Jaelen Venable Essays - Films, Groundhog Day, Woodstock, Illinois

Jaelen Venable English 101 Dr. Barber October 15 2015 Groundhog Day If some say history repeats itself, how can we change it? In Harold Ramis's Groundhog Day, Phil Connors, a cocky self-centered weather forecaster, is stuck in time, causing a reoccurrence of the same day. Phil tries different things to get out of the time loop, but essentially nothing is working. A particular scene that stands out throughout the movie is the scene with the homeless man on the street, this is when Phil finally discovers what his purpose in life is. In this scene, Phil passes the homeless man each day not caring whether he has a meal to eat or a roof to sleep under. Then, when Phil gets stuck in this time loop he decides to give the homeless man money to hopefully change the reoccurring loop. As the movie progresses, Phil sees the homeless man dying. Phil then tries to do more so that he can save the homeless man, this aids him in finding his purpose in life. In the beginning of the film, Phil Connors is very selfless, only looking to please himself while not considering others in the process. A life of selfishness is not a good life to be lived. Phil is a middle-aged man that has a steady career and seems to be well off. He does not help the poor homeless man that he continues to see on the street for a long period of time. Phil was blinded by his own selfish ambition to help this man out. Five scenes go by before Phil actually decides to help the homeless man and even then he was still reluctant in aiding him. Phil says "I killed myself so many times I don't even exist anymore" (Groundhog Day) because he has not found his purpose in life yet. Initially, Phil was not helping the homeless man because it was the right thing to do, on the other hand, he helped him because he hoped it would change time and he'd be able to get out of the never ending Groundhog Day. Finally, when he ends up giving the homeless man some money it seems to not change anything. Could this be because he was only looking out for his best interest? Phil then proceeds to give him even more money, but once again it still has no effect. Helping others only to benefit yourself is still selfish. Phil Says "I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank Pina Coladas. At sunset we made love like sea otters. That was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get that day over and over and over?" (Groundhog Day) This quote not only shows how selfish Phil is at this point in his life but also how he wishes that he could have been stuck in a day that was more beneficial to him. In the next few scenes with the homeless man, Phil sees the poor man dying even after he gave him money. Phil sees that his help was not enough, so he continues to try everything and anything he can to save the homeless mans life. This is when we, the audience, see Phil having a change in heart. It is only through the experience we accumulate in our lives, that we can learn and grow from our mistakes. Phil's experience with the homeless man leads him to better himself and change his ways to save this mans life. Once Phil realizes he cannot save the homeless man each day he goes on a path of helping everyone in the city of Punxsutawney. Phil Is inspired and finds his purpose in life. He is no longer selfish and starts to put others before himself. This is why he was able to break out of the time loop and continue with his regular life. The scene with Phil and the homeless man can be a great learning tool for everyone. We should not be self-centered and consider others before ourselves. This will lead to a life of bitter loneliness. Once Phil starts helping people you can see his life start to change and him become a happier person. Phil transforms