Outward Appearance
o A. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. How do the characters make judgments/decisions based upon the outward appearances of things and other characters? Are these judgments/decisions fair and right? Are all judgments we make wrong? Does the LORD ever want us to make judgments?
o B. Simply by observing the characters in the film, we do not know their hearts; but at the same time, by their actions and words, we get clues about their motivations and beliefs. Giving actual examples from the film, discuss specific characters and what drives them to do what they are doing. Considering these motivations/actions (both good and bad), how do we see similar motivations/actions in our culture (either in general or specifically in our school)?
o A. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart. How do the characters make judgments/decisions based upon the outward appearances of things and other characters? Are these judgments/decisions fair and right? Are all judgments we make wrong? Does the LORD ever want us to make judgments?
o B. Simply by observing the characters in the film, we do not know their hearts; but at the same time, by their actions and words, we get clues about their motivations and beliefs. Giving actual examples from the film, discuss specific characters and what drives them to do what they are doing. Considering these motivations/actions (both good and bad), how do we see similar motivations/actions in our culture (either in general or specifically in our school)?
My first thought, was that both Tommy and Brendan were doing it for the money. Brendan needed the money for his family and Tommy needed it for his girlfriend. Then I had a different thought. I feel that they originally did it for the money, but I think it ended up as a battle of trying to win over the Dad's respect and love. They also didn't want to let people down. Brendan didn't want to let his wife down and Tommy didn't want to let his fellow army men down. They had a lot of pressure on them to win!
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think they were doing it for their father? To me they both felt that they had nothing to prove to their dad. Give examples to support your thoughts.
DeleteBefore the first couple fights Brendan kept seeing his dad in the crowd cheering him on. Once Brendan even talked to him face to face when he walked out of the ring one time. I think that deep inside Brendan was slowly noticing that his dad was starting to care for him. I think that Brendan thought that things might change with him and his dad if he won. Their dad was helping Tommy train, and I think that secretly Tommy liked that relationship with his dad and he wanted to protect it from Brendan.
DeleteI kind of agree with you Trent there is one thing I want to point out. Do you remember the scene when Brandon talked to Tommy? Tommy said that he didn't care about pop, he was just his MMA trainer But you could right I just think at that particular time, all Tommy thought of his dad was his trainer. But two scenes later, Tommy showed his love for his dad, when he was calming him down.
DeleteYeah I agree with A.J., but I just think that Tommy did actually love his father he just never wanted to admit it. Also, I think the dad was trying to bring the brothers closer so they could have a better relationship with one another.
DeleteI agree with Val, because if Tommy could've easily chosen a different trainer, but instead he chose his dad. This shows he must have wanted to be closer with him and maybe try and go back to how it was like back when Tommy was a fighter when he was younger and his dad was his trainer then.
DeleteI totally get Maggie is saying about him desiring to be closer with his dad and that's why he chose him as a trainer. But that confuses me because he tells Brandon that pop doesn't mean anything to him and that he is just his trainer. He is also rude to his dad and he hurts his feelings in many circumstances. What I'm trying to get at is that if he wants a relationship with his dad, why isn't he trying very hard? Why is he being rude to everyone who wants to help him?
DeleteI'm answering Emma's questions. I don't think Tommy was trying very hard because he already has it set in his mind and heart that he doesn't want a close relationship with his dad. So with this mind set already it is probably very hard to open your heart back up to someone that he wants to, but at the same time doesn't want to because he might think that if he grows a closer bound with his dad his dad just might mess it up again. So he just doesn't want to take that risk again.
DeleteNow answering your second question. I don't think he was intentionally trying to be rude to everyone. He might just be that way because that's how his personality is and he just doesn't realize it.
To add to the answers of Emma's question, I think that Tommy wants to be close with his dad, but still has hatred inside for his dad and doesn't want things to go back to what they used to be. Honestly if you were in his spot, you probably wouldn't want anything to do with your dad. There would be a great struggle to learn to love your dad again. I think everything needs time and through time Tommy learned to respect his father more and love him again.
DeleteI agree with Val, I also think the dad wanted to get the brothers a closer bond. I also think Tommy faught to keep his family in a house and to prove his wife that the choice of fighting was a good idea. I say that because in the begging the wife was not so happy she said in the lines of " so this is your choice where not even gonna talk about it." and he wanted to prove that he was willing to fight inorder to keep his family under a roof.
ReplyDeleteI am here answer Emma's questions. For the first question it is a tough one. I think he is not trying as hard to get into relationship with his dad is because he still did not trust him whole heartedly, and secondly it might just be the way he does things, you can tell he is a tough, hardcore kind of guy. Now for the second. It not quite as hard the first one but it is still hard. Again it is prabqly the way he does things. You can tell he has had a rough past. Second, you cannot blame him. In his early life, everyone he cared for adanndoned him in a way. Brandon ran away, his mom died, his best friend died (manny) , and his was an alcoholic. The bible says care for the ones who are broken hearted. No one cared for Tommy, so should why he car for anyone esle?
DeleteSorry about the errors.
DeleteA.j. I have to disagree with you. His father did care for him. It might not have been very clear,but it might have been hard to see the care because Tommy didn't show much care back. His dad shows care because he let Tommy stay at his house and he trained Tommy. If the dad didn't have any care for Tommy I don't think he would've opened his home to him or train him.
DeleteI have to agree with Val. If he didn't care about him, why would he train him and make him stay at his house and he still respects Tommy when that guy came to his house from the gym, knowing Tommy he knew he didn't want any of his information being told so he still has faith in him.
DeleteI feel like they both really loved their father at some point in their life, but they had grown to despise him because he was a selfish man and only cared about his drinking. So that when the father comes back they have turned away from him and are not willing to accept him even though he has changed. In the movie it hints that the dad only cared about tommy and his sports things, so Brandon felt like he was never loved and that his dad never really cared about how he did in his sports. So my guess is that when he realizes that his dad is training his brother Tommy one of his motivations is to prove to his dad and brother that you should not have forgotten me I can still win even though you did not think that I could.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Madeline. Brandon was almost a neglected child! His dad was a drinker that only paid attention to Tommy and didn't really care about Brandon. But Tommy and Brandon still loved each other they just had to stick together because of their dad. But I think if the dad would have apologized earlier it would have been easier.
DeleteI agree with Madeline. Everyone loves their parents sometime in their life, when you're young your parents are your idols. When Brendan and Tommy were growing up Tommy was the better athlete and their dad was more focused on Tommy so Brendan felt unappreciatied. But as they were teenagers there dad fell off the right path and became an alcoholic so Tommy and their mom left but Brendan stayed with their dad because of his girlfriend. Tommy grew to dislike Brendan because of how he felt he abandoned him and mom. So after their mom dies, I am guessing that Tommy became alcoholic from what we saw in the beginning of the movie. Tommy seems like the tough eomtionless rock no one can break in to. Tommy is continuously emotionless until we see him on the phone with his deceased friend's wife, who needs money for her and her kids. After that he is continuously emotionless until his dad is drunk and confused. Tommy comforts his dad out of his drunk state and then goes into his final match against his brother without a trainer. But in the ring Brendan tries to reason with Tommy because he doesn't want to hurt his brother. After Brendan wins he goes straight to Tommy and they walk out of the ring together as you finally see them start to love each other again.
ReplyDeleteJudging someone by their outward appearance is a terrible choice that we make on a daily basis. In the movie, I kind of judged Tommy by his outward appearance at the beginning of the story. I saw him as an emotionless person whose hurt had caused him to be that way. He was one of the many people that turned to alcohol and drugs to satisfy him when what he really needed was his family back. But as Morgan said, when I saw him get on the phone with his former partners wife to check on her, it made me immediately take back the judgements I had previously.
DeleteI think that to answer Emma's second question Tommy is shutting people out and being rude and mean to everyone, because he really hates himself and he doesn't know how else to act. Tommy knows that if he lets anyone into his feelings and his heart he will just break because he is so messed up and hurt on the inside. I think that by Tommy doing this he's is only making himself his worst enemy. He really feels like in order for him to stay alive he needs to pretend like he doesn't care about what his father did to him and how much he is hurting. But at the same time, Tommy really wants a relationship with his father again and he knows that he needs his family in his life. He realizes that he needs to bond with his brother again and even though he would never admit this, he really loves his brother and his dad and he needs them now, more than ever.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree with M. Kurop. I know that Tommy could have chosen another trainer, but think about it. You know the person, your dad, you their strengths and weaknesses, and he is right their, you live with that person. I still don't think Tommy loved his dad at that particular moment. Come to think of it, Tommy never really loved his dad until the movie was almost over. Tommy only chose his dad t be his trainer 1. He is his dad and he lives with him. 2. He probably knew he was a good trainer and 3. Who would want to spend all of your time looking for a trainer when you have trainer right under your nose. You would probably spend more searching for trainer, then actually training.
ReplyDeleteI mostly agree with A.J, but I feel like it could be possible for Tommy to get another trainer. It would just be very hard for him. A personal trainer requires money, something Tommy doesn't have. So it was just very easy for him to "hire" his dad. I felt like that was a big step for Tommy, to hire his dad, because he had rejected him almost all his life, and for Tommy to trust his dad with such a big responsibility (training him for $5,000,000), was good for Tommy, and his dad.
DeleteI mostly agree with A.J, but I feel like it could be possible for Tommy to get another trainer. It would just be very hard for him. A personal trainer requires money, something Tommy doesn't have. So it was just very easy for him to "hire" his dad. I felt like that was a big step for Tommy, to hire his dad, because he had rejected him almost all his life, and for Tommy to trust his dad with such a big responsibility (training him for $5,000,000), was good for Tommy, and his dad.
DeleteTattoos are always one of the first things I notice about fighters. Fighters get them so they look tough. I thought Tommy looked like he was going to crush everyone to the ground, partly because he was an amazing fighter, but partly because of the tattoos. When people say God looks at the heart, it is totally true. God didn't look at Tommy's tattoos, he looked at the heart. When Tommy saw his dad drunk again, it was very hard for Tommy. Even though he hated what his dad had done, Tommy tried to look on his dad's heart and comfort him. After all, he is Tommy's dad.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the tattoos were one of the first things I noticed about the fighters. The Lord says that our bodies are the temple of the Lord. The way people choose to tattoo themselves and such are one thing that set them apart. Another way that characters were judged by the outward appearance was the way Tommy judged his dad when he saw him again for the first time. Tommy immediately didn't believe that his father had changed. He mocked him while the father tried to explain. The Lord wants us to make judgements on thing such as what is right and wrong, but he knows we can't see peoples hearts. Therefor, we should not judge people.
DeleteTattoos are always one of the first things I notice about fighters. Fighters get them so they look tough. I thought Tommy looked like he was going to crush everyone to the ground, partly because he was an amazing fighter, but partly because of the tattoos. When people say God looks at the heart, it is totally true. God didn't look at Tommy's tattoos, he looked at the heart. When Tommy saw his dad drunk again, it was very hard for Tommy. Even though he hated what his dad had done, Tommy tried to look on his dad's heart and comfort him. After all, he is Tommy's dad.
ReplyDeleteTattoos are always one of the first things I notice about fighters. Fighters get them so they look tough. I thought Tommy looked like he was going to crush everyone to the ground, partly because he was an amazing fighter, but partly because of the tattoos. When people say God looks at the heart, it is totally true. God didn't look at Tommy's tattoos, he looked at the heart. When Tommy saw his dad drunk again, it was very hard for Tommy. Even though he hated what his dad had done, Tommy tried to look on his dad's heart and comfort him. After all, he is Tommy's dad.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with erik. Fighters get tattoos so they look tough. God doesn't look at the tattoos he looks at Tommy's heart. Tommy might have looked mean and tough but on the inside he might be close to God. God doesn't care how we look he cares what is inside. In the heart. The Lord never wants us to make judgements on people by how they look. Especially MMA fighters. All of the MMA fighters have tattoos but that doesn't mean they are bad people. Like Erik said when Tommy saw his dad drunk he still went to comfort him because he felt bad for what he had done.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most everybody that Tommy throughout most of the movie was very guarded and not very open on his feelings. He also had some issues with himself such as drinking and drugs. And I think that those might have had some part in what drove him to fight in the tournament at all. Maybe he thought that when he won, he could kind of get a fresh start. He used to be a fighter and was happy until his dad started getting more into alcoholism, and he decided to move out with his mom. After that, his life just went into a downward spiral. So he figured if he won the MMA thing he would get a chance to refresh his life. I think this can relate to people nowadays. Often when we mess up, we want a second chance to fix it. For example, if you score badly on a test, you're immediately going to want to retake it. However, we don't always get that opportunity so we tell ourselves we will work hard and score good on the next test; hoping that it will boost our grade and erase the damage from the last test. I think that this like Tommy's personal perspective and drive on why is fighting in this. And that is general focus is to get the money for his late friend's wife and kids.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Tommy was judged throughout the movie. He was jugded because of where he was in life, his attitude and his look. When really, no one knows how rough his life really was. His parents split up, his brother left him, and he watched his mother die. Tommy's had a pretty rough life. He probably wasn't able to get a good job, or a place to live, and his tattoos made him look like not such a nice guy. Even though Tommy was just a hurting, angry boy on the outside, the world we live in judges others very easily. And we should be very careful to judge the people around us.
ReplyDeleteThroughout this movie people are judged right and left. Tommy is judged by his appearance, all of the fighters people call animals and treat them like they're just entertainment, and the father is judged by his own sons for being a never changing alcoholic. These examples just show how our sinful world struggles greatly with judging the appearance and actions of other people. People judge each other based on actions, which can be reasonable if you look deeper into their lives. Like Brenben, for example. I understand the prinsipals anger when he came to school with a black eye and how that could effect the schools reputation, but he didn't really take heed to the fact that Brenden had three other people to take care of. We should be very cautious when making thoughts and decisions about others, with people who seem bad, or people who seem nice.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Schick that there is a lot of judging in the movie. Especially of outward appearance. You have to know somebody well, before you even start deciding what kind of person they are. People who seem cold and mean at first may actually be caring, empathetic people while people who seem really nice at first might have a vile heart. I think Schick gave a perfect example of judging of the outward appearance when he talked about the principal. He just suspended Brendan for that black eye. Not caring that he is doing this to support his family. Judging is not our job. It is God’s job because he is holy and we are not.
DeleteI think that God does not want us to judge his creation because that is his job not ours. I think that many people judge Tommy but in a good way. I think that because Tommy is a veteran they think good stuff about him. But people who might live under a rock and might not know that he was veteran might think bad things about him because he harms people that he doesn't even know for money.
ReplyDeleteTommy and Brendan were extremely disrespectful to their dad, someone that isn't always going to be there. If I treated my dad like that I would never forgive myself when I realized that he's hurt. It would be a nightmare.
ReplyDeleteSean's right. They have been separated for a long time and finally got reunited but didn't want to forgive each other so it kept them separated. And it only made their lives harder from there
DeleteThe characters make a lot of judgement based on the outward appearance. When Tommy’s dad meets him in the gambling place, Tommy thinks he is asking for money to buy some alcoholic beverages. When the principal sees Brendan’s black eye, he cusses him out and suspends him. These are just a few examples of where it is seen in the movie. The judgements of the outward appearance are mostly wrong because they don’t often accurately portray what kind of person they actually are. These are very unjust judgements. The only way that you can truly know someone is when you have seen all of their heart. Which you can’t. Most of our judgements are wrong because we usually make them based on how someone looks at first glance. Even if you do know someone really well, the Lord still doesn’t want us to make big judgements like what kind of person they are because even if you think you know them well, you still haven’t examined their hearts completely. You should leave all judgements to God.
ReplyDeleteWe clearly know that Brendan is fighting to keep his house and not move into an apartment. One scene showed that he got a black eye and his wife found out that he was boxing to get money to keep their house. Tommy is fighting to support the family of his friend who is in war. One scene shows the wife picking up the phone and talking with Tommy. The house looks like a pretty poor place. A lot of other people just want to be rich, or have fame. I’d say that people in modern society are mostly doing stuff for money or the approval of others. Take celebrities for example. They do many things, sometimes good, sometimes really, really bad, but it is all for approval of the audience. Only the poor and the kind have the motivations of Brendan or Tommy.
Tommy and Brendan still look at their dad as an alcoholic, but really he is getting a lot better like he's proud of being one thousand days with out drinking and goes to church, but they (Brendan and Tommy) look at the outward appearance and act like it's all his fault and they did nothing wrong. And in the end he gets drunk because he gets torn down and depressed from them which is sad and hard to watch. The last thing it teaches us a valuable lesson that the only time they wanted their father to be there for them was in their childhood, but it destroyed them because he wasn't.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Xander, they weren't happy for their father at all and I'm sure that broke his heart watching his two sons slip away from him. He tried really hard to get back in their life but they kept shutting him out. The bond between a father and his son is very special and that was ripped from Brendan and Tommy as children. So, I understand their reasons for being so upset. But I think they should've at least given him a chance to prove himself.
DeleteTommy is a great example of why humans shouldn't judge other humans based of their appearance. Tommy on the outside looked tough and mean, but the reasons behind his fighting was not for him, but based on his outward appearance and entrance to the movie I thought he was a don't trust anyone person. Then later on in the movie we learned that he went through some hard times (death of best friend and mom) which explains his general not happiness throughout the movie. Next in the middle of the movie we saw him call his best friends wife to tell her he was going to try and get her money. I know I made the mistake of judging Tommy based on his outward appearance. Did you?
ReplyDeleteErik I agree with you about the tattoos. They were one the things that had me judge Tommy early too.
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling that Brendon was going to win because we saw more of his story then Tommy’s. Looking at Tommy I thought he was going to win because of his tattoos and that can make you look tougher. That also taught me that its not how strong you are or the way you look its your motive to want something. I also think that we tend to judge others by their looks. If they have a lot of tattoos we tend to think that they are bad people, before we even know them. In John 7:24 says “ Stop judging by outward appearance! Instead judge correctly.” I think that means don’t judge appearance judge by the heart of them.
ReplyDeleteI feel Brendan was judged at the MMA competition by the commentors, fans, and other fighters. He was called the underdog that most likely wouldn't make it far in the competition. He was just subbing in for the main fighter at his gym because he was injured, and he was a high school teacher. He didn't fight for a living, so they felt he was below the rest of them.
ReplyDeleteThere was definitely some judging going on with the fighters. "Mad Dog" had a cool nickname and had a bunch of tattoos so everyone automatically thinks he's amazing. Then out of nowhere he gets beat twice by Tommy-a nobody. Also, because the father was a drunk, people assumed he was a bad person. But on the inside he actually was a genuine person who had been through very rough times. I don't think the Lord ever wants as to judge people. He would rather us get to know the person before we go making assumptions about people. But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him.1 Samuel 16:7 "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” God chose a small, weaker king, over the big strong guy that looked the part, showing God looks at what's on the inside.
ReplyDeleteYes, I totally agree with Ashley. In the beginning Mad Dog looked like some tough fighter because he had like some mo hawk going on and he had a bunch of tattoos but he turned out getting crushed by Tommy. Like it says in Matthew, 7;1 "Stop judging, that you may not be judged." Also like when his dad was drunk everyone thought he was all messed up but he really wasn't.
ReplyDeleteA good example would be when the boys' dad was trying to reach out to Brendan and Brendan totally rejected him and assumed that he hadn't changed at all. I think this is totally unfair. Brendan hasn't even gave his dad a chance or let him prove himself, he just automatically says no.
ReplyDeleteNot all judgments we make are wrong. Like if someone offered me drugs, I would automatically make a quick judgement and say no and not hang out with them anymore. Some judgments are OK but you have to remember that if you judge you will be judged, too.
The dad in the movie showed his character a lot by reaching out to the boys. Something that really stood out to me at the beginning of the movie was when Tommy came to the dads house and sat down and had coffee and Tommy asked for alcohol but the dad rejected it and said he was now clean. This really makes you think that the dad is trying to pull his life back together and get it back on track.
I definitely agree with Rachel that judgement plays a big role throughout the movie. Judging people by their outward appearance or anything else is a huge problem in our culture. I think that, like Rachel said, if you are going to judge someone that you have to remember that you will be judged too. Brendan and Tommy both have problems with being judgmental throughout the movie. They both hold their dad's past sins against him and judge that he hasn't changed at all and isn't trying to get his life back on track. I think that in the mma and sports in general there is a lot of judging. Other competitors judge their opponents the minute they see them step into the ring. They stare at there outward appearance to figure out whether or not it will be a challenge to win the match. I also agree with Rachel that not all judging is bad. If someone wants me too do something I know is wrong then I will definitely avoid them and make a judgement that I probably should stay away from that person.
ReplyDeleteone of the judgements that is in the movie is the brothers did not want to accept that there father changed. They saw and judged him to be a man who drinks and only cares about himself, when really he was changed and wanted a second chance. In Romans 14:10-12 it says: Why do you pass judgement on your brother? for we will all stand before the judgement seat of God; for it is written, “as I live says the Lord,every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess to God.”
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say that they judged on the outward appearance, but mostly on their last memory of them. Like when Tommy was upset that at Brandon, because he wasn't there when their mother was sick. And that was Tommy problem the whole movie.
ReplyDeleteI would say myself that i did judge Tommy by his outward appearance in the beginning of the film. I saw him has a drunk, and a drug user. Yet as the film progressed I saw that he was a war hero, and a great friend to his best friends wife.
DeleteAlso I did judge Brendan by his outward appearance during the film. I saw him as smaller and weaker compared to the other fighters. Yet he proved himself to be the most mentally stable, and disciplined fighter. I thought the movie did a great job of showing how he wasn't a perfect guy, and he made a lot of mistakes in his life. Including leaving the house when he was just sixteen.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Lord wants us to make judgements all the time. He wants us to discern what’s wrong and judge is someone is going to make us do bad things. Some of our judgements are wrong and some are right. We just have to be careful to not judge a book by its cover. In other words, we can’t judge someone just by their appearances. We have to get to know people before we just go ahead and judge them. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” God wants us to look at a person’s heart before we are quick to judge.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I quickly judged both Tommy and Brendan right away. I thought that Brendan was the weak school teacher that had his life all together. I also quickly came to a conclusion that Tommy was the opposite. I thought he only cared about himself, and was all bad because he did drugs and drank a lot. I quickly judged them which wasn't right to do. Once I got to know the characters better my thoughts changed tremendously. This shows that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. People often appear a way that they aren't at all. Its so easy to judge people right off the bat and assume something thats wrong. I think everyone should work on that. We need to look on the inside not the outside.
ReplyDeleteMr. Scott's class is finished with the project.
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