The short story “Memento Mori” by Jonathan Nolan is the inspiration behind the film “Memento” by Christopher Nolan. Despite its unconventional reverse order, I am reading the short story for the first time as I have not seen the movie before. The story is initially narrated in a first person perspective with the narrator addressing someone as “you.” However, it becomes clear that this “you” is actually another character within the story, later identified as Earl – the protagonist. Earl writes letters to his future self in order to recall past events, upcoming ones, and make sense of his condition.
Earl’s wife was reportedly raped and murdered, and Earl is determined to seek revenge. The story suggests that revenge is the sole motivation for Earl, despite his condition of having no long-term memory. His life is divided into 10-15 minute intervals, after which he does not remember anything and relies on notes to guide him. The story includes a quote that captures this: “And in terms of the passing of time, that no longer applies to you, does it? Just those same ten minutes, repeated endlessly.”
Earl cannot forget or forgive the person who killed his wife, as he suffers from the inability to form new memories. His only fresh memory is of his wife’s death. Throughout the story, we witness Earl in different settings, starting with a hospital room where he relies on notes to navigate his surroundings. Later, he wakes up in another room to a warning note that reveals people are attempting to harm him.
The story centers on Earl, who is getting a tattoo at a tattoo parlor. The tattoo reads “I raped and killed your wife.” Earl communicates with himself using written notes instead of speaking. The story unfolds in reverse chronological order. In the last scene, Earl leaves what appears to be a crime scene, revealing that he has killed the man accountable for his wife’s death. However, Earl cannot remember this incident because he didn’t have enough time to find a pen and write down the memory.
The central theme of this film revolves around the significance of time. Earl, the main character, structures his life in 10-15 minute intervals to highlight the value of time. He crafts souvenirs to commemorate fleeting moments that will eventually fade away. To retain memories despite his memory loss condition, he employs tattoos for the most important experiences. These keepsakes aid him in achieving his objective of locating and eliminating the individual accountable for his spouse’s demise.
This brief narrative is a captivating portrayal of the significance of time and the memorable experiences that occur within it. The story’s title, when loosely translated, reminds us to not forget about our mortality. The author skillfully transforms this concept into a remarkable piece of literature. Personally, I have always believed that every individual yearns to truly embrace life, recognizing the value of each passing moment. This story seamlessly aligns with my belief system, reaffirming that we are indeed constantly striving to make the most of our existence, cherishing every significant instant.
Bronchitis: Asthma
What is bronchitis? Bronchitis is inflammation of the mucous membranes of the bronchi, the airways that carry air flow from the trachea to the lungs. This means, that it is the inflammation of the mucus producing layers on he bronchi. These layers are responsible for the protection of the bronchi. Bronchitis can be divided into two categories namely acute and chronic bronchitis. Acute and Chronic Bronchitis Acute and chronic bronchitis are the two types of bronchitis that exist both common in a sense that it has to do with the respiratory system.
These two types of bronchitis do not however have the same causes, symptoms and way of treatment. In acute bronchitis more mucus is excreted and in chronic bronchitis mucus is made by the respiratory tract. Characteristics and causes of bronchitis Acute bronchitis is characterized by the development of a cough, with or without the production of mucus. Acute bronchitis occurs during the course of an acute() viral illness, this includes the common cold or influenza( better known as flu).
Acute bronchitis is caused by a virus on the epithelium of the bronchi which may also cause inflammation to the body. Acute bronchitis develops during the cause of a respiratory infection such as the common cold or influenza (flu). 90% of flu is caused by viruses and 10% is caused by bacteria. Chronic bronchitis is a type of obstructive pulmonary disease, is characterized by the presence of an active cough that lasts for 3 months per year or more. Chronic bronchitis is caused due to continues injury to the airways for example the smoking of cigarettes, air pollution, etc.
Chronic bronchitis is caused by inflammation and swelling to the bronchial epithellium. This causes increased production of mucus which sometimes have a different colour due to the infected bronchi. The main trigger of chronic bronchitis is caused bey cigarette smoking. Other triggers include the inhalation of irritating fumes, dust and air pollution. Symptoms and treatment The first recognisable and common symptom of acute bronchitis is a developing cough. The cough normally start to get rid of excess mucus from the lungs.
Other symptoms include a sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion and fever. Treatment for acute bronchitis is the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. A way to prevent bronchitis is to stay clear surroundings that may be irritaing to the resperatory system. For chronic bronchitis, the main symptom is a persistent cough, other symptoms include wheezing and shortness of breath. This happens especially when exhaling. Chronic bronchitis is treated according to the symptom at hand. There is no general treatment, each symptom should be treated in its own way.
The Use Of Product Placement Within Recorded Visual Media
When producing a film budget is a huge factor to consider. Product placement can create a large amount of the films creative budget. Film has always been used as a form of entertainment but since the 1980’s product placement has become more of a regular occurrence within this media. (The Truman Show, 1998) is a great example of how product placement is used within a film. Within the first four minutes we are shown a great example of “faux placement” where a fake product, in this case DOGFANCY, is shown to us as a popular social magazine.
Within 30 seconds of this, Truman is forced against a poster advertising Free Range Kaiser Chicken by two of the shows cast. As (The Truman Show, 1998) isn’t a conventional film, instead a film where the story is one of a television show about one man and he is the only person who doesn’t know it is all fake. We as an audience are connected to the other members of the casts as we, like them, know that the whole situation that Truman is finding himself in is fake.
The cast members can get away with physically moving Truman into situations where his face is promoting different items, as the film is blatant about its product placement almost mocking the placement used within other films. Just nine minutes into the film and the audience encounters its third account of faux placement. This time Truman’s wife introduces a product known as a chef’s pal, “its a dicer, grater, peeler all in one, never needs sharpening! Dishwasher safe”. Not fifteen seconds goes by before Marlon (Truman’s best friend) is advertising yet another product to us. The Truman Show, 1998) is a wonderful example of just how much product placement goes into a film but, how, without blatant shots straight to the camera, a lot of them are just stored subliminally, causing the viewer to want or crave the item without them truly understanding why. After watching (The Truman Show, 1998) I began to notice product placement more in the films that I was watching. (Twilight, 2008) and the rest of the twilight saga must have a massive advertising deal with Volvo cars.
Every film contains their vehicles and there are even games within the Volvo website that took you through the town where the film is set. According to (http://www. theshiznit. co. uk/feature/top-10-worst-movies-for-product-placement. php) “The first ten minutes of Alex Proyas’ I, Robot contains more examples of product placement than any other film I’ve seen” The opening few scenes of the film include placement from Converse, Audi, JVC and FedEx. The Converse placement is the one that sticks out to me the most.
When Will Smith’s Characters granny asks what they are and he states the full product name and year of manufacture so that anyone who see’s them and wants them knows exactly what to buy. For (I, Robot, 2004) Audi redeveloped one of their own cars specifically for (I, Robot, 2004) the first time this had ever been done for a film. (I, Robot, 2004) wasn’t the first film to feature Audi cars. Audi has been advertising in major films for years, being the feature car in such films as “Ronin”, “Mission Impossible II” and “Transporter II” and most recently the Iron Man films.
With (I, Robot, 2004) getting over 55 million viewers Audi’s cars were exposed to approximately 1% of the world. This may sound like nothing but the film was seen in over 40 countries, this gave Audi a huge audience and a powerful advertising tool. I watch a large amount of films every year and have noticed that product placement is becoming a more prominent part in modern films. After looking at (I, Robot, 2004) I noticed that films that either star or are produced by Will Smith are saturated with product placement from start to finish. I Am Legend, 2007) Three minutes into the film, after being shown around a wasteland of a city with everything rusting or falling apart, a brand new shiny muscle car comes into shot. Within a few seconds it becomes apparent that it is a Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500 SVT. A car that was only just being released at the same time as the film came out, what more could a car manufacturer ask for than the first few minutes of a Hollywood blockbuster showcasing just what their brand new car can do.
As soon as the car has left the screen we are shown the “ever so subtle” McDonalds M along with massive billboards advertising Wicked the Musical and Q magazine. But the piece of product placement that I notice the most is when Will Smith’s character has (Shrek, 2001) on the TV and is reciting the lines. This film wasn’t even produced by the same company that was producing (I Am Legend, 2007) they had paid a very large sum of money to get their film, their