I’ve always looked for a meaning or purpose that could connect with my life, but how can a 17 year old boy decipher and discover such a thing on his own? A possibility can be found through ways of expressing passion to the public. Such as movies, songs, poems, or even a piece of art. And even though I have seen or found some type of message in all these, I’ve found a special one with a film by the name of The American Sniper. This is a film about a U. S Navy Seal Officer by the name of Chris Kyle that was during the fight on terrorism.
The things I can take from this film that lets it connect so well with my life is a certain scene about a saying of a sheep dog, and the similarities I can see with the protagonist and my father. Ideas and examples like these help a boy like me, find out what I should do in the world which is a very important factor in my life. At the beginning of this film, Chris Kyle’s father describes to him a type of pecking order in life. He says to Chris, “Son, there are three kinds of people in this world. There is the sheep, people who can get lost and need aide from those that can give it.
There is the wolf, bullies to sheep and will get one over them whenever the opportunity strikes in the name of pure evil. And finally son, there is the sheep dog. The ones to protect the sheep from any wolves in this world, the ones that can make the sacrifice for the good of other people and to protect their ways of life and keep the peace. ” Some points that can be taken from this saying or story, is that evil is amongst ourselves. It can neither be hidden nor denied, because we see it in our everyday lives. From drug dealing all the way to terrorism, evil can be seen. Another point that can be taken is the meaning to be a sheep dog.
This meaning is to give your life and make a career of standing up to this evil. We also see this every day. Whether it is policemen, firefighters, doctors, or our military, sheep dogs are indeed among us. This saying and idea resonates with me because I plan to become a sheep dog one day. It’s a career I’m more than willing to pursue in any of those fields. It’s just the way I have been raised. Not only has the movie gotten my attention because of the sheep dog saying, but every time I think of Chris Kyle and his story, it makes me think of another sheep dog in my life.
The similarities between Chris Kyle and him are extraordinary, and I’ll always be blessed to say this sheep dog is my father. A little description of my father, he is a narcotics police detective sworn to fight in the everlasting war against crime. The pure reason to why he does what he does is to help the people who can’t help themselves. When I first watched the film the American Sniper, seeing Chris Kyle is protecting his country and learning more about his character, the first individual that popped into my head was my father of course.
Seeing how he wakes up and walks out the door, knowing he’s only doing it for others is the greatest example to follow. The similarities may not be exact, but both Chris Kyle and my father’s idealism upon how to change to the world for good will always be the same. Me seeing an example of this idealism every day, then seeing a story about it through a film just made it more clear to me of why I need to be a part of this idea. What anyone who reads this should get from this paper is that something as simple as paying nine dollars and going to see a movie can change or assure how you think of this world if you really take a look.
American Sniper gave me a deeper understanding of what it means to be a protector or a havoc causer. It helped me understand what it means to devote your life to something more than yourself. Seeing the film then comparing it to my mentor and father just made the idea even clearer. To all the Germanna English Professors that read my paper, just know that I have taken the ideals in this film and plan to apply it to my life as my career and the way I will conduct myself in the future.