In the film Independence Day, people in different backgrounds cling together for the victory in times of trouble, and shows us American fantasy of a society.
Inter-racial people and inter-class people lived together harmoniously in the film. In order to present the harmony picture, the director Roland Emmerich designed various people for the film, such as the USA president Thomas who was a pilot, unambitious electronics genius David who works for a cable television, Press Secretary Spano, unlucky former fighter pilot Russell, ambitious ace fighter pilot captain Steven and the stripper Jasmine . These people who represent to the highest social class or the lowest status lived in the same environment without prejudice or flattery. Especially, the director made the role of different race, the black, white and jew. People who have different racial and different class did not fight with each other for their private interest but made a concerted effort to fight against the aliens. And these kinds of sharp contrast worked out the blueprint which can be called American fantasy.
Everyone can be a hero if he or she wants to be. David used his brilliant brain to work out the data and came up with the method to defeat the aliens. During fighting against the enemy, the captain Steven tried his best to kill the aliens. In crisis situation, the President made a speech to encourage people and devoted himself to the war. These people fulfill their duties by their abilities. And the other people who are average also contributed their effort to win victory. For example, Russell was regarded as a mentally illed drunkard at the beginning, but he sacrificed his own life for the human victory in the last war. Although Jasmine did not strike the enemy deadly, she also showed her nice heart to help the people in need, even though she was a stripper in low social class. Everyone can be a hero as long as you would like to be whether you are male or female, the President or even the stripper. “Independence Day present a society, in which individuals are judged for who they are and not on the basis of their gender, class or race.”
People come from different counties united as one for the community of interest. The aliens wanted to destroy not only the USA but also the whole world. So the President said that “Mankind, that word should have new meaning for all of us today. We can’t be consumed by our petty differences any more. We will be united in our common interest.” Although Independence Day is a typical American blockbuster and represent to Americanism, it also advocated the peaceful coexistence and turned “Independence Day” into “World-defend Day”. All of the human beings were faced the same crisis, so every country need to fight for our freedom.
Except for peaceful coexistence, the film also announced the responsibility. Facing the serious situation, none of the main casts of the film chose to escape, and all of them keep the sense of responsibility. They believed that they can help themselves and even heal the world. The sense of responsibility reflected the spirit of the USA.
The film described a sort of American fantasy of a society. It’s perfect but not true. Dream just could be dream. As we know that Americans are open and confident, so they always keep confidence that everything will be okay, and the confidence may be one of the reasons of American fantasy. In the reality, there is still racial discrimination and social class differential or even gender discrimination. The blueprint worked out in the film is our ideal society, and we need to strive for it. Although we cannot build a harmony society as the film described at once, we also can get some inspiration from Independence Day. Firstly, always keeping the sense of responsibility and a pure heart for love; secondly, setting store by overall interest; last but not the least, learning about the importance of peaceful coexistence which is based on the national dependence. In order to making the world better, we also need to make efforts.
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