How do artists work to affect social change? Has Dead Man Walking made you question ideas you once had about the death penalty? If so, how? Do you believe that plays and movies can ultimately change how you feel about an important universal question?
Oftentimes, artists use extreme examples of something in order to evoke a social change. They want to play on human emotions (the viewers) in order to have a response. I never really thought about the death penalty and what my stance was on it. However, after watching the movie I know that I am against it. Even though Poncelot performed a horrendous crime, watching him with his family and seeing him moments before they murdered him made me really sad. I think it's extremely wrong to kill someone, even though they did something terrible. It's hypocritcal and completely disregarding the value of life and the idea that every person has human dignity. I think that movies and plays can make you change your views if they have a good argument supporting whatever they are trying to promote.
ReplyDeleteI believe artists work to affect social change due to thier excessive influence over the audience. An artist' role helps portray a certain role/view in a different light. It is so easy to form an opinion without actually witnessing the crime or viewing the aftermath of it. Before the film, i was for the death penalty, i viewed these criminals on death row as disspationate felons who all deserved what they had coming. However, the film helped me to see the injustice of it all. Poncelet's family in particular were all innocent, but they too had to pay such a heavy price in this tragedy. While I no longer support the death penalty i do believe that films often impact the viewers. However, my views changed because of this film, but it makes me wonder if I had seen a film which portrayed the death penalty as good, and showed more tragic scenes of the crime, how i would feel.
ReplyDelete