Impassioned Pleas

Strong Examples

None of the following examples provides a singular exemplar worthy of imitation in every respect. Some masterfully employ salient verbs and modifiers to create pathos, others prove simultaneously precise and concise, and a few evince expert grammar and diction. They all, however, say something specific, expressing an idea inflected by their own perspective. Please, look over several of these to calibrate your own efforts in generating an Impassioned Plea. (You might also check out a video or two, so as to better understand to what, exactly, a given plea responded.)

Motivation Matters / Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing (1989)

The clashing responses to injustice held by Malcolm X and Dr. King do not remain irreconcilable, but instead represent two necessary components of morality. However, history proclaims that neither revenge nor forgiveness alone can remedy injustice. It is their intersection alone that can truly cure the blight of offense, which manifests in the perfect love of self-sacrifice. Choosing to forgive, yet satisfying justice by bearing its consequences breaks the cycle of revenge, which Mookie could have accomplished by interceding for Sal at the cost of his own reputation. Instead, Mookie allows the consequences to fall upon Sal, perpetuating the cycle of injustice and revenge.
Identities complicate what's wrong and right, especially in immigrant identities. The “right thing” in immigrant communities often creates tension between the first and second generations. The first generation typically believes that working hard to overcome obstacles is the right thing, while their children think those obstacles need to be fought against. New generations feel “generational rage”, or the build-up rage from years of oppression in their communities. Rebelling against, or “doing the right thing” is not only complicated by the system , but by older generations telling activists that the response to their shared problem is not right.

The Slow Speed of Sci-Fi / Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris (1972)

Among the hard-hitting moments in “Solaris” (of which there were many), perhaps one of the most jarring was Tarkovsky’s juxtaposition of the bustling city landscape with Kris’s peaceful home. Tarkovsky’s viewpoint here seems to perfectly parallel Wordsworth’s in “Tintern Abbey”, suggesting that peace can only truly be found through connection with nature. He conveys this primarily through thoughtful use of sound; as he transitions from cityscape to nature, a deafening cacophony of daunting, spine-chilling sounds abruptly reveals a lasting silence. After such horrifying sounds, the silence doesn’t make the viewer feel lonely or isolated, but instead peaceful, with a feeling of resolution.
Is extravagant adventure unnecessary in sci-fi? Solaris left me with existential questions and a substantial emotional reaction to its ending. Still, calling it a good movie seems odd, because throughout the 2h 47m runtime I was miserable. Solaris was painfully slow, and ignoring the bland viewing experience because the film had some interesting ideas does a disservice to epic contemplative sci-fi experiences like Ad Astra, Bladerunner 2049, Interstellar, and Arrival. These films pose thought provoking questions like Solaris, but do so through engaging futuristic stories of adventure. A great contemplative sci-fi film must also be somewhat piquant, and Solaris misses the mark.

Murder and the Übermensch / Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948)

I am disturbed greatly by any eugenics-adjacent philosophy and how seemingly easy it can be for some people to get on board with the idea. No matter how "fair" it could be made, the framework of any eugenicist/population-control concept cannot be applied to any society without massive consequence. In my opinion, eugenics cannot receive a bad enough characterization, and even the newer concept of "modern eugenics" (i.e. the systemic elimination of hereditary disease through gene therapy) must be treated very carefully.
It’s always alarming to learn how easily a single idea can be warped into something far more nefarious. Neitzsche presents the Übermensch as an enlightened being: untethered from traditional morality, and free to act as he pleases. He did not anticipate the extremes to which this mindset would be taken. It’s unsurprising, however, as the very notion of superiority is problematic and encourages an “Us versus Them” mentality. The übermensch may not have been intended to act as the basis for Nazi ethnic cleansing and the slaughter of millions, but that’s exactly what it will forever be synonymous with.

What Is Love? / Ingmar Bergman's Through a Glass Darkly (1961)

In my view, "Through a Glass Darkly" by Ingmar Bergman presents a brutally honest and polarizing portrayal of love through Karin and Minus' relationship. Bergman depicts love as an emotion that is often fraught with complexities and contradictions, and can be both life-affirming and destructive. Minus' well-intentioned but ultimately misguided attempts to help his sister reveal the darker side of love, where selfishness, control, and co-dependency can lead to tragic consequences. Bergman's exploration of love in this film is a stark reminder of how the very emotion that brings us the most joy can also cause us the most pain. Through Karin and Minus' story, Bergman challenges us to examine our own relationships and the power dynamics that underpin them.
Through a Glass Darkly muddies the waters in showcasing the relationship between God and Love. While David argues that God is love and Love is God, the film and his actions do the opposite. None of the characters in the film show a form of real love. The motivation behind each character's attempts at love are all inherently flawed and show an innate form of pride, envy, and self-seeking desire. Martin is filled with pride in taking care of his wife, David uses his relationships to forward his writing in a selfish manner, and Minus is envious of personal intimacy.

The Evolution of Action: Mimi Leder's The Peacemaker (1997)

While I appreciate Leder’s commitment to changing the narrative of the typical woman lead in an action film, I left the theater feeling annoyed by the way Dr. Kelly was written to compliment Devoe’s brash personality. Realistically, this movie did not do enough to deconstruct the female stereotype of being the calm, anti-violence character that has to reign in her male counterpart. Although Dr. Kelly is quick on her feet, the only groundbreaking part of her role is that the audience gets to see a semi-realistic depiction of what it’s like as a woman in a position of power.
Despite recent progress made towards more empowered and complex representations of women in action films, there are still some ways in which the portrayal of women has not changed over time. Females remain largely characterized by their physical appearance and occupy less significant roles than men. While actresses like Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron may play intelligent and well-developed characters in modern films, a heroine who is anything but white, thin, and beautiful is much harder to find. Furthermore, current action blockbusters continue to fail the simple Bechdel test, indicating that female roles are far less meaningful than their male counterparts.