People love to know about their future. Many people want to know if they will live prosperous lives or fall in love. Others want to know if something bad will happen to them. But regardless of what the future holds for us, we want to know our future primarily because we now have a means to change it. The power of foresight is knowing exactly what will happen so that we can avoid it. But by knowing the future, it seems that we actively try to pursue this expectation of our future. We see this in The Fortuneteller.
One instance of this phenomenon is a throwaway joke. Sokka meets a man who had met with the fortune teller about when he will meet the love of his life. The fortune teller tells him that he will meet the love of his life while he is wearing red shoes. He subsequently always wears red shoes. Sokka, already skeptical of the mystical power of the fortune teller, laments that the prophecy will certainly come true if you will it so. This person forces his expected future to become his reality, showing that he is seemingly in control of his destiny. But here, this control is an illusion as the person already knows his destiny and changes his life according to it. The other instance is when the fortune teller predicts that the town will be safe from harm. Aang and Sokka realize that the volcano is going to erupt and that the fortune teller was incorrect. So Aang, Sokka, and Katara take it upon themselves to change the fortune teller's prediction. By doing so, they are able to avoid any catastrophe from the volcano. But, as one of the townspeople notes, the fortune teller was correct in stating that the town would be safe from harm. Here, there is no illusion of control. The Gaang were in control of their destiny and the destiny of the town.
The fortune teller makes a strong point near the end of the episode that captures this nicely. She tells Aang that he can shape his own destiny, much like he changed the clouds (thus altering her prediction). We are in as much control as we choose. We can force our fate upon ourselves, or we can fight against it, even if it is later revealed to be all for naught.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Thursday, January 2, 2014
The Last Airbender Series: The Blue Spirit and the Value of Anonymity
“Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea... and ideas are bulletproof.” One of the most popular quotes from Alan Moore's graphic novel V for Vendetta, this quote defines V's intentions for the tyrannical dystopian British Parliament. But it is important to know that the anonymity of V, caused solely by his Guy Fawkes mask, creates a symbol for revolution. If V were not anonymous, the revolution would not take flight. So what does Zuko's anonymity create?
Zuko needs to be anonymous for more than his own safety. Obviously, if he were to reveal himself, he would branded as a traitor to the Fire Nation. But the Blue Spirit represents more than Zuko's alter ego. Much like Zuko's scar, it represents his conflict within himself. Zuko is hell-bent on finding the Avatar and regaining his honor after being banished by his father. But as the crown prince of the Fire Nation, he theoretically must also want the Avatar to be captured in order for the Fire Nation to win the war. But he doesn't want to capture the Avatar for the Fire Nation. He wants to capture the Avatar for himself. Does this mean that Zuko is against the Fire Nation? No, but it does affect Zuko's identity. If he were truly a royal member of the Fire Nation, he would gladly put aside his quest to capture the Avatar for the glory of the Fire Nation. But he cannot let that happen. So he puts on the mask and shows his inner conflict. He wants to rejoin the Fire Nation as their prince, but at the same time, he must act against the betterment of the Fire Nation.
The mask perfectly represents this conflict by giving Zuko anonymity. Within the mask, he can be anything he wants. The pseudonym for Zuko's alter ego is the Blue Spirit and he pits that against the Fire Nation, placing the fiery red of the Fire Nation army against the opposing blue of the Blue Spirit. Though this juxtaposition could be coincidental, I don't think it was accidental. If you want to show how Zuko has to betray the Fire Nation in order to be welcomed back into the Fire Nation, what better way to do that than by posing Zuko in the opposite color of the Fire Nation? By making Zuko anonymous, he is allowed to be a traitor to the Fire Nation while also advocating for the Fire Nation as their prince.
Zuko needs to be anonymous for more than his own safety. Obviously, if he were to reveal himself, he would branded as a traitor to the Fire Nation. But the Blue Spirit represents more than Zuko's alter ego. Much like Zuko's scar, it represents his conflict within himself. Zuko is hell-bent on finding the Avatar and regaining his honor after being banished by his father. But as the crown prince of the Fire Nation, he theoretically must also want the Avatar to be captured in order for the Fire Nation to win the war. But he doesn't want to capture the Avatar for the Fire Nation. He wants to capture the Avatar for himself. Does this mean that Zuko is against the Fire Nation? No, but it does affect Zuko's identity. If he were truly a royal member of the Fire Nation, he would gladly put aside his quest to capture the Avatar for the glory of the Fire Nation. But he cannot let that happen. So he puts on the mask and shows his inner conflict. He wants to rejoin the Fire Nation as their prince, but at the same time, he must act against the betterment of the Fire Nation.
The mask perfectly represents this conflict by giving Zuko anonymity. Within the mask, he can be anything he wants. The pseudonym for Zuko's alter ego is the Blue Spirit and he pits that against the Fire Nation, placing the fiery red of the Fire Nation army against the opposing blue of the Blue Spirit. Though this juxtaposition could be coincidental, I don't think it was accidental. If you want to show how Zuko has to betray the Fire Nation in order to be welcomed back into the Fire Nation, what better way to do that than by posing Zuko in the opposite color of the Fire Nation? By making Zuko anonymous, he is allowed to be a traitor to the Fire Nation while also advocating for the Fire Nation as their prince.
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