in Pennsylvania, he encourages Nicki to audition for the show. Again, the film depicts Nicki, as a weak woman who is obsessed with sex. Lastly, another instance where women are depicted with a negative connotation is when the pornographer that Max gets in contact with to find out the truth about Videodrome, is a female. Even though this movie was aired in the 1980’s, and women did not have the voice that they have today, it is these types of movies that set a precedent for other movies to follow. When first watching the movie, it seems to just be about a program that attempts to take over the brains of human, which extremely futuristic. However, when analyzing the role of women in this movie, it portrays women in a peculiar light. In the movie …show more content…
In the movie, Ava is a robot built by Nathan. Nathan is the CEO of Bluebook, which a popular search engine. Amusingly enough, Nathan builds Ava by using information that he obtains from those who use the website. Nathan decides to use the information from his users because he wants to emulate the behavior of a human in Ava. So, he uses users search history as a way to determine human thought and embody that with Ava. Using the Turing the test, Caleb must determine if Ava is able to manipulate him into thinking that she is not AI. However, after a while of Caleb and Ava being together, she falls in love with him. While Ava is a robot made of robot parts, her face is not robotic. In fact, Ava’s face represents that of a human, and her face is very attractive to the human eye. In the movie, sex supersedes the reality that Ava is a robot. This notion is explained when Caleb finds out that Nathan is going to reprogram Ava and take away her personality. This finding is detrimental to Caleb, because at this point in the movie, he has feelings for Ava. Since Caleb does not want to lose Ava, he comes up with a plan to get rid of Nathan and for him to run away with Ava. Everything Caleb does to save his relationship with Ava, a robot, is what two humans would do. Sadly enough, we find out that Nathan had everything recorded and this was part of his plan. Nathan hoped that Ava would be convincing enough to …show more content…
In fact, these movies are in two different time zones. A reoccurring theme in the movies is that women are identified by sex. Each robot in the films have one thing in common, they manipulate men through sex using their feminine appearance, regardless of their masculine attributes. In fact, Kathleen Richardson believes that these depictions of women robots through AI are just movies knit picking human women. To elaborate, in the movies, the robots do not represent a woman as a whole entity, only certain characteristics (Richardson). This speaks against society, as if society is trying to insinuate that women as a package are not that great, but women with the characteristics that coincide with societal expectation are the perfect specimens. In this case, the perfect specimen is the robot in the AI movies. More so, the robots in the film regardless of their evil nature; for instance, in EVE of destruction, even though she is purely evil and wants to destroy, the robot itself is very sexual. The robot can be depicted as strong, smart, etc. but each robot tends to have this attractive body and face. The movies of the past times, such as Videodroma, have set the precedent for movies to portray women as objects and limit their role in society by disguising the women as robots to impose certain societal
Throughout time, women in movies and other similar texts are shown to be generally focused on men. This might make sense if every movie ever made was set in a time where women had absolutely no rights but of course, that is not the case. Older and more modern depictions of women in media, both show women whose lives revolve around men. Even movies that market their female characters as strong and powerful are still shown to be dependent on the male leads and puts them first. Also, since women in movies have more of a focus on men, female to female relationships suffer in the same films. There are very few exceptions to this unfortunate truth.
However the manner of how women in Mad Max are portrayed visually is still somewhat evocative, given their initial circumstance being that of sex objects for the tyrannical Immortan Joe and the touching upon Laura Mulvay’s writings on the male gaze. Again, this contrasts to the prim and proper tie and suit attire of Anastasia. However the manner in which director Miller depicts these females towards the end of the film being key players in large action set pieces wherein they are actively fighting for their liberation is the film’s redemption. To conclude, it is ultimately a film not of objectification, but of the struggle and fight against it, where as Fifty Shades is a narrative of a woman’s curiosity in an S&M life-style. As put forth by Gallagher in Old Hands, New Breed,
Here, Turkle interprets the rise of sociable robots in society as showing troublesome aspects within humanity. With this narrow minded view and generalization, however, Turkle isolates herself. Although this may be true for some people, by leaving no room for discussion and instead treating a subjective opinion as fact, she discredits herself. In addition, Turkle opens her book with a story from her own life, wherein her daughter, Rebecca, questions the reason for the American Museum of Natural History using a real turtle instead of a robotic one. Turkle continues by stating her idea that children these days, including her daughter, do not understand the importance of or prioritize authenticity (3). There are many potential reasons for Rebecca’s desire to
In Metropolis, Lang attempts to synchronize fears of femininity’s predominance in society with fears of technological progress by turning the main female character, Maria, into a machine herself the otherness of technology and the otherness of women, therefore become one in the film. Moreover, technology does not have any humanity; similarly, women possess appearance but no true essence. Therefore, one could say that Lang’s representation of woman as machine was the literal representation of the masculine belief that femininity is empty. By creating “woman”, Rotwang fulfills the male fantasy of creation without a mother, and by creating woman herself; he creates the epitome of nature, thereby restoring the natural order. Like technology, woman is supposed to be subservient and under control of men; but as witnessed in Metropolis, one realizes that woman is ultimately in control of herself. Lang consistently endeavors to explore the male reaction to this change in
Donna Haraway’s 1984 “A Cyborg Manifesto” is an enduring essay unceasingly analyzed, critiqued, and adored by scholars and students. The piece, in which Haraway uses the cyborg as a metaphor to scrutinize hegemonic problems and refuse the binary, claims that “the boundary between science fiction and social reality is an optical illusion.” In other words, like the cyborg who cannot distinguish whether it is a machine or an organism, in society there is no difference between male and female; rich and poor; black and white. There is only gray, and there are countless shades of it. “A Cyborg Manifesto” is an influential essay that has been relevant to the past and is still relevant to the present. Hence, it is no surprise that it has inspired
Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac (2013) sparked controversy even before its stateside release during a matinee screening of Disney’s Frozen (Buck/Lee, 2013) in Tampa, Florida. The usual routine began as the projectionist prepared to screen the film: the lights of the cinema began to dim, the projection screen turned black, and the usual filler of cartoons and trailers started rolling. And then something unusual happened. According to one unsuspecting grandmother, “They put in the filler, it looked like Steamboat Willie, the old Mickey Mouse cartoon, and then all of a sudden it goes into this other scene” (Guardian, “Nymphomaniac Trailer”). This “other scene” was the red-band teaser for Nymphomaniac, described by Julie Miller of Vanity Fair as “the most graphic movie preview of all time—thanks in part to visuals of former child star Shia LaBeouf nude and engaged in multiple sexual activities” (Vanity Fair, “Explicit Sex Film”). Miller’s description of the trailer, however, is mostly incorrect. Very little do we see of LaBeouf’s character in the red-band trailer, neither “nude” nor engaged in the act of sex. Instead we catch various clips of Young Joe, performed by Stacy Martin, who is at one point seen fully nude and whose vagina is superimposed against the film’s title (stylized as NYMPH()MANIAC) at the start of the teaser. Despite his intentions in line with the Puzzy Power movement, von Trier’s male gaze complicates his presentation of female sexuality in Nymphomaniac. The logic behind the metanarrative of the film suggests that Joe’s (Charlotte Gainsbourg) salvation is ultimately afforded by male characters, most explicitly through Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård), Jerôme (Shia LaBeouf), and “K” (Jamie Bell). Although Nymphomaniac ask...
People love to read stories and watch movies of a science-fictional society that include robots with artificial intelligence. People are intrigued with the ability of the robots that seem to demonstrate what we humans consider morality. Eando Binder’s and Isaac Asimov’s short stories, as well as the 2004 Hollywood movie, all carry the title “I, Robot” and introduce possible futuristic worlds where robots are created and integrated within society. These stories challenge our perceptions about robots themselves, and could perhaps become an everyday commodity, or even valued assistants to human society. The different generations of “I, Robot” seem to set out the principles of robot behavior and showcase robots to people in both different and similar ways. How does the Robot view itself? More importantly, how does society judge these creations? The concepts discussed in these three stories covers almost 75 years of storytelling. Why has this theme stayed so relevant for so long?
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare focuses on the enormous gap between the power of men and where women stand. Women were expected to be obedient and dependent on men, innocent, and were also expected to be good wives. Shakespeare wanted women to see how the roles are changing for the better. In this play, there is difference between the traditional roles of women back then, and the ones that stand out from the rest. He depicts this through two characters. In the opening scene, where characters and their personalities, and roles are established; Hero has only one line, which is seven words. Even said that, these lines are just a comment on Beatrice. Hero is the daughter and the property of her father, Leonato. Her helplessness comes from her being overprotected by her father, and the need to obey him. Beatrice, by contrast, does not have a father, she lives on her witty personality and her intelligence. Beatrice has a dream to spend her life “where the bachelors sit, and there live we, as merry as the day is long” (2.1.40-46) When Leonato tells Hero, “Daughter, remember what I told you: if the prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your answer,” (2.1.60-63) she just stands there, silently obeying her father. Hero’s looks are her only advantage as a women, as they are what attracts Claudio. He falls in love with her at first sight in the first act, based only on her appearance.
Led by Laura Mulvey, feminist film critics have discussed the difficulty presented to female spectators by the controlling male gaze and narrative generally found in mainstream film, creating for female spectators a position that forces them into limited choices: "bisexual" identification with active male characters; identification with the passive, often victimized, female characters; or on occasion, identification with a "masculinized" active female character, who is generally punished for her unhealthy behavior. Before discussing recent improvements, it is important to note that a group of Classic Hollywood films regularly offered female spectators positive, female characters who were active in controlling narrative, gazing and desiring: the screwball comedy.
Another element of Bradbury's writing is robots. Wayne L. Johnson explains that "the robot represents the ultimate heart of the scientific conceit, wherein men's knowledge of the universe becomes so great that he is able to play God and create other men" (73). Robots represent the degrading value of life present in society. All of Bradbury's robot stories found in The Stories of Ray Bradbury come to unhappy endings. They are "horror stories as well as light-hearted warnings against taking robots for granted" (74). Many stories with robots are considered science fiction because robots are considered to be futuristic things. Bradbury uses robots to show the value people place on science over human beings. In "Marionettes, Inc.", two men are unhappy with their wives. One man, Braling tells the other man, Smith, that he has purchased a robot to take his place as a husband.
Women were represented in different ways throughout the movie Metropolis, but the underlying theme was women were seen as purely sexual. Maria was seen as the nurturer in the film, but also as a sexual object. She was the one who preached for peace and harmony down in the catacombs to the workers. Maria was also the nurturing maternal figure that was seen walking into the garden with all of the poor children. The vamp, on the other hand, was portrayed blatantly as a sexual object. This whole movie was seen through the eyes of the male perspective, which usually portrays women as sexual objects, and robs them of any identity. Lang shows Frederson as having fear of femininity which involves women's emotion and nurturing.
Comparing the Roles of Women in Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Look Back in Anger
She states in her book that from the eighteenth through the twentieth century, these constructions were entrenched into the minds of many groups of people. These so called “marked bodies” with their constructs were separated from their other counterparts based on these descriptions. She argues that these marked humans have been the center of efforts to disrupt power and the culture of human society. (210) Her counter to this situation is the idea of the cyborg. The cyborg is conceived as our reality, one of socially constructed machines and other forms of life. Haraway’s use of this metaphor is to assist humans in developing our understanding and responsibility in our society. The philosopher Melissa Colleen Stevenson writes an analysis of cyborgs in contemporary society (specifically as it relates to women.) In her analysis, Stevenson views Haraway's cyborg as refuting essentialist connections as well as barriers between individuals, which in turn allows for the “…fruitful political alignment of diverse interest groups without insisting upon a monolithic understanding of “Women” or, indeed, the reification of any such identity categories.” (Stevenson 87) Certainly, in the situations and problems that face humans today, one can see people who are “breaking” out of their perceived abilities based on constructs given them, and
The representation of violence exacted upon women in cinema is inextricable from being projected upon all women. To provide a scene that objectifies the female is to reduce the feminine form to its non-dual state, e.g., a sexual object providing a vessel for male gratification (hubris and sexual) rather then being defined by its duality of sentient and physical forms. Those who construct scenes of violence against women are bound to a moral responsibility to subjectify the woman’s perspective, thus reestablishing the female as a victim rather then an object and rendering the act of violence intelligible (deplorable, open to interpretation).
With the development of technology in the world, people are faced with many things they never saw and knew before. In this modern life, technology has affected a lot of people’s lives in many levels. Robots are considered as important products of technology. Robots were introduced by a writer, Karel Čapek, from the Czech word, robota, meaning “forced labor” or “serf”. Čapek used this word in his play, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) which opened in Prague in January, 1921, a play in which an Englishman named Rossum mass-produced automata. The automata, robots, are meant to do the world’s work and to make a better life for humans; but in the end they rebel, wipe out humanity, and start a new race of intelligent life for the robots themselves (Asimov, 1984). Robot does not have a specific definition itself, every dictionary has a slightly different definition. “Deciding if a machine is or is not a robot is like trying to decide if a certain shade of greenish blue is truly blue or not blue,” said Carlo Bertocchini, the owner of RobotBooks.com. “Some people will call it blue while others will vote not blue,” (Branwyn, 2004). This essay will limit the meaning of robot as what defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary (2004), robot is a machine that looks and acts like a human being, an efficient but insensitive person, a device that automatically performs especially repetitive tasks, and something guided by automatic controls. As the technology grows more modern each day, scientists and programmers are creating and improving the function of robots. Nevertheless, many people are still debating should robots be developed more and should robots be used in everyday life. I disagree that the further development of robots should be remain...