Week 8 Flashcards
What is a koan in Zen Buddhism and what is its purpose?
- A Zen paradox used to shift monks away from reliance on reason, guiding them toward sudden intuitive insight
- It reflects impermanence and is part of a continuous process, not a single event
What does the “flag” koan teach about perception and reality?
- Two monks argue about whether the wind or the flag is moving, but a third says, “The mind is moving.”
- This means our mind shapes how we see the world—it’s not just the flag or wind, but our own thoughts that create what we experience
How does the “strawberry” koan relate to the concept of time in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”?
- The strawberry koan shows how a single moment can feel infinite if we’re fully present
- This connects to how Evelyn experiences many realities at once—turning one moment into a multiverse of choices beyond time
How do the concepts of TIME, CREATION, and NEGATIVE SPACE interconnect in the “Everything Everywhere All at Once”?
- Time isn’t linear—it’s full of endless moments and possibilities
- In the film, Evelyn’s “worst” self has the most potential because her emptiness creates space for growth and change
What does the “empty cup” koan teach about receptivity to new knowledge, and how does this relate to Evelyn in the film?
- The koan about the overflowing teacup teaches that we must empty our minds to learn new things
- In the film, Evelyn’s “worst” self is the most powerful because, like an empty cup, she’s open to the most possibilities
How are negative space and creation interconnected in the film’s philosophy?
- The film shows that emptiness isn’t nothing—it’s full of potential
- Evelyn’s emptiest self has the most power to create
- Like needing darkness to see light, creation begins with empty space
What paradox does the film present about Evelyn’s “worst” self, and how does this relate to the course themes?
- Evelyn’s “worst” self is the most powerful because she has the most potential
- Since she hasn’t chosen one path, she’s free to access any skill
- The film shows that emptiness creates room for growth and change
What does the Zen story about the man with the strawberry teach us about time perception?
- It shows how a brief moment can feel endless through perception
- The man facing death chooses to savor the strawberry, turning one moment into an infinite experience of choices instead of focusing on his doom
How does the quote “Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution” relate to the film’s themes?
- Overcoming challenges needs a big shift in thinking, like in Everything Everywhere All at Once, where characters find meaning in chaos
- It shows that solutions come from viewing problems in a new way
How does Roy Batty in Blade Runner exemplify the concept of “negative space”?
- Roy Batty creates space for change when he accepts his death
- By letting go of the future, he opens up to new possibilities and makes surprising choices, like saving Deckard
- This emptiness allows for growth and revelation.
What is the relationship between “negative space” and “creation” as discussed in class?
- Negative space is key to creation
- To have everything, we first need nothing
- The emptiness creates contrast and possibility, showing that creation comes from absence
How does Niels Bohr’s quote about paradox relate to Evelyn’s character in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”?
“How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress”
- Evelyn learns that her “worst” version is actually her strongest
- This paradox (worst = best) creates opportunities for growth and change
How does the kaleidoscope function as a metaphor in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”?
- It shows how reality is made from fragments that form different patterns based on perspective
- it’s an analogy for analysis and interpretation
- Like Evelyn seeing different versions of herself, turning it reveals new patterns and connections
How does Judith Butler’s theory of performative gender relate to the themes in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”?
“there is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender; that identity is performatively constituted by the very expressions that are said to be its results”
- The film shows identity as fluid and shaped by actions, not fixed
- Joy/Jobu’s multiple identities highlight how the self is performed rather than static
How does the film use the kaleidoscope imagery to represent identity formation?
- Identity is made from shifting fragments that change and recombine
- described it as “assembling and dissembling.”
- It’s not stable but changes based on the environment
- The kaleidoscope shows how small changes in perspective can create new ways of understanding oneself
How does Niels Bohr’s quote “Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real” relate to the film’s portrayal of the multiverse?
- It shows that our reality is made up of things that aren’t solid, much like how Evelyn’s life is built in real-time from many possibilities
- The film’s multiverse suggests that what we see as “real” is just one version of endless possibilities
How does Evelyn’s character development reflect the film’s philosophy about reality?
- Evelyn goes from seeing herself as limited to realizing she’s full of potential
- She learns that reality is made up of possibilities we shape into the present
- Her journey shows that we constantly create ourselves through our choices and perspectives
What does the “A girl is no one” slide (75) represent in the context of the film?
- To access multiple identities, you must first let go of a fixed one
- Being “no one” gives the freedom to become “everyone,” picking up skills and identities from across the multiverse
How does “Everything Everywhere All at Once” represent redemption differently from traditional religious narratives?
- Redemption isn’t shown as a straight path or future paradise
- Instead, it’s a sudden moment of enlightenment, like the “strawberry moment” in the Zen koan
- Redemption happens in the present, not as a future reward
What does the “FUTURE? REDEMPTION?” slide (83/86) question about “Everything Everywhere All at Once”?
- The film questions if redemption needs a future or can happen in the present
- Unlike traditional religious views of redemption as a future paradise, the film shows it happening now, in a moment filled with choices, not as a reward after a journey
According to slide 100, what dual nature does the present moment possess?
“The present moment is always entirely familiar — and entirely open. It’s both.”
This paradox shows that while the present feels familiar, it also holds endless possibilities
What is the significance of the French terms “Le Futur” and “L’Avenir” in slide 101, and how do they relate to the film?
- “Le Futur” is the predictable future
- “L’Avenir” is the unknown
- Jobu Tupaki shows a fragmented, simultaneous existence without “L’Avenir”
- There’s no future to hope for, just a space we create within the present moment
What questions does slide 104 raise about Jobu Tupaki, and what do these questions reveal about the film’s approach to identity?
- The film questions how many Jobu Tupakis exist, who created them, and if their order matters
- This suggests that identity is fluid, multiple, and can be both organized and random at the same time
What is “parallax” (slide 105) and how does it function as an interpretive concept for the film?
- Parallax shows how an object looks different from different viewpoints
- It suggests that your perspective shapes what you see
- How you interpret the film depends on where you stand and how you shift your perspective
