QUESTION: Teaching Colonialism with the film Avatar?

[janeen]

Hi All,

Has anyone used the movie Avatar to discuss colonialism?

 

Thanks

Janeen

[Melissa Marquart]

A little with my honors kids over the summer in relation to their reading of Ray Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles" (I teach Eng. 11 [Amer. Lit.]). One of my essay prompts allows them to view the film and relate it to English settlers and America's westward expansion (there are very obvious correlations between the Na'vi and American Indian poplulations). I think our Eng. 10 teacher uses "Avatar" in discussing dystopian literature.

[Sean]

I did in using Renaissance poetry.  I covered a broad range of Renaissance poetry, and I had a few colonial ones, so I related it back to Avatar.  One was "Downfall of the Gael."  I also plan on using it with Shakespeare's The Tempest or the historical accounts of Boudicca, who united previously warring tribes against the invading Romans.  A lot of Avatar mirrored Boudicca's journey from idle queen to "Warrior Queen."  You can use Tacitus' Annals or Cassius Dio's Roman History...or both.  It might also be a good idea to create an entire colonialism unit, using western colonialism with Africa with Heart of Darkness, Puritan accounts of Native America, English and Irish views of the continuing war between them, etc.  What works for The Tempest and Avatar together is that they both combine elements of all Western colonialism.  There are elements form all lands combined together.  You'll see in The Tempest especially with Caliban (Native American, Irish, African, Moorish) and other characters' lines directly referring to historical documents of discovery (Vex'd Bermuda).  In the Nav'i you'll see the same, a combination of Celts, Native American, and certain African tribes.

 

Attached are Dio's Roman History and Tacitus' Annals accounts of Boudicca's rebellion and "The Downfall of the Gael."  I literally just grabbed the Boudicca accounts off the net yesterday, so I haven't refined them.  You'll need to do some tuning.  You could even simplify the language.

[Jeremy Greene]

The World History AP listserv had many ideas on this when the movie came out.  Here are some of them:

 

Subject: RE: Lessons and Analysis: Avatar and Imperialism
From: John Maunu <[e-mail]>
Date: Sat, 29 Jan 2011 17:16:22 +0000
X-Message-Number: 7
 
 
Jessica or Reanne,
Here are some specific links/blogs/ideas/lessons to Imperialism and Avatar:
http://zunguzungu.wordpress.com/2010/01/04/avatar-and-american-impe...
 
I like this article
http://engl243.wordpress.com/2010/01/28/avatar-and-postcolonial-the...
 
Is Avatar anti-military, anti-ecological, anti-RELIGION?  This lady has some POV:
http://hubpages.com/hub/avatar-movie
 
Wikipedia takes a similar approach to above article from hubpages.com...note comparative
to Hinduism and disc. on pantheism and other POV as to Imperialism, etc.  Take a peak
at the large number of articles at end of this "post" on other Avatar articles, etc. a bibliography
to speak.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Themes_in_Avatar
 
Maunu as ADHD:
http://moscow.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/seabiscuit.pdf
Found this pdf from Russian university study:  How to teach American
Values through film...Interesting lessons, etc.al.
 
Other quick thoughts:
 
What does Avatar say about American culture?  What do the arguments about
the value of the film say about the American political climate? Who's to say Mr. Cameron
was aiming at US imperialism models?  Could it be other historical "models" he was
hinting at?
 
Or is the unsubtle message of Avatar "that American Imperialism is really necessary."
http://thisrecording.com/today/2009/12/23/in-which-we-teach-james-c...
 
Why would some think the film is an attack on American foreign policy?  How does
this relate to Imperialism?  Is the US an imperialist power? CC to other historical
powers, Rome, Mongols, Abassids, Soviet Union, China (Zheng he), etc. al..
(OR, just relate the film to European imperialism, leaving out the American legacy if you
are in a red state....I kid, I kid, of course...:)
 
Does Avatar portray a continuity over time as to what happens to people who inhabit a
natural resource rich environment?
 
 
http://ateachersviewpoint.blogspot.com/2009/12/avatar-lessons.html
I find this teacher's warning as to PG 13 rating and his many questions/lessons interesting.
 
http://drpezz.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/avatar-and-the-classroom/
 
http://teachhub.blogspot.com/2010/04/avatar-imperialism-writing-pro...
Note two questions under History Influences 6-12.
 
Other Quick Thoughts II:
 
One lesson I would want to use could be a Comparative exercize:
 
Why do conservatives not like Avatar?
http://religiopoliticaltalk.blogspot.com/2009/12/avatar-leftist-mov...
Why do liberals like Avatar?
 
Or, a "safer" approach:   what are the pro/con arguments for the value of Avatar?
 
Could there be a comparative to the late 19th century Imperialist vs. anti-Imperialist debate
wrapped around the Spanish American War and Philippino War.....Is Avatar the Philippines?
 
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/natures-call-drawing-i...
NY Times Education blog on Avatar as a science, geography, art, biology lesson.  Note other articles on right side of
this page...on Avatar, etc..
 
http://www.newsenglishlessons.com/0908/090824-avatar.html
English Teacher lessons for Avatar
 
http://www.frankwbaker.com/film_links.htm
How to study film links...note Avatar "making the film" links to the right....technology insights into 3D...etc..

 

Go to the archive for more.

 

Best,

[Jeremy Greene]

Sorry some urls are cut off.