|
|
Post by Jason Parris on Nov 19, 2013 20:43:13 GMT
Consider the value and function of literary tragedy; why do we pay perfectly good money to watch The Titanic sink again and again, knowing full well the outcome and its effect on our emotions?
|
|
|
|
Post by betsyrahe on Nov 19, 2013 21:26:34 GMT
Whenever I watch Titanic I think for a mere moment I believe that maybe this time they all won't tragically drown. We continue to watch these sad movies that we know will make us cry because as humans we are fascinated with death. It's like we enjoy to watch ourselves go through the emotions of watching others go through a tragedy. It's why we continue to write and create these tragic stories. We are expressing our own fascination and emotions tied together with tragedy. Tragedies are often a "universal emotion" everyone in their life will experience a tragedy of some kind. To release these emotions we express ourselves through art, but then why do we enjoy to watch these expressions of tragedy? I think we might think that just for a moment that it won't happen. The titanic won't sink, and then all the tragedy in our own lives won't happen/didn't happen. However, when that doesn't happen we still continue.
|
|
|
|
Post by moreno on Nov 19, 2013 22:38:13 GMT
I've wrestled with this question for years. I guess my only conclusion is that we are fascinated by the things that are unknown to us. Most people expirience something tragic at some point in their lives, whether it is first hand or something they heard about. However, the tragedies portrayed in books and movies are more exaggerated and rare than those that happen to the average person. Obviously the movie Titanic depicts actual events, but it is not everyday that something that big happens. I think it is safe to say that most people do not experience something to that level. As a result, we enjoy reading and watching things about tragedies because we can not personally relate. Tragedies on those levels are unfamiliar to us, and therefore more interesting. As to why we watch them over and over again... I do not have a concrete answer. I agree with Betsey that we think the outcome may change each time, but the fact that we have the same emotions over and over again is facilitating. All I can say is that I know we enjoy reading and watching things that do not impact us directly.
|
|
|
|
Post by hannahlewman on Nov 19, 2013 23:59:47 GMT
Most of us acknowledge that we take life for granted most of the time. It's difficult to always pay attention to and appreciate every last detail, every little supporting character in life. When something tragic occurs, people become more aware of their own mortality and temporarily show a much larger appreciation for everything in their lives. After a tragic event, people are much more likely to hug their loved ones and tell their friends how much they appreciate them. As time goes on, this appreciation wears off as death falls out of the foreground. We go back to living ungratefully. Literary tragedy lets us have this wake-up call, this moment of "wow. I need to stop taking my life for granted" without the price, without the loss of human life, the disease, the natural disaster. Basically, it's a free lesson. We watch repeatedly in the hopes of renewing our appreciation. We know it's temporary, that our sadness after watching the Titanic won't make us say "I love you" to our family every day, but it will do it temporarily. So long as we keep refreshing ourselves with new tragedy, we continue to get "wake up calls" at no cost.
|
|
|
|
Post by cassiecumberland on Nov 20, 2013 0:13:08 GMT
I, too, wrestle with this because I cry at a lot of stuff. I cried during "Bridesmaids"-a comedy, and I don't know why. I believe that literary tragedy is present so we ask these questions like "why does this affect me the way it does?" I, being a moral critic, also find this true of moral critique. I think that tragedy and morals somewhat go hand in hand. Both ideas thrown into literature serve to provoke some understanding, questioning, mind-blowing, or something of the sorts within the reader. I have never seen the titanic, but I believe we watch it to humble ourselves. We, in the least morbid way, need bad things, tragic things, to happen to us so we can understand. Although I don't understand why I cried during "Bridesmaids," because I cried, I am forced to dig deeper within myself to question humanity and more specifically myself.
|
|
|
|
Post by sheridanf on Nov 20, 2013 0:16:22 GMT
Perhaps we seem to be so obsessed with literary tragedy because we like to feel those awful, heart-wrenching emotions. We like to be able to feel those tears in the corners of our eyes that will later provoke us to say an extra "I love you." We like to feel our stomach flop and our heart pound. Our lives are generally- and thankfully- tragedy-free and safe and can sometimes feel a bit boring. We watch and read and listen to so many tragic stories because we want that bit of momentary excitement in an otherwise normal day. But this same fact could ring true if we lived a life full of tragedy without any of that safety. Movies became popular because they became a form of escape from a reality filled with struggle and hardship. Even if we didn't live normal or boring lives, we'd still love those literary tragedies, because those exciting emotions we feel are the same emotions that someone else reading/watching the tragedy would feel, and that human connection is a break from the usual things that life brings. So, overall, literary tragedies provide us with a means of escaping reality (whether that reality is filled with hardship or not), which is why we love them so much.
|
|
|
|
Post by emilybrinkmann on Nov 20, 2013 0:20:03 GMT
I have no idea why I have watched the titanic over and over again but at least once a year I find myself sitting down and putting time into watching a boat sink. The one reason I can justify this within myself is the way Rose and Jack live life to the fullest not knowing whats in store for them. The excitement of defying society and falling in love. That scene when Rose leaves her fancy dinner to dance with Jack is my favorite part, the part that makes me watch the tragedy that follows repeatedly. I think that we put ourselves through watching this because it helps us wrap our heads around the whole thing. We all know that one day we will all die, and that life isn't fair and some lives are cut short. But we have to keep on living and going on with our lives, and the Titanic is such a great example because it illustrates two people who did just that, they lived (well before they died). I don't necessarily know why we continue to read, write, and watch tragedies but all I know is that when I do, I try to see the life and the beauty in it before the death. When I think of Romeo and Juliet, I think of the epic love story before I think of how they both ended up dead. This doesn't make their death any less tragic, it just makes me believe in living life before the inevitable death.
|
|
Kasey
New Member
Posts: 31 
|
Post by Kasey on Nov 20, 2013 0:23:04 GMT
Admittedly I've never seen the titanic.
Humans are obsessed with tragedy. Our minds are automatically going to remember the horrible and wicked over the beautiful and sweet. That's how they're wired to keep us safe. Crying also releases endorphins and the chemicals that make you sad literally go out with your tears. For that reason, it doesn't strike me odd at all that we'll pay to see the same ship sink over and over. Who doesn't like a good cry every once in a while?
|
|
|
|
Post by Lauren on Nov 20, 2013 0:26:24 GMT
I had never thought about literary Tragedy being a free life lesson, but now I agree with Hannah. I think we always want to feel that overwhelming appreciation for life that we get after being hit with tragedy, but never want to go through the events that give us that feeling. But I also think we can use LT to distract us from whatever tragedy we are dealing with currently. By watching Jack slowly die we can feel the pain and sorrow we might be dealing with in real life but don't want to admit. Another reason I think we re-watch these movies is because (contrary to Betsy's thoughts) we know how the story is going to end. There's no uncertainty of the life long problems that go along with the Tragedy because the novel ended, the movie stopped, and the characters are no longer part of our lives. In real life, the tragic events we witness or are involved in don't end once the storm stops, or crash is cleaned up. They have life long implications that will always haunt us. We would rather chose to ignore these implications so we continue to re-watch tragedies to try to trick ourselves into thinking that our lives could be as simple as in movies.
|
|
|
|
Post by jessicalee on Nov 20, 2013 0:41:30 GMT
I would almost say that we have an intrinsic affinity towards toying with our emotions. I second many of the opinions that state that we are fascinated by experiencing emotions unfamiliar to us. But, I believe that this fascination serves a deeper purpose: the inclination we have towards literary tragedy serves to prepare ourselves for the future. The thought behind this notion is that perhaps if we expose ourselves to these hidden tragic emotions, we can build some sort of barrier to protect us for the time when we experience tragedies on our own. Similar to Hannah's statement that tragedies are a "free lesson", tragedies serve to unlock the emotions that we are unfamiliar with. I believe that everyone will encounter tragedy at one point or another (especially since death is an inevitable part of life). But because of what we learn from literary tragedies, we will be (at least a little bit) more ready to face it when it comes to us.
|
|
|
|
Post by yongkim on Nov 20, 2013 1:11:50 GMT
Literary tragedies remind us of our own lives in some way. Despite the sadness they induce, tragedies tend to be very popular because it is a way to reflect on the important relationships in our lives. As Hannah stated before me, the viewer or reader is able to experience the emotional toll of a sad or dreadful event without actually having any real involvement with it. Often times we find ourselves counting our blessings after watching a tragedy. The negative emotions that come along with sad movies or books force people to think more critically about their situation; thus, individuals learn (at least for a moment) to appreciate the relationships they posses more in order to avoid what occurred in tragedy.
|
|
rishi
New Member
Posts: 38 
|
Post by rishi on Nov 20, 2013 1:17:42 GMT
I agree with Morgan when she says that we enjoy watching movies like Titanic because it depicts a situation that will likely never occur to many of us. Without watching movies like this, we would not be able to "feel" what the people of the Titanic experienced, and that type of feeling is unique. However, I disagree with Morgan when she says that we enjoy the things we cannot relate with. I think that one of the reasons why we consider the Titanic (the movie) tragic is because of its romantic aspect. We can all relate to the concept of love, whether it is for someone or something, and we have all made sacrifices for it. Jack's sacrifice at the end of the movie is, of course, the ultimate sacrifice. It is what makes the movie even more tragic, but through this tragedy, we are reminded that many of the sacrifices we make are admirable, just as Jack's sacrifice was. This concept of sacrifice, in a less severe form, is something we can relate to and why we continue to repeatedly watch movies like Titanic.
|
|
|
|
Post by pjharris on Nov 20, 2013 1:29:51 GMT
For the record, only seen it once; won't see it again. I refuse to watch it again for that scene where the mother tucks her children into bed. That scene hits home with me (similarly, why I cried in Windjammers yesterday at that last song we sang, for those six of you). I see myself as a very maternal person. When one of my own is taken away I feel the need to go to great lengths to secure their well being. Seeing another maternal figure go through that and giving in, preparing her babies for the end, breaks my heart in a way I (though I have not yet been a mother) feel I relate in, if only in a fractional way.
Humans are attracted to literary (or film) tragedies because we are conditioning ourselves. Once we are faced with the possibility that such threats exist we want to prepare. Humans love to be prepared. We ask every question we can about an essay, we practice before a game and we start selling Christmas things in October. So experiencing these tragedies that aren't currently affecting us alerts us to the possibilities, gives us an example of one way to deal with it, and allows us time, however long it is, to prepare for how we would react. It trains us to know when to run from the boogy-man, when to call the cops, and when standing your ground is wise or not in the face of danger.
Reflecting now upon that, perhaps I should watch Titanic again...
|
|
|
|
Post by Lacey Doby on Nov 20, 2013 1:37:38 GMT
I, personally, have never seen the Titanic because I am afraid to. I hear about people sitting alone in their room next to a mountain of wadded tissues and a half empty tub of ice cream just sobbing their eyes out while watching these emotional movies they have already seen dozens of times, and it just doesn't seem like something I would enjoy.
However, I am not just talking about one person in their room drowning in a salty downpour they brought on themselves, a lot of people seem to do this. I thought I would never understand it until I heard the song 13 Horses by Alexander Rybak. I listened to that song so many times, and every time, it squeezed a few tears out of me.
I didn't listen to the song because I enjoyed the mood it put me in, but rather because it was an emotional thrill. Listening to that song and feeling my emotions bubble up without my control...it was exciting.
Humans are thrill seekers, that's why we enjoy roller coasters and watch horror movies and subject ourselves to haunted houses. I think watching or listening to a tragedy that amplifies our emotions so much is another form of thrill. I'm not really sure if it is tragedy that people are addicted to, though, I think it is that emotional explosion that people are so fond of.
|
|
|
|
Post by madisonarmst on Nov 20, 2013 1:37:53 GMT
Clearly, we don't pay to see the Titanic over and over again for the surprise element. Nobody is shocked when the ship sinks. We do continue to be fascinated by tragedies such as the sinking of the Titanic because we need to add a human element to these tragedies in order to understand them. When we hear stats such as "5,000 dead due to storm", we often think they are sad and unfortunate, but are able to move on with our day: we don't truly comprehend how many lives that is. We can't possibly comprehend that each of those 5,000 people have many who loved and cared about them. If we could understand the magnitude of this, we would probably all be depressed. Movies like the Titanic reinforce this. Through out the movie, we come to know and love Jack and Rose as a couple. When they turn to each other during their final moments and Jack sacrifices his own life to save Rose, it brings us to tears. Instead of grieving the magnitude of the tragedy, we are grieving one tiny part of it. Shrinking the tragedy into one passenger's perspective, however, helps us understand just how the tragic the situation was.
|
|
