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The Shawshank Redemption Existentialism Essay

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The Shawshank Redemption Existentialism Essay
Through a critical analysis of two films, discuss how they explore philosophical issues.

During this essay, I will Identify and critically articulate basic philosophical concepts and themes in two films, one from the lecture programme and another of my choice. I will also undertake independent study using appropriate resources and summaries and communicate my findings.

Existentialism
A post second world war movement, mainly centered around artistic and creative intellectuals. A difficult concept to define if indeed concept is the correct term. Existentialism seems to come from the human nature and how individuals deal with there own existence, indeed one of the most famous questions which perhaps describes the movement is “if a tree falls but no one is there does it make a sound?” converting …show more content…
The story is based on two imprisoned men, Tim Robbins (Andy Dufresne) and Morgan Freeman (Ellis Redding ‘Red’) who bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.

A film dedicated to hope and the power of being able to accept the situation for now and regroup. One definition of redemption is “to make good, another to find salvation”. The character of Andy Dufresne does not need to follow this train of thought as we later discover him to be an innocent man.

Shawshank Redemption surly follows the Latin motto carpe diem, roughly translated as “seize the day” a motto Andy Dufresne certainly takes seriously. Sentenced to two life sentences for murders he did not commit he manages to go from rock bottom to the top of the tree in a world not meant for him. In the opening scene Andy is in court standing accused of murder “ill see you in hell, before I see you in Reno” the prosecution offers we are led to believe he is capable of the up most evil and would murder his wife rather than agree to a
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