Critical Analysis Response to Text: Return of the King
Peter Jackson had directed the movie Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King with characters that consider making important personal sacrifices by taking responsibility that may mean their own demise. Aragorn is one of the characters that take such a risk and learn to take responsibility for the good of mankind and if he should fail then mankind would not exist. He takes responsibility for the great of mankind and that of Arwen. Only he has the power to bring victory to the battle at Minas Tirith.
Throughout the movie series Aragorn had resisted the idea of becoming King of Gondor because he felt that if he should be in a moment of temptation, he might give in like his ancestor did with the Ring. He had ended up being one of the main people who had made the decisions based on war and such, this proved that he was King material. When Aragorn made a decision, it was based on what was good for the people and of mankind. Before the eve of the ride out to the final battle, Aragorn had a dream in that Sauron took over Middle Earth and then Arwen died from Sauron’s evil rule and he woke up angry. Peter Jackson put this in because it showed how much Aragorn wanted to put an end to Sauron and the evil. It was at this point that Aragorn is determined on saving Arwen by winning the battle against Sauron but his hope was lost since they did not have enough men. Just as he had awoken he was brought to a visitor: Elrond. Elrond had explained that if they were to win this war they had needed more men and that there is an alliance that dwells in the mountain. However, Aragorn only states that those in the mountain are murderers and traitors. They don’t believe in anything and answer to now one. Elrond then says that they will answer to the King of Gondor; then presents Aragorn with Anduril, the reforged shards of Narsil (the sword that removed the Ring from Sauron by his ancestor). With this blade, Aragorn and summon up an army that even Sauron cannot withstand. Elrond stated to Aragorn that it is time to put aside the Ranger, and that it is time to become who he was born to be; the King of Gondor. Aragorn had been pushed to this moment by many people in that he would not have made this choice in the first or second movie. Elrond may seem like the person who did give Aragorn the biggest push toward becoming King but it was Arwen. Aragorn loved her and he wanted her to live so he made this decision based on the victory of mankind, but mostly for Arwen to live through this darkness. Aragorn took responsibility for his people and for Arwen and accepted his destiny to be the King of Gondor.
Now that Aragorn had accepted the responsibility of becoming King, Aragorn went into the Dead Mountain saying I do not fear death. This is significant because he does not care what happens to him as long as it benefits the good of mankind and is taking on his responsibility. When Aragorn is talking to the King of Dead he says that he can fulfill their oaths but the King of Dead replied back only the King of Gondor may command him. Aragorn showed his blade to that army and got their attention by showing that Anduril is real and orders them as their master to join him on the battlefield of Minas Tirith and once they destroy the enemy, he will fulfill their oath. The Black fleet was on its way South of Minas Tirith and when the boats stopped, Aragorn, along with Legolas as Gimli right behind him, headed straight for the crowd of Orcs right in front of them. Then the Army of the Dead appears. Peter Jackson has Aragorn leading the way because that shows that Aragorn is wanting to take the lead, which is a King’s duty.
After winning the battle, Aragorn fulfills the Dead Army’s oath. If he was not ready to be King then the oath would not be fulfilled because then Aragorn was not serious about becoming King but the oath was fulfilled and so this proves that he has taken responsibility. Peter Jackson had also shown how Aragorn will not stop part way but go the full length to save his people by his self sacrifice. Aragorn takes responsibility as a friend to Frodo and Sam by planning to distract Sauron long enough so Frodo and Sam could make it to Mount Doom without being seen by the Eye. Late at night, Aragorn used the Palantir to tempt Sauron by saying that the Dark Lord had haunted him and has long eluded him but no more. He shows Sauron Anduril and then Sauron shows a vision of Arwen dead and that Aragorn drops the seeing stone and shatters the Evenstar. Aragorn’s trick worked and the fields of Mordor emptied. He builds an army of the remaining armies and heads to the Black Gates, leading them while wearing a King’s amour. When there, Aragorn makes a speech saying “I see fear in their eyes, the same fear that would take the heart of him. But not this day, as today, the age of men won’t fall, as today – they fight!” The Eye of Sauron then glares at Aragorn, taunting him. Aragorn had walked slowly toward the Eye as if in a trance. He then turned slowly around to face Gandalf, and said this is for Frodo. Then he charges at the Mordor army, which is about 10000 times bigger than their army. He had taken responsibility for his people and for Frodo and Sam, his friends even when his own demise was not looking good.
Aragorn did not suddenly choose to take responsibility but rather he was pushed towards it. With every event that had occurred over time and the people around him, it made him realize that he must take responsibility for the good of mankind, the outcome of the war, and the success of Frodo and Sam by becoming King. Peter Jackson refers to Aragorn taking responsibility for others by becoming the King of Gondor.
Personal Response to Falling on Cedars
When one takes responsibility, it is normally through the guilt one has about what he or she has done. In the short story Falling on Cedars by David Guterson, Hatsue is a young woman who is about to deal with her childish decisions and so she must take responsibility from her actions and decide how to fix the issue(s). Her mother, Fujiko, had found about her love affair with Ishmael Chambers and feels deceived about Hatsue’s actions and forces Hatsue to make a decision of what she wants in life, Ishmael or to grow up and move on.
When Hatsue was a young girl, she started seeing Ishmael Chambers and the “couple” never told anyone about them. Perhaps a reason for them not telling anyone would be because the parents would not allow it or they felt this affair gave them the feeling of being on the bad side. The bad side always seems more tempting because as a teenager all you want is freedom from parents and self liberty. Being bad is great for a bit but then the guilt starts to set in. Hatsue and Ishmael had been seeing each other for a few years but during that time Hatsue was starting to feel guilt towards Fujiko. Fujiko felt that Hatsue was deceiving Fujiko in that Hatsue did not tell Fujiko about Hatsue’s romance. Hatsue wanted to tell her mother, but never had the guts to do it. It’s almost like when you are skydiving and at the jumping moment, you cannot bring yourself to do it. Of course skydiving is physical and not mental but it is relatively has the same feeling. For years Hatsue wanted to tell Fujiko but never could do it and every time she had failed to do so the guilt grew more and more. When Fujiko read a letter addressed to Hatsue from Ishmael she felt very deceived but her daughter. She had confronted Hatsue and told that she could no longer receive letters from his or write to him; but worst of all Fujiko told her that not only had she deceived her but also Hatsue herself. There is no worse feeling as a kid, teenager and even as an adult is when you disappoint someone you love very much. Hatsue had disappointed her mother. It is almost like a rock crushing you from the inside out while falling indefinitely.
After the mother-daughter confrontation Hatsue started to realize many things. She realized that she must take responsibility of her actions and it was the mature thing to do. First, she had to acknowledge what was done and know that there is no way to change the events that happened. This is where the stretched out stories come in and trying to make the events look not as bad or to his or her own fault. For Hatsue she knew that her affair was childish and it was not right to keep her mother or his parents in the dark about them. Secondly Hatsue had to know how she felt about everything. While she was on the bus on the way home all she could think about was Ishmael and how she felt about everything and whether or not she loved him. This is important when accepting responsibility because it is done on a personal level. Only the person themselves know what is right and what is wrong for them so the external forces will not change their mind about how they feel. Once they know how they feel then the person must make a decision on his or her own accord to what they must do in order to achieve responsibility. Making a decision is never as easy as it looks. The stress builds up along with the different emotions which makes it more difficult to make the choice. Hatsue had to choose if she wanted to stay with Ishmael even though she did not fully love him or to move on in life; she chose to move on in life. Hatsue told her mother that it never really felt right with him and she knows that he would not end up being her husband later in life. She and Ishmael had their fun as children but they were now adults and things would be different and not the same. The process of becoming an adult is stressful in that people are always watching you to see if you choose the right thing to do in that society. To Hatsue and to Fujiko, she had made the wise choice; she had thought about her future and her present. All that was left was to do something about the situation. Hatsue had decided to do the mature thing and write him an honest letter. A letter that contained her honest feelings about how she felt guilty of deceiving her mother, her lost feelings towards him even though he was a great guy, and about how it was better for both of them. Hatsue had took responsibility of her actions through acknowledgment, assessment of her feelings and her choice that she made to put her error behind her and to move on in life.
Taking responsibility is not an easy thing to do because the truth hurts and it is never easy to admit that you have done something wrong in your life. It may take losing a friend for someone to realize that it was their mistake and they must act upon their responsibility to fix the mess they have caused. Hatsue had taken responsibility of her deceitful actions with Ishmael and had reconciled with her mother Fujiko. Everyone learns from their mistakes and after taking responsibility the individual will feel much better as they have done the right thing.
