Short biography and Film study task about Ray Charles

Ismail Ibrahimi                1ère A

RAY CHARLES FILM STUDYING

Preliminary Questions

Focus on the picture

1. What is the young boy doing? How does he feel about this activity?

The young boy is playing piano, I feel as if the child exudes joy when playing playing it.

1. Why is the man wearing dark eyeglasses? What do you see reflected in them?

The man is wearing dark eyeglasses because he is blind and because he doesn’t want to show his eyes, or it’s a form of fashion to blind people to wear dark eyeglasses. I see people cheering reflected in his glasses, I think they are applauding him, maybe he is doing something extraordinary.

1. Which kind of emotional impact do you think that abundant human presence would have borne on him?

I think he got much more confidence than he usually had. When people applauding you that means that you did something great and that it gives you more motivation to do much better.

1. Do you think the boy and the man are the same person? Why or why not?

Yes, I think that the boy and the man are the same person. Because they both exudes the same energy, the same feelings, the same smile, they both have that special smile that characterize them.

Discussion Questions

Evoke your memories of the film, besides your understanding of the text.

1. Why is the story of Foots significant in relation to the singer’s childhood? What does this story tell you about Ray Charles?

The story of Foots is significant to ray’s childhood, because first of all this name got created by his friends in his school who started to call him like this. The started calling him Foots because he was the only kid who was going to school without shoes.

1. What hardships did Ray Charles face at age seven? Then which additional obstacles did he face at age 15? (Exemplify your answer)

Ray Charles lost his eyesight to disease when he was seven. And at the age of 15, his mother died.

1. Who were the people important to Ray in his early life? What roles did they play in shaping his life? (Refer to two characters)

The people who are important to Ray in his early life are his mother and his brother. They both had roles in shaping Ray’s life. His mother learned him the basics of life and guided him to the right path.

1. How did Ray Charles learn to read and write music? What was his music like?        (Type of rythm and its impact on listeners)        

Ray Charles learned to read and write music in the school where he was used to be call Foot. Charles learned Braille and figured out how to pursue his interest in music. As he got older, he wrote Braille arrangements of melodies for bands and together with schoolmates began playing at public functions. His music blended gospel, jazz, rhythm and blues, and pop. When Charles started to go on scenes, everyone liked his music, some believed that he was doing those kinds of songs to provoke believers, religious because he used to use gospel in his music. He became so famous that the song he wrote about Georgia: “Georgia on my mind”, became Georgia’s official song.                                        

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