Research Paper: The Dark Knight

Writer, Jorge Luis Borges says, “The things that are said in literature are always the same. What is important is the way they are said.” Literature is such a broad, all encompassing term that much is lost in translation. This is part of the reason behind the ongoing brawl: what qualifies as literature? In the case of graphic novels, they are often cast aside by critics, deemed definitively inferior and lacking intellectual merit. However, this assumption does not hold up in today’s world of literary work. Genres and mediums evolve every minute of every day, continuously changing the game. Even considering the evolution of traditional novels in modern society challenges the original denotation of literature. “As a consequence, the traditional characteristics [lose] their importance as the defining criteria of literary works of art” (Breuer para. 12). Due to the evolving world of literature, the definition of such must evolve as well, claiming a few necessary guidelines but fluctuating as required. The graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns, can be definitively classified as a work of literature through Frank Miller’s approach to written language application, character establishment, and plot development.

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.

In the world of superheroes, there are numerous that believe they are heroes, while in actuality, they are merely vigilantes. This is demonstrated throughout the world of superheroes, but it is not as prominently demonstrated as in Batman. Batman presents himself as a hero, while he is only an over imaginative vigilante. He is more a vigilante than a hero since he has the ability to stop crime, but doesn’t, he only does deeds for his own benefit, and he helps the law but isn’t part of it. These are only a few ways Batman is a vigilante, rather than a hero. These are mainly based upon the idea of him trying to right his own past.

Since 1982, there have been over 85 mass shootings in the United States. Of those 85 shootings, three quarters of the weapons used were obtained legally. That means that our background check system has failed. If purchasers were required to undergo a mental health evaluation, numerous lives would be saved. Many mass shooters have shown previous signs of mental instability. Take Jared Loughner, the man who opened fire at a public constituent meeting in a Tucson, Arizona supermarket parking lot wounding 13 people and killing 6. Loughner had been showing signs of mental illness for years. He was even suspended from college for disrupting class and showing bizarre behavior. The college told him he needed to be cleared by a mental health professional before he could return. Instead, Loughner dropped out of school. In addition to his disruptions at school, he had many run ins with law enforcement. In fact, on the day of the shooting,

“Their morals, their code, it’s a bad joke” said Joker, looking straight into Batman’s eyes and his soul. “They’re only as good as the world allows them to be. I’ll show you, when the chips are down, these civilized people, uh, they’ll eat each other.” Joker gives a rather chilling observation of how people would behave in the absence of laws. Along with this scene, there are many other scenes in The Dark Knight where Joker suggests the evil nature of humanity. However, this is a movie after all right? What Jokers can’t be that true, right? Or is he? The Dark Knight is the second installment in the Nolan’s Batman trilogy. In this movie, Gotham faces a new, much more sinister threat in the form of Joker and Batman rallies hard to find the line between Vigilantism and Heroism. According to Movie Pilot, the nature of humanity is determined by the choices made while Pop Mythology asserts that human nature is evil due our animalistic desires and instincts. While humans may perform good and bad actions, overall it is quite difficult to determine whether the human nature is definitively good or evil as there is constant change in the human nature.

Explain the difference between internal and external conflict and provide an example of each from a book or movie from outside this class.

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.

In a movie where good and evil are divided by a very thin line, the Dark Knight rises up to fight against injustice and corruption in Gotham City. An action sequel to the original Batman Begins, this installment is a lot darker filled with more explosion, twists, and suspense. For the first time, a comic has been integrated into the issues of the real world. With the help of District Attorney Harvey Dent and Lieutenant Gordon, Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining mob members and clean the streets of Gotham for good. Their success is only short-lived when they encounter the Joker, a mysterious mastermind who is out to prove that nobility cannot hold in a world of anarchy.

Batman: The Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan is non-stop action thriller that continually did the unexpected. The film is based off of the original Batman comic book but additionally changes the perception of the everyday world as good to naturally bad. Throughout the movie, Batman stands for honesty and goodness while the Joker is a symbolism of chaos and evil. Both sides are forced to make quick-witted decisions in order to stop the opposing vigilante from doing his desired work. The citizens of Gotham are put in the heart of this circumstance and feel obligated to go against their values to stop the chaos. Numerous people habitually pursue their dreams and values but often become blinded from their

In 2005 Christopher Nolan spearheaded the commercial re-boot of the Batman franchise with the movie Batman Begins, the movie achieved wide critical acclaim, and, subsequently generated, talk of a sequel. In the summer of 2008, after a vast amount of advertising and viral marketing, the highly anticipated sequel was finally released. The film 'The Dark Knight' grossed almost $67,165,092 in its first day and went on to break countless box office records. Later the next year the film won 2 Oscars and was nominated for a further 6, one award won was the 'Best Supporting Actor' award which the late Heath Ledger posthumously received, for his portrayal of the 'Joker'. Due to Ledger's untimely death the film gained even more

Certainly, we watch many movies from time to time. We watch movies to entertain us, get out of reality, or just to kill time. Two of my favorite movies are The Dark Knight and Man of Steel. The Dark Knight is a hero who goes by the name of batman also known as Bruce Wayne and fights crime this film was directed by Christopher Nolan. Man of Steel is also a superhero who goes by the name of superman also knows as Clark Kent fighting crime is also what this character does, Zack Snyder was who directed this film. While these two characters have many similarities, the also have dissimilarities.

"The Dark Knight" is grimly magisterial. It's a summer blockbuster that contemplates near-total civic disaster: Crowds surge, tractor-trailers flip, and buildings explode, but the pop violence feels heavy, mournful. Light barely escapes the film's gravitational pull.

When comics were first coming out, they were not all that popular but in todays’ world, they have become very popular and well known. Several of these comics have been turned into films, which is one of the many reasons why the popularity has been rising over the years. One of the most well known comics is Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. This comic was composed and released in 1986 by Frank Miller. With the usage of Frank Miller’s powerful, intense lines and the artwork done by Klaus Janson’s and Lynn Varley’s it has elevated this comic up to the very top of mainstream comics. In Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, the skillful illustrations on the pages successfully create the thought that there are underlying meanings, which makes the atmosphere a very intense one throughout the comic. The work of art that is presented on the pages in this comic are embedded in such a way that the pages become the continuum for the meaning. One of the main themes that are imbedded on the pages through the artwork in this book is the ideological struggle between Bruce Wayne and Batman.

The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan, is an action-packed movie set in the fictional city of Gotham. It is a real-life film based on the marvelous comic book hero, Batman. Throughout the movie, there are many philosophical themes portrayed. After closely analyzing the film, I found that some of the most distinct ideas would be that of Hobbes’ theory of human nature. More specifically, Hobbes’ idea that without the security that society offers, humans will become fearful and chaotic. Humans are prone to look towards an authority figure that can provide them protection, and when that figure is taken away, they go into anarchy.