Lessons from "I am Sam"
What did you learn about the challenges any new parent faces with a newborn?
How does Sam cope with his new responsibilities as a parent?
What qualities does he possess? What does he lack?
Why do you think society tends to be more accepting of the phobias/obsessive-compulsive tendencies of someone like Rita and less accepting of the autistic-tendencies Sam exhibits?
What disorder did the character Annie suffer from? How did she cope with her disorder?
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/agoraphobia/DS00894
How does Sam cope with his new responsibilities as a parent?
What qualities does he possess? What does he lack?
Why do you think society tends to be more accepting of the phobias/obsessive-compulsive tendencies of someone like Rita and less accepting of the autistic-tendencies Sam exhibits?
What disorder did the character Annie suffer from? How did she cope with her disorder?
Did any other characters exhibit symptoms indicative of one of the personality disorders we discussed in class? If so, who? What disorder(s)? What led you to this conclusion?
Did this movie change your impressions of mental disorders and/or disabilities. If so, how?
Resources:
Agoraphobia - Mayo ClinicDid this movie change your impressions of mental disorders and/or disabilities. If so, how?
Resources:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/agoraphobia/DS00894
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Autism Speaks - An excellent resource on the topic
http://www.autismspeaks.org/New York Times Health Information: Autism
http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/autism/overview.html#CausesAgoraphobia Wikipedia Entry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agoraphobia"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" Wikipedia Entry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_in_the_Sky_with_Diamonds"Here Comes the Sun" Wikipedia Entry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_Comes_the_SunLesson:
http://www.hhsdrama.com/Sam.htmLecture:
http://www.hhsdrama.com/documents/LectureIAmSam.pdf
Comments
1) Any new parent faces so many struggles. There's sleepless nights, or feeding schedules, let's not forget endless crying spasms that no one can be used to. Plus it is another human life in your hands
2) Sam makes Lucy feel at home and makes a bed for her and really tries hard. He also asks Annie for help and that is what every new parent needs.
3) He is caring and loving. He knows how to feed her and change her diapers. He doesn't know all the technical things about it tho like timing and stuff
4)Society tends to be more accepting of Rita becuase she doesnt "look" different. She also makes alot of money and has a high rank in society.
5)This movie did kind of open my eyes the first time i saw it. Sam did really well for being disabled and i now have alot of respect for him and others like him
2)Sam gets help from his friends and his neighbor, Annie. He loves his daughter a lot too, and i think that's a big part of raising a kid.
3) He is loving and spends lots of time with Lucy. He feeds her, and cares for her. He doesn't know how often to feed her, at first.
4) I think it's more accepting because maybe more people have it, and understand it. People really don't understand austic people, so they don't know how to react to them.
5) Annie suffered from fear of agarophobia. The fear of leaving her room. She just stays in her apartment, and doesn't really like people visiting. Yes, one of Sam's friends is paranoid, and another one has ADD. The guy with paranoia is always wondering about people and what they're doing. The guy with ADD is always talking about something different.
6) Yes, it did open my eyes. It made me think more of what people with disorders go through, instead of just seeing them right now. If that makes sense...
2)Sam I think did the best that he could do by asking his neighnor for help and haveing the baby around other people besides him. He reads to her and puts her into school. I think that he spends a lot of time with her, gets her outside and gives her the love that any child would need or want from a parent.
3)I think Sam gives Lucy the love she needs, the time to talk, play, sing and have someone there anytime she needs someone. I think that he lacks in not knowing much so if she has a question she can't ask him, or she could ask and he wouldn't be able to answer correctly.
4)I think because Rita is still able to function by going to school, driving, go to college and get a professional job, they don't care as much because she can do things on her own adn understand easier. I think with Sam they don't trust because of how he can lack with the way he does things in life, what he knows and the IQ for him.
5)Annie has problems with panic attacks and she copes with it by staying inside and avoiding the outside.
6)I think that Sam's friends suffered from disorders.
7)I still think the same about people with disorders. I like the people and I won't ever judge them. I think that they are very interesting and great to be around. I would like to help at a place with many people that have the disorder. I think that it could have changed the way others think of him though.
That EVERYBODY NEEEDS HELP, no matter their IQ!!!!!!!!
How does Sam cope with his new responsibilities as a parent?
talks to his neighbor, annie, who gives him information like feeding the baby by whatching reruns.
What qualities does he possess?
caring, love, compassion
What does he lack?
flexibility, higher cognitive functions
Why do you think society tends to be more accepting of the phobias/obsessive-compulsive tendencies of someone like Rita and less accepting of the autistic-tendencies Sam exhibits?
Rita's disorder is an "acceptable disorder, one that doesn't impeade her ability to function in society. Sam's dosorder, however, does impeade his ability to function with society.
What disorder did the character Annie suffer from?
agrophobia
How did she cope with her disorder?
wore sunglasses, didnt leave the house
Did any other characters exhibit symptoms indicative of one of the personality disorders we discussed in class? Yes
If so, who?
Iffty and Dennis
What disorder(s)?
ADD and Parinod Personality disorder
What led you to this conclusion?
(first guy can't stay on track with a sentece, second thinks everyone is out to get him.)
Did this movie change your impressions of mental disorders and/or disabilities.yes, it showed me that they can work well in normal society
2. He gets help from his apartment neighbor Annie whenever he has a question about what he is supposed to do.
3. He is very loving towards lucy and you can tell that he really does want what is best for her. He lacks, however, the ability to help Lucy with her homework once she gets to a certain age. But he makes a good father because love is the most important thing in a parent-child relationship.
4. I think they are more accepting of Ritas tendencies because that is more common in our culture. She doesn't "look" or "act" different like Sam does. I think they are less accepting of Sam because he is "hopeless" in the eyes of society, which is not true at all.
5. I think Annie suffered from Agoraphobia because she was wearing sunglasses in the court to maybe "hide" herself from people. That is probably why she never left her apartment, because she was scared of public situations.
This movie kind of opened my eyes to parents with a disability. This movie shows that although a person may have a mental disability, they are still a very loving and compasionnate person and parent. It shows that determination to be a good parent is in everyone, not just "normal" people.
2) I think Sam does a good job with Lucy by asking his friends to help out. He knows he cna't do everything by himself so he asks for help.
3) Sam has all the love in the world for Lucy. He wants her to grow up to be strong and smart. The problems he would have raising her would be having to hlep her with schoolwork, or girl things when she grows up, even though there are other single dads that raise daughters too. Those are just some things thecourt brought up.
4) Rita's tendencies aren't as severe as Sam's. She seems normal most of the time. Someone who doens't know about things like this might not even know that Rita has those tendencies, but they can see how Sam acts.
5) Annie has agoraphobia hadn't been out of her apartment in many years but goes out to help when Sam needs her. She would play piano a lot while in her apartment.
6) When i saw this movie, it gave me a new perspective on people with diasabilities. They may not be able to do everything the way we do, but they find a way to do it. Just because they may appear different doesn't make them any less of a person.
2. He tried to remember things in his everyday life so he remembers to do things for Lucy. He spends all his free time with her and asks for help from his friends.
3. He spends as much time as he can with her, and gives her all the love in the world. He has trouble learning how to put on diapers and remembering to feed her, but he has friends to help him out.
4. Rita is more low scale and you cannot tell that Rita has a disorder compared to Sam.
5. Annie suffers from severe agoraphobia and panic attacks. She coped with her disorder by staying in her room and never leaving.
6. Yes, one of Sam's friends had alot of signs in Cluster A. He is paranoid all the time, and blames alot of things on others. He doesnt seem to really trust anybody.
7. Yes, a little. I have always been sympathetic with people like this. I work with people like this and can understand that even through things like that, they can be normal people, too.