After The First is a parable - a story that has a moral or teaches a lesson. To figure out the moral of the film, first ask yourself what lesson Steve's father and mother wanted him to learn? Second, what do you think Steve actually learned?
Then discuss what you took away from the film.
26 comments:
I was thinking to myself "what does this film have to do with this course??" As the film progressed I started to tie the scenes to what we are learning in Facing History. The scene in the kitchen revealed Steve's parents values on hunting. The mother thought that he was too young and not physically/mentally prepared, but the father thought that his son should for his own entertainment. Steve felt excited and eager to hunt an animal with a rifle, but his attitude suddenly changed when he witnessed his father kill a rabbit and himself too killing one. This shows that he wasn't mentally prepared to handle such a big task. Overall, this film has showed me how people are so quick to judge something before considering the outcomes. Steve thought that hunting with his dad would be a fun and exhilarating experience, but in the end he ended up feeling uncomfortable and hating hunting. Also people can criticize a person before knowing them/having being in their shoes.
Steve's parents wanted him to get into hunting with his father really taking the reins on this one, because the mother was lenient toward the hold idea. Reason being is she felt he was not ready for the mentality or physicality of what it took to hunt. Steve felt that this would be a good experience for having gone with his dad and getting to shoot a gun, which was the case up until he had witnessed his father kill the rabbit. Steve has different ideas then his father and it makes it hard for him to stand up for himself, in the end when it comes time for Steve to kill the rabbit himself he ends up doing it but what i remember was him saying to his father "is two enough?". This shows how Steve has changed from being happy and ecstatic about hunting to showing how he truly feels which is that he dislikes killing these animals and hunting in general. It's hard to stand up for what you think is right because your always looked down upon when doing so but Steve was able to show his father just how disgusted he was after hunting and it made his dad think. All it takes is the courage to go against what other people think and speak for yourself.
I think steves mother wanted him to know that he didn't have to take after his father and be a hunter. Also she didn't want him to do something he wasn't ready for. Steves father wanted him to learn how to hunt and shoot a gun because that is something he did with his father when he was younger and he wanted to continue the tradition. I think Steve ended up learning a lot about himself. He realized that he didn't have to take after what his father and grandfather do. He found out that hunting was not for him because he didn't like hurting the animals or seeing them get hurt. After watching this film it made me realize how much your home life can effect you when you get older. In steves case since hunting is a big part of their family life hes expected to do it to and be okay with the violence. This will make steve be okay with hurting animals and it can lead to him hurting people. Like his dad said it gets easier after the first time.
At first I did not understand how this film related to the class but toward the end of the film I started to understand. Steve had been so eager and excited to go out hunting with his father but after seeing his father shot the first rabbit his excitement vanished and he was left feeling sorry for the rabbit. The film showed me that you shouldn't be so quick to judge activities like hunting. Steve had made the judgment that hunting was going to be an fun activity before he really knew what he was getting himself into. He ended up not enjoying it at all.
While watching the film, I think that the conversation between Steve's parents showed the two views that his mother didn't think hunting was morally right and didn't want his son learning such a violent hobby. Steve's dad wanted him to learn because HIS father taught him how to hunt at a young age. I think that after Steve and his father were hunting, we realized he doesn't have to follow everything his dad does.I think that WHILE they were hunting, he felt like he had to follow what his dad did because he was his role model.
At the beginning, I felt that the lesson that the parents was different in its own way. The mom wanted to teach her son the power of guns and how the power can overwhelm you when you hold them. The dad wanted to teach his son how to shoot and had no emotional feeling when he shot. Steve was full of energy before the hunt and was anxious to get into it. But after he has seen the horror of the power he suddenly realizes that he doesn’t want to do this anymore, and this is all due to the emotional connection he felt. What I took from this film is that whatever you do you have to feel something or feeling of why you are doing this. You can’t just do something with no justification and emotional attachment.
I don't exactly get the first question. I don't think his dad or mom wanted him to get a lesson out of hunting. His mom didn't even want him to go hunting in the first place and his dad just thought it was a fun thing he should do because he was now twelve and it was his birthday. I did however take a lot away from the film. In our discussions we talked about how not to prejudge things. I think this is very applicable to this story. As a father to Steve, you would think his dad knew a lot about his son. This film really showed me that no matter how much you think you know about people, you still can not guess how they will react in emotional situations, such as when Steve killed the bunny. I do think that Steve's dad should have thought about how anyone would react to seeing a harmless animal shot mid run and then he could have prevented the scarring that he imprinted on his son. I also think that Steve should have been informed about what killing something does to a person so that he could have made a better decision on whether he wanted to go hunting or not. It makes me sad to think that there are a lot of families who are brought up that the only way they can get food is through these methods. The children are brought up to not have any emotional ties to the food they have to kill in order to survive. Hunting, in a broad scale, seems like it is just an activity to partake in, but in reality harmless animals are just getting slaughtered by people. I guess this really goes completely away from the film point but it was just what I have been thinking about post seeing the rabbit get shot and seconds later go limp and motionless and then dragged from the grass.
I was absent today.
I thought that this film revealed a lot about the actions we take. Sometimes we feel morally uncomfortable going certain places, or doing certain things but we become fearful to say otherwise. In the film, Steve, like any other child wanted to please his father and make him proud. On the other hand, Steve's father was quick to judge his son, thinking that he would enjoy hunting as much as he did. However, unlike us at times, Steve did not hide his feelings about hunting. He made it clearly visible that he was very uncomfortable, and was eager to get it over with and go home. Steve's father finally said to him, "It always gets better after the first time", implying that Steve is going to do this again. If hunting made Steve this uncomfortable, he should not have to hunt another time after the first.
The film “After the First” is a good example of how people are quick to judge and quick to act when being pressured by society. For instance, in the film, Steve immediately judges hunting as being something he will enjoy because his father enjoys it and he thinks it will be fun as well. At first, Steve thinks hunting is fun because he is only shooting inanimate objects and he likes the thrill of power that the gun gives him. However, when Steve watches his dad kill a rabbit and then kills one himself, he comes to the realization that hunting is not as great as he thought it would be. This instance is one that many people can relate to when they judge others or things based on what society tells them or by common stereotypes rather than by their own experience. When pressured by society, many people find themselves giving in to it despite their own moral beliefs. In the film, for example, Steve hesitates in shooting the rabbit because he begins to come to his senses that killing an innocent creature is wrong; however, when his father begins pressuring him that “it is time” to pull the trigger, Steve gives in and does it anyways.
I took a lot away from this film because it covered some topics that hit close to home with me. Steve's mother and father clearly had conflicting views on hunting and whether it was an appropriate activity for Steve. The father clearly valued hunting for unclear reasons mot likely related to his experiences in war, and wants to pass his values onto his son. Steve is very excited about finally being able to hunt with his dad, but does not consider the difficulty of taking another living creatures life. In the end, his father states that it gets easier after the first. I don't believe that this film is about standing up against others and speaking up for yourself. It is about the value of life and what happens when people decide to start ending it. It is about the horrible desensitization that soldiers most go through in times of war. Its easy to think about killing a faceless enemy but its a whole different thing once you realize that that person under that helmet has a life and a family just like you.
The film "After the first", I believe, is an accurate example of how people are pushed into doing something they don't feel is right because of influence of others. At the beginning of the film Steve thought that hunting would be fun because his father enjoyed it, pressure from family. Once started shooting inanimate objects he began to feel the thrill and power that the gun gave him. By this time he was pulled into the act. Steve saw his dad shoot the rabbit and even though he didn't agree with it, he was passive about his thoughts. Once he had the opportunity to shoot he just shoot the rabbit despite his internal objections because he was pressed to do so. This is a great example of following the group despite knowing that the action, to yourself, is wrong.
The film after the first, shows you how powerful war,guns and violence really are. In the beginning of the film Steve's mother didn't want Steve to go hunting at this early stage of his life because he wasnt physically and emotionally ready. On the other hand his father was excited and really wanting him to go hunting with him because Steve's grandfather did the same thing to Steve's dad. His dad most likely went through the same problems that Steve went through on his first day. After Steve had been taught how to property use the gun he was excited and some what happy. Then later he suddenly was forced to shoot at a rabbit and actually killed it and that turned his whole perspective on hunting around and he emotionally fell apart. Then his dad says it was be better after the first day but Steve already knows hunting isn't for him.
Just at the very beginning of the film, by the music and the lighting, it was easy for the viewer to see that it wasn't going to have a happy ending. The father of Steve was excited about him learning how to shoot a gun, while the mother did not want him to go. While the father and son were leaving you could see the terror that was in the mothers facial expression. I could tell that the father had been numb emotionally when it came to killing animals and it was probably because of the war. Near the end he told his son that each time he kills, the easier it will get. I feel like the message that I got from the film was to follow your intuition, your gut. The boy knew, even before him and his dad left to go hunting, that he did not want to kill anything. While he was getting ready to shoot the rabbit, he was hesitant and second guessed himself. At this point he just wanted to impress his father therefore he shot the rabbit. This also is a lesson to show that you shouldn't let others persuade you into doing anything you aren't comfortable with, no matter who it is.
Today in class we watched a film called "after the first" and at first I was just overwhelmed by the unnecessary violence displayed in the film. I am a strong advocate for gun control I think it is extremely ignorant to give people such power. Along the same lines, anything to do with animal abuse or hunting truly makes me sick. I cannot think of anything more disgusting than gaining satisfaction from killing harmless animals. With that being said, I did pull an underlying meaning out of this film. People really do not know what they are getting themselves into when they try it for the first time, no matter what anyone else tells you, you won't know exactly how it is until you experience it for yourself. Like in the film, Steve was excited about going hunting because his father was passionate about hunting and enjoyed it very much.After Steve killed his first rabbit he was no longer excited but sad. He was quick to judge because someone he respected and followed approved of it so he thought he would like it as well. One must never assume based on the words of another.
I believe Steve’s father wanted Steve to take after him and learn to hunt, because it’s a family tradition and it represents a transition from childhood to adulthood in their family. Steve’s father was very adamant about bringing Steve hunting and initially, Steve was excited to go with his father. Steve’s mother, however, wanted him to learn that he doesn’t have to do something just because his father wants him to. After killing the rabbit, Steve was very upset. While his father was proud of his kill, Steve realized that hunting wasn’t something he enjoyed, even though his father did. He learned to trust his gut and not engage in something that made him upset or uncomfortable just because his father wanted him to. Personally, I viewed this film as being about standing up for your beliefs and not conforming to what others tell you to do or who others tell you to be. Steve was excited to hunt when he shot the wood stump, but once he saw his father kill the rabbit, his emotions changed. He shot the rabbit, however, because his father wanted him to. Steve was influenced by his father, even though he knew he did not want to kill the rabbit.
I feel Steves mother wanted Steve to know that he wasn't what people would say "cut out" to be a hunter and go hunting. Oposite of his mother, Steves father wants Steve to have the experience of hunting and share this hobby with him just like steves dad did with his dad.At first Steve felt this trip to go hunting was going to be fun and a great thing to share with his dad, but once Steve saw his dad shoot the rabbit, he no longer felt the happiness he had felt before. This story is a great example of not wanting to be the one to go against a group. When Steve's dad was egging Steve on to shoot the rabbit, instead of Steve telling his dad he didnt want to shoot the rabbit, he shot instead, potentially scaring himself for life.
Today we watched a clip from the movie called "after the first". When it started I didn’t get how this film related to the facing history course, but after it ended and I had time to think about the elements of the clip, the first things that came to mind were pressure and hype. Steve’s father is obviously really involved in hunting and I’m sure, because it’s a big part of his life, shares his love and excitement for hunting with his family and friends. We see, multiple examples where he either shows this or talks about this in the film. All this excitement that Steve’s father has built up creates a “bandwagon” type situation for Steve to b apart of. His father creating hype around the idea of hunting makes Steve want to hunt because of his father’s praise, but Steve ends up not liking hunting at all. This is a perfect example of pressure and building up effects on a person. In Germany this concept was happening with the children deciding to join the Nazis or not.
Steve’s father and mother each had opposing viewpoints of what they wanted to show Steve; this is represented by the scene in the kitchen. Steve’s father wanted to show him the tradition of hunting, wanted his son to start hunting when he was young like he did himself. However, Steve’s mother was worried that he was too young at 12 years old and that he wasn’t ready yet. I think Steve learned that no matter how much you think you know about something, you will never actually know until you experience it for yourself. It sounds like Steve had been excited about the hunting trip for a while, and in the beginning of the film, it was definitely obvious that he was very much looking forwards to the trip. Then at the end of the film, it was clear that Steve did not enjoy hunting, and that he finally realized what the act of hunting actually is-killing innocent animals for sport. The lesson I took away is that often times we dismiss violence. Deaths start adding up, the number of casualties in a natural disaster or a war simply become a statistic. However, seeing death and violence through the eyes of an innocent 12 year old boy brings you back to what death really is, and makes you think about exactly what you’re doing and its effect.
In the film "after the first", I think Steve's parents didn't just want him to learn about hunting. This was a much bigger issue. This was an example for them to show him how this world works, and how bad it can be sometimes. This is why the mother was so opposed to taking Steve out hunting that young, because she felt he wasn't yet ready. In the end, I think the plan did end up backfiring on the parents. Sure he DID learn how to hunt, and got some life experience on the cruelties of our world, but clearly he was not mentally prepared for what he did and what he saw.
At the beginning of the film, it is clear that Steve's mother and father are not in complete agreement about allowing Steve to start hunting. Steve's mother is generally against Steve beginning to hunt because of the mother aspect inside of her that brings on nerves and anxiety when she sees her son with a gun. Steve's father however, is anxious in a different way; such a way where he wants his son to join the majority when he is older which involves hunting. However, neither of the parents knew exactly how mentally impacting the act of killing really is to someone that has never killed. This is because his mother and father have clearly already joined this majority if they weren't able to foreshadow Steve's insecurities and hesitations about killing that he felt at the end of the movie. Steve ultimately learned that one can have perceptions of something based on what the majority feels about that particular thing, but one cannot see the truth about something until they actually experience it themselves. It is similar to the concept of judging humans. Until one has walked in the shoes of another person they cannot make perceptions or conclusions about that person with certainty. Before obtaining certainty through experience, you are merely discriminating someone based on what you have heard or seen about them. The lesson I learned from this is that humans down-play the act of killing. Hunting an animal is merely the same concept as killing a human yet we have all grown to believe that hunting is an accepted part of our society by many people. This film brings the reality of the situation back as we see, through the eyes of a 12 year old the true aspects of killing. Steve is young and therefore not yet completely on the bandwagon of society. Therefore we get an outside perspective of the majority, allowing us to see and bring us back to the power and moral that killing intrudes upon.
Both Steve's mother and father wanted him to take away something different. His mother wanted him to wait until he was older or "ready" to go hunting. Emotionally I think he knew he would not be able to handle it, or fully understand. I believe she wanted steve to learn how to handle guns and that situation maturely and safely. His father, however, wanted him to go hunting. He told his wife that he had been going since he was 9, so he should be able to as well. He wanted him to grow up like he did. It seemed as though he wanted to impress upon Steve the way of life or "coming of age" for a man. The whole gender roles piece is clearly in play here. He wanted Steve to learn to shoot a gun or how not to be affected at the death of a bunny. These two "lessons" vary away from what Steve actually took from him first hunting trip. At first, of course he was excited to take part in something obviously close to his father. He looks up to him and wants to be like him. Learning to shoot a gun was fun until he actually applied it to it's very real consequences. It wasn't until it was right in front of him that he realized death was a possibility of his time having fun. He began to regret and feel even more remorse after he killed a bunny himself. I believe he took away that, just because his dad enjoys hunting, doesn't mean he will. Often we think we can enjoy an activity and go along with it just because someone we love and trust enjoys it too. This can blind us into doing something we don't always agree with, until such things as death are shoved in our face. Steve realized he didn't want to be the source of it, he didnt want it to "get easier" as he kept doing it.
I feel like this video was to show us how the group effect may be what you want, but once you get into a group, it may not be what you expected. For Steven, hunting seemed fun at first, shooting a shot gun with a lot of power behind it seems like fun. But once he actually starts hunting actual animals, it is not what he favors anymore. Just like individuals in groups. They may want to be in a certain group, but once they are in the group may pressure them into doing things they don't neccesarily want to, just as Steven's father did to him to shoot the rabbit.
As we were watching this film I did not quite understand why we were watching it. Once we talked about it in groups i realized that Steve's father thought that just because he liked hunting, that his son would too. He was almost judging him in a way and not allowing him to be his own person. I think the expirence helped Steve to learn more about his character. He learned he doesn not like killing animals because it doesnt feel right. This filmn showed that you can judge more than people. You can judge activites and Steve learned the hard way he didn't like hunting.
After the First was a simple film with that said a lot. The title comes from the father saying that "after the first time it gets easier," referring to the shock that Steve experienced shooting the rabbit. Steve's father is a war veteran and his emotions have been "hardened" by war. He no longer feels as much pain for taking lives but Steve on the other hand is only a young boy and realizes that killing the rabbit on his first hunt was not an enjoyable feeling. When his father says, "it gets easier..." he is saying that basically gruesome actions, such as killing people and animals, become less difficult to do as you get used to it or as you get accustomed to it.
What I took away from this short film was that as somethings seem cool and easy from an outsiders perspective, you might be surprised by the harsh reality of what seemed cool actually entails. Steve loved the power that guns had and the appearance a gun brought to a persons figure. Steve never realized the actual harm a gun can create. It can take a living organisms existence away and remove it from the earth. Steve had an emotional and moral connection to killing a rabbit. The action of killing took him back and created a polar shift on his attitude towards guns. Steve's dad pushed him and showed him what actual hunting entailed. In a way it was good for Steve to understand the magnitude of a gun and the seriousness of guns. This film showed the insight to an activity that appears cool and powerful to young children but has a different meaning when you actually go hunting.
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