Saving Private Ryan

Themes: an idea that recurs in or pervades a work

Courage- In this movie courage was shown by all the soldiers who fought especially when it came to their order of getting Private Ryan and they stayed until they knew that he could be brought home safely.

Manhood- The men showed a lot of manhood except for the translator because he went to basic and hadn't done anything with it since then. The men had a bravery that most men before going into battle would not. In the end, even the translator had killed his first and helped with controlling the surrender.

Self-preservation- When assigned to find private Ryan, all of the men that were fighting in combat saw it as an excuse to get him out of war.Most of them felt that they should be fighting for themselves instead of putting their lives on the line for one man. In the end, they realized what good it did for them to save him when they would stop and put themselves in his and his mother's position. For the loss of his brothers.

Disregard for Human Life- near the end of the movie, the German soldier killed the U.S. soldier by stabbing him in the heart and handled it carelessly. He then walked away acting as if his life was worth more than any other soldier and his purpose was more.

Motifs: distinctive feature or dominant idea

Noise and Silence- The few times when the captain got shell-shock. It went from in the battle to kind of observing the battle.

Light and Dark- During the day, the soldiers would fight, but @ night they would finally be @ rest and preparing themselves for another fight.

Clean and Dirty- all of the battles were dirty with the blood and explosions, etc.

Youth and Maturity- The translator matured from the beginning to the end by showing a little more courage and bravery, but when his friends were killed by the soldier, he stood there and acted pitiful. He found a fear within him.

Symbols: objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas

The Dead Soldier- When the captain died it had an impact through private Ryan's life till he died, knowing that he had died to save him and bring him home to the people he loved and to save another life.

The Flag- The flag is a symbol of freedom to every soldier and what they're fighting for when they enlist and what other men before them have died for for their country.
The Note- Every man that died in the movie had a note in their pocket to pass on to their loved ones.