THE THEMES IN TODAY'S MEDIA
The need for civilisation - Gone (series)
"The Gone series is a young-adult dystopian science fiction book series written by Michael Grant. The first novel in the series, also entitled Gone, was originally published in 2008. The second book,Hunger, was released a year later, followed by the third book, Lies, on May 4, 2010. Book four, released on April 5, 2011, is titled Plague. Books 5 and 6 are entitled Fear and Light, and were published in 2012 and 2013 respectively" (Goodreads, 2015)
Book #1 - Synopsis
In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young.
There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else... (Goodreads, 2015).
Explanation: The synopsis provides all there is to know. This series represents the theme "the need for civilisation" because similarly to the Lord of the Flies, all the adults are gone and now, the teenagers and even younger need to come together to establish an order or their world will collapse.
Book #1 - Synopsis
In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young.
There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else... (Goodreads, 2015).
Explanation: The synopsis provides all there is to know. This series represents the theme "the need for civilisation" because similarly to the Lord of the Flies, all the adults are gone and now, the teenagers and even younger need to come together to establish an order or their world will collapse.
evil which lies within man - Anne Frank: Diary of a young girl
In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered in the "Secret Annexe" of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. (Goodreads, 2015)
Explanation: This movie represents the theme "evil which lies within man" because it touched on WWII and the holocaust. It gives a brief into the world of the Jews, how they were treated and tormented just for existing. It shows the evil within those clutching the guns and whips.
Explanation: This movie represents the theme "evil which lies within man" because it touched on WWII and the holocaust. It gives a brief into the world of the Jews, how they were treated and tormented just for existing. It shows the evil within those clutching the guns and whips.
Power and abuse of power - Death note
Yagami Light is a 17-year-old genius from Japan who is tired of his life, school, and the state of the world as he knows it. One day, on the way home from class, Light stumbles upon a dark notebook with "Death Note" written on the front. Intrigued by its appearance, Light reads the first few sentences, only to find out that it states that anyone whose name is written inside will die. Discarding it as a joke, Light continues his daily activities. Soon after though, his human curiosity takes the better of him and prompts Light to try the notebook, discovering the truth behind the first sentence. Now, with power in his hands, Yagami Light is on a quest to change the world and become God of the New World. His path to holy status won't be easy however, as another genius, known as L, is working against Light's beliefs and Light himself. Who will win this power of Gods between humans? (myanimelist.com, 2015)
Explanation: Death Note represents the theme "power and abuse of power" because Yagami Light, upon finding the book, uses it to kill criminals to his heart desire. He wanted to be god (Kami) of a new world where citizens are safe. People worshipped him but afterward, problem arises and he uses that power to try to eliminate it. His righteous goal turned upside down.
Explanation: Death Note represents the theme "power and abuse of power" because Yagami Light, upon finding the book, uses it to kill criminals to his heart desire. He wanted to be god (Kami) of a new world where citizens are safe. People worshipped him but afterward, problem arises and he uses that power to try to eliminate it. His righteous goal turned upside down.
fear of the unknown - Insidious chapter 3
A prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity. (IMDb, 2015)
Explanation: The movie Insidious Chapter 3 represents the theme "fear of the unknown" because since it is a horror movie, there is always a supernatural entity to taunt the characters and the fact that it is mysterious makes people fear of the idea, not the thing itself.
Explanation: The movie Insidious Chapter 3 represents the theme "fear of the unknown" because since it is a horror movie, there is always a supernatural entity to taunt the characters and the fact that it is mysterious makes people fear of the idea, not the thing itself.
the loss of innocence - the a team (ed sheeran)
The A Team by Ed Sheeran is about how a girl loses her innocence. She's addicted to drugs and she had to sells sex to people to afford more drugs.
Explanation: The song "The A-Team" represents the theme "loss of innocence" because we can see the life of a girl, taking an ugly turn for the worst as she struggles through life at such a young age, losing herself in another world.
Explanation: The song "The A-Team" represents the theme "loss of innocence" because we can see the life of a girl, taking an ugly turn for the worst as she struggles through life at such a young age, losing herself in another world.
Lyrics:
White lips, pale face
Breathing in snowflakes
Burnt lungs, sour taste
Light's gone, day's end
Struggling to pay rent
Long nights, strange men
And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to us
'Cause we're just under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams
And she don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland
Or sells love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
Angels to fly
Ripped gloves, raincoat
Tried to swim and stay afloat
Dry house, wet clothes
Loose change, bank notes
Weary-eyed, dry throat
Call girl, no phone
And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to us
'Cause we're just under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams
And she don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland
Or sells love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
An angel will die
Covered in white
Closed eye
And hoping for a better life
This time, we'll fade out tonight
Straight down the line
And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
They scream
The worst things in life come free to us
And we're all under the upper hand
Go mad for a couple grams
And we don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe we fly to the Motherland
Or sell love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
Angels to fly
To fly, fly
For angels to fly, to fly, to fly
For angels to die(azlyrics.com, 2010)
White lips, pale face
Breathing in snowflakes
Burnt lungs, sour taste
Light's gone, day's end
Struggling to pay rent
Long nights, strange men
And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to us
'Cause we're just under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams
And she don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland
Or sells love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
Angels to fly
Ripped gloves, raincoat
Tried to swim and stay afloat
Dry house, wet clothes
Loose change, bank notes
Weary-eyed, dry throat
Call girl, no phone
And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
And they scream
The worst things in life come free to us
'Cause we're just under the upper hand
And go mad for a couple grams
And she don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe she flies to the Motherland
Or sells love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
An angel will die
Covered in white
Closed eye
And hoping for a better life
This time, we'll fade out tonight
Straight down the line
And they say
She's in the Class A Team
Stuck in her daydream
Been this way since eighteen
But lately her face seems
Slowly sinking, wasting
Crumbling like pastries
They scream
The worst things in life come free to us
And we're all under the upper hand
Go mad for a couple grams
And we don't want to go outside tonight
And in a pipe we fly to the Motherland
Or sell love to another man
It's too cold outside
For angels to fly
Angels to fly
To fly, fly
For angels to fly, to fly, to fly
For angels to die(azlyrics.com, 2010)