Batman Masculinity

Representation refers to the construction of media languages which are used to portray a particular type of filmic world to an audience (slide). This essay shall outline different treatments of filmmaking used to establish certain societal groups from the critically acclaim superhero film The Dark Knight (2008) directed by Christopher Nolan. This sequel film follows Batman, with help from Lieutenant James Gordon, and new district attorney Harvey Dent eradicating crime from Gotham city until a crazy mastermind criminal, the Joker appears in Gotham, creating chaos. The first paragraph introduces the stereotypical representation of masculinity in superhero film through the aspects of mise-en-scene and acting of the male protagonist. Storyline and mise-en-scene help establish the representation of pretty, leading- female characters that semi-disrupts the damsel in distress stereotype. Before lastly describing the representation of menacing villains through cinematography decisions, sound and an actor’s performance.

Society faces an issue that is not usually addressed because it is seen as the norm in today’s American culture. It is the crisis of masculinity. The notion of how men should be portrayed is not usually identified as a problem; today’s society views men’s apathetic and exasperated exterior as the orthodox behavior of everyday life. Boys at a young age are taught by the popular culture that they need to be a “real man” - strong physically and emotionally. The mask many men put up is based on the extreme idea of masculinity that emphasizes toughness, physical strength and gaining the respect of others through violence or the explicit threat of it. This front is put up by men because they do not want to stray from what is accepted, for men who

Both of the Wes Moore’s had varying motivations for their incidents throughout the second book that prove

In conclusion, both Wes Moore’s had critical moments and different standpoints throughout the entirety of their lives. Though they both had individual accountabilities it was the choices that they individually made that ultimately determined there fates. “Wes and I stared at each other for a moment, surrounded by the evidence that some kids were forced to become adults prematurely. These incarnated men, before they’d even reached a point of basic maturity, had flagrantly-and tragically-squandered the few opportunities they’d

Hatfield states, “Fictional television can be seen either as an influence on, or reflection of, culture—the shared norms, values, and beliefs held by a society. Yet many groups exist within a society and multiple value systems may be at play” (p.530). On television and in movies there are very few forms of masculinity shown. The majority of male masculinity usually ranges from gun toting hard asses, to a playboy, to the effeminate man that is often there for comic relief. Men in society do not always fit into these three categories. Masculinity is a much more complex and complicated identity to develop. There are shows like 24 where the main character, Jack Bauer, is a governmental agent going around the world in twenty-four hours to stop terrorism. He is unattached emotionally and highly dangerous. This does not represent a real form of masculinity that we have in today’s culture. There are men that probably do fit into the same category as the fictional character, but they are very unlike the average males in society today. A second common type of masculinity shown on television is the playboy style masculinity: men that have multiple sexual partners and seem to have the ultimate bachelor lifestyle with no worries or concerns. According to Ward, Merriwether, and Caruthers “ because men do not live in isolation, their beliefs about masculinity are likely to influence not only

No matter what, we are almost always talking about violence masculinity in America. Whether we are talking about the horrifying, high-profile mass shooting we have seen over recent decades, the far greater rates of murder and gun violence we see on a day – to – day basis that barely register in the national news, or the epidemic of sexual violence and domestic violence, the vast majority of this violence is committed by men, young men, and boys (Jackson Katz, 2013). Throughout this essay the topics covered will be how culture defines masculinity, according to the film, violent masculinity as a cultural norm, agents of socialization that teach boys how to be men, the cool

The Joker was once seen as a comical criminal who committed ridiculously silly crimes, such as spreading laughing gas throughout Gotham City. However, after the reinvention of Batman, The Joker was transformed into a grave and terrorizing character. Continuing the course of the new personality given to The Joker, writer Alan Moore and artist Brian Bolland created a graphic novel called The Killing Joke, “a much more complex, darker, and ultimately, frightening story” (Wooldridge) which tells one of the origins of The Joker since The Joker himself is unsure of his true inception. However, this particular graphic novel “isn’t about how the Joker came to be, it’s an examination of

This is because, after so many experiences with the law, gangs, and even the military, Moore started to question his ideas from the past. He had lacked strong personal values when he was younger, as he let others influence him and his actions (spicing his story up to be seen as tough, getting caught up with the vandalism and almost arrested) and letting himself fall into trouble (bad grades in school, absences from class, an incident with a smoke bomb), all stated on page 87 of The Other Wes Moore. Now, he values education, responsibility, work ethic, and growth as a person. These values make up his identity; now he is in control of his identity and personality and, ultimately, his legacy. Just like Moore, each of our personalities are created because of what we value. If you’re doing something or are endorsing something, chances are, you value said thing. People are gamers because they value gaming. People are theatre nerds because they value theatre. People are kind because they value kindness. People are religious because they value their religion. “We are not in control, principles control. We control our actions, but the consequences that flow from these actions are controlled by Principles.” stated author Stephen R. Covey. Our principles prove to be the most important thing to

Critical analysis of the social justice aspects for the main characters of the other Wes Moore

By Moore telling their stories personally, readers have a evident perspective on the character of each man. Moore is able to demonstrate that he and the other man were never completely horrible individuals, even the other Wes Moore today, despite the choices they made. One time, the other Wes Moore was making the right decisions, like trying to provide for his family. While he was in the job training program, he decided to make a small house for his daughter to protect her, which shows that he did care for his loved ones (Moore 142-143). It was when he decided to go back to using drugs that his life fell apart. His choice to go back to drugs shows that it is not his mentors or loved ones who play the

Moore, Wes. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. New York: The Random House Publishing Group, 2010. Print

In an interview, Malcolm Gladwell once said, “Outliers makes us understand how much of a group project success is. When outliers become outliers, it is not just because of their own efforts. It’s because of the contributions of lots of different people and lots of different circumstances.” Wes Moore is one of the many great examples of a Gladwellian “outlier,” as evinced by his upbringing, extraordinary success, and the rare opportunities he received. From growing up in a broken neighborhood to almost dropping out of school, it seemed as if the author of The Other Wes Moore would follow the same dark path as his criminal counterpart with the same name… but he did not. Wes Moore went on to become a successful graduate of John Hopkins

Moore is a very well known documentary filmmaker, journalist, actor, and left wing political activist. Although, many audience members may have a preconceived idea on how credible Moore is, he does a great job in re-establishing credibility to his audience throughout the film. One example is his appearance in the film in general. Moore appears a number of times throughout his film, especially when he goes on “hunts” in other countries to de-bunk

The artistic representation of the Batman myth is an important cultural artifact of our time because it represents modern society's thirst for heroic ideals in popular entertainment. Since his creation, readers and viewers have admired Batman's unique ability to battle villainy, transcend the law and administer justice. As cultivators of the noir genre in film as well as in literature, Americans have always identified with this enigmatic hero, who exists on the margins of society and yet represents one of the largest corporations in the world. The evolution of Batman in particular and the superhero genre in general (from comic book to television to film and back again) has seen in the latest adaptation from Christopher Nolan's Batman revamp a veritable tilting point for the character once known as the World's Greatest Detective. This paper will analyze why Batman is an important cultural artifact of our day, how he came into being, what he means for society, and how he will be treated in the future.

Avery-Natale’s article focuses on both the physical characteristics and “embodiment of male and female superheroes” (Avery- Natale 80). The author found there has been a change in the basic characteristics of these superheroes in modern day comics or films. Female superheroes used to be “portrayed as… subordinate to their male counterparts” while in modern day pieces these females “tend to hold their own” (Avery-Natale 80). Both male and female superheroes have been transformed into “hyper-sexualized” forms of their less “respective forms” (Avery-Natale 80). These changes have made characteristics reach the level of being “far less achievable” rather than being “arguably realistic” (Avery-Natale 80).