Written Analysis 1

The film “Star Wars” has became very iconic in our culture.  It spawned seven films, and soundtracks, several video games, and several books.  It has created many iconic characters, and in doing so, has also created many iconic stars.  It has become so iconic in itself, that it is referenced and parodied in other forms of media.

One myth is that “Star Wars” is just childish, according to an article by Andrew Gordon when writing about critics opinions.  If “Star Wars” is childish then why is it so popular amongst adults?  It’s a fairy tale.  And that, in my opinion, is why it’s so popular.  Fairy tales have always been popular because of the imagination they create.  “Star Wars” is a mythological story that takes place in a galaxy far far away amongst different creatures.  To me, this is a concept of “humanity” – being able to get along with each other regardless of race, which most people want.  It also expresses battles between good and evil which we all have.  We all struggle with the dark side at some point.  We all want what’s right to be done, but at the same time some things that are wrong to do is also intrigueing to us, which leads us all down the wrong path in life. and who doesn’t want to fly an x-wing or the millennium falcon?

Men want to be Luke Skywalker or Han Solo.  Women want to be Princess Leia.  Some people even want the powers of the Jedi or even the powers of Darth Vader.  There was a point in my life where I felt a little bit like Darth Vader: confused, and angry.  What really makes these characters so iconic?  I think for some, we can relate to them.  Luke Skywalker is just a kid from Tatooine not knowing much about what his future will bring until he meets Obi-Wan.  Several of us live life day-by-day until suddenly something happens that changes that.  Darth Vader is just a confused and sad character consumed by the dark side because he didn’t want his wife to die and he wanted to be a jedi master and the council wouldn’t let him.  Several of us feel like we don’t get the chance we feel we rightfully deserve.  It then causes us to be angry and upset.  Han Solo is just a guy who is able to take care of things on his own.  He may be selfish, but who doesn’t want to take care of things on their own?  We can relate to all these characters in some way.  Perhaps that is what makes them so iconic.

References

Gordon, Andrew. (1978, Fall). Star Wars: A Myth For Our Time. Retrieved from http://users.clas.ufl.edu/agordon/starwars.htm