What Is Memory - Movie Review Example

The only memory he has is that of his wife being raped and murdered by two people one of whom he killed and another one whom he has to kill. To make up for his loss of keeping memories he keeps on collecting the "mementos" like capturing the visuals through a camera and then scribbling them with some information so that he can associate these mementos with events and by clubbing all of these arrive at "Reality". Now there is a difference between mementos and memories, whereas memories are fully vivid and replete with details the mementos are hallowed, just discrete snapshots which if joined together give a very falsified and inaccurate version of reality which can be misleading.

This "approximate reality" traps the protagonist Leonard Shelby to commit unwittingly four murders.Leonard Shelby is fully aware of his mental ailment and uses creativity to come over his shortcoming. He and his Polaroid camera are inseparable. Like a leg or arm, Leonardo uses his polaroid as an aid to memory. Each event is meticulously recorded on the "memory" of the camera. He also itches his body with a tattoo to record the events of his life. For example, he notes down the number of the car which the assassin of his wife drove.

He thereby to a good extent is able to recreate an approximation of reality but since theses recordings are discrete and without assimilation and his understanding they abuse reality to a good extent.It's very important to understand the connection between knowledge and memory. Knowledge is the application of memory to derive practically useful information. For example, the character Sammy does not remember that touching triangular pieces gives him electric shocks that is because he has lost his ability to remember.

He cannot draw out the knowledge that triangular pieces are harmful and should not be picked.Our knowledge of events or occurrences in life is entirely based upon our prior learning or experience about that event or occurrence. If that event is not directly or indirectly associated with some prior experience of hours then it's new for us or in other words if we cannot recall the association of an event it's occurrence with a prior experience then it is something entirely new for us, something about which we need to be enlightened or precisely speaking we are "unaware " about it and we have no clue as to what it is.

Please see attached the ppt explaining the above.