The Village Essay

Essay – The Village All human beings are capable of the most serious crimes imaginable; it is only because of the laws and control of civilization that we do not become dangerous criminals. Fear amongst humans is what causes humans to behave. In the following essay three arguments will be discussed about the theme “fear amongst humans” and how it is linked to the movie “The Village”. Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain or harm. People who experience fear often remember the moment when the occurrence begun and how they felt as if time slowed down. Signs of fear are almost always shown when a human being is experiencing this emotion. When a very young child is taught or learns to fear something, he or she will most likely fear it for nearly the rest of their lives or maybe as long as they can remember the moment. In the movie “The Village” fear plays a big role. In the movie, the elders act as the government system for the village. The elders taught the children and young adolescents of the village fear. They told the young people of the village that there were creatures in the woods that are very dangerous and are not to be spoken of. It was a myth created by the elders so that the people of the village can live in a peaceful society. The people of the village obeyed the elders and didn’t cross the borders of the village (the forest) that surrounded them. It was not shown in the movie but it seemed as though there were three generations of the villagers living within this small village which would state that the elders’ children were taught fear and later, their grandchildren learned fear through the myths of the creatures. The elders also showed signs of fear throughout the movie. However, it was not always the same fear that they showed. At some times, it was a fear that was being acted so that they can play along with their created myth that they made to make the people of the village fear the creatures of the forest. Then there was a scene when the elders showed true signs of fear. When the elders were looking at an old photo of them, they remembered what it was like living in the city. The elders feared the city as if it were a war zone. The elders had terrifying experiences when they lived in the city which caused them to learn to fear the life that the city offered. Many of the elders’ relatives were murdered, raped or other they died in a tragic way. The elders feared the life they lived so much that they decided to live in an isolated village and live in peace. In conclusion, fear can be learned through experiences and can be taught through teachings by another individual. Fear caused the people of the village to obey the elders because they knew that if they would go into the forest, there would be serious consequences. Fear is a terrifying emotion, it allows a human being’s brain to understand whether they should engage in something or chose to flee. In the case of the movie “The Village”, the elders decided to flee.