The Meaning of the Truman Show - 1550 Words

In the last few years, America has undergone a significant cultural change. Previously, almost no criticism of the media reached the public, except for some of the complaints of business interests and conservatives. The media controlled the means of communication and it used that power to censor virtually all discussion of its own role in shaping events But now -- at last -- we are starting to get some public debate over the way the media manipulates public opinion and routinely creates fictions that masquerade as facts. The change has taken place in large measure because the media itself has become so powerful and so out of control, there is no longer any way for it to keep what it is doing under wraps. Ironically, one of the†¦show more content†¦What gives this metaphor life is the way the movie depicts two attitudes we routinely take toward media. In one, we are absorbed by it; we accept its rendition of reality because it occupies our view. We are like children whose parents define their world. The lifelikeness and seamlessness of media fabrications and the fact that they are entertaining, help induce this attitude in us. We frequently experience it while reading news stories and watching television and movies. In the second attitude, we distance ourselves from media. We examine its meaning and try to understand the intentions of its authors. This second attitude is what makes criticism -- and freedom -- possible. In life, we frequently switch from one attitude to another and mix them together. In watching television, we may easily become absorbed in the program. Then something will jar us out of our spell, such as a breakdown in the illusion or the expression of ideas we disagree with. As a result, we will suddenly distance ourselves from what we are watching, and perhaps ridicule it or suspect the intentions of its creators. The critics of media have been trying to get us to cultivate this second attitude, so we will see through the falsehood we are offered on a daily basis. The movie depicts just such a change in attitude as a transformation in the way Truman seesShow MoreRelatedMovie Analysis : The Truman Show1543 Words   |  7 PagesOn June 5th, 1998, The Truman Show was released to critical acclaim. Starring Jim Carrey in an uncharacteristic dramatic role, the movie blew past its budget at the box office earning over 264 million dollars (Movie Index, A-Z). Less than a year later on march 26, 1999, an identical movie with a similar plot premiered. Edtv performed poorly at the box office despite its star studded cast, making almost 50 million under budget (Movie Index, A-Z). The crew included popular dramatic actors includingRead MoreThe Cinematic Features Displayed in Pleasantville and The Truman Show1733 Words   |  7 PagesThe Cinematic Features Displayed in Pleasantville and The Truman Show The following essay, which I have composed, is based on two important films of the last decade. Their titles are Pleasantville and The Truman Show. Starting with the Pleasantville, the general overview of the films plot gets more complicated the further you get into it. It brings up several issues all of which I have commented on in this essay. The film starts with two teenagers, David andRead MoreRhetorical Analysis of The Truman Show1521 Words   |  7 Pagesin the film The Truman Show. It is important for a viewer to fully understand the underlying messages and subtle undertones in between the lines, so to speak. The Truman Show is one man’s life being played out in a closed environment for the entertainment of the outside world. Most important to note, Truman Burbank has no clue that his whole life has been little more than just a television program produced on a grand scale to produce the image of reality in a dome. The Truman Show blends ethos, logosRead MoreFahrenheit 451 As A Dystopian Society1181 Words   |  5 Pagesthe help of books. The main character in The Truman show, Truman Burbank, lives in an imaginary dystopian society in a dome where he is placed to live under surveillance on a television show without his awareness. Inside the dome, Truman is given what seems to be the perfect life. Truman lives next to the beach, has a wife, and a secure office job. In Truman’s society, everyone he knows is an actor pretending to be various roles in his life. Truman has little say in what he does, as he is influencedRead MoreAnimal Farm Vs Animal Farm Essay1319 Words   |  6 PagesIn the novel the Animal Farm and in the film The Truman show, both authors try to paint a picture of what utopia and a good life demonstrates through these two texts. If a good life is wanted then the animals need to work together to achieve their goal and truman needs to find out what is the real truth for him. The Truman Show and Animal Farm both try to convey what utopia would look like in our world by showing a false sense of what the world seems to be. Power and control is a huge theme in theRead MoreThe Cold War Was A State Of Political And Military Conflict1547 Words   |  7 Pages various different strategies and foreign policies were tried and tested by US presidents. However, the en vironment in which these policies operated in did not stay consistent. Correspondingly, the Soviet Union’s potency fluctuated consistently, meaning that during some periods the â€Å"Red Scare† was not nearly as threatening as others. The ever-changing state of affairs throughout the Cold War was spawned from a number of reasons, including both the belligerency of what was then the current SovietRead MoreBrave New World by Aldous Huxley1093 Words   |  4 Pagesproduction The Truman Show by Peter Weir and Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World. In each media, the society depicted seemed outwardly perfect, and the citizens were content. The individuals remained content through complete government control. With every society’s strength is a weakness, interestingly enough, the Achilles’ heel of both perfect societies is totalitarianism and social conditioning. The fact of the matter is that not everyone will be the standard. The Truman Show is a 24/7 recordingRead MoreSimilarities Between The Truman Show And Animal Farm1219 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge Orwell) and ‘The Truman Show’ (directed by Peter Weir), the author and director explore these themes. Power and control, the good life, utopia. These three themes are key to living the full life. To have a utopia you must have a good life and to have a good life you must have your own power and your own control. One cannot have good life if there is no freedom involved in that life. If they do not have the option to choose their life will not be ‘good’. In ‘The Truman Show’, Peter Weir, portraysRead MoreTruman Show: Ethical or Unethical? Essay1547 Words   |  7 Pageswhat if this perfect life was a lie and the story of your life was actually a TV show? That is the life of Truman Burbank, who was born and raised on a set his entire life without any knowledge of it. So the question is asked: is Trumans lifestyle an abuse of human rights? Two characters arise to form two sides of the argument. Christof is the creator/producer/director of The Truman Show and has watched over Truman since before he was born. Christof believes that his actions are justified throughRead MoreEmily Dickinsons Tell All the Truth but Tell It Slant Explication 944 Words   |  4 Pagesbe painful. Finally, the last line of this stanza, â€Å"The Truth’s superb surprise† (1 .4), personifies the truth as having the ability to give a surprise. A surprise is something unexpected and at times shocking. Dickinson, through this comparison, shows that the truth is able to have a shocking or surprising effect if it is completely told at one time. The second stanza continues with this overlying theme of how one must go about telling the truth. It starts off with the simile, â€Å"As Lightning to