In class, Lacy broke us up into groups and had us pick a topic. We had come up with examples of it and how it is viewed in pop culture. The students I was paired with were also interested in animals so we all came up with some ideas. A topic that were easy to think of was how pitbulls are portrayed in today's society. People depict them as mean, aggressive, and vicious dogs. But in reality and with good training, they are actually very sweet animals. In the movie, The Sandlot, they make the dog to be a crazed killer that if you go over the fence, you're gone for good. So in the movie, the boys come up with tons of schemes to try to avoid and outsmart the dog to get their baseball back. Meanwhile all they had to do was ask the owner in the first place. Anyway, in the end of the movie, they show that the dog is very kind and loving of the children, and becomes the mascot of their baseball team.
Also in movies like Up, Airbud, Marley and Me, Cats vs. Dogs, and Homeward Bound, you see the dogs playing main or crucial roles in the plot line. They unlike cats are shown more loving, loyal, and athletic. In Up, the dog named Dug had an amazing relationship that grew in the movie with the old man and child. He showed loyalty and trust towards them. Same with Cats vs. Dogs, you see the dogs playing the loyal role while we always view cats as mean and manipulative. Even in Lady and the Tramp, the same roles are being played.
But overall, animals play a huge role in today's society and entertainment. They help us relax and honestly find joy or sadness in a movie. Confession: I cried when Will Smith's dog in I Am Legend died and really didn't care when he sacrificed himself for mankind. But, I guess he had too... right?
It was the end of Marley & Me that was a tear jerk-er for me, I own a yellow lab, and he is awesome. Anyways it is so true that animals play a big role in pop culture, there are so many movies and shows that depict a character with their pet.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how big of a roll animals have begun to play in feature films. I think that it is great that the animals can almost provide a second storyline to the main plot. Oh, and I cried at the end of Marley and Me, true fact.
ReplyDeleteHahaha the Will Smith thing; touching. I thought the lady and the tramp was interesting. For a long time as a kid i would always try to find stray dogs and see if i could guess what their background story was. Sad to say i lived in rural North Carolina so pretty much all the dogs on the side of the road were just at their yard. I had always wanted it to be like lady and the tramp but, things happen.
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