First off let me just say Twilight sucks, but I won’t
let my biased view on the books and movie affect for what I have to say about
Bella in general. I’ve read the books and I’m not going to lie I liked the
first movie but after seeing the second one...yeah, I was very annoyed and
irritated how her character was. To be honest, I like The Hunger Games better.
Go Katniss! Anyways, back on track, upon reading the article “Twilight vs.
Hunger Games,” I could relate to what the author was talking about. I mean,
Bella is annoying and helpless; jump off hills to get an adrenaline rush just
to see her ex boyfriend’s hallucination? C’mon, get real. As for Katniss, she’s
strong, doesn’t take any crap from anyone, and even though she’s surrounded by
death she still fights on. Bella does possess some traits that would be
beneficial for a relationship or marriage like for example: loving someone so
much you would do anything for them and that’s about it that I can think of. Aside
from that, it seems that the author tries to connect Bella’s character to
femininity. I believe that just because you’re in touch with your desires doesn’t
make you weak, in Bella’s case. Also, being a slave to your emotions is
considered a ridiculous gender norm for women. Yeah, some girls are slaves to
their emotions but that doesn’t define femininity at all. People seem to
connect masculinity to Katniss’s character because of the traits she possesses.
Girls can do things just like men can. Also, Katniss and Bella are probably not that different from each other.
I’m sure Katniss would wimp out if she had an opportunity to. Bella, on the
other hand, had some heroic moments just comes to show that she’s not that
helpless at all.
In my opinion Disney
movies shouldn’t be over analyzed more than what they are. They’re movies for
entertainment not meant to be broken down and analyzed in every scene. I can
see why critics would talk about them because some convey messages, positive or
negative. Usually, Disney movies all seem to end on a positive note.
I’m gonna have to agree with Maria on most of the things she said. Also a lot of what the author said I could agree with as well. In the Twilight series, Bella is a helpless character that can’t really do much for herself, but rely on a guy to do it for her, to defend her, and make important choices for her. Katniss, on the other hand, is a strong, determined character, which in my opinion, sets a better example for the audience. I agree with the statement that Maria made about Bella possessing some traits that would be beneficial to a relationship or marriage. The statement Maria made about girls being a slave to their emotions is completely true. You can ask any guy to describe girls with one and most would answer….emotional! Girls are automatically thought of as emotional people. I think that is also dependent on the girl that you’re talking about. Katniss is definitely thought of as a masculine character but don’t think she should be considered masculine just because she is defending her life. The fact that a woman can protect herself is an important trait to have.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with the fact that Disney movies should not be over analyzed. The movies are made for one purpose and that purpose is not to take the movie and find different meanings for each scene. I believe that Disney’s intentions are always to convey positive messages to the audience…every movie has some type of message and that is the sole purpose, to teach the audience.
I agree with Maria on this post. In my opinion, hands down The Hunger Games is the better movie compared to Twilight. Also, hands down Katniss is more appealing because let's face it, she's a badass. She's thrown into a situation she didn't exactly choose, and is forced to fight to the death for the capitol to get their way and watch people she loves die. I think she shows that she can handle any situation thrown at her and totally kill it. She proves she's not a wimp and she can take care of herself. She's a strong willed woman who is determined to win to make life not only better for her, but for everyone around her, providing a positive example for women. While on the other hand, Bella in my opinion isn't much of a role model at all. Yes, men are known to protect their girlfriends but it seems like Bella can't do anything for herself. In the article it mentions "unless Edward or Jacob came to her rescue, Bella is going to get stomped." I think relying on a guy to basically do everything for you shows you're helpless and that can lead to being controlled by someone. I do agree when you said "Bella does possess some traits that would be beneficial for a relationship or marriage" because she does show that when you truly love someone, you would be willing to do anything for that person. As for the Disney movies, I don't think should be further analyzed than they are. They are made for the sole purpose of entertainment and I think that's all there is to it. I don't think critics should be too tough on Disney movies because the majority of the time they always have a positive message.
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to disagree with you on the fact that either of them are masculine. Bella and Katniss both rely on a man to get to where they are today. Bella of course relies on man (or Edward) to become a vampire. Then Katniss relies on men to learn how to win the game, and get packages to help her to victory. I am not a sexist or anything like that but I do know that social norms have rules set for masculinity. Katniss has masculine features of herself but is in fact not masculine. Society has made it to where men are the only masculine human beings. Various ways does society show us this, for example glass ceilings. Woman do not make as much as men on percentage just because they are not masculine.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Disney movie article I agree completely. All they are is kid’s movies that should not be over analyzed, but it is interesting that some are based on myths or folktale. Why would these folktales exist? Take Rapunzel for instance, she is a damsel in distress, which in that time that is all woman were. Waiting to be saved by a man. On the other hand take Pocahontas, she was a revolutionary woman of her time and this story must have been cherished by all woman who heard it because it make them think they can be masculine too. It portrayed them as something more than property. All in all Disney should not be criticized, the stories themselves should be.
Well Maria, we seem to share the same views on a lot of things. First off for example, I completely agree with what you said about Disney movies! I don't see why people have to over analyze everything and find some hidden deeper meaning in what is clearly a kid friendly remake of a classic story. They are precisely meant for entertainment and all end in a happy manner to make viewers happy and satisfied with the ending. However, Aladdin did kind of get a little weird when they subliminally suggested for teenagers to take off their clothes… but that's another issue entirely. When talking about Bella and Katniss, I believe that they are polar opposites of one another in many ways. Bella represents (a really exaggerated) normal-ish kind of quiet girl just looking for love and adventure. She naturally is going to fall for the mysterious bad boy type, hence why she does some crazy stuff to get his attention. She's rather helpless throughout the majority of the story and only seems to posses the longing for true love that she would do anything for. Katniss on the other hand, represents the strong feminist woman who is independent and can kick any normal girl's ass, as well as some boy's ass's as well. Love isn't a priority to her, surviving in her mad world and trying to change it appears to be her main concern. So I guess you can say I agree with Berlatsky's interpretations of the two girls since I'm practicality rewriting what he already said. Which means my comment must now come to an end.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with the line you wrote, "I believe that just because you’re in touch with your desires doesn't make you weak, in Bella’s case." I feel like many people mistaken Belle as a hopeless girl enslaved to her emotions and because of this mistaken her to be a weak girly girl. This can also be related to women in general, because we supposedly throwed over by our emotions that we are weak people too, but Katniss gives out the perspective model that not every single woman is a complete helpless romantic weak frail person who depends on a man to acquire certain attributes. I believe that each person is equipped with their own desires and they rightfully have them, so to be in touch with them should not be attached with such stereotypes as those given to to women. We each live our individual live and choose how we want to live. I think this has become out of portion because the media likes to portray the woman to be frail and weak when we are just as able to accomplish what might seem to be out of line for girls to do. I also think that this has resulted in feminist uproars and with female rock bands and controversial performances etc. just to gives examples. I think Lady Gaga is great example of this. In any case, these portrayals are only maybe half-right because what is being proven again and again is that women are individuals and they're not obligated to have a care for what anyone else has to think about them.
ReplyDeleteWith the Disney movies, I think that analyzing what they truly mean might be helpful and especially useful when actually determining the lasting effects it can have on children and especially little girls. I think it's something more people should look into because ever so slightly the movies are planting some kind of seeds into the children's thoughts that will appear again in the future.
I agree completely that the Disney movies should not be overanalyzed, although there are seemingly many messages, both positive and negative, that can be found in the stories’ plots. The only movies, in my opinion, worth really analyzing are the films that date back centuries ago, and are rooted in Charlotte Lenox’s, The Female Quixote, because it can show how the view of woman and their roles in society have changed over time. I don’t know much about Bella other than what is written in the article but it seems like she is someone who should not be considered weak just because she knows who she is and what she wants. If anything, that should make her stronger. Her desires to get what she wants makes her more confident and know more about who she is, rather than someone desiring something just because that is what they are “supposed” to desire, like how women are supposed to have kids, which is completely ridiculous. It should be a conscious decision that you really should want to do, not just do because that is what everyone is doing. Katniss, however, is someone who seems tougher because she is constantly fighting for survival, but she is merely doing so because she has to. Yes she is a badass, strong, powerful woman but that does not make women who are not like that weak. Different cultures, societies, and social norms lead to a certain standard and only women of that standard can be considered strong, which is completely and totally unfair. Women should be considered strong when they know who they are, are confident in themselves, and go after what they want.
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