Tuesday, February 24, 2009
"After The First" - Period 6
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.
18 comments:
This question was a little difficult to answer for me. Im not exactly sure what lesson Steve's parents each wanted to teach him. Steve's mother didn't want his father to influence him into danger when he was to young. By allowing time before he first went hunting she would allow him to find his identity before and set his values straight. His father wanted to show him his ways and at the end when his father says its okay it gets easier shows how he is allowing Steve to have his own opinions and to try to encourage him to show emotions. Steve learned about the pressure of either pleasing people or standing up for what you believe in. His father had to say go a few times before he pulled the trigger. He hesitated. He finds out how hard it is to do what you believe is right when other's are telling you to do something else. Since Steve got approval from his dad he found it was okay to have your own opinions and beliefs and that standing up for what you believe in is okay even though everyone might not agree.
Steve's father wanted him to learn how to hunt on the basis of tradition, it was something that fathers and sons in their family did together. On the other hand, it was clearly not an activity his mother wanted her son to partake in and instead wanted her son to appreciate animals, not hunt them. This feeling was clear by the beginning when she took them to the park. However, in the end Steve though caring about the animals still shot it to gain acceptance by his father. In the film Steve learned the effects of pressure to fit in, in this case, to fit the mold of son. This film taught me that if you strongly believe in something that you should fight for it, even if it means going against the norms of a group.
This story taught me about how society thinks that children should follow their parents and what they say no matter if they believe its right or not. Many children do what there parents say to please them. I think that following your heart can be hard but Steve found out that it was okay when he was shown approval. It is probably better to say what you feel then do something else.
The film taught me that you need to listen to yourself instead of what you think other people want you to do. You can see that Steven is struggling with the decision of whether to shoot the rabbit or not, and thinks back to his father, and what he would think of him if he did not kill it. This is the final thought that enters his mind as he decides to shoot the rabbit, even as it clearly goes against his morals. He realizes that this was the wrong decision when he sees the dead rabbit, even though his father is proud of what he did. It shows that you need to try and never let other people influence your decisions when you know in your heart what you think is right and wrong to do.
I believe Steve’s father wanted to teach him the meaning of life. When he killed the first rabbit he said that it is the cycle of life. Steve’s father was not sensitive to the fact that he just killed a living thing. The mother had different values she wanted for her son. She wanted him to learn how to make his own decisions and to have his own view on the value of life. She showed hesitation and disagreement with the father when they were talking in the kitchen. This showed her feelings towards her son being so young and experiencing killing and death. Once Steve got a grip of the situation he learned about family values and wanting to please his father, but also learned how hard it is to stand up for what you believe is right especially if it goes against the ones you love. I learned that peer pressure is very hard to stand up against and it is a lot easier to fit in and follow what people tell you to do then it is to stand out. This film did a great job in portraying that.
I believe that Steve's father wanted to teach him how to use a firearm in a safe manner. When Steve's mother wanted him to be safe and preferably not use guns at all. It was obvious that she disliked hunting, by looking at her general body language and tone. Steve learned that killing other living things is a extremely easy thing to physically do but is hard to emotionally do. This video showed me that for a child to stand up to their parents is an extremely difficult thing to do. Through the video I got the feeling that Steve didn’t really want to shoot the rabbit, but wanted to please his father.
Steve's parents definitely have opposing viewpoints on the subject of hunting. I felt that Steve's mother was trying to teach Steve that violence is never the answer, and that not only should one love/respect nature, but learn to love and respect everyone.
I don't believe that Steve's father was trying to be insensitive to nature, but it is just the way he was brought up. As Dev said, hunting is something that is traditionally done with the men of the family.
For me, I thought that the moral of the story was that Steve had to kill and portray violence in order for him to send a message to his father that violence and killing is never the answer. With the last statement that Steve made-"Is two enough?", I believe that it made an impact upon his father. However, I feel that after that statement, his father felt the need to explain to his son what happened to him during the war, in contrast to when they were in the truck when he didn't.
I think in someway, both of Steven's parents wanted him to learn the same things. Though his mother was hesitant at first and wanted to preserve her innocent son's youth, she gave into to Steven's father's goal. I believe both parents, in their own ways, wanted Steven to learn the fragility of life, as well as the dangerous power of firearms. I took this moral away from the movie as well. I can sympathize with Steven, as he quickly learns that taking a life is a very harsh action to face.
I thought the moral of this story was to follow your heart and not compromise your values to please others. We see what happens when one gives in to the pressures of others when Steve succumbs to his Dad's wishes and shoots the rabbit.Steve's Dad wants him to learn to be strong and "be a man", and taking him hunting is something that traditionally establishes this image. Steve's mother has opposing values and does not want Steve to be exposed to hunting and is worrisome of what it might do to him. She'd rather Steve find out who he is on his own, not be pressured by his Dad to go hunting. Steve learns that he really doesn't like hunting, and that he shouldn't have compromised his values. He shot the rabbit to get recognition and approval from his father, but how he felt inside was much worse. This film taught me the importance of avoiding the pressures of others and to just be true to yourself.
I think that Steve's father wanted to teach him about becoming a man and family tradition. His father was a hunter, his grandfather was a hunter, and now he was going to become a man and hunt like them. However, his mother thought that he was too young to go hunting and that he wasn't mentally ready. This is clear from the kitchen scene becuase she says that it was different when the father was a kid. After his experience, Steve learned about the value of life and how easily it can be taken away. I think that this film taught me that people need to listen to their own values and not just go against them to try and please others.
I am not sure what his parents wanted him to learn. Or, if they ever even really intended for him to learn anything of great depth. What i observed about his father is taht the father wanted Steve to learn a skill that the Father and his son could do together, a task that was manly and had been passed down in the family for generations from father to son. His mother did not feel the same way, but i did not see her try to prove anything or voice an opinion on wanting Steve to learn anything. I believe Steve, through his experiences, learned the importance of life and how he is not comfortable with taking it away. but, he went through with it because he wanted to make his father happy. From this story I came to realize that from him going through with an act he did not want to do, that you should not do something you are really not comfortable with just to make some one you care about proud. It is not their mind that will be uneasy after such an act. It will be yours, so you need to stay true to yourself and not give in-stick to your guns, no pun intended.
Steve's father wanted him to learn new things in life and the matters between life and death. He wanted him to see how easy it was to convince somebody to do in favor of another. His mother wanted him to find his own desicions and happiness for himself. She didn't even want Steve to go hunting in the first place, which shows her feeling of concern and uncerntanty. Steve actually learned that sometimes doing what somebody else wants you to do and not in your favor, can disturb your surroundings and make one feel terrible. Steve also learned that he has to make desicions for himself. The film in general taught me that I have to think and feel for myself. Sometimes friends ask me for favors and I have to distinguish them from right and wrong. I have also learned by the film that it is ok to learn from your own mistakes, it makes you a better person in the end.
Agreeing with mostly everyone on here, Steve's father felt that taking his son hunting was Steve's rite of passage to manhood. Steve's father and grandfather were both hunters, so he wanted Steve to continue on the tradition. Steve's mother was thinking about what she believed was right for her son. Also, it is unclear if she fears her son is growing up too fast or if she is against hunting. Initially, Steve is so excited to hunt and gets the thrill of shooting a dead tree stump. His attitude quickly changes after his dad shot the first rabbit. When it was Steve's turn to shoot, he shot out of loyalty to his father and only thought of his feelings. Steve learns to do what he believes in and not let what others think take control of his decisions. The film taught me to stay true to your own feelings because you know yourself better than anyone.
Steve's father wanted to show him that hunting is just part of the natural cycle and that it is a tradition for a son to go with his father. Steve's mother was clearly apprehensive with the idea of letting her son use a gun even though Steve's father first used a gun younger than Steve. Her feelings were demonstrated through her body language and tone in her voice. Steve learned that it is very hard to go against what your parents wanted you to do, and that doing what you think is right is sometimes different from what other people think. I learned that you have to fight against any form of pressure when you are put in a situation that you don't want to be in
Steve's father wanted to teach him how to participate in an activity that his family has been involved in for generations - in a way, to introduce him into adulthood. His father sees hunting as a type of right of passage. Steve's mother wanted him to appreciate life in all forms, which is evident as she is clearly uncomfortable with the idea of her son being exposed to hunting at such an early age. In reality, Steve learns that he is the only person who is in control of his actions, regardless of what his mother and father want. This film taught me that, in the end, I am the only one who can make decisions for myself, no matter who is trying to influence me.
What struck me about this movie was the significant difference between the views of the mother and father and how they both influenced the mindset of the boy throughout the movie. His father's detached attitude towards the violence of hunting and killing leads Steve to desire the power of firing a gun. Despite this desire, when faced with the life or death situation of shooting a rabbit, his mother's caring nature leads him away from the sport of hunting. The rite of passage that his father intended for the hunting trip to be is turned into a lesson about the value of life, a lesson that is translated to all the viewers of the film.
I just realized that I missed this blog and will respond to it now. All of the characters in this movie wanted to learn different things and they all did learn different things. Steve's mother wanted him to learn how to be safe and learn how to do things correctly. She also thought he was too young and immature to hunt and you can tell this by her body language. Steve's father wanted him to learn the proper hunting techniques and to participate in family tradition. Steve actually learned that hunting wasn't the thing for him, at least at that very moment. For some people, they felt bad for Steve but I personally felt bad for the father because he wanted Steve to be happy and to see him disappointed would be very tough for me as a father if I were a father.
The difference between the lessons that Steve's father and mother wanted to teach him was when to teach him. His father, who saw hunting as a tradition, thought that it was the right time for Steve to make his first kill. His mother, however, did not want to expose him to hunting, and more importantly to the idea of killing and death. The initial confrontation with death is, for anyone, very shocking; the notion that you have the power to take away a life and destroy something's physical existence is bewildering. Once Steve had killed the rabbit he was shocked by what he had done, and learned firsthand the less than appealing side of hunting. Like Dev mentioned, I too believe that one should not be forced to do, or more importantly believe, something that one disagrees with.
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