"The Patriot": A Review

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that there is an obvious Eurocentric historical perspective throughout the film about the budding revolution, which is portrayed as a valiant grassroots attempt to overthrow an oppressive British crown and to gain political autonomy for the colonies. The author points out that the British are portrayed as being an overwhelmingly brutal group, as demonstrated by the character William Tavington, the soldier who killed young Thomas and who remains a polarized and one-dimensional bad guy throughout the film. The paper stresses that, far from undermining Eurocentrism, this stance shows that the Americans were a forward-thinking, liberal-minded group of Europeans, whose passion for freedom and liberty outweighed that of the British.

From the Paper:

"The first time Benjamin shows his latent aggression is when he and his sons ambush the British soldiers who captured Gabriel. Their mission was eminently successful; but, even after he murders the British men, Benjamin hacks away at one of their dead bodies while his sons look on terrified. This hints at what occurred at Fort Wilderness. Later, Benjamin tells Gabriel that they chopped the Indians to bits and mailed their fingers and tongues: the Indians, not the French. For while they were also fighting the French army, the Indians are the ones being portrayed as being savage and brutal, worthy of being chopped to bits. Notably, no Native Americans appear on the scene in the entire film. Their culture and people are suitably ignored, removed from the lesson plan of history. Deliberately removing them from the screen solidifies the Eurocentric stance of the film. The British victory during the wars is over the Native Americans; the French, also white settlers, are worthy enough to join the Revolutionary cause."

More papers on "The Patriot": A Review:

• Essay # 16909 : "The Patriot"
• Analytical Essay # 88544 : "The Patriot Act"
• Analytical Essay # 141693 : "The Patriot Act"

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