英语a-brief-analysis-about-american-individual-heroism-from-taken-movies.doc

内江师范学院本科毕业论文（设计）
Contents

Abstract.....................................................................................................2
Introduction 3
I. The Origin and Development of Individual Heroism 3
A. The Origin of Individual Heroism 4
1. The Frontier’s Time is the Key to Individual Heroism 4
2. The Religion is the Reason 4
3. The Transcendentalism is the Guiding Thought 5
4. The Westward Movement is the Highlight 5
5. The “American Dream” is the conductor 6
B. The Development of Individual Heroism 6
1. In Cultural Development 6
2. In Terms of Economic development 8
3. The Influence from Politics 9
II. Individual Heroism in the Character of Taken 10
A. Brief Introduction about Taken 10
B. Justice 12
C. Bravery 12
D. Kinship 12
Conclusion 13
Notes 15
Acknowledgements 16

Abstract: The movie is a cultural carrier of a country, which propagates the national culture and reflects the dominant value of whole nations. The United States is a warm worship personal heroism country. With the core of the superheroes in Hollywood movies, it has the responsibility to promote the major value throughout the country and the world. This paper is going to discuss the origin and the development of the individual heroism, and at the same time, expounds the American individual heroism from three aspects, which are individualism, bravery, kinship from Taken movies.
Key Words: Hollywood movies; American individual heroism; justice; bravery; kinship

摘要：电影是一个国家的文化载体，宣传其民族文化及其主流价值观。美国是一个及其崇拜个人英雄主义的国家。所以以超级英雄为核心的好莱坞电影有责任将这一价值观传播给全美国及世界观众。本文将在分析个人英雄主义起源及发展的同时，以电影飓风营救出发，从个人主义，勇敢，亲情三个方面来阐述美式个人英雄主义。
关键词：好莱坞电影；个人英雄主义；正义；勇敢；亲情

A Brief Analysis about American Individual Heroism from Taken Movies
Introduction
Movie is a very popular form of art that are approved by people widely. Meanwhile, it is also an very effective way to disseminate the national culture and values to the audience and impact their behavior and thinking. Tian Wei pointed out that movie is not only as an entertainment at all, but surpasses the amusement and profit. In addition, he also suggested that the culture and main values of a country can be depicted in its movie.1 In America, the individual heroism is admired by most of people. Because the Hollywood movie is a significant part of American culture, so it not strange that lots of superheroes are created in Hollywood movies. In recent years, it swept across the world for its delicate stunts and complicated plots. Consequently, the American individual heroism was in fashion in the world.
For the American individual heroism, different assessments, which are not only all good but also bad, held by different scholars. On the one hand, high proportion of people are in favor of this value, because they think under this value system, the human’s personal character will be fully respected. Lu Qian figured out that the superheroes were messenger of justice in vast majority of Hollywood movies and guardians of conscience. Besides, they fought against the evil and pursued the bright future, even at the crucial moment, they can sacrificed themselves to save the whole world.2 Nevertheless, this view is not accepted by all scholars, Chen Lifang and Chen Mo revealed that the heroes created in the movie are always want to guarantee the region’s peace through the violent way. Moreover, the terrific scene flooded in everywhere and draw the extreme boundaries to the good and evil.3
This thesis is going to focus on the origin and development of individual heroism and from the perspective of Taken to explain the American individual heroism based on the three areas, embodied justice, bravery and kinship.

I. The Origin and Development of Individual Heroism
It is well known that any doctrine has its own origin and development. Thus, the individual heroism also originate from some important events that may give the great influence to America. As for the development, many reasons can be taken into consideration, such as culture, economic, politics and etc. For the origin and development, different scholars hold different views. Therefore, the origin and development of individual heroism of America are going to be discussed below.
A. The Origin of Individual Heroism
1. The Frontier’s Time is the Key to Individual Heroism
America is a emerging nation that are made of by immigrants who were from all over the world. However, the first settlers were from Europe mostly and they are almost all puritans who were persecuted for religion in Europe. Zhou Xiaoxin believed that because of these nonsense oppress, they had a strong desire to go to a new continent to seek the new life. Yet when they had arrived there, they found it is very difficult to reclaim this undeveloped land. Under this kind of circumstance, a superhero or leader who can help them to find a way to fight for a bright future was called up urgently in the immigrant’s mind. These figures, played a guiding role in that time, maybe became the hero who were eulogized by the people hitherto. As a result, it is may be earliest origin of the individualism.4
2. The Religion is the Reason
Based on the above mentioned, the first emigrants were mostly puritans. As the pathfinders of American history, they proved that the human can save themselves through the hard work and fighting continuously. Wang Xiaojun revealed that the puritans demonstrate their principle that people can rescue themselves by their endeavor to the world from their own example. Although this thoughts had been praised excessively by the modern Americans and even came out a trend that they will force others to accept this idea. It is also cannot be ignored that the great influence to the American’s core value and the glorious effect to the evil power at that time.5 In Out of Our Past, Degler suggested that the main heritage, which the modern Americans inherited from their ancestors, is the individualism.6

3. The Transcendentalism is the Guiding Thought
The Americans hold the very strong individual personality, they think that they are quite unique and most important. As for the reason of this thinking, the transcendentalism maybe is a very leading factor. The transcendentalism is a philosophy and literature movement, sprang up in the late 1820s and the 1830s at the New England Region and led by Emerson and Thoreau. According to WIKIPEDIA, the disciple of the transcendentalism believed that when they are truly self-reliant and independent, they would reached their peak of life.7 Emerson described in his Self Reliance that “ Absolve you to yourself and you shall have the suffrage of the world” and “ No law can be scared to me but that of my nature. Good and bad are but names very readily transferable to that or this; the only right is that is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it.”8 It is can be concluded that the human can do anything and needn’t to be afraid of anyone who may become the barrier of your way to success, except the God and your own heart. In other words, you just need to do the right thing what you believe and it will be accept by the public at last. In addition, the law that make you restricted is not existed, you can simply follow your heart. That is to say, the individual is more important than everything in the world.
4. The Westward Movement is the Highlight
The Westward Movement can be defined as the movement that start from the independence of America to the Civil War and is a colonial expansion from the East to the West along the Atlantic Ocean. It is a great factor to American history and not only has huge influence on the extension of the territory of this country, but also play a leading role in the culture. Deng June Pointed our in the process of Westward Movement, the individual heroism had been developed tremendously. At first, when people went to the borderland to find a better life, they had to fight against the tough natural environment and coped with the various difficulties. Secondly, If they want to live a comfort life, they must make earn by themselves independently. For the reasons mentioned above, it seemed obviously that these ancestors lived a self-sufficient life through their strong beliefs and hardworking. From these successful model, the Americans were inspired enormously and convinced by the theory that you have to struggle alone and independently if you want make huge progress. She also mentioned that this thinking was revered by the Americans up to now. Moreover, the heroes who gain achievements by their own efforts are respected by the people.9
5. The “American Dream” is the conductor
It is hard to give a clear definition about “American Dream”. Actually, this concept may could be explained as a principle that human must strive by themselves all the time whatever there were any hardships or difficulties on condition that they want to achieve their own dreams. In addition, Adams and James Tmslow set a conception about “American Dream” in their book at 1931, it is elaborated in this way that in fascinated America, everyone would live a better, richer and more comfortable life. Furthermore, the more talented and more capable people, the more chances would be given to. Besides, in this social environment, the inherent status could be endowed to every man and woman and accepted by the society.10 From these definitions, it is easy to see that the individual heroism is embodied in “American Dream”, because individualism had get an adequate performance in it. However, hero is the incarnation of individualism and heroism is a form of individualism. Apart from that, the most representative characteristic of the individual heroism is the maximum utilization of personal ability. Meanwhile, this is the main peculiarity about “American Dream”.
B. The Development of Individual Heroism
After an value was formed, it must go through a series of developments and changes. Then it will become a mature value and be accepted by the people. So does same as the individual heroism, it is not be admired by the Americans as it turn up at the very beginning. As the core value of a country, its influence not only reflected in a single aspect, but in every field that may play a decisive role in a country. Individual heroism as the main value of American, its impact has permeate various domain, such as culture, economics, and politics. In the below, the development of individual heroism presented on these three aspects will be discussed.
1. In Cultural Development
As a national thought, its essence is a kind of culture or it can be said that involved in culture. And the culture also is a very wide concept and it contains abundant aspects. However, it is cannot be denied that the individual heroism did bring great influence to the culture and it also received the enormous development from all aspects of culture. Because this thesis is going to focus on the individual heroism from the Hollywood movies. Therefore, for the development of this thought in the culture, it will be discussed mostly in movie.
The movie, as a form of entertainment, has been accepted largely by the public in modern society. The modern people mostly have a lot of pressure whatever in works or life, even study, especially the young generation. So, it is inevitably that they need find a place to relax themselves and release the stress. Apparently, the cinema has became the very perfect place for them to go. Because in the cinema, they can throw them into the atmosphere of the movies and even become another man following the plot. Besides, they can totally leave the work aside and ignore the pressure from the daily life. Maybe its the charm of the movie. However, everything existed in the world has its deeper meaning. As for movie, entertaining the audience is a task of it, but not the first significant point. Spreading the values that the movie want to presented is the most important work. As usual, the value appeared in the movie should be the national value accepted by the people. On account of the movie is the part of national culture. Accordingly, the movie burden the responsibility to transmit the core value to the public.
In recent years, Hollywood movies has swept over the globe. As mentioned before, the movie has obligation to show the value to the viewers. And the individual heroism is the one of the core values of America. Hence, this value became a trend in the Hollywood movies. Yet it is not a new trend in the Hollywood movies, it came out early in the movie. As time goes by and the movie become more and more popular, this trend recognized by people little by little. Liu Jieliang indicated that the superman is the first comic book hero and the film about him could be the representative of the American individual heroism. The role of superman was first appeared in 1932 in the comic book. And this superman with special ability which the normal person could not have was ready for fight with the evil power at any time and protect the world at any cost. Because of this positive thinking and the bravery, it was approved by the people quickly and became a new trend or source material in the movies, cartoons, musical dramas and radio play. Under such kind of situation and trend, Hollywood launched the first Superman movie in the 1970s. After that, there was another 5 Super man movies were released by the Hollywood production companies. And every each one was admired by the people.11 Influenced by the fashion of the Superman movies, massive heroic movies was produced, such as Batman, Iron man, Captain America and etc. The heroes shown in these movies all have a common point that they have super power to fight with the vicious power and can win the victory at last in the battle. In addition, they always alone and without the outside help, yet they have a kind heart and they will try their best to help the innocent people and protect the world even sacrifice themselves at some times. However, with the passage of the time, the hero appeared in the Hollywood movies now has one or two partners too, such as The Avengers. In this movie, all the heroes cooperated together to fight against the evils and protect the earth’s safety. From the change of this point, it is seemed like that the individual heroism has also changed along with the movie or developed in the culture.
2. In Terms of Economic development
Since the first World War, the American economy was gave the rapid development and often rank the first place in the world. That’s the reason why the American people feel proud of their country. However, the American economy not always so strong that cannot be shake, it also has the difficult times. For example, the Great Depression and the period about the Economical Crisis in 2008 both gave the huge attack to America. Because of these strikes, the order of the American domestic economy has been put into the chaos and the