Premium Essay

Robert B. Ray's The Thematic Paradigm

Submitted By
Words 1540
Pages 7
In the age of Netflix and live streaming for TV shows, people have more means than ever to watch their favorite dramas, comedies, and reality shows. Yet with all of this advancement, the protagonist archetype has changed only slightly. In Robert B. Ray’s article, “The Thematic Paradigm”, he discusses the qualities of two versions of movie heroes viewers know and love: the official hero and the outlaw hero. The official hero embodies the qualities of an outstanding citizen; he is a law abiding, morally grounded “family man” (Ray 451). In contrast, the outlaw hero is more interested in redefining laws that encumber moral standards than settling down, and often partakes in childish acts of rebellion (Ray 451). Both heroes appeal to qualities many Americans can see within themselves, and despite their differences, the self-indulgent nature of most Americans inhibits viewers from choosing one version of hero …show more content…
Walt’s strong desire to provide for his family, however admirable, hinders his ability to make rational choices. This fits with Ray’s claim that the outlaw hero “represented a flight from maturity” (452). Young, immature people are especially known for making impulsive and emotional decisions like Walt’s choice to crash the car. They often think only in the moment and cater to their present emotions rather than consider potential consequences. This quality is what gives teenagers their reputation for being immature. That being said, Walt’s decision to crash the car was clearly made immaturely on impulse because there was no consideration for potential bodily harm or expenses that would be needed to pay for damage. Extreme scenes like this not only reveal how much Walt is slipping from his original wholesomeness, but also draw viewers even further in to see just how far he’s willing to push the

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Imd122

...TRADE JURNAL Leisure Arts in Bookstore Push Milliot, Jim. Publishers Weekly255.41 (Oct 13, 2008): n/a. 1. ------------------------------------------------- Full text 2. ------------------------------------------------- Abstract/Details Turn on hit highlighting for speaking browsers by selecting the Enter button Hide highlighting Abstract TranslateAbstract Craft book publisher Leisure Arts has signed on with Midpoint Trade Books as part of its effort to expand its presence among booksellers. Throughout its history, Leisure Arts has focused its sales operation on crafts stores. Details Subject Book industry; Bookstores; Distributors; Agreements; Distribution channels Company / organization Name: Leisure Arts NAICS: 511120; Name: Midpoint Trade Books Inc NAICS: 422920, 511130 Title Leisure Arts in Bookstore Push Author Milliot, Jim Publication title Publishers Weekly Volume 255 Issue 41 Pages n/a Number of pages 1 Publication year 2008 Publication date Oct 13, 2008 Year 2008 Section Foreword; New Channel Publisher PWxyz, LLC Place of publication New York Country of publication United States Publication subject Publishing And Book Trade, Library And Information Sciences ISSN 00000019 CODEN PWEEAD Source type Trade Journals Language of publication English Document type News ProQuest document ID 197101688 Document URL http://search.proquest.com.ezaccess.library.uitm.edu.my/docview/197101688?accountid=42518 ...

Words: 28118 - Pages: 113

Premium Essay

Reading a Novel in 1950-2000

...Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 i RTNA01 1 13/6/05, 5:28 PM READING THE NOVEL General Editor: Daniel R. Schwarz The aim of this series is to provide practical introductions to reading the novel in both the British and Irish, and the American traditions. Published Reading the Modern British and Irish Novel 1890–1930 Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Daniel R. Schwarz Brian W. Shaffer Forthcoming Reading the Eighteenth-Century Novel Paula R. Backscheider Reading the Nineteenth-Century Novel Harry E. Shaw and Alison Case Reading the American Novel 1780–1865 Shirley Samuels Reading the American Novel 1865–1914 G. R. Thompson Reading the Twentieth-Century American Novel James Phelan ii RTNA01 2 13/6/05, 5:28 PM Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Brian W. Shaffer iii RTNA01 3 13/6/05, 5:28 PM © 2006 by Brian W. Shaffer BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Brian W. Shaffer to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and...

Words: 123617 - Pages: 495

Free Essay

Book

...THE PLAYER Good game design is player-centric. That means that above all else, the player and her desires are truly considered. Rather than demanding that she do something via the rules, the gameplay itself should inherently motivate the player in the direction the designer wants her to go. Telling players they must travel around the board or advance to the next level is one thing. If they don’t have a reason and a desire to do it, then it becomes torture. In creating a game, designers take a step back and think from the player’s viewpoint: What’s this game about? How do I play? How do I win? Why do I want to play? What things do I need to do? MEANINGFUL DECISIONS Distilled down to its essence, game design is about creating opportunities for players to make meaningful decisions that affect the outcome of the game. Consider a game like a boxing match. So many decisions lead up to the ultimate victory. How long will I train? Will I block or will I swing? What is my opponent going to do? Where is his weakness? Jab left or right? Even those few, brief questions don’t come close to the myriad decisions a fighter must make as he progresses through a match. Games invite players into similar mental spaces. Games like Tetris and Chess keep our minds busy by forcing us to consider which one of several possible moves we want to take next. In taking these paths, we know that we may be prolonging or completely screwing up our entire game. The Sims games and those in...

Words: 111961 - Pages: 448

Premium Essay

Case Study

...administrator of DigiNole Commons. For more information, please contact lib-ir@fsu.edu. FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: A CASE STUDY By BROOKE E. FORESTER A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management, Recreation Management, and Physical Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2009 i The members of the Committee approved the Dissertation of Brooke Ellen Forester defended on February 5, 2009. ________________________ Michael Mondello Professor Co-Directing Dissertation ________________________ R. Aubrey Kent Professor Co-Directing Dissertation ________________________ Robert Brymer Outside Committee Member ________________________ Andy Rudd Committee Member Approved: _________________________________________________________________ Cheryl Beeler, Chairperson, Department of Sport Management, Recreation Management, and Physical Education The Graduate School has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are so many who have helped me during this...

Words: 62361 - Pages: 250