I am Sam [2001] directed by JessieNelson and The Curious Incident of the Dog the Night Time [2003] writtenby Mark Haddon

garden pitch fork.Christopher seizes upon this mystery as a puzzle like a maths problem inhopes of understanding something that makes no sense to him; he sets outto solve the mystery of who killed Wellington. But the investigationleads him down some unexpected paths, as Christopher's write up of hisdiscoveries for the creation of his murder mystery novel evolves intothe story of his life. As Christopher is positioned face to face withthe dissolution of his parent’s marriage. As he tries to deal with thecrisis within his own family, we are drawn to the workings ofChristopher's mind. This highlights to readers an incredibly vividexperience of what it is like to be some one who thinks and reacts sodifferently to what we consider the norm.The archetypical cultural assumptions which frame the notion of successand happiness in the western world classify those that do not conform as"others"; misunderstood individuals. Non print text I am Sam conveysthose marginalised by the dominant western representations, of whatconstitutes success and happiness through the prototagonist constructionof Sam Dawson [Sean Penn]. The technical codes of camera angles,framing, distance and movement are utilised by the text to present thestruggle taking place in Sam's head. Viewers are positioned to see theworld through Sam's eyes with whirling handheld cameras, whop pans andstaccato jump cuts mimicking Sam's bewildered point of view. This sievident in the feature films opening scene. The introductory montageframes Sam's hands colour coordinating sugar packets; the distance andposition of the shots positions viewers in Sam's point of view. Thisintimate frame connected to John Powell's music of an polyphonic upbeat,fugue foregrounds the abstract ambience of Sam Dawson’s consciousness.Encouraging viewer’s curiosity to wonder why the world is different forhim. Though audience perception of Sam is incomplete without the audioand symbolic codes which help fabricate Sean's Penn's character. Penn'smannerisms and vocal distortions evidently present Sam as 'different'.as Sam Sean Penn speaks in tight toneless clumps, punctuated by burstsof childlike glee. As evident in the opening scene. Sam: "decafe double tall non fat for Bruce"Customer [Bruce] :"you've got it buddy"hands connect in high five slapSam: "that’s a wonderful choice Bruce"Customer [Bruce] :"thankyou Sam"Sam: "yeah it certainly is......"Customer [Bruce] :"thankyou..."Sam's manner of walking and holding his hands contributes to convey thestruggle taking place in his head. As presented in this initial scene.Sam claps his hands and pounds every surface drumming out a beat to asong only he can hear. This quick paced opening constructs Sam to existas the western society 'mist understood' individual. With the socialstatus, emotional and intellectual state of the character beingperpetuated endorsing the values and cultural assumptions that frame thenotion of success and happiness. The grown man earning $8 dollars anhour exists in a parallel universe to the world of dominant westernmembers. The conventions and techniques of construction employed by thetext to formulate the underlying expectations which constitute successand happiness with Sam an explicit representation of those individualswho subvert the naturalised ideology.Contemporary western society ideologies of success and happiness havemapped archetypal cultural assumptions which individuals must conform torepresent one who upholds the respecting values. Feature film I am Samperpetuates the notion of success and happiness via Rita Harrison[Michelle Pfeiffer] who acts to affirm dominant representations. BeverlyHills Lawyer, Rita Harrison conveys a lifestyle which much of westernsociety uphold or aspire to; too busy for anything, caught up in gamesand rat races, that we believe will bring money, status, power and thusentitle individuals to success and happiness. Symbolic codes areemployed by the text to construct Rita to represent society's archetypalassumptions of success and happiness.Binary opposition of the archetypal cultural assumptions whichforeground the notion of success and happiness in the modern westernworld reflect yet shape the social frame work of the textswriting/reading/viewing.Feature films allow us to enter worlds outside our own lives andchallenge us to see things in different ways. Contemporary text I am Samamplifies the naturalised ideologies within society at the time thenarrative was produced, highlighting the notion of success and happinessin the modern western world. The text offers a confirmation of society'sexisting archetypal cultural assumptions which frame the notion ofsuccess and happiness. Though I am Sam offers another perspective ofthose most often marginalised by the dominant western representation.Binary opposition of how we interact and perceive the world reflects yetchallenges the archetypal cultural assumptions which frame the notion ofhappiness and success. Operating to shape the social frame work of thetexts writing/reading. The Curious Incident of the Dog the Night Time,offers readers to see the world though fresh eyes, in a different way.Not only does the novel position readers to see how a child withAsperger’s syndrome might approach the world around him, it opensindividual readers eye’s purely by his different approach. Haddon’sstrength is his ability to present to the reader common situations aslooked at from Christopher’s new and some what disconcertingperspective. “Most people are lazy. They never look at everything. They do what isglancing which is the same word for bumping off something and carryingon in almost the same direction, eg when a snooker ball glances offanother snooker ball. And the information in their head is reallysimple. For example, if they are in the country side, it might be1. I am standing in a field that is full of grass.2. There are some cows in the fields3. It is sunny with a few clouds4. There are some flowers in the grass.5. There is a village ion the distance6. There is a fence at the edge of the field and it has a gate in.And then they would stop noticing because they would be thinkingsomething else like, ‘Oh, it is very beautiful here,’ or, ‘I’m worriedthat I might have left the gas cooker on,’ or, ‘I wonder if Julie hasgiven birth yet.’ But if I’m standing in a field in the countryside I notice everything.’This disorienting and reorienting of the reader manages to bring readersdeep inside Christopher’s mind and situate them comfortably within hislimited, severely logical point of view. To the extent that readersbegin to question the common sense and erratic emotionalism of thenormal western citizens who surround, the protagonist, as well ascontemporary western institutions and habits of perception. Positioningreaders to consider how their individual mind works and how that maydiffer from others. Guiding readers to critique aspects of western lifeby means of the naturalised ideologies and cultural assumptions majorityof western citizens uphold as their understandings and view of the worldare transformed. The misunderstood individual is one which subverts the confimity of domiant cultural frame works. Archetypal cultural assumptions which formulate the notion of happiness in the contempory western world are perpetuated and reinforced through print text The Curious Incident of the Dog the Night Time. As Haddon's explict misanthropy represenation of protagonist Christopher vaildates the underlying expectations which constitues the notion of happiness and success. As readers examinate a condition that is barely comprehended by society, demonstrating how society responds to those it views as abberrant. Haddon presentsthe story in Chrisopher's words as the style of writing contributes to reflect the protagonist perpective. With fragmented chapters of breathless paragraphs and short staccato burts which are framed by unconventional prime numbers to subhead chapters in plcae of cardinal numbers accounts the novel like a stream of logic rather than a stream of cosciousness. The narration allernates with mathematical material, riddles, maps and drawings which demonstrates how Christopher's life is intensely visual; with words and language as secondary forms of communication. Utimately the novel regards the predicatable laws of science far easier to grasp than the passions of people, and hence less frightening. But at the same time, this book affrims for us the importance of such emotions  and even if our narrator does not in the end appricate this, the reader does. As the misanthrope perpective where logic is that of paramount importance, perpetuates archetypal cultural assumptions as readers learn to appreicate their social skills which enable them to cope with the myriads of daily hurdles. A fansinating moment in the narrative which maps the cultural aleination of Christopher comes when the young boy realtes his faviour dream. "  " A world in which all normal people die of a virus that the autistic are immuine to. The autistic are then free to lead their lives in silence and without the need to look others in the eye or to interpret idiomatic speech. This misanthrope thought constructs protagonist Christopher as an individual whom does not conform to the underlying expectations which constitute teh notion of happiness in the western world. The techniques of construction that present Christopher's perpective postion readers to percieve his austic view point as aberrant. Reinforcing the cultural assumptions as means of conforms of the notion as Christopher explictly subverts them. Print texts provide an ideal avenue to reflect society’s values andalter reader’s personal perspectives by improving their understandingsof the world and social frame work which surround them. Contemporarytext The Curious Incident of the Dog the Night Time amplifies thenaturalised ideologies within society at the time the narrative wasproduced, highlighting the notion of happiness and the culturalassumptions which it advocates. Haddon’s novel presents a confirmationof western society’s existing ways of thinking and behaving. In doing so The Curious Incident of the Dog the Night Time is an potential site to reassess naturalised idealogies. As readers are guided by the narrative to cross examine their own individual social frame work. As Haddon takes a life that seems horribly constrained and invites readers to view this life with succient imagination demonstrating it to be infinite. But the text does more than that. It sights how little seperates us from those we turn away from in the street. It's about how badly we communicate with one another. It's about accepting that every life is narrow and that our only escape from this is not to run away [to another country, another relationship, a slimmer, more confident self] but to learn to love the people we are and the world in which we find ourselfs. Haddons use of cognitive astrayment through Christophers severly logical point of view popstions readers to question the common sense and cultural assumptions of their own western instiutions, and habits of perception. For example; I found myself questioning whether it is any less logical for 3 red cars to mean that a happy day is ahead, than it is for the frequently western practised symbol of 'sunshine' meanign a good rewarding day is in advance. As Christopher says "People go on hoildays to see new things.... but i think that there are so many things just in one house that it would take years to think about all of them properly" This vivid portrait of an unique often marginlised perception of life coping rituals highlights the small things in life that most of us forget to look at. The 'life lessons' situate readers to acknowledge the commonly framed 'invaild' can excel the minds of those individuals who conform to cultural assumptions. As readers learn although Christopher's path is different from most, he is still in search for the happiness we all seek... As readers appreciate teh strange unique beauty of Chrisophers grasp of life. Which demonstrates the profound functions of the human mind and encourages individuality as the text proves idealogies are apparent without cultural frameworks.