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Ferris Bueller Day Off Analysis

Decent Essays

Communication Theories and Film The 1986 film, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, follows teenage rebel Ferris Bueller and his group of friends as they ditch high school and venture off to spend the day in downtown Chicago. Main character, Ferris Bueller, is no stranger to missing a day of school. He has mastered the ways of faking sick and uses this to his advantage. Now on his ninth absence, sister Jeanie and principle Rooney are fed up and have the desire to catch him in his lies and expose him to his oblivious parents. Despite their efforts, Bueller is one step ahead and consistently finds ways to avoid any obstacle thrown at him. Through his persuasive personality, confidence, and brave behavior Ferris Bueller’s day off is one to remember. This crazy and adventurous film not only brings joy and laughter to viewers but illustrates two specific theories of communication: Shannon-Weaver’s Model of Communication and Interpersonal Deception. Throughout the film, much of the focus is in the hallways of Glenbrook North High School. During first period, Ferris’s teacher follows school standards and takes roll. When it is clear that Ferris is not there, fellow classmate, Simone, chimes in with her version of why he is absent. According to her best friend’s, sister’s, boyfriend’s, brother’s girlfriend, she heard that he passed out last night and his sickness is pretty serious. However, according to Jeanie’s friend, she heard from the guy in her bio class that he’s on the verge of death. Both these situations represents one of the most common aspects of high school, rumors. Rumors are easily depicted in Shannon-Weaver’s Model of Communication. In communication processes there are five specific elements, sender, message, signal, channel, and receiver. These elements work together to reduce uncertainty in communication. However, a sixth element of noise challenges this. Noise can be defined as anything added to the signal that is not intended by the sender, leading to information loss (Pollock 8-9). Noise is the main variable in creating a rumor. In the film, the original sender, Jeanie, told her friend, the receiver, that Ferris is just home sick. As the message gets passed around, each person adds their own

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