Cool+Hand+Luke

Class Notes 4/28 (recorded by Dan Smith):

Man with sun glasses is faceless authority and for some reason, is always looking to shoot something Not a well defined plot- not a real meaning to it Did they hurt the dogs in the making of the film? · Going through the barb wire fence · Is the guard holding an actual dead dog? Famous Line: “What we got here is a failure to communicate.”

Tarring Scene · Enjoying the work · Music gets louder and faster · A lot of quick cuts · Taking a task and making it fun o When else do we do this?

Themes · Individual · Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’ (Shawshank) · Word of the day? · Swift kick in the ass

Class Notes 4/29 (recorded by Gracie Smart):

Someone should look up how actors cry. Do they punch the actors right before the scene? Use water droplets? Pepper spray?

There are many references to religion in the movie. One boss says that Luke doesn’t believe in God, but we aren’t sure if Luke agrees/denies it. In the storms Luke calls out to God. You get a similar scene in Forest Gump. Donnelly finds that rain proves God’s existence. Water is a purifying, cleansing thing. It’s not just limited to Christianity, the idea that water washes us clean. We all picture God as an old guy in a white robe, everyone thinks it’s true so it must be.

Mr. Donnelly asks us about the song Luke sings after his mother dies. Song is called “Plastic Jesus,” and it includes lyrics about the Virgin Mary. We watched the scene where Luke sings and plays his banjo.

Molly thinks the song is a little sarcastic. The song is possibly about how people flaunt their religion with statues and things. JD thinks that humility is a very difficult virtue to practice. Whenever you start to think about your humbleness, pride is always present. When a friend is doing something bad, how do you confront them without seeming judgmental? On Ash Wednesday, everyone talks about what they’re giving up, but really you’re not supposed to brag about that.

Luke didn’t turn to God until the later end of the movie, after the loss of his mother, and also when events start going poorly for him.

When a terrible tragedy occurs, there are two responses: Sometimes there’s a loss of faith Other times, it opens people’s eyes and causes them to seek out God.

The point of religion isn’t to comfort you. Although it does this, its main purpose is greater than this. Religion is not just the “opium of the masses.”

JD sympathizes with new parents. There are so many competitions about the raising of their new children. “You read your children that book? They’re going to fail at life now.”

You should have some doubts and questions, because then your understanding will grow as you seek out the answers.

Very few people think they’re perfect, but many think they’re good enough to get to Heaven. JD was bartending and some people he knew were talking about (one was a jerk.) whether the other guys were going to church. The guy replied saying that all God asked for was one hour a week. This made JD want to butt into their conservation and set them straight. He had a very difficult time restraining himself.

Why do people get so contentious about politics? There’s no way of knowing who’s right unless you try it. There’s a similar element to this in religion. We won’t know what Heaven is like until we get there. Often in religion and politics, people are very set in their beliefs and they refuse to open their eyes to other options.

One’s beliefs are very connected and tied to their personal identity, so it’s very difficult to change, convert.

So often when people defend their faith, they’re really defending themselves and their personal choices. If he were born in India, the chance of him being Catholic would’ve been pretty slim.

No one enjoys it when people argue pointlessly about trivial things about religion.

JD enjoys speaking in third person. He told us an amusing anecdote about Ricky Anderson.

“One thing I love about church is that the only hypocrite I focus on is myself” “Judge not lest you be judged” Someone back-sassed you and now you’re beating them up after school. Someone tries to stop you, and you reply saying, “Don’t judge me!” This is not what the verse is trying to teach us.

How do you correct bad behavior without making it seem as though you’re judging another? You need to be sure that you are not thinking of yourself when you correct the person’s problems. You must be thinking of the other person, and it must be your great concern and love for the other person that causes you to help that person change. There can’t be anything in it for yourself. Approach the other person with humility.

Ideas on Luke’s speech in empty church: He’s asking God about his life, what should he do now? God made him the way he was, so now what? JD wishes God would just leave him a note every morning detailing what JD should do throughout the day for Him.