Description

Cast Away

Tom Hanks stars as a Fed Ex employee who is stranded alone on a South Pacific island, forced to survive by his wits. Chuck Nolan (Hanks) uses only the materials found on the island, as well as remnants of cargo from his downed plane. All “rules” of life as he knows it are void, and he is forced to analyze and reevaluate even the smallest details of survival.

Essay #1

Discuss three problems which Noland (Tom Hanks) must address when he is stranded on the island. Explain in detail the problems he faces, the ideas which he considers as possible solutions, and the final “best” solution he implements for each of the problems.

Essay #2

Marooned, Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) discovers that several objects which “no longer work” can prove to be his among his most valuable possessions.

A Wilson volleyball
A broken pocket watch
Shoes which are too small (taken from the deceased pilot)
The old life raft
The portable toilet

Choose three of these items and discuss the role they play in Nolan’s shipwrecked existence. Consider how his frame of reference shifts, as the “rules” of his life no longer function.