Author Archives: amv64

Pather Panchali- A sad but telling story

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Pather Panchali is an amazing story  that truly makes one think about the circumstances of others. The movie was published in 1955, and while it is not some action packed Hollywood blockbuster, it is an emotional story that I believe conveys the hardships of what life was like for these families in 1950s India. The characters themselves represent accurately what was going on, and while some of them do seem to be a bit hostile, when you look at the overall situation you come to realize that they too are just trying to protect their families. The movie mostly follows the family of Durga, her brother Apu, as well as her Auntie, mother, and father. The family, as well as most of the village, is extremely poor and survives on very little food. As such, Durga often steals fruit from the neighbors orchard, which leads to some hostility between the two families. Durga’s father is a scholar and thus is the main hope for the family as he is seen as the main source of income. However, due to a series of unfortunate events he is often left without work or pay, and is thus forced to travel for many months in order to find a job. Even when he does manage to get paid for three months work, the total pay comes out to be 24 rupees. It should be noted that around the time of the 1950s, 13 rupees was approximately equal to a dollar. This shows just how little people had.

Yet I think it is important to note that despite not having a great amount of wealth, and that they were often stressed over how they would make it, the family as well as the village in general seemed to live a relatively happy life, but also that when someone else was in trouble, the village would come together to support them, such as in the case of when Durga became ill. IT is unfortunate that in the end Durga did not manage to make it, but I believe that this highlights the overall living conditions of India during the time, as it was mostly just a fever that wound up killing her(even though the doctor said she would be fine).

Overall, this movie was extremely enjoyable and I believe that it really conveys the message that the people of India during the 1950s were very strong willed despite the rough conditions they lived in. The movie is powerful and can be extremely emotional especially when some of the characters who become the main focus point of the movie go from being relatively healthy, to seriously ill in just a few moments. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in 1950s India, or just a good movie in general.

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The Human Genome, the key to our salvation, or our misery?

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This past Friday I watched a documentary about cracking the code of life, DNA. The documentary itself focused on the idea that the human genome presents the answers to most of life’s mysteries and that by doing full DNA sequencing we can potentially save the lives of thousands of people. However, it also raises many ethical questions. Will genomics eventually lead to designer children? Is it reckless to give people access to their entire genomes? What will happen if insurance companies or employers find something undesirable in an applicants genome? All of these are extremely valid questions that should be addressed before attempting to reach an answer on whether or not genomics is practical and ethical. However, one should not ignore the amazing medical potential genomics and DNA sequencing has.

In the documentary, it they discuss how DNA sequencing has helped saved the lives of many, including two twins born with health issues. Standard medical diagnoses could not help the children and had they not underwent DNA sequencing it is very possible they would have died by now. However, DNA sequencing allowed scientists and doctors to find irregular letters in their genetic pattern. By prescribing medicine to correct this irregularity the twins eventually saw an incredible change eventually becoming fully fledged healthy adults. All of this would have been impossible without genomics and thus for this reason I believe that genomics is extremely beneficial. However, as mentioned I believe it also has some drawbacks.

In the case of those with Huntington’s disease there is nothing that can be done even if they are found to have the gene linked to the disease. It is cases like these that make me question whether or not genomics is really ethical. If one discovers that they have the gene then they are left with no choice but to wait until the symptoms begin to appear. One could argue that this would allow the person to go out and enjoy life as much as possible until that time, but on the other hand it could send a person into a very deep depression. Additionally, there are many other genes that could potentially “increase” a persons risk for a certain disease which could effect both their mental health as well as their job and insurance opportunities if this data was to fall into the wrong hands.

Overall, the documentary really made me question something for the first time in a while. Typically when you see something in the news you might be influenced to think one way or the other, but after a few minutes you will probably forget all about it. In this case I feel as though the documentary laid out both the pros and cons of genomics and presented it in such a way that forces the topic to remain on your mind. I believe that due to this the documentary is extremely effective at conveying the information it wants people to know but also allows for the topic to enter into the front lines of discussion by providing people with the opportunity to make up their own opinions after having heard facts for both sides of the argument.

A comedic movie with a surprisingly deep message

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The Martian, starring Matt Damon, is in my eyes a fairly unique movie that did a lot of things right. Probably one of the most intriguing aspects of the movie overall is the semi-hidden but fairly obvious message regarding Mark Watney’s(Matt Damon’s) time alone on Mars. After being left behind on Mars by his fellow astronauts due to a series of unfortunate events, Mark awakens to find himself on Mars, alone. Soon coming to the realization that he only has less than half the food he needs to make it to the next potential supply drop he is left with the very real chance that he might die on Mars. It is at this point that I feel like myself and most others would have probably given up on any hope of surviving. However, Mark teaches us that having perseverance and the patience to solve one large problem after another will eventually lead to a solution, in this case Marks reunion with his team mates. Thus, The Martian conveys this powerful message in a way that in some ways is not relevant to many as not everyone is a scientist on Mars, yet in reality, is relevant to everyone. Almost everyone has major problems in their life that get them down or make them want to give up; however, this movie demonstrates that by solving one small problem at a time, a much bigger obstacle can be overcome.

Yet, the Martian isn’t just about trying to convey a message, at the same time it is still a movie for the purpose of story telling and entertainment. The Martian has a fair amount of comedic relief that really adds a lot to the overall experience and makes the movie not only more enjoyable but also more realistic.  By adding in jokes regarding not only his situation, but also about his fellow team mates who were not with him at the time, it allows us to get a sense of who not only who Mark is as a person, but also what his team mates are like while at the same time providing humorous moments which allow us to relax after many of the more tense situations. I’d say overall the Martian is definitely worth watching not only for the inspirational story but also for the comedy and overall story as well.