Wednesday, February 25, 2009
"After The First" - Period 1
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.
8 comments:
Steve was very excited to finally be able to go out with his dad and to go hunting. His mother didn't think it was such a good idea because she thought that it would be too dangerous and she thought that her son was too young. However, the father thought differently from the mother. When the dad realized that his son was good at aiming his shots, he decided to shoot a rabit causing Steve to second guess his new passion for shooting things. In the end, the son realized that he didn't like the new hobbby, and the father didn't seem to understand why, making it seem like killing is not a terrible thing.
I think the moral of the film was to try new things atleast once but then go with your instincts after that. Steves father wanted him to learn the lesson about hunting and how to do it. His mother wanted him to learn that he doesnt like hunting and was too young for it and maybe do it agian when he is older but didnt really want him to do it in the first place. I could tell her feelings from the way that she didnt want him to do it and looked dissapointed when he walked out of his room with the gun and watched them walking to the truck. Steve actually learned that he doesnt like hunting and hurting someting that is innocent to him. The film taught me to try something new and if i dont like it be honest about it and dont lie about it or else you will keep getting pressured to do it. he was guilty enough after his dad killing the first rabbit and when he finally went to kill the rabbit he felt terrible.
i agree with mary kate, but i think that she doesnt understand the psychology behind why the kid thought it was bad... the dad on the other hand was used to killing people which is why he could do it so easily without having a guilty conscious, where as because the child had never killed someone or something it was harder for him to get over the shock that he went against his conscious and killed a living thing that in an instant is dead right before him.
I disagree with Lyndsay in that I don't think the moral of the story is to try new things. I think Steve's dad wanted his son to learn a hobby that they could share. His mother did not think he was ready for it. However, a new hobby for the son became much more than just that - it became a moral dilemma. I think that his mother could sense this about her son and that is why she was hesitant to letting him go. We know her feelings because she revealed them in her conversation with the boy's father in the beginning of the film. Steve actually learned about the moral implications of killing something. This film taught me that although someone close to me and someone that I trust may pressure me to do something, I need to make the decision for myself.
What this story is about is the coming through of the innocence of youth. It is Steve realizing the violence and harm in the world. What the mother was trying to do was hold off on the trip because she knew Steve was not ready to handle the realities of the world. Once the father kills that rabbit Steve realizes that hunting requires the pain and suffering of other animals, which brings him to the realization that the world is a violent cruel place. Then when he is about to shoot the rabbit he knows that he doesn't want to shoot it. In him he knows that he does not want to cause harm to the rabbit, but he is also influenced by his father. Steve is caught between pleasing his father, and not harming the rabbit. Steve then makes the executive decision to kill the rabbit and please his father. It shows how it is difficult to stand for what you believe in, that many times you will not be supported and you may disappoint and let down other people. Another moral in the story is that there is cruelty and violence in the world, and that nothing comes without a price.
I thought this film was interesting. It highly contradicted the story about the Bear we read earlier. The critical part where Steve shot the rabbit showed that we live in a society where peer pressure or what the majority prefers is what people end up doing. It's hard to stand up for yourself in the world today, and this film reflected upon that. However, killing rabbits is not "unhumane" in my opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and that is shown in this film as well. The innocence of steve contradicts that of his father's.
i think steves father simply wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. steve shooting the rifle signified him becoming a man. the mother made it clear that she didn't think steve was ready to use the weapon; that he was too young. After killing the rabbit, it became very real to steve that he had just taken a life. in the end, as steve hands his father the rabbit, his feelings and morals outweighed the pressure to be something that hes not; something that his father wanted him to be. i think thats the biggest lesson of all. just because theres so much violence in the world, does not make it okay. Also, the film stresses the idea that every person must maintain their independence, make thier own decisions, and live by thier principles. because the only person you can trust is yourself.
I agree with Nick his father “wanted his son to follow in his footsteps.” When his son shot the rifle he believed it would signify that he was becoming a man. However his mother disagreed with her husband and believed her son wasn’t “ready.” In contrast his mother was right it was too soon and he couldn’t handle killing the rabbit. It soon became real to Steve that using a rifle is a weapon a power that can be pointed toward killing or hurting something. Steve felt so pressured into killing that rabbit it some way “traumatizes” him. Steve realizes he doesn’t want to follow the same path as his dad and doesn’t believe in violence. The film taught me that you can make your own choices and not follow everyone else; because you are your own individual.
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