Reflection Paper on the Movie Cinderella Man

Elena Oh Table of Contents Cinderella Man.......................................................................................................................4 Case Studies ...........................................................................................................................4 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................5

Elena Oh Outline I. Introduction II. Cinderella Man A. Candy B. Chocolate III. Conclusion

Elena Oh Elena Oh Miss Brown U.S. History 25 January 2011 Reflection Paper on the Movie Cinderella Man Cinderella Man

The movie Cinderella Man successfully displays the life of American citizens during the time of the Great Depression. The main character James Braddock who has a wife and three children feels the weight and liability to sustain his family financially. However, since James is living in the era of great economic crisis, he finds it rather difficult to find jobs even in factories for a low pay. As a result James finds a way of living by becoming a washed up boxer sponsored by a guy named Joe Gould. Trying hard to become successful in his career of boxing, James eventually becomes a champion. This event inspires other Americans who had lost hopes to find a string of light in their lives and gives back hopes during the tragic era. Case Studies The era of Great Depression, which lasted for about fifteen years, made the conditions of the United States tragic and hopeless. By accounting this movie, the audiences can have a full understanding of how Americans lived during this period and can feel the desperate desire of them endlessly searching a way out of this tragedy. Living in the United States during this period must have been harsh and this is clearly displayed by James in a town named Hooverville. His desperate search for job and endless hard work to achieve success in a rather helpless situation shows the hope and gives clue on how Americans did not give up to better themselves and their own country.
student 8/22/11 10:56 PM
Comment: How did he specifically become a champion?

student 8/22/11 10:57 PM

Comment: When exactly was the Great Depression? Some people may not know.

Elena Oh Conclusion

I, personally, could have never lived in the state of Great Depression, facing all the adversity that had to come and burdens I have to carry. If I was in a situation of James and had to be the man to support his family, I would have much likely gave up my life and faced the complete failure. Living in a harsh condition definitely would have not been easy since more competition and racism. However, by portraying a positive and hopeful aspect that existed despite the desperate state, the movie had a significant impact on my current life. Although I did learn about great tragedies that occurred throughout the history of the world, I never related those events to my own. However, by actually experiencing the probably harshest era in the United States by being in Jamess foot while watching the movie, it actually gave me a time to look back and change. All the things I am going through in my current state is nothing like what James was going through during the Great Depression and by making the movie real and accurate, I could have a better understanding and hope to realize that if I, too, work diligently and not give up in my hardship, will eventually end up becoming a successful leader and a symbol of hope for others. If this movie was to be made during 1930s and was shown to the Americans living in through the Great Depression, it would have acted as the symbol of hope like how the Empire State Building of the United States played to be when it was built. Significant figures like James in history also gives hope to people living today who are going through their own adversities such as economic difficulty or even countries facing disasters.

Elena Oh References Ritter, L. (2007). Conducting online surveys. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Zikman, W. (2003). Business research methods. Boston, MA: South-Western College.