https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3 Your task: You need to pick a minimum of 2 symbols or motifs from the film. You need to explain the significance of the symbol in developing your understanding of a theme (time, grief, betrayal, reality, masculinity etc). You then need to include a screenshot from the film that features the symbol and explain how film techniques (1-2 film techniques from the capture) help convey an idea about the theme. en-us 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC 2022-08-14 07:17:07 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f39e.png ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539082 The doll house could be represented as Mals thoughts, and the spinning top totem is the core of her brain. The totem allows you to understand whether they are dreaming or in reality. Locking the totem in the back of her doll house (brain), Mal then feels she will never have to enter reality again, and finds herself lost in her own concept of the world. ]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539082 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539083 The doll house represents a core part of mal, it being her childhood home, by placing the totem away inside it she is able to reject the idea that limbo is fake because in her core she "knows" its real because the top fell over. Cobb by spinning changed "my world is real" to "my world is fake" because the totem in her deep subconscious were spinning]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539083 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539084 The doll house is the representation of Mal's mind and how she was immersed in the fantasy. Her totem interrupted this bliss as it shows her that it all isn't real. When they return to the real world, Cobb doesn't rectify the fact her totem is still spinning and she believes it's all fake. It's still unknown if she was right or not.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539084 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539085 The music acts like a symbol for the movie portraying the time. The music is played in the movie to remind the dreamers that the "kick" to wake them up is coming soon. This helps us to understand how time works in the dream space compared to reality. In the dream, the music plays for a considerable amount of time longer than in reality. ]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539085 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539086 The musical kick in the film represents how much time has gone in the dream. The song is played to alert dreamers to their impending "kick" waking. This clarifies how time differs between reality and the dream world.


The musical kick serves as a crucial story device in the movie Inception. It has the potential to be utilised to influence someone's ideas and feelings in the hands of a trained user. It also has the capacity to be seriously harmful when handled improperly. The musical kick serves as a metaphor for the capacity for both immense good and great evil that is inside the human mind.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539086 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539087 The musical kick is a French song by the name of "Non, Je ne regerette rien" which approximately translates to "I will no longer live with regret". This song is about ridding oneself of the haunting memories of lost love; in this case, mal. This song has a direct connection between cobb holding onto the haunting memory of putting the idea into mals head which made her commit suicide. This song is also played at a slower tempo in the dream world representing the unreal yet dualistic relationship with mal the projection. In the end, he is able to psychologically interrogate both the good and evil aspects of mal and relieve the guilt he has for his lost lover, matching the meaning of the song.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539087 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539088
Cobb makes the statement "Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.", this was then followed by "a bishop, an elegant solution for keeping track of reality". Cobbs's line reflects on the theme of the paradoxically "real" feeling of dreams. This confusion felt by the characters when trying to depict if they are still dreaming is physically shown within the two "realities" looking identical. This is why they must carry around totems, a symbol of distinguishing reality. 

]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539088 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539090 The bishop is a symbol in the way that it describes Ariadne and her certain roles in the film, this totem symbolizes Ariadne's crafty nature and her quick wit. Just as a chess player must learn to think in different ways to defeat their opponent, this is what Ariadne is forced to do throughout the film. The nature of chess also demonstrates the warfare that they have to go through in the film, both physiological and psychological.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539090 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539091 The chess piece is a symbol of the movie showing and letting the audience keep track of reality. It helps the audience understand the current setting of the movie weather they are in a dream world or not. The chess piece was made by Ariadne to help her keep track of reality. ]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539091 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539092 A golden bishop chess piece with a little hollow in it serves as Ariadne's totem. To ensure that only she can accurately gauge the weight and feel of her totem, she purposefully hollows it out to change its weight and centre of gravity.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539092 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539093 In the movie it was signified that it is extremely to dificult to determine whether or not you are in a dream when you are in one, only when you are awake is when only some trained individuals are able to tell. The whole dream concept also involves the killing of themselves in order to leave the dream, however because it is extremely easy to loose track of whether or not you are in a dream during inception the use of a totem helps them identify when and not they are in a dream. Therefore this totem symbolises the identificaiton of reality as this is its whole purpose.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539093 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539094 Ariadne's name is a source of symbolism in inception, this is due to the origin of the name, the name comes from Greek mythology and was the name of a princess who helped navigate Theseus through her fathers labyrinth and kill the minotaur, in this movie, cobb is related to Theseus and the minotaur, the maze is Fischer's mind and Mal would be the minotaur]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539094 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539095 The spinning top also known as a totem symbolises the reality of the dreamers and is used to ground the dreamer when they believe they have woken.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539095 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539097 The spinning top is Cobb's totem, and Mal's. The spinning top represents Cobb's want to be in "reality". He always spins the top after an extraction to make sure he's not still in a dream. In the final scene, Cobb abandons his totem showing that he no longer needs to be in the real world.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539097 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539098 The spinning top is Cobb's totem. The spinning top has the highest ability to differ from reality or a dream state. Throughout prior themes, Cobb always watches the totem as it spins, however at the end in the final scene, he walks away. This scene suggests about Cobb is accepting the fact he is stuck in his subconscious or he doesn't want to find out if he actually is in reality. ]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539098 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539099 The spinning top which originally belonged to Mal which was found in the dollhouse. The statement above showcases that the totems have a significant symbol for each person in the film and nobody other than the owner of the totem would understand what is the true meaning behind it. The way Cobb looks at the spinning top resembles if he is in a dream or not. It represents the theme of reality and grief cobb has.  As the spinning top can determine where he is but, also can remind cobb of Mal.

]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539099 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539100 The spinning top is Cobb's totem. This makes him tell the difference between a dream and reality. Cobb makes sure to spin the spinning top after he has come out of a dream. At the end of the movie, Cobb spins the totem one last time and leaves it on the table, leaving to reality.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539100 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539101 The spinning totem is Mal's and then Cobb's totem. The totem shows Cobb's paranoia and how he cant tell the difference between reality and dreaming as after each extraction he uses the totem. In the end of the movie, Cobb doesn't bother to check if he is in reality or dream because he doesn't care and wants to see his kids and doesn't matter if its dream or reality]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539101 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539102 The spinning top resembles reality or a different world. When cobb spins it and it falls over he knows that he is not in a dream anymore, but at the end of the film, the screen cut to black and we never see the end result. The totem for everyone symbolises the same thing, but only they know how it works. For example the purpose of the loaded die is to make one side heavier than the rest, therefore when rolled the heavy side will flip down and only the opposite side can face up. Should the upright side of the die be different than the original, arthur will know he is dreaming. The same applies to Cobb with the spinning top, only the carrier knows how their totem works.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539102 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539103 The spinning top symbolizes an elegant solution for keeping track of reality and can determine whether Cobb is in a dream or in reality. This relates to reality whether he is in reality or not. It is also shown that Cobb does not really care whether he is in reality or a dream ]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539103 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539104 The spinning top is Cobb's totem previously Mals. In dreams, cobb would use his totem to tell whether he was still in a dream or back to reality. When the top continued to spin he was still in a dream but if it dropped he was awake. The totem symbolised his feeling of guilt and the regret of how mals death occurred.

]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539104 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539105 In the film, the spinning top symbolizes the gap between the present world and a different reality/dream. Cobb uses the top to show if he is still dreaming or if he is back in reality. Everyone has their own totem exclusively for them. For example, Arthur's totem is a weighted red die. The purpose of the loaded die is to make one side heavier than the rest, therefore when rolled the heavy side will flip down and only the opposite side can face up. This will not occur if he is still a dream. Cobb spins the totem multiple times during the film due to fear ]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539105 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539106 Beach's have a certain symbolism within movies being a place of fun but can also infer escape or reflection in the character. This is a bit ironic within Inception as they were trying to escape the beach rather the beach being a place of escape although the reflection is true.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539106 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539107 Limbo is the bottom layer of dreaming as it's the pure form of everyone's subconscious; by default, it takes the form of a beach, so the beach of limbo symbolises people's subconscious so that's what they mean when they say waking up on the shores of our subconcious.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539107 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539108 Limbo is the lowest part of dreaming as it's the peak of your subconscious. The beach of limbo refers to people's subconscious, so you wake up on the shores of subconscious ]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539108 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539109 The theme of awareness is significant in Inception, as it relates to the key parts of the movie - knowing if you're in a dream or reality, being aware of what you're building in a dream, and being aware of your surroundings in moments where you have to be cautious.

The mazes that come up during the movie are very significant as they are designed by the architects of dreams, and are to be explored by the dreamers. On a less literal level, they represent the complexity of the mind and how deeply your subconscious can inflict changes on your reality.

Specifically to Cobb, mazes are very relevant to him as he is the character with the most severe issues with handling his subconscious - regarding Mal. He must know the least of a dream's layout to avoid bringing her into the dream, and his own mind is like a maze as he struggles to personally understand what he is thinking and feeling. Inception, and staying in Limbo until old age, have both impacted his mentality and how he lives his day-to-day life.

For these reasons, the symbol of mazes and labyrinths heavily correlate to the theme of awareness. Cobb was not aware of the intricacy of his mental jail with Mal, and this physically applies to his need for a lack of knowledge in dreams to avoid her affecting the plan others are part of. He is a huge risk to associate with for all in his team, shown when he let Mal kill Mr. Fischer by hesitation. The other characters are not as aware as Ariadne of these risks and this creates more danger towards them.

The shot of the snow fortress from the third dream layer is a nice representation of this, depicted by the monochromatic scheme of it and how it is shown to be quite small in relation to the rest of the empty, isolated environment. It seems to be quite bland and lacks depth; though inside, there is a very high level of intricacy and detail, which relates to how such a basic thought can have deep layers of complexity associated. The idea that the fortress also contains a very large and crucial secret is also a strong correlation to this, where at surface level something seems very basic, but when explored, unravels into something far more serious. On a simpler level, the fortress is also in itself a labyrinth, which only the architect can know the layout of.

These points can all combine to the idea of: awareness is a safety net for comfort, though a danger when not shared in unfamiliarity.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539109 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539110 Cobb's final scene with his children heavily regards presence and acceptance, especially considering that he ignores his totem almost entirely.

The symbol of his children occurs in essentially every dream level where something occurs that raises memories of Mal or his children, e.g. a familiar place, glass breaking. This shows lack of presence of the dream story he is actually experiencing, as his focus is elsewhere, swaying him and diverting his attention.

In the final scene, where he sees his clearly aged children, presence is represented by his ignorance of everything else - he was purely living in the moment with his children. This is also depicted through the innocence of his kids, where they are just happy to have their father home, failing to comprehend the complexity of what he had just experienced.

Mal lacked presence before she killed herself in reality (or so we think), which drove her to insanity. She lacked the hope Cobb had, to return to her kids finally, as she was so out-of-it and convinced that no amount of presence would take her out of her misery, and that she had to kill herself again.

The screen cap included shows a full shot, at eye level. It has low-key lighting, created by harsher back light from outside. These create a more natural effect on the characters, making the scene seem more realistic, though equally ambiguous - it causes the viewer to question the realness. The size of the totem in the shot represents its insignificance in the moment - Cobb is happy where he is, and that is all that matters. Only when you really focus on the top and wonder, where is he really right now?, you start to worry and focus on whether it is dream or reality.

This presents the idea: presence is the core of happiness, and when it is ignored, it can drive us to insanity.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539110 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539111 Cobb's children represent his reality and regret. He regrets incepting the idea into Mal's mind that the world wasn't real. This lead to Mal killing herself, which meant that Cobb could no longer see his children. Along with this, Cobb's refused to see his children in his dreams as he wanted to see his children in reality. However, Cobb finally seeing his children's faces without waiting for the top to fall showed how he no longer cared if he was in "reality" and that he had accepted his world, even if it was a dream.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539111 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539112 Cobb's kids stand in for the kind of family and house he hopes to have in life. Mal committed suicide and he lost his children as a result of him implanting the notion that the world wasn't real in her head. He regrets doing this. Cobb insisted on seeing his children's faces in reality and would not allow them to appear in his dreams. 

Cobb's ability to finally see his kids' faces without waiting for the sky to collapse revealed that he no longer worried if he was in "reality" and that he had come to terms with his reality, even if it was a dream. By accepting himself, he was able to progress and discover happiness.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539112 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539113 When the dream was ending the layers of the dream were slowly crumbling away which represented that the dreams and mind of the host/subject were falling apart.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539113 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539114 Cobbs children are a major part of symbolism in the film. They are present in every dream level and are always present when Cobb thinks about Mal or he visits a place that holds a certain memory. This symoblises his inner emotions and how he regrets having to leave his kids behind and is still grieving about the past. It also resembles the insanity Mal is in as she keeps trying to convince Cobb that she is in reality and he is only dreaming and manipulates Cobb various times about the promise he made to her. We can also see in the final scene that Cobb values his children a lot because, when he finally returns to his children after a while we assume he never checks to see if the spinning top fell or not symbolising love.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539114 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539116 Used to describe the theme of which dream/limbo they are currently existing within. This is portrayed by using filming techniques such as making the audience feel submerged by making the film shot underwater just as Cobb/Ariadne would feel.

]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539116 ashrafali1 https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539117 The very first shot of the scene was Cobb being washed up on the beach. This theme relates to the traditional symbol of the subcontious or death. This means at the ending scene when Cobb walks away and we can't differ if hes in his subcontious or pictured in reality, theres evidence suggest, two other instances where the'yre people washing up half conscious on random beaches; first when Mal and Cobb enter Limbo and then again when Ariadne and Cobb go in after Fischer.]]> 2022-08-14 07:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/ashrafali1/rn5i1df4142z3ru3/wish/2260539117