Humanities Homework Help

Culture in Revolt – Final Essay Topic and Requirements

Think of the mural that Bill Johnson and Bud paint on the wall near the end of Pleasantville. In the mural are pictures of all the changes, all the conflicts, all the anger, and all the joy and all the love that has come into the lives of the people of Pleasantville. In the black and white world of Pleasant, art, music, and books were “pleasant.” However, after Bud and Mary Sue come to Pleasantville,art shocks people; the music and dancing cause the adults to worry about the teens, and books teach them that maybe there is a world beyond Pleasantville. Culture is in revolt.

The two films you watched for the end of the course, Avatar and V for Vendetta, also represent the notion that in this era culture is in revolt. One does so in a mythical fairy tale; the other in a story of rebellion and war.

In my lectures for these two films I cover three themesthat make these films excellent examples of culture in revolt. They are instrumental reason, dystopia and the hero.

Instrumental Reason: Instrumental reason. How is it used politically to gain control over people? The power of reason, the ability of people to make sound arguments supported by accepted evidence whether in science or politics or philosophy is the basis of the Enlightenment. However, it is the feeling of Adorno and Horkheimer in the Dialectic of Enlightenment that reason in the modern age became changed. Reason in the Enlightenment was objective reason in which agreed upon facts or evidence would lead anyone to a reasoned conclusion. What happened to reason in the modern world, according to Adorno and Horkheimer? The concept of “reason,” with its basic tenet of objectivity had become corrupted by the subjective “instrumental reason,” which used reason as a tool or “instrument” for power and persecution; hence, the authors called this – instrumental reason – or instrumental rationality.

In slide 12 of my lecture on the Dialectic of Enlightenment I mention Max Weber’s understanding of instrumental rationality. Weber simply explains it this way: “…instrumental rationality is the practice of matching the means to the ends. In other words the end justifies or gives “reason” to the means for whatever purpose or need a person, culture, political party, group or movement may feel necessary.” Thus, if the end is persecution of a group of people, the means – a reason – can be found for it.

I mention in slide #6 on my lecture on the Dialectic of Enlightenment how Adorno and Horkheimersaw Nazism and Fascism as phenomena that stems from the destructive corruption of the ideal of “reason,” or rationality from the Enlightenment. Originally enlightenment from reason was to inspire and create a higher civilization; however, dialectically, reason contained its opposite: instrumental reason and the possible destruction of civilization. Examples: the Holocaust and Hiroshima and dropping the atomic bomb.

Dystopia: In these films the future looks dark. The worlds of both films are dysfunctional. What should support life and happiness is turned upside down. In other words, what should create good, creates bad. This is the world of the dystopia that begs the question: What happened to the Enlightenment? In my lecture on Dystopia – slides #31 through #40 – I discuss the various themes of Dystopia that appear in fiction both in books and film.

The Hero: Adorno and Horkheimer in the Dialectic of Enlightenment decry the loss of myth in modern world. Yet, both Avatar and V for Vendetta have mythic heroes that go on journeys that are both physical, emotional, and psychological. As heroes they pass through the stages of the hero that have become universal. This is the hero cycle, as it is sometimes called. Slides #6 and #7 in my lecture on the Hero Myth discuss the hero and the stages of the hero’s cycle.

REQUIREMENTS

Length: Your essay must be ten pages [double spaced 12 pt. font] in length not including a title page or reference page or outline.

Structure: Your essay will be in two parts: One on Avatar and one on V for Vendetta. For each film you must examine instrumental reason, then the dystopia and then the hero in that order. See the topic below.

Quotes: You must directly quote characters from the three movies six times in the essay. Plus, you must have a quote for each of my lectures on The Dialectic of Enlightenment, Dystopia and the Hero Myth.This is a total of nine direct quotes.

Form: must be in complete APA form. Please see the template at the library website or look online for APA final copy form. 10% of the final grade is based on the correctness of form. You must use APA version 7. There is a link to it in the module. APA also includes proper in-text citations and the references page.

Outline: An outline is required and should be the second page of your essay after the title page. It is not considered part of the essay itself.

TOPIC: Examine the themes of instrumental reason, dystopia and the hero in Avatar and V for Vendetta.

Your essay will be in two parts: one on Avatar and one on V for Vendetta. For each film you must examine three themes: instrumental reason, dystopia and the hero – in that order. The questions below will help you focus your ideas.

The essay must be balanced: the half on Avatar should be equal to the half on V for Vendetta. Each of the key ideas: 1. On instrumental reason, 2. On dystopia and 3. On the hero. Each should be given the same amount of development for each film.

Questions to explore: I am giving you questions on the topic for each film and for each theme. Do not view the questions as a list that you will answer one-by-one in the essay. I do not want a list with a brief description of each idea. What I want you to do is to respond to three or four,at best, in depth. If you treat the questions in each category as a list, it will cost a large deduction in points.

Instrumental Reason in Avatar: What is a real reason versus an instrumental reason by The Resources Development Administration [RDA]?

• What is the real reason for the RDA’s trip at Pandora versus what they say it is?

• What is the real attitude of the RDA of the Navi versus what they say it is?

• What is the real purpose of Grace’s scientific studies?

• What is the real justification for the attack of the Naviby the RDA versus what they say it is?

• What is the reason Jake why the RDA considers Jake a traitor versus what they say it is?

Dystopia In Avatar:

• How is the world of the RDA’s spaceship dystopian versus the world of Pandora?

• What is the dystopian view of nature in Avatar versus the utopian?

• What is the dystopian view of technology in Avatar?

• What is the dystopian view of wealth / profit in the film?

• What is the dystopian view of the Navi in the film?

• What is the dystopian view of the science in the film?

• What is the dystopian view of the scapegoat in the film?

The Hero in Avatar:

• Is Jake Sully a hero? Why does Jake leave home for a new world in Avatar? Choice or by accident? Is his decision really heroic? What is Jake’s real mission?

• What does Jake learn in his journey to a new world? What changes in his attitude toward nature?

• What is his relationship to Netyriri?

• How does Jake change in his relationship to the Navi? What then becomes Jake’s new mission? Does he accomplish it?

• Does the hero – Jake – return home at the end? Why or why not?

Instrumental Reason in V for Vendetta: What is a real reason versus an instrumental reason for the Norsefireparty?

• What is the real reason at Larkhill for Dr. Delia Surridge’s research versus what Norsefire says it is?

• What are the real reason people were sent to Larkhill

• What is the real reason why Norsefire cures the virus versus what they say it is?

• What is the real reason for media for Norsefire versus what they say it is?

• What do the slogans really mean [“Strength Through Unity, Unity Through Faith”) to Norsefire versus what they say they mean?

• What are the real reasons for V’s actions to Norsefireversus what they say they are?

Dystopia in V for Vendetta:

• What is the dystopian view of government in the film?

• What is the dystopian view of science in the film?

• What is the dystopian view of media in the film?

• What is the dystopian view of the attitudes of the common people in the film?

• What is the dystopian view of religion in the film?

The Hero in V for Vendetta:

• Is V a hero? Does V go to Larkhill by choice? What does he learn there? How is he different after the fire? What becomes his mission? What is his message? How does he gain revenge against Norsefire as the film ends? How do people react to his mission?

• Is Evey Hammond a hero? Does she leave home to a new world? What is that world? Does she do this by choice? What is Evey’s relationship to V at first? What changes it? What does she learn from Valerie? How is she different after she goes out into the rain? What becomes her mission? Is there a risk? What is it?