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Topics on how American film affects culture
Topics on how American film affects culture
The impact of Hollywood
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American Romanticism and Transcendentalism has been a model for over a century in writing, but none has been so popular as the space western franchise known as Star Wars. For over the last 40 years, Star Wars has had enormous influences on society, though it is a story that has been retold countless times. George Lucas, an American Filmmaker echoed American Romantic and Transcendental ideas in his creation of Star Wars, which is perfectly seen when you compare the steps of the Hero's Journey and the journey of Star War's main protagonist, Luke Skywalker. There are many parallels between the two, especially in Return of the Jedi, the end of Luke Skywalker's Journey, and the last 3 steps of the Heroic Journey. By drawing parallels between the two, it is easily said that Luke Skywalker is the American Romantic hero. …show more content…
As Luke travels further into his journey he finds himself back on his home planet,Tatooine.
It turn out that Boba Fett was to deliver Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt and claim the bounty on Solo. This return back to home models the Heroic Archetype perfectly, as a return should follow the “descent into hell”, which, for Luke, was losing his hand and falling into the abyss (American Romantic Hero Packet). Luke’s reasons for returning to Tatooine also parallels Transcendental philosophies, as well as the characteristics of the American Romantic Hero. By going to back to Tatooine to save Han from Jabba the Hutt, Luke demonstrates that intuition and feelings are better than reason and deliberate intellectualism since a ordinary person would not fight one of the galaxy’s most powerful gangsters. This also illustrates that Luke has a sense of honor based upon a higher principle and that he is pure of purpose, common traits in American Romantic Heroes. By coming home to rescue his friends, Luke exemplifies both Transcendental ideas and follows the Hero's Journey, proving him to be the American Romantic
Hero. Luke’s journey reaches its climax, and he is finally tested at the hands of the Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader. Both tempt him to join the dark side of the force, showing how strong the dark side is in comparison to what Luke's Jedi masters have taught him. In the end, Luke proves to be stronger than the pull to the Dark side and resists by containing his hatred and anger. This unwillingness to submit to an evil authority reflects a prominent Tenant of Transcendentalism which states that “self-reliance and individualism must outweigh external authority and blind conformity to custom and tradition” (American Romantic Hero Packet). Unfortunately, the Emperor sees Luke now as a threat and attempts to kill him via electrocution. Vader, whether motivated by compassion for his son or hatred for his master, then destroys Palpatine, but not before suffering at the Emperor's hand. Luke reaches out for Vader, pleading that he must save him, to which Vader replies,“You already have. You were right about me”, alluding to the amendment between Luke and Vader. By abstaining from submission to the dark side and atoning with his father, Luke proves himself once more to be the American Romantic Hero. The final stage in completing the Heroic Archetype is Apotheosis, or, “exaltation to a divine level”. After the final showdown between Luke and the Emperor, Luke returns to Endor victorious and cremates his father's body on a funeral pyre. As the Rebels celebrate their victory over the Empire, Luke meets the peaceful ghosts of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and the newly redeemed Anakin watching over them. Given that Endor is an all forest moon, this implies that “the physical facts of the natural world are a doorway to the spiritual/ideal world”, one of the Five Tenets of Transcendentalism. Also, by defeating the dark side and shifting the balance towards the light side of the force this proves that Luke is now officially a hero in the Galaxy’s eyes, or, has reached Apotheosis. Thus evidently shown are the parallels between American Romantic and Transcendental ideas and George Lucas’ created Star Wars. By going to back to Tatooine to save Han from Jabba the Hutt, Luke demonstrates his purity of purposes, common traits in American Romantic Heroes. His resistance to submission and determined mindset to help his father, or, atone for his father’s past deeds also resemble transcendental ideas. And finally, facing to supernatural powers such as the ghosts of his past mentors connects to one of the five tenets of transcendentalism, and at the same time this is Luke’s final stage, Apotheosis. By drawing parallels between the two, it is easily said that Luke Skywalker is the American Romantic hero.
Nicole Hendricks USP 107 Final IDs Professor James Ingram. “Empire Strikes Back” Mayors Source: Lecture 18 Meaning: An “Empire Strikes Back” mayor refers to the white republican mayor that often times comes into office following a minority mayor. In cases such as the “Empire Strikes Back” mayor, the minority mayor has failed to hold forth to the issues that he intended to solve upon being elected. The minority mayor was elected in order to improve racial tensions. Yet, the minority mayor must somewhat “dilute” his stance in order to appeal to multiple ethnicities, rather than just his.
There are many differences between the archetypes of the hero’s journey. For instance The Hobbit is about a hobbit that is taken on a journey with dwarves to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. While A Long Way Gone is a story about a boy who is separated from his family and is drafted into the army to do unspeakable things.The hero’s journeys in The Hobbit and A long way gone were very different from each other.
Star Wars was a low budget science-fiction film that became a blockbuster box office success. The movie has been extremely popular with all cultures and ages for several decades. As well as being popular Star Wars also conveys many important themes. I believe one of the more prominent themes throughout the movie is the classic hero journey. The hero journey is a major part of stories and myths throughout the world. Both primitive and modern cultures use hero journeys as the basis for stories. The three main parts of a hero journey are the departure, the initiation, and the return. Luke’s departure is caused by a variety of factors.
It is undeniable that both Batman Begins and Star Wars IV: A New Hope follow the famous formula known as the Hero's Journey. Within both of these movies, there are similarities and differences concerning the path that the hero takes. Both live in a city (or galaxy) where evil is present and very little is being done to stop the villains. Another similarity between the two movies is that both Bruce and Luke grow up most of their lives without knowing their parents as they are dead (or partially dead in Luke's case). When both are given an opportunity to be called to adventure, they both reject because they think they are not significant to make a difference in their cause. Luke considers himself just a farming boy who does not have the ability to save the entire galaxy
Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, conveys, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”. In other words, Aristotle states that the gaining of self-knowledge provides an individual with the ability to know one’s personal gifts and accountabilities. To start one’s adult life a person must pursue the journey of self-discovery to learn in depth about their skills and weaknesses. Individuals must find themselves through the limitations and ordeals that they face during their voyage for self-awareness. For example, in Tim O’Brien’s short story, “On the Rainy River”, the narrator shares his story about self-discovery. O’Brien looks back into his past, to the time when he was called to serve in the Vietnam War. O’Brien’s initial
Humanity has created this “universal story” of what a hero is, or at least the myth of it, time and again. Different tasks and encounters with a variety of villains all lead the hero to the prize, to a new life (Seger). This person deemed the hero is as ordinary as the next but what makes them different is the drastic test that they must face. Individuals admire this character because the hero stands for something, something bigger than themselves. Whether it be the compassionate act of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games or the death of the oldest brother in Brother Bear, as an outsider, an individual sees the human side of these heroes and relates. Connor Lassiter from Unwind by Neal Shusterman is an ideal example of the myth due to the
The Shannara Chronicles is a complex and thrilling tv show that portrays the hero’s journey in an interesting way. The show follows both a male and female protagonist.This leads to an interesting dynamic in the hero's journey. While both heroes undergo the process in their own ways, there are changes that are only developed through the protagonists being together.
“I want to come with you to Alderaan. There's nothing here for me now. I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father.” With this statement, Luke Skywalker is already on his way towards a story that is both familiar and different to all heroes. He identifies with several reoccurring traits that many heroes are cast with. Luke is estranged from his natural parents and, as he gets older, finds himself anxious to pull away from his loving foster parents and become a man of his own.
Joseph Campbell made himself one of the chief authorities on how mythology works when he published his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In this book, Campbell describes what he believes to be the monomyth, known as “The Hero’s Journey.” Campbell wrote that this monomyth, the basic structure of all heroic myth, has three basic stages, which in turn have subcategories themselves. The heroic story of Katniss Everdeen, told in the movie Hunger Games, follows Campbell’s monomyth outline quite well.
The Hero’s Journey is an ancient archetype that we find throughout our modern life and also, in the world of literature.Whether metaphorical or real, the journey that a character goes on shows not only the incredible transformation of the hero but it also gives them their life meaning. It is the ultimate human experience and it reflects on every aspect of life. Take Logan, also known as Wolverine, from the X-Men movie as an example. His adventure starts with “The Call,” which is the first step of the Hero’s Journey. This step happens due to the realization of imbalance and injustice that the character has in their life. Logan steps into the first stage of the pattern but is hesitant to start his adventure because he does not know what and
Joseph Campbell is well known for writing The Hero with a Thousand Faces outlining the stages of a hero’s journey. Ever since then, the hero’s journey became famous as it is used in many works of literature (Bancks). A literature work that represents the hero’s journey is Lord of the Flies. In Lord of the Flies, the protagonist Ralph presents himself a brave hero that undergoes the hero’s journey to return home. Ralph is on a plane which landed on an isolated island after a plane accident where the pilot is unconscious and most likely dead. Along with the other children who boarded the plane, they must survive and find a way to get home. According to Campbell, the three main phases of a hero’s journey is departure, initiation and return, separated into many stages (Siegelman). The departure stage is where the hero exits his comfort zone and enters into the world of the unknown. The initiation phase is where the hero is tested to prove his character and the return is when the hero returns home with a boon for the benefit of his people (Ubelhor). Lord of the Flies qualifies to be an example of the hero’s journey because the protagonist Ralph goes through the “departure, initiation and return” process of the hero expedition in order to show that he is a hero through his courage, intelligence and leadership.
Macbeth is a play written by William Shakespeare. It is considered one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies. Set in Scotland, the play dramatizes the corrosive psychological and political effects produced when evil is chosen as a way to fulfil the ambition for power.The play is believed to have been written between 1603 and 1607, and is most commonly dated 1606. It is a timeless classic and its themes resonate within some of the most common movies and books of modern times. Star Wars is an American epic space opera franchise centered on a film series created by George Lucas. The film series, consisting of two trilogies, has spawned an extensive media franchise called the Expanded Universe including books, television series, computer and video games, and comic books. The franchise depicts a galaxy described as far, far away in the distant past, and it commonly portrays Jedi as a representation of good, in conflict with the Sith, their evil counterpart. Their weapon of choice, the lightsaber, is commonly recognized in popular culture. It is arguably a cinematic masterpiece, holding in rank two of possibly the greatest trilogies the world has ever seen. It is a timeless epic which embodies within it an allegory for the history of the world; the rise and fall of empires and their emperors; the pursuit of power; the melting pot of cultures; the struggle for survival; the advancement of human technology; and most importantly as a whole, the history of humanity. Steven D. Graynus declared, “Ultimately, what the Star Wars films offer is….rousing storytelling suffused by themes of moral struggle and transcendence” (Decent Films Guide). The franchise's storylines contain many themes, with strong influences from philosophy and religio...
Many of the stories that have been told for centuries, or have recently been created, incorporate the story of a young innocent character who embarks on a journey and becomes a hero, known as The Hero’s Journey; a series of steps that all heroes follow. This journey not only shows the main character becoming a hero but also shows the hero move along a path similar to that of adolescence, the path between childhood and maturity. The Hero’s Journey was created by a man by the name of Joseph Campbell. He wrote a book called The Hero with One Thousand Faces, a novel containing a variety of stories that follow the steps of the Hero’s Journey. One famous creation that follows The Hero’s Journey is the science fiction film trilogy: Star Wars, created by George Lucas. Lucas depicts the struggles that take place along the path of adolescence through the story of a protagonist Luke Skywalker, who strives to become a Jedi Knight to show that Campbell’s Hero’s Journey reflects the struggles that youth go through whether they are depicted in a story or not.
Quite possibly one of the most iconic openings in cinematic history is “A Long time ago in a galaxy far far away.” Of course, I am referring to Star Wars. It is such a fascinating and great movie going experience. There have been a total of seven Star Wars films, but in this essay I am going to be focusing on Star Wars: Episode 3- Revenge of the Sith. This film was written and directed by George Lucas and of the science fiction genre. Revenge of the Sith was released in theaters on May 19, 2005.
Star Wars (1977) is one of the world’s most successful films of all time. It has made a terrific impact on popular culture since its release. Furthermore, Star Wars changed the narrative and aesthetic style of future Hollywood films. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, illustrates how cinema has evolved since Fred Ott’s Sneeze (1894). Ultimately, this essay will explain the set up of Star Wars and how it connects to cinema history, in the point of views of the: narrative and cinematic style, genre, auteur theory and the global film industry.