ipl-logo

Requiem For A Dream Analysis

1035 Words5 Pages

Portrayal of drugs and addiction in Requiem for a Dream
In Requiem for a Dream, Harry Goldfarb who is the main character is portrayed as a heavy user of drugs. Goldfarb is addicted to heroin and other substances that can be injected into the veins. The film opens with a sign of Goldfarb’s addiction as he steals his mother’s television set in order to pawn for cash for purchase of drugs, which she later re-purchases and the cycle continues. Harry is evidently failing to play his social role as a son to get high. He develops preoccupation with drugs to the extent that it leads him to start purchasing and selling dope as a way of getting high and making money, rejecting conventional society. The film portrays various theories or models regarding drugs and addiction. For instance, the social-cultural model argues that the social world tends to affect individuals’ access to and interest in drugs. In the film, drugs are readily accessible in the Brighton Beach, making it easy for individuals to begin using and possible become dependent on the drugs.
The psychological model also suggests that there exist psychological factors that …show more content…

In Requiem for a Dream, drug addiction is portrayed very accurately. Many sources romanticize the use of drugs and this film did not. it depicts the harsh realities about drug addiction as well as the way drugs destroy lives and relationships. It accurately portrays the symptoms and signs as well as the progressive course of substance abuse and the disorder, even though it does not provide a direct answer as to how, why, and when Harry and his peers were introduced to substances in the first place. The movie picks up when the main character, Harry, is already heavily abusing a number of drugs. It does not provide a clear-cut rationale as to why Harry continues to use substances, but one is able to infer why through an analysis of the relationships and settings within the

Show More
Related
280 Words | 2 Pages

This is a summary taken from “Saying Yes” by Jacob Sullum; Chapter 8; “Body and Soul”. An ever-present theme in Sullum’s book is what he calls “voodoo pharmacology”—the idea, promoted in large part by the government, that certain drugs have the power to hijack people and enslave them in an inescapable prison of craving and compulsion. Sullum seeks to show that this idea is a myth, that only a tiny percentage of illegal-drug users become addicts, whereas the vast majority of people who use illegal drugs live normal, productive, loving lives. The book is filled with valuable insights derived from deconstructing government statistics about drugs and drug use. Sullum shows how even the most vilified drugs, such as heroin and crack cocaine, are

Read More
500 Words | 2 Pages

Crank is part one of three book installment written by Ellen Hopkins. In the beginning of the novel we meet Kristina a straight A, clean cut, 16 year old girl. But while visiting her drug addicted father during the summer before her junior year Kristina meets the “monster” and she also meets Bree, her dangerous alter ego, within no time Kristina lets Bree completely take over. Bree is Kristina’s chic, smooth-talking persona that has one major flaw… she has a serious craving for any and every drug.

Read More
1560 Words | 7 Pages

Within this music video, a negotiated position is taken by the audience. While some people can relate to the images shown in the video, not everyone identifies with or understands the dangers. Some may claim that this video is an inaccurate representation of drug users and its effects, whereas outsiders may completely accept the overall argument. Drug users should view this video with complete acceptance and agreement, but like Macklemore said in his lyrics, the majority of users do not believe they have a problem. This video however was intended to reveal that drugs are destructive and there is nothing beneficial about them.

Read More
335 Words | 2 Pages

In the book “Killers of the Dream” by Lillian smith there are several ideas that are brought forward that really demonstrate that the author exaggerates the true situation and the state of affairs in the south. In the context of the book, the south was experiencing serious crisis when the whited propagated segregation against the blacks and other low class whites. The paper contains the author’s thesis and a summary of the author’s primary points. Additionally, the paper examines whether the authors account is incomplete, questionable or cases where the account does not make sense. The social profiling that resulted was regrettable and brought serious repercussions to the society in general.

Read More
785 Words | 4 Pages

Addiction is a condition in which a person is compelled to continue an act even if it interferes with ordinary life responsibilities. Life with addiction can become overwhelming and even stressful because there is such a need for a specific item. Addictions cause harm, abuse, fatality, behavioral problems such as, aggressiveness, loss of self-control and paranoia. In “Sonny’s Blues” we see a different type of addiction than what we see in “A River Runs Through It.” In “Sonny’s Blues” Sonny was addicted to heroine, a drug that triggers a release of dopamine into the brain.

Read More
2053 Words | 9 Pages

This is done in an attempt to provide background information for the imminent discussion. In addition to that, a brief outline will be provided of the Ecological Systems Theory so as to provide a clear understanding of the theory that has to be applied to the Movie. Finally, an examination will be made of the Microsystem as it relates to the addicted character in the movie. In constructing this paper, it is hoped that the reader will be able to garner a more comprehensive understanding of the effect an individual’s environment has on shaping not only that individual but the choices that they have available to them and are able to make and also on the overall outcome of their lives.

Read More
735 Words | 3 Pages

“A gram is better than a damn,” is a statement that reflects the mindset of contemporary America to use drugs to palliate the problems rather than dealing with them. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley shows the relationship of drug usage in the near future by alluding the use of drugs to the real world. Huxley creates a drug, soma, in his novel that makes a person who takes it instantly becomes tranquil. This drug is commonly used throughout the novel by giving an instant source of gratification and also is used to control the population. Huxley’s prediction of drug usage became a reality because both legal and illegal drugs are commonly used in contemporary society.

Read More
841 Words | 4 Pages

This is because of her escapades of the day that ended up with her crushing a stolen wedding limo into a house (Thomas). The film explores substance use disorder through the eyes and life of Cummings and the people she meets in the rehab. It also explores the challenges they go through in trying to get clean. This essay will show how substance abuse and its related disorder is being portrayed in the film.

Read More
1035 Words | 5 Pages

In Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey provides a storyline about personal experiences he saw occur in a mental asylum. Ken Kesey worked as a staff member in an insane asylum in Oregon. When he wrote the book, he was providing personal memories about the patients and other workers into a story. The entire novel is about patients that are checked into a mental asylum, and their unwillingness to act against the nurse. Throughout the novel, there is a theme of “manipulation” implied.

Read More
1057 Words | 5 Pages

The term substance abuse is predominately used to signify an unhealthy and devitalizing obsession on a mind-altering chemical substance. In addition, it is most often used to refer to illegal drugs as well as legal, regulated substances such as prescription medications and alcohol. Drug abuse is usually considered a punishable offence by many countries and is also regarded as being personally and socially detrimental. Three major sociological paradigms including functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism delve in to the world of addiction as well as the controversies that surround this social issue.

Read More
842 Words | 4 Pages

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film Psycho redirected the entire horror genre, and in doing so dismantled the prudent 1950’s societal barriers of cinema. Although unseen for its potential by the large studios of the time, Psycho became one of the crowning achievements of film history. While based partially on a true story of murder and psychosis from Wisconsin, the widespread viewing of this tale made way for a new era of film and ushered in a new audience of movie goers. The use of violence, sexual explicitness, dramatic twists, sound, and cinematography throughout this film gave Hitchcock his reputable name and title as master of suspense.

Read More
2067 Words | 9 Pages

I Dreamed a Dream is a soliloquy piece, sung by Fantine during act one of Les Misérables (1980). Fantine has just been fired from her factory job after it is discovered that she has an illegitimate child and takes to selling herself on the streets to pay for medicine for her daughter. It is here that ‘I Dreamed a Dream,’ is sung as a way of progressing the story and providing a realisation by the character of her unfortunate situation in life with the song being composed as a way of expressing the feelings of Fantine as she wonders where her life went so wrong as to descend to her present predicament. Throughout the song an anguished, during and impoverished Fantine reminisces on happier days and descends back to the harsh reality that is her hopeless life. I Dreamed a Dream is set in common time (4/4) with a steady set tempo throughout the piece, de despite significant changes in dynamic, texture, modulation and emotion.

Read More
205 Words | 1 Pages

Addiction in The Picture of Dorian Gray “When you start becoming really successful, the demons start to tempt you, the demons of vanity and self importance…” (Ethan Hawke). In Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, the lifestyle of an addict is reflected through Dorian’s opioid addiction. The lifestyle of an addict is one that revolves around the substance being abused, this can lead to cravings and devastating withdrawal symptoms, in Dorian’s case, this substance is opium. Dorian experiences many mental effects due to his addiction which including anxiety, irritability, and social withdrawal.

Read More
1349 Words | 6 Pages

Requiem for a Dream Requiem for a Dream was directed by Darren Aronofskey. The film portrays a family with many issues. The mother, Sara Goldfarb, suffers from a number of psychological issues that build up over time and land her in a psychotic state. Sara’s son, Harry Goldfarb, suffers from addiction to a number of drugs along with his friend Tyronee and his girlfriend Marion. All of this takes place in New York City where Sara, who is also a widowed woman, lives at home alone.

Read More
1251 Words | 6 Pages

Addiction is the reliance on a routine. There are many addictive stages. Addiction, as it comes along, becomes a way of life. The persistent use of the substance causes to the user serious physical or psychological problems and dysfunctions in major areas of his or her life. The drug user continues to use substances and the compulsive behavior despite the harmful consequences, and tries to systematically avoid responsibility and reality, while he or she tends to isolate himself/herself from others because of guilt and pain (Angres, & Bettinardi-Angres, 2008).

Read More

More about Requiem For A Dream Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document