ABriefAnalysisofIndividualHeroisminFrozen_开题报告

I.Status of Domestic Research

By collecting and sorting out relevant materials, understanding the meaning, origin and development of individual heroism is expected. Taking Frozen as an example, through analyzing the manifestation of individual heroism and its positive values and limitations, this paper hopes to take a more comprehensive and objective view of individual heroism in European and American movies.

The first is the meaning of personal heroism, such as Liu Jing's view in "Hollywood Films on the Study of Personal Heroism Values": "Personal heroism reflects a spirit of optimism, enthusiasm, hard work, and fearlessness. Hollywood Movies are an effective way to study the values of American personal heroism. To study the values of American personal heroism, we should learn from its core and essence. " That is to say, personal heroism is a spirit and value, and a positive and optimistic spirit.

On the contrary, Hu Lixin and Fang Yongjun believe that Hollywood filmmakers wildly create the illusion of perfect individual heroes, especially the tremendous power of individual heroes controlling the entire conflicts, and exaggerating the decisive role of individual heroes in defeating the hostile forces. The individual power is infinitely exaggerated and deified, thus endowing these heroes with the value of extreme personal heroism. Therefore, this kind of extreme personal heroism fails on promoting good and punishing evil, and what's worse, it is easy to inspire another form of belligerence and even personal heroic sacrifice of terrorists and evil forces. This heroic image of extreme personal heroism can’t defend human values such as personal value, liberation of individuality, and personal struggle, and even is detrimental to the construction of a modern rational civilized social order. Therefore, the harm of extreme personal heroism values is also profound and far-reaching.

This means that for individual heroism, there are currently two mainstream voices: one is that individual heroism is positive, beneficial, and leads people upwards with practical significance, which can be promoted everywhere. Another diametrically opposed view is that individual heroism in the film is extremely violent, irresponsible, and the idea of putting individual interests above collective interests is unacceptable.. However, things have two sides, and so does personal heroism, and we need to treat it objectively and fairly.

The origin and development of personal heroism can refer to Li Dongxia's "Analysis of the American Spirit in Hollywood Classic Films": American personal heroism was born along with the history of the United States. Since Europeans crossed the oceans to America, the ideals of individualism, freedom, equality, dignity and self-realization have been deeply rooted in the hearts of these people. But the individualism and collectivism they promoted are not contradictory. Lincoln's "Declaration of Independence" has put forward universalism, but it gradually evolved into salvationism: self-saving, people-saving, country-saving, and even world-saving—Americans want to save the world. Because confident Americans stubbornly believe that others are not free, and they are the best candidates sent by God to save humanity. This is a kind of individual and collective heroism”.

Liu Jieliang believes: "Heroism is not an abstract and rootless existence. It needs to be connected with specific history, different cultural backgrounds and value systems to shape heroes. There are three causes of personal heroism in Europe and America: historical causes, realistic causes, cultural causes. At the origin and development of personal heroism, everyone's views are basically consistent, that is, there are cultural and historical reasons, such as the Renaissance Movement, the Enlightenment, the American War of Independence, and practical reasons such as Europe and America are leading in modern science and technology in the world. The sense of pride and mission that results from these reasons gives personal heroism a foundation”.

In the aspect of the personality characteristics and performances of the protagonist in Frozen, Yang Xiaoxi and Yang Junhui's classification method in the article "Analysis of Personal Heroism Types in American Hollywood Films" can be used as reference: divide it into personal sacrifice heroism and personal salvation heroism. Among them, personal sacrificial heroism can be subdivided into the human nature promotion and tit-for-tat personal heroisms according to the behavior of heroes; personal salvation heroism can be subdivided into resistance against power and self-challenging personal heroisms based on the salvation objects of heroes. Looking into the future, personal salvation heroism, the integration of personal heroism and collectivism will surely be the mainstream of the future development of Hollywood personal heroism films and television themes. "

Wang Haiying’s "Individual Heroism in American Disaster Films" says: "Personal heroes portrayed in European and American movies are often muscular and witty, or brave, personable, or persevering, and mighty. They save their beloved compatriots or the entire human race with fortitude and perseverance, contributing to heroic achievements. The heroism in American disaster films is of course not always presented as fighting alone, or taking one’s own way, but often shows scenes of going hand in hand with the official power of justice and combating the disaster together. "

Take Frozen as an example, specifically the outstanding characteristics of personal heroism, such as Anna ’s flexibility, cute and kind, lively and cheerful, and daring to pursue her sister; in order not to affect the country and the people, Elsa endured loneliness and pain, closed herself up, and endured all the fearless spirit of sacrifice alone. Of course, there is also Hans' hypocrisy, and how he is ruthless and despicable in order to achieve his personal goals; and the greed, cunning Duke of Weselton. These are the manifestations of personal heroism, representing good and evil on both sides. We should treat them differently.

Liu Jing said in the Study on the Values of Personal Heroism in Hollywood Films that personal heroism reflects an optimistic, positive, striving and fearless spirit. Almost every American movie has its own hero, which directly leads to the "hero flood" doctrine. Therefore, when we deal with the values of personal heroism advocated in Hollywood movies, we should not only affirm the parts of advocating freedom, independence, personal dignity and justice, but also see the contradictions between personal freedom and social order, violence and democracy that can never be reconciled. Only in this way can we have a deeper understanding of the deeply rooted individualistic values in American society. We should absorb the essence and discard the dross.

 II.Writing Ideas and Theoretical Basis

This paper hopes to analyze the meaning, origin and development of personal heroism, the expression of personal heroism in Frozen, the positive role and limitations of personal heroism, thus to provide a reference for everyone to objectively and fairly evaluate personal heroism .

This paper will be based on the origin and development history of American individual heroism in Li Dongxia's "Analysis of the American Spirit in Hollywood Classics" and Liu Jing's "Study on the Value of Individual Heroism in Hollywood Movies", referring to Yang Xiaoxi and Yang Junhui’s classification method of individual heroism in Hollywood films to analyze the classic Hollywood movie “Frozen”; This paper will analyze the hero image, personality and behavior style, and find out the positive role and limitations of personal heroism reflected in Frozen.

Outline:

I. Introduction

What is Individual Heroism? 

How should we evaluate its positive effects and limitations?

II.An overview of Individual Heroism

What is Individual Heroism? 

The origin and development of Individual Heroism

III.The expression of Individual Heroism in FROZEN

Personal sacrifice Heroism

Individual redemption Heroism

Integration of individual Heroism and Collectivism 

IV. How should we think of the Individual Heroism？

 Individual Heroism is not a monster

 Individual Heroism has its drawbacks

V. Conclusion

Every coin has two sides. Nothing is perfect. Individual heroism does not come from nowhere. It is a cultural value concept generated by history, humanity, science and technology. It represents the common values of European and American countries and has a positive impact on people's behavior. Of course, he also has some shortcomings such as advocating violence, but we should not give up his advantages because of  this, we should learn to accept his advantages and discard his shortcomings, this is our correct attitude.

VI.   References

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[5]HaiYing Wang.Individual Heroism in American Disaster Films [J]. Film Literature (Academic Forum), 2011, （18）:15-16

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[15]Rui Wang.Western Ideological Output of Hacksaw Ridge [J]. Film Literature (Academic Forum), 2019,(12):156-158