The film The Paper Chase is based on a novel by John Jay Osborn Jr.

which the author

wrote while he was studying law. The story revolves around a first year Harvard Law School
student named Hart and his experience in Kingsfield’s class. Kingsfield is the most talked and
feared professors in the university as showed when Hart mentioned in the film that stories about
Kingsfield are always the topic in conversations of law students all over campus and the reason
why the screamer in the dormitory behaves in such way. It is no secret to law students that they
are bound to meet different versions of Kingsfield as study law. Some may meet a stricter version
of Kingsfield, kinder version or interestingly a funnier version, although they are different all of
them possess a common goal which is to motivate their students to become the better versions of
themselves.
In the beginning, Hart is depicted as a naïve first year student. In the first meeting, he failed
to recite a case, vomited in the comfort room, went to the library and joined a study group. Just
like many students, Hart went to the 5 Stages of Grief-Law School edition. The first stage is Denial,
students continue to believe that everything is okay and that nothing bad has happened. On the
first day, Hart was called out of many students and unfortunately, he was not aware of any
assignments that have been posted. The good thing with Hart is that he did not dwell to much on
the denial stage but on the second stage. Anger, the stage where you cannot control your denial
and you are frustrated, and you start reliving your performance. Anger may manifest itself as
ripping up your notes, verbally lashing out at your sibling who just want to tell you that it is time
to eat, or in my case cutting my hair. In Hart’s case, he could not help himself but to unleash his
anger to a woman he walked with and to the same woman while they were going out. Bargaining,
bargaining is the constant questioning how you can remedy your failure. In the movie, Hart joined
a study group with six members hoping they will give him help each other out until finals, Hart
went to the library to look for notes written by Kingsfield, and during the finals Hart and his friend
went to a hotel to stay for finals. Other form of bargaining is the constant prayers we speak out to
God. We promise that we will do great next time, just do not let you get called for the recitation
today. The Bargaining Stage is humorous if we are going to look back all the bargaining we did.
The 4th stage is the most feared stage, depression. Depression, the stage is distinguished by an
intense despondency and withdrawal from normally enjoyable activities. The stage where you lose
all motivation you have in going to law school. After getting so much behind from lessons, cases,
and bad recitations, you have no idea what to do and you feel numb about everything. Some
students have different experience in the depression stage, some never went there at all. In the
movie, the one who went the depression stage is Mr. Brooks. Mr. Brooks had a photographic
memory that I bet every law student wishes to possess, a lovely wife to come home to, and a great
place to live. Although Mr. Brooks have all of these, he went to the depression stage and it was so
bad he tried to kill himself even if he has a baby on the way. Law school is hard. Your mind is not
the only thing that will be put on test every day but your emotional, mental, and physical being
will too. In the movie, Mr. Brooks decided to leave the school and I have classmates who did the
same thing and it is sad to see them go. I always give letters to my classmates who left school but
sometimes I feel like I am a hypocrite because I do not think they need a letter from a student who
is also struggling in law school. My friend would share her opinions to me that she sometimes sees
those people as weak and easy to give up because we are in the same page in law school and she
haven’t given up yet. I am hoping that no one will go to this stage but if somebody has, I hope
that those people who never went this stage will not judge them. Contrary to the popular opinion,
students were never in the same page. Not every one has a lawyer in the family, not every one lives
in comfort, not every one has a healthy self-esteem, and not every one is equipped with quick
adaptability skills. We can only understand those who are panicking, grade conscious students
because we do not know their stories and the things they put at risk and on hold just to be in law
school. The last stage that every one will go through is the Acceptance. My favorite scene in the
movie is where Hart made a paper airplane out of a letter that has his grades on it. I was very proud
of him in finally entering the final stage. In the acceptance stage, we commit to moving on,
however that may be done. To accept and move on from your exam grief, recitation grief, so you
may resolve to study harder for the next day. Law school is a four-year battle with yourself. In
this, battle you will learn a lot from your fallen soldiers, medics, captain, and co-soldiers in law
school.