After the First is a parable - a story that has a moral or teaches a lesson. To figure out the moral of the film, ask yourself what lesson Steve's father wanted him to learn. What lesson did his mother want him to learn? How do you know her feelings? What did Steve actually learn? Then decide what the film taught you.
25 comments:
I think that this was a very interesting video. I think that it is important to think about the influence that other people, such as our family members, have on the decisions that we make.I know that most kids are brought up to do whatever thier parents ask or tell them to do. I see how it would have been hard for Steve to tell his dad that he didn't want to shoot the rabbit. In calss you started to relate how this simple, small scale version of this idea could be translated into something like the Nazi party in Germany. This idea is pretty scary to me because I am beginning to realize how easily a person can be persuaded to do something that they know is wrong, and that they wouldnt normally do, simply because they were affraid to say no. Saying no can be one of the toughest things to do, and I think that is what this whole story comes down to, the simple word NO, and all that it implies.
I think that Steve’s father had the intent of teaching him how to hunt because he assumed that it would be something which Steve would enjoy. Steve’s mother obviously had qualms about Steve learning how to shoot but I think that she decided to let him learn for himself what he was comfortable doing. Steve discovered that he wasn’t ready to go hunting with his father because while he enjoyed actually shooting the gun he wasn’t emotionally or intellectually ready to kill animals. Molly: I completely agree with what you said about how hard it is to say no, especially when we’re being pressured by those around us, whether family or friends. I think everyone has difficulty standing up to pressure, although some are admittedly better than others. I can also see how letting someone else think for you or make decisions for you could lead to widespread massacres, like it did in Germany.
The film "After The First" was very intresting and took a turn that I didn't expect. The personality of Steve at the begining showed his love for weapons and desire to hunt. However, when his father killed the first rabbit, his perception changed to a bothered and ashamed boy. His father expected so much out of him that he didn't take notice of Steve's feelings. I especially liked Nate's comment today in class when he stated that parents force their children to follow in their footsteps. This story also relates to the Nazi party and how no one took charge to act out against the German killing of Jews.
This movie was short but it showed true human emotions. In the film steves father wanted him to go hunting because it was a rite of passage in their family. This tradition as well as his fathers pressure on him made steve give in and shoot the rabbit even though he did not want to. This film took something so simple as going on a hunting trip and related it to every person who has ever been in a situation where they did not want to do something but were forced to do so. This minor event can easily replaced with the events that took place in nazi Germany and its effect on the children growing up in that time period.
Devin.
I completely agree with your comment; people give into pressure very easily and that when something bad happens everyone tries to hide and doesn't take responsibility for events that they could have prevented.
I think the point of Mr. Gallagher showing us this movie was for us to see how it can be difficult going against the crowd. I agree with Molly that this same idea can be translated into the Nazi party. Although the situation that Steve faced in the film seems less intense in comparison to the pressures people faced to join the Nazi party, Steve also felt pressured to make his father proud of him. The lesson that the film teaches is to go against the crowd and stand up for your own beliefs.
Kristen, I agree that is people just learned to say "no" and stood up to their fears that there would less conflict in the world.
In the film "After the First," I believe it portrayed human behavior and how easily people are influenced directly and indirectly to conform to those around them. Indirectly, Steve grew a liking to guns seeing his father's passion for hunting and love of the sport, which somewhat rubbed off on Steve. His father directly influenced him by taking him out and teaching him to kill as a sport. Steve was clearly uncomfortable and somewhat traumatized by the whole situation from when his father killed the rabbit til he did so himself. Naturally, Steve had no intention or natural instinct to harm that bunny, or any living animal for that matter, but he did anyways to satisfy his father and because he was simply following orders. I agree with Mrinall in the sense that this relates to Nazi Germany because similar tactics were used to brainwash a whole country into believing what they were doing was right, even though it was quite the opposite.
The film portrayed how much influence people can have on others. Prior to watching this video, I was aware of the consequences of always being in the influence of others. However, "After the First" helped make the theme more realistic. It was hard for me to witness a young boy being pushed by his father to shoot the rabbit. Steve looked up to his father and saw him as a role model, therefore he went along with the violent act. On the other hand, the father was just trying to teach the boy a lesson that he had learned early on in his life. The theme of the story was that people are pressured to do things they would not normally do on their own. I believe the theme relates to how the Nazi party was able to come into power. Molly pointed out this idea and said that it was scary to think that people went along with this just beacuse they didnt want to say no. I agree with her and find this statement horrific, but very realistic. People are persuaded to do things that they would not do if an authority figure did not pressure them. Overall, I am very greatful that I got to witness this film and found that it gave me insight on the topic of how others can influence another human being.
I thought that this films showed a very interesting side of father and son bonding. It was pretty clear that Steve's father wanted him to follow in his foot steps and try hunting as a kid. The scene in the kitchen showed that Steve's mother was not to fond of this idea, but would let them go. Steve was very excited to learn how to shoot the gun and enjoyed the power of the shot gun. His emotions quickly changed when he witnessed his father kill a rabbit. When it was his turn to shoot a rabbit his father almost had to pull the trigger for him. Instead of telling his father he did not want to he pulled the trigger and killed the rabbit. Steve was very disturbed by this, but caved into the pure pressure from his father. Steve was not strong enough to say no, like so many people today.
Mrinnal, I agree with everything you had to say about the film. I also like how you tied the video to the nazi Germany.
The film "After the First" made me realize how much influence family can make. I found it interesting that Steve went against his own personal morals to shoot the rabbit only because of his father and how much influence he had on him. It's frightening to think of how much influence one person can have - Steve did not even enjoy hunting the rabbit, yet he did it anyway and put up with it under the influence of his father. Jake, I agree with you that Steve was not strong enough to say know, and that he caved under pressure. Saying no can be difficult, especially if it means displeasing someone close to you, but sometimes it is necessary for your own identity.
The film "after the first" was a very informative video. I think that young kids who haven't experienced activities yet can be very quick to judge, just like steve was in the video. At first he thought he was going to like hunting mainly because his father had a passion for the sport. However he soon learned that it was not what he expected, but he felt pressured to not let his father down, so he shot the rabbit anyways. I think that this shows how much kids are influenced by their others and how one can be easily persuaded.
Molly,
I completely agree with how you compared the situation to the Nazi party in Germany. It is really scary how one can be persuaded to think and act on something they don't agree on, but just do it because of what they are told. I think that people are persuaded mostly through fear also, and i think its sad that people don't stand up in what they believe in because of this.
Kayla, I agree with what you said. I think that one of the reasons why we were shown this video is to show us how hard it is to go against a crown. Most of the time the easy thing to do is to go with the flow, and sometimes that means we aren't really individuals and doing what we really think is right to do.
I believe this is a perfect example of Nate's comment about parents wanting their children to follow in their footsteps because his father really wanted Steve to follow his footsteps, by being really into hunting. The story really portrays the saying, "You don't know know what something is like until you experience it yourself." This is portrayed because Steve is all excited about going hunting and being able to shoot a gun. His excitement ended when his dad killed the first rabbit, then he felt awful when he killed the second rabbit.
I thought that the way the film was set up with the three characters being the mother, father, and son was very interesting. I felt like the son was being a normal boy exited to try anything new at that age and to spend time with his father. I felt the mother was worried about letting her son go out hunting for the first time. I think she knew he was too young to go out hunting, but yet she gave in. I found the father out of all three characters to be the most interesting because he related everything to himself and his own experiences. He thought his son was ready to go hunting because he went out his first time when he was even younger. I think the father handled the whole scenario very poorly by the way he showed his son how to handle a gun. Although he showed him the gun safety and practice before they went hunting, he rushed his son into a situation he did not want to be in. The father thought that just because he likes hunting his son would like it just as much as he does.
Jake,
I agree with your comments about how the father rushed his son into hunting. I thought the film did a good job showing how the father pushed the son into shooting the rabbit. I thought it was interesting how even when the son hesitated, the father kept pushing him to fire the gun. The father got caught up in the moment of hunting and his enjoyment to notice his son’s emotions and behavior.
I believe Steve was really excited about going hunting his first time but I don't believe he really understood what he was going to do. Steve's father only wanted to take his son out hunting for his first time as a bonding experience and in their culture hunting is a traditional thing. Steve's father's father probably took him hunting for his first time and Steve's father wanted to do the same with his son. This story was very intersting and I enjoyed watching the video even though the part where te rabbit was shot was very sad to me. I also think that no matter how we are brought up we should have our own minds and fight against something we believe is not right, whether it be tradition or not. If Steve didn't want to shoot the rabbit he should not have. You don't always have to do what traditions says. Molly: I agree with you. It is very scary to see this is how an entire country can act. Saying no is one of the hardest things to especially if it is someone you care about. I can not imagine living in the time of Nazi Germany. To say no to someone such as Hitler is one of the bravest things anyone could have ever done. It amazes me more people didn't see the wrong Hitler was doing. It blows my mind to think he brainwashed an entire country to think the way he wanted them to think.
I found this video to be really compelling because it created a really great analogy. It shows how people can be pressured into killing and conditioned to do things they may not want to. Steve was very excited to go hunting with his father at first, but then when he actually went to shoot the rabbit he felt extremely guilty and did not want to. The only reason he did was because he didn't want to disappoint his father. It was interesting how his father told him after the first kill it gets easier which is an extremely scary thought. You could tell at the end of the video Steve lost respect for his father and regretted his decision to kill the rabbit. This movie taught that you should stand up for what you believe in no matter how hard you are pushed to go against your beliefs.
Devon, I agree with your comment that his father definitely did not take into account his sons feelings. He thought his son was ready for something he wasn't and he believed just because he fought in a war and enjoyed hunting that his son would. He should have taken his get back home after he saw hoe upset he was.
The movie “After The First” delivers a powerful message and shows the development of the young boy, Steve’s, values and feelings towards his family’s “coming of age” tradition. I believe that Steve’s father taught him how to hunt simply because it is what his father taught him and it was something that was a part of their family. Steve’s mother was much more in tune with Steve’s actual emotional readiness than his father was. The mother was concerned about whether or not Steve could handle it, but the father brushed off the comment by saying he was nine when he first went out. Ultimately, the mother gives in and lets the father continue on with his family tradition. When Steve first shoots the gun for himself at the rock, he enjoys the power that comes from the rifle. Steve and his father actual continue with a conversation about how the great power that Steve felt from that rifle was nothing in comparison to the others. Though Steve thoroughly enjoyed the power he experienced shooting the rock, he was hesitate and pressured into shooting the live rabbit. The movie shows how such power can be enjoyed and feared at the same time. It also shows how easy it is to conform, and difficult it is to stand up for what a you believe.
Megan- I agree with you about how the movie made the theme realistic. Like you said, everyone knows what its like to fall under the influence of others, but this movie showed that in an interesting light. It showed the progression of a boys feelings towards something, and his traumatic conformity at the end.
I wasn't in class to see this film, but after reading everyone's comments I think I understand the concept of the film. Brian gave me a quick summary during class and explained how both the father and mother had different expectations for the son. He also described how deeple Steve was effected by having to shoot the rabbit.
I agree with what Devin agreed with Nate's statement that parents force their kids to follow in their footsteps. I didn't see the film, but from what I've heard it seems like it was an example of a father influencing his son to be like him against the son's will.
This film shows how we can be easily influenced by those around us. Steve's dad wants to teach Steve how to hunt because it's tradition and he believes he will enjoy it, though his mother isn't so sure. Steve himself seems excited and happy to go with his father but becomes uneasy after realizing that hunting involves taking the life of a living thing. I don't think Steve would have normally killed the rabbit but, like Molly said, under that kind of pressure from your father, it would be next to impossible not to. After the hunt, Steve appears disgusted and slightly distubed and asks his father if two is enough. His father tells him that after the first time, he will get used to it. I was also reminded of Nazis and how they "got used" to killing Jews without a second thought
i think this story shows how people influences us into doing the things that we do. in this story show how a kid who does not enjoys killing, ends up killing a rabbit. this was mainly because of his dads influence and teaching. i feel that thats very true for most of the things that we all do, they come as a result of the influence of the people around us and their teaching
i agree with foy when he says how parents want their kids to follow their footsteps. some times parents want it so bad that they might not take into the equation if their kid might be ready for it or even like it
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