Thanks to the COM352 students for contributing a bunch of new pages! I'll be moving these pages into the main area of the wiki soon.

From UMassWiki

The Wall is a film based on the infamous CD of the same name, created and carried to fame by Pink Floyd. Although created specifically to chronicle the struggles and endeavors of Pink Floyd’s own members, this film has certain themes and overall feelings that are relevant to any life. This film can correlate with my own experiences in several ways. The first theme that is easily applicable to my own life and perhaps any other is that of isolation. At the beginning of the film, the character, dubbed Pink and allegedly based off of Pink Floyd’s own Roger Waters, is seen alone in his room, watching TV in a daze and seemingly disconnected from the world. His solitude is emphasized by the quick close ups of his face, detailing the agony of his loneliness and his own inner turmoil. This isolation is something I went through first hand, perhaps if not as strong. At my arrival to UMass, and for a period of a day or so afterwards, there were certain times that I felt isolated and alone. When suddenly submerged in unfamiliar territory indefinitely, and surrounded by strangers, no doubt as alone and confused as oneself but no less comforting as such, it becomes easy to withdraw and feel like an island. This feeling, at least in my own case, dissipated after I walked into a few open doors, dispensed with a few introductions, and generally opened myself up to my new environment and accepted my new lot in life, which I now see is not such a terrible one. Whereas the isolation Pink feels is from society as a whole, my own sense of isolation was generated from anxiety and a fear of change. These superficial antagonists can be quickly banished, while Pink himself has been conditioned through unfortunate circumstances to live his life under a constant state of this crippling solitude. The next theme I easily identify with is that of rebellion, as illustrated by the scenes showing the rioters, washing like waves across the screen. I, as a somewhat stereotypical and easily categorized “teen,” have felt such feelings within myself. Although we as the audience are not permitted to see the reason these urban rebels are rioting, we can see through their craze and determination that they believe in whatever it is that drives them. I also believe in certain things, first among them the drive to do what it is that I want to do, and not what it has been deemed necessary for me to do. In the scene showing the children moving along the factory lines, as if school has conditioned them into nothing more than societal byproducts, I was imparted an overwhelming sense of futility. School, we are told, is an institution designed to prepare us for the rigors of life. However, it can often appear, especially to rebellious young teens, that school has become nothing more than the device of our modern culture to turn us into the robots we are needed to be. Unfortunately, in a world where school is commonplace and dissent against its principles can often seem like needlessly wasted energy, these types of feelings are often quelled and even, eventually, forgotten. The power of this film is that this theme of rebelliousness and, when necessary, chaotic change is not merely forgotten, but instead held aloft like a banner and followed through to the end. I also believe that this applies to me, because very rarely do I get a thought in my head that I forsake simply for the good or convenience of someone else. When one digs even slightly deeper than what is presented, lines can be drawn from any aspect of life to any literary work or artistic development. The Wall is just such an example. While clearly created under different circumstances and made to tell a different story than my own, I feel that parallels can be drawn from it. Any creation, whether developed by an author, a musician or a director, is created because it illustrates things important to its creator. In today’s world, something of such importance to one citizen will most surely ring true to another individual. That is what makes this assignment possible, and also what makes a major like Communication, my chosen field, relevant.