Character Analysis Of Leonard Shelby: Anterograde Amnesia
Leonard Shelby: Anterograde Amnesia
Leonard Shelby suffers from anterograde amnesia, after being struck on the back
of his head and left unconscious. Now, he can no longer create new memories and the last
thing he remembers clearly is the accident. Leonard relives the situation on many
occasions; a flash bulb memory. Leonard can remember the various sensations that went
on during that time, Such as the loud noise, her side of the bed being cold, and then
moment he shot the “killer” he witnessed strangling his wife, and then finally when he
was struck on the back of the head by the other man in the room, leaving him
unconscious. Leonard can recall the various sensations with all five senses of what went
on that moment until the …show more content…
Tattoos
One of his mnemonic devices consist of the tattoos he has all over his body such
as “John G. raped and killed my wife” and “Remember Sammy Jankis”. Whenever he
looks in the mirror or directly at them, they are there and he is reminded of the meaning
behind them.
Polaroid Pictures
Another system he uses is his Polaroid pictures. He carries them everywhere and
on each picture written in pen and all capital letters, he writes down what he needs to
know about that person or place; such as people’s names and how he knows them, and
whether they are trustworthy or not. Leonard also uses a map, that he keeps above his bed
in the hotel, as guide to get around town and to help jog his memory of certain things.
This can be compared to a cognitive map that also acts as an aid to latent learning; while
Leonard is viewing the map it helps him remember important things he had done earlier.
Misinformation Effect
The misinformation effect is a memory bias when misinformation effects one’s
reports or their own memory. There are multiple examples of this in Leonard’s
Leonard Shelby suffers from anterograde amnesia, after being struck on the back
of his head and left unconscious. Now, he can no longer create new memories and the last
thing he remembers clearly is the accident. Leonard relives the situation on many
occasions; a flash bulb memory. Leonard can remember the various sensations that went
on during that time, Such as the loud noise, her side of the bed being cold, and then
moment he shot the “killer” he witnessed strangling his wife, and then finally when he
was struck on the back of the head by the other man in the room, leaving him
unconscious. Leonard can recall the various sensations with all five senses of what went
on that moment until the …show more content…
Tattoos
One of his mnemonic devices consist of the tattoos he has all over his body such
as “John G. raped and killed my wife” and “Remember Sammy Jankis”. Whenever he
looks in the mirror or directly at them, they are there and he is reminded of the meaning
behind them.
Polaroid Pictures
Another system he uses is his Polaroid pictures. He carries them everywhere and
on each picture written in pen and all capital letters, he writes down what he needs to
know about that person or place; such as people’s names and how he knows them, and
whether they are trustworthy or not. Leonard also uses a map, that he keeps above his bed
in the hotel, as guide to get around town and to help jog his memory of certain things.
This can be compared to a cognitive map that also acts as an aid to latent learning; while
Leonard is viewing the map it helps him remember important things he had done earlier.
Misinformation Effect
The misinformation effect is a memory bias when misinformation effects one’s
reports or their own memory. There are multiple examples of this in Leonard’s