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.
20 comments:
I think the mother wanted him to learn that there are two kinds of people. One comes to the conclusion where he knows that there can be negative consequence for being armed with a gun. If you shoot at anything living the reality sets in then you are hurt. The other guy will take a gun and shoot the living and the reality for him is, (its just ok). His mother wants him to establish what a gun and consequence of firing a gun can affect You.
I think that the mother wanted him to learn that maturity is a necessity when owning and handling a gun and she did not think he was ready, based on her arguments and facial expressions. His father however wanted to show him how to handle a gun, but in a sense he showed him that guns are not toys made for fun, people use them for harm, just like when he shot the rabbit. Like matt said, reality started to kick in for him to realize guns are not all fun and games, for some people they can harm mentally and physically. this film taught me that there are many people out there whom are not affected by war, guns, or and other harmful tool because it may be an everyday thing or they're completely used to it. Like Steve's father said, It'll get easier after the first time.
I believe that this movie was created to teach a few lessons. The first, I thought, was that you can never assume someone's maturity and their likes and dislikes. The father in this story assumed that his son would love to hunt just because he liked shooting a gun at a stump. Shooting a target is barely comparable to shooting an animal. By assuming the son was more mature than he was and that his son loved to hunt like he did, the father, whether it was intended or not, pressured the son into doing something that he did not want to do. I felt that the mother had a much more reasonable opinion and realized their son's lack of maturity. I also agree with Annie. I thought that it was interesting that the father was so into violence/hunting. In Westborough, hunting and guns in general are not very common. So, to see this man love the hunt so much so that he brought along his 12 year old son was interesting.
I feel like me and Mike both have the same idea about this film. I also at first thought it was like the father judging his son based on what he did as a child and through his lifestyle; and just assuming that his son did want to go hunting and enjoy it. Perhaps the son did enjoy the rush that came along with shooting the rifle at a non-living target; but when it came to the rabbit he clearly wasn't fond of it. The mother I believe was trying to get across to the father that their son should go when hes more mature and able to handle actually killing an animal and accepting it. I feel as though this was the social "norm" for the father; where/when he grew up he went out hunting with his father and his father probably went out hunting with his father and so on. So maybe at the time the film was set up it wasnt the social "norm" in their area or in that point in time and not everyone went out with their fathers at such a young age and go hunting
I believe that the mother wanted her song to learn the danger of using a gun. The mom wanted him to learn that a gun takes something's life away for good. And that guns are not toys.
I agree with annie for two reasons. One is because she is awsome and two is that i also thought that the mom wanted him to relize a gun is dangerous. And not a toy and u need to be mature to handle one.
I agree with annie for two reasons. One is because she is awsome and two is that i also thought that the mom wanted him to relize a gun is dangerous. And not a toy and u need to be mature to handle one.
I agree with Matt Oriols statement about Steves mother wanting Steve to know how actions affect consequences. I believe Steves father wanted him to learn that hunting was not just for fun and games but an important life lesson.
The mother was worried for her son because he would learn hunting would make her son feel emotionally torn after his first shooting. Also, similar to Annies comment about this film, it taught me that some people are used to seeing others suffer that when the moment comes, they are not deeply affected to a loss unlike other people.
I think that Steve's father was trying to teach Steve the importance of safety while handling guns but he also wanted to teach his son how to hunt so that he could be just like he was as a child. His mother on the other hand, didn't think he was ready to handle a gun or go hunting. I think she wanted him to learn that hunting wasn't as much fun or as easy as it seems. It involves killing animals and isn't just about shooting tree stumps. You can tell how she is feeling through what she is saying and her body language. I think Steve learned about gun safety like his father wanted him to but he also learned that he didn't like the idea of killing an animal or hunting as much as he thought he would. The film taught me that you should never just assume that somebody is ready for something just because you were or are. I agree with Annie that some people are so used to guns and war that death and killing no longer affects them.
I think Stevens mother wanted him to learn that he may not be comfortable with taking the life of another living thing and that he should wait untill he is older to go hunting. She voiced her feeling about this to the father before they left but the father was positive that Steven would be fine with hunting. Steven learned that taking the life of another living thing is not as easy as he thought it would be because of his conscience. The film taught me that just because something may look fun or exciting when you see someone else do it or hear somebody else talk about it, does not mean you will like it. You must experience something first hand to truly decide if it is for you or not. I agree with Annie because i think the mother also did not feel comfortable that her 12 year old son would be handling a gun because she believes it requires more maturity than Steven had.
I think part of the lesson his mother wanted him to learn was to have a bonding experience with his father, so that he could learn from him. But she also knew that he wasn't ready for what his father was actually going to show him. She was hesitant at letting Steve go hunting because she was not sure he could handle the gun situation at this point in his life. I agree with Sarah that what he actually learned was gun handling but also the idea that it wasn't as great as he thought it would be. I learned that it is not acceptable to make choices for others, because everyone has different ideas of what they want or need.
I thought the Mother wanted Steve to learn that you needed to be very mature to handle a weapon, and she did not believe he was quite mature enough. Steve's father assumed that his son was like him, and was indifferent to the death of an animal, which was clearly not the case. Steve learned that he doesn't believe in the killing of anything and that it is wrong. The film taught me that you can't judge somebody and believe they will enjoy something when there is a chance they may not.
I also agree with Annie because the mother thought that Steve wasn't mature enough to handle a dangerous weapon, and she was correct.
I think that the main point of the movie was trying to demonstrate that the boy wasnt really ready to go hunting with his father, as he lacked the maturity to do so. He also lacked the ability to kill a living target, as seen when his father shot the rabbit. While the boy's father thought he was ready, he really wasnt ready to do so. Handling a gun and being able to hunt animals requires a great deal of trust and maturity to be able to do, and in this case the boy was not able to handle it, which the mother in the film was saying from the very start.
I think that Steve’s mother hoped he would learn that not everyone enjoys hunting because of the emotional toll of killing a living animal. He was exited at the aspect of going out with his father and firing a weapon, but he didn’t consider how it would feel to kill until he actually did so himself. This also taught him that you cannot form an opinion of something until you experience it directly.
I agree with Nick that the father cannot assume his son would enjoy hunting just because he likes it himself, as not everyone has the ability to handle killing an animal without it affecting them emotionally.
I think that the point of this film is to show that just because one person likes something, doesn’t mean someone else will enjoy that same thing. This lesson fits into the film when the father pressures his son into killing a rabbit, even though clearly the boy was hesitant to shoot the rabbit. I would agree with Celina that the father assumed his son would enjoy what he liked to do.
The mother did not want her son to go off hunting with the father because she felt he may not be ready for. The father on the other hand had experienced war, which in some ways lessoned his remorse for killing things and also at his age his maturity level is much greater than his sons. His son may have been able to shoot a gun and even might have enjoyed it, but shooting a gun and taking something’s life away involves much more maturity. The father should not have assumed that his son would want to have killed the rabbit, but possibly should have taking him on more hunting trips before he actually had to kill something himself. I agree with Mike because just because he may have liked shooting the stump does not mean he would want to kill an animal. It required much more maturity, which the son did not clearly have.
I believe Steve's mother and father had two contrasting ideas on what they thought was best for their son. Steve's father thought he was ready to fire a gun and deal with taking an innocent life. On the other hand, Steve's mother didn't think her son was ready to go off and use a gun. She thought her son wasn't mature enough and even said that "he's only twelve." Steve learned the significance of taking an innocent life and realized at this point in his own life, he was not ready to do this. Ultimately, I thought this film taught me to not make abrupt judgments or assumptions at people until you know what they truly want. In the film, Steve's parents both gave their view points on what they thought was best, but never actually asked him how he felt about the situation.
I agree with what Annie said as Steve's father tried to show him how that guns are not just toys and they can have serious outcomes to them. I thought this was a valuable lesson that Steve needed to learn.
In this story, the father assumed that his son wanted to go out hunting because when he was that age thats what he wanted to do with his father. I beleive that the mother new that her son was not ready, but because the father was so cinvinceing she agreed to let him go. You could tell that the mother new he wasen't ready based on her expressions and what she was saying. I beleive that the sun learned that only he knows when he is truely ready to do something. Finally, this story taught me that you cant always assume that because you liked or did something does not mean someone else is like you and is going to like it to.
I agree with mike when he said, "you can never assume someone's maturity and their likes and dislikes." this statement i beleive is very true because we are all not the same.
I agree with mike in that the movie was meant to express that you cannot assume someone's level of maturity. In this case the father was assuming that his son would enjoy hunting only because he himself took up hunting at a very early age. Steve's father also wanted to teach him that guns are not all fun and games, and they must be treated with respect as they can be used to kill, as Steve found out with the rabbit. Steve ultimately learned just that; that guns can kill, and you must treat them with respect.
What lesson did Steve's father want him to learn? That one's easy, right? How to manage a gun safely. But I think it's deeper, more like, the first time is the hardest. As for the mother, I think she wanted her husband to learn a lesson, which would be to listen to her when she says her son isn't ready for something. I don't remember her saying as much to Steve as she did to his father. But to say what Steve actually learned, I'll have to agree with Sarah because he did learn what he and his father had set out to learn, about guns and hunting safety, as well as something more personal to himself, which is how he himself feels about the act of hunting, of killing.
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