Metaphors
We've been watching Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind at our house these last several days. (yes, in a row. Yes, that is a lot of screen time. I know.) The girls had watched it once before and didn't like it - the ohms were too scary, there is some violence with guns, and violent takeover of land, etc. A lot to absorb and process. However, there are many things I love about this and other Miyazaki movies that I am happy to encourage, especially in this movie, the metaphor of being blinded by rage.
Things I love: the ohm as guardians of the forest, making sure humans don't further pollute it; the strong young female lead character, Nausicaa; the questions the movie raises about human control of nature and environment.
Tonight, Lola and I were discussing character motivations. Why, for example, did the two men holding the injured baby ohm want to shoot Nausicaa? Why did one of them say "She flies like the wind. Maybe we shouldn't shoot her"? Which led to questions about why the characters might do something they would not normally do in another circumstance. In this case, we talked about soldiers following orders, and then what an "enemy" is. One soldier refers to her as an enemy because she tries to stop them from making a tragic mistake. Which made me think of what blinds them, what blinds the ohm, what blinds other characters. So I brought that up. I said something like, "There are a lot of characters who seem blinded by something in Nausicaa. The soldier who shoots Nausicaa to stop her, the ohm who are blinded by rage, so much that they would hurt their own baby and ignore Nausicaa." And then Lola got it, I could see in her face applying this concept to the other characters. I continued, "And the other princess, Kushana, what do you think she is blinded by?" Lola thought about it a bit, and replied "Power." And then she asked, "What about Oshitana [don't know if that is really the character name. Can't find it online]? What blinds him?" We silently thought about it, I asked her what she thought, and she answered, "Fear." We talked also of Nausicaa, and if she is blinded by anything. Lola didn't think so. And as she asked me my opinion of other characters, and as I shared a little of what I thought, I really struggled to not laugh with joy! My almost-8 year old was seriously discussing big ideas about a movie we both enjoyed, and I was learning something about her. Not only did I swell with feeling about her ability to get the metaphor and apply it (mom thing), but I was also having an interesting conversation about character motivation and plot.
I love, love, love when we have plenty of time to think about what interests us, but also the time to share it with each other. She also apparently enjoyed this connection with me - after I got up to take care of the dog and Pearl, Lola came right up to me, all love, and squeezed me with all her giant 8-yo self and said "I love you Mom!". Lola and I don't get a lot of feeling the same about things, but she does get how to talk about stories -- what they mean, and what they might mean. This is a gift, and I hold it dear to me as it heals that part of me that really needed that while I was growing up. I dearly hope I can hear her when she asks for what I can't give, and love her for that, too.
Things I love: the ohm as guardians of the forest, making sure humans don't further pollute it; the strong young female lead character, Nausicaa; the questions the movie raises about human control of nature and environment.
Tonight, Lola and I were discussing character motivations. Why, for example, did the two men holding the injured baby ohm want to shoot Nausicaa? Why did one of them say "She flies like the wind. Maybe we shouldn't shoot her"? Which led to questions about why the characters might do something they would not normally do in another circumstance. In this case, we talked about soldiers following orders, and then what an "enemy" is. One soldier refers to her as an enemy because she tries to stop them from making a tragic mistake. Which made me think of what blinds them, what blinds the ohm, what blinds other characters. So I brought that up. I said something like, "There are a lot of characters who seem blinded by something in Nausicaa. The soldier who shoots Nausicaa to stop her, the ohm who are blinded by rage, so much that they would hurt their own baby and ignore Nausicaa." And then Lola got it, I could see in her face applying this concept to the other characters. I continued, "And the other princess, Kushana, what do you think she is blinded by?" Lola thought about it a bit, and replied "Power." And then she asked, "What about Oshitana [don't know if that is really the character name. Can't find it online]? What blinds him?" We silently thought about it, I asked her what she thought, and she answered, "Fear." We talked also of Nausicaa, and if she is blinded by anything. Lola didn't think so. And as she asked me my opinion of other characters, and as I shared a little of what I thought, I really struggled to not laugh with joy! My almost-8 year old was seriously discussing big ideas about a movie we both enjoyed, and I was learning something about her. Not only did I swell with feeling about her ability to get the metaphor and apply it (mom thing), but I was also having an interesting conversation about character motivation and plot.
I love, love, love when we have plenty of time to think about what interests us, but also the time to share it with each other. She also apparently enjoyed this connection with me - after I got up to take care of the dog and Pearl, Lola came right up to me, all love, and squeezed me with all her giant 8-yo self and said "I love you Mom!". Lola and I don't get a lot of feeling the same about things, but she does get how to talk about stories -- what they mean, and what they might mean. This is a gift, and I hold it dear to me as it heals that part of me that really needed that while I was growing up. I dearly hope I can hear her when she asks for what I can't give, and love her for that, too.
posted by Skim @ 8:42 PM
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