An Analysis Film of Gifted Hand

An Analysis of a Film

 “Gifted Hand”

To Fulfill one of the tasks of Literature

Lecturer: Dr. Johanes Ananto Prayogo, M.Pd, M.Ed

By

Moh. Fahrudin

100221509480

STATE UNIVERSITY OF MALANG

GRADUATE PROGRAM IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

JUNE 2012

An Analysis of a Film

 “Gifted Hand”

Directed by	Thomas Carter
Produced by	Lomas Carter
Written by	John Pielmeier

1.      Setting

Setting of Place                        : John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore Maryland US, Ulm West Germany

Setting of Time                      : 1987, back to 1961-1987

A Socio-cultural Setting          : A modern life in metropolitan city. Many people have modern jobs such as teacher, lecture, doctor, nurse, etc.

2.      Character and Characterization

Main Character                     :

Dr. Ben Carson: He is a neurosurgeon of John Hopkins Hospital.

Supporting Character          : 

Sonya Carson: She is Ben’s mother. She is a single parent who accompany Ben Carson. She educates, advises, prays Ben.

Candy Carson: She is Bennie’s girlfriend/Ben’s wife. She is loyal and patient.

Curtis. Ben’s older brother,

Peter and Augusta Rausch. A couple from Germany whose baby is twin and need treatment from neurosurgeon.

3.      Plot

Exposition      : This story starts with a boy, unknown and unpopular in his school. He grows up with his brother and mother. His Mother taught them to lead a good christian life, to be polite and educated them. One day Bennie tells his mother ‘I want to be a Doctor’. And she always told him that he can do the same as others but should do better than them.

Complication: Then for some reason Ben’s mother became sad, maybe because she was afraid about their future, she said: “I do not know how to read, I am a single mother”. But her encouragement was more than what was needed. She learned to read, and she was always very proud of her sons

Falling Action: In his hopeless condition,  

Resolusion      : Bennie had been working hard to pursue his dream (becoming a Doctor). He was the best student, he was an example of patience, He did overcome his fears. When he got to work in a hospital, he found many problems, maybe impossible to resolve for even his partners.

4.      Point of View: First-Person Point of  View (Limited Omniscient)

  The narrator/story teller is the doer of the story.

5.      Symbol     : Gifted Hand symbolized the struggling of life to reach the obsession to become doctor. Young Ben Carson didn't have much of a chance. Growing up in a broken home amongst poverty and prejudice, it symbolized real life of black Americans  His grades suffered and his temper flared, especially when the teacher failed his first rank in the class and changed with white American student, it symbolized racialism that still happened there. And yet, his mother never lost her faith in him. Insisting he follow the opportunities she never had, she helped to grow his imagination, intelligence and, most importantly, his belief in himself. It symbolized the real loving mother. That faith would be his gift, the thing that would drive him to follow his dream of becoming one of the world's leading neurosurgeons. He did not want to leave the opportunity to glorify Jesus’s name, symbolized religious person, always believe in God.

6.      Tone                     : Touching and deep compassion

7.      Theme                  : A Neurosurgeon Life

8.      Moral values        :                      

1.      Be optimist to face any condition of life, don’t be pessimist. Although, we have limited condition such as broken home family, with hardworking and parent’s support we can get success. We can do the same as others but should do better than them.

2.      Everything in the world is possible, even in most difficult one, such as an operation by a neurosurgeon.

3.      Hold the religion values well, like be polite, discipline, respect and educated. One day Bennie tells  his mother ‘I want to be a Doctor’. And she always told him that he can do the same as others but should do better than them.

4.      Believe and trust in God deeply will help us success. Don’t forget to God

5.      Be kindhearted person who shares love with others.

6.      Be good parents who take care our children totally full of love.

9.      Comment             : This story is written based on the true experience.

It is very important for everyone to achieve their success by self-confident and hard-working   and it is also valuable for everyone building their good personality and character. We have to be able to learn to be optimist, responsible and well-trusted people. Believe in God deeply will help us success.

10. Synopsis

The movie begins in present day 1987, where Dr. Ben Carson (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) goes to Germany to visit a couple named Peter and Augusta Rausch, who have twins conjoined at the head. Ben knows that chances of saving them both will be at risk, because one baby always dies in situations like that. Ben agrees to do the operation, but he will wait four months so he can come up with a plan to save them both. While looking into some of his books, the movie flashes back to the year 1961, where 11 year old Ben Carson (Jaishon Fisher) starts out life as an African American child from a one-parent home with failing grades at school. Ben has an older brother named Curtis. His mother, who dropped out in the third grade, starts making decisions for him. When her boys need to learn multiplication tables, she has them swear to learn them while she is gone to check herself into a mental institution. When she sees her two sons' success hindered by TV, she schedules timings to watch tv, boys show great interest in watching only a quiz show later on and commands them to read two books per week from the library and give her a book report, she also moves them to better schools.

Meanwhile as time passes, Ben learns how to multiply and to spell. He starts to explore the world of books, and he grows in it. He begins to show a temper; Ben almost hits his mom with a hammer while arguing with her about what pants he should wear for school and almost kills his best friend as a teenager. His friend was saved as the knife that he used to stab him broke when it hit the buckle of his belt.

Having almost killed someone because of his temper, he realizes that he can't do anything about it. He runs to his room and cries out to God, praying that He delivers him from his temper.

He becomes the top student in his eighth grade class, third in his high school class and with hard work and strong determination, he got a scholarship to college, passed the MCAT and went on to medical school. He meets his girlfriend Candy, whom he falls in love with. One day, when he struggles with a test study, she helps him out and Ben eventually passes and gets an A.

In the year 1976, Carson faced adversity from fellow doctors and students while working at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. It is here where he performed an operation as a resident without supervision, risking his medical career to save a man's life. Then in the year of 1985, he saves the life of a girl who has seizures 100 times a day, by removing only half of her brain that was responsible for seizures, procedure called 'hemispherectomy". Candy later becomes pregnant with twins, but loses the babies from a bloody miscarriage. Ben's mother later moves in with the family.

Then the movie goes back to where it began: the year of 1987. Ben is eventually convinced to operate on the two twins, and he manages to make the operation successful, and both twins are saved.

Cast

Role	Cast	Notes
Benjamin "Bennie" Carson	Cuba Gooding Jr.	Lead role
Sonya Carson	Kimberly Elise	Benjamin's mother
Candy Carson	Aunjanue Ellis	Bennie's girlfriend/wife
Teen Bennie	Gus Hoffman	Teenage Ben Carson
Bennie	Jaishon Fisher	Young Ben Carson