Sunday, October 28, 2007

post #2

#2) Compare and contrast The Sea Inside to The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. What similarities and differences do you notice? In your opinion, which was more powerful?

Similarities: Both were Quadripalegic's, wrote a book, what I also noticed was that they were lonesome, and they had to do something in their spare time so they had great minds, meaning that they could go anywhere or "fly" anywhere they wanted to, when they wanted to. Both really hated their condition and wanted to suicide. I also noticed they had a good and fun life, Ramon with traveling around the world, and in his pictures you see a lot of girls, and my conclusion is that he dated a lot, and Bauby was the head of a newspaper company.

Differences: I think that Ramon was more free in the sense that he could go places and at least do some minor things by himself. He was able to write, eat, and talk, which changes everything from not being able to do anything but blink your left eye, which Bauby was stuck with. More people were around and friendly with Ramon while in this state, but no one was with Bauby while in this state that he mentioned in his memoir, maybe his kids that visited him once a while but other than that.

When you first see Ramon Sanpedro in the beginning of the movie he talks about dieing and you think how horrible of him to say that why would you want to live. Until you have seen his story, you wouldn't know how much pain he has to go through as a quadriplegic. There always has to be someone with him to watch for him in case he needs something and on top of that they have to live away from everyone else so robbers or some bad guy cant come and kill him so he brings his brother down as they said his "slaves". In The Diving Bell and the Butterfly on the other hand, Jean-Dominique Bauby was able to only blink. Im not sure what the question means by "more powerful" but from how I understand I think that Bauby's story was more powerful because he was stuck in the hospital, and Ramon was more free than Bauby.

#1) What is your general reaction and response to the film? What do you think of Ramon's request for assisted suicide, the court's response to him, and his eventual actions? What do you think of his friends who agreed to help him?

I don't know what to say, this was an amazing film even though it was in a different language and I had to read subtitles. I was just shocked at the results of what he decided to do, Ramon was a quadrilpalegic whom was trapped in this state for 28 years. I think that maybe he doesn't really love anyone, like Rosa, and he's just faking it so that the "loved" person can help him in his suicide. If I were a judge and I saw this case, I think I would not pass it, because the right to die, as I read last year in government, it states that one does not have the right to do if he is not useless, meaning if the person can eat, talk, move, and think properly etc. Yes he does eventually get his wish to suicide. His friends were only Rosa and Julia, but those were the ones who loved him. It's really a mystery if he loved them back, or if he just loved them to kind of hypnotise them so he can get them to help him suicide.