Rhetorical Analysis of The Shawshank Redemption.

             The Shawshank Redemption is an inspiring story about Andy Dufreine and his efforts to maintain hope in horrible situations. The directors used many effective methods that displayed signs of hope in such a horrible place. Andy maintained hope by distracting his mind and always staying occupied. Andy was also inspired to survive by helping others find hope in life. .

             The creators of this movie used several effective, and often subtle, methods to illustrate the hope found in Andy and his surroundings. Andy was always portrayed as a clean-cut and well-groomed prisoner with his shirt always buttoned and his hair always combed. This self-respect was in great contrast to the other prisoners who were portrayed as dirty, stereotypical prisoners. The common prisoners also had vocabularies and grammar that were far inferior to Andy"s. The distinctions between Andy and the common prisoners showed that Andy was different, those differences were that he had hope. .

             Many scenes involved ironic contrasts between the tone and the surroundings. On several occasions the background music was cheerful and upbeat while the physical settings and scenery were terribly dark, dreary and depressing. One good example of this is the scene where Andy was helping the guards with their taxes. There was upbeat and cheerful music but the room and the surroundings were dark and gloomy. This hint of happiness represents how Andy"s hope was unexpectedly surviving inside the prison walls.

             Andy distracted himself from his life in prison by staying occupied with physical and mental activities. The first distraction for Andy was the rock hammer, which allowed him to keep physically occupied. The rock hammer allowed Andy to stay optimistic about returning to a normal life by reminding him how life was on the outside. The rock hammer was also very important and symbolic in Andy"s escape.