Contradiction in Maggie's 'dyslexia' - In Her Shoes (2005) Discussion

[–] celtic_eagle 14 years ago

It's not a contradiction. The point was that by reading poems to the sweet old man she was caring for, Maggie learned to combat her dyslexia and so was able to read the poem at the wedding. It was both a heartwarming gesture to Rose, and also a great legacy for the old man to leave that by Maggie reading to him, he had helped her overcome her difficulty and done his part to help bring the sisters back together. (Also, I like to think he had introduced her to the world of poetry too, so there's that little nutshell in the mix too that he'd enriched Maggie's world with books and imagination).

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[–] lynsey_poushay 13 years ago

Don't even bother answering, Lolawoo obviously didn't bother watching the movie or paid no attention when they did. There is a very clear answer to this.

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[–] jtdeclercq 13 years ago

peom by T.S Elliot

It was a poem by e.e. cummings, not T.S. Eliot (not with double l).
And a splendid poem it is:

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

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[–] deadbunny28 13 years ago

no, it was a stupid tearjerking manipulation attempt...omg he taught her to read!...stfu...

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[–] thenYES 14 years ago

The old man helped her deal with her dyslexia. Also, I think she probably practiced and had read the poem plenty of times prior to the wedding, so she already knew most of the poem anyways.

That was part of why it was so meaningful to everyone to see her read at the wedding.

"And then he started cheating...especially at magnetic travel scrabble."

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[–] KindredSouls 14 years ago

Yeah, I kind of assumed she had it mostly memorized, if you watch closely, she isn't looking at the paper when she says some of the words. But also, the old man helped her overcome some of her learning disability.

The part where he calls her a smart girl for figuring out the meaning of one of the poems, and her smile afterwards, is one of the best parts of the movie for me.

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[–] Darth_Ravenous 14 years ago

What does DNA stand for?

National Dyslexics Association

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[–] pink_sakura_fairy 14 years ago

Did you miss half the movie? The old man in the hospital taught her how to read.

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[–] Lolawoo 14 years ago

I am sorry I didn't realise that a short scene in the hospital constituted as "half the movie".

The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains

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[–] pink_sakura_fairy 13 years ago

There were a number of scenes in which Maggie read to the old man.

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[–] michaelexarkun 14 years ago

There was no contradiction, the professor taught her a technique to help her deal with her dyslexia, and her reading to him was good practice.

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[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] rabbyt1 14 years ago

The old man taught her reading wasn't as hard as she thought it was- helped her overcome her dyslexia by helping her relax when it came to reading. Dyslexia can be overcome.

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[–] forgetnorway 13 years ago

I think the movie spans over a certain amount of time...I dunno if that has anything to do with it?

With a prompter in every window whispering comebacks shy people would have the last laugh

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[–] DizzyLizard444 13 years ago

Plus if she had practiced reading it, it would come out more smoothly.

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[–] dollvalley 10 years ago

It was so clear that Maggie was getting better at reading, it's a logical conclusion. Plus you don't think she would have rehearsed?
IF, it would have been a bit weird had she had no piece of paper to read the poem off.

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[–] stayalivein85 11 years ago

There is actually a contradiction regarding the dyslexia thing. When Maggie is at Rose's apartment, she can read all post-it notes Rose has written...

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Still shopoholic, just wearing a new T-shirt

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[–] asdf189756 11 years ago

It was never actually confirmed that she had dyslexia. The old man asked "what is it, dyslexia?" she never answered. It was also mentioned that she had previously attended adult literacy classes which wouldn't necessarily help if your problem is dyslexia. Whatever the reason her reading improved by practicing with the old man, thats why Rose looked shocked when she read it.

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[–] kayleewheat 10 years ago

Maggie struggled to read at the MTV audition and that was particularly apparent. She felt a failure because she couldn't read what was on the screen. I'm not sure if Maggie had dyslexia or not, as it wasn't confirmed either way. I think Cameron's acting ability shone through in the scene with the old man, played by Norman Lloyd who turned 100 in real life last year. At first, Maggie was reluctant to read because it was something she struggled with, but she became more confident by practising and sounding out the words. The scene was very much like a lesson because the old man asked Maggie about the story. She said she didn't know what the poem was about, but her comprehension became excellent with encouragement. I would imagine Rose was amazed about Maggie reading at her wedding to Simon. Even though the sisters weren't close because of the differences between them, Rose could see that Maggie had become more mature in her approach to life and she embraced her sister more later in the movie because of that.

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