Ejemplo de ensayo argumentativo en inglés sobre la violencia en las películas
Here is an example of a short argumentative essay on violence in films.
On any given Friday people all over the world flock to their local cinema to enjoy a two-hour break from the real world and indulge in a film. Movies have many different genres, but the genres that seem to garner the most attention every Friday night are the action adventure and crime thriller genres. One thing that action and crime movies have in common is the essential ingredient of violence. People are naturally thrilled by violence; it is a fact of human nature reverting mankind to its most primal instincts. Filmmakers have realized this and are regularly taking advantage of this fact by creating mindlessly violent, thrilling films. Not all violent films are cinematic garbage though; some films can employ violence while maintaining an intelligent story. What decides whether the film contains mindless violence or elegant, purposeful violence is the way in which the violence is presented and used. An example of how violence can be used in a purposeful and meaningful manner is portrayed in the movie Memento, a Christopher Nolan crime movie from 2000 that follows the story of a man with short-term memory loss who is searching for his wife’s killer. In Christopher Nolan’s psychological crime thriller Memento, the director takes the simple premise of a man out for vengeance and conveys it in a unique way by showing the events in reverse chronological order; the use of graphic violence in this film is necessary to realistically portray the theme of revenge.
Like most crime movies, Memento portrays violence in a realistic fashion. Many well-known crime movies involve believable violence that is not dramatized. The violent acts in Memento are never meant to distract the viewer’s attention. Instead, they are used as vital parts of the narrative. The opening scene of the movie shows a Polaroid photograph of a crime scene where a man’s body is lying face-down on the floor of a rundown room with blood splattered all over the walls. The scene then plays out in a rewinded order to reveal that the man who took the picture was the same man who fired the gun. This reverse gunshot murder scene depicts the result of an execution and then rewinds to show how it occurred. The man who pulled the trigger is the main character, Leonard Shelby, and the man he kills is presumably his wife’s murderer. The man’s execution is not meant to give the audience a sick thrill but is included because this death scene plays a large part in the context of the story. As with most crime films, the shooting, stabbing and fighting involved in them have a meaning and are generally important towards the film’s plot; films such as Memento never use violence just to intrigue and pull in an audience because the strong story carries the movie by itself. The realistic violence in Memento is integrated in such a way that it gives the film an artistic and elegant style. In the next scene, which acts as a precursor to the opening, Leonard is shown holding the gun at the man’s head just before shooting him. The camera cuts away just as he pulls the trigger, allowing the audience to hear the man’s scream and the sound of the gunshot while shielding them from the gory image. By limiting what the audience is shown the director gives the movie an artistic feel; the blood and gore are only shown when absolutely necessary, as evidenced by the Polaroid image which proved that Leonard actually shot and killed the man. The rest of the film is portrayed in the same light; the violent acts are never over-the-top but are shown in a blunt, no-nonsense manner.
The premise of the film revolves around the theme of revenge, which stems from Leonard’s wife being murdered and his quest for vengeance. Most revenge films promote the audience to cheer for the character out for vengeance because either the character has had a family unjustly harmed or the person has been unjustly wronged in such a way that revenge would be the only means of justice. When the vengeance can be vindicated, the violence is also deemed righteous, and this gives the audience the right to root for the protagonist. Like most other films with plots based on revenge and redemption, Memento provides justification for its violence. Through brief flash-backs it is presumably evident that Leonard’s wife was raped and killed by home intruders who seemingly randomly broke into their house. When Leonard realizes what is happening he attempts to stop the assailants. Leonard is able to shoot one of them but is knocked over the head by the other assailant and falls unconscious to the floor as a puddle of blood forms under his head; the blow to the head he receives is the cause of his short-term memory loss. His revenge is thus justifiable two-fold because not only was his wife murdered, his memory was also taken away from him. An audience can completely side with Leonard because of what happens to him, thereby making all of his violent acts advocated and applauded by the audience who wishes for his revenge to be fulfilled. The film does not include violence just because it can; violence is included in order for the story of revenge to be told genuinely.
The film’s narrative follows a reverse chronological order which is complicated by the fact that the main character suffers from short-term memory loss. The way the story is told can be summed up perfectly by the opening image of the film where a Polaroid picture is shown fading instead of developing. Although the film follows a reverse chronological order, each scene plays out with time moving forward. The narrative keep the audience in the dark, much like the main character Leonard, and forces the audience to slowly discover Leonard’s past segment by segment as the reverse chronological order takes place. Due to his disability Leonard can not form new memories; he is plagued by the image of his wife’s death; he remembers everything up until he was bludgeoned over the head the night his wife was murdered. This shows the emotional consequences of violence realistically; the aftermath and consequences to each and every action are evident. Leonard does not use violence by choice, he resorts to it because he believes it will end his suffering. His short-term memory loss hinders his attempts at playing detective; his condition forces him to take Polaroid pictures of people he meets and record their names while keeping notes about their behaviors and intentions. He must also tattoo clues about his wife’s murder on his body to remind himself of new evidence. Although Leonard’s inadequate memory causes the viewers to doubt his thought processes, they still sympathize with him because of the events he has been through. Another downfall of his memory loss is that he must rely on people whose reasons and values are rather questionable.
The main character Leonard is the only character whose motives are clear. The people he interacts with and relies on all have motives and reasons that can be deemed suspicious. No character can be categorized as good or evil for certain. Although a crime movie, the only real “bad guys” are the men who filled Leonard’s wife. However, the identities of these murderers are never revealed. The director clearly intends Leonard to be the protagonist that the audience can side with, but because he is such an unreliable guide throughout the movie, it can be difficult to believe him all the time. Leonard is not the typical flawless hero; his inadequate memory contributes to his realness. Leonard is taken advantage of several times throughout the film, most obviously by Bert the motel clerk who books Leonard for two rooms instead of one; Leonard does not remember if he had already been to the motel so each time he checks in Bert gives him a different key. Teddy, who claims to be a cop helping Leonard find his wife’s killer, also takes advantage of Leonard. Teddy is the man Leonard kills in the beginning; however, due to the reverse chronological order of the film’s narrative, he appears in the film multiple times interacting with Leonard as if he really wants to help him. Teddy deceives Leonard into believing that a drug dealer named Jimmy Grantz is the man who murdered his wife. This causes Leonard to kill Grantz. Teddy’s reason for deceiving Leonard is up to interpretation; nevertheless, when Leonard realizes his mistake, he writes down a note that Teddy is the real killer. Leonard has no real proof that Teddy killed his wife, but out of rage he creates a lie to tell himself which eventually leads to the beginning scene of the film where Leonard shoots Teddy. Leonard’s reasoning behind his action can be debated, as the film does not make it crystal clear. In a twisted way, Leonard fulfills his investigation for vengeance when he fabricates the evidence that incriminates Teddy as the killer. Because of his short-term memory condition, Leonard will believe his own lie, and, therefore, think Teddy was the murderer thus bringing justice and closure to his wife’s murder.
Memento is a powerful thriller that makes viewers think about how profoundly humans need memory and how difficult life can be without it. The graphic violence present in the film only deepens the audience’s immersion into film’s plot and characters. Memento uses violence in a realistic fashion because the theme of revenge requires it, but violence is also used realistically to resemble violence in the real world. Violence has always been a part of human society since the dawn of mankind, and it probably will continue to be a part of society as we move toward the future. Films like Memento take the correct approach in their use of violence by making it an absolutely necessary part of the narrative; hopefully future directors will use Memento as an example of how to incorporate violence into their films.
Works Cited
Memento. Dir. Christopher Nolan. Perf. Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano, Carrie-Anne Moss. Newmarket Capital Group and Summit Entertainment, 2000. Film