A Sociological Look At Jaws Essays - Film, Fiction, Entertainment

A Sociological Look At Jaws The movie I choose to review was Jaws, which is one of my favorites and a timeless classic. A traditional story about man against beast takes place on an island that depends on its summer tourist business. When the summer season in threatened by a series of shark attacks three men are sent out to track down a great white shark. The three main (human) characters are Brody (Roy Scheider), the police chief, who came to the island from New York looking, so he thought, for a change from the fears of the city. There's Quint (Robert Shaw), a caricature of the crusty old seafaring salt, who has a very personal reason for hating sharks. And there's Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), the rich kid turned oceanographer, who knows best of all what a shark can do to a man, and yet is willing to get into the water with one The movie starts just before the summer boom with a girl running out in to the ocean for a midnight dip. She is undoubtedly attacked by a shark and when she is found on the beach the next morning the town officials dismiss the find as a boating accident. Chief Brody who is not convinced of that is was a boating accident fears it was a shark attack. With the safety of not only the islanders but also the coming tourist crowds Brody tries to close the island off the tourists until the problem is solved. The Mayor sensing what Brody is up to stops the Chief from cutting off the islands only means of income. The Mayor tells Brody that no one is sure what happened to the girl and no decision like this can be made with the evidence at hand. Brody unwillingly agrees. When there is another attack, this time on a small child and in broad daylight, a meeting is called to discuss what to do about the islands problem. The Chief decides t call the mainland for help but being an island of fishermen the locals have only on thing on their minds. This is where we get to meet Quint. Quint is convinced that the only way to solve the problem is to hunt it down. He offers his services, for a nominal fee of course. In the end the Mayor decides that the best way to deal with the problem is by offering a reward to anyone who catches the shark. In comes Hooper. He arrives just in time to see the parade of fishermen cast off in any thing thatll float in hopes of catching the prize shark. With chaos erupting all around Hooper asks to see the first victim. In studying the victim Hooper discovers that she definitely did not have a boating accident and that it was a shark much larger than any he has seen before. Down at the docks someone does manage I to reel in an impressive sized tiger shark. While everyone is giving out pats on the back Hooper is the one that finds out that the wrong shark has been caught. He states that while this species has attacked humans and is foreign to these waters the bite radius doesnt match up to the first victim. Being an outsider no one is inclined to listen to Hooper. To proven his point Hooper and Brody sneak down to the docks to cut open the shark. Among many strange findings none are human remains. This piques Hoopers curiosity and he drags Brody (who is afraid of boats and water) out on his boat to see what they can find in the waters surrounding the island. They come across a boat wreck and upon closer inspection they discover that the wreck is the work of the sought after shark. With the evidence theyve uncovered Hooper and Brody go to the Mayor and demand he shut down the beaches. With no physical evidence that the wrong shark has been caught the Mayor decides to open the beaches for the 4th of July. The 4th of July is a bright and sunny day but no one is going in the water. The Mayor, fearing the worst, coaxes on of his friends to make the

Free Essays on The Tragic Accident

came out. The next thing I knew we were on our way to the hospital in silence. Different thoughts were running over and over in my head. At that time I wished I my head would explode so I did not have to think anymore. For living only two blocks from the hospital it seemed like it took and eternity to get there. Finally we were at the hospital. The ambulance was parked in the emergency circle. Dying inside with horrific thoughts, I tried to gasp for air as I saw them bring in the emergency helicopter. After a sudden breeze I rushed inside with my sister. Chris, one of my younger sisters, was lying on the emergency bed with tears rolling down her eyes. She was strapped in like a wild animal that could not be controlled. She had two broken ribs; her collarbone was also broken. Since she had been unconscious they wanted her to lie there until further notice. I could not take looking at her cuts and the scratches anymore. I stood in the hall thinking to myself â€Å"What should I do† So I tried to get a hold of my mom for the hundredth time. Then all of sudden my dad and my grandparents... Free Essays on The Tragic Accident Free Essays on The Tragic Accident The Tragic Accident December 15, 2002 was the most terrifying day that I had ever been through. You don’t realize how much your family means to until something tragic happens to them. While sitting in my driveway listening to the sound of the frightful ambulance, something told me not to follow it. I sat in my car and started to think about different things like life, my family, and friends. Then I decided to turn my car off and go inside. My sister and nephew were at the door waiting to greet me. They were watching my younger brother while my mom took a night out. Ten minutes into our conversation the phone rang. Trin, my older sister answered it very quickly. While talking she turned towards me with a very pale look in her eyes and all of a sudden her mouth dropped, no words came out. The next thing I knew we were on our way to the hospital in silence. Different thoughts were running over and over in my head. At that time I wished I my head would explode so I did not have to think anymore. For living only two blocks from the hospital it seemed like it took and eternity to get there. Finally we were at the hospital. The ambulance was parked in the emergency circle. Dying inside with horrific thoughts, I tried to gasp for air as I saw them bring in the emergency helicopter. After a sudden breeze I rushed inside with my sister. Chris, one of my younger sisters, was lying on the emergency bed with tears rolling down her eyes. She was strapped in like a wild animal that could not be controlled. She had two broken ribs; her collarbone was also broken. Since she had been unconscious they wanted her to lie there until further notice. I could not take looking at her cuts and the scratches anymore. I stood in the hall thinking to myself â€Å"What should I do† So I tried to get a hold of my mom for the hundredth time. Then all of sudden my dad and my grandparents...