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Introduction to Social Work


September 15, 00


Our class discussions of empowerment can be applied to the story of Alice and her daughters. Struggling with empowerment, the teenage girls developed destructive strategies to cope with their stressful situations. As someone who wants to become an elementary school teacher as my future, I know that I will react differently to the events of the story. Counselors and teachers must have a close relationship with students because usually when children are disruptive it is attached to problems in the home. As a teacher, I hope to in the future be an encouragement to these children and to help them realize how important their education and their lives are. I feel that if a teacher or a counselor at school can become more actively involved in a students life, than perhaps intervention with a social worker may not even be necessary. As it has been said, many times the goal of a social worker is to work themselves out of their job and with the help of the schools, perhaps less intervention may be needed among children.


Another important issue that arose from this story was how negative publicity was involved with the TV cameras and the newspapers for the indigent welfare mothers. Many people of that community who know no one personally on welfare and have not been witness to their genuine and painful struggles may have concluded from that event that many who are on welfare are unworthy of it. They may generalize it to the extent that welfare is unnecessary because everyone on it could be cured of their poverty and lack of empowerment if they were not so lazy and lacked initiative. This is what I found to be greatly disturbing about the county wanting to make a show out of these mothers who clearly were not greedy and were not abusing the welfare system, but rather were neglected by the goverment. I think that the welfare system today should have greater funding through taxes. Taxes today make the rich,richer and the poor, poorer. Instead, I believe that taxes on the wealthy should not be decreased, as is the goal of the Bush administration. I feel that greater appropotionment of taxes to the welfare system could be helpful in situations such as the one with Alice and her daughters. Our legal system should be helping Alice, not prosecuting her for that which she has no control over. It is her lack of empowerment that makes her easily targeted and this is greatly disturbing.





I remember reading a book called Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich that was a story about a journalist who gave up everything she had for one year to explore exactly what it is like to be a low-paid worker in America. The rhetoric surrounding welfare reform, promises that a job -- any job -- could be the ticket to a better life. But how does anyone survive, let alone prosper, on six to seven dollars an hour? To find out, Ehrenreich left her home, took the cheapest lodgings she could find, and accepted whatever jobs she was offered as a woefully inexperienced homemaker returning to the workforce. This book relates to the reading in several ways because Alice is a woman in a similar situation Barbara put herself in. Alice was offered jobs that all required a car, that she in no way could afford. I highly recommend reading this book because it helped me learn more about the great injustices inherent in the welfare system and in the people who need intervention the most.





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Muhammad Ali


The Greatest of All Time


Muhammad Ali was possibly the greatest boxer of all time due to his persistence in pursuing his dreams. Born January 17, 14, Cassius Clay would soon find his wings. Ali once said “Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” That he did throughout his 1-year boxing career.


Ali revolutionized the sport of boxing by introducing a style never seen before. His key moves in the ring were boxing with his left hand behind his back, then pulling his body back when a punch came his way. This was just fun and games to Ali. He boxed with a speed that could be compared to a welterweight. But in 160 Ali showed the world he knew how to be serious by winning the 160 Light Heavyweight gold medal in the Rome Olympics. Four years later, after fighting his way to the top of heavyweight circuit, Ali fought Sonny Liston for the title and walked away a champion. After that epic fight Ali announced that he accepted the teachings of Islam and that his new name is Muhammad Ali “Famous Faces”.





In 167 Ali refused to be inducted in to the United States Armed Forces because of his Islamic beliefs. He was then arrested, and shortly after that had his boxing license suspended and his heavyweight champion title





stripped. Ali was then inactive in boxing from March , 167, to October 6, 170. Some people believed that these would have been his peak performance years. In Ali’s absence Joe Frazier became the new heavyweight division champion, thus setting up a showdown when Ali returned “Sports Biographies”.


Ali got his license back in 170 and won fights against Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena, which made Joe Frazier next on Ali’s list. Ali claimed to be “The People’s Champion” and stated that Frazier would have to beat him before he was the true champion, even though Frazier already held the title. Frazier dropped Ali in the 15th round of the “Fight of the Century.” Ali would later retake his title in 174 the same way he originally gained it, by slaying an ogre. George Foreman the current Heavyweight champion was given the odds, leaving the - year- old Ali with little hope. The fight was held in Kinsasha, Zaire, where Ali employed the rope-a-dope technique to tire Foreman out before taking him out in the eighth round. Ali defended his title until 178 when Leon Spinks upset Ali to take the title “Enshrines”.


Past his prime, Ali fought three more fights, two of which ended in defeat. Ali retired in 178, but came out of retirement in 180 to fight twice more only to lose both fights. Ali retired for good in 181.





“Sports Biographies”


In 164, the day after becoming the Heavyweight Champion of the World, America was shocked by Muhammad Ali’s announcement of his involvement in the Civil Rights movement when he proclaimed to the world that he had become a Black Muslim. He wanted black people worldwide to see that they could achieve the highest dreams equal to any other race, station or status. “Sports Century”()


Being one of the first black activists in sports came with serious consequences. The anti-white stance of the Black Muslim philosophy caused the downfall of Ali’s popularity during the high point of his career. Promoters were reluctant to back Ali’s upcoming matches. His income declined along with his popularity. The final blow to this stage of his career came with his arrest in 167 for refusing to be drafted into the military “Sports Century”().


Ever the humanitarian, Ali supports many charities around the world, including those in Islamic countries as well as the United States. Ali liked to stage fights in third world countries hoping to make superpower nations aware of the great poverty of these countries. Muhammad Ali has always used his career to promote the underdogs of the world, rather than simply for his own personal gain “Famous Faces”.





Friend and foe admired Muhammad Ali for his persistence in overcoming all the odds against him. Although, Muhammad Ali was known for his arrogant loud mouth, both admirers and opponents agreed he did this just to psyche him self-out for his fights. Before his match with Sonny Liston he rented a bus and tacked signs on the side of it that read “We all love Cassius Clay,” “Without Cassius the game is dead,” “March on Liston’s camp,” and “Bear hunting.” Even though, Ali was criticized for running his mouth off and predicting the round he would knock out his opponent, friends insisted this was only a technique he used to win his fights “Jet”.


In conclusion, Ali is an amazing man whom through persistence and hard work overcame a multitude of trials and tribulations, to become the Heavyweight Champion of the World. Muhammad Ali will always be remembered for his unique dancing style, his speed in the ring, and of course his loud mouth and rhymes.





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Sara Payson Willis Parton was a vocal feminist, constantly writing in defense of women’s rights. She believed women were as smart as men, and should be allowed to follow any career they chose. She wrote about birth control, divorce, education for women, sexism in religion and marriage, and women’s poverty. Her writings are very funny, and her witty criticisms and satires of sexist men drew a lot of attention. Her ideas were way ahead of her time, and people often didn’t agree with her .In this essay, I will examine the life of Fanny Fern, and discuss how the society she came from played a major role in influencing her writings.


Notoriously known as Fanny Fern, Sara was born in Portland, Maine, and was originally named Grata Payson after the mother of the Congregational minister Edward Payson, whose sermons had influenced her father in a immensely. She was the fifth of nine children born to Nathaniel and Hannah Willis. In the early 17th century, her predecessors had come from England to Massachusetts. Her paternal grandfather edited a Whig journal during the Revolutionary War, and her father published an anti-federalist organ, the Eastern Augus in Portland. A libel suit forced him back to Boston when Sara was a year old. There he started a printing business, and published one of America’s first religious newspapers, the British Recorder.


As a child, Fern’s witty personality earned her the nickname of “Sal Volatile.” She attended school in Hartford, Connecticut at the seminary of Catherine Beecher. When she returned to Boston, she often contributed to her father’s Youth Companion. She married a wealthy banker named Charles H. Eldredge in May, 187.Together they had three children, Mary in 18, Grace Harrington in 1840, and Ellen Willis in 1844. This seemingly wonderful time in her life was ended by tragedy; the death of her mother, daughter Mary, and husband in 1846.Unable to find work, Fern was forced to financially rely upon her father because the law held that once a woman was married, all her property was to be turned over to her husband, and now that her husband was dead she was left with nothing. Her second marriage in 184 to Samuel P. Farrington ended in divorce three years later. Fern had left Farrington which was almost impossible to do at this point in society.


At the times she was living in, it was believed that a woman’s place was in the home. Societal views held that women were to be the homemakers, while the occupations in the outside world were to be left to the men. “It was an age when women were preferred as angels rather than amazons, homemakers rather than careerists.” (Donald & Randall 1).





Once again on her own, she attempted teaching and sewing. However she made so little that she had to give up her daughter Grace. Fed up, she decided to ignore the “inferior” tag that society pinned on her, and join the male dominated world of journalism. She decided to write and used the pseudonym “Fanny Fern.” The Mother’s Assistant, the True Flag, and the Olive Branch, small Boston magazines, published some of her work in 1851. Before long, many newspapers reprinted these amusing paragraphs.


Her journalistic career now on its way, got the attention of publisher James C. Derby from Auburn, New York. He gathered her writings together and published them in 185 as Fern Leaves from Fanny’s Portfolio. It became an immediate bestseller in both America and England. Robert Bonner, owner of the New York Ledger, placed her on his payroll in 1855 at the astounding salary of $100 for a regular weekly column. This made her one of America’s first women columnists.


Having to live in a society like hers was difficult; such denials of equal opportunity gave rise to advocates of women’s rights. Fern, like other feminists spread the word of injustices to all who would listen through her powerful writings. She also wrote about the problems and status of female authors.


In “Hints to Young Wives,” Fern wittingly writes about the roles of women at her time


The minute she sees her husband coming up the street, she makes for the door, as if she hadn’t another minute to live, stands in the entry with her teeth chattering in her head till he gets all his coats and mufflers, and overshoes, and what-do-you-call-‘ems off, then chases round(like a cat in a fit) after the boot-jack;warms his slippers and puts ‘em on, and dislocates her wrist carving at the table for fear it will tire him.


She feels that women have been blindly led into a belief that their purpose on earth is to serve men. “Hints to Young Wives” is a typical newspaper article by Fanny Fern, published in the Boston Olive Branch in February of 185. This piece demonstrates the intimacy in which Fern speaks to her reader. Fern’s style is simple. She uses common diction and short sentences to mimic conversational tone. “Hints to Young Wives” is about a woman desperately trying to warn young wives about their sneaky husbands. I like this article because she uses humor to get her point across, instead of tearing up and pouting about the horrible situation.


In Blackwell’s Island No. , Fanny Fern touches on the taboo subject of prostitution. She warns the readers that the article maybe offensive to some but bluntly compares the roles of prostitute and Johns. Men may pursue sexual pleasures because they deserve that right. Women who serve those rights should be locked up and never thought of again.


The idea that mother’s introduce their very own daughters to future husbands, perpetuates the never ending chain of events-men have the right to cheat and pursue sexual pleasures. Fern touches on this same subject in Hints to Young Wives. In her time, mother’s had no greater pleasure than to marry their daughter to a respectable gentleman. These “respectable” males in turn deserve to gratify themselves outside of the marriage arena. Women considered prostitutes the lowest form of life and pretended that they didn’t exist. Prostitutes were on every corner in New York. Many had no other choice but to earn a living in this fashion. Men on the other hand, were not penalized for this behavior. Their sexual needs were part of their very being.


Men considered their lives monotonous, even though at the end of the day their shops are closed, and all day in work they conversed with adults. Women, on the hand, are always tending to family-never ‘closing shop’ at the end of the day. Should not a woman be able to pursue the same forms of excitement as a man?


Fern in her article also touches upon her religious views. God created humans equal in that everyone must follow the same Ten Commandments. She believes that the seventh commandment is meant to be followed by both men and women. Society has given men their stamp of approval to disregard God’s commandment. Society has dictated that men not only need these activities because they are physically different, but actually deserve to act out these behaviors because of their ‘lack of luster’ lives. When women work as prostitutes, not only are they breaking the laws of society and should be thrown in jail, but they are also breaking God’s laws and should be cast to hell for all eternity.


Fanny exposed the double standard of her times, but sadly enough most women also perpetuated females as not deserving life’s pleasures.


In Mrs. Adolph’s Smith Sporting, Fern comments on the shortcomings of males, in a delightful, comical, and well-written paragraph. She exposes the incapability of men to survive without women. At the same time it is clear that the woman is in charge, and has total control over the whole situation. Mother finds all missing items, feeds the family, tends to the ill, and fights the battle. Men can do one thing at a time while women perform many tasks.


Fanny’s commentary on prison life, Blackwell’s Island, differs from most of her essays in that its focus is on society’s punishment system rather than women’s role in society. This article enlightens the reader to the penal’s systems, and societies failure to serve those convicted of crimes. This seems like one of a few articles that does not paint women in need of liberation. Criminals are imprisoned for crimes and people feel they should be locked up. Fanny sees humanity in the faces of the prisoners. She questions just how people become involved in a life of crime. Is it the will of God or society? When a prison is struggling along, does society lend a helping hand? She speaks of housing (modern day half-way house??) and jobs being available. She believes that society has a duty to save itself. After serving their punishment, prisoners should not be branded as convicts, but blended back into society. She notes that society comes around passing out Bibles and shouting out God’s word, but offering no responsibility in the plight. It seems as though Fanny is a spokesperson for the mistreated beings in her society.


The article recites to the modern day reader that women in the 1800’s even Fanny, had a softer side. Women had the idea that institutions, jobs, and money would give criminals self respect. This self respect would deter them from committing crimes. This idea works for some but not for others.


Fanny again draws from some of her religious beliefs. Society should not condemn, but try to prevent further criminal acts.


In all, Fanny Fern was a woman ahead of her time. She saw the injustices of her society, took notes, and wasn’t afraid to share what she felt with the world. She was a brave woman who turned her life tragedies into a powerful force that kept her strong. She laughed in the faces of those who made it seem that women were inferior to men, and pulled the wool from the eyes of foolish women who believed that their only role in life was to serve men. She put the wheels in motion for women’s rights, and for that reason Fern has helped make the lives of women better today.





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Dwane Niatum’s “She Keeps The Dance Turning Like The Earth” is about a young man named Crow who faces his sister Claire’s suicide. Unable to work and his love ,Rachel, ready to leave him, he takes the necessary steps to get his life back together. Crow’s struggles to overcome his loss take him on an emotional journey that eventually leads to a remarkable transformation and the healing of his soul. Crow goes from an overwhelming sadness, to guilt and confusion, to an unemotional neglect of his life, and finally, to an exorcism and a return to creativity.


In the first part of the story Crow is feeling overwhelmed with sadness at the news of Claire’s suicide. As he speaks to Rachel on the telephone his mind is not there. “Slowly he becomes a mountain bird drifting beyond the Hoko River” (15). Crow’s mind is drifting away to another place and time. He is going to visit Claire’s grave and needs to be alone.


In the second part, a day or two later, Crow is struggling to deal with guilt and confusion. He sits by her grave and talks to Claire, trying to come to an understanding of what has happened. He asks her, “Will I ever know why you stopped in midair?”(16). He feels as if he is going “mad” because he needs to know “why” and she cannot answer him. His mind is in a state of confusion. They had been through so much together as children and “together they had outran the nightmare”(16). Crow feels a sense of guilt because she was too young and full of life to die and he should have been there for her no matter what.





In part three, nearly three months later, Crow begins to pay attention to the fact that he is losing track of time, neglecting his work and avoiding Rachel, who is trying everything she can to get him to snap out of it. She tells him, “Claire wouldn’t want you to fall apart, throw your life in the river”(1). He cannot stand hurting Rachel anymore, but is haunted by visions of Claire drowning. He feels his spirit is broken and that a demon is lurking inside him. Crow realizes that he must find a way to overcome his grief or he will lose everything, including Rachel. It is time for a transformation.


As he walks down by the river, Crow makes a final decision to end the suffering. He looks at his reflection and sees the past rising up out of the water as horrible masks, and he knows it is time to get rid of them all! “He owes it to Rachel, himself and maybe more importantly, to Claire’s spirit dancing somewhere out there over the water, still turning like the earth”(11). He feels the demons leaving him, like an exorcism, and “the flight of his soul on its’ long journey home”(11). He senses a form of healing taking place as he swims in the icy water and his creativity returning.


In part four, the conclusion, Crow returns home a new man, his emotional journey at its end and his transformation and healing complete. He is reminded of his grandfather and inspired to carve the animals of his people. He presents Rachel with the first of a series of sculptures, “Heron Growing Still With Water”(11). Crow is happy and wants to make Rachel happy also. There is hope for the future at last.


Works Cited


Niatum, Duane. Earth Power Coming “She Keeps the Dance Turning Like the


Earth.” Simon J. Ortiz. Tsaile, Arizona Navajo Community College Press,


18. 15-1








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Donnie Darko is an intense, complicated movie loaded with hidden messages, comments on human behavior, and insights into the mysteries of life and the possibilities of time travel. On the surface the film is a poppy science culture flick, with white attractive actors and actresses playing roles viewers can look at and link to people within their lives. When one looks deeper into the movie, however, this superficial layer is peeled away revealing themes and ideas about people that are incredibly powerful. There is, however, a unifying theme within the film; people who are trying to live their lives “normal,” fitting into convenient roles that are comfortable versus those who venture out to be themselves. These opposite lifestyles interwoven together really show different ways humans act, and what those actions cause. Why have this dynamic? Is the director trying to say one way to live is better than another? Only the movie can lead us to an answer.


Donnie Darko is an outcast, but not in the conventional way. He has his friends, he lives in a middle to upper class white suburban home, and goes to a private school. These people he surrounds himself with, however, don’t really know who he is. In reality, he is a boy who keeps to himself, constantly drowning in problems with his “disease” and relationship issues with his families. When his life is saved by a six feet tall metal bunny rabbit from the future, Donnie has a choice; he can go on living his just saved life, or he can act out what this rabbit wants him to do. He owes something to this being who rescued him, and this is a chance for him to step out of his normal life and do extreme things. He gets to lash out any emotion he has (which on the surface is none) and make a difference. Donnie wants to change things. He brings up change when discussing Graham Greene’s book and, when walking with Gretchen mutters so she can barely hear him that maybe one day he’ll “change things.” This is his chance to break out of the monotony and be who he really is, which may be a superhero.


Gretchen is another character trying to start a new life, break away from her past. She doesn’t want to be the scared, helpless girl she was when her dad was around. She is not just going to be another person; she too is used to being away from the normal girl mold with her life experiences, and she’s not just going to go back. She is who she is, which is shown by people she’s hardly talked to (the bullies) knowing the history of her mother. She is who she is, and her past is nothing to hide; a trait very few teenage girls exemplify.


Karen, Donnie’s English teacher, is also trying to break herself, as well as her students, away from the cookie cutter way of life and learning. She is paving new way, being the progressive teacher in the conservative school. She presents her students with a controversial book, and forces her students to delve into things. When she is challenged for her actions, she stands strong, even though it eventually costs her job. Is the director trying to say this is the way to live? As who you are and for what you believe? If so he is not shy about showing the possible drawbacks from this; and repercussions from those who do not live that way.





Kitty Farmer, quite possibly the most annoying character in a movie ever, exemplifies the idea of living “the way you should” just because it is the thing to do. She is, in both ideals and style, straight out of the 150’s. She believes in good Christian upbringing and lifestyle, and doesn’t approve of anything out of the norm. Kitty, along with the help of Jim Cunningham, provides the second way of living the director is trying to compare Donnie, Gretchen, and Karen to. Jim Cunningham is an even more extreme version of Kitty, but his “normal” lifestyle is proven false.


After looking at these characters, it is the scenes between them that show the dynamic the director is trying to compare. There are many scenes involving the characters that not only show different ways to live, but how hard it is for them to coincide. Donnie Darko is in Kitty Farmer’s class when she wants to do an exercise inspired by Jim Cunningham’s video. There are two words written on the chalkboard; Fear and Love. Every situation that is presented to the class is supposed to be placed on the board, near either word. When Kitty asks Donnie to do this, he brings up a problem with the exercise, saying “you can’t just lump things into categories, things aren’t that simple.” Kitty replies with “the life line is divided that way” Donnie “Life isn’t that simple.” There is not a more obvious scene where the director makes the distinct difference of these two types of lifestyles. He again, however, doesn’t make it obvious which he is saying is better (if any).


Another great scene for recognizing this difference involves a character that is not very prominent in the movie, but in everyday life. This involves Karen and the principle of the high school, an authority figure hired to promote a normal, bland, commonplace life. When Karen is discussing how he doesn’t have a clue about these kids she mentions that “we are losing them to this prescribed nonsense,” showing her contempt for the normal system. His only reply is “I’m sorry that you have failed,” turning all responsibility of his own into her mistakes, he hasn’t done anything out of the norm. This in charge position is symbolized by another character trying to impose a way of living of everyone else, Jim Cunningham.


When there is an assembly for the school by Jim Cunningham promoting his no fear all love lifestyle, there is a chance for the audience to ask questions. Donnie takes this opportunity to “change things;” get the other students and teachers thinking about how living with this monotony is not smart. When Cunningham is challenged, he playes an easy card “You are a troubled and confused young man,” you are not like the rest of us. To which Donnie claims proudly “I am pretty troubled and I’m pretty confused and I’m afraid, actually, really afraid… but I think you’re the fucking antichrist.” He is stating for everyone in the room to know that he is not living like everyone else, he is jumping out of his shell, met with cheers from the crowd.


The director is not showing that being who you are for everyone to know is always best, or right, or easy. Donnie is obviously very troubled, with an extreme diagnosis, and dealing with therapy. Gretchen knows who she is but still gets upset when bullies tease her about her past, and Karen knows she has lost a battle when she loses her job. These people are who they are and unashamed, but paying for it. The characters who are living the way they feel they should, trying to impose their lifestyles on others also aren’t always happy or relaxed. Jim Cunningham breaks down in tears at the end of the film, showing that he is living a lie, and has created an image he doesn’t match; losing his sense of self. Kitty can’t even be there for her daughter at Start Search because she has to defend a man who doesn’t deserve it; she’s imposed his views on so many others now she must live with them herself. She needs to bring herself to ask the most complicating character for help, after doing what she can to bring her down.


Donnie’s mother, Rose, does not fit either lifestyle. She is not living in the traditional, molded way, but not acting out on her emotions as who she really is either. She is that in the middle; the gray area the director covers to show another way to live. Rose loves her son. She misses the Donnie she had and is afraid she might be losing him to his sickness. Towards the beginning of the movie she tries to talk to Donnie but is met by a cold stranger who calls her a bitch. This is obviously upsetting to her, but she is not ready to give up on her son. She visits his doctor, and wants to do anything she can to make him better. She is not the mother to sit quietly or be ashamed of her son. After the incident with Donnie and Mrs. Farmer Rose has an incident with her. During this conversation she not only expresses great concern for her son and what’s happening, but also doesn’t give in to Kitty’s nonsense. Kitty tells her that everyone must be on a path to righteousness and that she is concerned with her abilities as a mother. This doesn’t even faze Rose. She knows she is a good mother and this righteous rhetoric doesn’t mean anything, and it’s certainly not going to save her son. She also shows her willingness to stand up for what she believes at the PTA meeting. She calls Kitty out on her ridiculous notion to ban the Graham Green book, and tries to make Kitty look dumb by asking her if she even knows who that is. There is a time, however, when she does melt back into that mold; when Kitty needs her help.


Rose has a fairly normal life, with Donnie being the only complicating factor. She could choose to ignore him, forget about him, and concentrate on her husband and two daughters, but she doesn’t. She sticks by him even though he tries to push her away, and won’t give up on him. When she is asked to go with her daughter to Star Search she has to make a choice. Donnie has been through a lot lately and his therapist even wants to increase his medication. She goes though, knowing that although she loves Donnie and will be there for him forever, she needs to let him deal with some things on his own. It may be the only way he’ll ever get better. She is living in between the rest of the characters in the movie; not being too her, because it may cause her to lose her sense of self, but not being too molded, because she then just takes the shape of those around her.


Is this what the director is going for? Is he trying to say there is a happy medium? In the end of the movie the characters that lived in convenient boxes already set up for them don’t really end up happy. Jim Cunningham is shown sobbing, knowing he is living a lie, and Kitty can’t be with her daughter for the one thing she has shown any passion for throughout the whole movie. On other side, Gretchen will be alive, never knowing what she has missed, Karen is safe with her job, and Donnie has accomplished something he never has before. He has repaid all those he has loved; finally given something to those who meant something to him. He couldn’t show his mother he loved her, or Gretchen, or even his sisters. He was thankful to Karen, and this was the only way to thank them. They would never know he did it, but it is that peace within him that is important. What Donnie Darko did was heroic, and sprung from two very different emotions; fear and love. His fear for hurting all the people he would hurt if he was to continue living, and his love for them he was unable to show. Are Jim Cunningham and Kitty right? Is that the basis for everything we do? Donnie Darko was a complicated character, but he would have been a great example for any of





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