ipl-logo

Doubt By John Patrick Shanley: Film Analysis

1581 Words7 Pages

One who does not possess any flaws is not considered a perfect human being, but is considered as not human at all. In Doubt by John Patrick Shanley, Sister Aloysius says “In the pursuit of wrongdoing, one steps away from God. Of course, there’s a price” (58). None of the characters step away from God since they are all just human beings with flaws and good intentions. Father Flynn does not step away from God since he is a misunderstood priest that just wants to support a victimized child. Sister James and Sister Aloysius have a discussion with Father Flynn about the pageant. Firstly, he is asked if he wants tea, he says, “I would love a cup of tea” (27) and then he asks, “Is there sugar?” (27) and says he wants three sugars. Sister Aloysius mentions that Father Flynn has long …show more content…

The tea, sugar and fingernails all symbolize that Father Flynn likes to have indulgences. Despite the fact that he likes to indulge, it does not necessarily mean he enjoys indulging in children. He is a priest and he should not be indulging in anything, but he is also a human being who likes to be well nourished. Throughout the film, Father Flynn is seen as the only person who helps Donald when he is bullied at school. Using a hand motif, he brings Donald up with his hand when he was brought down. Father Flynn knows that Donald is a boy who is discriminated against due to the color of his skin, and Father Flynn only wants to help make the school more tolerable for Donald. After helping him, Father Flynn is accused of molesting Donald when Father Flynn invited him to the rectory. Of course, Father Flynn does not want anyone to know about this accusation since he would lose his position in the parish. In his sermon, he uses a metaphor when he says, “gather up every last feather that flew out on the wind!…it can’t be done…The wind took them all over” (37) comparing it to gossip. Father Flynn

Show More
Related
736 Words | 3 Pages

In the documentary “Undefeated” by T.J. Martin and Daniel Lindsay, an underprivileged black high school football team tries to break the streak of never having won a playoff game as long as the school has been around. Through all of the struggles that these kids face, they learn to come together with the help of their football coach. While the film was nominated for an Oscar, there are two completely different views on whether the film was about overcoming difficulties, considering the situation or about made up miracles that are only seen in fictional movies. In both reviews of the documentary, the authors talk about both the characters and the directors and how well they delivered their message.

Read More
561 Words | 3 Pages

I don’t want to see that.” (Shanley 17). Flynn had a weird obsession with how clean nails are. He told the boys that he had a friend when he was younger that had dirty nails and he died. Father Flynn loved teaching all of his boys but he cared

Read More
446 Words | 2 Pages

Flynn did not receive the proper care and nourishment from the father he always needed and had to fight his way to real world by himself. Flynn once said “some part of me knew he would show up, that if I stood in one place long enough he would find me, like you’re taught to do when you are lost. But they never taught us what to do if both of you are lost, and you both end up in the same place, waiting.” this misplaced state of mind from Flynn shows that he wants to interact with his father.

Read More
1668 Words | 7 Pages

A Raisin in the Sun PBA Unit 2 Cinematography and filmmaking are art forms completely open to interpretation in many ways such lighting, the camera as angles, tone, expressions, etc. By using cinematic techniques a filmmaker can make a film communicate to the viewer on different levels including emotional and social. Play writes include some stage direction and instruction regarding the visual aspect of the story. In this sense, the filmmaker has the strong basis for adapting a play to the big screen. “A Raisin in the Sun” is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959.

Read More
1486 Words | 6 Pages

First off, Father Flynn is being victimized by the fixated principal Sister Aloysius. She accuses him of inappropriately having relations with a child. Every action Father Flynn makes, Sister Aloysius seems to have a certain reprisal for his decision. Sister James, the history teacher for the 8th graders realizes that Sister Aloysius is adjudging Father Flynn’s opinions and calls her out on it: You just don’t like him!

Read More
806 Words | 4 Pages

O Brother Where Art Thou? is a film that will take you on a perilous journey with Ulysses Everett McGill and his simpleminded cohorts. This film may be set amidst the early 1930’s Great Depression era, but it still has a Homer’s Odyssey feel to it. Down in the dusty and highly racial south, Everett recruits a couple of dimwitted convicts, Pete Hogwallop and Delmar O’Donnell, to help him retrieve his lost treasure and make it back home before his wife marries another suitor.

Read More
1169 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout John Patrick Shanley’s play Doubt, Sister Aloysius tries to expose the truth about how Father Flynn could be having an inappropriate relationship with Donald Muller. Sister Aloysius becomes aware of this possibly inappropriate relationship after Sister James tells Sister Aloysius that Father Flynn had a private meeting with Donald. Then, Sister Aloysius talks to many people to see if her speculations are true, and by doing that, she hopes that the truth will cause Father Flynn to leave St. Nicholas. After reading the play Doubt, I believe that Father Flynn is having an inappropriate relationship with Donald Muller because of Father Flynn’s behaviors and Sister Aloysius’ conversations with many

Read More
1335 Words | 6 Pages

The film 13th directed by Ava DuVernay targets an intended audience of the Media and the three branches of the United States government with an emphasis that mass incarceration is an extension of slavery. It is intended to inform viewers about the criminalization of African Americans and the United States prison boom. 13th uses rhetorical devices in its claim to persuade the viewers by using exemplum in the opening seconds of the film. President Barack Obama presents statistics, saying “the United States is home to 5% of the world’s population but is home to 25% of the world’s prisoners.” Also the film uses a hyperbole in talking about the movie Birth of a Nation produced in 1915 which portrays a black man as a violent savage who will kill white women.

Read More
1766 Words | 8 Pages

This phrase that Father Flynn states in his sermon is referring back to how he feels towards Sister Aloysius. Her gossip had scared Father Flynn to a point where he would avoid Donald Muller. Because of what Sister Aloysius started gossiping Father Flynn feared that he would only make things worse if he continued talking to Donald Muller thus trying to save his reputation and his status, but by avoiding

Read More
1181 Words | 5 Pages

Topic: What elements existed or were created within the Church to allow fathers to have power over the sisters in Doubt, a Parable? Discuss. Doubt, a Parable by John Patrick Shanley is a successful and immortalized drama. The play is an open-ended construct, allowing each reader or spectator to build his own interpretation of the facts implied. In this article, the elements existed or were created within the Church to allow fathers to have power over the sisters in the play will be deeply analyzed and explored.

Read More
1141 Words | 5 Pages

(23) Flynn is deft at explaining abstract ideas by imaginary scenes. He never explicitly tells his feeling towards his father, but he hides it in the fictitious episodes. In the section “Two Hundred

Read More
955 Words | 4 Pages

AIS4071 Movie Review- Climate of Doubt Name: CHEN Haoyan, Riva SID: 54042113 The documentary Climate of Doubt talked about whether climate change was a scientific truth, it provided many details about the denial of climate change, which I was not familiar with. Although majority of the scientists, precisely, 98% of the climate experts, believe that the major cause of climate change is human activities; there are plenty of people reckon that climate change is a kind of natural phenomenon.

Read More
1438 Words | 6 Pages

In 2015, HBO aired a six-part, true crime documentary series titled, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. Writer and director, Andrew Jarecki, examined the details of three crimes associated with Durst, including the disappearance of Durst’s first wife Kathy, the murder of his dear friend, Susan, and the murder and dismemberment of his neighbor, Morris Black. While the mini-series was met with acclaim, many – including myself – criticize The Jinx for its storytelling approach. The series seemingly blurs the lines of storytelling – for entertainment purposes – and journalism; raising many questions regarding ethics. Initially, Durst approached Jarecki regarding an interview after he saw All Good Things, a film Jarecki had released

Read More
1094 Words | 5 Pages

Maybe Father Flynn is just trying to be an admirable male figure to Donald and help him in school. It could also be possible that he is trying to cover up his meeting with Donald to save him from getting kicked off from being the alter boy. This is the example that Flynn uses to defend himself in the parable. Mrs. Muller said that Donald really enjoyed and wanted to continue to be

Read More
835 Words | 4 Pages

By the end of the film, she is the person who Aloysius confesses her doubt to. As the film is set in the 1960s, religion was in the middle of determining if it should stay the same or reform. This conflict reflects the contrast between Flynn and Aloysius, for Flynn wants to move the parish ahead while Aloysius wants everything to stay the

Read More

More about Doubt By John Patrick Shanley: Film Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document