PRESENTATION OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
My name is Wende Morgaine Garrison.
My major in school was Film & Television and Rhetoric & Writing.
I was born in Manhattan, Kansas.
FIREFLY
Firefly is TV show in the space western genre and it is set far in the future. It is about a former army captain who now owns a spaceship and he and his crew travel around the universe seeking work. Having lost the war he served in, the captain now enjoys defying the government regularly.
EPISODES
I watched three Firefly episodes:
1. The Train Job
2. Safe
3. Ariel
ANALYSIS: FAMILY
The crew of the ship are not related but they definitely act like they are family. Mal is a father figure and is in charge. He is protective of his crew like a father is. Inara acts like Kaylee's older sister. Sometimes Kaylee and River play like siblings.
FAMILY
Mal and Zoe seem to function as Mom and Dad in the ship. In fact, the previous army partnership of Mal and Zoe is so strong is causes slight trouble in Zoe's marriage. For the most part, characters are loyal to each other like members of a family are. Therefore, all the characters on Firefly definitely take on the roles and function of a family.
ANALYSIS: FEMALE GENDER ROLES
Firefly presents drastically difference gender roles.
Zoe is powerful and a leader, never showing vulnerability.
Inara is a prostitute, which is a revered job in the future. She is sharp and good with words but guards her heart carefully.
Kaylee is sweet and clever, loyal and quick to love others.
River is powerful as a warrior and is brilliant, but she is emotionally disturbed and volatile.
So if someone watched the show, they might view women as being able to having varying characteristics--that there is no one way of being that defines a woman.
ANALYSIS: FEMALE GENDER ROLES
On closer inspection, in the show Firefly, all the women have some element of strength to them. Each ends up being able to step and be strong when the situation demands it.
In fact, the person who wrote the show Firefly is famous for writing strong women into his shows.
So I think if you watched Firefly, the message you would get about women is that they are strong in lots of different ways.
ANALYSIS: MALE GENDER ROLES
All of the men on Firefly are well-rounded characters, except for Jane--who is a stereotypically strong man with little or no feelings. The men on the show (except for Jane) all have a soft side and are able to show it proudly.
Wash is the soft half of the partnership with Zoe. He prioritizes their relationship while she prioritizes work.
Shepard Book speaks openly about his feelings and the feelings of others.
ANALYSIS: MALE GENDER ROLES
Simon has risked his life and given up his career to rescue his sister who he is devoted to in an ongoing way.
Mal keeps his feelings guarded a lot but his actions portray his soft heart. He takes on Simon and River even though it is a huge risk. He clearly loves Kaylee like a father.
On Firefly, I think the message is that men have soft hearts and feelings just like women do.
CONCLUSION
Firefly is about a band of misfits who find a home on a ship and find a family in each other. They go through adversity together and form bonds. They aren't related, but they prove to be supportive and reliable again and again.
CONCLUSION
The message Firefly gives about families is that you can find a family of your own long after you leave home and where you least expect it.
The other message is that your family makes your stronger in times of trouble. That life is team effort.
