Effective Listening and Presentation Aids Essay
Select one film (from the listing below) to write a 500 to 750 word essay
Based on your film selection, write an essay that includes a discussion of the following:
- Examples of good and bad listening behaviors evident throughout the film.
- Use concepts and terms from the readings when describing each character’s listening behavior.
- Develop a plan for each of the main characters to improve her or his listening behavior.
- Mention at least three effective or ineffective uses of presentation aids in the film and include how they were effective or ineffective.
This essay should satisfy APA 6th edition formatting standards that include a title page, double spacing, and using Times New Roman size 12 font.
Review the Purdue Online Writing Lab’s guidelines on APA style for more information using APA style.
Film List:
Gone Girl, Unbroken, The Theory of Everything, The Judge, The Pledge, The Happening, Crash, First Wives ,Club, Pay It, Forward Steel, Magnolias, Stand by Me, Set It Off, My Big Fat, Greek Wedding, First Monday in October, The Great Debate, 12 Angry Men, You Again, The Preacher’s Wife, Listen to Me, The Bone Collector, What Dreams May Come, Righteous Kill, Darkest Hour, The Commuter, The Greatest Showman, The Post, The Hitman′s Bodyguard, Father Figures Downsizing.
Analysis of “The Pledge” by Sean Penn
In Sean Penn’s “The Pledge”, the brutal rape and murder of a 7-year old girl obsesses Jerry Black. Jerry Black’s retirement party as a cop is interrupted by these sad news, and he leaves to investigate/ visit the murder scene (Sean, 2012). The obsessed cop is unable to let the case go, and pledges to find the killer. However, Jerry’s determination has unforeseen consequences.
In the film, there are several instances of good and bad listening behaviors exhibited by the characters. Good listening behavior is seen through Jerry’s attentiveness during his retirement party, when he hears noise and knows something is wrong (Sean, 2012). He is right for it turns out that a young girl has been raped and killed. Another instance of good listening behavior is evidenced by Patricia Clarkson, the mother to the murdered girl. Her way of asking Jerry to vow to have the killer apprehended shows that she is keen when Jerry is emotionally reporting the awful news. Sean Penn also calms down Jerry, and makes Jerry stop disruptive mannerisms.
Instances of bad listening behavior are also evidenced in Sean Penn’s “The Pledge”. In the film, profane and crude language is heavily used; the “f-word” used ten times and the name of Lord abused 15 times. A good example of bad listening behavior is seen through Eckhart and Shepard when they misinterpret Jerry’s Pledge and associate it with mental disturbance (Sean, 2012). In the past, Jerry is seen to have been full of mannerisms, whose listening skills were both inappropriate and appropriate. Another example of bad listening skills in the film is seen in Jerry’s embarrassment when Helen Mirren, the doctor asks him psychological questions; this turns Jerry on to a point of speaking volumes out of embarrassment.
In response to the various characters bad listening behavior, a plan of action has to be developed. In the case of Eckhart and Shepard’s misinterpretation of Jerry’s Pledge, it is good to be calm and avoid interrupting other people by not imposing personal solutions. To Jerry’s mannerisms which were turning out as a distraction, he needs to be relaxed and of open mind; to hint to other people’s opinions too (Sean, 2012). Jerry’s embarrassment feeling when talking to a doctor is also a concern, and in this case Jerry should face the doctor and maintain a strong eye contact to understand her real aim before response.
Presentation aids are also used in Sean Penn’s “The Pledge.” But, has Sean Penn effectively or ineffectively used presentation aids in the film? This film is beautiful, haunting, and unsparingly bleak; an implication that Sean Penn effectively uses presentation aids. Presentation aids in the film effectively reflect the relevance of dialogue (Sean, 2012). The main examples of effective use of presentation aids in “The Pledge” include: Ginny drawing a picture of her murderer as a friendly giant “The Wizard”, Jerry building a visual territorial profile, and the presentation showing that the murder of the child happened in a triangle of local townships (Sean, 2012). In analysis, these presentation aids indicate that the murderer works within a geographic Trinity, and this is why Jerry goes “fishing” in the triangle.
In conclusion, Sean Penn’s “The Pledge” is seeking for justice. In the film, Jerry Black pledges to apprehend the young girl’s killer. While the film has many characters, dialogue has to some been important and to others unimportant. In such a film, good listening behavior should be upheld in order to help the cop fulfil his pledge. However, Jerry’s determination to find the killer ends with uncalled for circumstances.
References
Sean, P. (Director). (2012). The Pledge. Retrieved September 29, 2019, from https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-pledge-2001