Avatar Essay
Shayla Derr
The movie Avatar represents some of our historical past. Our historical globalization is important to how our society and culture isformed and shaped to this day. The movie Avatar, directed by James Cameron, has strong connections to our historical globalization. It represents our past, when the Europeans came to North America and took over the rights and land of the First Nations, but in the future. The “Sky People” tried to develop cultural contact, assimilation, and colonialism with the Na’vi people of Pandora. It also ties to our historical globalization through conflicts of ethnocentrism, marginalization, apathy, and depopulation. It shows our historical globalization, repeating itself.
The “Sky People” (people from Earth, given the name Sky People by the Na’vi), are after a precious metal, called Unobtainium, which is located under the surface of Pandora. But the Sky People thought their rights overweighed the rights of the “savages”. This of course turned out terribly bad for the Sky People as the Na’vi felt that their needs, religion, rights and land were not being respected. This much relates to our First Nations when the Europeans took over the First Nations land and rights. The Europeans thought they were smarter, and better than the First Nations. Due to this, the Europeans tried to assimilate the First Nations, teaching them the Europeans ways of religion, speech and culture. Taking away their identity and forcing them to take on a different identity. Disrespecting the rights of the others.
“So what? They can move to another tree!” quoted from Avatar’s Parker Selfridge. The Sky People didn’t see the importance of the Hometree or the Na’vi’s relationship with the land and nature. They marginalized the Na’vi’s rights and went ahead and took over the land. They showed little empathy for the Na’vi and how the Na’vi lived off the land. This relates to when the Europeans forced the First Nations onto reserves and set the First Nations below them in class and society. But the Sky People are not the only ones at fault for pushing away a different culture. The Na’vi didn’t want anything to do with the Sky People. “Your fault! You are like a baby; making noise, don't know what to do. You should not come here, all of you! You only come and make problems. Only.” Avatar’s Neytiri snaps at Jake Sully when she has killed the wolves to save him. Neytiri here shows the Na’vi’s hatred for the Sky People and the Sky People’s carelessness for the Na’vi’s land.
The Sky People set up colonies on Pandora, on the Na’vi’s land, caring little about what they were affecting. This made the cultural contact between the two cultures strained and unpleasant. The Sky People thought of the Na’vi as dumb savages, and didn’t care about their connections the nature and land. All they wanted was land and getting the Unobtainuim. The Sky People couldn’t care less! They wanted what they wanted and they were going to get it! They weren’t going to wait, and the Na’vi didn’t have any interest in any of the Sky People’s offers. So, the Sky People went straight ahead, thinking the Na’vi were weak, fighting, forcing the Na’vi to move away from the Hometree so that they could get the Unobtainium. The Na’vi’s anger hit the roof and they decided to show the Sky People that they were not dumb, stupid savages. They too, had power. and they were going to use it if they had to. They started war, standing up for what they believe, and what was theirs.
The actions that were made in the movie Avatar by the Sky People, relate to the actions of the Europeans when they came to North America. The Europeans thought their rights overpowered the rights of the First Nations, much like the Sky People with the Na’vi. They pushed the First Nations rights, religions and culture aside and marginalized the First Nations, which also relates to Avatar. And lastly, they made little effort at cultural contact with the First Nations to try and learn and empathy their religion and ways of life. Instead, the Europeans set up colonies and forced them onto reserves and tried to assimilate them. Putting them into lower class and society. The movie Avatar has a strong connection to our past. Even though our history is in the past, Avatar is set in the future. It is history repeating itself. And I think it is important that we remember what happened and never let it happen again.
The movie Avatar represents some of our historical past. Our historical globalization is important to how our society and culture isformed and shaped to this day. The movie Avatar, directed by James Cameron, has strong connections to our historical globalization. It represents our past, when the Europeans came to North America and took over the rights and land of the First Nations, but in the future. The “Sky People” tried to develop cultural contact, assimilation, and colonialism with the Na’vi people of Pandora. It also ties to our historical globalization through conflicts of ethnocentrism, marginalization, apathy, and depopulation. It shows our historical globalization, repeating itself.
The “Sky People” (people from Earth, given the name Sky People by the Na’vi), are after a precious metal, called Unobtainium, which is located under the surface of Pandora. But the Sky People thought their rights overweighed the rights of the “savages”. This of course turned out terribly bad for the Sky People as the Na’vi felt that their needs, religion, rights and land were not being respected. This much relates to our First Nations when the Europeans took over the First Nations land and rights. The Europeans thought they were smarter, and better than the First Nations. Due to this, the Europeans tried to assimilate the First Nations, teaching them the Europeans ways of religion, speech and culture. Taking away their identity and forcing them to take on a different identity. Disrespecting the rights of the others.
“So what? They can move to another tree!” quoted from Avatar’s Parker Selfridge. The Sky People didn’t see the importance of the Hometree or the Na’vi’s relationship with the land and nature. They marginalized the Na’vi’s rights and went ahead and took over the land. They showed little empathy for the Na’vi and how the Na’vi lived off the land. This relates to when the Europeans forced the First Nations onto reserves and set the First Nations below them in class and society. But the Sky People are not the only ones at fault for pushing away a different culture. The Na’vi didn’t want anything to do with the Sky People. “Your fault! You are like a baby; making noise, don't know what to do. You should not come here, all of you! You only come and make problems. Only.” Avatar’s Neytiri snaps at Jake Sully when she has killed the wolves to save him. Neytiri here shows the Na’vi’s hatred for the Sky People and the Sky People’s carelessness for the Na’vi’s land.
The Sky People set up colonies on Pandora, on the Na’vi’s land, caring little about what they were affecting. This made the cultural contact between the two cultures strained and unpleasant. The Sky People thought of the Na’vi as dumb savages, and didn’t care about their connections the nature and land. All they wanted was land and getting the Unobtainuim. The Sky People couldn’t care less! They wanted what they wanted and they were going to get it! They weren’t going to wait, and the Na’vi didn’t have any interest in any of the Sky People’s offers. So, the Sky People went straight ahead, thinking the Na’vi were weak, fighting, forcing the Na’vi to move away from the Hometree so that they could get the Unobtainium. The Na’vi’s anger hit the roof and they decided to show the Sky People that they were not dumb, stupid savages. They too, had power. and they were going to use it if they had to. They started war, standing up for what they believe, and what was theirs.
The actions that were made in the movie Avatar by the Sky People, relate to the actions of the Europeans when they came to North America. The Europeans thought their rights overpowered the rights of the First Nations, much like the Sky People with the Na’vi. They pushed the First Nations rights, religions and culture aside and marginalized the First Nations, which also relates to Avatar. And lastly, they made little effort at cultural contact with the First Nations to try and learn and empathy their religion and ways of life. Instead, the Europeans set up colonies and forced them onto reserves and tried to assimilate them. Putting them into lower class and society. The movie Avatar has a strong connection to our past. Even though our history is in the past, Avatar is set in the future. It is history repeating itself. And I think it is important that we remember what happened and never let it happen again.
I adore this, you have a strong sense in where your going, keep it up! :)
ReplyDeleteGood job Shayla! Excellent beginning, middle and end! I would suggest a more structured thesis statement in your introduction rather than a generalized statement.
ReplyDelete