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The Force Listens Through The Gender Lens Essay

2136 Words9 Pages

Delve Into the World of Star Wars: The Force Awakens Through the Gender Lens “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” Star Wars fans worldwide recognize the opening crawl as it appears on the big screen for the first time in ten years. The film gives a warm welcome to familiar faces and greets a new group of up-and-coming actors and actresses, as well as a new conflict. The Dark Side is back in the form of The First Order, and Kylo Ren, son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, has plans of being greater and more evil than his grandfather, Darth Vader. Against him are The Resistance, led by his mother, General Leia, and newcomers Rey, an independent young woman with nothing to lose; Finn, a former Stormtrooper who rebelled against The First Order; and Poe Dameron, a fighter pilot who Leia is very fond of. To the average viewer, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is an action packed adventure movie, and another great addition to the Star Wars saga… but, when analysed through the Gender Lens, the film becomes a trial of endurance for a young heroine and her friends, who encounter an …show more content…

Many of the characters in the film are provided deeper backstories to further the development of their progress as well as the story’s conflict. The fact that the movie portrays characters like Rey, Leia, and Captain Phasma as strong, fighting women attracts a female audience, and teaches younger girls that despite what society tells them, they can be just as strong as men. Characters like Finn, Poe, and even Kylo, show the male audience that they can have softer sides to them and embrace their emotions, rather than bottle them up and result in aggressive behavior as their only outlet. The film goes to a great extent to assure fans of all races, genders, sexualities, and ages, that they are important in not only a galaxy far, far, away… but in their own community as

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