I really liked how you used Good Will Hunting to describe the importance of language because there are multiple ways language is conveyed. As you mentioned, in one of the therapy sessions the two sat in silence as Sean waited for Will to speak. Sean had studied Will’s body language as well as the way he talked in order to conclude that Will needed to be the first one to speak in the session. I also liked how you mentioned the part of the movie where the two men are laughing together to show that Sean was eventually able to get through to Will. Initially, Will wanted nothing to do with the therapy sessions but with the help of Sean’s ability to read Will’s physical and verbal language, Sean was able to help Will significantly.

I thought this was a really well thought out post. Good Will Hunting is a really good example of how to convey language. In this post you described how in Sean and Will’s therapy session they were quiet, however you made note of how the use of body language replaced verbal language. The connection to this prompt was really good as you showed how language is used nonverbally and emotionally to reach someone; displaying the universality of language in all situations.

I really liked the example you used because it shows the impact of empathy. Ernie and his wife put Michael’s needs in front of theirs in order to give MIchael the life he deserves. They knew they could not leave Michael and allow him to be abandoned. I also agree with you that empathy can tear down stereotypes because when someone has empathy for someone else, they are not making generalizations. Generalizing someone based on their looks or past is ignored when someone shows empathy. Judging someone when meeting them for the first time is not an accurate representation of who the person actually is because they are being judged solely on looks. Instead, one should understand the others point of view and show empathy towards them.