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James Cameron Avattar Influence On Pop Culture

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In a world today where we absorb great amounts of pop culture through technology, Hollywood plays a considerable role in how we remember history. Hollywood movies are even a modern representation of history itself, in that we draw parallels between their storylines and historical events. By devoutly watching blockbusters, we might unknowingly draw history lessons from them; in result, “pop culture both reflects us and shapes us,” in the same way the bible teaches religious lessons to its followers. (Forbes, p.16) Given how strongly Hollywood movies influence us, we must question whether they accurately portray the parallel historical events. James Cameron’s Avatar, an icon of modern pop culture, shows how a movie seems to teach admirable historical lessons of the Native American struggle, but …show more content…

The story of the aboriginal Na’vi people shows a strong connection to our “nineteen-sixties counterculture, by way of environmentalism and current anti-war sentiment”. (David Denby, 2) The battle between the Na’vi and the humans reflect the period of 1940-1970, during which Native American Nationalism arose around the country due to unfair treatment of Native Americans by the whites; for example, Congress voted in 1953 to allow states to assert legal jurisdiction over Indian reservations without tribal consent, and the federal government sought to transfer federal Indian responsibilities for a dozen tribes. Avatar proves, at least fictionally, that indigenous people and newcomers can coexist, commenting on how Native Americans and whites can also live in peace. Fast forward to today, the modern audience watching Avatar can recognize its historical parallels. Moreover, Avatar is attractive because it is both entertainment and a history lesson; the audience feels it is doing its duty of being historically

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