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.
25 comments:
I was absent on this day.
I thought that the short story was sort of weird. I don't think I can relate to the short film in any way, but it puts some things into perspective somewhat. It sort of gave off the message that violence isn't needed or essential towards anyone or anything and that if someone who isn't ready to see violence, or truly understand it, sees something like that, they would be emotionally and mentally scarred in a way.
I believe that Steve's parents wanted him to learn responsibility and to mature as part of the hunting voyage; for Steve's father, hunting is a rite of passage that allows his son to mature. After Steve kills a rabbit, he is very confused and shocked with a plethora of emotions. He is devastated after killing the rabbit, and his father answers by saying that it gets easier and easier after the first time. This sentiment holds true for just about everything, one example being in warfare. The first couple of times a soldier kils another human, they likely feel many of the emotions that Steve felt after killing the rabbit except on a much larger scale; however, as they kill more and more enemies they will most likely feel numb to the pain that killing someone causes.
I feel like Steve’s father wanted him to learn about responsibility and he sees hunting as a passage from childhood to adulthood. Steve is an innocent child before he goes on the hunting trip and afterwards he changes. He wants Steve to have an understanding of being in a position where Steve has the power to control what will go on. He wants him to know about the circle of life and to be able to appreciate it. Steve’s mother on the other hand also wants him to learn about responsibility and she wants him safe. Although she isn’t ready for Steve to go through this innocence transition, she realizes that she can’t hold him back. Steve learned a lot on his hunting trip. At first he learned how to appreciate being able to use a gun and was enjoying himself, but once he saw his father kill the rabbit his mood changes instantly. He becomes scared. Once his dad makes him shoot the rabbit, he becomes remorseful. His dad explains this as the circle of life and tells him that he shouldn’t worry about it because it will get easier as it goes on. The moment he kills the rabbit marks his transition from childhood to adulthood. I feel like this film is an example of how people with power are able to control those without power easily and come up with excuse of why it is okay to do what they have done. Just like the army was able to control the Dad’s actions, the Dad was able to control Steve’s actions.
I enjoyed this film; it touched on the desensitization that can, and frequently does, occur from war. Due to the amount of violent actions seen and experienced by Steve's dad, he no longer had sympathy for killing innocent creatures like rabbits. Steve, however, still felt sympathy and I thought that the different opinions between he and his father on the matter were very interesting. I also found it interesting how Steve felt a sense of empowerment from shooting the gun and not killing anything, but how he was very sad after he'd shot the same gun but had killed a rabbit. I think that this film clearly portrays the passageway from a naiive childhood to the harsh reality that comes along with adulthood.
I think this film shows that what may seem fun at first may not be. Steve thought it would be fun to shoot stuff, and you could see the excitment on his face. He even asked his dad if he killed anyone in war, so it shows he is interested. But once he sees his dad kill a rabbit and he has to kill one himself, he sees how messed up it actually is. The dad also ended up getting desensitized by shooting it because he says at the end that after the first time it is not bad.
To me, Steve's father only wanted the best for his son. His interest is in helping Steve become a man and grow up, while his mother wants to protect him and for Steve to retain hi innocence. But, by the end of the film Steven isn't a man, he's just confused and he will remain that way for quit some time. In my family, the first hunt is when you turn ten and i had a similar experience and Steve's father is right,"the first is always hard." Next, upon my return to my home town, I had to live by myself and eventually leave town because its just what we do.The last two summers I've spent in Louisiana i've done so by myself, it's our right of passage.
When watching After the First I thought about how it’s important to fully understand something before you make a judgment on it. Steve didn't understand the power a gun has and thought it was a fun thing, until he sees his dad kill a rabbit and kills a rabbit himself. I think this is important because things that can be fun can also be dangerous, and we may not know that until we see the damage we've done. Even then, it’s easy for someone else to say it isn't that big of a deal and will get easier. This is a scary thought, since it means it’s easy for someone to become accustomed to violence and not see it to be as harmful as it is. Steve’s dad is the one who demonstrates the idea when he tells Steve the first one is tough but it gets easier.
Honestly, I found this short film to be sort of weird. I think it was trying to send some sort of message but it did so in a very confusing way. The message I believe this film was trying to portray is "don't be quick to judge." This is shown through Steve and how his father thinks he is ready to go hunting when he really isn't. This film also shows that just because you believe in something, doesn't mean others will agree with you. This is shown through Steve and his father because his father is a hunter and doesn't mind it while Steve seems to be against hunting and killing animals.
I believe that Steve’s parents wanted him to learn about responsibility. Hunting with his father served as a rite of passage. Steve always looked up to his father when he went hunting however he never fully understood what he was getting himself into. I believe Steve learned about himself after his experiences hunting. He realized it wasn’t what he thought it would be and wasn't desensitized to killing animals like his dad. Steve regretted shooting the bunny right after he fired the shot. I'm a vegetarian, animal lover, active member of Peta and this film but reaffirmed my beliefs regarding hunting and killing animals for fun. My bias definitely affects my opinions on this film which is why I had many problems with the it but overall the message to think for yourself and question authority is a good one. Steve regretted killing the bunny and only did it because his father told him too. The quote “After the first it gets easier” makes me physically nauseous and was a powerful way to end the film. After the first it get easier demonstrates how it gets easier to kill innocent victims and how easy it is for humans to become desensitized to pain. And this truly scares me. How quickly animals and humans can turn on each other and lose all morales and conscience. Steve shot the bunny and felt guilty however Steve’s father did not. And this makes me wonder if Steve’s father would feel the same way if he was shooting a human not a bunny?
After watching the short film, “After The First,” I believe that Steve’s parents wanted him to learn very different values. His father seemed to want Steve to grow up and be a man at age 12. This was very interesting in the fact that most kids don’t really “grow up” until they turn 18, although some mature faster than others. Steve’s mother believe that he was just a boy and that he was too young to be playing around with guns and other dangerous objects and that he wouldn’t be ready for it. I think Steve himself learned a lot of different things throughout the film that allowed him to become self-aware and understand just what it means to kill and take the life away from another living creature. The way he observed his dad and his sick way of looking at the act of killing and his encouragement of his son really changed Steve’s opinion about gun use. I think that when Steve’s dad told Steve that he’d get used to the guiltiness of hunting, it really stuck with Steve and will probably be in the back of his mind if he ever goes hunting again or will think about it before he decides to shoot another animal. This film really had an impact on me when I saw the way Steve reacted to killing the rabbit. This film makes me more aware of the things going on around me and to assess situations before I do what someone tells me to do. I really want to analyze things more after seeing this short film.
I believe that this short film was trying to explain that everything is not always what someone may expect it to be. In the beginning, Steve was so eager to use the rifle and go out into the woods with his dad. However, after seeing his dad kill the rabbit, he began to have second thoughts. When it was his turn to shoot, he struggled at first and seemed unsure of what he was about to do. He probably ended up regretting his decision to kill the rabbit. This being said, before a person gets overly excited to try something new, they should probably think about the consequences or the negatives of what may come from it. In the end, someone may be better off staying away from something that does more bad than good, because it could end with them stepping too far outside of their comfort zone.
The film likens the hunting trip to Warfare. The father and the mother are contrasting point of views. The mother offered the boy a birthday party with friends and family, a very normal way of celebrating. The father got Steve a shotgun as a rite of passage. Entrusting him with this new "toy" expresses trust and maturity between the father and Steve. What steve actually learned was gun safety, recoil and how to shoot. He couldn't have learned anything, at least at this point. Shooting the rabbit just confused him further, he feels guilt, sadness and even shame. When his dad tries to console him saying that it gets easier, it doesn't really get through to him. Steve is most probably overwhelmed with replaying the moment over and over again mixed in with the emotions. This video made me think if the statement was true. Does it get easier after the first? I suppose in most cases it does, however in war I feel it is different. I think it only gets easier once you dehumanize and demonize the enemy.
Steve's parents, especially his father, saw the hunting trip as a right of passage for Steve. This would be Steve's first time shooting a gun and hunting, which essentially is what his father sees as turning into a man. Steve's father also thinks of it as a tradition, given the fact that he did the same thing when he was young. On the trip, Steve learned about the power of weapons and the sadness that comes with death. He feels great remorse after killing his first animal, despite his father's excitement. This film also showed how over time, people can be desensitized to anything, even death. Steve's dad tells his son that he felt the same way at one time and that Steve will get used to the feelings that come with killing a creature. This shows how people can be desensitized to death, and anything else, after seeing it enough.
Steve's parent's wanted him to learn that killing was a part of life and that hunting was a rite of passage in order for him to grow up and truly become an adult. The way that Steve's father pushes off his feelings, however, made the whole situation seem cruel and inhumane. Parents should help, console, and teach their children, and although Steve's father may have had good intentions, the way that he handled his son was uncalled for. Although he originally thought that hunting was going to be fun, Steve learned that he wasn't a killer despite what society imagined. On a larger scale, many humans justify killing each other in cold blood by saying it will be fun, and once they begin to kill more and become desensitized to the grief, there is nothing left of their humanity. The innocence that Steve had when he was learning to shoot a rifle was absolutely shattered when he actually killed an animal as he passed his rite of passage into adulthood. As a result, Steve drifted away from the pure innocence of a child and began his trek into the bloody, unforgivable world of adulthood. Overall, I disliked the short film, but it still had an impact on my thoughts.
The film "After the First" that we watched in class taught us that it is very important to stand up for your own beliefs. Steve’s father thinks Steve will have fun hunting just because as a kid he loved going hunting with his dad. Steve was having a great time until it came to actually killing the rabbit. His father finds it easy to shoot the rabbit, but he also hinted at the fact that he may have killed someone in the war. Since his father has been slightly dehumanized to the idea of killing, he doesn’t realize how it may affect Steve. Steve along with people today should learn to stand up for what they believe because people may be too set in their ways to realize how you really feel about something.
After seeing the film in class today it made me think of the of the different views that people have in certain life situations. Like hunting for example, my father goes hunting and I have fine with him before and I have no problem with seeing dead things and or birds being shot from the sky. But on the other hand someone who does not believe in the practice then it is there own opinion. The boy is still very young and as his life goes on I think he will learn how to deal with life and death and be alright with hunting rabbits
I thought this short film was an interesting portrayal of an older version of our culture. Though the film was made over fourty years ago, and despite the decrease in popularity of hunting, I think the film still does a good job of exposing the flaws in hunting and the mentality of killing for entertainment. Personally, I disagree that killing in combat in war is similar to hunting game for sport. While there are certainly malicious men in wars, and while every war certainly reveals aggressive qualities to many men, a relatively small number leave their barracks looking to kill some enemies for fun. However, overall I believe the short film masterfully satires the activity of hunting for sport, though I think comparing that activity to combat in war is a stretch at the least.
After watching this film I thought about how people mature and the desensitization we face today. In the film, Steve's parents were trying to instill different values in him. His mother wanted him to stay young and be a boy but his father wanted him to be mature and become a man. His father saw hunting and killing as a rite of passage for Steve. The way his father just pushed of his feeling of guilt shows how he has become desensitized himself. And now he is passing that onto his son. The film almost showed the chain reaction of desensitizing people to things like killing and how when one person teaches another, they will follow. This film did have an impact on me today and showed me to be aware of what I'm doing and try to not become desensitize to things in this world just because a mature figure says its fine.
I think that Steve’s parent’s wanted him to learn how to be a “man” in a way. And by that they wanted him to hunt for the first time, even though his mom was more hesitant than his father. Also I think this was also meant as a bonding trip between Steve and his father because up to the hunting part of the trip, Steve and his father didn’t seem close, Steve always had quick one-worded responses. What I think Steve actually learned through the hunting trip was that he didn’t want to grow up fast. That killing a bunny wasn’t something he liked doing, even though beforehand he was excited and ready to go with his dad, like his grandfather did with Steve’s father when he was nine. Steve learned he wasn’t ready for a hunting trip and still wanted to just be a kid.
When watching the film after the first I found that Steve made the judgment to quickly that he would enjoy hunting the way his father does. When Steve starts off just shooting the gun you can tell that he enjoys it. The turning point in the story and the hunting trip is when Steve’s father kills the rabbit. When Steve’s dad kills the rabbit Steve changes. His father wanted him to go hunting with him because he saw it as a rite of passage to man hood. When it came time for Steve to shoot the rabbit his dad was talking in his ear encouraging him to kill the rabbit even though Steve really didn’t want to. After Steve killed the rabbit he got very sad and his father didn’t seem to care all he said to Steve was it will be easier next time implying that he wanted Steve to hunt with him again even though Steve clearly didn’t like it.
I thought that the short story was kinda weird in the begining when Steve was about to start learing how to shoot. The communicatin that he had with his father didnt look so good. It seemened like they barley had comunication. Steve I think didn't really know the damge that a gun can really cause. That is why when Steve saw his dad shoot the rabbit he felt terrible and relized it wasn't as fun anymore. He seemed to not like the power the gun had anymore.
The film was very interesting. I noticed that steve did the judgement to quickly about hunting. At first he was very excited to go hunting with his father. When he saw his dad kill the rabbit his opinions and attitude was changing because he didn't think he was going to kill rabbit. His mood changed at the end of the story and his judgement of hunting chnaged completely .
I thought the film was very interesting because it puts into perspective that something may sound great in theory but when you actually do it, you may regret it. Personally, my thoughts on hunting animals is wrong. I understand that it is an activity of entertainment but no one should kill anything as a game. I don't mean for this to offend anyone that supports it, that is just my position on the subject. You could also think of it in a religious standpoint. My specific religion lives off of the 10 commandments, one of them being "thou shall not kill," which goes for all life, big or small.
Personally, I believe that hunting is wrong. I think that all life should be respected whether it is small or large. Human or animal. You could also look at this from a religious standpoint. My religion follows the 10 commandments in which one states that "thou shall not kill." This being said I support this rule, no matter how small or large a life is. I thought it was interesting that a boy of only 12 years old completely changed his opinion on whether hunting was moral or not. He obviously shares his mother's morals, although she may just not think it is safe for a young boy to go hunting. I also don't think that any of the characters in the movie were bad people for killing the rabbits because everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
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