Gball

I agree with Cort’s analysis of this episode. “Heroes” is a drama about the lives of ordinary people who discover that they have extraordinary or superhuman abilities. These superpowers include dream manipulation, cloning and body insertion among others. In this episode Claire, one of the heroes, goes to a carnival and meets Samuel. Now, Samuel is the archenemy of the heroes. His aim is to entice the heroes to join him and then use them to increase his own powers. Claire cannot see the evil in Samuel because she feels loved and accepted at the carnival. Cort says that everyone enjoys being accepted; no one really likes rejection. However, she points out that we should be careful not to fall into certain situations where things look so good that we fail to see the evil right in front of us. In our society today most young girls fall as victims to predators like “pimps” because they are made to feel loved and accepted initially.

I also see another analogy though. The Bible says that “…But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that” (1 Corinthians 7:7).  Just like the heroes, everyone has a special gift or talent from God that He would like us to use to glorify Him. However, we should be careful not to let the devil take advantage of us and entice us to use our gifts in a wrong way. For example, I personally think that it is wrong for doctors who have been blessed with so much intelligence to use their knowledge to perform abortions. Some hip-hop artists have been blessed with great voices, but sometimes you listen to their music and the lyrics are so wrong! Just as Samuel is evil in the “Heroes” the Bible also cautions us to “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The question is: are we being alert?

Subject:

Everybody Hates Chris is a comedy that is based on the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock.  The show is about young Chris (the main character) growing up. He lives with his family in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. It is a low-income community. He attends an all-white school where students and teachers pick on him. In this episode Rochelle, Chris’ mom has to use food stamps to buy groceries and she is not very happy about that. Also, Chris and his best friend Greg fight over a school science project.

Content:

 Chris’ father, Julius likes the family to spend money wisely. Therefore when he finds two hundred dollars worth of food stamps, he tells Rochelle to shop with that. He is very excited about the money they will save by using food stamps instead; they will pay the light bill and perhaps go and watch a movie. When Rochelle goes shopping however, she sees her friend Sheila at the check-out line. She is too embarrassed to use the food stamps and therefore resorts to using the cash that is meant for paying the bill. She then tries to get some cash back by selling the food stamps but she is not successful with that. Finally, she does a trade in with her hair dresser; she gives the hair dresser the food stamps to have her hair done. Eventually she has to tell the whole truth to her family as they are having dinner and the lights go out because the bill has not been paid.

Chris on the other hand pairs up with his best friend for a science project. They argue over what should be done but eventually settle for the solar system. However, they disagree on whether the project is well done and in their argument tear the project apart into two pieces. They finally make up and put the two pieces back together. They cannot present their project to the teacher though because it is stolen from them by the class bully.  

I think this episode reflects some of the hardships and sometimes humiliation that faces some poor families in our society. Rochelle does not want to use the food stamps and tells her husband when she uses them she is treated as someone with no sense, no class and without a husband.  Society sometimes looks down on those who use food stamps. There is also a little bit of stereotyping. When Rochelle is not able to sell the food stamps, she settles for having her hair done. There is the belief that black women are very particular about their hair and will do anything to get their hair done nicely. Also Chris and Greg’s experience with the bully makes us aware of how bullying is still going on in our schools. It also shows how sometimes the ones being bullied are afraid to speak up. Chris and Greg just sat and watched as the bully presented the project in class as his.

Evaluation:

I found this episode very funny although it brings out some hard truths about our society. One thing that comes across is friendship. Chris and Greg argue over the project but eventually make up because although Chris is black and Greg is white, they are the best of friends.  Proverbs 18:24 says “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” We also learn a lesson about pride in this episode. Rochelle feels a sense of pride when she meets Sheila at the grocery store and therefore does not use the food stamps. Well, she eventually has to confess everything and as the bible says in Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

The movie Four Brothers has a great story line. I agree with Matt when he says that the thesis of the movie is to remember how important family is as the four brothers who were adopted by their mother stuck together despite their problems. However, I would also add that the movie also brings out some of the bad things going on in our society today. Instead of letting the police deal with the murder of their mother, the four brothers look to avenge their mother’s death by themselves. They do not trust the police. Two brothers end up killing the contract killers they believe are responsible for their mother’s death. This mistrust between the police and the community they serve is prevalent in some areas of our society. We even have a name for those who would like to help the police with information regarding a crime; snitches! Now, it is rather a crime to “snitch” and people keep quiet for fear of their lives. Recently a lot of people watched a fifteen year old girl being gang raped for over two hours in California.  Most of them were afraid of calling the police because they did not want to be attacked.

On the bright side, I agree with Matt when he says the mother of the four brothers showed us an example of “Christ in the Common”.  She was a very loving woman who welcomed four boys into her life by adopting and loving them. She was known for helping those who needed help in the community. In the book of Matthew, Jesus said the second greatest commandment was to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). The mother of the four brothers did just that.

Subject:

Transformers are robotic aliens who can transform and take the form of automobiles such as cars and motor cycles. There are the good ones called the Autobots and the bad ones are called the Decepticons. In this movie, the Decepticon forces return to earth with a mission; to take Sam Witwicky prisoner and eventually destroy our world. They need access to Sam’s mind to see some glyphs imprinted there. This is to help them get the power to blow out the sun and destroy the world. The Autobots, with their leader Optimus Prime, join forces with the army. They protect Sam and mankind by fighting against the Decepticons and their leader, “The Fallen”, in a second epic battle.

Content:

The main point of this movie is that bravery is a great value. When Sam learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers, even though he is in college, he accepts his destiny and is ready to help fight against the Decepticons.  He is very brave despite all the struggles he goes through such as being chased by the Decepticons who want to capture him and insert a probe into his mind. When Optimus Prime gets killed, Sam is determined to bring him back to life so he can defeat “The Fallen”. Sam risks his life when he tries to revive Optimus Prime, but he is able to pull that off by using the matrix to revive him. In our society today we applaud our soldiers who commit acts of bravery all the time. We even call the USA “Home of the brave”. The shooter at Fort Hood was stopped by the brave acts of fellow soldiers. He could have killed more soldiers had he not been stopped quickly. Also our firefighters and police men and women are brave enough to risk their lives when they are called upon to work.

Evaluation:

The theme bravery is also encouraged in the bible. Deuteronomy 31:6 says “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.” In the movie Optimus Prime and  Sam’s car Bumblebee always showed up to help Sam when he needed help. For example, when Sam is trapped by Megatron, a Decepticon, and the Doctor appears to insert a probe into Sam’s mind, he is saved by Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.  In much the same way God says we should not be afraid but be brave because He is with us all the time and will come to our help.

I agree with Kyle’s analysis of this song. I only wish he had added the lyrics of the song so bloggers could relate to the commentary more easily. Runaway Love is a very powerful song about the problems facing young girls brought up in the poor or bad neighborhoods of our society. As Kyle mentioned, a lot of them are going through terrible things such as physical, emotional and sexual abuse at home. More often than not, they feel their only way out is to run away. As the song writer puts it…

Lisa is stuck up in the world on her own

Forced to think that hell is a place called home

Nothing else to do but get her clothes and pack

She says she’s ‘bout to run away and never come back.

Kyle’s commentary also brings out how society reacts to kids that run away from home. We think they should be able to tell someone what is going on rather than run away from their problems. I will also add that society has failed these children. Instead of being more sympathetic to them, we rather judge and shun them. We tend to look down on people who are living in the “hood”; poor or bad areas. Unconsciously, we even think they deserve all that they are going through! This is because we think they can always make better lives for themselves without anybody’s help. I will also add that these problems are sometimes faced by kids living in the suburban areas as well. Although these problems are most prevalent in the poor areas of the community, it is not unique to them. On Oprah, a lady spoke about how she had been involved in a sexual relationship with her dad for years. All that time her dad was considered as a prominent member of the society.

As Kyle mentioned as Christians we can help by not being judgmental, but rather present the gospel to them. We can even go further as to encourage them to share their problems with someone they trust and get the right help. These verses from Matthew Chapter 25: 37-40 should encourage us to help those in need.

 “Then the righteous will answer him, Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?

The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

October 15, 2009 by Gilbert Asafu-Adjaye

Subject:

This song is about love. It is from Michael Jackson’s last album “Invincible”. Michael sings about finally finding his true love that he has been searching for all his life and feels his life is now complete. He would give everything he owns for the girl and expresses his happiness by saying “You rocked my world, you know you did.” Here are the lyrics:

Ho…oh…

My life will never be the same
‘Cause girl, you came and changed
The way I walk
The way I talk

I cannot explain the things I feel for you
But girl, you know it’s true
Stay with me, fulfill my dreams
And I’ll be all you’ll need

Oh, oh, oh, oh, ooh, it feels so right (Girl)
I’ve searched for the perfect love all my life (All my
life)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ooh, it feels like I (Like I)
Have finally found her perfect love is mine (See, I
finally found, come on, girl)

You rocked my world, you know you did
And everything I own I give (You rocked my world)
The rarest love who’d think I’d find
Someone like you to call mine (You rocked my world)

You rocked my world, you know you did (Girl)
And everything I own I give (I want you, girl)
The rarest love who’d think I’d find
Someone like you to call mine

In time I knew that love would bring
This happiness to me
I tried to keep my sanity
I waited patiently

Girl, you know it seems
My life is so complete
A love that’s true because of you
Keep doing what you do

Oh, oh, oh, oh, who’d think that I (Oh)
Have finally found the perfect love I searched for all
my life (Searched for all my life)
Oh, oh, oh, oh, who’d think I’d find
(Whoa…oh…oh…)
Such a perfect love that’s so right (Whoa, girl)

You rocked my world, you know you did (Come on, come
on, come on, come on)
And everything I own I give
The rarest love who’d think I’d find (Girl)
Someone like you to call mine (You rocked my world)

You rocked my world (You rocked my world), you know
you did
And everything I own I give (Girl, girl, girl)
The rarest love who’d think I’d find
Someone like you to call mine (Girl)

You rocked my world, you know you did (Oh)
And everything I own I give (You rocked my world)
The rarest love who’d think I’d find
Someone like you to call mine

You rocked my world (Oh…), you know you did
And everything I own I give (To rock my world)
The rarest love who’d think I’d find
Someone like you to call mine

Girl, I know that this is love
I felt the magic all in the air
And girl, I’ll never get enough
That’s why I always have to have you here, hoo

You rocked my world (You rocked my world), you know
you did
And everything I own I give (Look what you did to
me, baby, yeah)
The rarest love who’d think I’d find
Someone like you to call mine (You rocked my world)

You rocked my world, you know you did (Know you did,
baby)
And everything I own I give (‘Cause you rocked my
world)
The rarest love who’d think I’d find (Hoo, hoo)
Someone like you to call mine

(You rocked my world)
You rocked my world, you know you did
(The way you talk to me, the way you’re lovin’ me)
(The way you give it to me)

You rocked my world, you know you did
(Give it to me)
(Yeah, yeah, yeah…yeah…ooh)
You rocked my world (You rocked my world), you know
you did
(You rocked my world, you rocked my world)

(Come on, girl) You rocked my world (Come on, girl),
you know you did
(Baby, baby, baby)
And everything I own I give
The rarest love who’d think I’d find
Someone like you to call mine

You rocked my world, you know you did
And everything I own I give
The rarest love who’d think I’d find
Someone like you to call mine

Content:

Michael Jackson repeats these lyrics often in the song:

You rocked my world, you know you did

And everything I own I give

The rarest love who’d think I’d find

Someone like you to call mine.

I think the main point of the song is love. We all want to be loved and search for someone to love unconditionally. Once we find that special person we devote our time, energy, everything into that relationship. In our society today we seem to believe that happiness lies in finding the right person to love. We even use organizations like EHarmony to find the perfect or right person to date. However, we make the mistake of thinking that the right girl or guy will fulfill all our dreams and make us complete. This belief is found in the song as Michael sings “Girl, you know it seems my life is so complete, a love that’s true because of you, keep doing what you do.”   

Evaluation:

I really like the beat to the song; it makes you want to dance. The lyrics also reveal the love that a man has for a woman. When God created Adam, He said it was not good for man to be alone, so He created a woman for Adam (Genesis Chapter 2 verse 18). So there is the natural instinct for man to want to be in a relationship, and that is why we search for our one true love. Song of Solomon Chapter 8 verse 7 also says “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it.”Indeed, the whole book of Song of Solomon talks about the love a man and woman have for each other, just as Michael is crazy about this woman who rocks his world.  However nobody can make us feel complete as the song claims. Our ultimate completeness and happiness lies in having a personal relationship with Jesus, not with our boyfriends, girlfriends or spouses. When we put Jesus aside and expect too much from our relationships with our partners, it more often than not ends in breakups.

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