13 Conversations - 924 Words

The Conquest of Happiness Ask yourself if you’re really happy and you might be surprised at what you find. Ask several people at various points in their lives and you will get a different answer. This is the premise behind the film â€Å"13 Conversations about One Thing†, a touching, poignant and in some moments, deeply philosophical film, directed by Jill Sprecher. The film interweaves five contemporary stories into a single narrative. It deals with the profound, often unintentional impact that people have on one another, while searching for a more meaningful and happier existence. As the characters lives collide, mesh, and bounce off one another we see how their lives are linked in moments of highs and lows. The movie finds connections†¦show more content†¦The other principle parts belong to Troy (Matthew McConaughey) and Beatrice (Clea Duvall). Troy is a hot shot attorney, out celebrating over a recent court victory. He is loud, obnoxious and, loves his job. He feels the greatest h appiness from his work and is very boisterous, as he says; he is celebrating â€Å"putting another bad guy away†. While ordering drinks at the bar, he meets Gene, an insurance adjuster who seems to be pessimistic about the possibility of happiness. Troy buys Gene a drink; he wants everybody to be happy. Gene tells Troy that happiness is not all it’s cracked out to be. Troy mocks him and then leaves to returns to his party, happier than ever. Troy doesn’t realize the implications of Gene’s cautionary tale about luck and happiness. On his way home, his life is jolted after a hit and run accident. He knows how much trouble he is in and instinctively leaves the scene. He is consumed by guilt, which spoils his ability to enjoy anything in life and to ever be happy again. It teaches us how our happiness can change in an instant and leaves us questioning how much of what we might call â€Å"luck† is involved in our happiness. In the following scene we meet Beatrice, an honest, optimistic young woman who has a sunny disposition on life. Beatrice works as a house cleaner for an agency and seems to enjoy her job, never complaining about the work sheShow MoreRelatedDiscourse Markers and Their Functions in Khorramabadi Variety of Lori673 Words   |  3 Pagesinvestigation concerning the use of DMs. This audio recorder recorded the voices of native participants in a high quality which anybody can hear any elements in the speakers’ voice. The participants in this study were not required to speak in a routine conversation like an interview; accordingly their speaking was recorded spontaneously. The participants were only required to retell the short story as they were telling the story for a child. PROCEDURE Every participant of the present study was given aRead MoreHow to Make People Like You Essay1641 Words   |  7 Pagesyou might find yourself becoming exponentially more popular. 1. Use a Persons Name Lets face it--were all huge narcissists and we all love the sound of our own name. Learn names and make use of them. Always use an individuals name in a conversation. A classic from Dale Carnegies famous book How to Win Friends and Influence People, this tried-and-true technique is sure to increase your fan base. 2. Smile--With Feeling! Although we live in a digital age that increasingly substitutes technologyRead MoreVolunteering At Chartwell Deerview Crossing1788 Words   |  8 Pagesin, I noticed that she had no numbers covered on her card. After asking what happened she spoke to me about how she was blind (Smith, H, personal communication, March 13, 2017). She then proceeded to tell me that her glasses were not enough for her to clearly distinguish what the numbers read (Smith, H, personal communication, March 13, 2017). After sitting down and helping her, I noticed and became interested in what she was doing when the numbers were called. 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At the beginning they ask you: How are you? But beware! They dont really want to know how you are, and if you make the mistake of actually giving them a detailed account of your well-being, theyll shun you for weeks. On the other hand, youre required to immediately embrace all new acquaintances with the standardRead MoreThe Issue Of Rising College Tuition Essay1289 Words   |  6 Pagesconsidering solution criteria as a group. At one point in the conversation (throughout 16:00 to 17:00), I did not know that the solution criteria had been listed on the whiteboard because we had not clearly defined that we were discussing it as a group. I ended up interrupting the solution generation phase because I felt the criteria needed more attention (around 17:49), even though we had naturally explored it for a short period of time (13:17-14:25). I feel that the solution criteria step is vitalRead MorePresentation of Research Proposal1249 Words   |  5 PagesNatural dialogue involves the management of many communicative resources in a complex activity. Participants in a conversation transmit information, agr ee and disagree between each other, monitor the communicative status of their messages, make decisions about non-linguistic actions and, among other things, they deal with social conventions about who is to talk and when. Conversations are joint actions in which participants individually perform coordinated activities (Clark, 1996). It is quite illustrative