In literature, sometimes authors use the device of the unknown as a catalyst for the plot. Could the difference or unknown be good or bad? Is everything out to get you, or can some things occasionally turn out good?
In the Alien saga, the unknown is seen as bad and nothing else. The alien creatures are bred for killing in gruesome and grotesque ways and there was no way to change that. Ripley, the main character of the films, even stated that they should nuke the planet the aliens were inhabiting from a safe position in orbit. The company wanted to take some specimens back as samples, but she was convinced there was nothing you can learn from that.
There are numerous stories where the unkown is viewed as good- pretty much any western movie about farmers settling the "uninhabited" plains of the West. The uncharted land being explored is viewed as exciting and full of opportunity. All of the views of the manifest destiny also support this.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Do Stories Really Change People?
In class today we discussed whether or not stories could really change people. Can a good story make someone better? Can a bad story make someone worse? As humans with the power to think and comprehend, we also have the ability to adapt or not adapt to new things we are exposed to. What is the defining factor in this?
I personally believe that stories, fiction and nonfiction alike, have the power to change the way people think and view the world. I think this factor has power over us only if we allow it to. For example, I saw the documentary Supersize Me about the dangers of consuming too much McDonald's fast food. I saw all of the information in the story presented and comprehended everything the film had to say, but in the end I did not let the movie effect how much fast food I consumed at all. If I would have allowed myself to be influenced by the documentary then maybe I would have changed and ate a lot less fast food; however, I had no intention of changing my eating habits, so it had no effect.
One movie that did influence me was a movie about cloning called The Island. The story is set in a futuristic America, where cloning has become legal, and wealthy patrons are allowed to harvest organs from their clone counterparts in order to stay alive. Although the present-day conditions are extremely far from the premises of this story, I allowed myself to be convinced that perhaps cloning is going too far in the name of science and extended mortal life. Since I was obviously against the events in the story, my views from the plot were transferred to situations in real life and I found myself feeling opposed to cloning.
I personally believe that stories, fiction and nonfiction alike, have the power to change the way people think and view the world. I think this factor has power over us only if we allow it to. For example, I saw the documentary Supersize Me about the dangers of consuming too much McDonald's fast food. I saw all of the information in the story presented and comprehended everything the film had to say, but in the end I did not let the movie effect how much fast food I consumed at all. If I would have allowed myself to be influenced by the documentary then maybe I would have changed and ate a lot less fast food; however, I had no intention of changing my eating habits, so it had no effect.
One movie that did influence me was a movie about cloning called The Island. The story is set in a futuristic America, where cloning has become legal, and wealthy patrons are allowed to harvest organs from their clone counterparts in order to stay alive. Although the present-day conditions are extremely far from the premises of this story, I allowed myself to be convinced that perhaps cloning is going too far in the name of science and extended mortal life. Since I was obviously against the events in the story, my views from the plot were transferred to situations in real life and I found myself feeling opposed to cloning.
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