning of training to all of the patriotism they had. The growth of the regime throughout the film was interesting to watch.

• The movie, overall, made me feel pretty good. Obviously, people were lost in the war. But I don't think that that's what the movie was trying to depict. I think that the way that the soldiers showed patriotism and risked their lives was really great.

• Some lasting impressions that I have is that the movie really got me thinking about how little the African Americans had and how poorly they were treated. Despite being poorly treated, they didn't try to revolt against the people who were brutally treating them. They just let it happen to them even though they knew they shouldn't have been treated that way. They weren't given proper shoes, and their feet looked horrible. How happy they were when they finally got proper shoes is what really stuck to me. I didn't really understand that even though they were allowed to be in the army, they really weren't treated like they should have.

• I really liked Thomas. I think that with everything happening to him and everything going on around him and how poorly he was treated, he still maintained his "cool" and was very smart with his actions. I also think that Shaw was a very important character. Without his determination, I don't think that people would have realized the real value of blacks in the army.

• Some content applications that it may have to today is that I think it shows how hard it is to train for war.  Nowadays, it doesn't matter what color you or or even what gender you are, training for army is hard and brutal. I think that what came across from the movie is how much work is put into war and armies. 

Part Two:

• Honestly, I don't think there even is an answer to why people are willing to die for their country. It's what they believe in and I don't think that they could even explain it. I feel like this kind of relates to if you ask someone why they are religious, or why they do/don't believe in God. It's just what they believe in and it's who they are. However, some people do have a reason why they would die for their country. For example, when 9/11 happened SO many people enlisted in the army because something happened to our country. But, for the most part I think it is just the way people are.

• I think that they are definitely hero's. They paved the way for many other African Americans and proved that color doesn't mean anything when it comes to war.

• I think that Shaw was a hero because he also proved to other men that they should fight/stand up for what they believe in. He paved the way for other leaders to stand up and fight for African Americans.

Part Three:

• I think that the significance of this story isn't actually about the battle at Fort Wagner and what happened there, but it was the bigger picture that was significant. The leadership of the 54th at the battle of Fort Wagner was that they were the first leaders to step up for what they believe in and it proved to others that everyone should fight for something that they want/believe in. I think that this group was heroic and brave and their story is very unique to our country and its history.

Braveheart

Part One:

• After watching this movie, there are many more things that I disliked about the movie than I liked. For instance, the historical content of the movie was very insightful because I really had no prior knowledge of any of the historical content of the movie whatsoever. Honestly, I really did not like the Scottish accents. I feel like if the characters did not have such strong accents then I would have liked it way more than I actually did. Also, I am a HUGE animal lover so seeing all the horses was not amusing at all.

• Overall, the movie made me a tiny bit sick to my stomach. I think the mixture of the horrible accents, the brutal killing of the people and especially the unnecessary killings of the horses did not make me feel good at all.

• Honestly, the only real lasting impression I got on the movie was the actuality of the war between the Scottish and English. I gained at a lasting impression of new knowledge from this movie. 

• I think that the main character (Wallace) was very interesting. I think that his nationality and willingness to fight for his beloved country is very motivational and inspiring. Nowadays, I feel like less and less people are involving themselves in war for the purpose of fighting for their country. I think his character was an overall very interesting person and that's what made the movie so good for a lot of people

• Some content that it could have to today is to show how dedicated and motivated soldiers can be to fight for what they believe in. This movie proves that there really are people who fight for what they believe in and it serves as inspiration for others to put their everything into what they believe is the right thing to do, even if they may look strange to others.

Part Two:

• By saying the quote "Every man dies, but not every man lives," I think that it can be taken in many different ways for different people. I think that he meant that in the end obviously you are going to die, so why not fight for what you want and actually live your life the way you want to. The Scottish were sick of being controlled by the English and felt like they weren't "living" because of the English control. To them, in order to live their life the way they want to, fighting for independence was the way to actually "live"

• This quote could definitely apply to my life as a senior. Coming up on my final months of high school and completing this stage of my life, this quote serves as a way for me to live the last of this stage in the best way possible.

The Gladiator

Part 1:

• There are several things that I liked and disliked about the movie. For starters, I enjoyed the overall plot of the movie and the action and battles within the film. Usually history movies that are set way back in the day can be pretty boring to watch, but I think that all those fights and bloodshed kept me intrigued and wanting more. Also, I personally admire Russell Crowe and I think he was a perfect fit for the role of Maximus. Some things that I did not like about the movie was that I think they could have done a better showing all the different types of gladiators (what they really looked like and what armor they fought with) and also all the special features of the Coliseum. The way the Coliseum was build is so fascinating and I wish they would have shown a little bit more of that.

• By the end, I felt very good about the movie because of the ending. I really disliked Commodus so when he died I was pleased. Also, I was happy that Maximus had a happy ending and he could finally be reunited with his wife and son.

• Every time I watch this movie, I always have so many questions to ask Mrs. Pool about Rome and all of its symbols. It seems like every time I watch the movie there are new symbols and meanings about Rome so my lasting impressions are always new questions to ask and new meanings to analyze about Rome.

• I think that the most interesting character is Maximus Aurelius. Although he wasn't in the actual movie very much, I think that he was a very interesting Emperor of Rome. From learning about him in Latin class, I know that he was involved in many wars and battles and he always had Rome's best interest in mind. He also wrote the Meditations which was a very interesting book.

• I think that the application of the movie to today is to fight for what you believe in and don't give up. Maximus started as the lowest level of gladiator and earned his way to the highest ranks and I think that it can be applied to many different situations today.

Part 2:

• I think that the overall message or theme of the movie is to never give up no matter what. Maximus could have just let someone kill him in a battle and end his life in order to be with his family again, but he fought for himself as well as the Roman Empire because he truly believed that Rome could prosper. His determination and willingness to fight gives a message to others that you can't just be handed something you want, you must fight for it.