Reflection Essay for August Rush
Name of Student: PAULE, John Mae Christian S.
Section: 3P6 (ELE A1-2)
Giftedness, although there is no universally accepted definition, is defined in our discussion as
“high achievement capability of students, children, or youth, in areas such as intellectual, creative,
artistic, or leadership, who needs services and activities not ordinarily provided…to fully develop those
capabilities”. Genetic endowment and environmental influences are cited to be the causes associated
with gifts and talents. The movie ‘August Rush’ provided a good picture of what it is to be a gifted
individual and how important it is to be nourished and honed.
It started with the protagonist, Evan Taylor, a boy who grew up in an orphanage yearning to find
his parents and hearing the “voices” of the wind as if he is being called. He then “followed” the music
with his hope of finally meeting his family. Towards the story, it was then revealed that his original
parents: Lyla Novacek, a cellist, and Louis Connelly, a lead singer in an Irish rock band, were musically
talented individuals too and are both unaware of their child’s existence. He then meets “Wizard”, a
musician without proper settlement who teaches and manages runaway children to be street
performers. He also coined Evan’s alias, “August Rush”. He was then exploited to perform in the streets
and places, to the point of being aggressive to Evan and forcing him to perform. Series of events
followed, and Evan found a Church in which a little girl named Hope introduces him to piano and notes,
which further helped him to understand and make more music. Hope brings August’s abilities to their
pastor, who take August to Jilliard, to further hone his skills and talent. Towards the end, Evan was able
to attract his parents towards him giving a message that music is a universal tool that can speak and
attract what you desire.
Evan’s story is a great example of a gifted individual, in this case, in the music field. His story
proved that interaction between genetic endowment and environmental influences fosters the
development and expression of giftedness. Although some characteristics, like “following the music” or
“hearing the music calls them” was written to depict his yearning to learn music and innate ability, the
movie successfully depicted how important interventions to further hone their abilities. We witnessed
how Wizard exploited August’s talents for personal gains, to the point that August was not happy with
his newfound ability in playing guitar. On the other hand, when the church referred August to Jilliard
School, he was able to hone his talent and improve his skills.
Furthermore, in the beginning, August can sense his innate ability however, he does not know
what and how he can understand it. There is that thought in his head that tells him he should follow the
music, but the problem is, he does not have anything in the orphanage to understand and express this
yearning. It made me question: how many kids with the same desire but does not have any resources to
understand this longing? Especially in the Philippines, access to special programs is only for the
privileged and those who have financial capabilities. There were little to no programs for these children
to hone their skills and giftedness.
August Rush depicted an important lesson: Giftedness, an exceptional ability, should not be caged
and be prevented. It is important to be discovered early to assess and plan for proper programs that will
help in nourishing one’s abilities. A person’s giftedness should also not be exploited for personal gains
but should be provided to hone a child’s exceptionality.
