Butterfly speech


at the very end, Abby makes the short speech that contains the word Butterfly, which is evidently tied to the original title.

Please, someone who taped the movie tell me what her whole speech was--it was just a couple of sentences.

Thank you!

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Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?
I do, Neil
I just wanted to share those feelings with you if only for a few hours.
Despair, loss, abandonment, betrayal.
Are they there Neil?
Are they, Baby?


I think that is right. My dad started talking at the end, but I think I got it all.
Mocking Greenly Productions

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"at the very end, Abby makes the short speech that contains the word Butterfly, which is evidently tied to the original title. "

Common sense would tell you that the following messages are about the end of the movie. Though I agree it should be labeled as a spoiler.

However, if you haven't seen the movie, it isn't smart to go searching for information on the internet about it if you are that adamant about not being spoiled.

Mocking Greenly Productions

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leave the butterfly alone.



'A piece of WHAT, Emmet? THE LAND? WHAT AM I A FARMER?!'-Wynn Duffy

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Just had to pop in 11 years later to applaud you on your signature. Wynn Duffy is my favorite 😂

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The butterfly's wings are "shattered".

I cannot tell you all of that; but, it might help if you search f/ the original poem under each of:

"Butterfly on a wheel";

"Butterfly upon a wheel".

That might shatter your problem.



< akas.imdb.com/user/ur1619490/boards/profile/?preview=1 >; <akas.imdb.com>.

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well, i'm no poet, and despite my appreciate for "deep meanings", etc., i thought the phrase was kind of silly. they should have come up with something much better than that. i have to imagine that the vast majority of viewers are scratching their heads wondering what's up with that phrase?

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The alternate title is a reference to a line from a satirical poem by Alexander Pope in 1735: "Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?"
(Being "broken on the wheel" references the ancient torture device, The Wheel, or Catherine Wheel, since it was used on St. Catherine.)

The phrase has come to mean overkill, or bringing to bear unnecessary force against a relatively defenseless opponent. In this case, perhaps a reference to the elaborate schemes used to make a point and destroy the father.

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Excellent answer -
Nothing to add to that explanation-
Personally, my wife and I enjoyed this flick-
Nothing groundbreaking, but as I have had the misfortune of sitting thru such incredible cinematic classics as:
House of the Dead, Howard the Duck, Smokey & the Bandit 3, etc
You can see why I feel, compared to those travesties, this movie is The Godfather.


Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
Mark Twain

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(Being "broken on the wheel" references the ancient torture device, The Wheel, or Catherine Wheel, since it was used on St. Catherine.)

Being "broken on the wheel" is more likely a reference to the standard pre-20th century military punishment of flogging: soldiers would have their hands tied to a cartwheel when being whipped. It's depicted rather well in the movie "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062790/) If you wanted a more "classical" root, then surely Ixion's wheel, of Ancient Greek mythology, would be a better choice than St Catherine?!

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Hi, Ronald-Walker-1,
I really appreciate your solid references to Ixion and the flogging tradition, but stand by my assertion that "being broken on the wheel" more frequently refers to the ancient & medieval method of torture/execution, since bones are systematically broken on a cartwheel.

I also insist that the term "Catherine Wheel" IS commonly associated with this device. There is even a spinning firework known as a Catherine Wheel.
To wit, Wikipedia:
"The Catherine wheel or pinwheel is a type of firework consisting of a powder-filled spiral tube, or an angled rocket mounted with a pin through its center. When ignited, it rotates quickly, producing a display of sparks and coloured flame.
The firework is named after Saint Catherine of Alexandria who, according to Christian legend, was condemned to death by “breaking on the wheel”. When she touched the wheel it miraculously flew to pieces."
In artwork, St. Catherine (one of the very earliest martyrs) is often depicted holding a small cartwheel.

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Thank you for this, I love succinct explanations like this.

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