Film and Literature/Adcock
Fantasy
Name: __________________________________________________________ Period: _______
Field of Dreams
1.
How can you explain the conflict Ray has with his father? What does Ray mean when he says he doesn’t want to end up like him?
2.
In the beginning of the film, Ray says, “I'm 36 years old, I love my family, I love baseball and I'm about to become a farmer. But until I heard the voice, I'd never done a crazy thing in my whole life.” Do you think the fact that Ray has “never done a crazy thing in his whole life” plays a part in why he listens to the voice? Explain.
3.
By building the baseball field, what does Ray essentially do for Shoeless Joe Jackson?
Keep the following dialogue in mind.
Ray Kinsella
: “I bet it's good to be playing again, huh?”
Shoeless Joe Jackson
: “Getting thrown out of baseball was like having part of me amputated. I've heard that old men wake up and scratch itchy legs that been dust for over fifty years. That was me. I'd wake up at night with the smell of the ballpark in my nose, the cool of the grass on my feet... The thrill of the grass.”

4.
Read the following quote by Terence Mann. What is he arguing that people ultimately long for? Why do they long for this?
Terence Mann: “People will come, Ray. They'll come to Iowa for reasons they can't even fathom. They'll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they're doing it. They'll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. Of course, we won't mind if you look around, you'll say. It's only $20 per person. They'll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack. And they'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers.
It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.”
5.
Read the following quote from Moonlight Graham. What message about life do you think the writer/director was trying to get across ?
Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham : “You know we just don't recognize the most significant moments of our lives while they're happening. Back then I thought, well, there'll be other days. I didn't realize that that was the only day.”

6.
What past regret with his father haunts Ray to this day? In what ways does “the voice” represent his own guilt?
7.
How does this film show that when it comes to dreams, logic is not always the best route?
8.
Describe one of your own dreams.

9.
How does the film require a suspension of disbelief from its audience?
10.
What are some of the recurring common themes in Big Fish and Field of Dreams ?
11.
Which film, Big Fish or Field of Dreams , did you like better? Why?