Firefly

Westerns have come a long way since the silent film days and the original western, The Great Train Robbery in 1903. Today, modern technology has allowed westerns to become more thrilling, more daring, and more action packed than ever before, and none of this is more true than for Django Unchained(2012) directed by Quentin Tarantino and the TV show Firefly(2002), created by Joss Whedon. While both embrace new and interesting twists to the genre, both still feature many of the classic themes featured throughout all films in the western genre, including the setting, the characterization, and the essential plot lines. There is something about a western film that makes them so easily identifiable to even the common viewer. The most recurring and iconic conventions used in almost every western ever created is implemented though the mise-en-scene,…

take a concept already established and mold it into a finished product. Once he got his own shows and movies, he was able to apply his own concepts through social performance. Social performance emphasizes the idea that “leaders need to be able to communicate their own vision to others. Skill in persuasion and communicating is essential to do this” (Northouse 50). Conveying his vision was the top priority as both a writer and a director. Since he was so specific with what he wanted and how he…

it still gave you a feeling of content every time you heard it. That is the feeling I get when I hear “Firefly” by Owl City. Even though that song came out in 2009, I have never gotten tired of hearing it. This is because of several reasons, including the overall way that the song sounds to me, the effect the lyrics have on my current mood, and the memories that have been created while…

Extra Credit Grave of the Fireflies After being a long-time fan of Studio Ghibli, I must confess that I’ve never watched Grave of the Fireflies before, until now. The whole movie is based on a narration of Seita’s spirit accounting the events that happened before and after the bombings in the city. During the bombings, Seita’s mother died trying to reach shelter. It was a strong movie to watch, the dead children ashes in the candy, and the fireflies flying… too much. (loved that scene). Anyhow,…

Of all the animated films I have ever watched, I feel that The Grave of the Fireflies is the most eerie. This is the second time I have watched the film and each time I feel like I have learned something else about the time period and people. The movie is about two orphaned children named Seita and Setsuko and their struggles to live during World War II. It is very disturbing to me because instead of this film showing the point of view from adults it’s from the view of children. The brutality…

the backdrop of war, it is the pretense of pride and glory that obscures the judgment of society from its moral priorities. Grave of the Fireflies is an animated film directed by Isao Takahata that recounts the final moments of two orphaned siblings, Seita and Setsuko, as they struggle to survive the firebombs of Kobe, Japan. Set in a difficult period of war, Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies explores the perversion of moral values when civilians conform to the misconstrued concept of…

Choy and Jun’ichiro Tanizaki, authors of “Red Cranes” and “The Firefly Hunt,” respectively, both write about characters similar in age, personality, and culture; however, the authors take different approaches in developing and presenting their characters to the reader. While their characters share a youthful, energetic, and curious personality, Choy and Tanizaki use several different methods to develop such characters over the course of their stories. While Choy uses Mie’s interactions with…

People are often surprised to learn there are many different kinds of firefly, not just one. In fact, there are nearly 2,000 firefly species sprinkled across the globe. Collectively, fireflies stretch from Tierra del Fuego at 55° south latitude to Sweden at 55° north latitude, gracing every continent save Antarctica. As is true for most liv- ing things, firefly diversity rises in the tropics, peaking in tropical Asia and South America: Brazil alone hosts 350 different firefly species. There…

Firefly: The Best of both Worlds Popular culture introduces individuals to communities, heck it helps create communities. Think about the TV shows and the bands you like, you are drawn to others who also enjoy those things, right? Just like fables and fairytales, shows like Firefly, the Simpsons, Parks and Rec, or Avatar bring people together through common interests and viewings. TV shows and movies have created huge communities around them and have given people who are literally across the…

Choy’s “Red Cranes” and Jun’ichiro Tanizaki’s “The Firefly Hunt” are two different short stories which center around the idea of a child’s imagination. For Mie, she is a realist. Despite knowing that a red crane is difficult to spot, she continuously searches for it regardless. As for Sachiko, she is an idealistic person. Through her experience finding a firefly, her surroundings are described in a dream-like state. Similar to Sachiko, Mie is extremely…