In the terror-stricken Netflix Movie, “Bird Box,” Malorie Hayes (Sandra Bullock) must make a treacherous journey in a post-apocalyptic world across a river with two young children named ‘Boy’ and ‘Girl’ while blindfolded. The film flips back and forth between the past, explaining the beginning stages of the end-of-the-world, and the present, following Malorie and the two children as they make their journey to safety on a small boat.

Malorie is a strong, resilient woman who soon realizes the world is about to change forever for her and her unborn child. There is a sudden mass attack on humans coming from invisible “entities” in the air that, when seen, cause people to have hallucinations and unexpectedly commit suicide. Malorie eventually learns that obstructing any view of the outside world can keep you safe but only to a certain extent.

Throughout the movie, Malorie teaches viewers a lesson in success through perseverance. In the beginning of the film, Malorie barely endures the first wave of chaos in a stranger’s house filled with other frantic survivors. However, when the group makes a risky trip to the grocery store, Malorie comes across some birds who, even amid chaos, remained alive and well, which was a sign of luck or even faith. Even as Malorie faced fear, she had to remain hopeful that there was a meaning to her life.

In order to achieve success, Malorie teaches viewers that they must have a clear vision in mind, courage and hopefulness in order to attain that goal. Not only did Malorie set a goal to stay safe, but she also had to realize why it was important for her to stay alive. To survive in this post-apocalyptic world, Malorie had to set rules along the way, which meant not taking off her blindfold for any reason and trusting no one. Throughout the movie, there were several people who tried to throw Malorie off her path.

While both Marolie and Olympia, another survivor, labored through childbirth, the ‘entities’ entered through the windows and instantly overpowered the entire house. Olympia soon surrenders to the invocations of these mysterious forces and commits suicide. Malorie was then left with the responsibility of caring for two newborns minutes after giving birth.

Just like in Malorie’s life, as circumstances change, different aspects of the goal may change, but the main objective will always remain the same. Malorie learned very quickly, that she had to block out all voices and that she should not trust everyone she comes across. Because of her mindset, she never succumbed to the temptations of these mysterious forces.

Her strength and resilience grew as her life developed. She emotionally detached herself from her children and raised them in a world in which they were taught to never trust anyone for years. Their only companion was a box of birds which provides a sense of trust for them. Malorie kept her mind set on what was in front of her and never let the mysterious forces intimidate her.

She did not let temptation hinder her from getting to her and the children to their own ‘bird box.’ The birds in the film are also an example of eternal life. Even through all of the chaos and temptation, Malorie still managed to stay alive. Her character is also a metaphoric sign of eternal life, as she is one of the few people that withstood living in fear for years and making it to the refuge to live a more fulfilling life.

Malorie was constantly tested and tempted, but never lost sight of her plan and purpose. She allowed her trustworthy ‘birdbox’ along with her natural intuition to guide her on the right path. Anything that is worth gaining, in the end, is never easy and requires hard work.

The Center for Democracy and Civic Life hosts a reflective journaling project to create space for individual reflection on personal experiences with important civic implications. UMBC student, faculty, staff, and alumni journal bearers respond to prompts from the Center by creating entries in their journals, and sometimes submitting photos of their entries to be shared publicly. This sharing can take the form of social media posts like this, art projects, or conversations at journal bearer gatherings.

If you’d like to be involved with the journaling project, send us an email: civiclife@umbc.edu.

Live theatre is not always accessible to the general public given the high ticket prices and the fact that professional shows are only performed in certain areas. Thankfully, Netflix is now carrying the banner and allowing its users to screen professionally taped Broadway musicals with the original casts. Even more exciting, one of these musicals happens to be “Newsies.”

The Broadway musical “Newsies” is inspired by the 1992 film which was based on the newsboys’ strike of 1899 in New York City. The show debuted on Broadway in 2012 and is the story of a group of newsboys lead by the charismatic Jack Kelly as they form their own union and take on the most powerful men in the city after the price of newspapers is raised.

The show stars Jeremy Jordan as the strong-willed Jack Kelly. Jordan does a fantastic job capturing the emotional complexity of the character, from hyping up the rest of the newsies in the song “The world will know” to breaking down with raw anger during “Santa Fe.”

Kara Lindsey also stars in the show as budding reporter Katherine “Plumber” Pulitzer, the sassy female reporter who catches the eyes of Jordan’s character at first sight. While the two do have amazing chemistry on stage, what really makes Lindsey stand out is her ability to make the character stand her own and portray her goals at the forefront of her character. In the song “Watch What Happens,” Lindsey makes it clear that Katherine is going to stop at nothing to get the newsies on the front page and achieve her dream of being a serious reporter.

The show also features a stand out performance from Andrew Keegan-Bolger who portrays Crutchie, Jack’s best friend who was left crippled by polio. Keegan-Bolger had some of the best physicality in the entire show. Despite having the difficult task of performing with a crutch, he maintained his character’s limp the entire show, even during the dance sequences.

The choreography in the show is exceptionally difficult and executed with power and intensity, and this is not just describing the dancing. The fight choreography is cleanly executed so that it looks realistic without being too chaotic. The only down side to the filmed version of the show is that, because of the splicing of multiple shows together in an attempt to eliminate mistakes, there are a few background inconsistencies, like how Jeremy Jordan would disappear and reappear during “That’s Rich.”

“Newsies” is an amazingly emotional show about revolution and what young people can do when they come together for a common goal. It speaks volumes to us modern-day youth, especially since many of us feel as though there is not much we can do about all of the turmoil happening in our very own country. But, according to this story, we can do something if we continue to work together. Thus, “Newsies” has stood the test of time, despite being about a real event that happened over 100 years ago.

My name is Nazz, I'm an AA cis-gendered female. At the end of my current lease (July), I am looking to move into an affordable apartment near UMBC campus or near the downtown shuttle stop. 

I'm looking to pay $300-600 for the right space. I'm somewhat flexible on price.

I am a. PhD grad student in the Clinical & Community Psych program.  I prefer my own bathroom but I am very friendly, outgoing, and open minded. I enjoy music in the house, working out, tennis, volleyball, and martial arts (new). I have no pets, not a tobaccy smoker, and I keep common areas clean. 

Feel free to email me at munazza1@umbc.edu or txt 9105088879