Saturday, May 16, 2015

Making relationship

During one of our classes, we watch the movie Avatar from the director and writer James Cameron. Although I had previously watched this movie, I had never really focus on the environmental aspect within the film.

Before this class I had also never really looked in depth or understood the concept of ecofeminim. Upon looking at definitions regarding ecofeminism, one stroked me the most. It was said to be a philosophical and political movement that combines ecological concerns with feminist ones, regarding both as resulting from male domination of society.
Looking back at the movie, I can now start making connections with both the environmental and ecofeminism concepts present in the film. Throughout the movie we get to know the Na'vi, the native people living on the planet Pandora. The Na'vi acquired a very strong connections with the earth and the environment around them. As the movie goes on we acknowledge the trees surrounding Pandora are in fact like networks and the Na'vi are able to connect with them and the spirits of their ancestors.


Throughout the movie the character Neytiri, one of the members of the Na’vi, teaches Jake how they live and respect the planet Pandora. Although Neytiri dislikes the so-called “Dreamwalker”, her and Jake end up forming a bound toward the end of the movie. Jake learns about Eywa, the Na’vi’s divinity, and learns to be thankful for what the earth and the animals around Pandora have to offer them. Learning about this new way of life, Jake sees the different value the planet Pandora has to offer other than the main reason why the human kind decided to come to this planet, the unobtainium present in the ground.

Ecofeminism plays an important role in this film when it comes to the conflict between the Na’vi and Parker and the Colonel who only have eyes for the unobtainium. The humans are trying to take over Pandora simply to have access to that particular resource and make a lot of money. In the process of obtaining the unobtainium, Parker and the Colonel are oppressing the earth as well as both the Na’vi and the scientists trying to protect the planet Pandora. On the other hand, both the scientists’ women and one of the army women are going against their own people in order to protect Pandora. Such behavior truly shows that throughout our history nature is portrayed as feminine and women are often thought of as closer to nature than men.

Throughout the movie, we also acknowledge that Neytiri treats both the earth and the animals surrounding her environment as her equal, and believes in thanking on every occasion that she takes from it. In this film, every Na’vi women have a strong connection to the earth as well as to Eywa and will do anything in order to protect them. 

Although I was familiar with this movie, focusing on ecofeminism and the environmental concepts helped me realize the amazing transformation of Jake, who came to Pandora with the idea of helping the human kind conquer the planet for money purposes in mind rather than the environmental value. Throughout his transformation Jake grows to resent his own kind and helps the Na’vi take back their home from the humans. 

An interesting website:
http://www.thegreenfuse.org/ecofem.htm