1. What is your reaction to the text you just read? That was…a lot. There’s a lot to unpack with the relationship between the Tlic and the Terrans. It’s disgusting in a literal sense, but it also mirrors a lot of things going on in the real world. Their parasitic relationship, which the Tlic make out to seem mutually beneficial, reminds me of how some white people view Black people. In America, the whites are the ruling race, like the Tlic in the Preserve. They make it seems like Black people are just part of the “mutually beneficial” system of capitalism, but really, they are an oppressed class, being used to further the wealth of those in charge. This parallels how the Tlic use the Terrans as host bodies for their young, but make it seem like they’re doing the Terrans a favor by “protecting” them, when in reality they are putting them in harm’s way. 2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss what elements of the story with which you were able to connect?...
A lot of Metropolis barely feels like fiction at this point, at least when it comes to its commentary on society. As a matter of fact, it weirdly feels like a predecessor to Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite. Both visually portray class in similar ways; the working class literally live under the upper-class, who don’t really care about those beneath them. Sure, you can argue it’s a bit of an obvious visual metaphor, but I don’t think it takes away from how effective it is. I’d argue that some of the most powerful imagery seems obvious. It speaks to the core of what it’s representing, in this case how the working class is seen as below the upper class. It’s kind of hard to analyze it beyond that, because the film sums it up better than I could with its final card: “The Mediator Between the Head and the Hands Must Be the Heart.”
The Comet examines the racial divide in America through a story of survival. When Julia and Jim are alone together, convinced they’re the only survivors, they cooperate and are willing to set aside their race in order to help rebuild society. However, the moment more white people show up, Julia seems to forget this, jumping at the chance to be back with her own race, leaving Jim behind. Although, to be fair, she does defend Jim, which is the absolute bare minimum of decency. However, she doesn’t know his wife is going to show up after she leaves, so from her perspective she’s leaving him there to die. I guess I take back my earlier point. The second the societal divide is reintroduced, Julia completely disregards the safety of the man who helped her and goes back to the racist status quo. It’s also interesting to note that when Julia’s white family arrives everyone is fine, whereas when Jim’s wife finds him she carries with her their baby’s corpse. I see this as a repr...
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