GATTACA reflection questions

Questions about GATTACA!

Choose several of the following questions to discuss in a blog post reflection on the movie GATTACA. This reflection might be used as an artifact on your portfolio page 4 and could help demonstrate your awareness of the effects of science and technology upon society.

1. The following terms were used in the movie. How do they relate to the words we use: degenerate and invalid?

        De-gene-erate:

• People in the movie who are not perfect and don't have the perfect and acceptable genes. Its a symbolic sort of play on words, de-gene, gene.

        In-valid:

• This stands for people who are not good enough, their genes are pure enough. The validity of themselves is non-existent. Hence in-valid.

        Borrowed Ladder:

• This is referring to when you barrow someone's DNA in the movie, just like Vincent did with Jerome.

2. Why do you think Vincent left his family, tearing his picture out of the family photo, after winning the swimming race against his brother?

I think Vincent left his family because they always doubted him and always thought highly of his brother but not him.

3. Describe the relationship between Vincent and Anton.

Anton always thought he was better. Their relationship was more of a contest on who can do what better.

4. When Jerome Morrow said to Vincent/Jerome, “They’re not looking for you. When they look at you, they only see me,” what did he mean? Can you find any parallels to this type of situation in real life?

Jerome means that Vincent now resembles Jerome and no longer looks like himself. Twins is a good example of this type of situation because it is hard to tell them apart.

5. Choose your favorite character from the film. Explain why you choose that person. Would you want to be that person? Why? Why not?

My favorite person is Jerome. He is my favorite person because he knows he cannot walk and do the things he use to be, so he lets someone else claim to be him and live their life. He knows what its like to not be able to do something and that lead him to helping Vincent from not being able to do many things. Also Jerome is very intelligent. I would not want to be him because I can be a good person being who I already am.

6. At the end of the film, you are told that the Doctor knew about Vincent all along. Why did the Doctor go along with the fraud? What would you have done if you were the Doctor?

So he could live his dream he has always wanted to live. I would have not done what the doctor did because I would not want to risk losing my job.

7. The technology to do what was done in the movie is definitely possible within the next ten years.

Do you think that Vincent’s world could eventually happen in America? Why?

I think that Vincent's world could eventually happen because over the years a lot of high tech things have came out.

8. What do you think is wrong with the society portrayed in "GATTACA"? What is right?

I think the society is wrong because no one in the world is perfect. A lot of times diseases are not found until later in life which can let you live stress free and do what you always have dreamed of.

 

9. What were the screenwriters trying to tell us through the episode of the 12-fingered pianist? Is anything wrong with engineering children to have 12 fingers if, as a result, they will be able to make extraordinarily beautiful music?

I think it is wrong to engineer children to have 12 fingers because god created us a certain way and why change nature? They can still make beautiful music with only 10 fingers. 

10. You and your spouse are having a child and are at the Genetic Clinic pictured in the movie. What characteristics would you want for your child and what would you ask to be excluded? Why would you make those choices?

I would want my child to have dimples, my eyebrows and my lip shape. I would exclude my thin hair, my nose, and my complexion.

 

11. Picture yourself as either Vincent, Jerome, or Anton. Would you have acted the same or done things differently if you were in the same world as them?

I would have acted different if I was in this world because I would be to scared to break any laws and get into trouble.

12. How does the society portrayed in GATTACA resemble the type of society that some Americans were hoping for during the height of the Eugenics movement?

The society resembles it by in GATTACA they were telling you what you could and couldn't do based on your health; during the Eugenics movement people felt that you shouldn't people able to reproduce if you are unhealthy in any sort of way.