Changing Self Essay using the film "About a Boy"

Essay by enforcer2envyB, November 2006

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Changing self is an important aspect to change and it is the focus of this speech. Changing self is when someone becomes different, or the result of someone becoming different. By the end of my speech I would have spoken about and discussed the movie "About a Boy" directed by Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz, and the poem "The Door", composed by Miroslav Holav.

Firstly I would like to discuss what changes took place in the movie "About a Boy". The main character in the movie is Marcus, who undergoes the process of change. Marcus would go to school and get bullied. Will on the other hand was very lonely and kept to himself mostly. As the movie unfolds, Marcus meets a girl who he likes and a relationship between Will and Marcus grows. Their relationship strengthens and this can be proven as Will begins to take a fatherly role over Marcus and buys him items such as quality shoes.

The outcome of Will spending money on Marcus, leads to Marcus having more friends. The technique of a voice over was used where Will said "I'd created a monster or maybe he created me" which means that Will tried to impact and change Marcus's life for the better but instead unexpectedly its Will's life that also changes for the better where he changes within himself to be a better man. One camera technique used shows all of the other people going down the escalator and Will as the only person going up which signifies that Will is ready to accept change. The journey embarked by both characters has led to a valuable change of self.

Now I would like to talk to you about the poem titled "The Door". "Go and open the door". This is a quote from the text and the repetition of this imperative shows that change is there waiting to happen but you must make the first move and accept it. This emphasizes that change is an inevitable part of life. In the second stanza the composer uses random words such as "Face, eye and picture". These symbolize the things that cause change to occur whether they be people, emotions, events or any other experience in life. These random words also signify that change can range from big to small or of little to great importance. The composer then uses a "fog" to symbolize a problem or uncertainty because change cannot always be an easy thing to accept. But the composer is assuring the reader that the change will be for the better even if it does not seem so at first. The poem ends in a short stanza claiming that even if nothing changes, then there will still be a drought, which may signify that just opening yourself to change, will have some effects on you.

So in conclusion, by comparing the two texts, it can be seen that a change in self is the result achieved throughout their journey's. The movie "about a boy" shows that anyone can change even the person you least expect. And the poem "the door" represents change being a scary thought but the risk of opening to change will eventually lead to positive results. I hope that I have proven throughout this speech that change is an inevitable aspect of life and that changing self is not something to be afraid of but something that you must embrace while experiencing life.