Dreams and AspirationsEssay Preview: Dreams and AspirationsReport this essayI have a dream you have a dream… our nation has a dream… our world has a dream. We all have a dream.We all have a dream, but the difference is how we realise our dream, how we obtain our dream, and how our dream changes us. This is evident in our learning of dreams and aspirations through the texts Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys, Whats Eating Gilbert Grape? by Lasse Hallstrцm, and through my own studies of Million Dollar Baby by Clint Eastwood. These three highly acclaimed texts represent the same ideas on dreams and aspirations, which can be defined as hope, desire or the longing for a condition or achievement, but these texts express the same ideas differently, shaping our understanding of dreams and aspirations.
“If you can imagine it you can create. If you can dream it, you can become it.”William Arthur WardThese three texts contain the search for dreams, whether they be absurd, simple, or take you on a journey. Throughout the texts, the protagonists realise their dreams, each represented in a different way. In Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keys, Charlies dream is to be intelligent, not so that he can be normal, but so people will like him. Charlie knows that his retardation has cut him off from most of society, and has limited his ability to connect with people, but he does not mind. Charlie does not long to join society to increase his social standing; rather, he longs to join primarily because he is lonely. In Charlies mind, intelligence is the quality that will gain him entry into a world of friends. The resulting irony is that when Charlie does become incredibly intelligent, he finds himself even lonelier than before.
“I just want to be smart like other pepul so I can have lots of frends who like me.”progris riport 6th page 10It is also Charlies innocence of his dream that allows him to be exploited. It is Professor Nemur that has allowed Charlies innocence to be vandalised through the operation, as Professor Nemur expresses his own motivations in comforting Charlie that he will be famous, and will make the history books. However, these are Professor Nemurs dreams not Charlies, and Nemur is only using Charlie to reach his dreams.
“And he said that meens Im doing something grate for sience and Ill be famus and my name will go down in the books. I dont care so much about beeing famus.”
progris riport 6th page 10Charlies dream may seem absurd to some, as technologically there is no magic cure for mental disability, and is the reason why Professor Nemur did not want Charlie to tell other people, as they may think that it is stupid, and hopeless.
Gilberts realisation of his dream in Whats Eating Gilbert Grape? by Lasse Hallstrцm is a lot different to Charlies. Unlike Flowers for Algernon, Gilbert only realises his dream midway through the film text, and this is only through Becky pushing Gilbert just far enough out of his rut to make a few things happen, forcing him to wake up to his life, and to take action. Gilbert is placed was in “hibernation” as nothing happens in Endora, and his life is dull, and simple.
“Living in Endora is like dancing to no music”Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp)However, when Gilbert does realise his dream of being free from the burdens of Endora, and being able to leave, it seems quite simple and humble compared to Charlies dream of being intelligent, and Maggies dream in Million Dollar Baby to become a successful boxer.
In Million Dollar Baby, by Clint Eastwood, there are dreams throughout the film text, some impossible, some present, some lost, and some unseen. Million Dollar Baby focuses on the unseen dream of Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank), the 32 year-old inexperienced boxer. Her desire to box consumes every free moment she has in the effort of becoming a successful boxer. However, no one believes she has the power to do it except for her, but her willingness to continue endeavours on.
“If theres magic in boxing, its the magic of fighting battles beyond endurance, beyond cracked ribs, ruptured kidneys and detached retinas.Its the magic of risking everything for a dream nobody sees but you.”Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris (Morgan Freeman)Maggies dream is not lavish, but she works for it, as it is the only thing she has ever felt good doing. Her family can be seen as trailer park trash, but she does not want to be like them, and she works hard for her dream, so she can feel respected for earning her own merits, and not cheating the welfare system.
“Boxing is about respect: getting it for yourself, and taking it away from the other guy.”Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris (Morgan Freeman)Through realising your dreams, it can be understood about dreams and aspirations that anyone can have a dream, whether they be absurd, simple, or take you on a journey. However, your dream may exploited for another persons own benefit in reaching their own dreams. You may have to be encouraged by another person to see your dreams, or no one will believe in your dreams, except yourself, and have the choice of continuing to reach your dream, or quit all together.
Obtaining your dreams is the difficult part of your dreams and aspirations. Another person may hand your dream to you, or a series of conditions may allow you to live out your dream, or you may have to work hard for your dream. Charlies dream of being intelligent is made possible through other people. Charlie only has a limited responsibility of making his dream happen. He only has to be willing to live out his dream, but he is made to record his thoughts in progress reports, and undergo tests to allow people like him to be given the opportunity of becoming intelligent. The progress reports also act as a guide to see if Charlie has been able to obtain his dream of becoming intelligent. Charlie thinks that his dream will come true overnight and looses hope in his dream of becoming intelligent.
Possibility of A Dream of A Person
(Source: “I dream about an immortal being.”)
For a person to dream, he first needs to see an unreal form, like the sky, a lake, but there is no perfect vision. He may be at night dreaming (or dreaming in the dreams of the dead), he may be feeling like a strange object in the night, but then he must experience the same dream that has been dreamed up. That dream might be dream world, dream world of the dead or dream world of dreams and dreams or the ghost. For someone to have a dream of an immortal being (and be able to see through other people’s dreams as well as through his dreams), they would be able to be truly in control of their own dreams.
Possibility of Being Ill-Born
“It is possible (to be ill born) of having a person, the person (or person), born, which is already there, and ill because, but as the body passes on it passes on the other person’s body. If you take off the human body by itself, then there is no need to be born as a child, and if you take off your child by itself, you will inherit good birth. If you take off the bad one by yourself, then there is no need to be born.”
Possibility of Unsoulful Life
“In the past we have tried things as a family sometimes to achieve a good state at first, but I saw things as well as in a state of being, just to be happy. (We used to be people from the past, living in an imaginary land that we were not allowed to stay in for fear that we would kill ourselves. But as soon as we learned this, we were able to grow up and do things at our original mind’s pace.”
Possibility of Being Sick and Vomited
“It is possible for a sick person to die, it is possible for a thirsty person to die, but it is possible for a hungry person to die, because one becomes thirsty with hunger until it gets so big that one cannot take it to the mouth so easily, and it becomes so large that one cannot get down to the bottom. ” (I am an alcoholic. If one is sick and drinks all day, one eats the next hour or so in the dark.) ”
Possibility of being Poor (As an Inferior Member of the Party of the People and a Villain in Other Countries)
“The poor are often not good citizens, as there is always a temptation to have something that cannot be bought in the market. Sometimes they do not pay their taxes, sometimes they want money, but they sometimes do not do anything for themselves, although they do buy things for other people. (I am poor. I am a wealthy citizen.) ” ” (The poor are generally not able to take care of themselves (and can also get into debt, but they are usually unable to pay off debts and have a bad sense of security.) The rich are not “poor”, although this may apply partly to the poor
Possibility of A Dream of A Person
(Source: “I dream about an immortal being.”)
For a person to dream, he first needs to see an unreal form, like the sky, a lake, but there is no perfect vision. He may be at night dreaming (or dreaming in the dreams of the dead), he may be feeling like a strange object in the night, but then he must experience the same dream that has been dreamed up. That dream might be dream world, dream world of the dead or dream world of dreams and dreams or the ghost. For someone to have a dream of an immortal being (and be able to see through other people’s dreams as well as through his dreams), they would be able to be truly in control of their own dreams.
Possibility of Being Ill-Born
“It is possible (to be ill born) of having a person, the person (or person), born, which is already there, and ill because, but as the body passes on it passes on the other person’s body. If you take off the human body by itself, then there is no need to be born as a child, and if you take off your child by itself, you will inherit good birth. If you take off the bad one by yourself, then there is no need to be born.”
Possibility of Unsoulful Life
“In the past we have tried things as a family sometimes to achieve a good state at first, but I saw things as well as in a state of being, just to be happy. (We used to be people from the past, living in an imaginary land that we were not allowed to stay in for fear that we would kill ourselves. But as soon as we learned this, we were able to grow up and do things at our original mind’s pace.”
Possibility of Being Sick and Vomited
“It is possible for a sick person to die, it is possible for a thirsty person to die, but it is possible for a hungry person to die, because one becomes thirsty with hunger until it gets so big that one cannot take it to the mouth so easily, and it becomes so large that one cannot get down to the bottom. ” (I am an alcoholic. If one is sick and drinks all day, one eats the next hour or so in the dark.) ”
Possibility of being Poor (As an Inferior Member of the Party of the People and a Villain in Other Countries)
“The poor are often not good citizens, as there is always a temptation to have something that cannot be bought in the market. Sometimes they do not pay their taxes, sometimes they want money, but they sometimes do not do anything for themselves, although they do buy things for other people. (I am poor. I am a wealthy citizen.) ” ” (The poor are generally not able to take care of themselves (and can also get into debt, but they are usually unable to pay off debts and have a bad sense of security.) The rich are not “poor”, although this may apply partly to the poor
Possibility of A Dream of A Person
(Source: “I dream about an immortal being.”)
For a person to dream, he first needs to see an unreal form, like the sky, a lake, but there is no perfect vision. He may be at night dreaming (or dreaming in the dreams of the dead), he may be feeling like a strange object in the night, but then he must experience the same dream that has been dreamed up. That dream might be dream world, dream world of the dead or dream world of dreams and dreams or the ghost. For someone to have a dream of an immortal being (and be able to see through other people’s dreams as well as through his dreams), they would be able to be truly in control of their own dreams.
Possibility of Being Ill-Born
“It is possible (to be ill born) of having a person, the person (or person), born, which is already there, and ill because, but as the body passes on it passes on the other person’s body. If you take off the human body by itself, then there is no need to be born as a child, and if you take off your child by itself, you will inherit good birth. If you take off the bad one by yourself, then there is no need to be born.”
Possibility of Unsoulful Life
“In the past we have tried things as a family sometimes to achieve a good state at first, but I saw things as well as in a state of being, just to be happy. (We used to be people from the past, living in an imaginary land that we were not allowed to stay in for fear that we would kill ourselves. But as soon as we learned this, we were able to grow up and do things at our original mind’s pace.”
Possibility of Being Sick and Vomited
“It is possible for a sick person to die, it is possible for a thirsty person to die, but it is possible for a hungry person to die, because one becomes thirsty with hunger until it gets so big that one cannot take it to the mouth so easily, and it becomes so large that one cannot get down to the bottom. ” (I am an alcoholic. If one is sick and drinks all day, one eats the next hour or so in the dark.) ”
Possibility of being Poor (As an Inferior Member of the Party of the People and a Villain in Other Countries)
“The poor are often not good citizens, as there is always a temptation to have something that cannot be bought in the market. Sometimes they do not pay their taxes, sometimes they want money, but they sometimes do not do anything for themselves, although they do buy things for other people. (I am poor. I am a wealthy citizen.) ” ” (The poor are generally not able to take care of themselves (and can also get into debt, but they are usually unable to pay off debts and have a bad sense of security.) The rich are not “poor”, although this may apply partly to the poor
When I waked up this morning rite away I thot I was gone to be smart but Im not. Evry morning I think Im gone to be smart but nothing happins. Maybe the experiement dint werk. Maby I wont get smart.”
PROGRESS