Gattaca: what does the movie show about the unlimited potential f the human spirit?
...a sea mist comes up, obscuring the shore. Anton becomes nervous and nearly quits, but is goaded to continue by Vincent, who feels powerful as he has the upper hand over his ‘superior’ brother. Anton again feels that they should turn back, but Vincent claims that they are closer to the other side. For Vincent, the other side is the achievement of his dream, or his death in the attempt. This is exactly how far he is willing to go – to death itself – in pursuit of his dreams, and it is this spirit that allows him to achieve so much, while his genetically superior brother, even with genetic engineering on his side, is struggling to achieve as much as Vincent has. Anton swims away, and slides under the sea as his perfect body gives up. Vincent rescues him, the second time he has needed to, and swims towards the shore with his brother in his arms. As Vincent floats on his back in the dark sea, the mists parts and the stars blaze down, almost within his reach. The mists close over the heavens again; he still has trials to overcome before he reaches the culmination of his all his metamorphosis, training, and self belief. Section Two I agree with the perspective taken in the film on the unlimited potential of the human spirit. Everyday there emerges stories of survival against the odds, which could not occur if the person did not possess the strength and self belief to keep struggling towards their goal. One famous example of the potential of the human spirit is the 1997 Maccabiah Games bridge collapse, in which four Australians were killed and sixty were injured. The squad were marching over a large foot bridge before entering Ramat-Gan Stadium when a loud bang was heard, and the bridge collapsed beneath them. Half the wood and metal bridge was submerged in the polluted water, and up to 100 people were scrambling for safety. Even while team members were fighting for their lives in hospital, what remained of the Australian team competed in the games, and the medals won were a way to honour the athletes they’d lost. In July Australia is sending 542 athletes to the Maccabiah Games in Israel. It will be the first full-sized team since the tragedy, and almost a quarter of this year’s team were at the games in 1997. Another example of the unlimited potential of the human spirit is Barbara Prideaux who suffers from a rare illness. She suffers from Multiple Chemical Sensitivity as exposure to the pest exterminating chemicals from her business has damaged her central nervous system. This means that even the scent of things as common as perfume, deodorant or washing powder give her migraines, muscle aches and gastric problems. Basically she is now allergic to the modern world. She barely leaves the house for fear of being struck down by MCS...