Compare/Contrast Essay

Mihir Gokal
Comforting and accepting a person for who they truly are, regardless any
disabilities can change their life dramatically. In this essay I will be contrasting the
significant messages of the two movies: Radio and The Soloist. In addition, I will be
also discussing about the setting and the conflict, that relate back to the messages.
Even with two powerful messages, one is superior to the other.
At the end of the movie Radio, we learned that the message of the movie was to
accept any person regardless of their disabilities, race, gender, etc When James was
included to the school/community and many events, such as the football game, he
found a place where he belonged which made him feel joyful. This magnificent movie
took place at a high school in a small town in South Carolina. This is where James first
found the field where the school team played football. The secondary setting took place
in James and Coach Jones houses. Whereas the year was 1976, and the seasons
changed as time progressed. The main conflict of this movie was that no one in the
society ever accepted or included James, because he had a mental disability. He was
avoided by many people on the streets because of how strangely he acted. Another
dilemma was that James mother died from a heart attack, which led him into a nervous
breakdown, where he would not talk to anyone and felt better by left alone. This film
portrayed the message and the setting effectively and displayed a strong conflict that
we reflect on in our daily lives.

The Soloist, another marvelous film, was about a newspaper reporter, Steve,
who was trying to help Nathaniel, a homeless musician, who had mental problems. At
the end of this film, it was perceived that the message of this movie was to be
someones friend. Comforting them will help the person by giving a sense of belonging
and trust. Steve has demonstrated this when he was at Nathaniels side, where
Nathaniel felt compassion. Another moral was, that not everything can be solved in life,
but by being there for them will suffice. Even though Steve couldnt cure Nathaniels
disease, his presence gave him warmth. The Soloist took place in Los Angeles and it
was in the early 21st Century. Steve worked at the office of Los Angeles Times and
Nathaniel lived in a Lamp community. Not only did Nathaniel play the cello/violin in the
lamp, but also in the streets of Los Angeles and at the auditorium. The conflict of this
film was that Nathaniel has received an incurable disease called schizophrenia. Similar
to the film Radio, Nathaniel had a mental problem and no one really accepted him for
who he was; he never felt a true sense of belongingness. Instead, he wandered around
and played at the citys streets. It is harsh to not solve a problem, but at least you still
feel somewhat accomplished by resolving it partially.
In this essay we have discussed the authors message, conflict and the setting of
these two incredible movies. The Soloist portrayed an important message: by being
someones friend can impact the person a lot. Although The Soloist had a powerful
message, I believed that the film Radio displayed an even more remarkable message
because when everyone accepts and understands you even if theyre arent their friend,
will make a person more joyful than just getting comfort.