Masculinity In The Dark Knight

This is a man’s movie all the way to the core. Look at Wyatt Earp; he was a MAN if you know what I mean. I definitely think that is why I enjoyed the movie so much myself. It just gives you a glimpse of what it means to manly and tough. We have it easy these days in not having to battle for our own dignity whenever someone calls you out. I forgot how good this film is seeing how that is had been a long time since the last time I watched it, but I had never observed in the way I did to complete this paper. This process has given me a new appreciation for the little things I enjoy subconsciously in movies, but never have the opportunity to really express in words. I would recommend this film to anyone who has not seen it yet in a heart

The concept of heroism The concept of heroism is prominent in both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, but both in slightly different lights. A hero is defined as “a person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities”. This, for me, perfectly sums up what a hero is; in my opinion, a hero is someone who performs extraordinary deeds for the benefit of others, the people and the nation.

The definition of masculinity; Is the fact of being a man or having qualities considered typical of a man.

Throughout the film, The Sons of Katie Elder, John Wayne shows a change in his masculinity and how he establishes himself within his family. He begins to lose qualities that make up his masculinity such as power, carelessness and aggression. It would be easy to say that John Wayne's persona emphasizes the importance of a man's masculinity and that it should not be given up easily. Many men today feel the same way. They feel that they need to be the alpha male in order to be able to find a girlfriend or in order to be a good father. “ “Alpha” males are those at the top of the social status hierarchy. They have greater access to power, money, and mates, which they gain through physical prowess, intimidation, and domination. Alphas are typically described as the “real men.” In contrast are the “Beta” males: the weak, submissive, subordinate guys who are low status, and only get access to mates once women decide to settle down and go searching for a “nice guy.”(Kaufman) They look at someone like John Wayne, someone who always walks around with a masculine and assured presence, and think to themselves, why can’t they be more like him? But many of John Wayne's films depict him in situations with women and his family where he struggles to hold on to his masculine persona while at the same time being a caring and thoughtful person. One example can be seen in The Sons of Katie Elder when

The main conflicts in the world of The Dark Knight Returns revolve around escalating crime in Gotham city and forces of the authority attempting to control it. The authority should be a moral force and represent justice. The figures that represent the authority should be selfless and work only to promote the integrity of law and order. Authority proves to be contradictory in Miller’s novel as the authoritative figures express qualities of vigilantism and overall moral ambiguity.

Masculinity can be defined as the behaviours, social roles, and relations of men within a given society in addition to the meanings that are attributed to them. The term masculinity stresses gender, unlike male, which stresses biological sex. Despite, this we often times see masculinity being represented as directly correlating to men with an inability to adhere to this is shown making you less of a "man". As put by Katz (1999) there is an expectation that men on screen must be void of emotion, not backing down from a fight, tough and an embodiment of the male gaze. Katz (1999) argues that essentially what

The article “The National Conversation in the Wake of Littleton is Missing the Mark" By Jackson Kats and Sut Jhally is about finding the cause of violence and relating it to students who dispense harm to society, as well as other students. There is a focus on masculinity, along with behavior and how that behavior is being influenced by the environment. The article focuses on factors such as peer exclusion, the prevalence of violence in the media and most importantly, violence in relation to gender. .

James Bond has been a popular icon since the release of Casino Royale by Ian Fleming in 1953, with many wanting to be him or to be with him (SOURCE). The franchise has created characters which encompasses the stereotypical and culturally defined characteristics that each gender should possess; with men displaying masculine features such as assertiveness and aggressiveness, while females are portrayed as secondary characters who are submissive. The latest reboot of Bond has attempted to bring the storyline into the modern age. By doing so, the films have attempted to align the depiction of each character to be inclusive of how western societies now define each gender and their characteristics.

Tough Guise provides a stunning look at the violent, sexist, and homophobic messages boys and young men usually receive from virtually every corner of the culture, from television, movies, video games, etc. What does it takes to become a “Real Man?” Boys and men show the world parts of themselves that others define as manly. My initial reaction to Jackson Katz’s, “Tough Guise: Violence, Manhood and American Culture,” movie is I truly believe that video games and movies are a big part of violence.

Stephen King uses metaphor, telegraphic sentences, and desperate diction in his novel The Shining when describing Jack’s anxious reaction to the wasps’ reappearance to illustrate how Jack’s inability to maintain stereotypical masculinity threatens his family’s safety, future, and structure. Through metaphor that depicts Jack’s animalistic response to seeing the wasps, King establishes that Jack’s efforts to carry out a traditionally masculine response are counterproductive. When he initially processes the wasps’ return, King captures Jack’s reaction with “‘Shut the fuck up and kill them!’ he roared” (King 191). With the use of the word “roar”, King compares Jack to a provoked tiger. Tigers are ferocious creatures that do not help with caring for and protecting their families, and the metaphor reflects this fact; despite his controlling facade, Jack is nervous when the wasps reappear, and he can only yell for his wife to protect the family.

George is a small man who goes through life a sad man, all alone except for his best friend and companion, Lennie. Lennie is not the optimal companion, as he struggles with a mental disability. George is selfish by nature, trying to improve his own worth. He is also self conscious. George is not a stereotypical masculine man, as he is short and lean, without much muscle definition. From this description, it is easy to place a label on George of not being capable of being a hero. Because of modern media depicting superheroes as hypermasculine men, we immediately believe George is incapable of being a hero because he does not demonstrate these qualities. In the article "Comic Book Masculinity and the New Black Superhero," Jeffrey A. Brown

Tough Guise 2 is a documentary that focuses on the ways in which American culture uses videos games, movies, advertisements, and other sources of media, to force ideas about masculinity and manhood. Not only in America, but cultures across the world how high rates of “violent masculinity,” which means that men are resorting to violence in order to maintain respect and demand power. If they do not conform with societies expectations of what it is to be a man, they put themselves at risk of being shamed and no longer fitting this societal idea of “manhood”. Using gender stereotypes and schemas, as well as the gender role strain theory, I will focus on how these ideas connect with the ideas in the film, and how culture is one of the leading cause

When you think of psychology what is the the first name that comes to mind? My guess is that you thought of Sigmund Freud. Even though none of his theories of dreams or sexuality have any empirical evidence, he is still one of the most influential figures in all of philosophy. One of Freud’s ideas that does have substance is the idea that our minds are dynamic and contain both conscious and unconscious memories, thoughts, and desires. Freud labeled these phenomena the id, ego, and superego. While the nuances of this theory are complex and somewhat monotonous, they are brought to life in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. The chaotic and childish joker (id), the pure and valiant Harvey Dent (superego), and the one responsible for finding a balance between the two, Batman (ego).

Throughout “The Dark Knight” by Christopher Nolan crime and deviance is seen throughout the film. Crime and deviance in The Dark Knight has two faces as society accepts crime for those whose are helping them and at the same time punishes those who are punished. Society in Gotham accepts crime when the Batman commits it to help for the betterment of society; however, crime is not accepted when it is committed by mob bosses, gangs, criminal cops, and most importantly through the joker. The forms of deviancy/crime which are seen throughout the film is the Labeling Approach, Human Rights Approach, and Human Diversity Approach.

Development and adaptation of the western genre has occurred throughout the twentieth century in relation to the shift in context, this is still relevant. Stereotypes of a western genre and the context are determined by the time in which the film is being produced. The time in which they were produced determine how social construction, gender ideas, values and attitudes, the setting and SWAT codes are demonstrated. I have chosen to present this speech by looking at the film studied in class, and a film of my choice and how the difference in context has changed in the tie of these two films.