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Quiz 4

Question 1, B
In Do the Right Thing and Gone Baby Gone, Mookie and Patrick both use ethos as an appeal to the audience and other characters in each movie. In Do the Right Thing, Mookie establishes his ethos by being known and respected by many characters in the film. Throughout the movie he is constantly working and trying to support his girlfriend and child. Although he lives with his sister and is struggling to get back on his feet, it is obvious that he is trying really hard to make a better life for himself and his family. Mookie is also one of the characters in the film that seems to be a constant voice of reason. He recognizes issues between Pino and Vito and tries to give the younger of the two advice to defend himself against his brother. Throughout the film he seeks resolution in situations, and seems to be recognized and respected by his neighborhood. Patrick from Do the Right Thing similarly appeals to ethos by maintaining friendships and popularity throughout his neighborhood. Throughout the movie, Patrick goes to the extremes to find Amanda, the little girl who was missing. He risked his life several times over and didn’t even care that his bill wasn’t paid by the end. Maintaining the respect of the people in his home town is his main appeal throughout the entire film, he used the idea that he knew and could talk to anyone as a technique to gain information on Amanda’s disappearance. Mookie and Patrick were also the main characters in each film. At the end of each film it was their ethos that put them in the situations they were in. Mookie was seen as a sort of leader, by leading the angry crowd to tear down the pizza parlor. Patrick’s honest and determined character that pushed him to find Amanda , and keep the promise to her mother, was what led him to have to make the decision at the end of the movie.
Question 2, A
The sound in Do the Right Thing played a major role in impacting the audience and characters throughout the film. The sound added an extreme amount of emotion and understanding to the movie. For example, one of the most important scenes in the movie was towards the end when Radio Raheim and Buggin’ Out went in to protest against the owner of the pizza parlor. Radio Raheim refused to turn off his stereo and instead turned the volume up full blast. This agitated the owner so much that he snapped, and shattered it by hitting it with a baseball bat until there was nothing left. This is what began the entire riot that occurred soon after. After watching the movie I can also say that it added a lot more intensity to what was happening. The whole movie was loud, people constantly yelling, fighting, and arguing. The sound gave the audience a real sense of the hostility amongst the characters and people in the movie. It could not have had the same affect on mute.
Question 3, B
Ben Affleck, the director of Gone Baby Gone doesn't give a defining argument but rather leaves a question unresolved. It makes the audience think about the difference between right and wrong in relevance to a particular issue. Is it better for a child to be with her biological mother despite how good of a mother she is? Or is a better to take a child away from her home, but provide her with a family who will give definite love and care? The film is not biased toward one side or the other. There are several situations presented in the movie that make the audience think about it in both ways. For example, was it wrong for Brousard to plant drugs on a man who had been abusing and neglecting his child? The child was given potentially better opportunities, but was it right for the father to go to prison for something he didn't actually do? Amanda was stolen from her mother and put with a family that provided her with better care. Yes, she being provided with the necessities, but can this family give her what her mother could give. Is it going to actually make a difference in her future? The movie purposely leaves you aware of this issue and intends controversy to arise. The characters in the story use Logos to make an appeal to their argument. In every situation a logical explanation was given to sway viewers one way or the other. Brousard uses obvious characteristics of children, implying their innocence. From this he derives the conclusion that children do not deserve to be treated badly. Patrick uses logos by using his religion, something that many people naturally look to as a basis for life. From this he decides that his decision to shoot the child molester was not Catholic, and so was wrong. I don't think Gone Baby Gone has any specific targeted audience. Children are a part of everyone persons life directly or indirectly. The issues in the story could take part in the life of almost anyone. If I had to pick a target audience it would be parents. The movie really makes a mother count her blessings, appreciate her children, and be more cautious of her surroundings and how they may treat their children.
Question 4, A
I think the defining moment in Do the Right Thing is when Smiley walks into the burning Pizza Parlor a pins up the picture of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X shaking hands. This represents the resolution of the entire movie. The issue that began the riot could have been resolved by simply putting a picture such as this on to the wall. Besides that, the picture in a way symbolizes the solution to the the hostility between the black and whites. Martin Luther King stands for blacks and whites uniting peacefully, while Malcolm X stood for their separation by whatever means, even violence. Them shaking hands and coming together symbolizes a resolution or a middle ground that needed to be found between the two groups. It's also funny how Smiley walks around attempting to sell this picture, and everyone ignores him, which also symbolizes how people are overlooking or ignoring a potential solution to their problems. In my opinion, the defining moment in Gone Baby Gone was when Morgan Freeman and Casey Affleck are arguing the fate of Amanda. This debate reflects the two main arguments the movie sets out to present. This final argument is what leaves the audience contemplating if what Patrick did was right or wrong.