2nd period: Avatar and Thing Fall Apart Fishbowl Padlet by Leslie McFarland

Consider both Avatar and Things Fall Apart. What symbols are used to convey the imbalance of power and the oppression experienced by the indigenous populations? Explain whether or not these symbols were effectively used.

lmcfarland7 — 2024-02-12 15:34:32 UTC

Discuss the connections between colonialism and environmental exploitation. How do the colonizers' extractive practices impact the ecosystems and indigenous livelihoods?

lmcfarland7 — 2024-02-12 15:34:32 UTC

Analyze the various strategies of resistance employed by the indigenous peoples in Avatar and Things Fall Apart. How do these strategies evolve over the course of each narrative?

lmcfarland7 — 2024-02-12 15:34:32 UTC

Read: Native Peoples See Themselves in 'Avatar' (voanews.com). Director James Cameron says Avatar is meant to be an emotional film, not a political one. How do you see the movies: emotional or political? How do you think indigenous people view this film?

lmcfarland7 — 2024-02-12 15:34:32 UTC

What are the long-term consequences of colonialism depicted in Avatar and Things Fall Apart for both the colonizers and the indigenous populations?How do the legacies of colonialism continue to shape the societies?

lmcfarland7 — 2024-02-12 15:34:32 UTC

Read: The Racial Politics of 'Avatar' | Psychology Today Canada. Is Avatar just another “white savior” film, or do you agree with the author of the article that it is “deeper than that”?

lmcfarland7 — 2024-02-12 15:34:32 UTC

Avery Wallace

2024-02-15 13:41:00 UTC

In Avatar, the Toruk Makto symbolized a sort of rising against oppression when Jake obtained the leadership position during a time of crisis after not being fulfilled for much time. In Things Fall Apart, Locusts represent the incoming destruction and invasion of the white men in the clans and tribes, and how they can greatly affect their atmosphere when they grow from a handful to a larger number and increase in power, just like the white men

Reece Long

2024-02-15 13:43:08 UTC

Avatar- The sky people had more power due to the advanced technology and weapons; and a sense of superiority over the native people. Things Fall Apart, the humans have the guns and the Igbo people do have not enough of a powerful way to fight back. In TFA, the locust was used as a symbol as those types of bugs fly in swarms destroying trees, and environmental factors; this compared to the white colonists when they started with just one white man, then a whole group came.

Kendall

kruffolo — 2024-02-15 13:43:19 UTC

I think the main symbol used to show the imbalance of power is the use of guns and more advanced technology, especially in Avatar. In the movie, the Na'vi are very powerful with their arrows, but they don't stand a chance against the explosives and gun ships of the sky people. In Things Fall Apart it was similar, as the white men used their guns to get the people of Umuofia to listen to them. I think these symbols were effectively used throughout the movie and book (but definitely more in the movie).

Ava

2024-02-15 13:43:30 UTC

In Avatar symbol used would be the technology and the items that they would use shows how the military didn't really think about who they were harming and how they were destroying the environment and also the tree of souls because when they destroyed the tree it was a symbol of the nature and the loss that they had. In things fall apart fire could be used as a symbol because it shows the destruction that the Europeans did and how they came in and were just very unpredictable

Anika M.

amohapatra3 — 2024-02-15 13:44:08 UTC

I think that weapons and machinery are symbols of oppression. In Avatar, the Sky People had more advanced technology that could destroy their planet and in Things Fall Apart the missionaries brought horses and guns to decimate the Ibo people. Also, in Avatar Toruk Macto is a symbol of unity and power across all tribes as well as their environment is a representation of themselves, since they are biologically connected to them. In Things Fall Apart, symbolizing the colonizers as locusts shows how at first a harbinger is sent but then a swarm comes in and destroys everything including the indigneous culture and populations.

Uju Onukogu

2024-02-15 13:45:10 UTC

Locusts in TFA are used to symbolize the destructive impacts of the missionary's arrival. It shows how they were unavoidable and would inevitably damage everything. In Avatar the the difference in weaponry between the Na'vi and the humans show that imbalance of power between the two groups. The humans having bigger and more effective, mechanized weapons like their guns and bombs symbolizes how they were more powerful than the Na'vi who had handmade weapons such as bows and knives.

Michael W

2024-02-15 13:45:49 UTC

These symbols shown in Avatar show the difference in weaponry between the Colonizers and the Na'vi by the colonizers using things like bombs and harmful gas whereas the indigenous where shown with just (Bows and arrows). Also in Things fall apart the burning of the tree shows the destruction of the village by the colonizers through a symbol.

Casey

2024-02-15 13:46:09 UTC

Sky people use more weapons and guns, this gives them an advantage. This made them feel superior over the Navi people, this was unfair to the Navi. The same for things that fall apart representing the ebo people and the imbalance of power in these different groups of people. In Avatar the Navi help represent nature and how everything works together as a whole. As for the white people acting like the sky people in the avatar, this shows that they try to have dominance and power. By forcing religion and new ways of life.

Mariah

2024-02-15 13:46:26 UTC

The weapons that the humans used gave them a head start in the battle with the Na'vi people. The Na'vi people only really used what they had which was bows and arrows which were made from the things around them which is a symbol of how resourceful they were with what they had but the weapons the humans used were not something they made with natural resources or something that they made themselves which also relates to the way that they came in and took samples from a land that was not there.

In Things Fall Apart I think the locusts were a big symbol of the colonizers coming in and taking over. It shows how they come in bit by bit and soon they take over a whole area and destroy the culture just like how the locusts destroyed the crops.

Alex

2024-02-15 13:46:47 UTC

In Things Fall Apart, the missionaries brought their European government to Umuofia in order to achieve what they want which introduced corruption to the judicial system. Fire is also a symbol used in TFA, mainly representing Okonkwo and his confidence and his resilience of the white men, but in the end of the book, that fire is put out, showing how powerful the white men could be, and how many spirits were crushed.

In Avatar, weapons were used as a symbol of the difference of power between the humans and the Na'vi. The humans had more advanced technology, when the Na'vi did not, which led to a massive amount of destruction and death.

Caelin Selders

2024-02-15 13:47:29 UTC

A key symbol that showed the imbalance was weapons and technology. The humans in Avatar felt superior due to the advanced weaponry they carried and used against the Na'vi people. In Things Fall Apart, weapons were brought into the tribe to get the people of the clan to listen and obey the white man. This symbol and more were used effectively in both the movie and book.

Izzy Kaemmerlen

2024-02-15 13:47:44 UTC

In Avatar the movie the symbol, the sky people using extreme weaponry like guns and bombs shows how the Sky People were extremely aggressive and hostile. The weapons they used showed that they did not care who or what they destroyed. The Navi using bows from the Mother tree shows that they do everything for the Mother tree. This shows that their values are rooted in protection of the forest and its wildlife.

In TFA the Okonkwo's tribe was seen as manly and strong but when Christianity came in people lost that sense of war. This symbol of strength to me seemed like it was always a front and that the people were swayed very easily due to the White mans extreme violence.

I think violence was used effectively in both story's to show how dramatically morals and strength can be swayed.

Kendall

kruffolo — 2024-02-15 13:49:18 UTC

Colonizing countries usually invade countries due to the rich natural resources their land has. This often turns into the colonizers ruining the land and forcing the natives into labor. The colonizers' practices also heavily impact the culture of the people and their way of life. In both Avatar and TFA, the natives have a strong connection to their land, which plays a large part in their religions and traditions. In Avatar, the god of the Na'vi people lives in the forest, and the people themselves live in a huge tree that unfortunately happens to have a large amount of the valuable mineral under it. In TFA, the people listen to the Oracle of the Hills and Caves, and there are many other deities related to the forest.

Anika M.

amohapatra3 — 2024-02-15 13:49:23 UTC

In Avatar, the Sky People wanted to colonize the Na'Vi to get the lucrative mineral that was surrounding the "Home tree", which is a big part of their culture. To do this, they waged war on the Na'Vi by setting fire to Hometree, destroying the forest, and cutting off their biological ties to the forest. The indigenous people believe that it was disrespectful to kill someone with no purpose, disregarding the native religion. In Things Fall Apart, the colonizers denounce the Earth goddess and build their church in the Evil forest.

Ava

2024-02-15 13:49:36 UTC

In Avatar the movie focused on how they were influenced by nature that was around them and when the sky people began to destroy their land it starts to disrupt everything around them like how they practice their traditions since they won't be able to do that. In Things Fall Apart its similar to Avatar because they believed in different gods that ruled over the land and when the Europeans started to tell them that those gods didn't exist really it began to also disrupt how things were run since people started to change what they believe in.

Avery Wallace

awallace134 — 2024-02-15 13:50:06 UTC

In Avatar, colonialism is used to proceed with environmental exploitation like destroying their home tree for the materials they wanted. Most of the time, colonialism includes people building unwanted properties or taking specific materials to use for their economic benefit, destroying the ecosystems and way of life of the indigenous people for their benefit. In Things Fall Apart, the white men build churches and schools, conquering their land and not following the spiritual beliefs of the clan

Michael W

2024-02-15 13:50:17 UTC

The connection between colonialism and environmental exploitation is very strong and connected. In Avatar the colonizers are trying to extract a rare mineral that the Na’vi are living on. In Things Fall Apart the colonizers exploit the land for resources by taking Palm oil and Yams which were not commonly found in other parts of the world at the time. Also, I think the colonizers taking and depleting these resources from the indigenous in a way takes away some of the culture and uniqueness found with the people.

Izzy Kaemmerlen

2024-02-15 13:50:19 UTC

The colonizers would destroy whole homes to strike fear into the indigenous to make it easier to take over when the people have no sense of safety. They completely destroy ecosystems to weaken the people as well as gaining natural resources. This is the case for both TFA and Avatar. The native people would put their beliefs and strength in the environment so when outsiders come and corrupt that then the natives social construct begins to fall.

Reece Long

2024-02-15 13:51:29 UTC

In Avatar it was very focused on the Na'vi people's interconnectedness with nature. However, when the colonists came they attempted to ruin the bond between their land, which then made the people lose their connection. The Na'vi tribe was connected with nature in the sense that they used the spiritual tree for healing people, allowing someone to come into the tribe, and more. The colonizers in Avatar took away the practices of the native people by ruining their houses, and what they call home. In TFA, the colonists ruined their environment through the use of destroyed housing, taking the production of palm oil in the hope of making a profit. Also, the people in TFA, follow in step of the oracle hills voices. Overall, both native people got heavily impacted on the environmental aspect of it after the colonists came.

Casey Raithel

2024-02-15 13:51:41 UTC

The colonizers' extractive practices impact the ecosystems and indigenous by how the livelihoods heavily focus on the bond of nature and how the people are connected to the land and nature. In things that fall apart the white men don't take away their land as much as in Avatar but they focus on taking their religion and overpowering the people to take over. The white people and sky people don't care about the people or Navi that are living on the land, their only focus is the money, land, and benefits from taking over these people/avatar.

Alex

2024-02-15 13:51:51 UTC

In Avatar, the colonists excavate the land and the biodiversity of Pandora in order to get unobtanium, but this led to deaths of the Na'vi and animals, spreading disruption and unrest throughout Pandora.

In Things Fall Apart, the Igbo would only allow the missionaries to build on unholy and evil land, hoping to get rid of them, but it only led to more people converting to Christianity, and the beginning of the loss of the Igbo culture.

Mariah

2024-02-15 13:52:23 UTC

Avatar

Humans were taking samples from the Na’vi people's land for some sort of science. The humans eventually wanted to bulldoze their homes and force them to leave without even caring about the families that would be destroyed and harmed.

Things Fall Apart

The colonizers in Things Fall Apart would come in and teach their religion and way of doing things which led people to believe them instead of the gods that they have always worshiped. The people who followed the church started to live differently than they did before the missionaries arrived

Caelin

2024-02-15 13:52:26 UTC

The colonists wanted the resources from the natives' land, and didn't care who or what was destroyed in the process of obtaining it. In both the book and movie, the natives had a deep connection with the land. In Avatar, the homes of the Na'vi people were destroyed, the forest they loved so much was cut down, and a threat was placed on their deity. In Things Fall Apart, the government and judicial system was taken over, a new religion was introduced, and people were killed.

Uju Onukogu

2024-02-15 13:53:34 UTC

In TFA the missionaries came to Umuofia and began to recruit converts to join their forces, which created a division among the clan because of the fact that these converts were former members of the clan. The missionaries also came with the intention to primarily make a profit, so they used the land the the clan to build a church, school, and government. In Avatat the humans wanted to collect for the cluster unobtainium that was under where the Na'vi resided. They did this by utilizing destructive measures that resulted in them destroying Home Tree and them killer the leader of the Na'vi which created a solemn atmosphere due to the broken down morale of the Na'vi and a sense of division among the tribe as well.

Kendall

kruffolo — 2024-02-15 13:54:56 UTC

I see the film as one that was created to send a political message. It looks like a normal movie on the surface, but if you dig into it, it has an uncanny resemblance to what has happened to native tribes in several countries throughout history. Watching it makes the viewer wonder how anyone could be as horrible as the "sky people," before realizing that events like that happen all the time and they don't really do anything to stop it. Viewers who are likely especially impacted are indigenous people. Watching the film, they can see a recreation of what happened to their own ancestors or even close families, and they might see it as a way to avenge what happened to them.

Anika M.

amohapatra3 — 2024-02-15 13:55:29 UTC

I see this movie as both political and emotional. To viewers, this has a mainly emotional side, but the underlying message is political. Avatar tells the story of Native Americans who were colonized, highlighting a negative period in US history. It shows the harsh reality of the Na'Vi people, having their land, culture, religion, and home stripped away from them. I think that indigenous people view this film as somewhat stereotypical, as they are depicted as big, blue "aliens" that live on another planet. However, the underlying message provides a representation of Native American people, who have suffered greatly. It shows that they have emotions, structure, religion, and compassion for one another like a big family.

Avery Wallace

awallace134 — 2024-02-15 13:55:43 UTC

I can see how the movie could be considered political because it opens old wounds to those who experienced colonialism and brings up the question “Is colonialism okay?” and creates a debate on whether Avatar is offensive in some ways. On the other hand, Avatar can be emotional by showing both perspectives of each side in colonialism, how the side who is invading soon realizes the damage they created yet they continue to conquer what they want. Then the Na’vi people are shown through their spiritual connections with their homeland and how many losses they experienced from the invasion of the humans, creating a deep feeling of sorrow for them.

Reece Long

2024-02-15 13:56:18 UTC

Emotional and political aspects are both portrayed in this movie. I feel that the native people make connections to what they have personally experienced. Whether it is the loss of their cultural identity, or the destruction of housing. I feel as if the native people may think this is more political as they view this movie as an oversimplified version of what they had to go through.

Alex

emcglothlin1_1 — 2024-02-15 13:56:33 UTC

I see the movie as an emotional film, as it shows the emotions and thought processes of the two sides, where the colonists do not see anything wrong in what they are doing and feel no remorse, and the Indigenous feel as if they are being destroyed for capital gain. Indigenous people could see the film as an artistic piece that shows their suffering and the suffering of their ancestors, but others could see the film as a way to gain revenue over the suffering of real life issues.

Michael W

2024-02-15 13:56:33 UTC

I see this movie as an emotional film because it's trying to bring sadness and emotion to the viewer, trying to get some grief or empathy, allowing the watcher to understand some of the pain experienced by the natives. Differently, though I think indigenous people would view this film as more of a political film as it can show some history and relation to real-life events from the colonizers

Caelin

2024-02-15 13:56:53 UTC

I think this film was more emotional than political. It wasn't created to represent different native people in today's society, it was created to demonstrate how things like colonization took place and be entertaining in the process. I think indigenous people would view this movie as both politically positive and negative. Positively, they may be able to connect with the Na'vi people and bring attention to natives and the issues of colonization. Negatively, they could view it as sort of mocking them, saying "If the Na'vi can fight back, why can't you?".

Uju Onukogu

2024-02-15 13:57:00 UTC

Avatar, to me have aspects of both being and emotional and political film. The portrayal of colonization and oppression of a native group, the Na’vi, by outsiders, the humans, who see the Na’vi as inferior wanting to take advantage of them, their land, and their resources shows the political side of the film. Following the story of Jake Sully and his conflicting roles throughout the movie in addition to his growing relationship with Neytiri and the clan as a whole shows the emotional aspects of the film. The Indigenous probably view the film as political due to them being in similar situations and having similar backgrounds, such as protecting their land and resources from those who want to take them and make a profit, just like the Na’vi people were in the film.

Casey Raithel

2024-02-15 13:58:00 UTC

Director James Cameron says Avatar is meant to be an emotional film, not a political one. People often see it as political depending on where they have grown up and how different people life's have been like. Indigenous people view this film as both because they can relate to the emotion and they can see it as political too because they can relate to what happened to them and their family with colonization. Indigenous people view this movie as a summary of what happened to them.

Ava

2024-02-15 13:58:01 UTC

I thought it was an emotional film because it got very emotional during the ending when the sky people began to destroy their home and everything that they had so they could use it for their own personal use. I think indigenous people could see the movie as emotional because some of the parts of the movie they might not agree with it because of how Jake came in and saved the Navi people.

Mariah

2024-02-15 13:58:41 UTC

I see this film as both. Watching this film after reading the book Things Fall Apart and being told to think about a connection made me realize how similar the movie can be to a failed attempt at colonization.

I can also see it from an emotional standpoint because there were a lot of emotional scenes in the movie. For example, when Norm and Trudy died in the battle between the humans and the Na'vi people it was emotional because as the audience we got to know that character but it was also emotional watching the Na'vi people go through things that they did not deserve to go through.

I think Indigenous people would view this film as something that they could connect with because some of them may have gone through something similar with being told to move from their home or being not even told but just forced to leave.

Izzy Kaemmerlen

2024-02-15 13:59:58 UTC

I personally do not have any personal experience with exploitation so I feel like its harder for me to see the emotional quirks of this film. After watching the film I thought that it was a sci-fi version of Pocahontas. I think the emotional aspects would be so much more moving to people who have direct experience. I think the film focuses on military action in indigenous places. I think that there are a lot of political points in this film.

Sander

2024-02-15 14:02:32 UTC

The first strategy in Avatar for resistance the Na'vi had was fighting back. The Na'vi used bows and rode animals to fight back against the sky people's superior weapons. When the sky people's superior weapons started to win then the Na'vi resisted by running away. They ran away and once they all grouped up again they went back to fighting. In things fall apart people denied the conversion to Christianity which is why the colonists were there.

Bryson Armstrong

barmstrong46 — 2024-02-15 14:02:40 UTC

In the Avatar, the strategies of resistance employed by the indigenous people were gathering morale and more people to help them fight back against the sky people. As well as using the “Homefield advantage” by taking advantage of their surroundings. These strategies evolve throughout the narrative by the Avatars using their guardian deity to help protect them against the Sky People. In Things Fall Apart, the strategies employed by the indigenous people were doing nothing. The people of Umuofia were under the impression that the “White man religion” would not take hold in their village and would pose no threat. This strategy is evolved later in the text by nothing. The people of Umuofia sit back and let the White man take hold of their people and are convinced that what the White man is doing is correct.

Jada

2024-02-15 14:03:31 UTC

The various strategies of resistance by the indigenous people and TFA, evolve throughout each narrative because it shows how they gain more and more power after they learn how to fight against them and gain the internal power to do this. The strategies used by the Avatar and Igbo people showed how they would unite as one and showed their unity with strength and guardianship.

Bryson Armstrong

barmstrong46 — 2024-02-15 14:03:44 UTC

In the Avatar, the long-term consequences depicted are when the trees are killed for resources. This caused the Avatar society to shape into a more religious-based society believing in Ewya more and putting their faith in her. In Things Fall Apart, the long-term consequences of colonialism (in the African's eyes) would be people converting to Christianity. It continues to shape societies by shifting the African culture to adopt eastern European ideas and practices.

Bryson Armstrong

barmstrong46 — 2024-02-15 14:04:43 UTC

I agree with the author that the Avatar movie is deeper. It not only shows the differences between indigenous people and the struggle with colonialism, but it also opens an eye to the religions and differences in indigenous cultures around the world.

Kate H

2024-02-15 14:05:02 UTC

The indigenous people always had their guard up and that was mainly one of their strategies until they started to use weapons. They all came together to fight against each other because, in the end, each side wanted what the other had. These strategies also evolve by each side becoming stronger with there weapons and tactics because the longer it went on the more enraged everyone was.

Caitlin C

2024-02-15 14:05:08 UTC

In Things Fall Apart they purposely restricted the missionaries from certain aspects of the village, but then slowly let them do what they want. That leaded to them using physical force to drive the missionaries out. In Avatar they had kept their guards up between the sky people and even some animals, but when the huge battle started they had a reason to fight and the animals had a similar reason because the forest is their home too. The Na'vi people had joined forces with the rest of the animals in the forest in order to win the fight for their home.

Claire

2024-02-15 14:05:28 UTC

I think at the beginning in both the book and the movie the indigenous people were okay with new people coming into their society. Over the book they noticed that they did not always come in peace and had a motive behind their actions, to spread Christianity or to find the mineral. They noticed they didn't just want to come and genuinely learn about their culture and share theirs.

Mary Grace Brown

2024-02-15 14:05:35 UTC

The different strategies used in All Things Fall Apart were the colonists trying to get them to move the indigenous people out quickly but later they noticed that did not work so they had to use physical force so they could get what they want. The Sky people in avatar and the white colonists in the book were similar because they both used similar tactics trying to take over their land and culture. The Navi people and the people in All Things Fall Apart were scared out of fear and their best way was to fight back against the unknown people. They did not think they could trust them since in the past they had broken their trust.

Nathalia

2024-02-15 14:05:43 UTC

The Navi people were using their enviormental advangates like the flying dragons and their communcations with the ansestors to help resist the white men taking over. The Igbo people used different resistant stragies like burning down the churchs that were set up and trying to overthrow the white men.

Reagan Dodson

2024-02-15 14:05:47 UTC

The people within the book "Things Fall Apart" had at first had their strictness to allowing the white men to come into their land and their clans. Then progressing throughout the book they had been less strict and had less guidelines about what the white men could do or take charge of showing how they were struggling to keep their structure and people together. In Avatar the people were resistant to letting the humans in their society but they did allow them to learn their ways and earn their trust, but when they had discovered that the humans were going to really try and take over they made alliances and got resources to then attack back and protect themselves.

Grayson Goins

2024-02-15 14:05:48 UTC

At first, they had their guard up, and fighting out of fear then they realized they had to use physical resistance like war, and stood up for their ideas and were not scared anymore. In things fall apart, Okonkwo wanted to fight back but they saw what happened to Abome and became fearful, but in Avatar they were less fearful since there was less intel on what was coming and the power of the colonist.

Jada

2024-02-15 14:06:20 UTC

The long-term consequences of colonialism depicted in Avatar and Things Fall Apart for both the colonizers and indigenous populations are that they never forget that "reign of terror" and the period that they were put through, watching their people surrender and watching them get taken over by these colonizers. the legacies of colonialism continue to shape societies because it is something that the people will use to gain and increase their power internally and externally, they use it to show their unification and build this power up to help them gain more power for when danger comes.

Kate H

2024-02-15 14:06:27 UTC

Long-term consequences in Avatar are the humans coming back and trying to destroy more land. All of the death and mass destruction that was caused. In Things Fall Apart the colonizers harmed there culture and community. The colonizers were taking away their long-term belief system. The white people taking over always had to stand their ground while trying to get people to convert to their religion.

Brooks Cooper

2024-02-15 14:06:46 UTC

The strategies employed by the Na’vi are resistance and violence by not letting the humans in their home and tribe and then fighting the humans when they attack them. The people of Umuofia kill at the start and resisted and ignored the white men because there were not that many, then when more came people joined them and then a messenger was killed and then the Igbo people tried to distance themselves from the colonists.

Sander

2024-02-15 14:07:24 UTC

In things fall apart, the people lose their sense of culture and religion. They started to do and act the same way as the colonizers. They also converted to Christianity and did not practice their religion. In Avatar, They lost their long-term home. They lived in a huge tree, but after the sky people bombed it, they had no home. The legacies of colonialism continue to shape the societies by creating less difference between the people and colonizers. It also was symbolic when the Na'vi lost their home because then they all rallied and agreed to do whatever it took to defeat the sky people.

Addison Jones

2024-02-15 14:07:43 UTC

In Things Fall Apart, the missionaries took away the African people's resources, like the river. They also had no regard for what the clan members believed in and instead of being considerate about it, they were forcing their religion onto the Africans. In Avatar, they humans realized that the Na'vi people had what they wanted and ultimately was led to forcefully trying to take the Na'vi people out. Jake Sully was considerate about the Na'vi people's customs and traditions to gain the people's trust while in the book, the missionaries show the opposite. In Things Fall Apart, they were giving them an opportunity to flee the land and eased their way into the land and the tribe, while in Avatar they resorted to violence first hand.

Kate H

2024-02-15 14:08:15 UTC

I agree with the author and I believe it is deeper than that. First Jake does serve a purpose and he is there to connect with the Navi and gain insight but he then realizes how he would harm them if he tried to colonize them. I also believe this film is deeper because it shows the Navi heritage and not just how the others come in and destroy their land. It also shows how one of their own can connect with the Navi and how it has changed his life and the impact he has made.

Nathalia

2024-02-15 14:09:09 UTC

The long term consequences in Avatar were their homes and enviroement being torn down ad destroyed. Along with this, the invasion allowed for the Navi to gain knowlenge of what is in the outside world. The long term concequnces in Things Fall apart is the sufferage of the tribal people. They lost their reglion and freedom that they use to have.

Jada

2024-02-15 14:09:15 UTC

I agree with the author that Avatar is not just another "white savior" film. This is because the people of Pandora were unified and they were one before, and it shows that they tried to fight back with Jake and without him, this shows that the Avatar was used to show more of the strength of the people being colonized rather than the POV of the colonizers. I think this was a great way to convey this because it showed that Jake chose to be with the Avatar's after he saw the beauty of the people and Pandora.

Sander

2024-02-15 14:09:33 UTC

I agree the movie is deeper. It follows the Na'vi people mainly and is about their heartbreak and courage to stand up to the sky people. It highlights the struggles of colonialism and how the Na'vi people stood up and fought back. If it was a white savior film, the movie would focus on the sky people taking over the Na'vi for good and also make the Na'vi seem more savage.

Claire

2024-02-15 14:10:15 UTC

I think that the long-term affects can be how impactful these moments are and how these terrible stories will be shared through generations. In Things Fall Apart, as the missionaries continued to come into their society and spread their religion they didn't have regard to the culture that was already there. And in Avatar the Sky people destroyed a lot of the land that was very sacred to the Navi people which makes it harder for them to be as connected to it, and can hurt their culture for years to come.

Mary Grace Brown

2024-02-15 14:10:25 UTC

I think some of the long term impacts in Avatar is that the hometree and where the Navi people lived was completely destroyed by the machinery the sky people used to rage war on them. This forced them to evacuate and in the long term aspect of it they cant ever get what they lost back. In all things fall apart many of the colonists converted a lot of the people of the clan to their religion which resulted in the native people leaving to go to the colonists. This resulted in the loss of their citizens and parts of their land that was lost. In all things fall apart slavery and religion was impacted long term because of the exploitations of the colonists. Split-Up relationships was another impact because of the taking and converting of people from the clan.

Caitlin C

2024-02-15 14:10:50 UTC

In Avatar the Na'vi people went from using basic weapons like the bow and arrow, to using more technologically advanced weapons like guns, to protect themselves from the sky people. They also had a major decrease in population and they lost their main home too and had no where else to live. In Things Fall Apart the missionaries majorly destroyed the Igbo's religion, by converting people to Christianity. Caused conflicts between other ethnic groups and the other tribes against each other and brought a lot of slavery once the colonists took over their land. Colonists bringing the religion had broken families apart since some were converting to Christianity, but others who didn't would cast them out of their family.

Reagan Dodson

2024-02-15 14:11:20 UTC

In both the book and the movie structure and togetherness within their communities was a main thing that had a lasting impact. Specifically in Avatar the people's loved ones dying and their homes being destroyed had a big impact because they had to start fresh and find the connection to their land again but somewhere else. Then in "Things Fall Apart" the Egwuwu being killed and the religion being taken over was a long-term effect because the people didn't have these important aspects of their culture and religion anymore and there is the possibility of it being lost. Societies continued to be shaped by the new forms of government and the new religion, changing the people's motives, in "Things Fall Apart". Avatar societies were shaped continuously because of their relocation and trying to find a new area to live in and new human ideas were brought to the Avatar people through Jake Sully.

Brooks Cooper

2024-02-15 14:12:04 UTC

The long-term consequences of colonialism displayed in Avatar and Things Fall Apart are that in Avatar the humans are defeated and have to return to Earth losing lots of money and their mistreatment of the natives could be seen. The natives have lost their homes and lots of people. In Things Fall Apart the colonists do not have many consequences in the book however in real life these people are looked down upon because of the sick things they did. The consequences of the indigenous people of Umuofia is that the colonists control them for not standing up and fighting for what they believed and lose their culture.

Nathalia

2024-02-15 14:12:07 UTC

I think that the film was way more than just another white savior because Jake had the disadvanage of not walking before he became a Navi. He had no training, but he was motivated to build a realtionship with the Navi and understand ther culture. At the end he understood the Navi and built a strong connection with all the people.

Grayson Goins

2024-02-15 14:12:31 UTC

In Things Fall Apart, there was a loss of culture and religion, also, colonists only cared about conversion and wealth, but not about the well being of the indigenous people. In Avatar there is a very large loss of population and their chief is killed which is a very large part of their culture. Another long term effect in Avatar is that they lost their home tree which they were connected to biologically.

Addison Jones

2024-02-15 14:12:53 UTC

In Things Fall Apart, the missionaries came in a destroyed the clan's belief system and all of the boundaries that the Igbo people had set up by forcefully converting them to Christianity. The clan itself had lost its "manhood" and lost all of its cultural beliefs. In Avatar, the humans destroyed the Home Tree which was a great loss for the Na'vi people. The population had to decrease because of the destruction of their home.

Reagan Dodson

2024-02-15 14:13:20 UTC

I think that the Avatar movie has a deeper meaning within the plot, it has many other factors within the plot with the love story with the main character Jake Sully, and overall it does show the evolution of the connection of the people and their culture, and what they will do to stand up for each other, saving their homes and ways of living. It also showed the important aspects of the Avatar's culture and religion and how it impacted them normally on a day-to-day basis and then how it was impacted by the sky people/humans taking over.

Claire

2024-02-15 14:14:22 UTC

I do think that the movie is deeper because of how many issues it points out. Mainly how they shined a light on colonization is really impactful. Anyone who has had experiences like that in life is able to relate to the movie. Because of how much this movie talks about it can help people today, talk about the colonization that is happening, and try to do something to change it.

Caitlin C

2024-02-15 14:14:30 UTC

I believe this film is deeper than just being a "white savior" film because even though the sky people had only cared for the material under where the Na'vi lived, there were very few who were the scientists that cared to learn about the language and the culture. Jake Sully was the biggest example of this because he was a marine who lost his leg and felt like he had no home, but when he became an avatar he found a home within the Na'vi people and proved that an outsider can become one of them and learn the culture. Jake Sully almost broke the walls between the humans and the Na'vi people showing they can live in harmony.

Grayson Goins

2024-02-15 14:15:18 UTC

I agree with the author, even though Jake Sully is a white colonist, he has a deeper meaning to the Na’vi tribe as he becomes one of them and actually embodies the cultural aspects of the tribe. Also, the Na’vi rescued themselves using only Na’vi methods and knowledge. Even though Jake brought help to the Na'vi, he did not bring any external knowledge to the Na’vi.

Mary Grace Brown

2024-02-15 14:15:35 UTC

I believe that there is a deeper meaning behind the Avatar film because they it showed more of the emotional side and the formation of relationships between the different characters. I feel like it could be viewed as a white savior film to some people because it seems as though Jack had originally gone to the Na'vi people to befriend them to get closer to the stone the Sky people wanted. Jack decided after forming meaningful relationships with the Na'Vi people that he wanted to help them and be their savior in a way. I think this movie was on a more emotional and connection with nature aspect.

Brooks Cooper

2024-02-15 14:20:41 UTC

I think the movie is deeper than just a “white savior” movie and that it not only depicts the colonization perfectly but it also incorporates a beautiful story and creates a strong sympathetic feeling for the characters. I think the statement of Jake Sully being our avatar is representative of how people who may not be aware of colonization and real-world problems could use it to be more understanding of others and interactive in the problems of the world.

Addison Jones

2024-02-15 14:21:03 UTC

I do think this movie is "deeper than that". The film shows how Jake Sully never really saw colonialism first hand, but he was put there to show us how he impacted the Na'vi people. The ancestor tree really shows us that they had chose Jake Sully to lead them through this war. Jake Sully was half human, half avatar so some people could see him as biracial. This shows us that they really had a role to play in the movie.

Chloe

2024-03-08 01:20:19 UTC

In Avatar, the symbol of destruction of the land shows us the power of indigenous land

In Things fall apart, the destruction of Christianity shows us the power of the indigenous people

Chloe

2024-03-08 01:20:36 UTC

The colonies extractive practices impacts disrupted the Na’vi peoples cultural beliefs and connections, and when their land is destroyed, it ruins their way of life

Chloe

2024-03-08 01:21:04 UTC

I see the movie as more of an emotional film because the avatars have a lot of sad emotions in response to everything. For example, when their land was taken they were upset because they were at a loss of power

Indigenous people would probably see it as emotional because they can relate.

Chloe

2024-03-08 01:21:19 UTC

In Avatar, they resist for the good of their own land, and in Things fall apart, they resist for their Chrisitanity and beliefs

Chloe

2024-03-08 01:21:36 UTC

Some long term consequences affect the colonizers and indigenous people in terms of exploitation and loss of identity.

Both legacies consist of power imbalances and exploitation

Chloe

2024-03-08 01:21:51 UTC

I agree with the author that it is deeper than that because without jake, they wouldn’t have any idea or any knowledge of the Avatars customs and beliefs