What makes an individual evil? Are they born that way or do they become evil from past experiences? These are the questions that many people ask regarding the people in this world that are truly maleficent. In the movie, Batman: The Dark Knight, all of the main characters have a dark side to them, including Batman who is commonly known in our society as a hero. While watching the movie, viewers can see the change in Harvey Dent as he goes from being a well-respected town “hero” to a villainous figure simply because of the death of his fiancée, Rachel Dawes. Was this evil side within Dent all along or did it develop because of Rachel’s tragic death? This essay will explore the true definition of evil and how individuals are born evil or become …show more content…
At the beginning of the movie, he is Gotham’s beloved amiable and charismatic district attorney who is well-respected by the city’s citizens. In some ways, Dent resembles a hero himself; he is a moral character who fights for ultimate justice for his citizens. He serves as a role-model Gotham’s citizens can look up to and he is essentially a hero without a mask. As Commissioner Gordon states at the beginning of the film, “Harvey Dent was needed. He was everything Gotham has been crying out for. He was...a hero. Not the hero we deserved - the hero we needed. Nothing less than a knight, shining” (Nolan The Dark Knight). Many critics argue that Dent is more of a hero than Batman ever was; he presents himself to the public instead of hiding behind a mask, like Batman, and is a well-liked public figure rather than Batman who some citizens consider a vigilante rather than a hero. Viewers also view Dent as the tragic hero of Batman: The Dark Knight because of his ultimate struggles between good and evil that he faces after Rachel’s death. One night, everything in Gotham changes because of Dawes’ untimely death. That night, the citizens of Gotham lose their beloved district attorney after he turns to the dark side and becomes a villainous character. Dent’s dramatic change in the middle of the film proves the theory that you become evil based on traumatic life experiences. This theory can also be proven true when examining the other …show more content…
From what we know about his past, Wayne had a pretty normal childhood until one day when he witnessed the murder of both of his parents’ murder. Since that day, Wayne decided to rid Gotham of the evil criminals like the one that taken his parents from him. That day released a part of Wayne he never though possible; a dark side. He fought, tortured, and injured every criminal in Gotham in order to avenge his parents’ murders. Although he is seen as a hero by the general public, some critics believe he is the true villain of the film because of the mayhem he causes in Gotham while dueling with the criminals. After looking at Batman’s history, it is clear that he began his life as a vigilante after his parents’ death in order to get revenge on the criminals who killed his
Claudia Card begins by questioning the difference between wrong and evil. How do we know when something crosses the line between being just wrong, to being an evil act? How does hatred and motive play a part in this? How can people psychologically maintain a sense of who they are when they have been the victims of evil? Card attempts to explain these fundamental questions using her theory of evil; the Atrocity Paradigm (Card, pg.3).
But I do know one thing, Batman was there for us when we needed him the most. He separated us from our darkest nightmares every night. He guarded our houses and protected our families, our friends, and our children. Batman stood up for what he believed, he always had us, the people of Gotham in his best interest. What more could we have asked Batman to do? I could stand up here and say "I never knew the man," but that might not be the truth. During my life, I have known many men, many men who are full of strength, courage, and virtue. Any of these men could have been the Batman and I would have never been aware. However good men still walk among us today, even without Batman. These good men and women are my hope, my consolation for
In origin, a hero is an archetype character that refers to protectors, warriors, or god-like man who protects humanity. For instance, Hercules was a hero in Greek mythology. In modern culture, heroism is recognized as an extremely popular trait that a character can possess. In this case, Bat Man, also referred to as The Dark Knight, is indisputably idealized as a hero. Unlike most superheros in comicbooks culture, Bat Man is a simple human being with absolutely no superpowers. Regardless of that, he as a simple human being still exhibits the courage, intelligence, talent and the necessary skills in fighting crime and defeating potentially hazardous villains seeking to either rule the world or cause destruction. In detail, Bat Man’s real name is Bruce Wayne. Bruce was 10 years old when his parents were murdered which fundamentally change his perception about the world. After his parents’ death, Bruce inherited a multibillion dollar company that his father created before his birth, which explains why he has the most advanced technology to help him fight crime. While growing up, Bruce trained himself to fight and had been working out. One night, he came to the conclusion that Gotham city is falling into the hands of criminals. For that reason, he convinced himself that it should be his obligation to prevent it, although he needed a hero identity to hide his real identity
Have you ever wondered who the man is under the dark knight mask? Bruce Wayne, is a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist, and owner of Wayne Enterprises, who after witnessing the murder of his parents Dr. Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne as a child, he swore vengeance against criminals, an oath tempered by a sense of justice. Bruce Wayne trains himself physically and intellectually and crafts a bat-inspired persona to fight crime. But the man riddle to this amazing “Cape Crusader” is brought along with many interesting facts about this dynamic crime fighter, such as, while Bruce was growing up, he learn he had an older brother, or that Batman is actually afraid of something, how about Bruce Wayne’s no drinking alcohol diet, or even batman’s
White privilege is a controversial term a lot of individuals lack real understanding of. As Peggy Mclntosh explains in her article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” the term privilege seems to be quite misleading to many. While some might take offense to it and believe it overshadows their hard work or struggle the reality is, white privilege appears to be systematically awarding dominance simply due to the color of one’s skin. For this specific article, Mclntosh chose to focus her argument only on matters where privilege comes with the color of your skin rather than socioeconomic status, religion, or location. She listed advantages such as being able to criticize the government and their policies without being seen as an outcast, or getting a
Have you ever heard of the term white privilege? In case you haven’t, or if you’re not sure what it is exactly, white privilege is all of the societal privileges that benefit white people and that non-white people do not experience. If you are white, your first thought might be to say, “Well, that’s not real. I don’t experience any special benefits that non-white people do not.” But it is real and you do. When you get a paper cut and you go to grab one of your “flesh colored” bandages, it will actually match your skin color because apparently light beige is the “normal” skin color for everyone. When you are watching a film, you are able to relate more to the people you are watching because you will share the same characteristics as most of them, such as having the same skin color. (It’s true. A recent study showed that, out of 100 films made in 2012, white people accounted for about 76% of all speaking characters while people of color, put together, only accounted for about 23%.) When you fail at something in life, like getting a job or getting into college, you don’t stop and think, “Is it because of my race?” White privilege isn’t something that you enjoy having, or that you can necessarily control, but it is important to understand what white privilege is because it most definitely comes into play in our everyday life, including, and especially, news and other forms of media.
Doing research about the existence of white privilege, I found two articles with the opposite point of view on related information. Although both authors are Caucasians, they have completely opposing opinions about the existence of the white privilege. While Peggy McIntosh is trying to spread awareness to Caucasians in regards to their own privilege, Duke wants them to understand that they are in the same position as all other races. He explains that the awareness of “white privilege” is only a fallacy that causes feel of guilt without foundation.
My parents migrated to the United States in their mid-twenties. I was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas, where 91% of the population is Mexican, my teachers and friends were all Mexican. Due to this sort of environment, I was never exposed to other races and what their lives were like in comparison to mine. It wasn’t until the 2016 Presidential Elections where that finally happened. At the time, I had moved to Houston and the term “white privilege” was being thrown around. I understood the word by definition but perhaps I will never know what it is like to have actual white privilege. However, in the article “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” the author, Peggy McIntosh provides and detailed description on what it is like to be white in America and have white privilege.
Evil is a popular theme in many novels and plays, and there are many factors that contribute to characters becoming evil. Factors such as no interaction with people and the way someone is treated can turn a person to become evil and commit bad acts. The person may start out as a selfless person with good morals, but eventually he will turn evil as a result of outside factors. Some factors might be isolation, the way he is treated by others, and motives. A person’s selfish needs often consume him and he wants nothing but to benefit himself. He will do anything to get what he wants and will eventually commit so many bad acts that he will turn purely evil. In the play Macbeth by Shakespeare and the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the characters
He kills only evil people for justice and goodness of Gotham City. In the movie his action seems very evil but He does this for greater good. For example, at the beginning
Batman (Christian Bale) is hoping to hand on his crime fighting duties to D.A Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) yet when Batman’s cards are on the table the twisted mastermind who goes by the name of the joker (Heath Ledger), forces the masked vigilante to go against everything he ever stood for.
When people realize that good and evil are just points of view that are placed on other people and actions, it is possible to transcend these superficial roles. Since it is people who create the meaning of evil, it cannot be said that people are evil, or are born evil, because not only is that a perspective that is assumed onto others, which will change with different cultures, societies, and eras, but the very same acts may appear to be both good and evil, depending on the perspective in which the acts are seen. Ultimately, it is the individual’s responsibility to decide for himself the effects of his actions on himself and others.
Racism is still a very prominent yet controversial topic in the United States today. Discrimination in the United States dates back to the 1500s when America was first founded. As generations passed, it has become a social norm to believe that darker skin tones are less desirable to society. The foundation of this country was built upon the false impression that Whites were superior to not just blacks, but all other ethnicities. From this, the idea of white privilege was derived and is still prevalent in society today. Those who are victims of discrimination are sometimes not aware of the psychological effect and the overall impact it can have on one’s life. The persistence of racism over generations has been in correlation to adversely affect the mental health of the victims economically, socially and in turn physically.
In reality I was born a white, Caucasian female, and now that I am older I am can identify as heterosexual. Before I started university I never had much experience with the label of ‘white privilege’, I grew up around the same type of people, and I had friends that had a similar lifestyle. I was never aware of the marginalization of other social groups and cultures until I was in early to late teens. I know that the title ‘white privilege’ does apply to me, I grew up in an upper middle class household, my entire family was educated, which instilled a high value of education. Since I was born into this type of lifestyle, I was given many opportunity to go to University and further my education, which will then allow me to gain a career, and
Bruce Wayne was a poor kid from a poor city. His family was killed and he decides to fight crime, similar to Spider Man. Only Batman, some how got extremely rich to own his own cave, custom Bat Mobile, and have some sweet gadgets. I don’t know a lot about Batman, but I know enough that money doesn’t grow on trees. Besides, even if he did get the money reasonably, there would be other flaws. For example, there is no way he built his car him self. He had to have had a body shop customize it. And if this were the case, it wouldn’t be too hard for Joker or someone to find out...