Essay Assignment 2 Topics: State of Nature
Film choices:
a. Pick any one of these films (or series) to analyze through the lens of Hobbes theory of a State of Nature:
Whiplash (2014)
Black Swan (2010)
I Tonya (2017)
Mean Girls (2004)
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Teen Spirit (2018)
Purge films (2013 – )
Any Walking Dead series/spin offs
The Road (2009)
Squid Games (2021)
This essay puts Haas et al.’s theory to the test that all films are political and extends the theory to see if we can push a film through a specific political lens and analyze:
Drawing upon (course notes and reading) on Hobbes’ theory of a State of Nature discuss how a “war of all against all” ensues between different character’s in the story of your film choice, in the goal to achieve Felicity (whichever aspect/s of felicity this may be e.g. power, survival, glory).
How and/or why is this war started or provoked?
Do the character’s fall into a state of nature or resist a State of Nature in their goal to achieve Felicity? (In some cases, falling into a state of nature can be metaphorical e.g. try to imagine what a loss of civilization means in the character’s life and world and not necessarily always an end of the world scenario).
Also consider the rules and laws of society and how they might be interpreted for the story world that the character’s inhabit.
