【講師コラム】メル講師No.～The Green Mile: A Movie That Touched The Strings of My Soul…～

 Happy, Friday, Mommies and Daddies!!! Have you all been well?.. How is your 2023 going? I do hope with all my heart that this year is being magnanimous, in all aspects of life, to all of you. 2023 has been showering me lemons from the day I sooooo warmly welcomed it (hehe), but I am doing fine… Oh, you know what they say, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!”. Life is never easy for anyone, and there are a lot more people whose sufferings are much greater than mine, so who am I to complain about my problems. Though life is not being so gentle to me these days, I am extremely grateful because I am here. I have my loving and super supportive family (including my cats and dogs) and friends, and I have the best students in the world (and their moms and dads are the nicest, too).

          Oooops! I almost forgot that I am writing an entry today to talk about the best movie I’ve ever watched. Hmnnn… I have tons of favorite movies (Teacher Madel and I actually have the same favorites!), so it is kind of difficult to just choose one. I am such a sucker for inspirational, heart-wrenching, romantic comedy, animated, documentary, mystery and horror films. And I would never ever get tired of watching The Notebook, A Dog’s Purpose and its sequel, A Dog’s Journey, Hachiko, The Ring, La Amistad, Silence of the Lamb, Life is Beautiful, An Interview With A Vampire (because of Brad Pitt, hehe), Spirited Away or Sen to Chihiro No Kamikakushi, (I love Haku!), Grave of the Fireflies or Hotaru no Haka (this movie never fails to make me cry no matter many times I have already seen it), Beauty and the Beast, and countless more again and again and again!!!  But if there is one movie that really had the greatest impact in my life, that would be THE GREEN MILE…

      Some movies do more than just entertain, they touch your soul… The Green Mile, a 1999 movie based on Stephen King’s 1996 novel, is certainly one of them.  Have you ever heard about this movie, Mommies and Daddies?

           Anyway, the said movie stars actor Tom Hanks who plays the role of a kind and sympathetic death row corrections officer, Paul Edgecomb. But one of the story’s other notable characters is John Coffey… John is a huge man who towers over everyone and has a built like a tank.  He is convicted of two heinous murders and imprisoned on death row. Because of his seemingly scary appearance, one would easily believe that he really is capable of murdering or harming others. But the guards at the penitentiary, led by Paul Edgecomb, soon discover that Coffey possesses an incredible gift; he can heal people, he can get rid of the illnesses that eat people away. He can also read He can also see a person’s true nature by simply touching them… Coffey may look formidable on the outside, but he really is such a kind and beautiful soul. His extreme sensitivity gives him the ability to empathize with anyone in pain, and he uses his power to bring them relief. One more thing that is remarkable about him is he uses his power for anyone who needs it, whether they have been kind to him or not. Because of this, the gentle Coffey soon changes the guards’ lives and makes them face a moral dilemma: how can an innocent man who possesses the gift of life be put to death?

          I love The Green Mile for so many reasons…  One of them isitteaches us to look inside of a person and not at their physical appearance… This movie teaches us to embrace differences and look past the hatred and prejudice that one may feel for someone because of his or her race, or because you just carry this personal grudge toward someone… It sort of reminds us that KARMA always finds it way to those who make others suffer because they can and just want to do so…          

          The movie is quite long but definitely worth watching. Oh, I do not want to spoil your curiosity about the movie by giving away soooo many details from it, so I would stop here. Hehe! I highly recommend you to watch it, Mommies and Daddies. This would surely make you cry rivers but would also definitely leave you so many life lessons to live by and ponder on.

          Oh, one more thing, please allow me to share one of my favorite lines of John Coffey from the movie…

“I’m rightly tired of the pain I hear and feel, boss. I’m tired of being on the road, lonely as a robin in the rain. Not never having no buddy to go on with or tell me where we are coming from or going to or why. I’m tired of people being ugly to each other. It feels like pieces of glass in my head. I’m tired of all the times I’ve wanted to help and couldn’t. I’m tired of being in the dark. Mostly it’s the pain. There’s too much. If I could end it, I would. But I can’t.” ~John Coffey~

        This line hits differently, don’t you agree?.. In this world where many people are so mean to others, only think about themselves, and do not hesitate to put others in so much pain, what we really need is someone like John Coffey… We need someone who understands, shares, and does his best to take away the pains and struggles of those around him without expecting anything in return… We need someone who can see the hurt and wounds hidden behind our smiles, and would not hesitate to heal them… Oh, I cannot help but feel all emotional again just by thinking about this movie…

         Thank you sooooooo much for always patiently reading my long entries, Mommies and Daddies… Please forgive my being over emotional sometimes, hehe! Oh!!! I would like to greet all the AMAZING, STRONG, BEAUTIFUL and SELFLESS SUPERMOMS out there… We, mothers, deserve all the respect, love, and happiness in the world… I love you, our Englishbuds SUPERMOMS… Hats off to you!!!

          Thank you sooooo very BIG again… I am extremely grateful to you all for letting me be a part of your precious little ones English learning adventure… I will take it by heart to continue improving myself to make them love English more… Thank you again and till next time, Mommies and Daddies!!! Stay happy and healthy, and remember to always choose to be kind… Have a great weekend ahead!!!