Gregory Peck

In the article The Female Voice in To Kill a Mockingbird: Narrative Strategies in Film and Novel, Dean Shackleford (Winter 1996) compares To Kill a Mockingbird with its film version. Shackleford argues that “That the film shifts perspectives from the book’s primary concern with the female protagonist and her perceptions to the male father figure and the adult male world is noteworthy”. The article begins with a passage from the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee with Aunt Alexandra…

nearly 30 year difference, racial segregation was dominant in the South. Lee hoped that readers would read the book, and aspire to be like Atticus Finch. “...the [film] character of Atticus became forever entwined with the actor who portrayed him, Gregory Peck. But whether you first encountered him on page or on screen, Atticus was unforgettable — a modest man of great integrity, he managed to impart his wisdom without being too preachy,” (npr.org). Atticus has undoubtedly impacted the civil…

O’clock High which was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by Henry King. The film was based on the United States Army’s, Eighth Air Force and its hard-nosed commander Brigadier General (BG) Frank Savage, played by the movies lead actor, Gregory Peck. Peck’s character, BG Savage, was portrayed as a hard charging, do or die pilot and commander that demanded absolute adherence to discipline and one hundred percent effort through mission accomplishment or death. The fictional Eighth Air Force…

Models of Relationship Growth in a Roman Holiday Scholars have conducted several models that explain and demonstrate the development of relationships. These models can be applied and demonstrated in several movies including the 1953 classic, Roman Holiday. The film portrays the life of a young princess who decides to escape her life of royalty and spend a day amongst the people of Rome, where she falls in love with an American journalist. While observing the film, three models of relationship…

Back in high school, I remember the year our teacher required us to read To Kill a Mockingbird. I heard about this a book a few years earlier when my older brother had to read it, and thought, why is this book so important that kids all over the United States are forced to read it? I found the book to be a whimsical but unsettling story of childhood innocence lost, and an illustration of racism still deeply rooted in the South during the Depression. Considering the impact the book had, it was…

In 1992, Billy Wilder’s 1944 film Double Indemnity was preserved by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” It is clear that the film has had a major impact in cinema but it was created to protest Los Angeles but suffered many hurdles to complete. However, Double Indemnity would effectively jump start the noir movement and influence cinema to this day. When Double Indemnity was first played in theaters audiences and critics reacted in shock…

The Day I lost My Hero Today is the day, November 22, 1963, the day I finally get to see my hero, John F. Kennedy, and his wife Jackie. My mom had promised me that she would take me to witness him pass in the parade as soon as she finished the dishes. I peeled back my blinds to reveal a perfect day in Texas; the sun was shining and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I leaped out of my bed and went straight to my closet. I want the president to see me in my very best clothes. I slipped my very…

A Descendant of Robert E. Lee and the youngest child of Amasa Coleman Lee, an attorney and a newspaper editor, and Frances Finch Lee, a pianist, Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926. Harper Lee grew up in a very tiny southwestern Alabama town of Monroeville where her best friend, whom she enjoyed her presence, was the pre-pubescent Truman Capote who provided the basics of the character of Dill in her novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”. As a child, Lee was a tomboy, having developed certain…

Michael Jordan the American Icon What makes a person an American Icon? Someone who is admired, well-known and represents some aspect of American society? When thinking of an American Icon who better to come to mind, other than Michael Jordan? Michael Jordan is the exact definition of an American Icon. He is well-known for his performance as a former American professional basketball player by young and old generations. Children all over have grown up watching Michael Jordan with his incredible…

Visual Learning and Literature Throughout history, literature has always been a gateway for people to expand their knowledge and their imaginations. However, some pieces of literature are hard to understand, no matter how high your reading comprehension, there are important pieces that may be missing from their understanding. Meaning, one could only just be scratching the surface of a piece of literature. Therefore, one cannot simply read something, one has to immerse themselves in the…