Sentinel and 2001: The Space Odyssey

Is there anyone out there?
This question is the main theme of both the sci-fi short story and the film. The setting is in the moon. The existence of rectangular pillar (in the 2001: Space Odyssey) and a pyramid (in Sentinel) stresses the possibility that the extra-terrestrial does exist, maybe in the outer space or another galaxy. Do the alien really exist? The truth is out there to answer. The film and the short story bring up the possibility.

Beings of intelligence
Hal 9000 is the computer that has its own mind in this movie. Human can go to that extent of creating such machines or computers, but to err is human. This film is actually pointed out the possibility that might happen if human being too dependent on machine whereby they might can have their own thinking and act according to their own way. On the other hand human can reflects that only God’s creation is perfect.

Super-Toys Last All Summer Long and Artificial Intelligence

Is there anyone out there?
This question is the minor theme in this sci-fi short story and film. It is only revealed at the end of Artificial Intelligence where after 200 years; David which is frozen in the vehicle is founded by the extra-terrestrial entity. Throughout the movie and the short story, not much has been said about the existence of the alien but much about the artificial superficiality of the American lifestyle.

Beings of intelligence
The creation of human – robot, as a human companion. Does machine compatible as human’s companion? In this movie and also the story, this question raised. Human may go to the extent of creating a robot which have senses as human, but can they have a ‘heart’ and feelings? Another question that audience and reader need to think about is how can human takes the moral responsibility towards such robot? What is the proper way for human to socialize or live with these robots? The line should be drawn between human and these artificial intelligence / super toys.

Submitted to:
Airil Haimi Mohd. Adnan
Course Tutor TSL570, UiTM Perak

The odyssey by Homer

This is the story that full with God and Goddess. The goddess Athena (who is Odysseus’s protector), Zeus, the king of the gods, Poseidon, the god that hates Odysseus, Calypso, the goddess of the sea that wants Odysseus to be her husband and many more gods that involve in Odysseus’s journey home from the battle of Troy.

It’s not the destination but the journey.

The journey tests Odysseus strength, courage, intelligence and nobility. For example, in the battle of Troy, it was his idea to build the horse which at the end that trick lead them to the victory in he battle. His courage to fights all the obstacles that hinders him to go home also makes his journey in life more meaningful. His loyalty to his wife, Penelope has keeps him safe throughout the journey. He comes out as a hero since he is able to go through so many adventure and obstacle in the journey home.

About changing

Odysseus became a stronger person before the journey. The journey has changed him into a better person than before.

Submitted to:

Airil HaimiMohd. Adnan

Course Tutor TSL570, UiTM Perak

O’ Brother Where Art Thou?

This motion picture is a very close adaptation of The Odyssey by Homer but in more modern way than Homer’s time. The theme is the same as the book. The characters are all similarly adapted. The way Ethan and Joel Coen makes this movie is very interesting in the sense of cinematography and even in the plot.

It’s not the destination but the journey.

The story is about Everet (George Clooney) and his other two friends adventure to look for treasure. Everet is the anti-hero in this story. He is a man with so many flaws. He talks a lot and seems like a person who does not have any goal in life. He just follows where life leads him. His goal of this journey is basically to go home to stop his wife from marrying other man. In his journey, he met many people and incidents that give him a lesson in life and able to change him to be a better person. This story is also about the adventure that reveals the value of friendship and about life’s journey into salvation.

About changing

In the story we can see how three of them fight negative elements inside them, for example from a criminal they try to become good citizen. They even try to redeem themselves in the ceremony at the river. They start the journey with very ‘stupid’ action of running from the police and have to go through many adventures, at the end they become a star. At the end of the story all three of them become a better person than before they began the journey.

Submitted to:
Airil Haimi Mohd. Adnan
Course Tutor TSL570, UiTM Perak

Apocalyse Now

The Horror

The horror base of human nature would be the madness of people conquering other people. For example in Apocalypse Now, Colonel Kilgore would go to the extent of killing innocent people just to enable him and his troops to surf the beach. The horror base of human nature can also be seen where the American can simply shot / kill the villagers in the boat while doing their daily routine just because they suspect that the people might harm them. The worst is when Captain Willard shot the lady when one of the crew wants to save her.The reason is simply because he wants to continue the journey in searching for Kurtz.
Basically the horror is about the evil nature in human soul that fail to have pity or a sense of humanity towards another human being.

Sbmitted to:
Airil Haimi Mohd. Adnan
Course Tutor TSL 570, UiTM Perak

Heart of Darkness

Colonialism

Colonialism is indeed utterly and totally evil. In this book, one of the theme is about colonialism. Slavery is one of the impact of colonialism. The company puts agents everywhere and takes the native as their slave to look for the ivory. It is stated that "people (natives) that mostly black being chained and naked walks in line and looks like ants". These people were forced to work for the agents. These natives were considered as slaves where they have no names and being forced to work for nothing. They do not have enough food to eat and even left somewhere else to die alone and slowly. Money being taken away from their land and they were left suffering till death.
This cruelty leads to the proof evil heart or the dark side of human soul. Only man that have such evil heart can performed such evil doings. Life seems to have no values to these people. Money seems to be everything. The killing of the tribes and people are the example of Kurtz's darkness of heart.

Submitted to:
Airil Haimi Mohd. Adnan
Course Tutor TSL 570, UiTM Sri Iskandar

Sydney White

It is a story about a very witty woman that comes out as a heroine in this story. Sydney here does not look like a beauty at all as in the fairy tales. She is more like a tomboy that being brought up in a man's world by her single father. Her rivalry with Rachel Witchburn started when Rachel sent her out on the street from Kappa House. Sydney who is very smart and also a beauty in her own way attracted many people especially Tyler, Witchburn's ex-boyfriend. This triggers Witchburn's anger. The men comes out as an anti-hero where they are men with many flaws. Tyler for example is a very handsome man but not very strong as a hero. The seven dorks, even though they are all genius but they 'weak' in their own ways. These seven dorks are the minorities people in this modern version of fairy tales.

It is a very nice story and suitable to be watched by our children. The background of the story and the culture it presented is tolerable with our students.

Submitted to:
Airil Haimi Mohd. Adnan
Course Tutor TSL570, UiTM Sri Iskandar

Snow White

Snow White
Unnatural Motherhood
This is a very brutal story of 'unnatural motherhood'. The step mother (Sigourney Weaver) is the evil woman can ever exist. She cast many spells onto Snow White with the intention to kill her. She is so obsessed with her desire to have the eternal power. She plan it so well and never give up in trying to kill Lilliana. That is the proof of unnatural motherhood where how could a stepmother can have a heart to kill the step daughter. The other proof of this theme is where she keeps her still born baby till the end until she was killed with it.

They lived happily ever after

These theme is very much different from the other snow white story where the hero is not the prince but one of the 'dwarves'. In this version of snow white the 'dwarves' are the outlaws that lives deep in the jungle and runs from Liliana's father, Frederick. Lilliana and one of the dwarves seems to fall in love and together they fight the stepmother. The prince that should marry Lilliana in the first place was killed by the stepmother.

Submitted to:
Airil Haimi Mohd. Adnan
Course Tutor, UiTM Perak.

Pygmalion

Pygmalion

Reading Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw was so ‘dull’. However watching My Fair Lady helps me a lot in understanding the play. The theme has no difference between the musical film and this play, it is all about changing people for love.

She's All That

She’s All That

This film has the basic concept of Pygmalion where love needs people to change the person that he/she loved. As for Zach, he wants to change Laney into a beautiful lady, so that he can show off in the prom night. He almost succeeded. At the end of the movie Laney was able to point out to Zach that beauty is not everything and he cannot change her for his own personal purpose.

The story shows that clever girl might not be pretty (Laney). It also shows that man tend to change the woman physically, maybe it is just their nature that they want to see beautiful woman. However the end of the story is interesting where Zach admitted his fault and try to make up with Laney. This story is very much resembles the theme of pygmalion and Gallatea but being put in modern version where the man is modern and accepting woman's plight to be heard and not just seen.

In my opinion, this story is not suitable to be watched by Malaysian's students since there are so many discourteous scenes and not suitable for our students viewing and also our culture.

Submitted to:

Airil Haimi Mohd. Adnan

Course Tutor TSL570, UiTM Perak