Allegory is a figurative representation seen as a type of text which conveys a message through symbolism. It is a type of literary device; comparable to a metaphor or simile. Movies which are allegories use characters, settings, and events to portray a message to the viewer. Francis Coppola, director of APRN, uses the characters in his movie to symbolize his opinions on the Vietnam war; specifically Kurtz and Willard. Both together and separately, these two characters deliver Coppola’s anti-war and government message.
Willard can be viewed as a representation of the American-soldier side of the battle. His questionable journey to find Kurtz parallels that of the United State’s invasion of Vietnam. It doesn’t seem that Willard has any real grasp on the significance behind his mysterious journey, he just knows and obliges that it’s something he should do. This could also be said about the American government sending in 18 year old boys across the country, the soldiers they sent often had no clue or concern for the war. Both the soldiers sent and Willard seem to be bumbling along a path that they were told was right.
PTSD is a clearly relevant topic to the Vietnam War. Every text we’ve read or watched had some strong connection to PTSD, so did this movie. Willard is also the symbolic equivalent of PTSD and its effects on soldiers. Willard participates in all the standard PTSD practices; he falls into drinking and has a general sense of lost being. He is a representation of all the men who came back from the war completely changed from who they had been. Coppola uses Willard to show audiences the effects the war had on naïve teenagers; Willard becomes an anti-war slogan through his association with the mental torments of the war. “I was going to the worst place in the world and I didn't even know it yet.” He represents the trend of lost innocence, something also touched upon in every Vietnam text.
Willard’s character loosely defines a group of the population, while Kurtz’s character defines the heightening presence of insanity and raw violence in the war. He is the representation of all good qualities within socially rejected ideals. He is the one who questions everything the government says about war “We train young men to drop fire on people, but the commanders won't allow them to write ‘fuck’ on their airplanes because it's obscene!” Kurtz explains that it is the violent, ruthless players who succeed, despite societal pressures against their conduct. The Vietnam was said to bring out raw violence in men that they never believed existed. Kurtz is that raw violence; he is portrayed as one of the few men who stand in contrast to the mass of American regulated soldiers. He is the one who was labeled as crazy and becomes almost as much as an enemy as the North Vietnamese. Coppolla uses Kurtz to show tangibly what kinds of things war brings about.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is the direct influence of the plot of this movie. The two plot lines are almost identical except for their specific settings and characters. Their one major similarity though is the idea of anti-colonization. Neither story believes in the cause or effects of colonization, which is shown as excessive, destructive and ignorant.
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Allegory is a figurative representation seen as a type of text which conveys a message through symbolism. It is a type of literary device; comparable to a metaphor or simile. Movies which are allegories use characters, settings, and events to portray a message to the viewer. Francis Coppola, director of APRN, uses the characters in his movie to symbolize his opinions on the Vietnam War; specifically Kurtz and Willard. Both together and separately, these two characters deliver Coppola’s anti-war and government message.
ReplyDeleteWillard can be viewed as a representation of the American-soldier side of the battle. His questionable journey to find Kurtz parallels that of the United State’s invasion of Vietnam. It doesn’t seem that Willard has any real grasp on the significance behind his mysterious journey, he just knows and obliges that it’s something he should do. He has only ever been giving these kinds of mission, so he has no reason to question its rational. This could also be said about the American government sending in 18 year old boys across the country, the soldiers they sent often had no clue or concern for the war. Both the soldiers sent and Willard seem to be bumbling along a path that they were told was right.
PTSD is a clearly relevant topic to the Vietnam War. Every text we’ve read or watched had some strong connection to PTSD, so did this movie. Willard is also the symbolic equivalent of PTSD and its effects on soldiers. Willard participates in all the standard PTSD practices; he falls into drinking and has a general sense of lost being. He is a representation of all the men who came back from the war completely changed from who they had been. Coppola uses Willard to show audiences the effects the war had on naïve teenagers; Willard becomes an anti-war slogan through his association with the mental torments of the war. “I was going to the worst place in the world and I didn't even know it yet.” He represents the trend of lost innocence, something also touched upon in every Vietnam text.
Willard’s character loosely defines a group of the population, while Kurtz’s character defines the heightening presence of insanity and raw violence in the war. He is the representation of all good qualities within socially rejected ideals. He is the one who questions everything the government says about war “We train young men to drop fire on people, but the commanders won't allow them to write ‘fuck’ on their airplanes because it's obscene!” Kurtz explains that it is the violent, ruthless players who succeed, despite societal pressures against their conduct. The Vietnam was said to bring out raw violence in men that they never believed existed. Kurtz is that raw violence; he is portrayed as one of the few men who stand in contrast to the mass of American regulated soldiers. He is the one who was labeled as crazy and becomes almost as much as an enemy as the North Vietnamese. Coppolla uses Kurtz to show tangibly what kinds of things war brings about.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is the direct influence of the plot of this movie. The two plot lines are almost identical except for their specific settings and characters. Their one major similarity though is the idea of anti-colonization. Neither story believes in the cause or effects of colonization, which is shown as excessive, destructive and ignorant.
Allegory is a figurative representation seen as a type of text which conveys a message through symbolism. It is a type of literary device; comparable to a metaphor or simile. Movies which are allegories use characters, settings, and events to portray a message to the viewer. Francis Coppola, director of APRN, uses the characters in his movie to symbolize his opinions on the Vietnam War; specifically Kurtz and Willard. Both together and separately, these two characters deliver Coppola’s anti-war and government message.
ReplyDeleteWillard can be viewed as a representation of the American-soldier side of the battle. His questionable journey to find Kurtz parallels that of the United State’s invasion of Vietnam. It doesn’t seem that Willard has any real grasp on the significance behind his mysterious journey, he just knows and obliges that it’s something he should do. He has only ever been giving these kinds of mission, so he has no reason to question its rational. This could also be said about the American government sending in 18 year old boys across the country, the soldiers they sent often had no clue or concern for the war. Both the soldiers sent and Willard seem to be bumbling along a path that they were told was right.
PTSD is a clearly relevant topic to the Vietnam War. Every text we’ve read or watched had some strong connection to PTSD, so did this movie. Willard is also the symbolic equivalent of PTSD and its effects on soldiers. Willard participates in all the standard PTSD practices; he falls into drinking and has a general sense of lost being. He is a representation of all the men who came back from the war completely changed from who they had been. Coppola uses Willard to show audiences the effects the war had on naïve teenagers; Willard becomes an anti-war slogan through his association with the mental torments of the war. “I was going to the worst place in the world and I didn't even know it yet.” He represents the trend of lost innocence, something also touched upon in every Vietnam text.
Willard’s character loosely defines a group of the population, while Kurtz’s character defines the heightening presence of insanity and raw violence in the war. He is the representation of all good qualities within socially rejected ideals. He is the one who questions everything the government says about war “We train young men to drop fire on people, but the commanders won't allow them to write ‘fuck’ on their airplanes because it's obscene!” Kurtz explains that it is the violent, ruthless players who succeed, despite societal pressures against their conduct. The Vietnam was said to bring out raw violence in men that they never believed existed. Kurtz is that raw violence; he is portrayed as one of the few men who stand in contrast to the mass of American regulated soldiers. He is the one who was labeled as crazy and becomes almost as much as an enemy as the North Vietnamese. Coppolla uses Kurtz to show tangibly what kinds of things war brings about.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is the direct influence of the plot of this movie. The two plot lines are almost identical except for their specific settings and characters. Their one major similarity though is the idea of anti-colonization. Neither story believes in the cause or effects of colonization, which is shown as excessive, destructive and ignorant.