Gifted Hand Thomas Carter's 2009 Film Gifted Thesis

Gifted Hand

Thomas Carter's 2009 film Gifted Hands is based on the life of neurosurgeon Ben Carson. In the movie, Cuba Gooding, Jr. stars as Ben Carson. The film is not about neurosurgery; although it does show how tremendously gifted Carson was at his chosen profession. The life and death of patients is sometimes held in the hands of the neurosurgeon. In fact, the opening sequence of the film highlights the importance of the profession. It shows the older Ben reluctantly agreeing to perform a surgery to separate conjoined twins in Germany. When he does ultimately agree, he becomes committed to saving the lives of both of the babies, and his work earns him tremendous accolades. What makes Ben Carson's story remarkable is not just how wonderful a neurosurgeon he became, but also how he overcome personal and environmental obstacles in order to become a neurosurgeon. In this autobiographical film, Gifted Hands, the viewer learns how to overcome personal obstacles, and achieve dreams with hard work and determination.

The personal obstacles that Ben Carson had to overcome included his experience with a broken home, and especially his inability to manage his anger early in life. When he was young, Ben seemed almost to have given up on life, and especially on school.Here is one of the smartest kids in the class who was earning failing grades because he did not care. Young Ben did not believe that he could go on to do great things like become a doctor, and save lives. However, with the help of his mother Ben realizes that he actually has an affinity for math. In one scene in the movie, young Ben is shown enjoying the mastery of multiplication tables. He also starts reading a lot, which is also because his mother demanded that he and his brother watched less television. Another major personal obstacle that Ben Carson had to overcome was his bad temper. In one scene, Ben is shown about to strike his mother with a hammer. He is also shown trying to stab his friend,….....