Friday, January 25, 2008

Sweeney Todd: A Metaphor For The Cycle of Violence?



"An eye for an eye only makes the whole world blind"--Gandhi

What happens when our valid pain becomes exclusive and we forget to recognize the pain in "the other"? The following article explores this notion against the backdrop of the current hit movie: Sweeney Todd. (Gotta love that J-Depp!)

This is a good article from Garreth Higgins, a contributing writer at Sojourners, tying in the themes of the movie Sweeney Todd with the real-life web of violence in our crazy world.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

He tied that all together rather nicely. Good article.

Anonymous said...

I love when people can watch a movie and extrapolate a deeper meaning or apply it to real life...it makes it art and more meaningful.

Anonymous said...

"If the film is trying to make a serious point, it is that Sweeney's spiral of violence never ends... we often lack the ability to empathise with the pain of the 'other' community. It is all too easy to see 'our' pain as exclusive, and to become blind to the suffering of the community on the other side of a political divide."


This point really hit me hard. Thanks!