The Star Wars franchise has been considered a staple of the cinematic universe for forty years, due to its popularity and ability to connect with its viewers. It also has one of the largest fan-bases in cinema, with fans clamoring to watch the latest films and elevating the actors in said films to instant stardom. The question that normally follows this understanding is how the space “epic” became so popular; how a relatively low-budget film would go on to gross over $750 million at the box office. This may be attributed to the “universal” themes found in its narrative, which creator George Lucas had in mind during inception. In this sense, the “universal” themes can be attributed from religious motifs found in many belief systems. The 1st film in the original trilogy, A New Hope, follows the hero Luke Skywalker and his friends as they help the Rebel Alliance defeat the Galactic Empire. Embedded in the film are religious concepts such as the battle between good and evil, heroic calling, and an omnipresent essence found everywhere. The religious themes found in A New Hope may be the answer for the film’s extreme popularity.
The book Religion and Film compares the beginning of every Star Wars film to Genesis 1:1 in the Christian bible, in that the reader/viewer is transported immediately into the realm of myth. “A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” prefaces the films, which has the same effect as “In the beginning, …”, according to Plate (28). The vague time and
There’s no doubt that Star Wars is one of the most impactful films of all time, having changed the movie-making game ever since it premiered in 1977. It quickly became a global phenomenon and has accumulated some of the most passionate fans in the universe. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is a great example to use in order to illustrate the properties discussed throughout the course. In this paper, I will analyze the entire movie. To begin, I will start by giving some basic information about the motion picture, such as the director and type of film. Next, I will provide a brief summary of the film.
In the 1967 prison film Cool Hand Luke, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, there are many examples of theological symbolism and religious themes. Most of the symbolism alludes to Jesus Christ, which is often utilized in film to add depth to the protagonist in the story. Such Christ figure symbolism can also be seen in films such as the 1999 hit The Matrix and the original Star Wars film (1977). Along with these visual suggestions, there are also thematic elements that underlie Cool Hand Luke which involve Biblical allusions and metaphysical questions.
Society in all cultures share a common trait: Religion. Studying religion in any society reveals many of their traits and explains the actions of the individual. For example, Jewish people live their lives according to what was written in the Talmud and the Torah. They respect the Sabbath and also eat Kosher meat. Even when looking at Huxley's A Brave New World, analyzing religion still helps us understand the actions of the societies and characters within the book.
American physicist and Nobel Prize recipient Steve Weinberg once claimed that “ for good people to do evil things, it takes religion”. However, the culprit isn’t the mere term and message behind religion, but the institutions that tug the puppet strings of it’s meaning and impact. Secular “religious” institutions have proven time and time again that an idea as controversial as religion can be used for a wide spectrum of uses, and unfortunately, Fordism in Brave New World falls under the corrupt end of the spectrum. In this novel, the author Aldous Huxley uses Fordism and its purpose to mirror the modern day secular institution trend in religious communities to illustrate how lack of religion and spirituality can give way to a sovereignty of
Lethem is a Brooklyn, New York native and talks about that summer in 1977 when he take the subway to Astor Plaza, which is near Times Square, to see Star Wars. As he’s confessing that during that summer he saw the movie twenty-one times, it sounds like he’s on a stage admitting some sort of sin to the audience as if they were his priest, and he tries to make it very clear that he is ashamed of it. This works into the type of audience he’s aiming to gain. This essay is sort of a trap. Within the first sentence of the essay, “In the summer of 1977 I saw Star Wars—the original, which is all I want to discuss here—twenty one times.” (245), he uses the popular subject of Star Wars to reel any wandering reader. The
On May 25, 1977, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope was released. George Lucas created the science fiction series using Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey plot structure. Campbell created the plot structure by expanding on psychologist Carl Jung’s idea of the archetype. Archetypes are reoccurring symbols that can be found in literature, music, and art. Lucas found that Campbell’s Hero’s Journey was the perfect structure for the plot of Star Wars. The Hero’s Journey consists of ten steps which the protagonist, usually the hero, has to complete. Throughout the movie, George Lucas perfectly orchestrated all ten steps of the Hero’s Journey, and also used dozens of the archetypes that Campbell created.
A biblical worldview should influence the way I think about, treat, and speak to others on a daily basis because I do not want to go around and degrade everyone that comes into sight. I should always treat others with the upmost respect even if I do not get treated with respect by that individual. I should not always judge others on how they look, speak, or act because I would not like it if someone came up to me and started pointing out every flaw that I had. Matthew 7:12 states “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Therefore, individuals need to be more mindful of their words and actions because an individual can really hurt someone mentally, physically, and emotionally.
David Foster Wallace investigates the confliction of religion’s black and white expectations with the sin of premarital sex throughout his work “Good People.” On one hand, Lane Dean Jr. and Sheri Fisher’s strong affiliation with religion creates a commitment to each other and the well being of the unborn child. However, this commitment becomes offset with the guilt creeping into Lane’s mind. He wanders towards temptation consistently: premarital sex, leaving Sheri on her own to raise their child, and refusing to talk to the religious figures in his life. Without religion, these actions do not sign the contract for eternal damnation. Lane’s religious nature, therefore, creates a level of insanity that originates in fear. That growing insanity snowballs with each internal incident: “Two days before, he had awakened very early and tried to pray but could not. He was freezing more and more solid (Wallace 151). Lane’s perception that he has an inability to pray lengthens the distance he feels has been created between himself and God. Religion does not resolve the conflicts Lane and Sheri have created. Instead, religion creates a new accountability and guilt that intensifies the sin the two students have sunk into.
My name is Asia Harvey. I am eighteen years old. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I am a freshman in college majoring in communications. Worldview to me means how everyone in the world interprets reality. I believe everyone has a worldview and it is influenced by our ethics, morals, and family values. It can also be influenced by what we hear, what we read, what we see or who we associate with. Worldview is mostly influenced by religion and science even though, a worldview can and do change. I believe the Christian worldview deals with the belief in the Bible. It leads me to believe that God created the universe in six days and on the last day he rested and that I am God's creation put on earth to fellowship with him and govern
Recently, we, as a galaxy, celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the first “Star Wars” movie. Since that fateful premiere in May 1977, the franchise has produced about a dozen films, numerous TV shows, thousands of spoofs and parodies, and millions of devoted fans. Here’s an overview of the series.
Now that we have applied Joseph Campbell’s model to the Lion King, we have an answer to our research question: “Does the Lion King’s use of the Hero’s Journey push an agenda towards adults of previous life experiences that are noteworthy, while still maintaining young children as the target audience”? Yes, although it is a children’s movie, it does push an agenda towards adults. We have covered a couple out of several lessons the directors fixed to the audience. We can now draw three important implications of this analysis. The Lion King campaigns for an environmental improvement before it is too late, a spiritual calling to build upon a relationship with the religion each one of us practices and a cinematic implication of CGI.
“Religion plays a key role in dystopian fiction.” With reference to The Children of Men and Brave New World, how far do you agree with this statement?
"A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." (Lloyd) is the infamous beginning of one of the biggest, if not the biggest pop culture phenomenon of our time. Star Wars is a famous trilogy well known for it's action-packed scenes and technological achievement. The movies center around the all-powerful, all-controlling "Force". With all that we have come to know about Star Wars, we have yet to discover the true meaning of "The force" and if it is really a representation of some thing much bigger and much closer to us than we think.
In Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, the main character, Lieutenant Fredric Henry, undergoes a dramatic change in perspective over the course of the novel. It is most interesting to see how the Lieutenant's views on religion change as he becomes more involved in the war.
Religion these days have become the center of our attention as we contemplate whats right and what is wrong. Figuring out what religious views fit best with what you believe can be difficult to grasp as sometime we begin to wonder if what we read or believe actually is true. It is only human nature to question the beliefs that are set before us. Religious views all over the world have many spiritual beliefs and traditions that are all different in some way. It is important to have the knowledge of different religions as not everyone in this world believes the way you might. Having the sensitivity towards their belief is important and having the understanding that you can't change the way that they think. Two world religious views that are