1. Quote from NY Times article, Walt Rich, “Wall.E for President”: This movie seemed more realistically in touch with what troubles America than either the substance or the players of the political food fight beyond the multiplex’s walls.” Do you agree or disagree with the statement and why?
I agree with the statement because Wall.E portrays American life and how Americans always go for the catchy food titles and where ever they can find “good” food. “Good food” meaning junk food, these producers come up with food that they know their consumers will buy. In Wall.E we can see that “Buy ‘n Large” is leading the human race because they control every aspect of human life which is the food that they consume. The reason why they keep being in business is because the people allow them to be without realizing the effects “Buy ‘n Large’s” food is doing to them. We are the ones that need to come to terms with that idea that we are allowing food chains to run our way of living and start doing something to break the chain. The reason why big food chains like “McDonald’s” or “Burger King” are still in business is because we bring business to them every single day, every hour and every minute.
2. The genre of “Wall.E” is an allegorical romance. Why do you think that classification is appropriate?
Even though the movie focuses on the effects that trash and food consumption has on our lives, it also focuses on the love that Wall.E has for Eva. I think that their love was perfectly interwoven with the overall theme of the movie. Their love for each other and the love they have for wanting to save the planet is what makes the movie so good. It’s kind of like the phrase “there is light at the end of the tunnel.” Wall.E and Eva interact and actually have dialogue to get to know each other, while the people that live in the Axiom haven’t had contact for about 700 years. Wall.E and Eva brought back the definition of love to the movie and to the humans as well.
3. What environmental message does Wall.E send?
We, humans are making so much trash that in the end we won’t know where to put it all. Wall.E’s job is to box-up the trash but not get rid of it, while the entire city is getting built by cubes of trash. We need to find ways to re-use and recycle all that we use, but until we do that we are just reserving huge amounts of landfills to keep our trash. Wall.E’s message is that we all need to become aware of the environmental impact trash is having on our planet and that we all need to do our part to make it cleaner.
4. How does this movie relate to self-identity? (ontology)
The people living in the Axiom are not going through self-recognition or mutual recognition. They are constantly on their computers and on their chairs that they don’t see their true selves. They have a daily schedule that has been the same since they were born: wake up, eat, and sleep. They don’t have personalities and that’s because they are living in place where everything is done for them. They don’t have to “try” to do anything.
5. What might be the significance of calling the corporate company “Buy ‘n Large?”
Well Americans are always attracted to catchy titles. I would personally be interested in buying something from Buy ‘n Large, because it makes me thinks that every time I buy something it’ll be big. This company’s title attracts the population and makes the people want to buy more and more food from them. In order for a company to be successful they have to start with a catchy title and have good food to back it up, and making sure that their food is nothing like the competition. I think that’s how Buy ‘n Large probably became so big, and ended up leading people’s lives.
6. Identify one time in the “avalanche of detritus” you feel is an important symbol. Why?
I think the VCR from the musical “Hello, Dolly!” is a perfect representation of what is lacking in the movie from the beginning. People aren’t falling in love anymore, they no longer are experiencing human contact, however, Wall.E still does and he’s going to try everything to experience that emotion. The film also represents mutual recognition, he longs for someone to hold hands with which finally happens at the end with Eva. The fact that he recognizes that and wants that for himself represents the salvation for human kind.
7. The Axiom might be described as a “utopic” existence. Do you agree or disagree with that description?
I agree because in the Axiom there is no war, no conflict, everything seems to be perfect. The people don’t have to worry about anything because nothing is wrong. They are able to live calm lives where they have everything they need: food, clothing, and shelter. With all those necessities available to them everything is perfect and they feel secure, even though each person lives in their world within a bigger world.
8. What is the impact of an almost complete lack of dialogue?
There is NO self-recognition or mutual recognition when there’s no dialogue. Wall.E seeks dialogue with someone, because he feels alone. However, in the Axiom people are talking to each other over a computer screen, and missing actual person-to-person contact. Talking to someone over a computer doesn’t allow mutual recognition, there’s no contact or recognition that one exists. When the computers turns off when Wall.E bumped into the man, the man then looked around and saw what was actually around him. He didn’t even see how he looked physically until that moment, which is horrifying to me. People can’t live without dialogue and physical contact in a world where that is needed to progress.
9. How does this film depict the human condition and what contemporary references could you use as analogies?
Humans are too focused on their technology to sometimes experience mutual recognition and/or self-recognition. We also give too much money to food corporations that are only harming our bodies and some of us don’t actually realize they are until our health declines. Every day we create thousands and thousands of pounds of trash, but we either throw it on the street or put in landfills until we figure out a way to recycle it. We aren’t conscious of what is happening and those that do realize aren’t given the attention they deserve.
10. The Captain states, “I don’t want to survive. I want to live.” Interpret this statement.
The Captain wants to see what Earth is like; he wants to live through all those things like “dancing” and seeing a “farm.” He doesn’t want to go through the motions, but rather try to survive and provide for himself. On the Axiom, people “just survive” that’s all, they aren’t actually living life to the fullest. I don’t even think they know what life is, because they can’t even comprehend what they are surrounded by. The Captain wants to fight to survive every day, he wants to live in world where he can do so. The Axiom doesn’t force people to do that, because they’re constantly provided for and their lives are lived by the robots and their computers not their actual human selves.
