Avatar and the Rain Forest
The tropical rain forest is a place unlike any on earth and for that reason its vegetation has attracted more attention from writers than any other vegetation anywhere else on the planet: as Whitmore (1990) states, “more ‘purple passages’ have been penned on lowland evergreen rain forest than any other vegetation type†(p. 40). Through this lens of human beings’ fascination with the wonders of the tropical rain forest, one can see why James Cameron took such care to bring to life the tropical world of Avatar. Cameron’s film is an ode to nature—to the wonders of the environment. It is a sci-fi reimagining of what our world could be like if only we stopped trying to loot and plunder the natural world. As the villains in Avatar show, nature is corrupted by the external influence of people who seek to exploit nature and create disharmony where harmony should be. Though Whitmore shows numerous examples of nature itself displaying a kind of smothering conflict—for example, with the strangling fig with fan palms (Whitmore, 1990, p. 41) which grows over a host tree in order to find light for itself—Cameron takes the position that it is better to live in harmony with nature than to try to destroy. Ironically, Whitmore shows that in falling in love with the verdure, one can miss the reality of nature which is that there is cruelty in it—and the strangling fig is an example of that cruelty, smothering the host beneath it in order to send its roots to the earth below and its shoots upwards towards the light of the sun.
James Cameron’s Avatar is almost an unintentional allegory of the fig tree described in Whitmore’s book. The humans from planet earth are like the fig tree, looking to exploit the resources of the moon planet on which the Na’vi live. They want to mine the moon for its valuable resources—and in doing so they are willing to kill anything in its way. The Na’vi are, ultimately, in the way. Like the host tree that is smothered by the strangling fig, the Na’vi and their tree of life attacked. In Cameron’s romantic take on the tropical rain forests, however, the host tree (the Na’vi) fights back and the strangling fig (the humans) is put in its place. Cameron wants to show in Avatar that nature is good and that respect for nature is what the guiding spirit of life—the Eywa—wants everyone to have. Living in harmony with nature is possible and this harmony that Cameron insists upon is depicted in the final battle in which the wildlife of Pandora, the moon planet, unite to take down the humans. In other words, nature resists the strangling fig in Cameron’s film. In reality, as Whitmore shows, the strangling fig is part of nature and is not resisted but rather, in fact, smothers the host tree and dominates its way to the top. Cameron romanticizes nature and the concept of the tropical rainforest in Avatar. Whitmore shows the true colors of the rain forest thanks to the image of the strangling fig.
Wade Davis in One River likewise shows how nature is not quite as harmonious as Cameron would have his audience believe. Instead of union and unity of purpose, there is the sense that beings in nature will dominate and take over in spite of obstacles. The example that Davis gives is the example of Cubeo settlement, where the women take the venomous snake that is killed by the men and “create nourishment out of poison†by pressing the venom from the snake (Davis, 1996, p. 468). The women do not live in harmony with the snake in the same way that the natural world of Pandora lives in harmony with itself. On the contrary, the women see the snake as deadly and make use of it, just like the strangling fig views the bigger tree as an obstacle to its own survival. The strangling fig takes over the bigger, host tree in order to survive and uses the host tree’s girth and strength to fortify itself—just as the Cubeo women make use of the snake to fortify themselves. That which would otherwise kill them is killed by the Cubeo, who profit from its death.
In Cameron’s film, the profiteers however are depicted as villains: they are the enemy of the natural world, which Cameron depicts as being gloriously larger than life—vibrant, excessive, beautiful and full of uplifting spirits. There is no strife in the world of the Na’vi other than that which the humans bring because they represent the greed and corruption that is so anathema to Nature. Whitmore, of course, shows that nature is not exactly all that innocent, if one is to use the same terms. Nature is okay with cruelty. Its forests and jungles say as much: the way the vines twine about the trees, choking them out as they climb up to get the light. There is no sense of sharing; rather there is a sense of domination. Yet for Cameron, those who seek to dominate are not worthy of the life and light of the natural world. For instance, the bad humans—those who do not convert to the way of life of the Na’vi—are expelled and sent back to the planet Earth, where nature has been stripped of all its resources as a result of human greed and humanity’s insatiable lust for more. The Na’vi represent, for Cameron, the ideal that humans should try to emulate—a race that lives in harmony with nature, that seeks to be one with it, that seeks to live alongside it rather than to try to exploit it for purposes that have no place in the natural order of things.
The natural order of things, however, is rather more like that shown by Whitmore with the strangling fig. Here is the reality of nature: species get along by dominating one another. The natural order is predatory. There are prey and there are predators. There are hosts and there are parasites—and these things exist in nature. The strangling fig is the perfect example. It is beautiful to look at: the roots growing down the shaft of the host tree, and palms growing out from the tree tops. Its beauty, however, lies in the mystery that it represents. This mystery cannot be expounded in so many words or understood simply. It is the mystery of creation that calls to mind so many different ideas, so many different conflicting spirits. It is the representation of the Fall from grace of the story of creation told in Genesis. To paint it simply or to characterize it in naïve terms, as Cameron does in Avatar, is to miss the reality and promote the illusion of nature, which is that somehow somewhere a harmony exists in which all things get along in peace and prosperity. Perhaps on planet Pandora they do—but that planet is fictitious—the fruit of Cameron’s active imagination.
In conclusion, the reality of the wilderness, of the vegetation of the rain forest, which has attracted the fascination of so many artists over the centuries, is that there is no real harmony in nature in which all organisms and species exist side by side in peace as there no Fall ever took place. The Fall is evident in strangling fig, which climbs up and shoots down overtop its host so that it may live. In Cameron’s film, the humans represent the strangling fig—but they are defeated and the host tree, the Na’vi, get to live. They return to their peaceful co-existence with Nature. In Whitmore’s book, however, the peaceful co-existence that Cameron believes in is more myth than reality, as the image of the strangling fig shows. The strangling fig does not seek co-existence: it seeks dominance. It seeks life for itself. It seeks to be the one that reaches up to the sun, even it means smothering another organism. Cameron’s Avatar would reject this kind of Nature, while extolling the beauties of the rain forest in a sentimental show.
References
Davis, W., 1996. One River. Simon & Schuster.
Whitmore, T. C., 1990. An introduction to tropical rain forests. OUP Oxford.
Get Professional Assignment Help Cheaply
Are you busy and do not have time to handle your assignment? Are you scared that your paper will not make the grade? Do you have responsibilities that may hinder you from turning in your assignment on time? Are you tired and can barely handle your assignment? Are your grades inconsistent?
Whichever your reason is, it is valid! You can get professional academic help from our service at affordable rates. We have a team of professional academic writers who can handle all your assignments.
Why Choose Our Academic Writing Service?
- Plagiarism free papers
- Timely delivery
- Any deadline
- Skilled, Experienced Native English Writers
- Subject-relevant academic writer
- Adherence to paper instructions
- Ability to tackle bulk assignments
- Reasonable prices
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Get superb grades consistently
Online Academic Help With Different Subjects
Literature
Students barely have time to read. We got you! Have your literature essay or book review written without having the hassle of reading the book. You can get your literature paper custom-written for you by our literature specialists.
Finance
Do you struggle with finance? No need to torture yourself if finance is not your cup of tea. You can order your finance paper from our academic writing service and get 100% original work from competent finance experts.
Computer science
Computer science is a tough subject. Fortunately, our computer science experts are up to the match. No need to stress and have sleepless nights. Our academic writers will tackle all your computer science assignments and deliver them on time. Let us handle all your python, java, ruby, JavaScript, php , C+ assignments!
Psychology
While psychology may be an interesting subject, you may lack sufficient time to handle your assignments. Don’t despair; by using our academic writing service, you can be assured of perfect grades. Moreover, your grades will be consistent.
Engineering
Engineering is quite a demanding subject. Students face a lot of pressure and barely have enough time to do what they love to do. Our academic writing service got you covered! Our engineering specialists follow the paper instructions and ensure timely delivery of the paper.
Nursing
In the nursing course, you may have difficulties with literature reviews, annotated bibliographies, critical essays, and other assignments. Our nursing assignment writers will offer you professional nursing paper help at low prices.
Sociology
Truth be told, sociology papers can be quite exhausting. Our academic writing service relieves you of fatigue, pressure, and stress. You can relax and have peace of mind as our academic writers handle your sociology assignment.
Business
We take pride in having some of the best business writers in the industry. Our business writers have a lot of experience in the field. They are reliable, and you can be assured of a high-grade paper. They are able to handle business papers of any subject, length, deadline, and difficulty!
Statistics
We boast of having some of the most experienced statistics experts in the industry. Our statistics experts have diverse skills, expertise, and knowledge to handle any kind of assignment. They have access to all kinds of software to get your assignment done.
Law
Writing a law essay may prove to be an insurmountable obstacle, especially when you need to know the peculiarities of the legislative framework. Take advantage of our top-notch law specialists and get superb grades and 100% satisfaction.
What discipline/subjects do you deal in?
We have highlighted some of the most popular subjects we handle above. Those are just a tip of the iceberg. We deal in all academic disciplines since our writers are as diverse. They have been drawn from across all disciplines, and orders are assigned to those writers believed to be the best in the field. In a nutshell, there is no task we cannot handle; all you need to do is place your order with us. As long as your instructions are clear, just trust we shall deliver irrespective of the discipline.
Are your writers competent enough to handle my paper?
Our essay writers are graduates with bachelor's, masters, Ph.D., and doctorate degrees in various subjects. The minimum requirement to be an essay writer with our essay writing service is to have a college degree. All our academic writers have a minimum of two years of academic writing. We have a stringent recruitment process to ensure that we get only the most competent essay writers in the industry. We also ensure that the writers are handsomely compensated for their value. The majority of our writers are native English speakers. As such, the fluency of language and grammar is impeccable.
What if I don’t like the paper?
There is a very low likelihood that you won’t like the paper.
Reasons being:
- When assigning your order, we match the paper’s discipline with the writer’s field/specialization. Since all our writers are graduates, we match the paper’s subject with the field the writer studied. For instance, if it’s a nursing paper, only a nursing graduate and writer will handle it. Furthermore, all our writers have academic writing experience and top-notch research skills.
- We have a quality assurance that reviews the paper before it gets to you. As such, we ensure that you get a paper that meets the required standard and will most definitely make the grade.
In the event that you don’t like your paper:
- The writer will revise the paper up to your pleasing. You have unlimited revisions. You simply need to highlight what specifically you don’t like about the paper, and the writer will make the amendments. The paper will be revised until you are satisfied. Revisions are free of charge
- We will have a different writer write the paper from scratch.
- Last resort, if the above does not work, we will refund your money.
Will the professor find out I didn’t write the paper myself?
Not at all. All papers are written from scratch. There is no way your tutor or instructor will realize that you did not write the paper yourself. In fact, we recommend using our assignment help services for consistent results.
What if the paper is plagiarized?
We check all papers for plagiarism before we submit them. We use powerful plagiarism checking software such as SafeAssign, LopesWrite, and Turnitin. We also upload the plagiarism report so that you can review it. We understand that plagiarism is academic suicide. We would not take the risk of submitting plagiarized work and jeopardize your academic journey. Furthermore, we do not sell or use prewritten papers, and each paper is written from scratch.
When will I get my paper?
You determine when you get the paper by setting the deadline when placing the order. All papers are delivered within the deadline. We are well aware that we operate in a time-sensitive industry. As such, we have laid out strategies to ensure that the client receives the paper on time and they never miss the deadline. We understand that papers that are submitted late have some points deducted. We do not want you to miss any points due to late submission. We work on beating deadlines by huge margins in order to ensure that you have ample time to review the paper before you submit it.
Will anyone find out that I used your services?
We have a privacy and confidentiality policy that guides our work. We NEVER share any customer information with third parties. Noone will ever know that you used our assignment help services. It’s only between you and us. We are bound by our policies to protect the customer’s identity and information. All your information, such as your names, phone number, email, order information, and so on, are protected. We have robust security systems that ensure that your data is protected. Hacking our systems is close to impossible, and it has never happened.
How our Assignment Help Service Works
1. Place an order
You fill all the paper instructions in the order form. Make sure you include all the helpful materials so that our academic writers can deliver the perfect paper. It will also help to eliminate unnecessary revisions.
2. Pay for the order
Proceed to pay for the paper so that it can be assigned to one of our expert academic writers. The paper subject is matched with the writer’s area of specialization.
3. Track the progress
You communicate with the writer and know about the progress of the paper. The client can ask the writer for drafts of the paper. The client can upload extra material and include additional instructions from the lecturer. Receive a paper.
4. Download the paper
The paper is sent to your email and uploaded to your personal account. You also get a plagiarism report attached to your paper.
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!
