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Mankind has been telling stories since the dawn of our existence, and I believe we tell stories for three reasons: to educate (or enlighten), inspire, and entertain. I'll look at each more in a moment, but first, I want to discuss why it matters.
Remember that whenever you read a book, watch a movie, listen to music, or enjoy artwork, every piece of media is sending one or more messages. Don't just 'consume' media- look for the messages. Look for the education, the inspiration, or the entertainment aspect. Analyze them- unpack them. What is the work trying to say? Messages are always there- and if we just let the them wash over us, giving them little thought, there is a potential for dangerous things to happen. Why? Because the message may be wrong, and if we don't realize that, our thinking and beliefs may be unintentionally altered against our will.
"You're crazy," you may be saying right now (or thinking- if you say it, staring at the computer, you may draw unwanted attention). I may be, but my point is valid. Let me give an example. Romantic comedies, quite frequently, start with a girl (or guy) in a relationship, but seldom a perfect one. Invariably, "Mr. Right" comes along, and the girl ditches her current partner for the new one. A lot of romantic movies are like this. Innocent, right? Wrong. There's a message here- "it's okay to ditch your partner for the bigger, better deal." Is that a good message? The movie would have us believe it- it uses pathos and other tools for convincing us that we want this to happen, we want the girl to end up with the other guy, etc.- but if we think about it, that's really not a good message. We as humans are inherently discontent, and most people in relationships wonder "what if" from time to time- "what if I was with someone different?" The right response is for us to appreciate that every human has flaws, and when we're in a relationship, we see our partner's flaws more clearly than other humans. We may see another come along, and, not knowing their faults, think life would be better with them. But, would we pursue that thought, and hop from partner to partner, we'd see that, though people are different, and some humans are more compatible than others, everyone is flawed, and thus any relationship we're in will take effort- it will take sacrifice and humility to make it work. Romantic comedies seldom send that message, and if we absorb them without analysis, we may find ourselves encouraged to pursue that path- a path that may lead to a considerable amount of pain.* That's just one example, but hopefully you see my point. If we look at movies without thinking about their messages, we can get into trouble, and find ourselves hoping for things that really aren't ideal.
So, again, every piece of media is sending a message, and I believe the message(s) will fall into one (or more) of the three categories I mention above: to educate, inspire, and entertain.
To educate: the simple examples would be things that tell us about history, science, or any other facet of the world. A history book, for example, has a goal to educate about one or many events. A science book wants to teach you about some natural phenomena. A memoir may reveal insights into a human's life. A war movie may help convey how horrible life was in a given situation. A religious work will reveal worldviews and guidance that help us know how best to live.
To inspire: this has some overlap with education, but think of this as evoking some desire or emotion. You may not learn anything new, per se, but you may remember things you've forgotten, or bring things to mind that inspire you in some way- either to strive for greatness in some area of life, or appreciate the plight of the Jews during WWII, or to never give up, even in light of horrific odds. If you're inspired by a movie, you leave it wanting something, or feeling some way. Moral tales' goal is to inspire, in addition to educating.
To entertain: the idea of entertainment, to me, falls into two categories: enjoying something exceedingly common to our condition, or something uncommon to the experience of most.
Common: We enjoy things here because it's familiar. We may find a comedy particularly funny because it deals with an experience with which we intensely relate. People post comic strips at their desk because they relate to them. We enjoy this because it helps us realize that we're not alone- no matter how odd our situation may be.
Uncommon: We watch action movies because we're (hopefully) not used to car chases, explosions, and gunfights. We love adventures, ancient wonders, and space escapades- because most of us don't live lives that allow us to experience that sort of thing.
Note that these three areas tie together, and have overlap. We may be inspired by a movie because an experience the main character has is common to our own. We may be educated by an adventure flick set in Africa, showing us the terrain and people of an unfamiliar continent. If a work is good, we'll experience all three of the above. And, if the work is exceptional, there will be valuable messages in all of the three categories.
This post is not as succinct as I'd like, but hopefully you understand my point. When I analyze a book or movie, I look for messages, and I look within the framework of the three categories above. For example, I love the Dark Knight, because it hit on each of the three in multiple ways. It was entertaining- kept me on the edge of my seat. It was educational- the Joker made some interesting and valid insights on society, and life in general. And it was inspirational- you left the movie wanting to think more on these things, wanting to look more at human nature, and what is right or wrong. To me, that makes it a good movie.
One final comment: I knew a guy in college who would take a notepad to the movies, and take notes throughout each film. It's a good exercise- try it some time. Whenever the film makes a point of any kind, write it down, and afterwards, look through your notes, and see what messages emerge. Then, think on whether or not you agree with them.
*I'm not saying that divorce is never an option- there are valid circumstances for so doing. But, it's pursued far more often than is good, in today's society.
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