Post 1: The Myth of the Noble/ Good Savage

The Myth of the Noble/ Good Savage

1) Definition:

Noble savage, in literature, an idealized concept of uncivilized man, who symbolizes the innate goodness of one not exposed to the corrupting influences of civilization. The glorification of the noble savage is a dominant theme in the Romantic writings of the 18th and 19th centuries, especially in the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.The noble savage is portrayed as ignorant and simple-minded but simultaneously uncorrupted by any of the moral failings of modern civilization possessing an innate wisdom and connection to nature.

2) The illustration of the Myth in movies or books:

    Let's star from the beginning, Jean-Jacques Rousseau , Enlightenment philosopher, believed there to be a distinction between human nature and society. Taking inspiration from John Locke, he believed that human beings where inherently peaceful. He also thank that the original “man” was free from sin, appetite of power or the concept of right and wrong, and that those deemed “savages” were not brutal but noble. 

   He considered it in Emile, ou de l'Education (1762), Reveries of a Solitary Walker (1782) and Confessions (1768). 
  He argued that in the state of nature humans were governed by two instincts: self-preservation and pity for others. But when we started to use our minds, we worried about the future. That’s when all the trouble began. We sought private property to give us personal security. And in the process, we became selfish and put ourselves as individuals in conflict with others. We created comfort that cut us off from our natural world and our natural selves. Civilization was the enemy of our virtue. So he said that is the society who installed us the immoral qualities as greed, jealousy... 
    In a nutshell, the ‘myth of the Noble Savage’ is the belief that the mind of man is a blank slate at birth—pure, noble, spiritually connected to nature, and naturally caring toward other creatures. It is modern society, the environment, and European civilization in particular that lead to violence and debasement of this once innocent blank slate.
     
     Avatar propagated the myth of the Noble Savage installing a lost paradise inhabited by noble savages. Without spoiling too much of the plot, the main character of Avatar is a marine who work for an evil corporation on the utopian planet of Pandora. The Eurocentric corporation is trying to extract a mineral from the planet, and in doing so, decides it must “ethnically cleanse” the Na’vi, the race of gigantic blue hominids that inhabit the planet. Meanwhile, the marine becomes involved in a scientific-ambassador program that  immerse him in their utopian native culture. He gradually learns their ways, and realizes that their world is far better than the life he led on Earth. In the final scenes of the movie, he fights alongside the Na’vi in a war against the humans, and in a battle scene, the villainous head of the corporate army asks the hero “how does it feel to betray your race!”
    Personally speaking, I believe that Avatar incarnates the myth of the Noble Savage. First of all, it is worth considering that this utopian world can be compare to the "état de nature". Even if this concept doesn't exist, here we refer to them to imagine a state of nature human who hasn't been civilize. 
   Secondly, we have the Na'vi that incarnates the "noble" savage. They picture us an innocent civilisation who lives in harmony before the arrive of the "society".
    Lastly, we expose us through this evil corporation the society that destroy, shatter and annihilate a beautiful world where everyone lived in peace. The arrived of this people cause in the audience a feeling of anger and injustice. 
       To sum up, I believed that this movie really represent the idea of Rousseau.