Love
With love, the protagonist Michael, found the meaning of life, and what is truly important in life – that is, family and friends. When you have something you truly cherish and care for… suddenly you will find a purpose to live for, and something to fight for. When he was young, Michael was forcibly taken from his mother. Since then, he was brought up in an environment where love and comfort were essentially absent. He felt isolated and lonely. He never felt the warmth a family and a home should have brought him. He lived his life in darkness, unable to open him up to society, to the world. However, everything started to change one night when he was kindly accepted into the Tuohy family. All the love he received from every member of that family gave him immense strength. He was able to get back onto his feet and be somebody once again. The Michael we saw then became someone friendly and outgoing, someone who was not afraid to undertake challenges, and most importantly, someone who had found his place in the world. In my opinion, this miraculous transformation was all due to the power of love. Michael did all this just from a bit of love and support from those he loves. Love is truly a wonderful thing. Must thank God for giving us the ability to love! ^^
Courage
Just like love, courage can make one do extraordinary things. Michael used to be a poor teenager who had nowhere to sleep and only owned one T –Shirt and two pairs of shorts. However, with courage and determination, he went on to be one of the most inspiring football stars ever. He struggled through all circumstances he was placed into; he trudged through so much pain, tears and setbacks. Yet, he never gave up. He kept going, even when his life was at brink of destruction. I think his perseverance on the football field, in his studies and in life in general, is all worth us learning from.
Appreciation
I remember vividly a heart-wrenching scene of when Michael first got his room in his new home. When he walked into the room, he exclaimed in a soft voice ‘I’ve never had one before…’ The mother (Sandra Bullock’s character) hearing that, turned around and asked ‘What? A room of your own?’ ‘No a Bed’ Michael replied back. At that moment, I could tell the whole audience was feeling the same as Sandra Bullock - sadness, shock, pity and sympathy filled her heart. My eyes became teary just like that, just like the mother. It was all too much for Sandra Bullock, she after hearing that immediately dashed into her room fearing that she would break down in front of Michael. Michael had nothing; he had literally, only the clothes on his back before he met the Tuohys. Yet he still triumphed through each day. Thus, no matter how hard things become, we must always have faith, and just do our best with what we have. There are so many people less fortunate than we are, and yet sometimes we still complain about what we don't have. Appreciation goes a long way. The world will be a much happier place if we all learn to appreciate and share with others what we have. Society is inherently unfair, and a bit of love, compassion, empathy, and selflessness can make this world a warmer place to be in for everyone. It will give hope to those who have none.
Equality
When Sandra Bullock’s character firmly and angrily remarked to her friends: ‘Shame on you!’ as they expressed disgust at her adopting ‘A black boy’ Michael into her home, I wanted to jump up from my seat and clap in approval. It’s saddening and frustrating to think that society has set up its own prejudices and stereotypes. Discrimination runs wild, and most times without barriers to stop it. When people make comments about others, did they ever think about the other party’s feelings? Did they ever think about just how hurtful their actions and words are? Sometimes we are so into believing what society is implying, that we never stop to think just how immoral our beliefs are. Thus, kudos to Sandra Bullock’s character for standing up for what’s right, for giving others a lesson they should have learnt long ago. No one should live with a shadow over his or her head. All I want to say to people like Michael out there is: hold your head high and do not be frightened! You’re just as valuable and deserving of respect than everyone else on this planet! Be strong!
