Avatar as an Allegory - 1879 Words

Avatar as an Allegory HUM3321-14 Sean Gilman Avatar as an Allegory HUM3321-14 Sean Gilman Sean Gilman Jeffrey Bennett HUM3321-14 13 December 2011 Avatar as an Allegory In the 1600s and 1700s, the British began to migrate to and colonize â€Å"The New World†, America. As they arrived, they met a society for whom they displayed little compassion and much hostility. The British invaded their land and oppressed the Native American people for hundreds of years due to their cultural differences and lack of understanding. James Cameron’s 2009 film, Avatar mirrors the discovery of the new world, albeit in a very different light. The American military colonizes and destroys land on Pandora, while showing no regard for the welfare of†¦show more content†¦The reason for the oppression of both the Na’vi and the Native Americans is due to ignorance and dislike of anyone with dissimilar beliefs; as is any oppression or persecution or war in the history of mankind, but I digress. The Na’vi are a truly peaceful and civilized culture. They get along very well with everyone, and they all seem happy and content with their standi ng in life. The Na’vi strongly believe in the spiritual world and everything about it. They have the aforementioned God figure, but to the Americans and any foreigners who don’t share these beliefs, this seems appalling and ridiculous. This is just like the Native Americans and their very differing spiritual religious beliefs. The Europeans saw the Native American ritual and traditions and immediately labeled them as uncivilized savages and a heathen people, all based on an ignorance for other cultures and beliefs. So one could only imagine the amount of vitriol and hate aimed at a ten foot tall, blue humanoid society with a strange language, that rides on bird like creatures and connects themselves with nature. The Americans see this and immediately envision a population that can easily be dominated and moved for their own selfish gain. They have no respect for this culture and everything that it brings to the table. As we see in the film, once some of the avatars, s uch as Jake Sully, find their way into Na’vi society they begin to acquire a deep appreciation and respect for the people of Pandora.Show MoreRelatedDifferent Interpretations Of The Scarlet Letter1609 Words   |  7 Pagesshows that symbolism, allegories, and the different possibilities for interpretation play a vital role in analyzing the novel’s worth by using Pearl and Hester as the main examples for the used literary devices from the novel. In Dr. Carrez’ article, she explains how symbolism plays a major role in The Scarlet Letter by giving the â€Å"simple† characters or object more complex, underlying meanings, especially with Pearl; more specifically with the idea that she is the physical avatar for the scarlet letterRead MoreEssay on The Masque of the Red Death1279 Words   |  6 Pagesan interesting and meaningful story. 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The main writing style of Poe is he is very graphic and the main setting of his stories center around very graphic horror. â€Å"Blood was its Avatar and its seal the redness and the horror of blood† (Poe 1). Poe notably uses horrific imagery to paint a picture in the reader s mind. But on occasion Poe will paint an image on what the narrator is thinking instead of the actual image, As shownRead More Capitalism, Marketing, and t he Insidious and Covert Co-optation of the Self6482 Words   |  26 PagesInsidious and Covert Co-optation of the Self Subtitle: A Manifesto for Avatars 1. Introducing Avatars AVATARA-Sanskrit.; ava-down, tarati-he goes, passes beyond literally, a descent, a conception described in the Bhagavad gita, 4th Teaching, 1-8 where Krishna confides: when goodness grows weak, when evil increases, I make myself a body. 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Any change that is made to theRead MoreWhy Be Moral : A Short Discussion Of Ethical Motivation1697 Words   |  7 Pagesjust the process of arguing and counter-arguing would demonstrate the lack of a proven reason we ought to be moral. Let s push on, though, and continue our survey of answers to the question of why be ethical. Collective Consciousness The movie Avatar featured throughout its main plot line an apparatus which transferred the consciousness of the main characters out of their bodies to the bodies of other creatures. In the Asimov Foundation series, different characters (The Mentalics, The Mule) could