Thursday, January 15, 2015

TKAM: What is the purpose in having different versions of a story? (Book vs. Movie)

TKAM Blog

Prompt: What is the purpose in having different versions of a story? (Book vs. Movie)


 In a movie you can see the characters and this allows you to have stronger feelings than just reading a description. For example in the book Bob Ewell is this mean man but you don't see him and his facial expressions and ugliness. In the movie you have more anger toward Bob Ewell and his character because you see him as this nasty man with ugly facial expressions. You also see how innocent and sad Tom Robinson is compared to in the book. You see him cry and plead, which makes you feel more sympathetic and want the Ewells to be punished. It is also important to know the character in the book so that you can create your own image of what he looks like and how he treats people. The book also allows better backstories and myths like the myth of Boo Radley. Into the book they go more into how they think its some scary man who has gone crazy and locked up in his house. It makes you more and more curious. In the movie it provides you with an idea of how anxious the kids are to get their eyer on him.

In both versions you see Scouts thoughts whether it be through facial expressions of reading her thoughts. In the book its from Scouts point of view and goes more into detail on how she feels and her immediate reaction. While in the movie you see her facial expressions which adds and extra attitude and gives you more into her personality. At the beginning of the movie Scout is wearing a dress and she is clearly in disgust because of her facial expressions. In the book however she describes when she wears her dress as a way to please her Aunt and the other woman and you wouldn't know this without her narration throughout the book. Both versions provide you a large impression of how Scout is as a character and her attitude. 

Finally having two versions allows you to have more story and also to show you how others would imagine it. Everyone knows that movies don't always follow the same story of the book but in the movie it did a good job. By just reading the book you would miss out on an extra scene where Bob Ewell is snooping around and scaring people around the Robinson's house. But more importantly by just watching the movie you would miss several other scenes. Like when the kids go to Calpurnia's church, Jem having to go read to Mrs. Dubose, or Bob Ewell following Tom Robinson home. Having two versions provides you with more scenes that you can put altogether into one story. By watching the movie you see how the director pictured the characters and story going along. Then you can compare it to your own thoughts and the book. For example what he had as Tom Robinson did not watch the description I had thought of and yet I liked what the movie had come up with better than my own. Having two versions allows the book to expand and to stretch and think more about the book than you normally would. To me having the book and the movie allows me to create a larger picture of story in my mind and it allows me to expand on the real story.


Comments: Gustavo, Nadrian, and Amelia

2 comments:

  1. I commented on Gustavo, Nadrian, and Amelia

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  2. Great job. I like how you describe the reasons for why the book is defferent and how it is different. This was very informative.

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