Brave
Movies are strong tools of passing across any type of information. Movies been used by people for several decades for different purposes. For instance, there are movies that are meant for religious and cultural purposes. Once people watch them, they discover their purpose in life and find important reasons as to why they should uphold certain virtues and avoid certain behavior, which are unacceptable to the community. Such movies may also demonstrate different traditions, characters, consequences, and benefits of behaving in a certain way (Barsam & Monahan, 2015). Some movies are also about love hence demonstrating how lovers should interact and for entertainment purposes.
There are also movies that encourage people to live positively, to work hard, or to encourage people to contribute towards a better tomorrow by demonstrating different values of people, responsibilities, and interactions. Some movies are also composed for fun, just to entertain people, to make them forget their bad times and appreciate that moment. Besides, some show why people should refrain from activities that may jeopardize their lives such as drug abuse, prostitution, forming gangs, and terrorist activities among others (Barsam & Monahan, 2015). Lastly, some movies are also educative since they demonstrate advancement in technology and other emerging trends.
Use of movies to reach out to people is an international language appreciated by people from different backgrounds. People from different races, social backgrounds, religions, and geographical regions among others watch movies for the same reasons. This paper is about ‘Brave’, a 3D computer animated film that was released in 2012. An introduction of the movie is given explaining who, where, what, when, and how the song was prepared as well as what it is all about. Background information such as how the movie was prepared, when it appeared, its aim, when it was composed, and how it emerged is also explained. Concepts of gender related issues are also used to analyze the movie. Responses to the presented piece of work are also given and a clear conclusion is arrived at after making consideration of significant aspects of the song.
Who, What, When, Where, Why, & How
Brave is a movie about Merida (a princess) is the daughter of Queen Elinor and King Fergus who are determined to keep the traditions of the kingdom by ensuring that their daughter follows them accordingly. Merida develops interest in horse riding and archery and decides to become the best in such activities (CleverTV, 2012). Her mother is not impressed by her decision so she does her best to inform her daughter that she is not doing what is expected of her. Elinor tells her daughter that she should get married according to the traditions. However, Merida defies her mother. When the two had an argument over the matter, Merida rides to a different place where she meets a witch. She then explains her problem to the witch after which she is given a spell that is meant to change her mother so that she may agree to what her daughter says. Merida is given a spell in form of a cake which she gives to her beloved mother but it turns into what she does not expect (The Kids Club – My Superheroes in Real Life, 2014). Since things started going wrong Merida does her best to change the situation.
According to The Kids Club – My Superheroes in Real Life (2014), Merida’s actions unleashed fury and chaos in the kingdom because she downs the request by other clans to fight for her and that her mother turned into a bear. At first, the situation was reversible but it later worsened and seemed impossible to reinstate her mother to who she was before. Her father loses his leg to a bear and she is also afraid that her mother might attack him. The bond between Elinor and Merida became stronger than before but she regretted going to the witch because everything worsened even though she did everything according to her heart desire.
The movie, “Brave”, was released in 2012 by Walt Disney Pictures. The 3D computer animated movies is a fantasy comedy-drama that is interesting to watch. Chapman who composed the film got inspiration to come up with the story from her real life experiences. Her relationship with a daughter contributed to the ideas behind the great film. The film used a completely different format ‘Dolby Atmos’ (McCarthy, 2012).The movie was made to show the type of relationship that parents have with their children, the types of conflicts that may arise over family issues, as well as traditions and culture. There is also an aspect of freedom of expression, the roles of parents, girl child, and the society.
When the film was released in 2012, it got many positive reactions. People appreciated the concepts used in the movie, the characters and its general presentation. The movie is quite appealing to children due to its presentation of characters and the story line. However, parents may be disappointed because they may expect something better from Pixar groundbreaker (McCarthy, 2012). Some parents also loved the morals of the story but generally the movie was received positively.
Definitions
Gender roles refer to societal rules that dictate how people should behave (Holmlund, 2013). Such rules are regarded by community members as desirable, appropriate, and acceptable based on their sexuality. Gender roles are mainly based on masculinity and femininity even though variations and exceptions exist. How gender roles are defined is different among cultures. However, there are certain characteristics that are similar among cultures (Lindsey, 2015). People who behave contrary to the set gender roles are regarded to as rebels who will later face consequences because of their actions.
According to Lamphere, Ragone ad Zavella (2014), gender theorists argue that variations found in gender roles among various cultures are based on social interactions rather than biological characteristics. Being either a woman or a man is not a choice but how people behave themselves as dictated by their gender is greatly shaped by social influences and cues. The culture of a place where someone is brought up determines how they behave according to their gender because different cultures expect people to behave in a certain way.
There are differences between females and males concerning non-verbal communication. Most differences in gender depend on culture and age. For instance, men claim territory as their own while most women do not and are mostly submissive to men, which means that they are expected to communicate in a respectful and calm manner (Knapp, Hall & Hogan, 2013). Women in most cases will stay away from people who they do not come good terms with unlike men. Further, men are most likely to resist to whatever they are told, while women in most cases will easily agree.
Hall (2011) posits that gender plays a great role in determining the type of friendship among individuals. For instance, women prefer making friendship through conversations with people they are interested with thus creating an opportunity of getting close to them. Women talk about feelings, thoughts and other personal things that build intimacy between the interacting parties. This is one way in which they solve problems or let go their worries. On the contrary, men are shoulder-to-shoulder and activity-focused in their relationships with friends (Wigham & Chanier, 2013). For instance, men prefer bonding by carrying out activities such as watching football or playing games among others.
Gender identity refers to personal experiences that are based on their gender (Holmlund, 2013). Gender identity in most cases correlates with the sex that a child is assigned at birth. Different communities have gender categories that determine an individual’s social identity (Bao & Swaab, 2011). In most cultures, a basic division exists between the gender attributes that are assigned to females and males. However, there are individuals who are transgender but in most cases the categories are either femininity or masculinity. In most cases, gender identity is determined at three years of age after which it is difficult to change (Murray & Touyz, 2012). Social and biological factors play major role in defining an individual’s gender identity.
According to Murray and Touyz (2012), masculinity and femininity refers to the way an individual sees him/herself as feminine or masculine based on the community’s definition of what being a woman or a man entails. Mostly, masculinity and femininity is determined by social factors rather than their sex (biological) (Morrison, 2014). People have different levels of femininity and masculinity depending on various factors such as their culture or societal influences.
Discussion
The concepts discussed in this paper relate to the movie in various ways. For instance in the movie, the community expect children to behave in a certain way and follow certain traditions (Lindsey, 2015). Merida is not allowed to pursue her interests in horse riding and archery because such activities do not portray her as a princess. Men are also expected to show how brave and strong they are by fighting each other to get certain rewards (Morrison, 2014). The three clans organize for a fight so that the winner may wed the princess. Women in the film are also expected to be respectful and submissive to their husband as demonstrated by the relationship between Elinor and Lord Fergus (The Kids Club – My Superheroes in Real Life, 2014).
Women and men in the given community have roles to play to ensure that they preserve the culture (The Kids Club – My Superheroes in Real Life, 2014). Merida is not allowed to just pursue her dreams as she pleases but her parents expect that she keeps the traditions by playing her role as a princess. Men are also expected to protect community members while women are supposed to take care of the property that belongs either to their husbands or to community. Lady Elinor is obedient to her husband and does her best to ensure that resources are taken care of.
In the film, communication between men and women has several differences. For instance, Merida tries to keep distance when she disagrees with people. She decided to go to the forest when she disagreed with her mother. Additionally, the witch left after she predicted that things may go wrong to possibly avoid direct communication. On the other hand, men prefer face to face confrontation in case of disagreement or when they want to solve problems as shown in the incidence when the clans wanted to engage in a fight to marry the princess.
Friendship is also well demonstrated in the film where there are differences between men and women. Women in most cases create friendship by discussing personal things that affect them. This is shown when Merida meets the witch in the forest. The princess explains the challenges they face and they become good friends where the witch decides to help her. On the other hand, men in the film form friendships by engaging in physical activities such as war.
Merida’s defiance nature makes her parents feel that she is not doing the right thing. The princess is expected to express her femininity by showing that she is tender and needs affection. She is not expected to demonstrate a masculine nature for example by fighting or showing that she can do activities which are believed to be only for men. Merida seems defiant because she does not want just to watch men fight for her. She also acts contrary to her tradition by carrying out activities such as horse riding which is meant for men. Other activities that are not expected of her include fishing and engaging in sports. Boys are expected to show their masculinity by being good in sports (Holmlund, 2013). Elinor restricts her daughter from engaging in sports but she defies her order.
Gender roles are important issues that should be considered in community development. Gender refers not only to being female or male but also being feminine or masculine. There are different characteristics and qualities attributed to sex that men and women should demonstrate. In the community, gender dictates the attributes, power relations, and responsibilities that are assigned to women and men (Lindsey, 2015). Such qualities and characteristics differ by geographic region, culture, context and socioeconomic status. In the film, it is quite clear that women and men are expected to behave in a certain way and are also assigned their duties according to their gender. Merida seems to defy the culture of the community by engaging in activities meant to be carried out by men. Bao and Swaab (2011) note s that the characteristics are qualities also change with time meaning that gender roles also change in different circumstances. Merida takes care of her mother and ensures that she is safe.
Gender mainstreaming refers to the strategy aimed at achieving gender equality. Gender equality refers to assigning different roles and carrying out activities without regards to gender. In such a case, activities that are traditionally believed to be for men can be carried out by women. Equality in this case is ensured when defining responsibilities and rights of both men and women (Derbyshire, 2016). The film does not seem to support gender mainstreaming. Merida seems to defy the orders of her parents by taking responsibilities and roles that are restricted to men. For instance, she engages in sports and horse riding which should not be the case.
To ensure that a community develops significantly, the perspectives of women towards men and vice versa should change. Derbyshire (2016) also notes that it is important t to ensure that gender mainstreaming is ensured in a given community. Gender equity refers to impartiality and fairness in treating women in regards to opportunities, benefits, and rights. A community that does not embrace gender equality is most likely to develop slowly or fail in the long run due to conflicting issues (Murray & Touyz, 2012). This film is a good example of what can happen when gender equality is not embraced in a society. Merida is not allowed to pursue her interests because the society does not expect her to behave in a certain way because of her gender. She decides to seek a solution that leads to the downfall of the kingdom.
Brave does not demonstrate the activities carried out by the present human generation. At the moment, most of the beliefs and values upheld by people are not traditional due to the influence of western culture. The film on the contrary depicts a community which is ruled by a king and ran using traditional believes and policies. For instance, men are supposed to engage each other in a fight where the winner marries the princess. Merida is also not allowed to engage in masculine activities such as sports and horse riding.
The film may also be inappropriate for children less than seven years of age due to the scary scenes. For example, a child might be scared the moment when the king loses his leg to the bear. Children may also learn to be defiant as demonstrated by Merida’s defiant nature. Male and female children are supposed to behave in a certain way as dictated by their masculinity and femininity.
Implications/Conclusion
This paper discusses the different aspects of gender issues and how they affected the community at large. The paper also compares the traditional beliefs and perspectives of gender to those of the modern society. This helps to show which types of beliefs are commendable and what ways people can live in harmony. Brave is about a traditional community that upholds traditional ways of living. The community expects that people should behave in a certain way due to their gender. Merida seems to defy the kingdom by carrying out activities that are not expected of her. Misfortunes befall on the given community because of her actions. For instance, Elinor turns into a bear, which happens to be an irreversible change. She later regrets her choice.
The given community also assigns people roles and responsibilities according to their gender. For example, men are expected to protect the community by engaging in war when enemies attack. Men are also expected to be good at sports and in war. Certain activities such as horse riding are meant for men. Merida seems to defy all those expectations that is why her parents are against her behavior.
This film is relevant to the modern community because it shows how some traditional beliefs and cultures may affect the society. Gender mainstreaming is a common issue in most modern societies. Women and men in the modern world can now carry out the same activities because roles and responsibilities are not assigned according to gender. We now have women leaders who are quite effective in their operations. Women are now managers, politicians, and actively involved in politics and sports.
This analysis is important because it demonstrates some of the issues that may lead to the downfall of a community. The discussion presented in this paper shows that restricting women from certain activities is not recommended. Gender equality is essential to ensure that significant developments are achieved. When formulating laws and policies, it is important to ensure that women play a role in either formulating them or that they get an equal share of responsibilities.
Conflicts tend to arise when gender issues are not addressed as shown in the movie. Conflicts arose because Merida defied the rules of the community by following her heart desire. Children should have the freedom to pursue their dream irrespective of their gender. It is wrong to force a child to carry out some activities he/she is not interested in just because the community dictates so. Community development can be enhanced by ensuring that there is gender equality in the given society.
References
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(CleverTV). (2012, Feb. 27). Brave “The Prize” Trailer Official 2012. (Video file). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHgSE3Tu-lk&list=PLKlZG3E7_LcgaIdVZVJzhJ1hdUnymxaEN
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(The Kids Club – My Superheroes in Real Life). (2014, Mar 3) Disney Brave Full Movie-Game Disney Gameplay Episode 1 HD. (Video file) Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93hzLQdR5CU
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